Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth (WN) – Chapter 375

It was an event from twenty-five days ago.

I clearly recalled abandoning the future of the Thief of Principles.

However, even with such clear memories, I couldn’t recall the name of the former Director, now the Lord. I tried to dig through my memories, mindful of my Master’s warning.

During that time, the Lord and my Master shared a finding.

“Ah, and Kanami. Regarding those people you asked about…”

“–! How were they!? Is anyone left!?”

These were likely the people whom my Master and I had treated in the central infirmary on the first day. They had been disposed of by Romis simply for starting to revere my Master. I recalled a story about them being sent to the basement and used as experimental subjects…

“Their remains were found in the basement. It appears they underwent forced Demonization experiments overnight—no, a brutal procedure that couldn’t even be called an experiment. Most of them had died.”

“…I see.”

I knew it would be the case, but it seemed they had all met tragic ends. However, the story didn’t end there, and the Director continued.

“However, I cross-referenced each of their remains with the patient roster… and only a few names didn’t match. It seems several individuals who withstood the experiment on that day of commotion had escaped from the basement.”

“…Does that mean there might be survivors?”

“Indeed. Among them was the boy who guided Kanami. …It seems that children who are young and talented can withstand Demonization.”

“Th-that boy…!? I see! Truly, that boy was incredibly intelligent and full of talent! Hahaha!”

Although there were only a few survivors, the fact that one of his favorite boys was among them brought a slight smile to my Master’s face. I couldn’t recall the name of that boy, just like the new Lord, but I remembered him continuously holding scriptures tucked away. More importantly, I was struck by how his eyes shone brighter than anyone else’s when he used the words “Great Savior” upon being saved by my Master.

Hearing this good news, I seized the opportunity and raised my voice.

“See, Master! Just like I said!”

There was something that had been bothering me. During Romis’s battle, I had irresponsibly shouted, “Everyone my Master saved is alive.” I was grateful for the good fortune that those words had been partially true.

“Optimism isn’t necessarily good, but pessimism isn’t either! Like this, good things sometimes come up amidst everything! You don’t need to take responsibility for everything, Master!”

“Ah… Good. Truly. Hahaha…”

As I emphasized the good news, I hoped this would cure my Master’s morning habit of indiscriminate Level Up. Perhaps sensing my thoughts, the Lord also praised my Master’s achievements.

“Kanami, you were undoubtedly Fanian’s Savior… Thanks to you, many people who would have died from illness in the near future were truly saved. It’s your bad habit to ignore the people you saved and only count those you couldn’t.”

“…You’re right. I did my best with what I could. I have no regrets about that.”

“Yes, that’s fine. The light you brought was truly divine, like the Magic of fairy tales, and it wonderfully sparkled… The people of Fanian will never forget that light until they die.”

The Lord looked at my Master and spoke words of heartfelt evaluation. Her unembellished words, unlike mine, seemed to resonate deeply with my Master, who nodded in honest agreement. Watching the two of them, I repeated a word to myself.

“Divine—”

It’s a good word. I found it fitting and pleasing, truly the most suitable for my Master.

“Lastly, Kanami. In return for the book of Spell Formation you gave me, here is my book. I hope it will be of some help in your sister’s treatment…”

Then, the Lord handed over a thick book. Upon receiving it, my Master immediately flipped through the pages to examine its contents. I peered at it from beside him. The book contained details of the techniques I had seen in Fanian. Even a quick glance showed that the town’s secrets were written within without reservation. I understood that this book likely contained the entirety of the Lord’s research career. Realizing this was a testament to her greatest trust, my Master expressed his solemn gratitude.

“So detailed… Thank you. I will never waste it.”

“It is I who am grateful. Meeting you, I became convinced. What swirls in this world is not necessarily poison. When used correctly, it can become medicine. —If Fanian and Fuziaze cooperate from now on, we should be able to prove that to the entire continent.”

The Lord looked up at the dark clouds covering the sky and stated her thoughts on Demonic Poison. My Master agreed, also looking at the dark sky.

