Chapter 17
Translator: IPO
Chapter 17
I usually thought the house was a bit big for one person to live in, but somehow today the empty space felt even larger.
In the living room, where the pale moonlight fell tonight, a grotesque violin made from the bones of young boys and girls lay in the center.
From afar, it looked like a work of art.
Up close, it was a cursed artifact.
This was not merely an instrument for playing music, but something that seemed to embody pain and anxiety.
The violin’s body was made from the ribs of boys, reflecting light with an eerie sheen.
Cruelly, the spaces between the ribs were finished with the forms of muscles and flesh, giving it a bizarre quality as if it still carried traces of life.
The neck of the instrument was made from a long, extended spine, each segment twisted and distorted.
The strings were made from the muscles and tendons of girls, taut and ready to produce a chilling sound.
With this cursed artifact, David’s violin, exuding a grotesque and ominous aura like radiation, it was no wonder the house felt unsettling.
The spirits of the children within the violin were probably released by now.
After all, I, a Succubus Empress, had personally witnessed their lives and essence, comforting them.
Through the act of playing, I vowed to remember them, and as a melody, I had resolved the children’s curses and hatred, so the curse would not spread to harm the innocent.
Even its appearance had changed.
Initially, it had looked like a hideous form with exposed bones, but now it merely resembled human bones and body parts, reducing the intensity.
Yet, the material of the violin was still made from 187 ‘children’.
They were not beings who, like mature adults, could think, ‘Ah, I am satisfied. Now I must pass on.’
So even when still, the violin emanated the children’s boredom and restless irritation.
Unable to resist any longer, I quietly approached it and whispered.
“Are you bored?”
ㅡYes!
ㅡI’m bored!
ㅡI want to see the world!
ㅡI want to drink alcohol!
ㅡSex!
ㅡI want to eat!
ㅡI want to stroll the streets!
ㅡI want to climb the Himalayas!
ㅡI want to crack Emperor Penguin eggs!
“….”
Hearing all the children’s voices at once gave me a slight headache.
Sexual curiosity in growing children was natural enough, but penguin eggs… what even is that?
“Well, I see.”
It couldn’t be helped.
Children were curious and fascinated by everything in the world.
Having never seen the light of the world, they had been sacrificed to a cruel killer, and their consciousness, muddied with hatred and curses, had only now cleared under my touch.
Now, with their consciousness restored, they cried out like children of their age, wanting to see the wider world, meet more people, and witness more sights.
Being a violin, I could not separate it from myself unless I destroyed it. And I had no intention of destroying it.
Perhaps my impulsive, unplanned ‘nature’ had wanted me to have this violin, but either way, it was now in my hands.
‘Honestly, I think myself playing this violin looks incredibly beautiful.’
I had no formal musical training, nor knowledge of instruments, but as a Succubus Empress, my beauty granted me an unintentional refinement in my playing.
Me, beautiful, playing the violin myself—how emotionally and aesthetically breathtaking is that?
Playing the violin.
Perfect.
Perfectly beautiful.
For reference, I am not a narcissist.
It is an objective and undeniable fact that, as a Succubus Empress who loves beauty, I admire ‘beautiful me’.
‘I don’t know what my Succubus nature intended, but it is beautiful, indeed.’
David’s violin.
No, now it is my violin, right?
Should I give it a name?
Re-Jaehee’s Violet… hmm, it sounds off in Korean.
Then, Agnes’ Violin?
It seems sophisticated, but no one knows the name Agnes.
Does it even matter?
“I’ll name you later. But for today… shall we feel the wind together?”
I gestured to the violin, and as if waiting for my command, it floated into the air and began following me.
This was the trait of an Ego Weapon—or rather, an Ego Violin.
It follows its master’s command, can be recalled, and shares a degree of will with its master.
Though they have their own will and consciousness, since I am the master, it should be fine.
I put on a veil from the vanity.
No need for makeup.
No need for lotion or skin care.
The appearance of a Succubus Empress is more beautiful and striking than makeup alone.
I checked the veil and any unfastened buttons.
Perfect.
Opening the front door, the violin began trailing me.
The streets were nearly empty today as well.
But there was still the possibility of encountering people… yes, let’s go to the rooftop.
“It’s cool.”
I spread my wings and leaned slightly against the railing.
Tilting my body back, I felt the empty air supporting me.
Even without flapping my wings, I was flying.
Every time I saw these wings, I marveled that simply spreading them allowed me to glide through the air.
