Chapter 104

Lillith.
She holds the grand title of Queen of the Succubi, but when I think of her in the game, the word that comes to mind is “annoyance.”

She’s always hiding in the shadows, plotting and scheming, a typical behind-the-scenes manipulator who pops up every now and then to be a nuisance. Especially with that “clone” skill of hers, she stirs up trouble everywhere, puts the protagonist in a bind, and then vanishes when caught—a truly irritating character.

This was particularly evident in the Nahara Kingdom quest. Following the quests in the regional power of the Nahara Kingdom, you eventually face Lillith, who has become the king’s mistress using her beauty. You have to uncover her identity as she manipulates the powerful kingdom from behind using her clones.

Uncovering the secret itself isn’t too difficult, but what really frustrates players are the uncooperative NPCs. No matter how much evidence you present, they deny it, making you want to tear your hair out.

But… isn’t that a mid-to-late game story? According to the game’s storyline, we haven’t even reached the mid-point yet?

“Wait. Moving the Nahara Kingdom? Could she have already dug in deep enough to move the Nahara Kingdom?”

It’s rare to see the cautious Lillith rambling like this. No, I’ve never seen it before. From my perspective, it’s not bad. I should try to extract as much information as possible. My game knowledge, which I prided myself on knowing everything about, is starting to show its limits.

“Nahara is a playground for the Mad Archduke. You have no idea how hard it was for me to infiltrate it. How densely it’s structured… I was secretly digging in, but thanks to those guys noticing the whereabouts of the ‘vessel’ and rushing to move, I was able to seize control and wipe them out in an instant.”
“You’re telling me that the guys in the Nahara Kingdom, who aren’t even close, found out even though you were moving as cautiously as possible? Don’t make me laugh. It was you. You leaked the rumors, Lillith.”
“Oh my. I’ve been found out.”

It’s impossible that they were discovered by those lurking underground, especially in the distant Nahara Kingdom, when they hadn’t been caught by the various branches of the cult. If anything, they should have been caught by the cult. How good could the information network of those who have been hiding for so long be?

In the end, Lillith leaked the rumors. And because of that, the Mad Archduke’s subordinates moved actively, and the game’s story was twisted.

“Okay. I get it now. Why things keep happening differently from my expectations… I understand now.”

Looking back, it’s simple. I knew that I was an irregular, so each of my actions was causing a butterfly effect, twisting the game’s story.

However, I didn’t know that Carsilla was such an important figure in the story. Who would have known that such things were happening behind the game’s story?

Now I know.
Why Carsilla’s alias is ‘Seed of Calamity,’ why the Mad Archduke’s goons, who didn’t appear in the game, suddenly popped up.
Now it all makes sense.

Perhaps… that day, finding the lonely black-haired girl in the orphanage was the beginning of it all.

If I hadn’t taken in young Carsilla, Lillith would have taken her, and she would have blossomed into the ‘Witch of Calamity’ under Lillith’s wing. Naturally, the battle between the two demonic forces behind the scenes in the Nahara Kingdom would have ended in Lillith’s victory, and as a result, even the king of the Nahara Kingdom would have fallen into Lillith’s grasp, becoming her puppet.

The civil war in the Nahara Kingdom that takes place at the end of the quest… was probably a rebellion by the remaining forces of the Mad Archduke. There were many parts that didn’t make sense while progressing through the quest, but now that I see it like this, it all makes sense.

“So, all of this… all of this situation is ultimately because of you, Lillith. It was because of you.”

I hadn’t thought about it. I never imagined that Lillith, whom I had simply considered an annoying and irritating presence, was involved in so many things behind the scenes.

“Huh? What do you mean it’s all my fault? Of course, I leaked the rumors, so you guys got attacked, but~ I also helped you avoid danger, didn’t I? Besides, I’m the one who saved this person from danger here.”

It’s okay for Lillith to say annoying things. It’s not the first or second time, and she’s been irritating since the game, so I can tolerate her being annoying. But… but looking at the status window, the fact that she genuinely thinks she helped me is something I really can’t stand.

The moment I send the prepared whisper, a bright light bursts from Diana’s body, sweeping across the land and binding Lillith’s shadow. The most annoying and irritating part about fighting Lillith is her escaping into the shadows, so I’m preventing her from hiding from the start.

Sanctuary.
The blessing that descends upon the area with the declaration of the sanctuary is like a barrier to Lillith. And as if waiting for it, Cha Hyewon, who had drawn her sword, thrust it towards Lillith’s neck.

“No.”

It was then that Carsilla, who had been watching silently, intervened. Carsilla, who had been fiddling with her knuckles and keeping her mouth shut, slightly moved her hand, and a purple, opaque barrier appeared in front of Lillith, blocking Cha Hyewon’s sword.

“Tch. What is it?”

Lillith, who was smiling mischievously inside the barrier, looked relaxed, and Cha Hyewon swung her sword again, but the purple barrier shook as if it would break, yet it managed to block the attack.

That barrier… it’s familiar. It’s similar to the barrier that ‘Witch of Calamity’ Carsilla often used in the game. Can she already use magic of this level?

