episode_0089

On the mountain of monsters, I met some welcome faces.

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t meet Nacha, but I was relieved to hear from my sisters that she was fine. She also said that she was preparing something, so I didn’t intend to bother her by going there for no reason.

Still, I thought that the story that had happened would be told through my older sisters’ mouths, so I was secretly curious about Nacha’s reaction.

I wonder if I’ll get scolded for coming here with my perfectly healthy wings and heart ripped off.

But I won’t say much about the wings since my sisters made them nicely.

I received several items, but the most helpful one was a steel wing that could replace one of my torn wings. It was a great addition, more than enough to replace my original wing.

Thanks to his newly completed pair of wings, Hyunho was able to move quickly through flight.

– Where are you going?

“First of all… the research lab.”

There were many places to visit, but the most urgent one was the research lab. It was a place where they had previously conducted strange experiments with the remains of an angel.

It was also a place where I had the strange experience of the corpse being absorbed into my body.

“Looking back, it’s so suspicious. I thought it was unnecessary information and just passed over it…”

It was hard to express it as if the original research lab had been taken over by succubi and was now operating – I was concerned that such facilities had been built.

Because I couldn’t look around everything and ended up having a blast in the underground facility, my mind was completely blank…

‘Father-?’

What Lina said after seeing the blood clot was enough to spark suspicion.

And the fact that Kuzunoha said she didn’t understand the barrier when she saw it, and that it seemed like it was meant to confine rather than protect.

The sword that was supposed to be given to me reacted strangely.

It is natural to think that the culprit is closer to humans than to the demons.

– So, the maid and the red-haired girl are the problem?

“No, that’s not it.”

When Bartholin heard the word human, he thought of those two first… but this part can be said for sure.

The two are people in a realm of trust where judgment is made before even thinking of evidence. Because the time they spent together is the most certain evidence.

– What if it turns out that it was a perfect performance? Then what?

“Then let me give you a chance.”

Hyunho answered Bartholin’s question as if it were a given.

You’ve received so much, but you might be betrayed once. If that happens, you’ll feel a real chill down the back of your head.

Bartholin began to grumble, as if my answer was not what he had expected.

– My brother is really a fool. And his answers are not funny…

“No, well… you don’t think so either.”

We were attacked together in the first place, so it was meaningless to even make that assumption.

Bartholin just wanted to ask me a question that would make me uncomfortable. Nothing more, nothing less.

It didn’t seem like this before… I was worried because Bartholin’s personality seemed to be getting a little twisted after entering my body.

– I can’t help it, Oppa. It’s boring to just stay here, and time doesn’t pass unless I play with Oppa.

In the beginning, he played around with moving the blood, but he seemed to get tired of it soon.

If being locked in is boring and the problem is that you can move around a little outside of your body, maybe it would be better if you could make a sheath for your body so that you can move around a little outside of your body.

Personally, if I were to rate it, I would give it a pretty high score, so it wasn’t a bad idea. However, since the evaluation criteria were different, Bartholin turned it down with a grim expression.

– Alright. Aren’t we almost there? If we fight, it’s natural for blood to come out anyway.

“Huh? They’re all here already?”

He knew it, but the difference between walking and flying was significant. It had originally taken three times longer than this. Hyunho decided that his choice to stop by Yokai Mountain first was the right one.

In the original game speedrunning, unless you use a bug to move through the map, isn’t it best to get a means of transportation first? From that perspective, it was definitely a good start.

Looking down from the sky, the lab looked as if it was the size of a palm. At this height, it would be impossible to find yourself inside.

“Roughly, it was something like this…”

The best way to start a fight is to strike first. Why, there is a saying that the first strike always wins. It is the same principle that if you know the punch, it hurts less, but if you are hit suddenly, it hurts more.

For that reason, Hyunho had no intention of showing himself and entering the lab. But he didn’t have to sneak in like last time.

“Hold on tight. It’s going in-!”

In reality, the only one I had to be careful of was myself rushing in, but for some reason I felt like I had to shout it out.

Hyunho flapped his wings once in the air, then fell with a burst of air.

It was clearly a deliberate charge, not a fall solely dependent on gravity. However, if it continued to fall like this, it was destined to end up crashing into the ceiling of the building and being shattered into pieces.

If I had a sharp sword, I could have cut through the ceiling, but the only weapon I have is a wooden sword. It’s only a wooden sword because it hits well, but in reality, it’s no different from a wooden stick.

It was a sword too crude for cutting, but suitable for breaking.

He let out a “whoosh” sound and swung his arms down sharply as he fell. As his arms rotated around his shoulders, the blood flowing through his body gained strength and rushed to his fingertips.

Although it is expressed as blood, it is clearly a part of Bartholin’s body. The shape can be adjusted as much as desired.

Blood in the shape of a blade shot out from the tip of the swung finger.

I couldn’t see it flying, but I heard a “piik, piik” sound later. And a deep scar was left on the ceiling.

If it had been Bartholin alone who had spewed out the energy, the mass would have only been enough to scratch the ceiling, but the blade, which had been subjected to various types of acceleration and was imbued with will, boasted sufficient power.

This was something that Bartholin and I had to get along on, so I was worried whether she would be able to match me, but she seemed quite familiar.

It is said that among the abilities it acquired while eating other monsters during its wandering days, there was a type that could shoot out thorn-like things.

In any case, a ceiling that has even a small scratch can no longer be considered solid.

Just as a tiny crack in a dam can cause the entire dam to collapse, the shock that can be withstood changes depending on that single crack.

Hyunho drove his wooden sword into the crack in the roof as he fell. Just as a wedge would widen a small hole, the ceiling collapsed in an instant.

– Ugh, I can’t see because of the dust.

As she said, the surroundings were full of dust and flying debris, making it impossible to see anything. Still, I could sense the presence of people around me through my senses, so it was worth practicing before.

There can’t be any allies here, so if you feel any presence, immediately strike with your wooden sword.

Hyunho was nervous with those thoughts, but what he was worried about did not happen.

“No one is there?”

***

After a brief moment of being on guard against a possible surprise attack, I was able to conclude that there was no one around.

The few dolls that were still there were tied up and stopped working. They were a bit awkward because they looked like people, but in the end, they were crudely made to resemble only their appearances.

It was normal for it to stop working if it was not fueled and maintained.

“The dolls I saw in the underground city seemed a little different.”

Perhaps because they were made at different times, the dolls I saw in the underground city seemed more lively. Perhaps there was a difference in the way they were made.

Hyunho moved his feet, leaving behind the dolls that looked like people with drooping heads.

Bang!

The empty cans scattered on the floor made a pleasant sound as they were kicked underfoot.

“Look at this. It just disappeared.”

When we arrived at what used to be the break room, there were leftover drinks and cards scattered on the floor.

It looked like there was no tidiness at all. It was as if someone had thrown away everything they were holding in their hands because something urgent had happened.

“Rather than saying it was thrown away… it was more like it disappeared from that spot.”

If you scatter the cards you were holding on the floor and leave, it is normal for the surrounding pieces to move.

But looking at the chairs placed slightly apart from the desk and the empty beverage bottles neatly arranged, it wasn’t like that.

Hyunho, who had been standing in place for a while, left the scene behind and went to find the information he wanted.

It was certainly something unusual, but I couldn’t stay stuck in a mystery that might never be solved.

“First of all, let’s remember it.”

The fuel supply stopped, the dolls stopped working. And the succubi disappeared without a trace. It was an interesting puzzle, but another piece was needed to solve the puzzle.

The key is to find the other pieces. Once you find them, assembling them will be a breeze.