Chapter 93
Episode 93 - Evolution, Not Corruption (1)
"..."
Since childhood, she had admired wizards. Magic was the very foundation they had developed.
Magic was a miraculous power that twisted the laws of nature. At the same time, it was a force of justice that made humans more perfect.
As anyone in this world would wish, she worked hard, gained recognition for her talent, and learned magic.
While learning magic, she came to know how the former mages had fought valiantly in their homeland and strived to save people.
Thus, she was immensely proud—proud to be a mage and proud to be their descendant.
However, the reality she gradually faced was a bit different. The elders who had once endured those fierce battlefields invested their sharp combat senses into politics upon arriving in a safer world.
The newly emerging younger generation inherently carried arrogance because, in this land where the Destruction Fungus had been driven out, there was no one left to 'compete' with them.
In this peaceful and prosperous new world, where there were no rivals to fiercely compete for survival, the mages, who monopolized all power, were simultaneously developing and progressing, yet slowly stagnating and decaying.
They believed they were moving on the right path and that the world was advancing, but that was not the reality.
"Reina of Blakel... No, now that you've been expelled, you're just a mere criminal. Under the newly revised Academic Mage Corruption Special Law, you will be executed as an example."
The door to the torture chamber, still reeking of a sizzling smell, opened, and an investigator, appearing blurry and upside down, held a document and recited her charges while she hung upside down. Naturally, it was a verdict fabricated with coerced confessions and false evidence.
Her parched lips, too weak to speak anymore, made no sound.
In the end, she quietly closed her eyes.
No matter how much she resisted, she couldn't even leave a scratch on the wall of reality. Instead, only she suffered.
She, who had proudly raised her voice and acted for the noble cause of magic and righteous justice, was trampled like this.
'I am...'
However, her spirit had not yet collapsed.
Once a mage who admired and took pride in humanity, which had boldly stood against magic and the successors of the Dragonkins, Reina now harbored only emptiness, disappointment, and hatred in her heart.
Even as her body, hanging upside down, was finally released and dragged to the guillotine, it was the same.
If her vocal cords hadn't been torn from screaming and if she had the strength, she would have cursed them all.
All she could do now was emit her hatred through her gaze. Having lost all trust in the society and mages she had once believed in, she was already half out of her mind.
"But Investigator, even if she's been expelled, she's still an Academic Mage. Isn't it too much to publicly execute her with petty criminals?"
"I don't know. It's the higher-ups' orders."
They dragged Reina out of the investigation headquarters and to a place where criminals were publicly executed or punished.
Reina saw the guillotine. Beneath it lay rolling heads and bodies being disposed of.
Public executions like this were originally reserved for heinous criminals such as murderers or rapists. For someone like her to be executed here, namelessly and in a quick decisive manner, was abnormal.
"Ugh."
The body of an unknown man was cleared away, and her broken, scorched, and battered body was placed directly onto the guillotine. Her eyes weren't even covered.
'Why...'
What would likely be her last sight was the faces of people jeering and mocking her.
They didn't know who she was or what wrong she had committed.
They didn't realize that the message she had genuinely tried to convey was meant to save their lives.
"Execute her!"
At the moment the order was given, a single tear fell from her eyes, which she thought had dried up.
"Ah."
Then, in that moment, amidst the crowd, she saw a pair of red eyes staring directly at her. At the sight of those eyes, she involuntarily sighed.
The face of the woman with the shining red eyes was swiftly covered by a black mask.
*
"Why on earth?"
When Eve returned after a brief meeting with Shin Woo.
She tilted her head in confusion.
The reason was the humans' attitude. Since she had invested all her remaining forces into Shin Woo, Eve had prepared for the possibility of the humans regrouping and attacking the nest.
She had even drafted dozens of defensive plans, such as collapsing the ground.
But the humans didn't move at all.
"There's no movement from them. They must be plotting something."
"...Do you really think so?"
