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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 83 - The Concert (4)
The Magi.
The power at the heart of the cultists’ dark influence.
Usually, the Magi is refined to invoke black magic, but some members of Baob have found ways to wield it in unique forms.
They merge the Magi with their natural talents, unleashing disaster through music, song, art, and imagery.
Only a rare few can manifest such abilities.
In church terminology, these individuals are referred to as ‘Katasto’, an ancient word meaning “catastrophe.”
‘The Conductor.’
In the original story, he was the most infamous Katasto.
Truly a being worthy of the name “catastrophe.”
His performances left countless casualties in their wake.
Anyone who falls under the spell of his melody is tainted to the core, never able to return, their very essence corrupted by the Magi.
It’s akin to the way chimeras are twisted into new forms.
“Kyaaaahhh!”
Corruption, like chimera transformation, is irreversible.
Once altered, there’s no turning back.
A shattered vessel cannot be restored.
Of course, it’s not entirely impossible.
After all, I do possess the power of Lies.
I could, in theory, undo the corruption as I did for Anne.
But that’s only in theory; in reality, it’s hardly practical.
Ultimately, I lacked the resources to save them all.
“Dispose of every one of them.”
When I’d purified Anne, it had consumed nearly sixty percent of my reserves.
For an adult, even the most basic restoration would require at least eighty percent of my power.
To save just one—
That would be the end of it.
‘And besides…’
I had to conserve every bit of strength I could.
If I was to survive the Conductor’s stage and rescue our missing ally, I couldn’t afford to expend any more energy on this.
The corrupted were no longer trapped behind iron bars like last time, so capturing them was out of the question.
All I could do was make the best choice available.
I couldn’t save everyone.
It was a lesson I’d learned over the last three years, clawing my way through life in this world.
No one life was lighter than the weight of many Lies.
“Kyaaaahhhh!”
“!!!Wecome to thy shall not dare…”
“Aaaaargh!”
And so—
We pressed forward.
Cutting down the priestly robes, once pure white, now stained with darkness.
Sending the poor, lost lambs who’d turned their backs on their god to their final rest.
“Any survivors are to be evacuated. Use Lena’s portal to transfer them to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible.”
Of course, it wasn’t only death we found along the way.
Here and there on the bloodied floor were a few who had managed to avoid corruption.
They had somehow escaped the “melody’s” reach.
Though most of them were unconscious and seriously injured, the members moved swiftly, tending to each one they encountered.
Exceptions did exist, after all.
“Children, even if they’re corrupted, don’t become violent. Since there are only about ten of them, let’s secure them and bring them back to headquarters for treatment.”
“Yes, Master.”
I at least wanted to save the children.
When adults give up on one another, that’s the way of a cold world. But when adults abandon children, the whole world is reduced to garbage.
My world still leaned more toward winter than to a landfill, it seemed.
Leaving behind the darkened red landscape, we pressed on through the endless corridor.
“The front is clear.”
The one who excelled most in the chaos was Irene.
She dealt with the corrupted priests advancing from the front, scattering flames as she moved.
She executed each of my orders without fail.
Whenever she looked back at me, I reached out to pat her head—just to let her know she was doing well.
“The front is taken care of.”
“Well done.”
“…Don’t you think you should stop patting me, even in the middle of a mission?”
She raised a brow in a hint of reproach.
Yet, despite her prickly response, her fiery orange tail was swishing contentedly behind her.
As if she couldn’t hide her own reaction.
With a faint blush, she quickly looked away and returned her grip to her sword.
Clang! Crack… Bang!
The battle continued.
Soon, we finally reached the end of the corridor.
A small, solitary door lay ahead of us.
“Haa, haa… once we get past this, it’s over, right?”
Irene panted, still catching her breath.
But even as I approached the door, I shook my head firmly in response.
What lay ahead was crucial.
Any mistake here could put the entire cathedral and even the surrounding city in danger.
That was why I’d been conserving my power until now.
“We can’t just barge in from here.”
I stopped the members who’d stepped toward the door.
Beyond that door lay hell itself.
The Conductor’s concert awaited us.
In the original story, this was the boss stage.
Without powerful mental resistance, no one could survive the prolonged, deadly melody that would follow.
I glanced over the team standing beside me.
“Hm.”
Neria, Irene, Lena—all of them were highly capable, but this stage wasn’t suited to any of them.
Bringing them along would only be a liability.
If the melody took hold, they might turn on each other.
Nor could I protect them with my own mental defenses.
