305 – Approaching Stage -7-

The beginning of anything is always difficult.

Changing the young lady’s diaper while blindfolded, fighting alongside the young lady in a brawl.

The first time is always hard, but after the challenge, you can shake off the burden and handle the task quite skillfully.

-Screeech! Ricardo! Step on it!

-I already did.

-Oh…! Well done!

“…”

A rainy street.

I was walking through an abandoned village with a black umbrella.

A swing creaking in the wind. A flower bed overgrown with weeds, as if untouched by human hands for a long time.

It seemed abandoned. Like a refuge.

It was surprising that there was a village here, as it was in the opposite direction of the capital.

This place was frequently attacked by monsters.

Judging by the thick scent of magic, it seemed like mental magic had been used. A wide-range spell to lure someone in.

I followed a small footprint that led from the village entrance. The rain had almost washed away the trace, but it wasn’t a problem.

“…Ominous.”

‘In this wide village, there’s only one footprint…’

“Not easy…”

As I entered the middle of the village, other footprints began to appear.

“A couple, perhaps.”

The couple’s footprints disappeared shortly after. It was hard to track them as they were covered in mud. As if they had been deliberately erased.

With a bitter smile, I continued to follow the footprints. They seemed strangely familiar.

The footprints led to an inn covered in moss. It seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.

“…”

Weeds grew sporadically among the gravel on the ground, and the windows were all faded, making it look like a haunted house… But why did the footprints stop here?

—

—

I let out a hollow laugh as I opened the door of the abandoned inn.

And then.

“…!”

I met a stranger for the first time.

The man in front of me, upon seeing me, immediately drew a dagger from his waist. Judging by his appearance, wearing a brown leather hat, he looked like a coachman.

-Thud…

Why does he look so surprised?

Shaking off the water from my umbrella, I shrugged my shoulders, making a ‘click’ sound with my heels.

I could roughly guess what had happened.

The gold nugget that fell from the man’s hand.

The familiar sword given as a gift to some woman.

And the familiar woman’s purse.

“…Hmm.”

I felt like I might get a little angry.

I came because I sensed a strange magic from the mansion, and it seems they were up to something interesting.

-Gugugugu…

Just a little.

I felt like I might get a little angry.

I took a step closer to the coachman in front of me and greeted him.

“Hello.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Ricardo.”

The man with the dagger flinched at my sharp gaze, then quickly picked up the gold nugget that had fallen to the floor and said gruffly.

“Get out.”

“…”

“This is my house, so get out quickly.”

“…Hmm.”

I looked at the man’s wandering hand. The way he clutched the gold nugget tightly, like holding a child, made me feel disgusted.

Money is good, but…

“Excuse me, sir…”

—

—

Why do I feel so filthy?

“Let me ask you one thing.”

I took a step towards the man and spoke in a somewhat heavy voice.

“A woman with silver hair down to her shoulders. Have you seen her?”

“…”

-Thump.

I closed my eyes tightly at the small gesture of the man flinching his shoulders.

“Sigh…”

I can see it.

The affinity window above the man’s head was proving that he knew the person I was looking for.

With a sigh, the man flinched his shoulders and spoke with trembling eyes like a thief caught in the act.

“I did nothing wrong.”

“…”

“I was just following orders…”

The man holding the dagger was pouring out words as if making excuses with trembling eyes. If he was going to make excuses, he should put away the dagger. I nodded at the man’s words, who was making excuses while carrying a slightly longer sword.

“I see.”

“Yes…! So I don’t know anything!”

“Relax.”

“…Wait a moment.”

“Take a deep breath and speak slowly.”

-Screech.

The man started to chuckle as he looked at the closed door.

“Wait a moment… Are you alone?”

As soon as we were left alone in the wide inn, the man stretched as if he could finally breathe and put on an arrogant expression.

Hiding his previous timid appearance.

“If you were alone, you should have said so. I was scared thinking you were with the imperial army.”

The man straightened his bent back and spoke to me in a confident voice.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Hey. You should answer when an adult calls you, damn it.”

—

—

“…Ah, you called for me.”

“Yes, you.”

The man waved a dagger and pointed it at my chest.

“Hey. I’m in a good mood today. I don’t know why you’re here, but just go on your way.”

“Why are you in a good mood?”

“Because I made a lot of money….”

“Is that why you’re in a good mood?”

“Ha… This is funny. Yes, that’s right. I sold her and made money, so I’m in a good mood. Why? Want to get stabbed?”

I looked at the pink wallet sticking out of the man’s bag and asked again.

“I see.”

“Just go while I’m letting you off easy. I don’t want to get my hands bloody.”

