Chapter 347: Libra (3)
Chapter 347: Libra (3)
What on earth happened while I was asleep? The answer lay right before my eyes.
Rustle. Flip.
As I turned the pages, one by one, the last lingering traces of sleep vanished, and my eyes widened of their own accord.
There was so much information that I only checked the crucial parts and skimmed through the rest, so it didn't take long to finish.
Of course, I didn't just read it carelessly. I possessed the Excellent Memory trait and the intense focus unique to a High Magician.
I understood everything I needed to know. And that only made it more absurd.
"This is insane. All of this happened in just two days?"
"No. You were only unconscious for two days, but it's been a bit longer since we broke away from the army of Ugly Prosperity, hasn't it?"
"…Right."
No matter how fast Nidhogg was, it would inevitably take a few days to get from the border to the capital, Yggdrasil.
The events recorded here must have occurred during that interval. The reason Milone was only telling me this now was likely because she received the reports while I was asleep.
At the very least, when we were forming a plan with Cyclic Life, there was no sign that they knew about this.
"Elisha. Didn't you say all civilians were being evacuated?"
"That was the plan. Yes. That was indeed the plan, but…"
"There should have been enough time, shouldn't there? Were there really this many people who refused to leave, insisting they wouldn't abandon their villages?"
It was a surprisingly common occurrence. Elders who refuse to flee even when danger strikes, choosing to die with their homes.
And Elves, with their long lifespans, would have an attachment to their homeland that far exceeded other races.
In fact, it was said that before the Great War, Elves were extremely insular and hostile toward outsiders.
But apparently, that wasn't the case here either. Elisha shook her head again and continued.
"Hardly. The evacuation order was proclaimed in the name of the Alfheim Royal Family. Though it came from Chancellor Milone’s mouth, it carried the weight of Cyclic Life’s will. No one dared to disobey."
"Then what the hell is this…?"
The documents I had just read were filled with numerous Bad Endings.
An entire village swallowed by tentacles, where men and women alike became nothing more than factory parts, forced to conceive and be impregnated by monsters.
A case where someone, driven mad after being forced into incestuous breeding under the claim that a new faith is born from breaking taboos, suddenly awakened as a Bishop-class cultist.
Elves who realized the situation was dire and tried to flee abroad, only to be captured and turned into portable onaholes for Goblins.
And… those who somehow managed to escape but, unable to forget the pleasure provided by the Evil God's authority, turned into traitors who sold out their own kin to beg for a 'reward.'
The variety was vast, and the number of cases was substantial.
I had considered that a few might fall behind during the evacuation and be caught. But this was far too many.
Even if the scale was still small, they had established full-fledged Elf Ranches, meaning the army of Ugly Prosperity would grow stronger at an explosive rate.
To think this was the result after I risked my life to fight.
As I trembled with indignation, Elisha gently stroked the back of my hand and spoke.
"It’s alright. What you did was not in vain. In fact, the main force that was on your path is heading toward Yggdrasil without being able to inflict any significant damage. It is an undeniable fact that you protected the people and halted the enemy's expansion."
"…Thanks. But, the main force? That makes it sound like there were other units."
At those words, a bitter smile touched Elisha’s lips.
"Exactly. This didn't happen at the northern border where we were, but simultaneously all across the Great Forest."
"……."
So, to summarize.
Aside from the ones we faced, separate small-scale units were wreaking havoc starting from the outskirts of the Great Forest?
And they did this while we were concentrating our forces at Yggdrasil, taking advantage of the gaps in the defenses of other regions?
"This… this isn't Ugly Prosperity's style."
Since Ugly Prosperity presided over primal desires, she possessed powerful and grotesque authorities.
However, because of that, her principles of action were inevitably simple. I don't just mean that figuratively; I mean it literally.
Lust is like a raging fire. Those who abandon themselves to passion without compromise do not listen to the whispers of reason. They move solely according to instinct.
That was why Ugly Prosperity and her believers displayed an almost absurdly honest and linear nature.
In fact, Ugly Prosperity had personally stepped forward to try and make me her Apostle, and her kin were excessively blatant in their words and actions.
I could guarantee that no one except the followers of Ugly Prosperity would scream about cocks, pussies, and sex while fighting. …And there certainly shouldn't be anyone else like that.
Anyway, for those kinds of people to decide to split their forces and systematically target villages with weakened defenses?
This didn't come from the mind of Ugly Prosperity. Yes. If I had to say, it was a move perfectly suited for a devious bastard like Boiling Silence….
"Ah."
Come to think of it, the current Boiling Silence had even abandoned his own cult to cling to another Evil God.
