episode_0235

[how······?]

It took a really long time.

Immediately after cutting off the guy’s limbs, I had Geukui cut off the antenna communication line.

Now, Linda has only one output device left: the microphone.

“How did you know?”

[······.]

Rumble.

As the group crowds behind me, Linda closes her eyes tightly without saying a word.

Belphegor and the Unknown.

Just by looking at these two people, they seem to have figured out why this hideout was discovered.

Linda could never be found by normal means.

Linda’s main body has already completely disconnected from the communication network and gone into hiding.

Finding this is literally like finding a needle in the desert.

“I used your natural enemies.”

[ah.]

But what if there were magnets?

It’s also a very powerful magnet.

Anonymous gained the vision of the soul early on.

no. Rather than saying I got it, I might have had it since I was born.

Although the quality is excellent in that respect, it is not at the level of distinguishing individual souls.

But obscurity is different.

‘Did you also see Linda’s artificial soul? Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a soul. But I saw something other than a soul.’

Unknown was able to see ‘something’ residing inside Linda.

They call it an artificial soul, but there is no way Linda, a clockwork machine, actually had a soul.

What the unknown person saw must have been traces of Draken living within Linda.

We used the sight of the unknown to chase Linda.

However, even though you have that view, it does not change the fact that you ultimately have to travel across the entire vast continent.

Belphegor complemented that point.

‘Belphegor. You are the amplifier. With the help of your contractors, let them all help Unknown gain access.’

|What, what what?! So, you’re a contractor? Did I break all the unequal treaties I made with humans a long time ago?

‘Stop sweating and talk. We’ll discuss the punishment for yelling later, but since it’s urgent right now, hurry up.’

|Uh, there’s no use assuming something that isn’t there exists. Even if you put that much pressure on them, there is no magic way to bring back contractors who have already disappeared.

‘Do you know that if you are caught lying, the punishment is aggravated? If I tell you the truth right now and help you, it would be an extenuating circumstance. What should I do? Are you going to continue fighting a fight you can’t win?’

|······|

It was fortunate that Belphegor was a sneaky guy.

They said in front of me that they had completely cut off ties with the contractors.

The dramatic light showed a thin thread stretching from Belphegor to countless people on the continent.

The contracts with the contractors were still in effect.

Although it’s a shame, it’s helping me now, so I’ll take it as an extenuating factor.

After Belphegor steals the bodies of all the contractors, the Nameless connects to them and inspects each part of the continent through the Nameless’ vision.

This was the basic gist of the plan.

It was a successful success.

Of course, right after that, the devil contractor terminated all contracts and arrested them.

[This… This wasn’t what I expected. You coming back and finding me.]

“Who are you? Speak clearly, Linda.”

[You ask knowingly. I’m Linda. It’s your faithful clockwork machine.]

“······.”

For a moment, my hair stood up in discomfort.

There is not a single lie to be found in Linda’s shameless answer.

Complete truth.

······Or, he or she firmly believes that this is the truth.

“Linda.”

[Did you call me, master?]

“What on earth happened?”

[······.]

“······Answer. Eugene, you are asking.”

silence.

But it is not complete silence.

I open my mouth to say something, but the microphone doesn’t work.

Even if Mijeong tries to use Blynn’s wooden club (reinforcement +1), it’s no use.

This was the first time Linda made an error.

“It’s Linda, but it’s not Linda.”

Only then did I understand.

Why did Linda’s actions and thoughts all feel the same as the old Linda?

In the meantime, I only felt a slight sense of discomfort, but Linda was Linda.

Something foreign just crept into Linda and changed her perception.

For example, ‘I offer unconditional loyalty to my master’ becomes ‘If anything happens, even my master must be eliminated.’

Or, ‘for the happiness and well-being of the world’ was changed to ‘for His coming.’

Therefore, Linda has no doubts and recognizes that she is doing the right thing.

It’s quite vicious.

‘This is why there is no use replacing the memory or making a backup.’

It wasn’t Linda’s storage device or motherboard that was contaminated.

To be exact, it didn’t contaminate anything.

In a way, it was natural that Cairn found nothing wrong.

An adversary may interfere with the processing of data, not the data itself.

The world Linda sees is perceived completely differently.

The words Linda tries to say come out distorted.

This is like…

Doesn’t it resemble me when my existence was erased?

[Ahaha. sorry? I guess I didn’t live up to my master’s expectations. I always try to dedicate myself to my master…]

“It looks like something is stuck. Can it be removed?”

[It’s impossible, master. Wouldn’t it be better to just dispose of me? Of course, it may not be a fundamental solution, but at least we can eliminate the dangerous strategic weapon called artificial souls that can access communication networks around the world. This is as simple as it sounds…]

“Huh? I took it off.”

[······?]

While Linda was mumbling something with a wistful expression, she did it.

The extreme light extends inside Linda, detects something foreign, and focuses on demarcating the boundary.

Then, he picked out only the unidentifiable foreign objects and cut them down.

Then it wriggled wildly and got out of Linda.

[uh? ah? Ugh?!]

Linda looks around in confusion.

There is no longer any sense of discomfort left in that expression.

But right now, there is no time to pay attention to Linda, who is struggling with all her limbs.

“Kuhuh?!”

|Damn it! I figured it out after taking it out! This is his power… No, it is a part of Him!|

Woe!

The black figure held in my hand stretches this way and that, convulsing.

What should I say about this?

It is neither matter nor energy made of mana.

They are not bound to space, and even try to naturally cross dimensional walls.

It’s generally impossible to catch something like this.

It’s normal if you can’t even interact with physical force in the first place.

The will that was tied to my hand was binding this black figure so that it could not escape anywhere else.

“Ugh, this is part of Draken…?”

“It’s dangerous! Let me go, mister!”

“You can’t do that. If you let this go, it’s obvious that it will attach itself to someone else and become a parasite.”

It can’t even be observed using normal methods.

Are you telling us to release this dangerous thing that brainwashes people by cleverly reorganizing their perceptions?

This is nonsense.

“I’ll kill you here.”

A black shape gradually covers my hand.

I immediately began to gather will from that hand and forge it.

Penetrating the black figure, a strong and sharpened will emits red light.

[master! If you bring the will into contact there…!]

“What?”

And that was a mistake.

The moment my will came into contact with a black figure.

I felt like I was being forcibly pulled somewhere.

“This is crazy…!”

Will and will meet.

I was invited into the other person’s inner world.

I can’t stop it!

The flow of manpower had already reached its peak, and in an instant I had reached a place I had no idea about.

And right then.

I felt something red stirring inside me.

It had been asleep for a while.

What they had been blocking inside me broke through and encroached on the world.

My eyes opened.

Much softer landing than expected.

I got up from the soft feeling surrounding my body and quickly practiced four-week alert.

“This is…?”

And then I couldn’t help but laugh.

The whole world is red.

The ground is red, the sky is red, and everything is red everywhere.

However, there is no eerie feeling as when encountering fresh blood.

I’m not particularly reluctant or afraid.

To be honest, it feels refreshing.

It may seem like a carefree sentiment for being forcibly dragged into someone else’s world, but that’s how I actually feel.

“Wasn’t it just red…?”

I soon noticed that there was foreign matter mixed in between the red spots.

It wasn’t pure red.

I looked at the floor I was stepping on and quickly realized why.

“What…”

this.

It wasn’t red paint or light or anything like that.

This red color that fills the sky, the earth, and the other side of the sky is everything.

“Camellia flower…?”

A flower that is familiar to the eye.

I’ve gotten so used to it.

It was a flower that no longer had any doubts.