Madness "...Fuck?"
What the hell was this? In the original story, Aria had definitely been portrayed as a woman with a pure heart. Gulp. But what the fuck was that?
After snapping the assassin’s neck, Aria dropped the limp corpse at her feet and collapsed on the spot. She buried her face in both hands, body trembling violently. At first glance it looked like the shock of murder had plunged her into despair, but…
"...Pfft. Hehe."
She was simply fighting with everything she had to hold back the laughter trying to spill out.
I had watched the entire thing from up close, so my head went completely blank and one thought rose up on its own.
She’s not a saint. She’s just a fucking psycho…?
—Kyaaaaaah!
—G-guards! Call the guards right now!
Separate from my personal impressions, the people around us finally erupted into chaos. Most of the nobles were screaming as they fled outside, while the few who remained seemed slightly intrigued by her decisive “execution.”
“Hoo, she’s quite ruthless.”
At the very least, anyone who could attend this ball possessed a similar social standing. The calculation was simple: she was young, had an excellent figure, and possessed outstanding martial prowess, so it wouldn’t hurt to build a connection. Aristocrats who were veterans at navigating society and sowing discord slowly approached her, already pondering how to exploit even this situation.
They were just about to strike up a conversation—hoping she might be a wandering knight or an inheriting noble—when—
Crack.
“???”
Aria had snapped the corpse’s leg. Crunch. Then she broke the other arm that was still intact. The way she casually twisted the corpse’s limbs almost looked sacred, like some solemn ritual.
“Heh heh. I’d better get out of here quickly.”
Only then did the nobles, having finally sensed her madness, stumble backward and hurriedly join the crowd rushing for the exit.
I was stunned by the sudden turn of events too, but I quickly decided to slip away as well. An assassination attempt just happened. If they find out I sneaked in, they won’t let it slide. Time to go.
Just as I was about to hurry off—
“...You there. Young fox master?”
“Y-yes?”
Aria had pointed directly at me and called me over.
“Could you possibly help me for a moment?”
“...Ah, well, I have an urgent matter to attend to.”
I can’t get involved here.
Original work or not, the woman standing in front of me was a lunatic who smiled while snapping people’s necks. I needed to escape using any excuse I could find.
But my excuse proved useless. A lower, gloomier voice drifted from Aria.
“You will help me, won’t you?”
She stared straight at me, slowly tilting her head. The sight was utterly terrifying.
Fuck.
The clear threat that she might snap my neck at any second left me no choice but to obey.
“...Even if I have urgent business, it’s only right to help someone in need. Haha.”
“Come closer.”
Unable to defy the summons, I approached her as slowly as possible.
“Take a good look. How is my craftsmanship?”
“Urk.”
It was the first corpse I had ever seen up close. The physiological revulsion was immediate. There was no blood, but the body with all its limbs grotesquely twisted was horrifying beyond words.
Only then did I truly register the reality of this world—the brutal truth I had never felt while working as a mere servant. Nausea surged up my throat.
Aria looked at me and whispered sweetly, as if she found it adorable.
“...How cute. Is this your first time? Seeing one this close?”
“?”
Crazy bitch.
Ironically, her deranged comment snapped me halfway back to my senses. If I let her keep talking, my mind would rot. I needed to get to the main point quickly.
“What exactly do you need help with?”
I barely managed to squeeze the words out. Aria adjusted her rabbit mask and spoke.
“Hmm. I’m looking for someone. Could you help me find them?”
Who is Aria looking for?
Even before the attack she had been waiting for someone. Was this the person she meant?
…But one thing didn’t make sense.
Someone the Saint herself can’t find?
The church that served Solennea wielded enormous influence inside the empire. A Saint should have been able to locate anyone she wanted with ease…
Is she hiding her identity?
That made sense. The moment news spread that the Saint had killed someone and desecrated the corpse, the church’s reputation would be finished. She probably assumed I was one of the nobles attending the ball and was asking for help. With noble connections, finding one person wouldn’t be difficult.
The problem was…
I’m not a noble.