Using a Lie could create a barrier, but it was a waste to spend precious reserves on the smaller threats lurking beyond that door.
I rested my hand on my chin in thought, mainly as a show.
‘It’s a shame…’
While strong wills were common, those with natural mental barriers were rare.
Mental barriers were an inborn trait.
I sighed regretfully, muttering to myself.
“If only there was someone I could bring along.”
With a sly glance over my shoulder, I looked toward what appeared to be a blank wall.
Pretending as if no one was there.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Then, I raised my voice with a hint of suggestion.
“Someone strong, steady, and naturally protected by a mental barrier would be ideal…”
The perfect person was standing nearby.
“What do you say, Your Highness?”
Directing my voice in a single clear direction, I waited.
A faint presence in the corner shifted, as if realizing it had been exposed.
Platinum hair gleamed, catching the light.
“…You knew I was here.”
Blue eyes blinked in surprise.
She wore her characteristic expression, stoic and doll-like, her bright platinum hair marking her unmistakable status.
First Princess of the Empire, Charlotte Litt von Staufen.
One of the main characters in the original story.
She was supposed to be at the academy right now, yet here she was, shadowing us through these halls.
I flashed her a knowing smile.
“Imagine running into you here, Your Highness.”
“Yes. A pleasure.”
Charlotte gave a slight nod, her calm gaze betraying no hint of surprise.
With the same poise she showed back at the academy, she greeted me casually.
It was I who felt somewhat taken aback.
“You seem rather unruffled.”
“I was surprised. Very.”
“From your expression, I’d never have guessed.”
“Is that so…?”
Her expression was genuinely unreadable.
Tilting her head, Charlotte had that peculiar, otherworldly air she always carried, one that made her unpredictable.
After a brief pause, she spoke first.
“When did you know? That I was following you?”
“Since the basement staircase.”
“So you knew from the beginning.”
“My apologies. The moment I heightened my senses, I detected even Your Highness’s presence nearby.”
“Yes, indeed. A shame.”
After a light exchange of words, I returned to the original question.
“So, what do you think? I’d like to know your opinion.”
Charlotte was one of the few with a mental barrier.
Since birth, she had been protected by the unique blessings of the imperial family.
On top of that, her strength was impressive.
‘She’s perfect.’
I had originally planned to enter alone, but with her by my side, the burden would be lighter.
It wouldn’t be a bad deal for her, either.
After all, she had come here with the same purpose as I had.
To investigate this incident and pursue the cultists.
Though our reasons differed, our goals were closely aligned.
And this particular challenge was too much for her to handle alone.
She would need assistance.
‘A good opportunity…’
Charlotte was desperate over the “Rose” matter.
That she was investigating on-site spoke volumes.
I had already planned to offer her some bait, and now the perfect moment presented itself.
This mission could draw us much closer.
“…Fine. I’ll join you.”
After a brief pause, Charlotte finally nodded.
We shook hands lightly.
With the decision made, we had no time to waste.
Every moment we delayed, our countdown dwindled.
With a final check of our equipment, we reached out and placed our hands on the door, etched with sinister symbols.
A chill crept into my fingers.
“Let’s go.”
We pushed the door open.
A blinding scarlet light engulfed our vision.
Steeling ourselves, we stepped over the threshold without hesitation.
***
So we arrived at the boss stage.
And we found ourselves face-to-face with a bizarre scene.
“What is…?”
A vast sea of crimson blood, churning like waves.
Stretching out endlessly, it seemed, this ocean of blood awaited us.
The students stood frozen, taken aback by the sight.
Beeeep—
The once-muffled melody was now unmistakably loud.
A grating dissonance that seemed to tear at our ears.
As we turned toward the source of the sound, we saw a figure through the thick crimson mist.
They stood alone in the blood sea, playing a violin.
“…”
It was a familiar face.
As I had suspected, she had fallen under the Conductor’s spell, her essence forgotten, reduced to a corrupted shell.
Watching the woman play feverishly, I muttered under my breath.
“Lady Medro…”
The Chief Deputy of the church, the one who oversaw this Licht branch.
And a collaborator of Astro.
She was our mission target, the person we needed to rescue.
As I’d feared, she had become the Conductor’s puppet, waiting here on this blood-red stage for her audience to arrive.
Medro’s glassy eyes roamed until they landed on us.
“Kyaaaaahhhh!”
The woman let out a piercing scream.
I steadied my hand, gathering a Lie at my fingertips.
Charlotte, too, was drawing her sword.
“Let’s get this done.”
“Yes.”
The concert of horrors had begun.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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