Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Mind Alteration (4)
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"Ah, aaaaaah— Aaaaaah!!!!!"
It was a scream bursting from one of Hera's closest kin, the one nearest to her.
Compared to the other followers, she harbored an unusually deep longing for Nad'ga.
Thus, when the source of that longing—the very foundation—collapsed, the resulting dissonance struck her all the harder.
"Wh-why... have I, all this time..."
She began recalling the moments she had spent with Hera as her kin.
The deeds she had done, intoxicated by Nad'ga's beauty.
Her own figure, craving Hera's favor as a slave bearing the name of kin.
Preconceptions. Perceptions. Prejudices.
The kaleidoscope that had distorted every element of Nad'ga into something beautiful was no more.
Thanks to that, the pictures called memories that she dredged up took on quite a shocking composition.
Her own image, utterly enthralled by that being so far removed from conventional standards of beauty—
"Ughhh...!"
She hugged her body tight and retched violently.
Because her own figure, so utterly intoxicated by Nad'ga's beauty as if it were the truth of the world, felt so utterly alien.
"Wh-why me!? Why!?! That's not me!!!"
The recollection of memories reached the moment of an illicit rendezvous in the bedroom.
Recalling her own figure writhing in joy beneath Nad'ga, she could no longer hold back and began thrashing about.
"Shodina!!! What insolence toward Lady Hera—...Huh? Lady Hera?"
"Lady Hera... Apostle of the goddess of beauty, Dinus...? Why did I follow Lady Hera—no, that thing...?"
"Because... Nad'ga...?"
"...Right, I followed that thing because it was Nad'ga... Because it was Nad'ga... Because it was Nad'ga... That's weird, though? How does being Nad'ga make it a reason to follow that thing?"
"Don't talk nonsense! Have you forgotten what Nad'ga has done for the world!?"
"...What did it do?"
"Well, obviously—...Huh?"
It was like dominoes toppling one after another.
The expressions of the followers, who had so naturally upheld Hera, twisted in sequence.
First with bewilderment.
Then—
"Th-this monster...!!! What the hell did you do to me!!!"
They had no room left to even feel revulsion at that inhuman appearance.
Shock.
Their thoughts had been completely dominated without their knowledge.
Anxiety.
Their thoughts might still be under that domination even now.
The inscrutability.
The irrationality.
In this very moment.
The emotion they felt toward the being called Nad'ga was pure terror.
"If you try any more tricks...!!!"
Their figures, dominated by rage and turning hostile toward Nad'ga, seemed somehow pathetic at first glance.
"...!"
Those who had been staring at Nad'ga recoiled in horror and fell back.
Nad'ga, who had been standing stock-still in place, had suddenly moved.
In truth, that sudden movement amounted to just one step backward.
And even that, with its back turned to them!
Yet they cowered like this—
"..."
"..."
They exchanged glances with one another.
Even if their twisted thoughts were set right, the memories remained vivid.
The memories of being dominated by that power without even realizing it.
How long had that power been dominating them?
How many others had it dominated?
How many years had it persisted?
That power, which had influenced their entire world, might truly be the power of a god, just as Nad'ga had claimed.
They feared that inscrutable power.
They feared the being wielding that inscrutable power.
No one needed to take the lead.
They began to back away very cautiously.
Hoping that Nad'ga, with its back turned to them, would not watch them until the end.
But something was off.
The distance between Nad'ga, with its back turned, and themselves as they backed away simply wouldn't widen.
Was that thing's power manipulating them again?
"...!"
They realized.
Nad'ga.
That inscrutable being was stealthily backing away as well.
Drawing closer to them!
In fact.
From one perspective, it was a defenseless posture, exposing its back to the enemy while distracted elsewhere.
No, seen plainly, it was only natural to interpret it that way.
But they couldn't.
Nad'ga's inscrutability imbued meaning into every single action.
Even that defenseless figure backing closer while showing its back approached them as an unknown terror.
"Wh-what the hell are you...!"
"!!!"
Someone's shout.
