Chapter 17
Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Pretending to Be Relaxed and Bluffing (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Ugh."
I woke up in the morning feeling sore all over.
'My body's gotten used to luxury.'
After sleeping in such soft, luxurious beds for the past few days, trying to rest on this hard floor was pure torture.
"Yawn."
Last evening, I had leaned against the tower and waited for the sun to set.
Requiem appears precisely when the sun crosses the ridgeline—at sunset. It also heralds its arrival with a sudden downpour.
Yesterday's weather had been clear and pleasant, right up until dusk.
Thanks to that, I was able to eat dinner early with peace of mind and go to bed leisurely.
"It looks like it'll show up right on schedule today, after all."
I sleepily scanned my surroundings.
In the desolate Magna Morten, there was nothing but tombstones as far as the eye could see. That barren landscape no longer felt scary.
'Fear comes from not knowing what's going to appear.'
Now that I knew exactly when and what would show up, my mind was simply calm.
"Time to eat."
I sluggishly got up and opened the lunchbox. Thanks to ordering it precisely, the contents were quite plentiful.
"Without this lunchbox, I really would've been bored out of my mind."
I muttered as I crunched on the pickled chicken.
Bringing such a hearty meal wasn't just for the pleasure of taste.
"Gotta fill my stomach to the brim."
The description said that whoever grasps Requiem feels a hunger so intense it threatens their very life.
To prepare for that, I planned to get both my body and mind in peak condition before touching Requiem.
So I forced down three days' worth of rations.
"Ugh. Tastes awful."
I'd asked for preserved foods, and they'd stuffed it with jerky that was too focused on functionality.
"Dried so well it wouldn't rot even after a year."
Cursing under my breath, I shoved down every last bit of the remaining food.
Clang.
I tossed the empty lunchbox aside and stood up.
"The Gauntlet's ready."
I checked the situation once more. Then I sat back down on the ground and calmly waited for evening to arrive.
A mix of boredom and tension—wishing time would stop while also wanting it to hurry by.
"......"
I closed my eyes, steadied my mind, and pushed back the impulses that still tormented me.
Now that it was easier, as I finished that task, a question arose.
'Can I do it?'
The Sword of Death, Requiem.
Could I really overcome that cursed sword, which makes one forget themselves and the world the moment it's grasped?
'No, I have to.'
Worrying now about whether I could or couldn't was pointless. Imagining a future after failure was unnecessary too.
'If I fail, I'll die anyway.'
My wavering resolve hardened. My agitated heart grew still.
"......"
I felt the patter of rain against my ears and opened my eyes. The sun was slowly sinking toward the ridgeline.
"It's really raining."
The most certain omen of all.
The sky was darkening, and the time when the sun—the symbol of life—would vanish was approaching.
"Hoo."
I clenched my fist in the Gauntlet and rose to my feet. In this place where I was surely alone, a strange whisper tickled my ears.
[Mom, Mooom.]
[Aaah, my arm. My arm!]
[I don't want to die like this......]
The final death cries of the souls buried here. Their resentment was summoning Requiem to this spot.
This was the second sign, right before Requiem descended. A bone-chilling discomfort and a cold that froze the skin welled up.
"......"
I gritted my teeth against my trembling jaw. I planted my feet wide, squared my shoulders, and stared straight ahead.
'My vision's darkening.'
It wasn't just the sun setting. The air inside Magna Morten was filled with an ominous dark energy.
I narrowed my eyes and focused on it. The pitch-black mist was slowly gathering in one place.
'It's coming.'
Right in front of me, before the tower.
The gentle breeze-like flow began turning into a fierce whirlwind.
Whoooosh.
The eerie sound grew louder. The black energy swirled like a typhoon.
"Whoa."
My hair whipped wildly, and my clothes fluttered chaotically.
I raised one arm to shield my eyes. I didn't take them off the black energy in front of the tower.
"-!"
Before I knew it, an alien shape was rising within the vortex. It absorbed all the black energy, slowly revealing itself.
'......My god.'
The first thing that caught my eye was its pitch-black hue, as if it absorbed all light.
It was astonishing that such a profoundly black color could exist in the world. Like forging a sword from the abyss's darkness.
Mysterious runes shimmered along the sleek, elongated blade. Below it, a swirling guard wrapped around the top of the grip.
"Ha......"
A sigh escaped me naturally. I stood frozen in place, gazing at Requiem as if entranced.
Requiem was perfection itself. Nothing more beautiful or darker seemed to exist in the world.
It had the presence worthy of a legend.
Even someone ignorant of swords would instinctively know. That it held value beyond astronomical sums, beyond money itself.
"That's...... Requiem."
