Translator: Marctempest
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
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Chapter 88: In the Name of the God
─Quellière had vanished.
The companions, who were bewildered, soon understood the situation and set out to search for her.
As they scurried in every direction, daylight arrived, but she was nowhere to be seen.
An unprecedented crisis.
They returned to their campsite and gathered their thoughts.
“It must be the work of the Calamity,” Mishra said.
It was a reasonable deduction.
It was unthinkable that Quellière simply disappeared, and if it was someone’s plot, the only suspect could be the Calamity.
Nell’s testimony that she had seen ‘the Darkness’ just before Quellière vanished added credibility to their conclusion.
“Then, does that mean Quellière is…?”
“She’s most likely in the depths,” Dewade and Chandrafail nodded, and a sense of agreement swept over the group. The theory that the Calamity had taken Quellière was turning into certainty.
The atmosphere grew heavy, and everyone’s faces darkened.
Whoosh…
As a dry, parched wind passed by the area, Nell suddenly lifted her head.
“Wait, wait just a second!” she exclaimed.
“Why?”
“Then… if that’s the case, are you saying Quellière was dragged away?!”
“Most likely.”
“That doesn’t make sense! That theory is strange!”
There was a strong rebuttal, as if she couldn’t accept it.
Chandrafail asked, “Why doesn’t it make sense?”
“Think about what Quellière is! There’s no way she’d just give in!”
Her words, without a shred of doubt, attracted attention.
It was a valid point.
If Quellière herself had heard it, she might have been horrified, but for everyone else, it was sound logic.
Everyone knew that fact.
“That’s not possible.”
“You know well! So this means—”
“Then Nell Sartilla, explain it yourself.”
“…What?”
“Why hasn’t that strong Quellière been seen? Where did she go?”
But Quellière was gone, and that was the only truth.
The contradiction pierced the heart of the matter.
Nell’s face twisted in confusion.
“That’s…”
“True. Your words are correct,” Dewade said, deep in thought.
Nell spun around to face him.
“But you’ve missed the point. Change your argument,” he continued.
“Change it? To what?”
“Instead of thinking about how the Calamity took her, think from her perspective.”
At that moment, a flash of insight struck her, and her eyes widened.
Dewade stared at her intently and gave her the answer.
“It wasn’t that she was dragged away. Quellière followed willingly.”
His words were a reflection of everyone’s certainty.
Nell’s mouth hung open.
“…!”
The realization brought forth astonishment.
She had figured it out, but even though she understood, she forced herself to question.
“That can’t be! That can’t be true! That she followed willingly… Why—?”
“Because she’s the master. No, because she is Quellière.”
Mishra interrupted her desperate denial.
Her voice, unable to protect her master, sounded as if it were sinking into a swamp.
“There are no traces nearby. No matter how powerful the Calamity is, it’s impossible to drag Quellière so easily. So there’s only one possibility.”
“Only one…?”
“She followed of her own accord. That’s the only explanation.”
“…But!”
Nell didn’t give up.
She squeezed out the words as if trying to force them into existence.
“That’s… strange! She followed on her own? But why? There’s no reason… No reason…”
But she knew it herself.
She knew, so her denial began to lose strength.
Mishra smiled faintly.
“Quellière is a high-dimensional being. She doesn’t need to borrow anyone’s power, nor would she ever. She’s also incredibly kind.”
The Dragon Lord looked rare in her sadness.
Her calm voice contrasted sharply with her expression.
“That’s why she must have chosen to fight alone. Perhaps it was because she saw the death of humans in the landfill maze. She stepped forward alone so others wouldn’t be hurt. Because she is so compassionate.”
“…”
A hollow wind circled once again.
Nell’s head drooped low.
“She’s too kind… She was kind to me, even though I’m just a girl…”
Finally, Paile added, and the group fell silent.
A heavy stillness pressed down on the room.
Everyone was cautious, fearing they might tarnish that heart, that goodwill, or that resolve.
“······.”
A silence that felt eternal.
Each person’s thoughts swirled chaotically in their minds.
Then, at some point, Nell raised her fist.
Swoosh─
A small, dainty fist.
The moment everyone’s attention focused there.
Bang!
The ground caved in deeply.
A fierce power that didn’t match her size.
She shouted.
“I was stupid!”
A near-agonized cry.
Nell, on the verge of tears, gritted her teeth and swallowed her frustration.
“Stupidly letting my guard down! I knew the calamity was still alive······!”
“Um, Nell, sis-”
“It’s my fault! It’s my fault······ No, wait. This isn’t the time for this.”
She raised her head.
“I can’t leave everything to Quellière.”
