Chapter 99. The Book of Layral.
Chapter 99. The Book of Layral.
I thought he'd call for me late at night like before, but surprisingly, no one came. Even the next day, there was no word. It wasn't until the day after that he finally summoned me.
This time, too, I was guided by the same person who had fetched me before, and when I entered the commander's office, only the operations commander was there alone.
"What the... no one else is here?"
"Heh heh, the troublesome matter has been resolved, so I invited you here to share a toast, just the two of us."
Saying this, he produced a bottle of whiskey from somewhere, poured a glass, and offered it to me. I toasted with him and downed it in one gulp.
"Anyway, now that the citizens are safe, we're thinking of gradually expanding the safe zone."
"Hmm..."
"With your help, Representative, we could definitely..."
"No, I'm planning to leave soon."
At my declaration that I was leaving, he seemed slightly flustered, but as if he had half-expected it, he quickly composed himself.
"Hmm... That's truly a shame."
As a slightly awkward silence hung in the air, a knock came from outside. After a brief exchange outside, he apologized, said he'd be right back, and left the room.
'Is he actually just going to quietly let me go? That's not like him...'
A moment later, he returned.
"Actually, we sent reconnaissance to check on their movements, and just as you said, neither of them was seen. But, uh, the bodies...?"
"I killed them there and roughly dumped the bodies far away, what of it?"
"Hmm... I see."
He cast a slightly suspicious glance, but since neither of them could be found, he seemed to let it go without pressing further. He downed a glass of the whiskey and spoke to me again.
"Then, are the others going with you?"
"Yeah, I asked them indirectly, and they said they'd follow me."
"When...?"
"Probably as soon as possible."
He seemed to ponder for a moment, then made up his mind and stood up.
"Then, this is no time for this—since it's our last meeting, I'll treat you to a proper send-off."
He told me to follow him, so I silently stood and went after him. We left the Command Headquarters main building, and as I quietly followed, we approached the building I had entered alone once before. Naturally, even at this hour, there were soldiers standing guard.
We entered the building, and as I quietly followed him, I asked:
"This building looks like it hasn't been used for quite a while."
"I use it when I want to have a quiet drink now and then."
Following his guidance, we went down to the basement. We opened the door to the first basement floor and entered. It was fairly clean, with various machines placed around and a table in the center.
"Please go in and wait. I'll bring some snacks and good liquor."
Leaving those words behind, he went out. Looking around, I saw faint traces of experiments here and there, and a strange scent hung in the air.
'A disinfectant smell...'
How long had I waited? From outside came the sound of many footsteps. Then the door opened, and pale-faced people filed in with the operations commander.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"I've changed my mind."
"So I've become useless to you?"
"You are far too dangerous. You're the kind of person who could eventually trip up my plans."
He pulled a book from inside his jacket and began reciting something like a spell. At that, the pale-faced people began to emit a bleak energy.
"No matter how strong an Awakened you are, these are different from ordinary zombies."
"What exactly are you trying to do by controlling zombies?"
"I will use this power to rule the world! It's best to eliminate someone with dangerous strength like you in advance."
At his absurd claim of ruling the world, a laugh finally burst out of me, and I chuckled to myself.
"Haah... that's the best laugh I've had in a while."
"Have you finally lost your mind at the thought of dying?"
"So you turned ordinary people into undead?"
"...!"
When the outbreak started, the international community began using the word 'zombie.' But I had used the term 'undead,' not 'zombie.' His eyes narrowed, and his wariness deepened.
"Undead... you know something too?"
"Far more than you do."
Looking at the book he held, I finally remembered clearly. That was the remnant of 'black magic' I'd sensed as an alien energy before.
"A dead man's bluster... I'll put them to good use."
Ignoring the bastard, who was already deluding himself into thinking he'd won and rambling on, I muttered to myself.
"Leiral's Magic Book. To think I'd run into it here. You really never know what life will throw at you. Right?"
The moment I precisely named the book he held, his pupils shook.
"H-how do you know about that...?"
"His comrades tore down the insurmountable barrier of enlightenment as if it were nothing. In the end, he started dabbling in black magic, created a vast army of undead, swallowed a kingdom, and smoothly began consolidating his foundation as a ruler."
"..."
