Episode 370
Silence, I don’t even know how many times, fell once again in the hall.
However, perhaps due to my mood, this silence was not very uncomfortable.
Those guys are probably the ones who are uncomfortable.
The gaze of the witches’ coven member, who was standing in a hesitant position, ultimately turned to Ozma, and her face showed a look of embarrassment that could not be hidden even with her characteristic bluntness.
How will things unfold from now on?
I watched the situation without letting my guard down.
It is true that Rise showed an overwhelming performance, but it did not feel like the opponent showed everything he had in his hand.
The power they both have is still unknown… … .
It wouldn’t be surprising if an all-out war of life and death began from now on, so I was also prepared to bring out the First Fighter at any time.
And finally Ozma took action.
Both palms slowly rose towards the sky.
The moment Seren, who was standing next to me, grasped the sword… … .
“surrender.”
A somewhat helpless voice rang out.
For a moment, I felt so relaxed that I almost let out an open sigh.
Then Dorothy’s head turned.
“Surrender? “Are you out of your mind?”
“Completely sane. “What are you going to gain by fighting any longer?”
“There are still means left.”
“yes.”
“You think we’ll lose even if we use everything we have?”
“well… … . Some battles are simply impossible to predict, no matter how hard you think. And in my experience, it’s best to just avoid such fights.”
Dorothy pursed her lips several times, as if she had a lot to say, but did not pursue it further.
Looking at her attitude, it seems like that woman, Ozma, is also stubborn. Are you the type of person who doesn’t easily change a decision once it’s been made?
Ozma said while looking this way.
“I really feel shameful for being rude. If there is anything you wish for, please feel free to tell me. If there is anything we can compensate for or help with, we will cooperate to the extent we can. ah. It would be best to apologize first. Dorothy-.”
The moment she said that, Dorothy once again tapped the floor with the toe of her foot and disappeared in an instant.
Lise was slightly impressed, and Ozma sighed.
I too was dumbfounded for a moment and said,
“Where have you gone?”
“hmm… well. “I’m not sure because he’s a self-indulgent guy to begin with.”
“… … .”
“But if you leave like that, it’ll probably be hard to see you for a few months.”
Why are there all these organizations?
While it was absurd, Dorothy’s response was even more absurd.
In the first place, the cause of this scandal was that she kidnapped me on her own, but when I thought things might have gone awry, she closed her mouth and disappeared.
Do you not know the word responsibility?
Lise, who was staring at the place where Dorothy disappeared for a moment, muttered in an interesting voice.
“I couldn’t sense any sign of mana, but I don’t know how they teleported. This is a technology I’ve never seen before. “Is it the power of the shoes you were wearing?”
“okay. Even you would have a hard time analyzing it. Because it is a type of concept that is completely different from this world… … .”
Ozma’s words made my head feel cold, as if I had been hit with cold water.
“Another world?”
“huh.”
Ozma glanced around and said.
“We are not from this world.”
* * *
The half-broken round table was restored in an instant… … .
The witches and we sat facing each other.
Ozma and Lise sat in the center, Seren, a ghost knight named Tin, and I.
“… … .”
“… … .”
“How much are you willing to sell your brain for?”
“I’m not selling it.”
I sat across from a doll named Crow.
When I took off the robe, I saw that this guy had a strange appearance, closer to a scarecrow than a doll.
To be honest, it looks terrible.
Compared to many dolls I’ve seen, the level of completion is miserable.
In the first place, the scarecrow itself is a doll that is far from elaborate, so it is inevitable.
However, unlike its shabby exterior, the movements it made during battle were sharp enough to remind one of an animal.
Is this one of the best dolls I’ve ever seen?
So this scarecrow called Crow is a contradictory being in many ways.
‘no… … .’
If everything Oz said is true, it’s not that I can’t understand it.
therefore… If we assume that their identity is residents of another world.
In fact, if the story unfolds like that, a lot of things become understandable.
That’s why Seren was related to the witches’ association.
“We came here about 150 years ago.”
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“By us, do you mean the entire witches’ association?”
“that’s right. “The people here now, including Dorothy, who just left, can all be seen as being from the same world.”