“Indeed… The world isn’t only filled with bad things. There are good things too. Even if it’s not possible now, someday—”

“Someday, we will clear all the clouds from the sky. I, too, wish to see the ‘Blue Sky’ you spoke of.”

“Yes, a ‘Blue Sky’ is beautiful. Please look forward to it.”

The two made a promise. Their forms reminded me of the Thief of Principles from twenty-five days ago. Perhaps that’s why, now, I felt as though the Lord had forged a bond with us equal to that of the Thief of Principles. Suddenly, a sentence floated into my head.

“—That promise will not be fulfilled. Hermina Neisha never reached the ‘Blue Sky.’ Beneath a sky stained blood-red, she remains ensnared by the resentful voices of the dead—”

As I saw an utterly despairing conclusion, I suddenly remembered the Lord’s name.

“Eh—”

I understood it was the power of my Skill, Reading. From her purity and instability, I had read a destructive future. However, even knowing Hermina Neisha’s ending, there was nothing I could do. I had decided to abandon the Thief of Principles and focus on the Foreigner. Therefore, with a pang of guilt, I could only bid farewell.

“—W-well then, Hermina! See you again!”

Hermina, called by name for the first time by me, replied with a deeply moved expression.

“Yes, Tiara! Let us meet again!”
“Tiara… I thought you’d forgotten Mrs. Hermina’s name again, but you remembered it properly…”

Hearing her farewell greeting, Master voice a voice tinged with relief and mounted the Alwuna that had been waiting nearby. With the jumping ability I gained from “Level Up,” I followed suit, mounting the other Alwuna.

“How rude! I’ve never forgotten the Lord’s name even once!”

“No, that’s a lie.”

Seeing us exchange jokes, Mrs. Hermina chuckled. Just like with Teeda and Arti, she waved goodbye, her eyes filled with bright hope for the future.

“Kanami, please visit again. Fanian will always be waiting for you.”

“Yes… I’ll come again!”

With that, Master and I urged our Alwunas forward.

As I’d heard, the Alwunas unique to Fanian were excellent as mounts. They required no special skill and could be easily controlled even by a child. Surely, these two were particularly outstanding even within Fanian.

We rode through the streets, seen off by Mrs. Hermina and her attendants.

The townscape of Fanian seemed a little dimmer than when we first arrived, now that Arti had departed. The townsfolk were somehow managing to keep their fires burning, but compared to the light from “Lord Flame God’s Sacred Stone,” it was undeniably lacking.

However, I could now be certain that this was not an “abnormality” but the “norm.”

A light that existed at the “Price” of one young girl was not normal. That was precisely why this slightly dimmer townscape appeared much brighter to me than before. Unlike Teeda, I felt a brilliance not with my eyes, but with my spirit.

We passed through the townscape of Fanian and reached the gates.

There, the townsfolk whom Master had healed with his “Level Up” had gathered. We bid them farewell and moved outside the walls.

Beyond the gates spread an endless plain, and a colossal dark cloud that seemed to close the lid on the world descended.

Perhaps it was because I had grown accustomed to the lit life in Fanian, but the darkness stood out even more. However, as we galloped across the plain, Master, while touching the “Demonic Poison” in the air, replayed Mrs. Hermina’s words.

“Not poison, huh…”

“…We’d always called it ‘Demonic Poison,’ but do you think so too, Master?”

“Yes. To be honest, I’ve only ever been helped by ‘Demonic Poison,’ and I’ve never fallen ill because of it…”

Come to think of it, that was true.

For Master, who had no personal experience with poison, a different word seemed to be forming in his mind.

“Then, should we change the name? Let’s go with our usual playful tone.”

I tried to prompt him, hoping to keep the conversation light by encouraging the creation of a new word.

Hearing this, Master’s eyes widened slightly before he proposed with a hint of uncertainty.

“Then… instead of ‘Demonic Poison,’ I was thinking of calling it ‘Magic.’ What do you think, Tiara?”

