Chapter 46 - Last Bastion [4]
“So, what’s your name?” I asked her while enjoying the meal she had treated me to.
“Hmm… who knows?” She looked away, intentionally teasing me to avoid the question.
“Is your name that embarrassing that you don’t want to tell me?”
“…Maybe. It’s definitely an annoying name, that’s for sure.”
“Do you perhaps have ‘junior’ in your name?”
"No."
After the green-haired nurse spotted me on top of a roof and snuck up on me, the two of us went to a restaurant she recommended.
Given her gloomy personality, I expected her to take me to a bar, but she at least showed some tact. The place is pretty fancy, too.
She also told me I could order whatever I wanted, so I went all out, without mercy.
Don’t underestimate someone who has had nearly unlimited allowance, even if I was considered the deadbeat of the family.
—Munch, munch...
“Nom, nom... ahem—If that’s the case, I’m quite shy too, you know? Having that many cameras in my room.”
"...We installed those to watch you in case something happens."
"I would believe you, but the lack of guards, patients, and employees—people in the 'hospital' you set up—wasn't very convincing, you know?"
"..."
If she were going to keep up this act, then I would gladly take the offensive and make sure she revealed everything.
“…So you already knew.” She paused and stopped drinking her tea.
“Yeah, I mean, the two of us did just teleport out of nowhere. No surprise you’d suspect both of us... or are you only suspecting me? You never allowed me to meet Camila, not even once.”
—Gulp... gulp...
I drank some water after finishing my meal. My stomach was smaller than before, so I had to eat slowly while talking to her.
“…” The green-haired woman didn’t respond, lost in thought.
“Not answering? Fine, we have our own secrets anyway. Oh, and thanks for the food, too.” I patted my stomach after finishing my meal.
"For someone who looks like that, you eat quite brazenly." She asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
"Oh, I have my own reasons, haha..." I chuckled in response.
Of course, I had been a guy before all of this mess happened—come on...
"I have another question then, if you refuse to answer that. How did this city thrive after everything that happened outside?" This time, I looked at her with clear intent.
I may be in a good mood after discovering that humanity hadn't gone extinct, I was curious about the events of the past six years without Noah.
Noah didn't have much influence on the world until the very end, but he did manage to save Demiurge from numerous casualties by destroying the Pylon at Arcadia.
“You... really don’t know anything?”
"Unfortunately, no. I don't know what happened over the past six years."
"Six years..."
She looked at me with solemn eyes, as if recalling a bitter memory.
"Hmm... do you want the long explanation or the short one?" She returned to her normal behaviour, not questioning why I was unaware of the state of the world.
"Uh, the short one, I guess," I replied without much thought, tightening my glove and preparing myself to hear what she had to say.
"Alright." She said, coughing slightly before continuing.
"...Five years ago, the world was on the brink of extinction, but after overcoming their adversities through sheer will, humanity thrived to the present day."
“…”
“…”
Silence hung between us.
“…That’s it?”
"Mm-hmm. Did you want the long explanation instead, or—"
“Just give me the long one.”
I cut her off, growing annoyed by her behaviour.
“Hehe, alright.” She looked away to hide her small chuckle.
—Tch, she did that on purpose, this damn quack.
“Five years ago, the world came to an end.” Her tone suddenly shifted to something more serious.
I was surprised to hear her speaking like a proper human being.
“When the calamity occurred, humanity found itself at a disadvantage. We were ravaged, eaten, crushed... we had no choice but to hide. There were too many of them, too strong to fight back.” She gazed at the moon, now visible in the distance.
The moon, seen from above, appeared shattered, as if something had physically torn it apart at the edges.
On that day, the sky was pitch red—an anomaly that should never have been possible.
Everyone who witnessed that day believed it was the day of judgment when humanity would be held accountable for their sins.
Creatures of hell emerged from a tear in the sky itself, striking fear and dread into those who remained.
