38. Gwen (8)
38. Gwen (8)
Where does mana come from?
It's simple. It's the heart.
The difference between having mana and not having it is huge.
This otherworld is quite cruel, to the point where it's determined at birth whether or not you have a heart capable of operating mana.
But where does my mana come from?
I felt that the Queen's body didn't have a heart capable of operating mana from birth.
I also wondered why the Goddess wouldn't take my Holy Power in the first place.
I may be lazy, but even in my laziness, there was something I could think about and research while just lying around. That is the Hive Mind.
Hive Mind.
In English, "Hive Mind" refers to a single consciousness that controls multiple individuals.
In short, it means I can mentally control all of my children.
However, the Hive Mind in my mind feels a bit different now.
The Hive Mind is a storage space.
All of the creatures' consciousnesses are inside the Hive Mind, and the entity with the highest authority over that storage space is me, the owner of that storage space.
And below that authority are the [Overlord]-class creatures. Therefore, if I give orders to the [Overlord] kids, they can also give orders to the kids below them via the Hive Mind.
I once used that to pass mana to Evolute instead of myself. Though it was useless because Evolute didn't know how to use mana.
The reason I'm explaining this is because of mana and Holy Power.
Mana and Holy Power don't reside in my body.
Mana and Holy Power go into the storage space called the Hive Mind.
That's why I think it might be impossible for the Goddess to take my Holy Power.
Because that Holy Power itself isn't in my body, but in my Hive Mind.
==
As I went down to the first floor holding the Mana Location Tracking Tool, it started to glow brighter and brighter.
Since it was late evening, all the children were asleep, so there was no one on the first floor.
The Orphanage, softly illuminated by moonlight, felt eerie for some reason. It looked brighter than anywhere else when the children were there, but now it felt like monsters might be lurking.
'Underground... It's underground?'
As I went down to where the Mana Location Tracking Tool was pointing, an ominous aura that I had never felt in the Orphanage before was creeping out.
'No way. It's been hiding here this whole time? Is that possible? No, wait, I didn't even notice?'
It's certain.
That the monster I saw right in front of me is in this basement right now.
'What should I do—'
Startle.
'I've been found out.'
As the aura overflowing in the surroundings began to focus on her in an instant, Gwen cleared all the thoughts she had just been having.
As soon as the ominous aura touched her body, she got goosebumps all over.
Gwen recalled that monster from back then. It must have become much stronger. But Gwen was confident.
Confident that she could win if she fought Gluttony 1-on-1.
Unlike before, she couldn't even gauge how strong her own power was, as she was maintaining her peak condition.
However, if she fought right here and now, she could win, but the damage on this side would be severe.
If she fought Gluttony, it was a given that this place would be reduced to ruins in an instant. She couldn't guarantee that the children wouldn't be harmed in the process. No, it was obvious that there would definitely be casualties.
'Is it fortunate that the monster doesn't have the will to fight immediately?'
In Gwen's memory, Gluttony was just a monster that devoured everything in front of it.
But right now, the aura felt like it was observing her—
'Wait a minute... Could I have been making a huge mistake?'
Thinking about it now, it didn't make sense.
A monster that mercilessly ate even its own kind suddenly comes to a city where people live and acts like this?
Actually, the reason she thought it was Gluttony was because this ominous aura and the mana signature were identical.
Gwen slowly drew her sword and walked toward where the aura was emanating from.
There was no time to call the Knights. She didn't know when or how this monster might have a change of heart and attack the children here. But if a battle broke out recklessly, the children would be in danger.
But the moment she left this place, there would be no one to protect them.
A monster that hadn't revealed its identity until now was suddenly wafting out aura and mana.
It was impossible to think that a monster that had revealed itself would do nothing here.
Judging that even if the battle became difficult, if it started and noise was made, Amber would come to help, Gwen decided she could sufficiently protect everyone and moved her feet toward where the aura was.
That's how she arrived in front of the door.
Gwen was certain that the monster responsible for the numerous missing persons and murder cases that had occurred in this city was inside this room, given the ominous aura and the mana that now felt like a swamp of death.