“Ma-gi-c! Huh, the power of demons? That’s good! Honestly, for us, ‘Demonic Poison’ is already treated as an emergency power!”

I had braced myself for some stranger coined word, but I was relieved it was a relatively tame term.

More than that, this didn’t seem to be Master’s own creation, but an excerpt from another world. I had recently gotten a feel for Master’s word choices, so I could make that judgment.

“That’s great… For the people here too, ‘Magic’ is a natural-sounding word. Then let’s go with it. No, it was always this. What fills this world is ‘Magic’…! Not ‘Demonic Poison’!”

Master, as he ran, was fully immersing himself in this “Magic.” I could feel him returning to his full strength now, a stark contrast to his self-deprecating demeanor in Fanian.

“Whoa. You’re getting fired up, Master!”

I rejoiced at this and continued on our way back to Fuziaze.

Along the way, not wanting to waste time, we began to dabble in the development of “Curse Technique.” Although he kept it subdued so as not to startle the Alwunas, Master kneaded the “Magic” in the air and a smile bloomed on his face.

“Magic”… Am I manipulating ‘Magic’ right now… Heh, heh—”

He seemed unusually happy. I could tell that the word held a special significance for Master.

Mimicking him, I too began to feel the “Demonic Poison,” now “Magic,” coursing through me. However, perhaps due to the Alwuna’s speed, I felt a sudden chill and quickly covered my nose.

“H-Hachoo!”

“…Tiara. Are you perhaps cold?”

Hearing my sneeze, Master looked at me with concern. The temperature wasn’t that low, so he seemed to be worried about some kind of illness.

“Hmm, I feel a bit feverish. I haven’t felt like this since Master’s ‘Level Up’… Lately, I’ve had this strange chill…”

“Indeed, Tiara underwent a more potent ‘Level Up’ than usual… but that doesn’t mean you’ve become immune to sickness. Take care of yourself.”

“Understood! …Oh, right. Mrs. Hermina’s book, show it to me too. She apparently practiced medicine, so she might have written about colds.”

I wasn’t all that interested in my own condition and tried to snatch the book from Master.

“No, those kinds of things… wouldn’t it be strange if she didn’t write about them? But, Tiara, can you read while riding?”

“I’m proud to say that when it comes to reading, no one can match me. Reading while doing something else is my specialty! Besides, I’m already used to riding the Alwuna! They’re really easy to handle! I’m definitely importing these to Fuziaze!”

“You’re already used to it? You’re fast, Tiara… No, I know they’re incredibly intelligent horses too…”

As I declared, I adeptly maneuvered the Alwuna and approached Master. In a short time, I had completely mastered its operation. Seeing my confident control, Master believed my words and handed me Mrs. Hermina’s book. Delighted to have found my beloved books, I playfully dumped my chores onto Master.

“Thanks, Master! While I read and ride, you can watch out for our surroundings, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, got it. This was bound to happen from the start…”

Our roles were clearly defined. During our journey, Master would scout ahead, and I would conduct my research. If we didn’t want to waste time, this was undoubtedly the ideal arrangement.

Leaving Master to lead the way and relying entirely on the Alwuna even for following, I lowered my gaze to the book in my hands. Its thickness was no match for Master’s books I had read before, and turning the pages with one hand was a bit tedious.
I continued reading the book, holding the reins with my other hand.

“Hmm, hmm… This is Hermina’s book…”

I followed its contents one by one.
The first page was about “Demon People”.

— “Demon People” refers to humans with the characteristics of Monsters in their bodies.
For the reason that they were different from themselves, the people of the continent began to discriminate against and ostracize those “Demon People”. This is also the biggest reason why the war has not ceased while illness is rampant on the continent.

Initially, Fanian seemed to have been researching “Demon Person Treatment” to suppress that discrimination.
There is a record of trying to somehow find the cause of “Demon People” being born and to suppress it.

At that time, Hermina discovered that the cause of “Demon People” being born was “Demonic Poison”. At the same time, she realized that the world itself was reaching its limit, and she also discovered that the world had a will.
She lived up to her claim of being a genius.