They thought one of their group had yelled it at Nad'ga.
Because that terrified voice perfectly represented their own sentiments.
"What the hell are you, I said!!!"
But astonishingly, that voice came from Nad'ga itself.
This was Nad'ga's voice?
That monster felt fear too?
Kinship.
It cracked the inscrutability that Nad'ga evoked.
Now, Nad'ga's figure struck them intuitively.
"It-it's... afraid...? That monster?"
They superimposed their own figures onto Nad'ga.
That figure so terrified yet devoured by the inscrutable, unable to even muster the conviction to flee—
Yes.
Nad'ga was feeling fear toward an inscrutable existence.
The inscrutable of the inscrutable.
Was that even possible?
The fear that had dominated them became overlaid with curiosity.
Their gazes, fixed on Nad'ga, shifted slightly further away.
"Answer me!!!!! What the hell did you do to me!!! What did you do to my mind, I said!!!"
With that hideous scream, a man's figure came into view.
An alienness unlike anything they had encountered. Unlike the twisted atmosphere of Nad'ga, which openly amplified fear, the man's aura was utterly mundane.
If one had to pick something distinctive, it was perhaps that he seemed rather unassuming for a nobleman in his prime?
And—that was it.
The man neither exuded any special presence nor flaunted his power.
He merely gazed at Nad'ga with a meaningful look.
They couldn't understand Nad'ga's reaction.
"Why... is it so afraid...?"
"Maybe because of what he just said?"
"What?"
"About being the father or mother of the World Tree or whatever."
"...What the hell does that even mean?"
"Probably some kind of title that holds weight among the elves?"
"My god, a human holding a title related to the World Tree!?"
"Indeed... that's surprising..."
Nad'ga saw them as no more than useful tools.
Thus, they didn't know exactly what power the ancient magic of the 'Eye of Direct Confrontation' held—
Nor did they grasp what it meant to claim the title of 'World Tree's Mother' while under the influence of that power.
In short.
Their world was far too small to accept something like Nad'ga.
In a way, it was only natural.
Even the high elves, guardians of the World Tree, had needed vast time and resolve to accept the 'World Tree's Mother.'
"E-everyone, don't be afraid."
Ares, second son of the great noble house of Devinrian, spoke up.
He believed he had fully grasped the situation.
"Even that monster fears it—the great elven warrior, the 'World Tree's Mother,' stands with us! Now is the time to confront that monster!!! Let us reclaim our honor, sullied by the monster, with our own hands!"
"!"
Ah!
So the World Tree's Mother is some overwhelmingly powerful being that the elves court and makes Nad'ga tremble in fear!
Perfect understanding!
At the knight commander's encouragement, they straightened their postures.
They rallied their battle spirits, shaken by fear.
"Surrender, monster!!! The World Tree's Mother you fear stands with us!!! You have no hope!!!"
Already distraught, their enthusiastic reliance on the World Tree's Mother as a shield thoroughly turned Nad'ga's stomach.
"Shut up, you lowly scum!!! Shut up, I said—...Urk!"
Her efforts to regain composure by denying reality had come to naught.
The collapse of the willpower that had sustained the relic's power.
The aftermath of abusing the relic's power.
And now, uncontrollable chaos piled on top.
In that instant, Nad'ga's aura flickered unstably.
"Cough!"
Nad'ga spewed blood from every orifice in its face.
"Ah, aaah!!! This can't be!!! How did I, how did we Nad'ga come to this...!!!"
Nad'ga writhed in indignation.
Where had it all gone wrong?
The moment it was deceived by a human and yielded the dragon?
The moment it abused the relic's power pointlessly?
She couldn't know.
At the very least, one thing was clear: it was far too late to turn back.
Her power was utterly unstable, and her followers had turned their backs.
Could she face the elves in this state?
No. Even fleeing seemed impossible.
As the last survivor of Nad'ga, her end was already predetermined.
"Aaah... In that case..."
Hera's sobbing expression twisted into something grotesque.
"Ugh...!"
Not just the humans, but the elves too—
Everyone present clamped their ears shut.