“Then….”

-Rumble…

“You’d be happy even if you went blind.”

The man’s eyes began to tremble at the vibration of the shaking floor. The shaking dishes. The plates falling to the floor with the vibration started to ring out with a ‘clang’ sound.

“What… What is this!”

The man shook his head violently and took a deep breath. Then, in a low voice, he muttered, “Ah, damn it, if I say I’ll let you off easy, just…!” and started running towards me.

“Get lost…!”

I wasn’t in a good mood.

“…”

To the point where I forgot moderation.

-Slash.

I wasn’t in a good mood.

*

Mikhail, who had lost consciousness, opened his eyes in a dark room.

A small candle.

A room full of humidity.

It was dark all around.

“Ugh…”

A severe pain was surging through Mikhail’s head, and the blood flowing from his forehead was stinging his cheeks and soaking the floor.

—

—

“…Damn it!”

Mikhail gritted his teeth as he thought about the battle that had just taken place.

-Kill them.

-…Get rid of those people.

-Why? I can kill, but these people can’t?

-…!

-It’s okay to kill them. They’re just empty-headed puppets anyway. There might be some good people among them… but what can you do? They won’t remember.

-You b*stard…!

Mikhail couldn’t easily quell his anger over the battle he lost without even fighting properly. If only he had given it his all, he might have avoided the worst outcome.

“Cowardly b*stard…”

As Mikhail’s muttered words spread through the dark space, the archbishop’s voice echoed from the corner of the room in response.

“There’s no such thing as cowardice in a fight, kid.”

A black figure appeared before his eyes.

The shape of a tall, large man.

Relying on a small candle, Jung approached Mikhail, placed a tray on the table, and sat across from him.

Dry bread and milk.

A meager meal.

Jung picked up the bread and spoke to Mikhail.

“If you want to eat, go ahead. You must be hungry after getting so angry.”

Jung chuckled softly as he looked at Mikhail, whose hands were tied.

“Oh, do I have to feed you?”

“Shut up. I’m not eating.”

Jung shrugged as he looked into Mikhail’s bloodshot eyes.

“Are you upset?”

“…”

“Are you upset that you got caught without even fighting properly?”

“…If it weren’t for those people, you would have been dead long ago.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.”

Jung laughed heartily and dipped the bread in the milk.

“You should have killed me. How boring…”

—

—

“b*stard…!”

Yung spat out a sneer towards Mikhail.

“Kid, this time there won’t be any interrupters.”

“…Interrupters?”

“Yeah… Wasn’t his name Ricardo?”

-Clang!

As the word “Ricardo” came out of Yung’s mouth, Mikhail’s chair rattled as he glared.

“Don’t say that with your filthy mouth.”

“Oh. So this is your weak spot…. If I had known it would be this fun, I should have come to you from the start.”

“Shut up…!”

Yung pulled his chair closer to Mikhail.

“You want to see that friend, don’t you…?”

At Yung’s words, whispered like the devil’s, Mikhail’s eyes trembled as he looked at Yung’s single eye.

“I want to see him too.”

“…”

“My hand. My eye. That b*stard took everything. I couldn’t take anything.”

“…Madman.”

“I need to take something from that b*stard to feel satisfied.”

Yung grabbed Mikhail’s cheek roughly and burst into laughter.

“But kid.”

“…”

“Aren’t you curious too?”

“About what…?”

Yung looked at Mikhail’s trembling eyes and smiled cruelly.

“Aren’t you curious if that b*stard remembers you?”

“What…?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“…”

“You know, kid.”

Yung put a piece of bread soaked in milk into his mouth and whispered a truth into Mikhail’s ear.

—

—

“I never cast a spell on him.”

“What did you just… say?”

“I didn’t cast the spell of oblivion. On your friend.”

Mikhail’s face began to crack.

“Huh…?”

*

-Click.

“Is it here?”

Covered in blood, I descended into the dark basement, looking around.

Who would have thought to build a basement like this in the mountains? I nodded slightly at the meticulousness of the Archbishop of Oblivion’s eccentricity.

“Must be really bored.”

I think I wandered more because it wasn’t mentioned in the novel. If it had appeared even once, I could have found it without interrogation.

-Click.

I took too much time.

“Hope it’s not too late.”

Considering the nature of the Archbishop of Oblivion, he would never be the type to kill Mikhail. He was a pervert who enjoyed voyeurism.

He would either watch someone wander around losing their memory or play with them, which he loved more than anything in the world. I was sure he wouldn’t give up on an interesting play.

I slowly descended into the deep basement.

And then.

‘…’

I could see Jung’s masterpiece.

“Misa?”