Exactly. A powerless servant had no way to find anyone. It would be better to be honest rather than lie.
“That…”
The moment I was about to tell the truth, I glanced at the corpse with its limbs twisted at unnatural angles and instantly changed my mind.
“...I’ll do my best to find them. Could you tell me their personal details or any distinguishing features?”
For the sake of survival, I at least had to pretend I would search. Seeing my clear willingness to help, Aria rested her chin on her hand.
“Hmmm. That person is… first of all, ‘right now’ they’re about the same age as you.”
“They have black hair like someone from the Eastern Continent, and their eyes are especially small, giving them a sly look.”
“And most importantly, that person absolutely does not believe in gods.”
Black hair, narrow eyes, atheist. With those characteristics…
Wait. That sounds strangely familiar…
Every single trait Aria listed pointed directly at me. The moment I froze, she noticed with eerie precision and turned her head.
“Oh?”
Unlike before, she was now staring straight at me. The sound she let out was closer to excitement than surprise. Her voice bubbled with delight.
“Take off that mask.”
“...Pardon?”
“Right now. Immediately.”
I rarely trusted vague instincts in my life, but this time the feeling was crystal clear.
If I take off the mask here, I die.
For some reason, the person Aria was looking for was me. I could think about why later. Right now I had to survive this situation first.
My head burned. My thoughts expanded. To buy even a second of time, I obediently placed my hand on the mask as if obeying her.
One second.
I lowered my hand again and reconsidered.
Two seconds.
Finally making up my mind, I touched the mask once more as if to remove it.
Three seconds.
Aria, unable to wait any longer, reached out toward me.
Four seconds.
Just before her fingers touched the mask, my mouth opened first.
“Wait. I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
My voice came out calmer than I expected—almost excessively so.
“From the description alone, the person does sound similar to me, but I assure you it isn’t. After all, the two of us are meeting for the first time today, aren’t we?”
“...That’s true, but showing your face isn’t that difficult, is it?”
The fact that the man who had been terrified moments ago was now speaking so casually seemed to intrigue her. Of course, her hand never left the mask.
Good. There’s still room to persuade her.
If she had resorted to force right then, it would have been over. The fact that she bothered to counter my words meant there was still a chance for dialogue.
“Honestly, I don’t mind taking off a silly mask like this at all. But for both our sakes, wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t know each other’s identities? That way there won’t be any future complications.”
“Is that so? Not really. To be honest, the more you say that, the more I want to see your face…”
She was giving me the chance to make another excuse. I decided to try that method here.
Approaching this rationally is a trap.
Even if she seemed to yield a little, it was nothing more than fleeting entertainment—like watching a monkey at the zoo. Fundamentally, it was impossible to persuade a madwoman with logic. Therefore, if the other party was insane, I simply had to show her my own brand of madness.
“...Then do as you please.”
“Huh?”
“Do as you please. No matter what I say or what I do, you’re going to suspect and dig into it anyway, right? Go ahead. Take it off.”
Unlike my previous resistance, I gave permission with absurd ease. The strategy was simple: do your worst.
The corners of Aria’s mouth began to rise in pure insanity.
It was an endlessly long battle. Blood sprayed and flesh tore apart dozens upon dozens of times. The pure karma the two of them had accumulated was so immense that even the gods of the continent could only click their tongues in awe. In this fight, both were transcending the limits of mortals and stepping into the realm of the divine.
The man instinctively realized it.
One of us is going to die here.
Whoever emerged victorious might become the first human in history to reach true ascension.
Smiling inwardly, the man poured every last ounce of strength into his final sword swing. The Depraved Saint forcibly squeezed out the divinity she had devoured and blocked the blow with her greatsword. Neither of them had much stamina left.
The battle that had already lasted well over a week was slowly drawing to its conclusion. Only the final, decisive strike remained.
At that moment, the man spoke to her.
“Do you want to become a god?”
If the woman who already carried divinity broke free of mortal limits, she would eventually become a new deity. The saint who despised gods more than anyone—did she truly wish to become one?
For the first time since the battle began, her expression hardened at his words.