Nad'ga's voice resembled the sound of viscous liquid dripping.
That voice grew heavier, cracking neurotically.
"g̵͔҇́̚͢Ḋ̸̢̯̇̚͠R҈̡̛̰̀͌́O̸̡̟͊̕ͅk҉̢͎̱̤͑̚͡'̵̡̠͚̌͝t̵̡̘͋̏͞ā̸̭̉͜͠ m̷̡̜̄́͞a҈̗̘͖̄̿͆͢͡n̴̨̜̥͔̋͞d҈̢̛̦̳͙́͋̄m̸̡̠͓҇̑͂o̴̧͙͔̪͂̽͠Ṭ̵̽͜͠'̸̗̩̭̓̋̾͢͞n̷̢̯̏̎͝d̵̛̰͎̍̍͢ę̷͍̱̓̃̔͡p̴̲͙҇̆̎͢i҈̡͕̇̂̕a̴̢̤͖̓̓̋͝m̶̡͔͚̥̏͝ a҈̰̬̒̇͜͝g̵̤̠̒̏͜͝ͅr̵̨̠͓̈́͞o҉̢̭͙̬̄͞s̴̛͎̪͈͗̚͢h҉̧͖͕҇͗i̷̧̤̊̊̕'̴̡̥̙҇̐͐̔ͅd҉̢͖̳̯̒͞ m̷̧̤̟̓̈̕e҉̢͉͎̮̅̕i̵͎̦̰̋̍̚͢͡h̵̨͓̙̓͊͞a҉͍͂͂͜͠c҈̢̛̰̫̠̽̓k̸̰͎͖̂̾̕͜a̴̬̟̖͋͆̉͢͞ṯ̴̡҇̓̅̅o҈̧͓̟͛̔͠"
⟨ Ancient Curse Chant ⟩
Perhaps the sound of demons tangled in a narrow pit, gnawing at each other, was something like this?
It was a voice so grating and horrific it felt like an attack in itself.
It echoed across the entire camp like a song.
Nad'ga's form, withering and twisting by the moment, added to the grotesqueness of that voice.
"Damn it, that monster's trying something again... We have to stop it...!"
The humans and elves tried to halt Nad'ga's ominous actions.
"Q̸̢͚͋́̓͠ͅu҈̧̳̤̑̈̈́̕ͅa̵͉̙͉̍̀͗͢͞e҉̧̛̝̭̈̔̈́s҉̢̛͈̝̑͆̃ơ̵͉̫ͨ̉̋̈́ s̷̝̣̘̽̃̀̕͜ā̷̛̳̱͜ń̵̦͙̠͢͝ḡ̵̛̭̐̓͜ȕ̶̳͆͜͡ḭ̶҇͆̽͢n̵̛͖̋̓̀͜e̵̢̛͚͒̉m҈̢̦̈͞ c҈̡̘́̿͗͠a҈͈̮̅͋̈͢͞r̵̡͈͚͆̕n̶̡̛͍̘͈͆̃ę̶̫̖̟҇̽m҈̢͕̌͠q̷̢͓̲̲̊͆̈́͞ư̵̰̄̃͑͜ę̸̀̓͞ͅ m̵̖͇̄͢͞e̸̬̤̣̅͜͡à̸̡̛͍̭͒ͅṃ̵̧͙́̐͒̕ c̶̨̫̝̎͆̇͠o̴͙͓̭҇̌͜n̷͚͍̩̋͛͜͠c҉͓͇̌͢͞ų̸̯̠̗͌͋͠p̸̡͇̾͋͡i̴̭̱̖͊̏̑͢͝s҈̞̰̿͂͜͡ç̸̰͕͖҇̌̂̂e҉̨̭̄͝"
⟨ Summoning Incantation ⟩
At that moment.
Nad'ga's howl took form and enveloped her.
Centered on her, an ominous energy began to swirl.
"Everyone, fall back!!! Don't get caught in that!!!"
Stronger than the grand mage's warning was the cry of instinct.