"Don't be too shocked, dear. They said there was no better way than your plan to protect Yggdrasil and achieve victory against Ugly Prosperity. It’s unfortunate, but this wasn't something we could have helped. How could you have anticipated everything when even Chancellor Milone and Cyclic Life failed to see it coming?"
"Yeah… right. That’s true…."
My head understood. I had seen many times how the world goes to shit once an Evil God begins to act in earnest.
However, I couldn't help but be shocked by the fact that this was happening in reality, not in a game.
It meant that Ugly Prosperity had acquired sufficient war-making capabilities, and it also meant that the seal on the Evil God would soon be broken.
I frowned as I recalled past memories, but only for a moment. Elisha’s clear voice pulled me back to reality from my confusion.
"Darling. The real problem is something else."
"What? That wasn't the end of it?"
"If only it were."
Elisha let out a long sigh, opened the window curtains, and gestured with her chin.
"Do you see them?"
"What is this now…?"
Looking down from the window, I saw a massive crowd of Elves gathered on the ground, holding something akin to a protest.
"They are all people who want you dead."
"…I don't think I've earned that much resentment, have I?"
Of course, no matter how many civilians charged at me, they wouldn't even be a match. However, the fact that internal strife had broken out right before a major battle was the problem.
Since all our strength was concentrated in Yggdrasil, if even the slightest thing went wrong, it would be the end. There would be no second chance.
"Why on earth are they trying to kill the person who came to help them?"
"It’s simple. They believe all of this is because of you."
"…Huh?"
According to Elisha, the enemy always intentionally let a few people go from the raided peripheral villages and cities.
To those who had faced hell with their minds intact—having been spared from any corrupting authorities—the enemy showed them their ruined homes and whispered in their ears.
All of this is because of Yandel Lindelheit. We came to capture him, and if we achieve our goal, we will leave. The reason your village ended up like this is because of reports that you were hiding our target… and so on.
Of course, some would have realized that Ugly Prosperity was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us. It was so blatant that it was obvious.
However, there were those who, despite knowing, vented their lost rage on me, and others who took to the streets out of pure anxiety and fear.
They were shouting that if only Yandel Lindelheit were gone, Ugly Prosperity would retreat; that he was the problem, so we should hand him over quickly and return to our daily lives.
"I see now. The reason you were waiting here, Elisha, was for the same reason, wasn't it?"
"That’s right. Because there might be someone inside the World Tree who thinks they can only live if you die, or someone consumed by rage, claiming they lost their family because of you."
Elisha had been guarding this place until I woke up. To ensure no one could harm me while I was defenseless.
"…When you said earlier that I might really die this time, you weren't talking about yourself, you were talking about me, weren't you?"
"Yes. Though now that you're awake, that won't happen."
Elisha shrugged. I sat down beside her and brought my face close to hers.
"W-what is it all of a sudden? You're making me feel burdened."
"Hey. You said you wanted to see my face. I'm just letting you look as much as you want."
"…You can still joke in a situation like this?!"
Smack!
With a sharp voice, Elisha slapped my shoulder and began to huff in indignation.
I caught her hand, gently tickled it, and continued.
"This is probably Boiling Silence’s handiwork too, right? Then, their aim might be for us to get mentally exhausted by worrying about this. Humans are social animals, after all; it's hard to endure constant condemnation."
"That… I suppose so."
"Yeah. So the best thing is to not pay it any mind at all. Of course, other people might care, even if I don't. And as you said, Elisha, some might actually try to hand me over to Ugly Prosperity, thinking I'm the root of the problem."
At that point, the corners of my mouth curled into a smirk.
"Tell them to try if they can."
"…Eh?"
"Capture me, not even kill me? To do that, they’d have to be much stronger than I am now, after I've spent two days focusing on recovery. If they had that kind of power, they could wipe out Ugly Prosperity and everyone else all by themselves."
"Ah."
That was it. In the end, while Boiling Silence might be able to drag down my reputation and incite fear among civilians, he wouldn't be able to inflict direct harm on me.
Since he was the type to invest everything into Fiona, he didn't have the talent for it, and since I had gained the Cultist Detection trait, I was immune to ambushes.
"We shouldn't dance to the opponent's tune; we just need to do what we can."
In the end, nothing changes.
We fight and we win. That’s all there is to it.
"First, I should deal with the bomb inside."
I threw myself out the window and arrived in front of the protesters using Levitation Magic. What followed was Dragonification combined with Dragon Fear.
Three minutes was all it took to disperse the mob. Despite everything, most of them were civilians, and even those who knew magic or Aura were at a low level.
This should keep things quiet for a while.
*
Yggdrasil was surrounded.
So far, everything was going according to plan.