Chapter 30
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30
It devoured everything around it. The black, beast-like form slammed into the ground, sending tremors tearing through the earth. The deafening roar of collapsing buildings filled the air, but Swallow merely muttered in satisfaction, utterly unconcerned by the trivial destruction.
"As I thought. This is far more comfortable than a human body."
Coordinates: Central Hastin.
Target: First, Magic Tower 'Wing'.
The Magic Tower 'Wing' was the source of Guillotine's Tooth. If he went there, he was certain to find a clearer trace of Rene's whereabouts.
—Once I'm there, perhaps I'll start by smashing everything to pieces.
The massive body floated up.
The dark figure vanished without a trace from the center of Riaze.
*
A sudden chill seized Arga's entire body, and she instinctively turned her head as she walked toward the Imperial Palace.
That's when she caught a glimpse of it—a swelling, dark figure laying waste to everything in its path. Instantly, a wave of uncontrollable dizziness washed over her. It was a disorienting sensation, as if she were being sucked into a black hole.
She knew, instinctively, that the entity was Swallow.
"Ah..."
The blackness seemed to invade her mind, wiping away all thought. Only a single question lingered.
How did Sir Bern Hishultz feel, having to fight against that?
Phase. 8
"You know, I've been trying to avoid saying this, but… Rene, how long are you going to keep this up?"
The wind whipped Rene's disheveled silver hair across her face, some strands catching between her lips. Hearing a voice from behind, she turned her head. Crimson eyes stared back at her as their owner slowly approached.
Her lips parted, but only a lifeless whisper escaped.
"Ms. Bathory..."
The voice belonged to Erzsebet Bathory—master of Cheite Castle, one of the Seven Great Evil Caves. She was a vampire of unprecedented renown, the Daughter of the Night, the Nightmare of Astrisha Forest, with hair redder than blood and eyes to match. Her domain was a cursed land, a paradise for withered trees and starving crows.
Rene looked up at Bathory, her eyes as dull and listless as a corpse's.
Her right eye was worse; its pupil had dilated so much it was nearly indistinguishable from the iris.
"I..."
Rene couldn't finish, hanging her head in guilt.
Bathory fell silent for a moment at the sight. She could roughly guess what the girl was feeling. In fact, as a woman herself, she might understand Rene's pain better than the ancient monsters of the Primordial Core ever could, despite having known her for decades.
"I have a rough idea of what you're thinking," Bathory said. 'Roughly' was the operative word. Having not experienced it herself, she couldn't claim to know for sure. No matter how similar her own past was, to say she 'completely' understood would be a hypocritical lie.
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and watch you waste away."
For days and nights, ever since fleeing the Primordial Core, Rene had barely slept. She skipped meals, surviving on the bare minimum, and spent her waking hours sitting on the ruins of Cheite Castle, staring blankly at the sky. Even when exhaustion finally claimed her, she would jolt awake an hour or two later, drenched in a cold sweat. Her skin, once healthy, was now as pale as Bathory's, with faint blue veins visible beneath. She was so gaunt that it looked as if a single touch might shatter her.
Could the sky even look beautiful to someone in her state? Could she even see it clearly with her right eye, which had already lost most of its vision?
The sky was always dreary. As if in sync with Rene's heart, it was always overcast.
"As a dungeon boss myself, I have a minimal duty to keep my guests from starving to death."
"...I am truly sorry for always being a burden to you, Ms. Bathory."
"I'm not doing this to hear an apology. Rene, one of the messengers I sent to Hastin brought back some information."
"...Yes?"
"One of the subjugation squads sent by the Empire is re-entering the Primordial Core today. Based on their departure time, they've probably arrived by now."
Rene's eyelids trembled, and a flicker of life returned to her dull eyes. Only her right eye remained clouded and lifeless.
After a long silence, Rene lowered her head.
"Even if you say that, Ms. Bathory, I cannot return to the Primordial Core."
"Rene Rellow."
A brief silence fell. In the face of Bathory's call, Rene chose to remain silent once more.
"You are gravely mistaken. I have no intention of telling you to go back. Your happiness is important, but I value choice and freedom far more. If it were your true will to end your own life, I wouldn't stop you."
It was a separate matter entirely.
"But you must tie up your loose ends properly."
It didn't matter to Bathory what Rene did next. She could stay here and become a powerful asset to Cheite Castle. She could leave when her wounds had healed. She could become a wanderer and turn her blade against the Empire she hated, or she could even become a lord of monsters and create her own dungeon. With her skill, she could probably build one to rival the Seven Great Evil Caves.
"Rene, you probably think Swallow won't want to see you."
That was a grave miscalculation.
"Shall I make a prediction? Knowing Swallow, he will soon tear the entire continent apart looking for you. If necessary, he might even lay waste to everything in his path."
And if Swallow couldn't move for some reason, Patrick would move in his stead.
"He might even show up here soon. And if not here, it won't take him long to pick up your trail."
Because that skeleton living in the Primordial Core has an incredibly fast brain, despite having an empty skull.
"...There is no way Lord Swallow would do that."
"No, he definitely will. Even if you can't accept it, just assume so for now. Now, if those two find out you ended up like this because you were deceived by humans, how do you think they'll act? Rene, you know them well, don't you?"
"Then... what should I do?"
"Erase your traces."
"...My traces?"
"Yes. If you truly intend to live in hiding, erase your traces."
It didn't have to be perfect. Even a clumsy attempt would be enough, so long as Patrick realized what she was doing when he came looking for her.