And around this time, Romis Neisha seems to have intervened.

The research results of “Lord Flame God” and “Dark God,” which are superior versions of “Demon People,” are listed in the book.
Like “Demon People” at first, this also seemed to aim to suppress “Fire Power” and “Dark Power,” but the research direction went mad due to the “Curse.”

The records of repeatedly making “The Deal with the World” to reproduce “Fire Power” were gruesome just to read. “Demon People,” who were not treated as humans, were sacrificed and ended up in a state more terrifying than death.

During that experiment, Hermina realized the importance of blood.
Many habits were recorded in the book, such as “Demonic Poison” circulating throughout the body through blood, and a large amount of information being stored in the blood.
The discovery was apparently triggered when the blood flowing from the corpses of “Demon People” who underwent repeated experiments caused paranormal phenomena on its own.

And Hermina tentatively called this “Blood Power” and began to focus her research on it.
Blood had power, but there was no human will or world will in it, and it seemed to be easy to process and manipulate — Hermina quickly began to cause phenomena similar to “Miracles” with “Blood Power.”

Hermina would draw the blood of “Demon People” and “Lord Flame Gods,” seal it in ore, and use it to supplement the lives of her subjects. This corresponds to the reddish-black lines drawn on the buildings and the “Lord Flame God’s Sacred Stone.”

“Hmm, ‘Blood Power,’ huh…”

From what I’ve read, “Blood Power” feels like something for ordinary humans.
If so, I might be able to use the same unfair power as my Masters.
Of course, a lot of sacrifices would be necessary as a “Price” for that…

“Oh.”

As I turned the pages further, I found a research plan.
There, it was written in large letters: “Five-Stage Thousand-Year Plan.”
Thinking it was about the future of “Blood Power,” I focused on reading that page.

As it is called five stages, the plan was largely divided into five parts.

— The first stage was the “Artofel Religion” plan.

Its content was to use “The Deal with the World” to make people pay “Price” little by little — Hermina named it “Artofel Religion” as it was. Her naming sense was closer to mine than my Master’s, which was a little reassuring.

This was the plan that became the source of Romis’s power.
Reusing a past religion, preparing an idol god, and gathering the generated power in one place using prayer as a “Price.”
In addition, Romis took control of “Lord Flame God,” who played the role of the god, and wielded immense “Fire Power” at will.

At the end of the section, it was written “Completed in one year.”

— The second stage was the “Magic Stone” plan.

Its content was to put the blood of “Demon People” into Fanian’s special ore and mass-produce “Magic Stones” that cause paranormal phenomena.

This is also easy to understand. In the end, the “Lord Flame God’s Sacred Stone” with Arti’s blood was born. Like the Artofel Religion, it was also written “Completed in one year.”

— The third stage was the “Magic Stone Line” plan.

Its content was to draw the mass-produced “Magic Stones” like lines and transport “Demonic Poison” with them.

According to the documents, these lines already covered all of Fanian.
Was it thanks to this that “Demonic Poison” flowed unhindered into Romis’s body? I’m not entirely sure, but I feel that the reddish-black lines used in the buildings of “The First Demon Obstruction Research Institute” are also included in this. Also, the locks that only Hermina could undo.

Unlike the above two, this was written as “ten years scheduled” and was marked as incomplete.
The ultimate goal of this “Magic Stone Line” seemed to be to have all the “Demonic Poison” in the domain absorbed by a giant ore called the earth.

— The fourth stage was the “Magic Stone Human” plan.

Its content was to artificially create “Demon People” that could safely purify “Demonic Poison.”

As supplementary material, corpses of a large number of “Demon People” were depicted. It was written that the organs of the deceased were reanimated with “Blood Power,” and the blood vessels were replaced with “Magic Stone Lines” to perform pseudo-life activities. It seems that, as a result of trial and error, they concluded that creating from scratch was the most efficient.

This had a deadline of “one hundred years scheduled,” which far exceeded Hermina’s lifespan. From that, it can be understood that she was not enthusiastic about “Magic Stone Humans.”

