Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Special Chamber - 2
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I nodded and said,
“Adwin, you’re still in the afterlife, right?”
Adwin replied,
[Yeah. But don’t you think it’s about time I headed back? Jenia sis’s arm is probably gonna fall off.]
[I’m fine.]
[Sis? You can talk now?]
[You try repeating this bullshit… no, this motion for half a day. See if you don’t get used to it and puke.]
[Y-You seem really stressed.]
It really seemed that way.
I needed to wrap this up quickly and send Adwin back.
I said,
“Then Idria can hear my voice too.”
As if she’d been waiting, Idria responded.
[That’s right.]
“We’re hiding in your shadows right now.”
[No matter how many times I see it, that shadow magic is amazing. It’s a real shame Savak got taken back.]
“Should we just head home?”
Idria giggled.
[I’m kidding. Save us.]
“With your power, you can’t break those iron chains, right? So I’m going to step out and cut them for you.”
[If it’s you, you can definitely do it. Is there anything I can help with?]
“We could move through the shadows to the entrance like we did coming in… but I can’t keep Adwin in the afterlife too long, so use your spatial authority to get us out of here.”
[You trust me? What if I open a portal to a lava zone or the middle of the ocean?]
“Sorry, but even if you drop us in the worst hellhole, our party’s skills are enough to survive. All you’d lose is my trust, and that wouldn’t be good for you.”
[Heh heh. Got it.]
Good.
Now for the finale.
I said to Offense,
“Release the shadow magic.”
“No Acteon, right?”
“Adwin, borrowing Idria’s vision, and Mime A scouting from above both say there’s no one around. It should be fine.”
“Alright. Dropping it now.”
Swish.
The next moment, we rose from the shadows.
Idria and her appendages came into view first.
Last time, I’d been borrowing Idria’s sight, so I hadn’t known her exact condition.
But now I could see.
“What the hell happened to you?”
Idria’s body was torn and split all over.
Black blood oozed from her skin, pooling stickily on the floor—enough that a normal human would’ve died from blood loss.
Idria replied indifferently.
“Waiting around doing nothing was boring, so I exercised a bit.”
“That’s not what I meant. Mother.”
“Be quiet.”
“You kept struggling to save us…”
“I said be quiet.”
I could roughly understand.
The iron chains binding Idria were definitely different in shape.
The others’ chains were semi-transparent but still resembled chains.
But hers were thick, heavy, and covered in dense spikes.
“They activate restraints whenever you try to use your power or authority, huh? Those chains.”
“Hoo. Yeah.”
“You could’ve just waited quietly for us. Why struggle? I see fresh wounds too.”
“I had to prepare for if you failed. I needed to save these kids somehow.”
I clicked my tongue lightly and drew my sword.
Pyrenea asked,
“Can you cut them?”
“Gotta try to find out.”
“P-Please. Even if I don’t make it, save Mom and the others…”
“Need to focus, so quiet.”
“Y-Yes.”
Hoo.
I took a light breath.
Assumed my stance, then swung at the chains binding the four of them in one go.
—Massive Slash!
The chains snapped link by link.
I sheathed my sword.
Clack.
They dropped from midair to the floor.
Idria tried to steady herself but staggered from her severe wounds.
“Mother!”
“Mom.”
“It’s fine. Let’s get out of here quick.”
Crackle.
She opened a spatial rift with her authority.
Then she said to me,
“Come on, let’s go. You said you could survive lava or the ocean, right?”
“I did say that, but you didn’t actually connect it to some extreme like that, did you?”
“Kidding. This authority can’t get us straight out of the special chamber anyway. Inside and outside are completely different worlds.”
“Just to the entrance?”
“Yeah, hurry.”
She jumped into the rift.
The other fingers followed.
I said to my party,
“I get it feels suspicious, but it’s fine. Let’s go.”
Everyone nodded.
Neril said,
“If you say it’s okay, then no problem. Honestly, as a mage, I’m curious how that authority works anyway.”
And so we leaped into the rift.
When we emerged, the special chamber’s red door was right in front of us.
Idria panted heavily.
“Hah, hah.”
“Looks like you ran a marathon.”
“My condition’s not great, you know. Using my authority inside the special chamber is tough.”
“I see. Then let’s get out quick.”
I grabbed the door handle.
Pushed hard.
“...?”
But the door didn’t budge.
Offense spoke up.
“What’re you doing?”
“Door won’t open.”
“...!”
Risel stomped anxiously and said,
“M-Maybe pull it?”
“You think I’d forget something that basic? It’s pull from outside, push from inside.”
Still, I tried pulling gently just in case.
No dice. Still locked.
In that instant, I realized everything.
“They locked it.”
“Right.”
A voice from behind.
We whipped around.
Crack. Crack.
Some shadowy figure approached, cracking their neck.
“I locked it.”
It was a face I knew well.
Adin Press.
The old man whose face seemed plastered with greed.
But this wasn’t Adin.
It was Vatole, who’d devoured Adin’s body.
And the one who’d devoured Vatole’s ego…
“Acteon Oscar.”
Former party member of Impellium.
Acteon said to me,
“I had to see it to believe it. Got some guts, huh?”
“...”
“No, I get it somewhat. You plan to use Idria to boost your fame.”
His demeanor was consistently relaxed.
But different from Kaild’s occasional smugness.