"But the heavens are indifferent. One day, the 'Calamity' descended and began to judge me. He didn't even regard me as a worthy opponent. With black hair and blue eyes, an indifferent face, he drew a pitch-black sword and swung it once. At that, my invincible army turned to dust and vanished completely... He was truly a man worthy of the name 'Calamity'."
"I'm asking how you know the content!!!"
ㅡ Srrrng...
"Does that matter?"
I stood tall, holding my sword, letting him take in my figure. Black hair, blue eyes, a pitch-black sword, and most importantly, an indifferent face.
"N-no way, you're... No, that's impossible..."
"Shall I tell you how that brat Leiral died on Titan?"
"That can't be... That's impossible..."
He seemed to be in a panic, clutching the book and muttering to himself. As I stood there watching, I heard yet more footsteps from outside. Soon, he came to his senses and, like me, stared at the door.
"Representative!"
The president and our group threw open the door and rushed in urgently. Actually, when he had gone outside earlier, I had already sent a radio message ahead.
Seeing us, he gritted his teeth with a determined expression, flipped through the magic book, and chanted a spell. Then the undead bodies began to crush, tear, and merge into one.
ㅡ Grrwaaahhk...!
It swelled into a mass that nearly filled the basement, and at the commander's order, it hurled a fist of such tremendous mass at us that the air screamed. I sheathed my sword, clenched my fist, and threw a punch at the same time.
ㅡ Boooom!!!
The outcome was hard to believe: a tiny human and a giant traded blows, and the giant's fist was torn to shreds. But, as undead do, it began to slowly squirm and regenerate.
"Heh heh... No matter how many times you kill it, it doesn't die...! Even if I die, I'll take a few of you...!"
Watching the bastard still clinging to hope at the sight of the undead regenerating, I put more strength into my fist and struck again, far harder than before.
ㅡ Fwaaash!!!
The enormous body burst, spraying chunks of flesh in all directions. And the undead could no longer regenerate.
"Do you know how Leiral died in the end?"
Wearing a dazed expression, he just stared at the magic book he held.
"I spared his life out of mercy, but in the end he took his own life. Because he realized that no matter how he struggled, it was futile."
"Heh heh..."
"Still, at least he didn't cross the line; he only killed the kingdom's rulers. But you're a bit different."
I approached him and precisely slipped my blade between the ulna and radius of the arm holding the magic book, stabbing through. Then, without hesitation, I twisted the sword, shattering the bone.
ㅡ Crraaack!!!
"Gwaaah!!!"
Overwhelmed by the surging, excruciating pain, his legs buckled and he collapsed onto the floor.
"But you used survivors who thanked you as test subjects and killed even children without the slightest hesitation. Why?"
"Guh...! Isn't it good if they're put to proper use, even like this? Ggh...!"
At his ridiculous answer, the corners of my eyes twitched and I felt deeply disgusted. I slashed the wedged sword straight down, completely severing one arm.
"Gyaaah!!!"
"I won't ask twice. Where did you get Leiral's Magic Book?"
"Huk... is that what you're curious about now...?"
At his attitude of answering a question with a question, I did the same to his other arm, slicing it clean off.
"Did you not understand what I meant?"
"I'm already a dead man anyway... heh..."
"No, you won't die even if you want to. If you want to at least die a clean death, answer my questions properly."
"..."
He hesitated for a moment, then, clutching his arm, endured the pain, swallowed his groans, and answered with difficulty. He said he had picked up a book floating in the sea purely by chance. Normally, he would have dismissed it as trash without a second thought, but that day, for some reason, his curiosity got the better of him and he fished it out. When he rescued it and opened the book, incomprehensible letters and knowledge flooded into his mind, and the pain knocked him unconscious for two or three days.
"N-now I've told you everything...!"
Mulling over his words, I opened my subspace and took out a jar inscribed with complex patterns. The party members who knew about this jar gasped and stepped back several paces.
"Paura."
With a ghastly wail like a haunted scream, a form flowed out of the jar.
"Take that one into your cradle."
Wearing a horrifying smile, it began to slowly approach the operations commander.
"Th-this isn't what you said!!! What the hell is this...!"
"Sorry, but I don't keep promises with trash."
As if his skin were being peeled off, his flesh and soul separated and began to be drawn into the jar together with Paura. Watching that sight, I muttered to myself.
"If you at least hadn't crossed the line, I would have killed you quickly."