Responding to an instinctual alarm unlike any they'd felt before, they distanced themselves as far as possible from that ominous swirling energy.
"Lunadien! Do you know anything about that power—that language!?"
"...I don't! It's a language even I've never encountered before!"
"...Sea."
"Huh?"
At that moment.
Their gazes converged on one spot.
The dragonkin girl, Allenza.
Her eyes and breath trembled violently as she stared at Nad'ga.
"This language... I encountered it in fragments of memories left by my ancestors... They called it a horrific tongue not to be uttered lightly... A language used to converse with transcendent beings beyond the endurance of mortals..."
She murmured softly, her face steeped in despair.
"Soon... something that heard that voice will appear in this place..."
"Then! Can't we just stop that voice before whatever hears it!?"
Latsil was the first to speak after hearing Allenza's explanation.
It was an utterly simple solution, and thus all the clearer.
Those lost in complex worries united at once and moved to act.
"""!!!"
But in that instant, the atmosphere of the place shifted abruptly.
The ominous energy swirling around Nad'ga suddenly dispersed.
"This is..."
They knew.
It wasn't 'dissipation.' It was 'transfer.'
Nad'ga's call had already reached something.
A silence like a void descended on the place where the ghastly noise had ceased.
"Hah... hah..."
In that silence, someone's trembling breath from tension and fear rang as clearly as if it came from their own mouth.
"Kyahahahahahaha!!!!!"
Nad'ga, savoring that silence for a time, burst into maniacal laughter.
"Damn it all!!!"
Rishir charged in and pinned Nad'ga down.
Even crushed to the ground with a blade to her throat, her laughter didn't stop.
"You lowly scum!!! Go ahead, struggle all you want!!! The fate of ruin manifested by borrowing my, the great Nad'ga's existence, shall trample your lot!!!"
"Ugh!"
In that instant.
Rishir unwittingly clamped his ears shut.
"e҈̧͓̑͝t̸̨̩̖̘̓͐͝ m҈̡̤͌́͡e̸̡̠̗̽̊͡ ì̶̡͈͐́͡ņ̴̛͉͌ e҉̲̟҇̽́͒͜ͅơ̷̧̰̦̱͊ŗ̴̛͔̗̈́̒̋ͅu̴̡̥̅͗͂͠m̴̨̩̿̏͝ p҉̰̅̒͊̕͢e̶̢̗̗͛̉͞ͅs̸̨̭̈́͞ŝ̵̞͋̃͢͠i҈͉̝͇̈̕͜m̵̧̛̙̙͕͂̓u҉̡̛͕̆m҈̡̝̍̈̕ s̶̨̤͋̑͝o҉̞͇̥҇̊͜m҉̨̩̆̐͞n̵̨̯̗͉̄͞ȋ̵̧̦͍̤̄̕u҈̡͎̔̈́͝m̷̗̮͎̉̀͑͢͡ v҈̧̭̦̆͡e҈̨͕̋̏͐͞r̵̡͇̥͓̉͛͡t̸̡̯̬̤͒̕e̴̢̖̥҇̌̏.҉̦̞̑͢͝ͅ"
⟨ Response Chant ⟩
The ghastly tongue Nad'ga had chanted echoed from somewhere.
As if in response.
As if arriving at the site with a reply.
The ghastly words grew gradually clearer.
Nad'ga's laughter grew all the more boisterous in tandem.
And then, as that mad harmony reached its peak—
"Shut up!"
A cute yet spirited voice flew like a pebble, shattering the mood.
The baby spirit had somehow positioned itself before Nad'ga.
"!!!"
Its spirited eyebrows drew a particularly sharp angle toward Nad'ga.
The baby spirit shouted.