The room Gwen was standing in front of was an empty room. It was originally intended to be used as a storage room, but since there were no goods to pile up yet, it was just an empty room.
Knowing that, Gwen carefully grabbed the doorknob and opened the door cautiously.
Naturally, she didn't just open the door; she coated her body in mana, holding the doorknob with one hand and her sword with the other.
The door opened, and something with a black shape was standing inside.
Since it was a basement, there was no light, but Gwen, having enhanced her eyes with mana, immediately recognized who the black shape was.
"Niv?"
Niv, whom Gwen had brought to this Orphanage herself.
Niv was standing in the empty room, doing nothing, with her back to Gwen.
Gwen was about to quickly tell Niv that it was dangerous here and to leave, but she didn't.
Because the ominous aura and mana that had been targeting her until just now were flowing out from Niv.
'Niv is a monster? No. Niv was a normal child.'
But she had no choice but to think that what she saw in front of her was a monster wearing Niv's appearance.
'Then what on earth is that...? No, there's no time to think.'
Gwen poured mana into her sword.
The room brightened as Gwen's sword began to glow softly, and only then did Niv look at Gwen.
"....!"
Only then, looking at Niv's face, Gwen's eyes widened.
Niv's face, which couldn't be considered in a normal state.
Her eyes were completely dyed black, and she was shedding black tears.
If it had stopped there, Gwen wouldn't have been so surprised. The problem was Niv's mouth.
Blood was smeared all over Niv's mouth.
Gwen's gaze went to the floor for the first time.
She hadn't noticed because her attention was focused on Niv's aura and mana.
Something lying at Niv's feet.
It was a corpse.
And a corpse with traces of someone having gnawed on it.
As soon as she saw that, no further thought was needed. What was in front of her now was no longer Niv, but a monster.
Gwen rushed forward and swung at Niv's neck.
Tentacles shot out from the clothes Niv was wearing and clashed with Gwen's sword.
Ka-ang!!!
"Ugh!?"
Gwen retreated with a sound that couldn't possibly be thought to have come from colliding with a living creature.
'Get a grip. What's in front of you now isn't Niv, it's a monster!'
Wanting to end the battle quickly before the people around could get involved, Gwen swung her sword with all her might.
'Why isn't it defending—'
Slash!
Gwen's sword smoothly sliced Niv's upper body from shoulder to bottom.
The moment Gwen felt something strange at the sight of it falling so easily, Niv's clothes suddenly moved shoo-rook and slipped out of the room at a speed invisible to the eye.
"What!?"
Gwen reacted and moved immediately, but the moment she went up to the basement, she saw the Mimic Creature escaping outside the Orphanage, so she focused all the strength in her body into her sword and threw it just like that.
"Kieeeeeeeek!"
It passed through, piercing one wing of the Mimic Creature that was trying to mimic a new body and escape, but even so, the creature staggered and disappeared into the sky.
Gwen was about to get angry at the creature that had disappeared, but then she remembered Niv, who had been left in the basement.
Returning to the basement, Gwen closed the eyes of the dead Niv, who had her eyes open.
She had killed her without hesitation because she knew her body had already become a monster, not a human, but that didn't mean she was unaffected.
The guilt of not being able to protect her weighed down on Gwen.
Because she had saved her herself and killed her herself, she bit her lip hard and prayed for the dead Niv.
Although the monster had escaped, it wasn't a problem because she had the Mana Location Tracking Tool. She could chase it to the end.
The problem was that Gwen had confirmed with her own two eyes that this monster attaches itself to people and turns them into monsters.
'I need to quickly assemble the Knights and track it.'
Ta-da-da-da-dak.
Lea and Amber, who had come down to the basement after hearing the commotion.
"What's going— Eek!"
As soon as Lea rushed into the room where Gwen was, she screamed at the scene before her eyes.
Niv, who had been by her side just a moment ago, had her upper and lower body separated with organs spilling out, and next to her was a corpse that anyone could see had been gnawed on, and at that gruesome sight, Lea fainted on the spot.
No, she pretended to lose consciousness.
"Lea-nim!"
"Lea-nim!"