Floating down from the railing, the violin followed me diligently.
“This city is both familiar and ugly today.”
The air wasn’t pleasant.
Perhaps because the city burned mana to operate barrier sensors across buildings and safe zones, giving the air a faint burnt smell.
Was it because it was 1 a.m.?
I deliberately came at a time when people weren’t around, but thanks to the recent Night Sea phenomenon, people were likely refraining from going out.
The Night Sea activated dungeons and gates throughout the region, to the extent that ‘flood’ would be an appropriate metaphor.
Dungeons once home to goblin tribes swelled to the size of an ‘empire’, and infertile monsters mated to increase their numbers.
Plains turned into dense, jungle-like green hells, and some monsters even gained human-level intelligence beyond rank advancement.
Yet the biggest problem was…
“Oh? Is it that time already?”
I lifted my head at the sound of laughter.
It was not human laughter.
A sound more chilling, filled with malice.
Scary as it was, my curiosity and interest stirred.
“Hmm, what might we encounter tonight?”
There used to be something called ‘Creepypasta’ online.
It focused on monsters causing physical harm rather than spirits, emphasizing gore rather than psychological fear.
For instance, Slender Man, TikTok Man, the faceless woman, skinless bastards, even Hi Kitty turned murderous.
Naturally, these were urban legends, fictional stories, and most eyewitness accounts were mistakes or fabrications.
Yet now, such things existed.
Physically real, preying on and killing innocents.
Sounds echoed.
Footsteps.
The patter of rain.
The crunch of mud and sand.
They crept silently like shadows, carrying murderous intent into the city’s depths.
The faint streetlights could not reveal them fully.
At 1 a.m., exploiting the night’s boundary, thick fog began settling across the city.
This was no natural fog.
It was concentrated mutated mana, mixed with poisonous gases, carrying the air from the creatures’ former habitats.
“Ugh, how terrifying~”
Some had become physical manifestations of urban legends influenced by human fear. Monsters or aberrations had hidden in the city like Creepypasta, tormenting and killing humans.
This was the greatest problem of the Night Sea.
Monsters escaping dungeons and gates to hide in human cities.
Normal monsters like goblins or shark wolves could be contracted by hunters, but creatures embodying urban legends were harder to handle, and many victims could result if missed.
Distant footsteps.
Like a night parade, a wild hunt, more grotesque and horrifying creeping into a densely populated city.
They hide in alleys, sewers, and ruins, hunting victims gradually to expand their lairs.
Today, it was not a massive march, only aberrations from a dungeon or two attempting to infiltrate the city at 1 a.m.
Nothing extraordinary.
They would not attack humans or invade homes yet.
“…Hmm, I cannot leave this be, can I?”
Convenience store clerks, night workers, or night strollers could have misfortune.
I had seen them, so I could not ignore it.
I folded my wings and descended to the ground.
The fog was thick and toxic, but I was fine.
I did not rely on human sight; even with eyes closed, I sensed everything through life and essence.
Leading was a faceless entity with only a never-ending smiling mouth.
Its grotesquely twisted body shambled, but the smile instilled unforgettable fear.
Following it were humanoid beings with upside-down heads, filled with whispering voices, fragments of a familiar but unwanted self.
Trailing them, pale entities crawled along walls with elongated limbs, consuming the city.
Slowly, inevitably, they made their presence known with nowhere to hide. Their claws glinted sharply, eyes filled with despair and terror.
Headless bodies marched with eerie whispers, leaving behind decay and ill omens. They would haunt the dreams of those who saw them.
But here I am.
Master of human dreams.
Owner of erotic and sweet dreams.
Now that I think about it, it’s upsetting.
The dreams of this land and city people… we determine, manage, and beautify them… and you intruded.
I was displeased.
“Nightmares are not to my taste.”
You would have swollen in the dreams, intending to feed on human fear, savoring their flesh and blood as dessert.
Unlike normal monsters, fear sustains you, filling your soul.
“But this place already has a master.”
Peaceful and good dreams for everyone.
For some, erotic dreams, desires manifested in dreams.
“Tonight… in your ugly, grotesque forms, there is no place for dreams.”
Had there been any beautiful children, I might have relented.
But alas, you are ugly and grotesque.
I raised my hand.
They gathered.
A vast aura of life.
Not physically destructive, but sharp, targeting all living beings and essence for slaughter.
“Eat, eat, the blades. This is my gift to you.”
Those who would stab human throats with knives.
Tonight, the knives will spring from your mouths.