As if responding to my murmur, a strange whisper emanated from Requiem.
It wasn't human language. But it carried a clear, firm intent.
Come and grasp me. A whisper that pulled me in.
"......Yeah. I'll gladly take hold of you."
I slowly closed my eyes and regulated my breathing. I calmed my pounding heart and cleared my chaotic mind.
The more thoughts, the greater the greed, the more attachments, the easier it was to be controlled by Requiem.
I needed a pure, clear mind—unwavering, steadfast intent alone.
"......"
A moment later, I lifted my eyelids. My cold, blue-tinged eyes stared ahead.
Requiem was still calling to me from that spot.
"Here goes."
I muttered through clenched teeth and reached out. With the Gauntlet Alessia had made, I gripped Requiem's handle.
"Urk!"
Pitch-black energy crashed over me. A sensation like being swallowed into a beast's maw.
The instant Requiem's energy surged toward me,
Bang!
It clashed with the green energy from the Gauntlet.
'It works!'
Requiem bared its dark fangs, trying to devour me. But the Gauntlet's energy shielded me first.
I flashed a faint smile.
'Good.'
But the Gauntlet's protection was temporary. Eventually, I'd have to overcome Requiem's whispers with my own will.
The fierce struggle ended in Requiem's victory, as expected.
'It's coming!'
Requiem's persistent energy overpowered the Gauntlet. I gritted my teeth, bracing for the oncoming disaster.
"......?"
The next moment, I stood in a pitch-black void.
'What...... what's going on?'
Requiem, which I'd been holding, had vanished. I looked around in bewilderment.
'Where is this......'
I couldn't finish the thought. An immense hunger surged up.
"Grk!"
Exactly as described in the original work. A stomach-wrenching pain, like sharp claws scraping my insides.
It wasn't like the ordinary hunger from skipping meals. No, it was on an entirely different level.
'The Void, the Vortex.'
One of Requiem's epithets came to mind. It was far too understated compared to the reality.
An unfathomable void. An abyss too vast to even estimate.
Grasping Requiem meant living with this sensation forever. Enduring an unquenchable thirst and hunger for life.
"Uuugh."
I collapsed, clawing at the ground.
I wanted to die. No ordinary human could survive bearing this.
That was when I sensed another presence in the surrounding darkness.
'That!'
I gasped for breath and lifted my head.
I couldn't see it, but I could see it. I could feel it.
A vividly alive human. A heart pulsing strongly, red blood flowing—a living being.
'I'm starving.'
So, so hungry. I wanted to rip open that human's chest right now and devour the bright red heart throbbing inside.
"I'll kill."
The murmur slipped out unbidden.
I staggered to my feet. Dragging my trembling legs, I inched toward the distant human.
"......"
My senses expanded. My ears opened to distant sounds, my darkened vision brightened, my stuffy nose cleared.
'Just a bit closer.'
With each step, I sensed more life around me. No—all the humans in this territory.
"Haha."
Before I knew it, I wore a bloodthirsty grin. If I slaughtered them all, I could fill this cursed void, even a little.
"Ki, kill them all."
The moment I took another step,
"Ah."
Something touched my toe. I looked down.
"That's......"
My face reflected on the pitch-black lake surface under moonlight. My lilac eyes were dyed red.
"Ah."
Only then did I remember who I was.
"I'm Abel Kindriel."
The next moment,
Splash!
I threw myself into the lake.
The autumn night lake was chillingly cold. My clothes soaked heavily, cold seeping into my limbs.
Bubbles.
Air bubbles rippled away.
"......"
I only exhaled through my nose sporadically, not twitching a finger. Truth be told, I had no strength left.
'I'm gonna die.'
Even briefly escaping Requiem's control had drained tremendous mental energy. My body now hung limp like a waterlogged sponge.
'Even training with Liam wasn't this bad.'
I blankly watched the bubbles escaping my nose.
This state felt so comfortable. Like being back in my mother's womb, in this dark lake.
Escaping that bone-deep void felt so refreshing.
'I was prepared, but...... it's brutal.'
I understood viscerally why those who grasped Requiem went mad. Staying sane while holding it would be the real anomaly.
'A sword that drives people insane.'
But I had succeeded in regaining my reason, if only for a moment.
Seeing my reflection on the surface, feeling the strangeness of its altered hue. The moment I recognized 'myself,' I returned.
'But it's not over yet.'
I gave a self-deprecating smile and raised my right hand.
My hand still gripped Requiem tightly. Or rather, Requiem gripped me, refusing to let go.
I felt a pull from the black sword, as if it would suck me in.
'Fine.'
I smirked. The first time is always the hardest; it gets easier from the second.
'Come on, Requiem.'