“Hey, kid! Are you going to keep interfering!? I’ll beat you up too!”

Carsilla’s indifferent expression slightly frowned at Cha Hyewon’s irritated shout. Her lips were pouting, and although she was taller, a bit more mature, and had horns, her habits hadn’t changed. That one small habit brought a sense of relief.

“Haha! You fools! How dare you show off your strength in front of me. Now~ Carpe Siluano-nim! Punish those fools!”

…That damn Lillith is the problem.

“Carsilla.”
“…Yes?”
“My name. Carsilla.”
“Ah, yes, Carsilla-nim.”

Lillith’s expression, which had been gesturing triumphantly towards us, seemed to crack for a moment, but she quickly recovered and changed her words, subtly stepping back. Is she daring to hide behind Carsilla as a shield?

“Carsilla. Move.”

Even with Irian’s firm words, she just stared blankly, not seeming to have any intention of moving. But she didn’t seem to be hostile towards us either… But seeing ‘Awakening in Progress’ on the status window, we couldn’t just waste time.

I need to separate those two, even by force. If I leave Lillith next to Carsilla, who knows what she’ll do. It’s not too late yet. It shouldn’t be too late.

‘Awakening in Progress’ means that the awakening isn’t complete yet… Maybe we can still stop the awakening now.

To do that, I need to subdue Lillith first.

“Capture her! Just don’t kill her!”

Irian and Cha Hyewon, who had shot out like arrows from both sides, received the light of the sanctuary that spread from Diana, and accelerated even more. Carsilla’s black eyes, tinged with a purple glow, followed the two as they scattered left and right, avoiding the purple barrier blocking their path.

A small sign that only I, who was observing, could see. On the horns on both sides of Carsilla’s head, particles of light were gathering very faintly.

‘……Could it be?’

An attack method that ‘Witch of Calamity’ Carsilla often used in the game. The light beams emitted from her horns came to mind, and the moment I unconsciously put a protective barrier on Irian and Cha Hyewon, what I had feared happened.

Carsilla, with an indifferent expression, attacked the two directly. Beams of purple light shot towards where the two were, colliding with the white barrier and causing a huge explosion.

“Carsilla!!”

Despite the angry shout, her face remained indifferent. Rather, she tilted her head as if wondering why we were angry, and I realized the identity of the incongruity.

“You… what did you do to Carsilla!”
“I am Carsilla?”

Her puzzled expression was nothing but feigned. She’s not Carsilla. No, she’s just Carsilla’s memories.

“Bring Carsilla back. Not a fake like you, but the real Carsilla.”
“I am Carsilla, you know? I remember everything. I remember everything. Papa. Um… Diana. Red-haired unni.”

What she was saying, pointing with her fingers one by one, was clearly true… But that doesn’t mean a lie can become the truth. Something important is missing from her.

“All you have is memories. You only have knowledge, but how can you be Carsilla when the important things within are missing? You don’t have a heart. Isn’t that right, fake?”
“…I’m not fake. I have memories. I am Carsilla.”

She’s a mass of memories. I don’t know how she did it, but she only inherited Carsilla’s memories, and her emotions are empty. I don’t know how this will change when the awakening is complete… but at least now, the fake in front of me was just a storage medium for information.

“No. What’s more important than memories is the content within them. Memories, heart, emotions… whatever you call it. You only have memories, but you don’t have the emotions contained within those memories. So, give it back. Give me back Carsilla.”

Her indifferent face twisted horribly. I could feel the intense flow of emotions from her black eyes, tinged with a purple glow, which had been calmly subdued.

She was furious.

“No. No, no, no! I am Carsilla! I am Carsilla!”

The light particles gathering at the tips of her horns instantly grew huge and shot towards me. I pulled up my divine power and blocked it, but that short collision was enough to realize that I had no chance of winning in a one-on-one fight against the fake Carsilla.

She’s strong. Even though she’s still in the middle of awakening, she had the power of a mid-to-late game final boss.
Taking advantage of the moment when my attack was blocked, Sandra’s fireball shook the purple barrier that was blocking the fake Carsilla’s front, and Irian and Cha Hyewon followed behind.

“Oh my, where do you think you’re going… Ouch!”
“I’ll take care of you.”
“A saintess? It must be hard to maintain the sanctuary, are you pushing yourself too hard?”
“I don’t think it’s bad to push myself a little when facing you. …You sly vixen.”

Diana, who had to maintain the high-rank skill of sanctuary declaration, and therefore had difficulty using other skills, decided to engage in close combat and rushed at Lillith.

Lillith, who hadn’t expected the saintess to suddenly rush at her with punches, was startled and tried to slip behind Carsilla again, but this time, Cha Hyewon’s crescent-shaped sword strike blocked her path.

“Eek! I, I almost got hit! How dare you even scratch this beautiful body of Lillith… Ah! That’s, that’s cowardly!”
“You noisy wench. I won’t forgive you for using that cunning tongue on Yurian…”
“Ah, I see. So, you like Yurian? Ahaha, what should I do? I’m already—”
“Die!!”
“Kyaaak!!”