episode_0263

Beyond the dark purple forest, a faint ray of light finally began to appear.

“Exit!”

A joyful cheer erupted from the front of the line that had confirmed this. The fatigue of having suffered from terrible auditory and visual hallucinations the whole time was melted into their eyes.

And then finally a wide open space appeared with an unobstructed view.

Beyond it were the ruins of an old city, overgrown with weeds and vines. It was such a large and vast city that you couldn’t even see the other side.

Only after passing the endless rows of tall buildings would one be able to see the sea to the east.

“… Finally, we’ve reached the entrance to Haslla.”

The commander of the expedition force, Black Cat, looked up at the city skyline and spoke. There was a hint of fatigue in her voice.

She had been plagued by hallucinations of fallen guardsmen throughout her passage through the eroded area. Of course, it was no different now. A skeleton was loudly shouting curses into her ear.

The Black Cat turned and looked at the expedition members. They had already suffered more than 10% non-combat casualties. Those who had gone mad from the illusions had left the forest, and even those who remained could not tell when their seizures would erupt.

“Black cat.”

A dark-faced adjutant approached her, who was lost in thought, and reported. Sensing an ominous mood, Black Cat furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

“What’s going on?”

“… It’s a big defeat.”

And she closed her eyes tightly.

“Three of the five divisions that went on the offensive were completely destroyed. The remaining two divisions are barely holding on after collecting the remnants.”

“… ”

“… It is said that the power of the demons was observed to increase several times over the eroded area. The allies were helpless and could do nothing. And… ”

“Speak. I’m listening.”

She urged the hesitant adjutant.

“The scout crow has caught traces of a large army of demons retreating towards this place. At the latest… we will definitely encounter them within three days.”

“… Tsk.”

The black cat clicked his tongue as if he had been defeated. Things were heading towards the worst.

The offensive to tie down the main force of the Demon Tribe had failed. Victory against the witches was not guaranteed, and if they joined, defeat was all but certain.

That defeat was not just their own defeat, but the defeat of the Republic.

It would also be the downfall of all mankind.

-That’s why you should have hung yourself in the forest… It’s not too late… Even now…

“Oh, really… ”

The black cat, who had been dispelling the hallucinations that were urging death, rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

And a commotion in some part of the barracks caught her attention.

A boy wearing a strange mask was surrounded by three girls. One with black hair, one with white hair, and one with blond hair. The girls of various colors were fighting each other with fierce auras.

The other cadets around him were either making a fuss indifferently or desperately trying to hold back their laughter.

“Reconnaissance is with me… ”

“In the same group as me… !”

“It’s my turn now… ”

The black cat held back the laughter that was about to burst out as if nothing had happened. For some reason, it seemed as if he could see the embarrassed face behind the mask.

The adjutant, who had noticed where her gaze had landed, muttered in an uncertain voice.

“… Is that student really our only salvation? A boy like that… ?”

“Why are you bringing this up now? Wasn’t it that kid who brought us here?”

The black cat answered with a slight shrug.

“If it weren’t for that boy, we would never have found the witch’s nest in our entire lives.”

“But… ”

” It’s done. The time to complain has already passed. It’s more important to use the three days you have. ”

She got up from her seat and gave instructions to her adjutant.

“We will resume our march in 10 minutes. Before that, select a reconnaissance team and deploy them to the city. Tell them to search more thoroughly than usual. I’m worried that it’s too quiet. ”

“Okay.”

The adjutant moved away and the black cat walked towards the center of the commotion. Suddenly, a characteristically frivolous smile lingered on his lips instead of his serious expression.

She approached from behind and suddenly placed her arm on the masked boy’s shoulder, pulling him in.

“Sorry, but you’ll each have to take charge of different reconnaissance teams.”

“Black cat?”

“What… ”

Immediately, three pairs of eyes filled with tingling hostility turned to her. Black Cat paid no attention and savored them as if they were a sweet snack.

“Putting the best people in one group is the height of inefficiency. As a commander, I can’t just sit by and watch such inefficiency.”

She waved her hands and chased the girls away.

“Go ahead. There will be a briefing on the reconnaissance team formation soon. Make sure you follow the command center’s orders. Got it?”

“… ”

“Ugh… ”

“Tsk… ”

The girls had no choice but to follow orders, but they did not forget to express their dissatisfaction. The hostility that was twice as strong as before swept over the black cat again. This time, too, she paid no attention.

“Please put your arms down.”

“Boy, what’s your habit of saying to the person who saved you from trouble? You should say ‘thank you’ first. If you keep saying that, I’ll get upset?”

The black cat ignored the boy’s words and instead pressed her body against his. The innocent reaction of their flesh touching each other only served to arouse her playfulness.

“How are you? Are you mentally unwell? Did you have nightmares or something?”

“No problem. It’s just a nightmare, I’ve been having it every day.”

And the sticky, dark turbidity seeped straight into her.

A deep and heavy emotion that cannot even be compared to the speculation the girls had just sent.

Wounds from the past, conflicts from relationships, burdens from the responsibilities he carries.

The tangled confusion of it all was enough to blacken the boy’s soul. It was all too heavy a burden for a young boy who had not yet reached his prime.

“… ”

The black cat who had blurted out the question teasingly found himself speechless at the calm answer. These were emotions that he had shown every time he met her, but it wasn’t easy to get used to them.

