Chapter 368: The Diary
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 368: The Diary
"Something feels a bit off."
Once the two of them had returned indoors, Fanny rubbed her chin, her gaze sweeping over Muen’s face with a meaningful look.
"What is it?" Muen touched his cheek. "Is there something on my face?"
"No, I just feel like you’re in a bit of a bad mood."
Fanny looked at Liya, then back at Muen, her expression turning gossipy. "Liya actually became quite lively after going out for a bit. What happened to you? Does 'good mood' really just transfer from one person to another?"
"No." Muen pondered for a moment, then smiled. "I just feel like... I might have messed something up?"
"Messed what up?"
"I don't know what, exactly. Sometimes you can't even figure out what's going on in your own head. Humans are such pathetic creatures, aren't they?"
Muen left it at that cryptic remark and went back to Liya to resume the unfinished deciphering work.
Fanny was left standing there alone, blinking in thoughtful silence.
*
"This is indeed a diary."
Liya opened the tattered book, shaking her head regretfully. "It’s a pity the damage is so severe. Otherwise, this might have been our most important discovery yet."
"Can it be deciphered?"
"Yes." Liya’s fingers brushed over the characters that had blurred over the long passage of time. "Just don't get your hopes up too high. With this level of decay, being able to translate even one sentence per page would be a feat."
"Just do your best," Muen comforted her. He hadn't pinned all his hopes on a single diary to uncover the full truth of this world anyway.
...
...
"Goddess above, we truly succeeded. We have created a perfect world, a world that will never know famine or pain... All of this is thanks to the Goddess. It is your power that allowed us to reach this point. Oh, Goddess of Life, we shall worship you forever."
...
"The seventh child was born. I am so happy I could almost cry. The child is happy too; she was born into a beautiful world and will never know the chaos and terror of the outside. Praise the Goddess."
...
"Praise the Goddess."
...
"The thirteenth child was born. Praise the Goddess."
...
"That fool Good actually dared to blaspheme the Goddess. To think he would reject the food personally bestowed by Her. No wonder he was struck by divine punishment. He deserved it!"
"What do they mean, 'wrong'? Is this way of life not beautiful enough? What does he know!"
...
"Praise the Goddess."
...
"The kid next door must weigh a thousand pounds by now, teehee. He can't even walk. Unlike me—even while enjoying the delicacies bestowed by the Goddess, I still maintain a disciplined exercise routine."
"Aside from exercising, I can't find anything else to vent my energy on. It truly is peaceful."
"Praise the Goddess."
...
"Praise the Goddess."
"Praise the Goddess."
"The nineteenth child. The mother doesn't want to give birth anymore, but if we don't have children, what else is there for us to do?"
"Praise..."
"Praise [Blacked out]"
"[Blacked out]"
"Damn it, those guys are at it again. Can't they just stay quiet? Conflict is not allowed. This world must be peaceful; this is the oath we swore before the Goddess."
...
"Forget it, [Blacked out] will handle it."
...
"[Blacked out]"
"[Blacked out]"
"[Blacked out]"
...
"Someone sent a report saying the days are getting shorter. I thought, how is that possible? When we created this world, we followed the most suitable circadian rhythm for humans: fourteen hours of daylight and ten hours of night. How could there be an error?"
...
"There really is an error. The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer. The cause is being investigated."
...
"It’s [Blacked out]! It was actually [Blacked out]! That man was one of the people who created this world with us. Why... why would he... invite an evil Outer God? Has he gone mad? Is he insane? Damn him! Damn him! [Blacked out] [Blacked out] [Blacked out]"
...
"That Evil God is... [Blacked out]!"
...
"The power of the Evil God is too terrifying. We can feel this world being constantly eroded. Another village turned into those monsters during the night."
"The rot is getting worse..."
"You can't eat at night, or you'll get sick."
"Ha, sick. How do you treat a disease again? I’ve forgotten."
...
"It’s getting more and more chaotic. Oh, Goddess, please save us. Please guide us, your lost lambs."
...
"Damn it, someone else has been corrupted by the Evil God. No, I have to find a way. Cantville is our only refuge. We can no longer adapt to the chaos and strife of the outside world. I must protect it!"
...
"Those people... can't they understand what I'm doing?"
...
"They’ve been corrupted by the Evil God too!!! [Blacked out]"
...
"This is the only way. [Blacked out] [Blacked out] [Blacked out]"
...
"Some people have different ideas. They are traitors! Traitors are heretics, and they absolutely cannot be tolerated!"
...
"I succeeded! Haha, I succeeded! Proof that I was right all along!"
...
"Perhaps the wall can keep the pollution out."
...
"That round thing in the night sky... what is it? I feel like I remember, but I've forgotten."
...
"[Blacked out]"
...