Even as Eve simulated tens of thousands of hypotheses simultaneously, she couldn't grasp the situation.
However, Kang Do-Yeon, who was beside her, smirked.
She knew humans better than Eve did.
While Eve had analyzed and understood humans, it was impossible to truly know such a complex species with intricate forms and cultures just through study.
"I think they just haven't decided yet. Maybe it's due to conflicting opinions or a lack of information."
"That's a ridiculous opinion. They have advanced social organizations and governance systems and sufficient skills to utilize them. If they lack information, they should prioritize gathering it in some way. Even the Moonlight Fairies, who lived in those poor caves, managed that much."
"The only groups capable of immediately producing such rational, systematic, and calculated results are us—or robots."
Kang Do-Yeon scoffed. Eve, despite looking down on and dismissing humans as primitive and inefficient, actually held them in the highest regard.
"...Did they really do nothing?"
Eve's voice hardened.
It was a voice tinged with deep anger. Of course, obtaining the Gate and killing humans to extract related technologies would be good.
But at the same time, she was greatly disappointed by the pathetic appearance of those who were supposed to be her rivals and adversaries, providing her with the materials and trials necessary for her growth.
"Useless trash."
"But we still don't know if there's some reason behind it."
"I hope there is."
Eve, rising from the throne, began calculating again. Kang Do-Yeon stood silently, watching her.
"It seems to be due to a lack of information. Something must be happening. Perhaps it's related to the unit or player we observed last time. If they've noticed our identity, there must be some movement."
Eve quickly made a decision. It was true that information was lacking. They had been cautious with their movements, so they hadn't sent scouts deep inland, near places like the Main Sanctuary Menas.
The information obtained by eavesdropping on the frontier or interrogating prisoners had time lags and limitations.
"So, should we send scouts deeper in?"
"We should. And this time, we'll attempt a rather special reconnaissance."
For a moment, Eve's eyes gleamed. Kang Do-Yeon flinched, sensing her intent.
"There's someone here who knows humans better than anyone else and can perfectly disguise themselves for high-level reconnaissance."
"I'm completely different from those people! I'm just a foreigner—or rather, an otherworlder!"
"What does that matter? You're the same human species, and your appearance is identical. Just sneak in and listen to their conversations."
Flustered by Eve's pointing finger, Kang Do-Yeon waved her hands frantically, but Eve had already made her calculations.
She truly intended to infiltrate Kang Do-Yeon into the center of the enemy camp, the Continental Capital Menas.
"Go and observe meticulously. See if humans are really that foolish and frustrating. I don't think so. Humans have their own strengths, just as I have mine. I would never underestimate that."
The Hive Mind's will was resolute. Kang Do-Yeon ultimately had no choice but to comply with the order.
After all, she herself knew that Eve's plan was rational.
"...What will you do if they disappoint you?"
Preparing to depart, Kang Do-Yeon spread her wings and casually asked. Eve, gazing blankly at the sky, smiled faintly.
Then, raising her arm, she pointed in all directions.
"The minimum expansion I initially calculated is nearing completion. Moreover, there are countless gains from there. I'll crush, break, and devour everything in one fell swoop."
The Legion's Nest had never stopped and continued to engulf the surrounding area.
The expansion, which had faced no proper interference, was already nearing its end. Once the target was reached, the endless surge of large-scale troops could clear away all obstacles.
Eve's plan was to clean this world thoroughly and then slowly, perfectly devour it all.
"...I'll be back."
Imagining that spectacle in her mind, Kang Do-Yeon cast aside her doubts, soared into the sky, and swiftly crossed the air.
Meanwhile, as Reina's party was captured and taken to Menas for interrogation.
Kang Do-Yeon took advantage of the night to land in the nearby forest of Menas, attempting to disguise herself by transforming her body.
When she emerged from the forest again, she was no longer the grotesque figure clad in black wings and a grotesque carapace but a woman wearing the modest clothing typical of women in this area.