In that first hour, everyone was left to fend for themselves. The weak met a miserable end, while the strong died in an effort to protect others.
It was the first time humanity had reverted to the food chain, giving rise to a new name to fear: Eldia, a term that referred to eldritch creatures.
“Back then, even the fiercest leaders fell into despair. If such individuals succumbed, the only way out of this hell was death… I’m sure you know this much, right?” She placed her hand under her chin.
“Mhm, yeah.” I replied without thinking.
Even though I wasn’t really there when it happened, I at least knew what had transpired because, well, I didn’t need to explain the reason.
“…Anyways, we call that red sky the First Cardinal Sky, since that wasn’t the end of it.” She asserted heavily.
As she delved into the details of the incident that Noah should have been involved in, I listened more attentively.
Two years later, almost every nation united to confront an unidentified threat, with each country presenting proposals to amass more military power independently.
With the young hero who could have changed the tide of battle gone before it even began, the world had to adopt a more realistic approach.
Through collaborative efforts from nations across the globe, groundbreaking inventions were developed.
Just because Noah was the protagonist didn't mean he was the strongest.
Trestkania established a new organization called Project ANGEL, a group of elite operatives specifically created to eliminate Pylons.
Yorselania formed their own group, naming them the Exalts; they were designed with the same purpose but were weaker in exchange for greater flexibility.
"And Demiurge, our country… it created a new type of magic known as [Prophecy]." Her expression soured at the mention of it.
This was an unknown Magic Art to me, but knowing who could theoretically foresee the future, I was able to figure it out sooner than expected.
In addition, she explained that other nations beyond this continent were developing their own superweapons.
Celibus developed flying battleships capable of turning the sky into a bloody warzone.
Tide produced fearsome weapons, engineered with a special magic designed to take down Eldians.
Zelkovania created walking giants known as the Colossus, hailed as the strongest weapon this world had to offer.
"Because these three nations have more territory, they focused on mass-producing their weapons to fight on equal terms with the Eldians," she said, twirling her teaspoon around.
“I see...” I only nodded in agreement.
I recognized the weapons from other nations; after all, I had written about and created them. But the weapons on this continent were all new to me.
In the original novel, Noah had united all three nations into one, forming a temporary alliance to combat the Eldians.
Without him here, that bridge had yet to be built, primarily due to the terrible relationship between Demiurge and Trestkania, aside from Yorselania, which remained the neutral faction.
“At the pace things are going, we are now at an advantage; we can finally stand against them, even with their overwhelming numbers… but.”
—Ting!
She paused the swirling of her spoon in her tea, as if it were a realization that shook the foundations of the world.
“We weren’t the only ones that evolved.”
—Ring! Ring! Ring!
“Ah, time's up. Let’s continue this tomorrow.” She stood up from her chair and brushed her skirt.
"What?" I tilted my head in confusion, surprised that she stopped when we were getting to the crucial part.
“Huh—wait! You didn’t finish what you were trying to say!” I ran up to her and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.
“…You’ll find out soon enough,” she replied, turning to face me.
—Clench...!
In response to her vague words, I tightened my grip on her hand. I wasn't going to let go until she shared more valuable information.
"I’ll give you a word of advice since you figured out the rest.” She placed a finger on her lips and then mine, as if sharing a secret between just the two of us.
In silence, she recited her message, her lips forming the words clearly:
Watch out for the silent night.
She ended with a seductive smile, her fingers still on my lips, and then, without warning—just like how she had suddenly appeared behind me on top of a building...
She vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
"What the—where did you go?!" I exclaimed, bewildered about where she had disappeared after those cryptic words.
'Teleportation magic...?' I looked around, but my search was in vain.
“Haha… at least tell me how to get back to the hospital…” I gazed up at the sky. It was already dark outside.
Frustration welled up inside me. What did she mean by evolved?
The puzzling implications of the lotus back in Arcadia left me more confused than usual.