“It sounds like there are people who aren’t.”
“yes. In the first place, the only condition for joining the Witches’ Association was ‘being from another world’. This is the only one. “It is difficult to prove that fact, but on the other hand, it is not difficult to sign up as long as you prove it.”
I glanced at Seren.
So, is Seren at the stage of proving that?
Rise said with her arms crossed.
“It’s hard to believe, but… It’s not like there isn’t anything to point out. “The origins of the relics called opacs, as well as their methods of use, are often shrouded in mystery.”
“that’s right. So one of the missions of our witches’ council is to collect mysterious Oparts. “I came into contact with Sihyeon that way.”
“… … .”
What about smart, you mean that?
“Right. “So does that mean you weren’t originally a black mage?”
“huh. “Our main force is separate.”
I felt like a big question had been answered by Ozma’s response.
In fact, I have always wondered why people called [witches] exist.
This is not an era in which people can be dismissed as witches simply because they are female but use magic.
In the first place, there are women among the seven-colored archmages or magic tower lords.
And those who cause chaos in the empire with their wicked secret arts are called church members rather than witches.
There was no reason to have a specific title, witch.
However, if you are a wizard from another world, it is a different story.
This is because no wizard would understand the magic concepts they use.
Isn’t the space movement magic that Dorothy just saw also of that type?
“There is one reason we learned black magic. Because it was the only study in this world that dealt with dimensional movement in depth. Of course, most of them were related to hell, but in the end, hell was the only place in this empire that had even the slightest information about other dimensions.”
“… … .”
“We, the witches’ coven, have been investigating hell for a long time. And I learned something new.”
“New facts?”
“Hell is connected to the other world.
“… … .”
Here, I quietly admired myself and recalled the conversation I had with Sister Cheon in Yeongsan.
– All worlds were independent, but strangely enough, the concept of hell was the same.
– It’s as if no matter which mountain you look at the sky from, the shape of the moon remains unwavering.
– so… … .
‘… ‘Hell is the moon in the night sky.’
That was a fact I also learned from Sister Cheon.
The hidden truth of the world that can never be known through general methods.
Doesn’t this mean that this witches’ association has come to realize that truth through persistent investigation over a long period of time?
‘Hmm… … .’
Along with the feeling that things were unfolding more interestingly than I expected, I also felt that this was a very important phase.
At this moment, I had the feeling that the two worlds, the continent and Yeongsan, which had always been separate, clearly overlapped.
“So, if you go through hell, you can return to the original world. Of course, that dimension is so vast and dangerous that it cannot even be compared to this world. “Ordinary humans can’t last even one second, and even if they have anti-magic power, there are limits.”
“… … .”
“So we need to practice dark magic more deeply. You need to know about the devil and hell. so-.”
“Are you saying you cooperated with the church?”
I deliberately interrupted Ozma and got to the point.
Ozma’s story was interesting, but I felt like I had heard almost everything that was important.
Ozma nodded.
“Because there is no one who knows more about the devil and hell than the church.”
“If this is made public, you will be chased by the empire for the rest of your life.”
“know. So we thought about it carefully for a long time. About a hundred years. Then, the last thing I was hoping for was a vision… … .”
Ozma’s eyes turn to Seren, and he slowly shakes his head.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to have worked out well either.”
“… My work is currently in progress. Didn’t I tell you to wait a little longer from the beginning? “He was patient for over a hundred years, but he waited less than a year before an accident like this happened.”
As Seren grumbled, Ozma laughed.
“Living for a hundred years doesn’t mean that one year isn’t short. Sometimes, as long as you live… “It feels like the passage of time is even slower.”
“That’s right.”
Reese, who had been listening quietly, agreed.
Somehow, it seemed that only the old people had formed a consensus.
I opened my mouth.
“Even so, we can’t just ignore this.”
“I guess so. What do you want? Like I said before, we’ll do whatever we can.”
“Would it be okay to no longer cooperate with the church?”
“An alternative system has emerged, so why?”
As he said that, Ozma’s gaze turned towards Lise.
Rise was eating the cookie crumbs left in the bread bag with a sad expression on her face.
“hmm… … .”