This plan would be abandoned. It was decided in Fanian to convert “Demonic Poison” with “Level Up” by tolerating the risks.

— The fifth stage was the “Magic” plan.

This seems to be a summary of the above four plans.
Roughly, in a thousand years, all humanity would master “Magic,” be helped by “Magic” in their lives, and save the world with “Magic,” was the general future forecast.

By this point, I chuckled wryly; it was a bit too fantastic.
This was probably Hermina’s personal wish. I skipped the fifth stage and finished reading the book.

And then I read it again.
After grasping the overall picture, it was time to extract the important parts.
So far, the only thing I wanted to imitate was the third stage, “Magic Stone Line.” The fourth stage, “Magic Stone Human,” was too unrealistic.

When Hermina imitated a doctor, she seemed to have made copies of anatomical diagrams, but I couldn’t believe that life could be replicated with this—

“Hmm?”

As I was flipping through the medical-related pages, I was drawn to a drawing.

It was a drawing of white thread-like lines drawn beneath a person’s skin.
I stopped at the page about nerves.
“…Similar?”

I murmured, comparing it to the white threads extending from my fingertips.

When I was a child, I heard from the castle’s exclusive physician.
The human body is covered with lines called nerves, which apparently transport signals from the brain, such as “move your hand” and “move your leg.”

Hermina’s book listed more detailed information about nerves.
Nerves are deeply involved with “Demonic Poison” after blood.
They transport even a small amount of “Demonic Poison.”
This transportation process stimulates the nerves and leads to the abnormal suffering of illnesses caused by “Demonic Poison.”

When I read those pieces of information, I suddenly recalled a piece of knowledge.

—It was about the mechanism of the Curse Technique “Level Up” that my Master taught me.

“Level Up” is like converting “Demonic Poison” into “the power of human life,” but the process includes creating something similar to cells.

Apparently, it can even replicate human organs with “cells that do not have mass as a substance.”
Although I don’t understand it all yet, Master told me that “Level Up” can also enhance immunity, instantaneous power, nerve transmission speed, and brain area expansion.

In other words, for example…
If there is enough “Demonic Poison,” can nerves be increased infinitely…?
If they keep replicating endlessly, eventually the invisible nerves will increase to the point where they can no longer fit inside the human body—

One speculation led to another, and I began to recall Hidaki Sister’s pained face.
Then, I compared it with the annotations about nerves in the book I held.

“Nerves are very sensitive and delicate organs. Since they also control the sense of pain, they cannot be easily removed. Just touching them with air would make a grown adult scream. They can serve as a substitute for the ‘Magic Stone Line,’ but if you try to peel them off, the subject will go mad from pain. It would be impossible to perform surgery in a space containing ‘Demonic Poison’.”

I recalled that Hidaki Sister’s body supposedly had more intense in-and-out flow of “Demonic Poison” than others.

“No… that can’t be…”

I believe I understand better than anyone that “Aikawa Hidaki is special among the special.”
With her exceptional intellect, she treated someone as powerful as me like an infant.

However, even if she is special, could something like that really happen?

An instinctive fear began to spread through my chest.
That growing anxiety was about to explode—

“—Tiara!! Look! Look ahead!!”

As I was about to tremble, a sudden shout pulled me out of my whirlpool of thoughts.
My Master, running beside me, pointed ahead.

“There’s a person ahead!”
“Eh, eh? Ah, yes!”

I looked up from the book and focused my attention on the reins.
We were currently traveling along a road that extended along the outskirts of a certain forest. In the middle of that road, a child was crouching, holding their stomach.

Wary of bandits, we stopped Alawna and observed them carefully from a distance.
Then, seeing the profile of the crouching child, I let out a voice.

“Huh? That was the…?”

Not just the face, but I also recognized the patient’s clothes.
It was the girl I saw in the ward of “The First Demon Obstruction Research Institute” thirty days ago.
She was the child I met while I was searching for the darkness in people, a child who, despite being close to death from illness, had a strong spirit that made her smile and say “I’m okay” to her parents.