Are you telling me that the Eldians have evolved? Those repulsive creatures that were already incredibly strong?
It felt like an endless ocean with no horizon. The deeper I went, the darker it became, a never-ending abyss.
“Ah… dammit.” I scratched my head.
Things got even more complicated.
“Haaah… haaah… I made it!” I gasped as I ran out of stamina and hurried back to the hospital, pondering how I could get back in.
But since I forgot that I escaped through indirect means, I found myself standing here, confused.
“That damn woman…” I cursed her imaginary face for leaving me hanging, both figuratively and literally.
The restaurant we had gone to was far away; it must have been a place she frequently visited if she recommended it.
But to leave me all of a sudden without telling me the way back?
“You're in for a beating when we meet again.” I clenched my fist, left with a lingering grudge.
...The food was delicious, though, so all is forgiven.
—Vooom…!
I created another set of stairs using Ichor to climb over the wall.
“[Prophecy] Magic…” I pondered as I climbed the stairs.
While nations advanced technologically, Demiurge relied on a bunch of kids to empower themselves instead of creating new magicks.
For other nations on this continent as well, I'm thinking the technology from the original novel has been integrated into this timeline, more compact and powerful than before.
To confess my sins… I had intentionally written Demurgians as prideful people.
You know, the stereotype where nobles reigned above commoners, bla bla bla—it was one of the few nations that still operated under this system.
So, it surprised me that Demiurge actually got its act together and invented prophecy magic, a phenomenal kind of magic you’d expect to find in fairy tales.
“But… why did she make that face?” I recalled her bitter expression.
I knew her well enough to recognize her usual bland expressions, so it was my first time seeing any emotion other than emptiness.
“Eh, I don’t care,” I shrugged it off. It was none of my business.
—Clack!
I opened the door back into the hospital and wandered around to find my room.
“Oh, look, a map, how convenient.” I remarked as I examined the numbers labelled on each room.
While I was wandering through the hospital back then, I happened to glance at my room number, which made things a bit easier.
“Number 61… over here.” I flicked my finger after I found it on the map.
“I wonder what I should do tonight…” I thought as I began to retrace my steps.
There was something nostalgic about wandering in a place I didn’t know. It had been a while since I’d talked to myself like a lunatic.
This silence felt oddly peaceful to me, giving me time to think about my plans for tomorrow and the distant future.
Ah... if only things were peaceful like this, truly.
—Tap… Tap… Tap…
I continued walking down the empty, eerie hallway. The stillness of the hospital made my ears ring, and my footsteps echoed around me.
The clean, white halls, the perfectly bright lights, and the uncanny, utter silence…
...
...
...
It all felt like a trap, designed to confine me in this cage.
This place wasn’t meant to help me, not at all.
The pills I had been given seemed suspicious. The first time I swallowed one, I felt my mana go numb, making it difficult for me to use magic properly.
If I hadn’t had such sensitive instincts regarding mana, I might not have noticed.
That’s why I decided not to swallow it—I just stuck it in the back of my throat instead.
—Tap…
I finally stopped walking when I reached Room 61.
I stood there silently, my hand on the handle as I was about to turn it. It felt like the calm before the storm, and I closed my eyes.
I expected this moment to arise once I reached a human settlement.
Humans believed that the first Cardinal Sky marked the day of judgment.
Deep down, they understood they were all sinful beings in need of reckoning.
Greed, Wrath, Pride, Lust, Envy, Sloth, and Gluttony—the seven sins—shape who we are, etched into the pages of history.
Today wasn't any different. After all—
Isn’t that the joy of living, filled with flaws?
—BOOOM!
“…D-Did we get her?” One of them asked, straining their eyes to see through the smoke and assess the outcome of their joint attack.
“No, keep your guard up.” Another replied.
The smoke obscured visibility, but numerous figures in black robes filled the room, poised to strike their target.
“What were they thinking, sending this many people against a lousy brat?” One commented.