The boy stopped and looked at her with a puzzled look.

The black cat hit the boy’s back loudly as if it had never done that before.

“Ah!”

“You’re young, so you’re in luck! Get up and get ready to march! Stop slacking off.”

“I tried to do it myself! But Black Cat…!”

The black cat left the place as if it was being hit without even listening to the masked boy. She could hear the boy grumbling and resenting her, but this time she paid no attention at all.

It was nothing more than grumbling. It was nothing more than a complaint compared to the heavy and turbid emotions just now.

The boy who had been caressing his back soon disappeared into the barracks. Only then did the black cat stop and quietly mutter while looking at the spot where the boy had left.

“… Poor thing.”

***

“Wow… ”

One of the cadets in the reconnaissance team looked around and exclaimed in admiration. Although they were already in ruins, they were all sophisticated buildings built using now-defunct technology.

The one leading the way gave a warning to the cadet who was constantly looking around.

“Hey. Focus on your exploration. Didn’t you hear the explanation? I said there were witches hiding in this city. We don’t know when or where they’ll target us. ”

“What am I doing? But what should I do if I can’t catch anything?”

The one who heard the remark grumbled and answered.

“There’s no biological response, no particle traces left… There’s really nothing. Are there really witches here? No matter how I look at it, it’s just a ghost town.”

“After going through all that trouble to get out of the erosion zone… ”

Another cadet who had been looking behind sighed. Then he glanced at the female student who was walking along beside him.

“Ah-hee, are you okay? Are you still hallucinating? Just tell them to rest… ”

“Yeah, it’s okay.”

Then she shook her head in surprise.

“You guys are suffering, so I can’t be the only one left out.”

“But… ”

“It’s okay. If it’s really hard, I’ll tell you then.”

The female student shook her head and began to write down the magic formula. Soon, a huge carpet-like glowing line began to spread out around her. The other scouts stopped walking and looked at him, each exclaiming in admiration.

“As expected, Ahee is the best when it comes to exploration magic… ”

“There’s no one in the entire cradle with this level of skill. Do you know? That masked kid’s search magic is really bad. Last time, he even had extra lessons… ”

“What? Really?”

The female student who had been standing there spreading her searching magic frowned.

“… There is an object reaction ahead. About 300m ahead in the 11 o’clock direction… ”

“Really? Then once… ”

“I’ll check.”

The female student who had been using her navigational magic quickly walked forward. As if trying to make up for the movements she had just made.

The rest of the scouts soon followed. What they found was a smiling schoolgirl holding something in her arms.

“Hey guys. Check this out.”

“What is it?”

She seemed to be introducing it to her companions, who were holding it in their arms. And the companions cried out in astonishment.

“Hey, put that down right now!!”

“Why all of a sudden? It’s just a wind-up doll.”

She tilted her head as if she didn’t understand her crew’s reaction. The group immediately took a guarded stance and hesitated a little.

What she held in her arms was a pulsating devil’s egg. The shell was twisting here and there, as if it was about to hatch.

“Look. How can it be in such good condition?”

“Put it down!”

The schoolgirl showed no response to repeated requests. Her clouded eyes showed that her thoughts were still under the influence of erosion.

“I think I could sell this as a relic at an auction house… Kieek!”

“Gyaaaak!!”

Then, a long claw shot out from the giant egg and tore her head apart. With a final thud, the schoolgirl fell and died.

Soon after, a demonic creature covered in sticky liquid crawled out of the egg, writhing. Its body grew in size in an instant, and it licked the blood on its claws with its tongue.

Then he immediately turned around and ran towards the scouts who were standing there frozen.

-Keeek!!

“This, this kid… !”

The male student who was acting as the leader was the first to come to his senses and grabbed the blade. Then, he instantly cut down the attacking demon.

Silence fell over the surroundings. The crew members standing between the two corpses that appeared in an instant stood motionless.

For them, killing low-level demons was as easy as cutting meat. The fear of the instinctual realm was even greater.

In a state of confusion where they confuse the devil’s egg with something else, they set foot in an unknown city, not knowing what awaits them.

“… Phew.”

And what broke the silence was the cheerful, cheerful laughter of someone. Someone’s presence was already taking hold on the precarious railing that looked like it might collapse at any moment.

Not one, but two.

“Castor! Did you see that? You’re calling that a doll… Puhihi… ”

“Pollux. I told you not to show up yet. I should have dragged you in deeper… ”

“But… what should I do when it’s so funny… ”

An innocent appearance that makes her look like she’s about ten years old, and a classic Western-style dress.

The two girls, who looked exactly alike, were showing contrasting attitudes. One was clapping as if she had just watched a hilarious one-act play. The other was shaking her head with her hands on her head as if she had a headache.

The scouts instinctively recognized their identity. The male student who was in charge of the group turned around and shouted hurriedly.

“Witch!! Everyone run away…!!”

But he couldn’t finish his words. Boom. He felt as if he was flying through the sky with a snapping sound. He looked around. All he could see were the severed heads of his crew members jumping into the air.

And he could immediately realize that he too was flying through the sky in that same state.

After a slow flow of time, the neck finally falls to the floor with a thud. Beyond it, the twin girls look at them with conflicting expressions.

Beyond the blurring vision, the girl called Castor pursed her lips expressionlessly.

“Welcome to our sanctuary, lowlifes.”