"a̶̢̱̫̋̕l̴̢͎̳̿̋͡d̷̡̥̂̅͡o҈̡̠̋̉̊͡í̵̧̦͙̏̋͝m̶̡̳̱͊̈́̕m҉̠̕̚͜ m̴͕͇̐̾̌͜͡ͅȋ̷̧̠͙̐͞ͅų̴̳̭͎̑͞h̸̨͇͒̋̂̕d҉̧̲̾͗̄͠ṇ̵̡̣̀͞ǐ̸̱̃͢͝ò̶̧͚̳̇͡j҈̧̳̰̅̀̓͡q̵̨̭̤̠̂̎̽͡ ,̶̢̯҇̇͋m҈̯̈͢͝k̸̢̝̞̂̃̕ͅķ̸͙҇̾ǰ̷̢͇̩͌͝j҈͈̘̰̐̔̕͜w̴̟҇͒͜j̷̧̩̓͒͡į̴̲̟҇͗͐̇i̷̧̩҇́͌͐d̸̡̝̱͂͗̓͡m̷̨̳͈̋̅̕n҉̡͖̑͋̕k҈̨̠̟̜̇͠!?"
⟨ Spirit Tongue ⟩
Interpreted, it meant this:
—It's naptime right now!!! Why do you keep calling me!?
"..."
Nad'ga, who had thrown itself into madness, now blinked vacantly.
It had clearly used its own existence as bait to summon a 'great evil.'
So why had this cute little spirit shown up?
"!!!"
At that moment.
The baby spirit eyed Nad'ga intently, then spoke.
"N҉̢̛̙̔͗̉ơ̸͇͖̞̍͜l̶̰̬̜͗͐̀̕͢i̵̳̤͂͢͝ i̴͓͎͊͢͠d̷̡̟̂̐͡ ę̷̛̦̟̌̌̄d̵̨͖̯͉̀́̂͞e̵̡͔͎̬͂̓̏̕r҉̢̠͖̽̈́̕e҈̟̬̿͛̀͢͝ͅ!̵̧̠̯҇̓̅ I҈̡̬͖̱̓͠n̸̨̞͈̘҇͐̔s҈̨̛̳̖̤̀̀̀i̴͉̍̌̕͜p̶͕͉̉͜͞ͅî̶̡̜̝̰͠d̵̢̩̮͐̉͞ͅu̷͕̘̥̅̀̃͢͝m̸̝̊̐͜͡ v҈͙̔̕͢i҈̢̯͈̜͊̆̃͝d҉̛͔͊̉͜e̴̡̖̫͛̍͗͝ţ̴͚̙̓͞ṵ̴̧͍͐̓͡ṛ̶̢̛͛̀!̷̢̟̳̮̈́͊͠"
⟨ Rejection ⟩
Interpreted, it meant this:
—Not tasty! Won't eat!
Bleeeh!!!
The baby spirit stuck out its tongue as if sand had gotten in its mouth.
"Ah, aaaah!!! Aaaaaaaaah!!!!!"
Thus was Nad'ga spat out.
"What the hell is th—"
Nad'ga's final words didn't fully escape.
Nad'ga, having sacrificed its existence for the ritual, lost all rank and dissipated.
Her body turned to dust and scattered.
All that remained in place were the clothes she had worn.
"...What the actual fuck?"
The dragon girl unwittingly felt pity for that cursed existence.
"Ah...!"
Rishir looked down at his hand.
The moment Nad'ga dissipated, the relic clutched in his hand—the one from Nad'ga—also crumbled to dust.
Along with the power it had held!
Rishir was certain.
With this, Nad'ga's curse had completely vanished!
"Hoo..."
Rishir let out a sigh of relief.
He hadn't shown it, but he had harbored deep concerns over the elves' altered thoughts.
The World Tree's Mother being a demon, of all things.
The elves hadn't shown it either, but they were surely in extreme turmoil.
"Everyone! Are you alright!?"
Rishir checked on the elves' conditions with a light heart.
"Wh-what is this...? R-Rishir isn't a demon? Just a normal human...? Wh-why?"
"No way..."
"Then what the hell have I been seeing all this time...?"
"Ugh, my head...!"
"N-no!!! Something's wrong, clearly!!! The human I know is—!!!"
"Urk!!! Cu-curse...! Nad'ga must've cursed us!!! My mind's been defiled!!!"
"Excuse me?"