3. The Existence of the Black Lily and the Information about the Book of Magia.
“…I was going to ask. But there’s no time.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
The tense expression on the raccoon’s face falls away as the space behind him becomes unstable.
Creeeek…!
Blood magic and the power of the Black Lily.
Though the space was already closed, I couldn’t stop her, who had already become the master of Erbenus Blodia, and she allowed entry far too easily.
“■■■ ■.”
Swoosh!
As the space tears apart, the Progenitor enters.
Following the Progenitor, a camera lens soaring through the air starts snapping pictures of me.
[?]
[Lily, why are you here?]
[Lilha]
[???]
[Lily?]
[Huh?]
[Progenitor, could you cover your eyes for a moment?;;]
[Lily, where have you been?]
[Where is this?]
[? Hahahaha]
[What is this?]
“I stepped away for a moment to check something. I guess the Pharaoh lost.”
“……”
“But I did try to watch over things.”
I couldn’t provide additional support while fighting the raccoon in between, but I did manage some enhancements.
Still, beating Lasty was no easy feat.
I observed the Progenitor’s condition and scanned my surroundings.
‘Did the raccoon disappear?’
Even if I caught him, the original Administrator shouldn’t be visible to the users.
Aside from those dedicated to PvP arenas and confronting users, raccoons generally operated behind the scenes of the game.
It must have been largely due to borrowing Kuoh’s body.
I could have caught him, but it didn’t seem likely I’d get a clear answer by asking further, and above all, I needed to focus more on Lasty now.
I glanced quietly at the direction the raccoon was trying to sneak away, sending out a message he could hear.
‘I’ll leave one question for later?’
‘……’
Whoosh!
“…What are you looking at, Lily?”
“Oh. Just a moment. I have something to do.”
“……Really?”
Swoosh!!
Blood wings unfurl behind her.
There’s a considerable amount of blood present in this space, and Lasty’s momentum surged even higher, causing one of the Progenitor’s eyes to glow even redder.
She seemed quite surprised by this strange phenomenon herself.
“You were in a good space.”
“It’s a bit much to confront now… have you managed to regain your mind yet?”
“I’m just fine. Lily.”
Lasty’s blood magic fills the sky.
It won’t be easy to block the now even stronger blood magic mixed with the power of the Black Lily.
Stopping you won’t be easy at all.
Above all, I’m quite exhausted from the prolonged battle and the fight with the raccoon.
If I want to respond any further, I’ll have to use powers that come with risks, like Sacred Transformation or Annihilation.
[Drip, drip, drip, drip]
[Can Lily stop it?]
[Huh?]
[Let’s escape.]
[Let’s just go for Annihilation, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!]
[What was Lily doing?]
[That guy uncle is dead too, isn’t this bad?]
“Well, there’s nothing we can do.”
“It’s just a temporary death, Lily…?!”
A space filled with pouring magic.
In an instant, I accelerated and moved through space, reaching her in one go and placing my hand on her forehead.
While Lasty might be much faster, she became momentarily defenseless due to the large-scale magic activation.
More than anything, I wasn’t holding a hammer or had any intention of attacking, which allowed me to create just enough of a gap.
Whoosh.
The flames of Sacred Transformation ignited deep within me.
“It’ll sting a bit.”
Boom!!!
■
“…Done.”
I got up from my spot.
The method of mental invasion using the illusion magic I had employed on Lasty in the past.
In the past, I was able to learn about her history through the illusion magic created by Lasty and returned her past to her.
This time, I didn’t use illusion magic separately, but since I knew the method of mental invasion, I could enter.
Though Lasty has a significant mental barrier, I managed to create just a small opening.
Outside, both I and Lasty are probably passed out.
Given Lasty’s strength, she could break free from this kind of technique quickly, so I need to resolve this and return fast.
‘If I wait any longer, I might get stuck here myself…’
Drip.
“Who’s there?”
“?”
Drip. Drip.
Someone is coming down a spectacular circular staircase.
Looks like Lasty but isn’t—just a small girl.
She looked about five years younger than Lasty, but judging by the power and reaction she exuded, I could guess who she was.
“Blodia.”
A bloodsucker created by the progenitor Riven, and the girl currently housing ‘self’ within Lasty.
Since her ‘self’ is stuck here, it wouldn’t be strange for Blodia’s Spiritual World to come out.
“Completely white, huh? And really pretty. Did Riven bring you here?”