Kaild’s confidence stemmed from Idria’s so-called ‘script.’
As long as he followed the script, he’d become the hero—that kind of basis.
‘But this guy’s different.’
[What is?]
‘He’s not relaxed because of some basis. He just knows.’
—Maide Mohan and his comrades die here today.
An absolute proposition.
And I had a gut feeling it might be true.
No battle had even started, yet darkness loomed ahead.
[Hey. Snap out of it. That’s not like you.]
‘...Yeah. You’re right.’
I’d never given up.
Not as a mercenary, not as a hero.
I said,
“Not stalling—just genuinely curious. You were in Impellium’s party, right?”
“Yeah, once upon a time.”
“And Impellium maneuvered you to your death?”
“Yeah. Had to, so Bellosian could kill him.”
“Why do that? Adin was straightforward—wanted to be a god. But you don’t seem the type to fall for such base desires.”
Acteon smirked faintly.
“Don’t expect thanks for the compliment.”
“No jokes.”
“Why betray Impellium… That question’s a bit off.”
“What?”
“I joined the party planning to betray him from the start.”
A chill ran down my spine.
As I mulled over his words, Neril asked,
“Did Impellium not pay back a loan or something?”
“Pfft. As if. Honestly, I respect the guy’s character.”
“Then?”
“He was trying to save humanity.”
“...?”
“That rubbed me the wrong way. Humans aren’t worth saving.”
What kind of bullshit philosophy is this?
Like watching Adwin spout cringeworthy nonsense.
Seemingly thinking the same, Serein spoke cynically.
“One of our party members says crap like that all the time. Difference is, he’s joking, while you’re 100% serious.”
“Hm. Another difference.”
“...?”
“That kid hasn’t ‘fully’ experienced humanity’s ugliness and pettiness—just talks big. Me? I’ve had my fill.”
Impellium once told me, celebrating his wedding, that I was about 10,000 years late.
Acteon, his party member, must be at least 10,000 years old.
On that basis, I said,
“Fair enough, after watching humans for 10,000 years…”
“10,000? Who said that?”
“...!”
“Oh, Impellium, huh. You’ve been talking to him.”
“What? Not 10,000?”
“Nah. I’ve watched humans for over five times that.”
Completely incomprehensible.
‘Damn. If I could see his secrets, no need for this Q&A.’
[Why the Q&A anyway? Stalling for real?]
‘No. Trying to dig for weaknesses. Straight fight feels hopeless.’
[Without even trying…]
‘I know without fighting.’
Hard to explain, but it felt like certain defeat.
Is Bellosian’s true self this strong?
Acteon said,
“No more questions? Was gonna hear your last words. If not, time to die.”
“Vatole.”
Idria spoke.
Acteon flicked his ear.
“Anyone here by that name?”
“Don’t know when the impurity Acteon mixed in with you, but when we were together, you were definitely Vatole. My child.”
“Just acting.”
“Shut up. Not talking to you.”
“Hah.”
“Vatole. Don’t bend to food poisoning from rotten scraps. Drive out Acteon’s ego with your power.”
Idria’s voice held real desperation.
Sadly, it didn’t land.
Acteon looked bored and said,
“Hey, little liar. I’ve done this for infinite ages… Sounds embarrassing, but like I said, about 50,000 years.”
“This?”
“Borrowing bodies. How do you think Kaild ousted Bion’s ego and took his body?”
Unthought-of revelation.
Risel jumped in shock.
“You don’t mean that power was yours?”
“Yeah. Eye of Omniscience? Adin got it from Impellium and passed it to Bion. Guy acted like he was handing over his own, just a middleman.”
“...”
“Only real legacy Adin left Kaild was his shitty personality. Eye of Omniscience, body-snatching—all Impellium’s or mine.”
Now it clicked.
I’d been puzzled how Kaild expelled Trail.
Thought Adin supported it to dispose of Trail, but it was Acteon’s power.
“Been hopping bodies for 50,000 years like that. This time, Vatole’s ability devours corpses, so I just rode along easy.”
“...”
“No weaknesses for me.”
“Shut up.”
“Why not go back quietly and chain up? Bellosian wakes hungry—gotta feed him you.”
Grind.
Idria gnashed her teeth.
But in that moment, I felt elation.
Had to fight not to tremble.
Only Trail noticed my mood and asked,
[What? Why? You look happy.]
‘Found a tiny clue.’
[What?]
‘When he said just now, “No weaknesses for me.”’
From the first moment facing Acteon, I’d scanned from his head down.
Surprisingly, he had Blood Letters.
—Sinned against Maide (Immeasurable) and others.
...
Shocked then.
Why my name here?
‘And at the top.’
[What?]
‘Acteon sinned against me. The most hidden sin. Never even met the guy.’
[…What.]
‘No. Not urgent now.’
Anyway, spotting Blood Letters, I zoomed in.
Immeasurable meant astronomical numbers.
Despairing how to find a clue, Acteon said,
“No weaknesses for me.”
And then.
New names glowed among the tiny text.
—Neril Slaine.
—Jenia Side.
—Adwin Ain…
Our party members’ names.
I quickly explained and said,
‘Get it? He just sinned against us in real time. That “no weaknesses” line itself was a sin.’
[Whoa. Lied?]
‘Circumstantially. In other words…’
Acteon has a weakness too.