Ozma looked at me again.
The same goes for Seren.
First of all, it means that the right to negotiate is given to me… … .
It’s not strange because I was the one who almost died when I was kidnapped in the first place, and I was the one who almost became an idiot.
If there’s anyone this witches’ coven should apologize to and compensate for, it’s none other than Ruan Badniker… No.
It means Naru.
I said, licking my lips.
“First, tell me the church’s plans. Then your sins will also be taken into account to some extent.”
Ozma was silent and sighed.
“I guess that’s the only way to go. good. What should I explain first… … . First of all, the one currently active centered around the Airuga is the [Green Tongue Faction].”
Tangtata, the green-tongued demon king.
It’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.
“What are they doing?”
“hmm. Do you know about [Rahilde Workmaster]?”
“I know.”
“What happens there?”
“I know roughly.”
“okay.”
Ozma nodded and continued speaking.
“Isn’t it strange? In a place where excavations have been going on for over a hundred years, artifacts are suddenly pouring out like that. Even the identity of the monster that appeared together is also shrouded in mystery.”
It’s definitely strange.
As I was about to reply, some words from what Ozma said flashed through my mind.
“… “Summon magic?”
“that’s right.”
“Does this mean that demon summoning is taking place at Rahilde Workyard?”
“Rather than summoning a demon, it’s summoning a monster. “It’s a type of black magic, and because of that, the church’s unique instruments are dim.”
“Then the artifact that appeared together… … .”
“It’s bait.”
I laugh out loud.
“Are you saying you’re just using that expensive artifact as bait?”
“The church’s wealth is greater than that of the imperial family. I can’t even count the number of artifacts they have secured. Since we have secured the technology to mass-produce artifacts as replicas in the first place, it is not a big loss from the church’s perspective.”
What came to mind when I heard those words was the chain weapon I experienced when confronting Ludvik at Badniker’s headquarters in the past.
“I heard it costs an astronomical amount of money to make that.”
“It depends on the type. It is not a weapon with special abilities, but decorations and accessories are not like that. “As long as we secure a few dwarf artisans.”
“hmm… … .”
I wondered if the arrogant dwarf craftsman would obediently cooperate with the cult, but… … .
I had no choice but to understand because of what I saw at Sandstorm Hill.
“so. “What on earth are they trying to do by releasing bait into the workhouse?”
“Of course it’s the devil’s descent. The number of slaves who died in the workhouses was close to tens of thousands. Ten years worth of blood has already accumulated. Ah – this is also one of the recent changes in the cult, now they can use the corpses of the dead as sacrifices. Of course, you can’t use something that’s completely rotten and crumbly.”
“I know.”
I was the one who made that fact known in the first place.
This was during the operation to recapture Ymir’s remains in the north.
“The devil will descend within three months at the longest, or one month at the shortest. “I understand that if you just recite the Crusade of Evil, you can call it Right Now.”
“Then the key is definitely the priest. “Do you know anything about priests?”
As I said that, I thought that of course the name of the person I was thinking of would come out.
Big Boss Gustav.
Perhaps all the corruption taking place at Rahild Labor Yard is being orchestrated by that bastard right now.
however.
“Recently, I heard that several of the church’s core plans have collapsed.”
“… … ?”
“Things like controlling the Imperial Academy or reclaiming the remains of Northern Ymir. These were cases that took quite a lot of effort from the church’s perspective… … . “Thanks to that, the denomination is now in an emergency of its own kind.”
That’s good news.
Why is the tone of your speech so unsettling?
“This incident… To be honest, it will be difficult to stop. “It seems like the church is determined to make it a success.”
“Why, even if there are two or three priests?”
“That would be better. “He’s in the South.”
“that?”
“A being that has lived longer than the history of the empire. A person who receives the grace of the six demon kings. A person born under the night star. “A person who seeks to become a new vengeful believer by sacrificing an unknown empire.”
“… … .”
The surrounding atmosphere was frozen.
Maybe my expression was a bit stiff too.
Seren muttered in a low voice.
“Black Cult Leader… … .”
“okay.”
Ozma nodded.
“The head of the Dark Church is in the south right now.”
