Chapter 243: Formula (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 243: Formula (6)
Magrina Phildegrin.
Born as a High Elf, a lineage considered pure even among her kind, she eventually realized a painful truth: she was hated by the elves.
It was impossible not to know.
From a certain point—no, from the very day the curse cast by the black things had somehow bypassed her.
It didn't take long for the world, which had once been nothing but kind, to become saturated with hostility.
The curse, which stripped away the designated lifespans of the elves during the war against the black things, had stolen so much in an instant.
It took the sages who possessed the wisdom of ages.
The great warriors.
The Magi who were stronger than anyone else.
Precious families—
For some, it took everything.
There were those who did not hate Magrina.
But they were a small minority, and among them was her father.
Every other elf, without exception, directed their animosity toward her.
At the time, she was an elf who had only lived fifteen years.
She had little knowledge of magic.
Aside from her title as a princess, she was merely a child who knew nothing of the world.
Even so, the elves did not hide their hostility.
Elves who had never even seen her.
Elves who had seen her only once.
Even the elves who had served her.
As if searching for a target for their resentment, they twisted absurdity into common sense and targeted Magrina as if it were the natural thing to do.
They spread ridiculous rumors, claiming she had sold out her fellow elves to preserve her own life.
The only reason she could endure such an abnormal situation was her father.
The father who always held her warmly.
Yet, even his kindness could not fully soothe her loneliness.
That was why she had disguised herself as a human and ventured outside the palace, a place she was strictly forbidden to leave.
After returning to the capital of the Allied Forces from a place where she thought she would die, she had made a friend on the journey back.
Ella.
An elf of a similar age who had escaped that same hell—that fact alone was enough for them to become close. Ella had chased away the loneliness Magrina had carried for so long, almost like a miracle.
Magrina couldn't help but be captivated by this sweet emotion she was experiencing for the first time in ages.
Aside from her father, she had never truly felt such warmth from anyone.
It was too precious to her.
And so—
“See? I told you it was her! I definitely saw her transforming into a human!”
“Guh—!”
—it had come to this.
Her bracelet had been snatched away, revealing her true form.
Magrina struggled to draw breath, staring up at the elf who was strangling her.
“Die! Just die!”
The elf, dressed in rags, vented his fury. He tightened his grip on her throat with all his might, as if determined to snuff out her life right then and there.
And beside him...
Ella, who until moments ago had only shown her smiles, was looking down at her.
Her face was no longer smiling; it was filled with deep-seated rage.
It wasn't just her.
Most of the elves gathered there were screaming for her death.
As if they truly believed that happiness would finally arrive once she was gone.
“Ha...”
An involuntary, hollow laugh escaped Magrina’s lips.
The grip on her throat tightened, but at some point, Magrina stopped resisting.
She had experienced this many times before.
Once, by a warrior who had lost his master.
Another time, by a soldier who had lost his parents.
And yet another time, by a maid who had lost someone precious.
Every single one of them had once smiled at her, and now they were trying to destroy her.
Her vision began to blur.
She was strong enough to resist, but Magrina quietly let the strength drain from her body.
In truth, though she had been pretending to be fine, she was reaching her limit.
No matter how much her father tried to protect her, her life had been too short to withstand the eyes of malice piercing her from all sides.
‘I wish I had been cursed too...’
To others, it was undoubtedly a curse. A terror they wanted to cast off at any cost.
But Magrina had wanted that curse.
If she had been cursed, she wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
...She wouldn't have had to suffocate under this painful curse of being different from everyone else.
Magrina felt her senses slipping away one by one.
The sensations that had been driving her into agony gradually faded.
And then—
“Gah—!”
Her eyes snapped open as air suddenly rushed into her lungs. She gasped for breath.
“Haa... haa...!”
The tinnitus faded, and the world returned to normal.
Sensation returned to her numb body, and color bled back into her vision.
And the last thing she saw...
“...”
...was a back she knew all too well.
* * *
Magrina had been on the verge of death.
Ashir and the soldiers who followed had quickly suppressed the commotion, and Alon had safely rescued her and brought her back to the kingdom.
“Thank you, Lord... I am indebted to you once again.”
“It was nothing.”
As soon as they arrived at the kingdom, Magrina bowed her head deeply toward Alon.
She was trying her best to act okay, but her ears were drooping, and her eyes were filled with gloom.
Watching her, Alon felt a sense of unease.
He had heard about the situation from Caldean beforehand, but...
Honestly, he hadn't expected the hostility to be this intense.
Only after hearing Ashir’s report did Alon begin to understand the elves' irrational behavior, if only a little.
‘The Day of Wailing...’
The descent of the curse that stole designated lifespans.
A catastrophe where countless elves rotted away and vanished.
As he repeated the name of that day in his mind...
“Magrina!”
Kalandra came running toward them from a distance, abandoning all royal dignity.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Kalandra bowed his head in gratitude before leading Magrina away.
Watching their retreating figures, Alon suddenly recalled the scene from earlier.
‘...Something is strange.’
It was an instinctive gut feeling.