You had to send a clear message. If Patrick understood her true intentions, he'd handle the rest. He'd even lie to Swallow to convince him. So she had to show him. She had to show them both.
Tell them not to look for Rene Rellow ever again.
"Because that boss of yours is surprisingly relentless when it comes to things like this."
To an ancient monster like Swallow, conventional morality meant nothing. He was the type to turn the world upside down for something as simple as retrieving a runaway subordinate—a comrade.
"I'll say it again. Today, the subjugation squad sent by the Empire headed to the Primordial Core."
Rene finally understood what Bathory was getting at. She wasn't telling her to return to the Primordial Core—after all, a mere human subjugation squad could never stop Lord Swallow. Bathory was telling her that for the next few days, the Primordial Core would be busy, its inhabitants occupied. It was a window of opportunity.
If she was going to tie up her loose ends, now was the time.
Rene raised her head again, thinking of Lord Swallow and the Primordial Core.
If I don't erase my traces, will Lord Swallow really search for me? A part of me desperately wants to remain in his memory... but I can never go back. I have no right to stand by his side.
In that case, erasing her traces was the only way.
"...Ms. Bathory, I'm going out for a while."
"You'll find one of my personal retainers in the third room down the left corridor. He's quite capable—he can carry someone of your weight even in his bat form. Use my name, and he will obey you without question."
"Thank you, Ms. Bathory."
A hoarse voice escaped her dry lips. Turning to face forward, Rene staggered to her feet.
She didn't look back at Bathory, not wanting to show her sorrowful expression.
Rene walked away, leaving Bathory to watch her silently. After a few steps, she slowed and stopped. Something had just occurred to her. Without turning back, she asked nonchalantly:
"...Where are the blades?"
Bathory replied,
"How many do you need?"
*
It didn't take long to reach the Magic Tower. Her recent memory of wandering aimlessly through Hastin was still fresh, making the path clear this time. At least she was spared the trouble of asking directions from insignificant humans.
"...It's exactly the same."
Rene lifted her head. Her life was in ruins, yet the very tower that had destroyed it still stood tall, boasting its grandeur. It felt like it was looking down on her, sneering, mocking.
The longer she stared, the more her shattered emotions churned within her. If she looked any longer, she feared she would lose what little rationality she had left.
"Welcome to Wing. I hope you have a fruitful visit."
The gatekeeper greeted Rene politely. Dressed in a gown instead of her usual robe, she was completely unrecognizable to him.
—Should I kill the gatekeeper too?
"..."
She ignored the gatekeeper's greeting and stepped across the threshold. If she killed him now, it might attract unwanted attention from outside. It would be better to deal with him on her way out, after she'd finished cleaning up inside.
The interior of Wing was just as she remembered. A receptionist, who had clearly been alerted to her arrival, came hurrying toward her.
The receptionist bowed politely, but when she raised her head, a hint of bewilderment crossed her face. The dress Rene wore was clearly of noble design, but it was shabby and worn, making it difficult to gauge her status.
"My lady, it is an honor to have someone of your station visit our humble tower. Had we known you were coming, we would have prepared a more fitting welcome. Please forgive our lack of preparation. Um, forgive my impertinence, but may I ask for your name and family affiliation...?"
"Human."
"Y-yes?"
"Can you use teleportation magic in here?"
"Pardon? ...What?"
"Can you use it?"
Sweat beaded on the receptionist's forehead. She clearly had no talent for hiding her emotions. After a long hesitation, she replied in a timid voice.
"W-well... The entire tower is enveloped in a teleportation barrier, so it's impossible to use such magic inside. But... may I ask why..."
"Are you sure?"
"Pardon? Yes. Yes, I am sure."
Then they won't be able to escape.
Nodding slightly, Rene lifted the hem of her skirt and silently closed her eyes. The receptionist's gaze, which had been captivated by Rene's long eyelashes, drifted downward. Her expression shifted from confusion to flustered excitement.
"M-my lady, with the trainees watching, what are you suddenly..."
The receptionist's trembling voice was cut short. Her flushed face turned pale in an instant. Her eyes widened at the sight of the garter on Rene's thigh—and the dozen or so blades strapped to it.
"You..."
Before she could form a question, a fountain of blood erupted from her neck.
At the sudden violence, the expressions of the first-floor trainees, who had been stealing glances at Rene, froze solid.
More precisely, their eyes were fixed not on Rene, but on the dagger she now held. Blood dripped from its tip. Their gazes followed the crimson trail up the blade to the hand that held it.
Rene Rellow—was still expressionless.
The humans' Magic Tower... it was just like that.
The humans' Magic Tower was a dungeon.
Ah.
As expected, the Magic Tower was nothing more than a dungeon made of human mages.
"...They are weak monsters."
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blade clean.
*
A loud clatter from the stairwell made Hansenner, the sub-leader of Magic Tower 'Wing', turn his head. A trainee from the fifth floor stumbled into view, gasping for breath.
Hansenner frowned. The distance from the fifth to the seventh floor wasn't far enough to leave someone so winded. Besides, running in the tower was strictly forbidden.
"A-a-an intruder!"
Before Hansenner could ask what was wrong, the trainee screamed and collapsed, hugging himself and muttering, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die..." He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"...Calm down. Pull yourself together and tell me what happened."
"H-h-h... Sh-she's coming! She's coming! She's coming, I tell you!"
The trainee curled into a ball and thrashed on the floor. What was coming?
The question didn't linger. Just as the trainee had said, Hansenner focused his senses and felt it—a presence, rapidly approaching.