I thought she had also been dealt with by Romis because she was exposed to my Master’s “Level Up” but…

Perhaps she was one of the escapees that Hermina mentioned. If so, I’m a little happy. Master might have liked that boy, but I liked this girl.

“Is she your acquaintance, Tiara?”

Seeing my eyes light up, Master seemed curious.
I nodded in response to his question.

“Yes. If you call her an acquaintance, then yes. She’s probably the child who didn’t make it onto Hermina’s list.”
“—! Really!?”
“Did she escape from Fanian and hide in this forest…? We need to put her mind at ease quickly.”

Immediately, I dismounted Alawna, handed the book to Master, and hurried towards the girl.

I wore a smile.
The girl, who once defied my “Reading” skill, possessed a spirit as strong as mine. I thought she might help to dispel the anxiety in my chest. With that slight hope, I ran towards her and gently called out to her.

“Hey, do you remember me? We met at the hospital before, right? I’m on my way back to Fuziaze right now…”

To avoid scaring her, I first conveyed that I was not from Fanian.
However, the girl didn’t move an inch. I expected her to run away in panic, but that didn’t happen. Worried, I touched the crouching girl’s shoulder to get a better look at her.

“Does your stomach hurt? Are you okay?”

I knelt down and tried to peer into her face—

“—I’m not okay.”

Along with eyes filled with murderous intent, a light flashed from her hand.
The dagger she held smoothly pierced my abdomen.

“—!”

My surprise was paramount.
It was because the girl was so different from before.

Her head was the same, but the rest of her was not human. Her fingers, gripping the weapon, were three in number, and her arms were covered in dense feathers.
It showed the characteristics of that Demon. However, I had been informed of this change by Hermina beforehand, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

What surprised me the most were her eyes.
The gentle eyes that once accepted everything in the world were completely clouded.
They swirled with the darkness of humans—as if cursing everything in the world.

Upon confirming that, the dagger plunged into my abdomen began to move.

—This is bad.
If she twists the dagger like this, my internal organs will be damaged beyond recovery even with “Curse Technique.”
I was too careless… Why was I so indiscreet—

“G-Get awaayyy—!!”

I screamed and pulled myself away from the dagger to escape.
However, the girl, who had predicted my move, leaned forward and tried to thrust the dagger forward.

—At this moment of life-or-death crisis, my Skill “Reading” activates.

And then, very chaotically, phrases floated into my head.

“Tiara Fuziaze instantly drew the sword she wore at her waist. Then, with that momentum, she sliced the body of the girl who had become a Demon horizontally. There was no hesitation in her movement, and the girl, who had just become a Demon, could not avoid that single slash.”
When I came to, it was already over.

I escaped from the dagger and narrowly avoided a fatal wound. Instead, a girl, split into an upper and lower body, lay on the road. A pool of blood was gathering before my eyes. A gag reflex surged, strangely stinging my eyes and nose, and my vision was red with splashed blood.

I had used my sword. Me, who had always relied solely on “Martial Arts” and never stained my hands, had finally cut a person.

However, I never expected… to use this sword on this opponent at this moment. I dropped the sword in my hand. Still in a daze, I rushed to the girl I had struck.

“Are… are you okay!? Hey! Are you okay!?”

Hoping against hope for the miraculous words “I’m fine” to return, I asked repeatedly. But to my questions, the girl, spitting blood from her mouth, began to speak of something else entirely.

“Haa, haa, haa… Ahh… W-we were happy… We were so happy while being deceived…”

Perhaps thanks to the Demon’s life force, the girl was alive even though her body had been severed in two. However, her dying words were the opposite of what I had wished for.

“The Lord was kind, like a Saint… there was no one scary, a world full of only kind people…”

I realized that the Lord she was referring to was not Hermina, but Romis. I also understood that the world the girl spoke of was Fanian before my Master and I arrived.

“That person… why didn’t you stop them–?”