That wasn’t why they had followed her.
Now that they understood her resolve to sacrifice herself, they couldn’t allow it even more.
What was she planning to say? All eyes focused on her.
“We have to go, too. To the depths of the landfill where Quellière and the calamity are.”
“Wh-what? But she went alone. If we follow, wouldn’t that go against her wishes?”
“That’s fine. She made one mistake.”
Despite Paile’s concern, Nell smiled.
A grin—a still awkward one.
What she said next was almost laughable.
“If she wanted to handle it alone, she should’ve told us not to follow her. Don’t you think?”
“······!”
It was a stretch.
But it was also true.
At least, it served as a good enough excuse.
“Hey, lizard.”
When everyone’s gaze sharpened, she called out to Mishra.
Mishra nodded her head.
“I know. To get there quickly, you’ll need my power.”
“Sorry to trouble you. You’re probably the fastest among us.”
Though Mishra disliked having people ride on her back, she didn’t object this time.
Neither she nor anyone else raised any objections. They couldn’t leave Quellière alone like this.
Everyone shared that sentiment.
“But I do worry a little. Quellière once mentioned that even the air around the landfill is dangerous.”
“Even so, we have no choice. This isn’t the time to be picky about methods.”
“That’s true.”
Once they reached an agreement, they climbed onto the Dragon Lord’s back, and she soared into the sky.
At some point, Quellière had become someone precious to all of them.
Precious enough for them to willingly jump into battle to save her.
Their burning determination seemed to guide them.
······Though if Quellière had seen it, she might have clutched her head in disbelief.
*
Mahabharata turned into me.
This wasn’t a lie or a joke.
It was literally me.
Not the character I created, Quellière, but the “real me” who had lived on Earth.
Confusion engulfed my mind.
“······How did you get that face?”
There was no way he could’ve known.
Peering into the original world? As far as I knew, the calamity didn’t possess such abilities.
Snowflakes whirled in the darkness.
Unaware of my turmoil, Mahabharata sneered in the midst of it.
“Oh, you’re surprised. I guess it wasn’t a bad choice after all.”
A grating, chuckling voice.
I frowned and asked.
“That.”
“Hmm?”
“Where did you get it? No, where did you see it?”
“Oh~······ This?”
Despite my serious question, he remained endlessly playful.
Was he acting in a play? The moment he took my form, his demeanor completely changed.
He spoke amidst the falling snow.
“Where did I see it, indeed?”
He had a talent for getting under my skin.
My frown deepened.
“Speak. Mahabharata.”
“Hmm······. Ah~ Ah-ha! I remember. But, Goddess Quellière, you shouldn’t be asking me that.”
“······?”
What nonsense was he spouting?
The calamity twisted my face and spat out words.
“Where did you see it? It’s in your head.”
“What do you mean—”
“My death in countless worlds… no, ‘possibilities,’ I guess? Anyway. This thing I was looking into— ‘the nameless god’ that I looked into. Does that explain it?”
I blinked my eyes.
For a moment, I couldn’t understand.
No, I just couldn’t understand it at all.
“What… are you even talking about?”
What had he seen for him to say that my face was the “face of a god”?
Even amidst this, his words continued.
“A being who observes countless worlds… it must be a god. There can be no other being. I don’t know who though.”
“…”
“Could it be Quellière? They have such an ordinary face for a god, though. I suspect it’s a high-ranking god, like a ‘supreme god.'”
“…”
This calamity.
Could he at least speak clearly?
Even as I screamed inside, he sneered.
“You’re too much. I took the form of a god to ‘meet you face to face as equals,’ yet you’re staying silent.”
The way he shook his head was no different from a human.
He glared at me with unfocused eyes.
“Then, let me think. Who could it be? The summer’s supreme god, Mane? Or maybe the autumn’s supreme god, Hypnos?”
“You’re way off the mark.”
“What? Off the mark? Hahahaha!”
Mahabharata laughed.
He threw his head back as he let out an exaggerated, mad laugh.
“Oh, goddess! Don’t try to deceive me. I’ve already figured out all your plans.”
“Plans?”
“Yes. The wicked schemes you and your allies have been hatching.”
I glared at him with questions in my mind.
The face of the calamity was twisted in obvious anger.
“You’ve used every trick in the book to try and kill me! Were you that scared of me?”
“…?”
“Where are the other gods? Have they returned already? Or are they waiting for the right moment?”
“??”
As time passed, my head tilted further.
I couldn’t follow the conversation.
The calamity, who had been babbling like a madman, finally raised his head in anger.
“Or maybe, will you bring me down by killing yourself?”
It was like spontaneous combustion.