As Caldean had said, many people turn away from the truth and believe only what they want to believe.
But even so...
The hostility he had witnessed from the elves earlier was far too abnormal.
‘I’ll have to look into this.’
He stared at the shadow where Magrina had stood for a long time.
* * *
Afterward, Alon headed to where Line was, accompanied by Ashir.
“It is here.”
“...”
They arrived in front of a massive building.
Unlike the ornately decorated buildings surrounding it, this one was a plain, stark square structure.
Stepping inside, he saw Line standing tall in the center of the dark, square space.
Penia was also there, watching the scene with interest.
“Ah, Marquis—”
“Penia, what’s the situation?”
“Um, there hasn't been any significant change yet. It looks like she’s observing something, though.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Penia nodded vigorously while alternating her gaze between a book and Line.
“You’re studying that book quite diligently.”
“Of course! Once we go back to our original world, just being able to use this properly will get me instant recognition from the Academic Socie—! Well, that’s important too, but I’m doing this thinking it might help with your magic research, Marquis!”
Penia let out a sycophantic laugh, her eyes narrowing like a cat’s.
Looking at her, Alon thought:
‘Once we go back, huh.’
Of course, Alon’s primary goal was also to return to the original timeline.
However, unlike Penia, there were things he had to take care of once they returned.
‘...The Hungry Ghosts.’
The Master of the Hungry Ghosts had already met his end in their previous battle.
But as far as Alon knew, killing a single main body wasn't the end of the Hungry Ghosts.
‘Only by destroying the soul stone in the Inner World will the Hungry Ghost—no, the Hungry Ghosts—be completely annihilated.’
In Psychedelia, the player didn't necessarily need to enter the Inner World after killing the Master of the Hungry Ghosts.
In the game, when the player killed the Master...
Depending on the route, one of the Four Major Factions would always conveniently raid the Inner World and retire the Hungry Ghosts for good.
But unfortunately, he couldn't expect the intervention of the Four Major Factions here as he could in Psychedelia.
‘When I return, I won't be resting. I’ll have to head straight for the Inner World.’
He recalled the location of the Inner World from the game’s lore and etched it into his mind once more.
* * *
One of the Four Major Factions, the Hungry Ghosts, were currently overjoyed.
The reason, of course, was the death of the leader who had commanded them.
From birth, Hungry Ghosts are enslaved to the strongest of their kind.
They are naturally born with great power and are forced to submit to a leader who has grown by devouring countless kin.
In other words, the leader’s death was a new opportunity.
They rejoiced as if an arch-enemy had died—
And simultaneously, they began to fight and devour one another.
It was time to determine a new leader.
No one cared how or in what manner the previous leader had died.
The Hungry Ghosts in the Inner World incessantly slaughtered and ate each other.
Of course, no matter how much they were torn apart and consumed, they did not completely vanish.
They were simply absorbed.
The weak by the strong. The strong by the even stronger.
Repeating the cycle of eating and being eaten until only one remained...
‘It’ was reborn.
The ‘entity’ that became the new leader stripped the other Hungry Ghosts of their intelligence and allowed them only instinct, just as the previous leader had done.
Furthermore, the Authority of Greed left behind by the former leader made it even stronger than its predecessor.
Naming itself ‘Mansang,’ the entity vowed to become far more powerful than the foolish leader who came before it.
...All of this had happened just one day ago.
“Aaaaaagh—!!!!”
Mansang let out a horrific scream, looking up at the being before it.
Its entire body was trembling.
It had forged a body more resilient than the previous leader’s.
It had become more adept at wielding Greed than the previous leader.
And yet, it could not possibly overcome the being before its eyes.
No, it wasn't just a matter of being unable to win.
That thing...
Was not something that could be defeated.
It was something that couldn't even be defined—
It was the Incomprehensible itself.
“Ugh... uuu...”
Mansang tried to drag its completely shattered body in the opposite direction to escape.
However, a girl walked calmly toward it.
Her face was void of expression.
No emotion could be felt from her.
She showed no reaction.
She simply walked forward, composed.
“Why... why...?”
Mansang threw the question at the girl.
Even while experiencing agonizing pain, it couldn't fathom why this was happening.
It looked at her with eyes full of confusion.
At Mansang’s trembling voice...
“...Why, you ask?”
The girl who had been approaching it—no—
“I know very well that he will surely return.”
Yutia Bloodia...
“I know... I know, but...”
She whispered quietly.
“I’m still just so angry.”
Mansang, unable to understand Yutia’s words despite its paralyzing fear, contorted its face.
“Killing me changes nothing! Even if my existence is erased, a new Hungry Ghost will be born! We... we are many, so many! Even if you kill us endlessly, we will appear again and again!”
It was a desperate, trembling shriek that echoed out.
However.
“I know.”
“...What?”
“I said, I know.”
Yutia merely muttered to herself.
“It’s just that—yes—”
Calmly.
“It’s just venting.”
She raised her index finger.
“Simple venting.”
She looked at Mansang.
With eyes that were infinitely red.