The girl turned her gaze towards my Master, but continued to whisper only to me. Like Romis, she must have understood who the real villain was. I was being blamed for pushing my Master’s back that day.

“Hey, please– take us all back… I don’t want to die here… I don’t want to disappear in this dark truth… not yet–”

As her voice weakened, the girl wished for time to be rewound to just before the “Magic” dispelled, tears streaming down her face. And then, just like that–

“Until the moment of my death… I believed in my happy self– did I–?”

She stopped. Her eyes remained open, staring at the dark clouds, frozen. Only the flowing blood moved.

“She… died…?”

She had been separated at the torso by the sheer force of my attack. Of course, she was dead. But I still couldn’t believe that fact.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to… but that just now was…”

In my confused mind, there was one thing I understood clearly. While the girl believed in the “Artofel Religion,” she was happy. It was we who took that away from her. Therefore, she resented us, cursed us, and died.

“–Tiara!! Take a deep breath! Calm down, listen to my voice!”

As I continued to tremble before the girl, my Master shouted in my ear. Then, placing his hand on the wound in my abdomen and performing treatment with “Curse Technique,” he muttered, “It couldn’t be helped. If you didn’t, Tiara would have been killed.”

“It couldn’t be helped…?”

It couldn’t be helped. My Master hadn’t heard the girl’s dying words—her final resentment. That’s why he could say such a thing. If he had heard them, I’m sure he would have thought I deserved to be killed–

“–!?” The blood won’t stop!”

As if reflecting my thoughts, the bleeding from my abdomen continued. The “Curse Technique” that had perfectly healed the fractures and burns from my battle with Romis could not mend the stab wound from the girl.

Trying to pinpoint the cause, my Master approached the girl’s corpse.

“The knife wasn’t poisoned. It’s not even rusted. There’s more than enough ‘Magic’…! Why…!”

Finding nothing, my Master groaned. Seeing his contorted face, I instinctively tried to act tough and move. However, my body had no strength, and I fell to my knees.

“Huh…?”

The chill I had been feeling suddenly intensified. As my body temperature dropped, I felt my heart growing colder. Weakened in mind and body, my vision swayed greatly.

“Tiara! Hold on–!”

My Master tried to support and encourage me, but was interrupted. The roar of beasts echoed multiple times from the forest. No, to be precise, it was a distorted cry rather than a beast’s roar—the roars of monsters.

“M-Monsters!? Damn it, at a time like this!!”

I could hear the heavy footsteps of large animals. Even in my dazed state, I knew monsters were approaching from all directions.

“Tiara, we need to get away from here! Just bear with me for a moment!!”

My Master scooped me up and quickly mounted his own Alfawna, urging it to run. It was a sudden two-person ride, but thanks to my small size, the intelligent Alfawna managed.

“Haa, haa, haa–”

My breathing grew ragged. My recent poor health exacerbated the pain. However, being accustomed to hardship, I assessed the situation as I was carried away.

Something was wrong. I was flustered by the book, and the girl was waiting for me, stabbing me with a dagger. Coincidentally, my body was feeling unwell, my mind was weaker than ever, the “Curse Technique” treatment failed, and monsters I rarely encountered were now approaching in large numbers. Even if they were drawn by the smell of blood, there were too many. They were too fast.

Everything was going wrong too perfectly.

I looked down at my abdomen. Not only was it not closing, but the wound was festering at a terrifying speed. Some kind of special power—the “Blood Power” of Fanian—might be involved.

Too many inconvenient things were chaining together.

As I pondered the reason for this misfortune, I suddenly felt as if I had been pulled by “Threads.”

“–!?”

It was just a feeling, but it was enough to shift my gaze. I saw what was at the end of the “Threads.” The “Threads” led into a rift in the air over the plains along the way.

Naturally, I thought the “Threads” connected all the way to Fuziaze. But that was wrong. In a place where there should have been nothing, a rift large enough for a person to pass through had formed, and the “Threads” continued into the vast “World” beyond.

And then, my gaze followed the “Threads” further–

We made eye contact.