He lost control and rushed at me.
Kugugugu—!
At any rate, I had to fight.
I quickly grabbed the calamity’s apocalypse and shouted.
“You madman!”
Even as a human, the calamity was still the calamity.
I reined in my anger and extended my hand.
Between my fingers, the Ring of Origins gleamed brightly.
A holy artifact on the anvil.
Divine material atop it.
I hadn’t used it much, but it had proven very useful.
It was a precious item.
Gooooooo──!
The moment it was within reach, the ring oxidized and the pages of the apocalypse burned up.
Then,
─────!
A flash exploded.
Thunderous light spread like the aurora, instantly driving away the darkness.
In the now brightly lit world, the calamity twisted his body as he screamed.
【Kreeek! Khaaaak!】
Before long, his form had returned to the original black aura.
He must not have had the conditions to maintain his disguise.
【Khaaaak!】
However, unfortunately, I realized something.
Mahabharata thrashed in agony, but there was no sign of him dissolving.
I couldn’t even kill him with divine material.
“… Damn.”
I clicked my tongue and turned away.
I had to avoid him for now.
If he regained his senses, he’d try to kill me first.
I hurriedly transformed into mist and dashed off in the opposite direction.
*
Above the landfill.
The wings of the Dragon Lord cut through the sky, and the passing wind was hot.
It was an astonishing speed, and the flight was smooth.
More precisely, only the speed was.
After taking off, Mishra and the others soon understood Quellière’s intentions.
Screech-!
A swarm of gargoyles swooped down.
Though not weak monsters, they swarmed like a horde of mosquitoes.
“Oh no, oh no! Monsters! There are monsters!”
Following the girl’s scream, enraged monsters pursued her.
Not just gargoyles, but also smaller bat-like demons called “Kaim,” raptors known as “Ademo,” and all kinds of flying beasts appeared.
“This is bad. Black Knight, can you use your smiting skills?”
“Of course. I’ll cover the left side.”
Clang, clang, clang-!
The monsters couldn’t penetrate their defenses.
They maneuvered around the creatures and pressed onward.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Suddenly, a fierce gale erupted.
Whoosh──!
[What is this?! Gah······!]
An unexpected freak storm.
It was powerful enough to make Mishra waver, though her quick thinking prevented them from crashing.
Crack, crack─!
The hindrances continued relentlessly.
Resentment condensed into hailstones that rained down, poison geysers erupted from the ground, and it felt as if the magical domain itself had a will and was attacking them.
This was no ordeal meant for humans to pass through. Yet they pushed forward, breaking through like iron-willed warriors.
“Quellière! Where is Quellière?!”
“We’re coming! Please hold on just a little longer!”
Their actions were more monstrous than the creatures they fought.
As they repeated their efforts, the destination drew closer and closer.
······And so, after some time.
They arrived at the depths of the landfill.
Despite all the trials, they scoured the ground like predators without even a single heavy breath.
That was when they spotted it.
A writhing, black mass of condensed resentment.
“──!”
The source of all evil and the very being tormenting Quellière. Perhaps because they had come so far without rest.
All at once, their composure snapped.
“That, that damn bastard!”
“Get us down! I’ll personally cut off that vile calamity’s head!”
Mishra dove sharply, and her enraged companions leaped into the fray.
*
······Meanwhile, elsewhere in the magical domain.
As Mishra flew ahead.
“That’s······!”
The allied forces also witnessed the Dragon Lord in flight.
Royal Guards reported to the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness! A dragon has appeared!”
“It seems to be one of Quellière’s confidants!”
Artan half-listened to their words.
He simply stared at the sky.
Though it was well-known that the white dragon was Quellière’s ally, something felt off.
The Dragon Lord’s flight seemed frantic.
“······It looks urgent, doesn’t it?”
“You feel the same, Your Highness?”
He turned at the sudden voice.
Sir Harold, the Swordmaster, stood with a grim expression.
“Ah, Sir Harold?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Furthermore, that’s not the only unusual thing.”
“There’s something else?”
“Quellière is nowhere to be seen.”
“······!”
The shocking statement spilled out bluntly.
Artan, startled, looked back up at the sky.
“······You’re right. Quellière.”
She wasn’t there.
Only she was missing.
A creeping sense of foreboding began to rise.
“Sir Harold. This is─”
“Yes. It seems we must hurry.”
It was clear that something extraordinary was happening.
Artan nodded, and a resounding horn echoed throughout the battlefield.
Hoooooo─!
The Imperial Army and the Church Army behind them.
The allied forces increased their pace and marched toward the depths.
The unfinished final battle.
Its end was approaching.