“Well… in a way, that’s accurate. Where did Riven go?”
“I don’t know. She seems busy these days.”
“Looks like you’re busy these days.”
“You don’t even play with me.”
Grumbling, Blodia came all the way down the stairs.
With her pretty dress and face, and the little fangs visible between her grumbling lips, she really did look like a doll.
“You seem to be doing a lot these days. It’s driving me crazy being stuck in this castle all the time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. If you’re a knight, you should be protecting the king properly, right?”
“That’s true.”
If a knight is supposed to protect the king, then that’s how it should be.
“Then would you like to go out with me?”
“Huh? With you?”
“Yes. Since I need to find Riven anyway, why not combine it with some sightseeing?”
“But Riven told me not to go out.”
“Oh come on. It’s just a quick trip.”
“But…”
Blodia seemed hesitant, dragging her shoes back as if something was bothering her.
For being made in Lasty’s image, she sure had a different personality.
“If it were Lasty, she would have just gone out.”
Maybe it was because she was the ‘suitable’ king, not just any king, that she was guided to have this kind of personality.
I shook my head and reached out my hand.
“Think about it, Blodia. Who is the king here?”
“That would be me.”
“And who is Riven?”
“My knight.”
“And the knight who protects Blodia?”
“Yup.”
“So who holds a higher rank?”
“Well…”
Of course.
“It’s me. There’s no bloodsucker higher than me in this place.”
“That’s right. But even if Blodia goes out for a bit, there’s no bloodsucker who would say anything. Unless they’re crazy, who would dare speak against the king?”
“…Is that so?”
“Absolutely!”
“Hmm…”
Blodia, lost in thought, muttered, “But somehow…”
But her hesitation didn’t last long, and she skipped over to clasp my hand tightly.
“Let’s go.”
“That’s a great idea.”
■
Taking Blodia outside, there was really nothing much to see.
Maybe the castle was intentionally separated, but apart from a flower garden, there was nothing else nearby, and the only sight worth seeing was a tree full of blood.
The place we had been before coming in here.
But maybe that was enough because Blodia was excited, running around the flower garden.
“Definitely different.”
It’s safe to say this was someone else dressed as Lasty.
But the Blodia that Lasty dealt with probably didn’t have this personality.
If her personality was this different, Lasty would have mentioned it long ago.
“The magic makes you recall the past… Did she change later?”
Whatever the case, seeing Lasty looking so bright made me feel unexpectedly good.
Seeing Lasty looking bright made me feel strangely good.
“But where’s Riven?”
“Well, since she’s not here… Hmm?”
“Why?”
The Blood Tree towered high.
There was a faint Barrier around the tree, and as I dissolved it and lightly jumped up, I could see another girl sitting quietly.
‘Lasty.’
Next to her was a knight who looked like he’d been beaten up, and it was the Riven I had been looking for.
“You’re here?”
“Lasty?”
“I’ve captured him. Take him and that little kid with you. Since it’s this time of the year, the fake sister probably didn’t intervene, so it should have been managed well.”
Maybe this was the ending they prepared for…
“What about Lasty?”
“……”
Lasty didn’t respond and quietly looked up at the sky.
Her eyes sparkled as they reflected the Moonlight.
“…Am I not bad?”
“……”
“I’m not making excuses. It’s what I did, and they’re the people I killed.”
“Lasty.”
“Whether it was my will or not, it doesn’t matter much. It’s the same this time. Because of me, those little kids ended up dead.”
Whether they were Bloodsuckers, or the Residents who were being drenched in Red Rain at this very moment, the deed had been done.
“It was a book that would spread someday. It just came sooner.”
“My detox book too?”
“……”
“So just go. If that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you for a moment. Your sister thought it was fine.”
“……”
“A lively Progenitor is better than a cold and worn-out one. It’s awkward to say this, but that kid… is kind of similar to my past…”
“Lasty isn’t like that.”
Up she stood.
Lasty, who had been looking at the moon, turned to me.
She looked silent and incredibly gloomy, as if she was truly repenting…
‘How long have I seen these years.’
I know Lasty’s personality better than anyone.
“Lasty isn’t that kind. If she were, she wouldn’t be able to be the drill sergeant among monsters. She’s the type to sneak out and eat crab stew five times.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Nothing you’d understand.”
“…….”
Twisting.
“So stop acting and get up.”
“Oh dear.”
Clang.
“This kind of development isn’t good…”
Riven slowly rose.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