"I might be dying, but I'm not afraid at all, because I will return to the Goddess's embrace."
"The Goddess's embrace... ah, how beautiful."
"Those guys were corrupted by the Evil God too and turned into monsters. Haha, they got what they deserved! To actually believe the words of an Evil God... they deserved it! They deserved it!"
...
"Praise the Goddess."
...
"[Blacked out]"
"[Blacked out]"
"[Blacked out]"
...
...
"That’s everything."
After flipping through the last page back and forth to confirm, Liya let out a long breath and slowly closed the diary. She looked up at the group gathered around her. "The deciphering is complete."
"..."
The others looked at one another, seemingly still processing the contents of the diary, unable to speak for a long time.
The words in the diary weren't exactly shocking—most of the valuable information hadn't been identified, such as which Evil God had eroded the world. But it left them with an eerie, unsettling feeling.
Finally, Muen rubbed the bridge of his nose, breaking the silence. "Based on these words, we can confirm that the inhabitants of Cantville worshipped Emiel, the Goddess of Life."
"The diary uses those terms, so it should be her," Fanny nodded.
"But it feels like this so-called Golden Kingdom wasn't actually that wonderful," said Seviel, who had shamelessly squeezed her way into the group. She was quite sensitive to certain words. "You can clearly feel the diary owner's frustration toward the end. Although he doesn't say it outright, between the lines, he seemed dissatisfied with this 'perfect world' as well."
"That’s because they didn't use the Goddess's power for the right purposes!" Liya clenched her fists and retorted. "Creating a world where you can live happily without working? It’s not that easy!"
"Actually, they did succeed, didn't they?" Vicky, whose complexion looked much better now, added. "They only ended up like this because they suffered an invasion by an Evil God."
"That only proves their faith was devout enough," Liya pouted, whispering, "Because they were devout, the Goddess was generous enough to bestow so much power. Who knew they would use it for something like that? Not that the Goddess would care."
"Alright, alright, now isn't the time to argue about that."
Muen gave Liya an amused glance, thinking she was becoming more and more adorable. But catching Fanny’s odd look, he immediately turned back and continued, "However, I think the truth behind the fall of this ancient ruin isn't as simple as an Evil God invasion. There must be other reasons."
"Why?"
"Because the timing doesn't match."
"The timing?"
"Exactly," Muen explained. "According to ancient texts, Cantville disappeared from history and became a 'Lost Homeland' a thousand years ago, during the late stages of the Great Turmoil. But based on the clues we've found and the descriptions in the diary, the Evil God's invasion should have happened within the last few decades."
"I see." Liya also recalled the information she and Muen had gathered earlier.
"So, what do we do next?"
"What else? We keep moving forward, of course." Muen looked into the distance. The wall that blended into the sky still stood tall, as if it truly could isolate everything. "Our trial has probably only just begun."
*
"This is the so-called passage?"
Muen looked at the opening before him, which resembled the entrance to a mine, and couldn't help but rub his chin. "It feels a bit... underwhelming."
As he spoke, he cast a stealthy glance around.
They weren't the only ones here; quite a few people had already gathered. Most were in groups of three to five, their faces etched with exhaustion, yet they remained wary of one another. It seemed the previous night's anomaly had forced these arrogant people to huddle together for warmth.
Inadvertently, this had increased the difficulty.
Muen also spotted Ellag. He was gathered with several other mages whose badges were different but clearly also from the Tower of Origins. Their eyes met Muen's for a brief moment before they immediately looked away, acting guilty.
Muen smiled and said nothing, continuing to gather information...
"Oh? You're not dead yet?"
A voice filled with loathsome arrogance rang out, and the crowd suddenly stirred, parting to make a path.
A massive shadow fell over Muen.
The tall freak named Reta walked silently. On his shoulder sat the loli-sized girl, arms crossed, looking down on them with a haughty gaze.
"Oh? I see. You're just like those other weaklings, learning to huddle together for warmth?"
Annie, the Saintess Candidate, swept her gaze over Muen’s companions and sneered. "This certainly fits the status of you and your little Saintess Candidate. But I’d advise you to withdraw early. There won't be many more lucky breaks ahead."
"..."
They were both bratty lolis, so why was this one so much more annoying?
Muen thought about it seriously, his peripheral vision scanning his surroundings. Liya... forget it, she didn't need to step up just yet.
"Seviel."
"Eh? Something wrong?"
"Come here."
Muen beckoned, and Seviel walked over with a confused expression.
"Stand here. Face this way. Cross your arms—yes, like that. Hold them tight. Now, give them a little shake. Perfect."
Once the pose was set, Seviel’s chest—which wasn't massive but was more than enough to crush most people's confidence—was perfectly displayed for Annie to see. Muen then extended a middle finger from the side and said:
"None of your damn business, you washboard."