“Shut up, Simon. This isn’t the time to complain.” Another man shot back.
“Tch, fine.” Simon clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Everyone, spread out. Find her body and report back to the teacher.” Another instructed.
"Roger!" The bickering ceased, and they formed up to execute the mission as flawlessly as possible.
However, their complacency led to unforeseen disaster.
—Ving…!
“What the—mpgh…!” One of them suddenly stopped speaking, unable to manage more than a muffled sound.
“H-Huh, are you okay—kyah!” Another was captured in the same manner.
Voices faded away, one after the other.
“She’s still alive! Diane, blow away the smoke now!”
—Whoosh…!
A powerful gust swept through the area, creating chaos but also clearing the smoke.
“There! Shoot her!” Without hesitation, the two remaining magic casters unleashed their individual spells, varying in size and elemental nature.
One cast a massive cluster of magma, while the other conjured a strong gust of wind, propelling the magma clusters forward at an accelerating speed, resulting in a devastating explosion.
—BOOOM!!!
Their combined efforts triggered a massive explosion that nearly obliterated the entire area.
—Crush! Thud! Bash!
“…How persistent.” She remarked. Not even an Eldia would have survived that.
“I hope that's everything. That damn monster.” He said, glancing at the fallen allies the target had overpowered.
The target had manipulated a gold-like substance, suffocating them until they were rendered unconscious.
They hadn’t gathered much information, largely due to its secrecy; all they knew was that it functioned like the [Alloy] Magic Art.
Before they could complete the job, they were interrupted by someone they had been instructed to follow: their teacher.
“Are you kids okay?” She asked, as if she had always been there.
“T-Teacher…!” They exclaimed, surprised by her sudden appearance.
“Why are you here, Teach? I told you we could handle this mission—”
“There’s no time to explain, Simon.” She pushed him aside and stepped forward.
“For now, leave it to me and stay back.”
“What do you mean? There’s no way he could be alive after that!” a girl with brown hair exclaimed.
"I have one lesson for you students," she said, unsheathing her giant sword.
—Sheathe…!
"You kids underestimate these monsters too much."
—Voom…
A golden light glimmered from a distance.
“Now begone.” She gripped her sword tightly in her hands, and in that moment.
—BOOM!!!
Another explosion erupted, exposing the girl who had been struck by countless magic blasts, yet she emerged unharmed.
“No wonder they were so unsynchronized. You could’ve sent better forces, you know?” The target cracked her neck.
“Cease your insolence, filth.” She scowled, gripping her sword tightly.
“Oh~ how scary!” The target mocked her with a nasty grin, fitting for those who started this whole mess.
With everything she had, she would dedicate her life to killing this person, here and now.
To fulfill the promise she had failed to keep.
—SWISH!!!
She slashed her blade through the air, causing the smoke around us to vanish instantly.
The sheer strength she demonstrated just now was leagues above Camila, whom I had thought of as a gorilla. It felt like comparing a wild animal to a mythical creature from fiction.
What I was facing right now was someone I had no hope of standing against.
As I focused on her red, ashen hair, I quickly realized who she was.
“All of you, go before I deduct points from your grades.” She glared at her students.
“Y-Yes…!” They all fled in the opposite direction to avoid trouble, hurriedly picking up their unconscious friends as they went.
‘That face…’ I couldn’t believe my eyes as I studied her more closely.
Her red and orange eyes burned with conviction and loyalty. She saw herself as a machine, dedicated to fulfilling her duties as both a servant and a teacher.
Her name is Scarlett Penelope, the Ashen Witch and my father’s assistant.
“Die.” She positioned herself to slit my throat.
I felt an overwhelming amount of mana surging from her silhouette, the complete opposite of my own. If I had half the mana of an average mage, then what about Scarlett?
She possessed a hundred times that amount—a true monster in this world.
First Camila, then Scarlett?
I might very well be on my way to fighting all of my relatives and the servants of the Historia family at this point.
