Chapter 90: Descent
It was the 35th day since Black Wolf began monitoring Dogeon.
byeolbi had personally ordered, "Do not interfere unless my daughter’s life is in danger." However, Black Wolf considered his actions to be a form of “protection” rather than interference, and thus, he diligently roamed the shadows of the academy as per Hoyeon’s instructions.
Yet, a few questions lingered in his mind. Why was she so fixated on such a nobody, ignoring all the other remarkable individuals around her?
In terms of individual strength or the size of any group he could mobilize, Dogeon was at best mediocre. So why was the daughter of a monster paying attention to someone like him?
She, who was born between something near-omnipotent from beyond the stars and a man who could rightly be called the favored martial god of that being.
'…No, perhaps that’s precisely why it’s incomprehensible.'
How could one hope to understand something outside the bounds of logic and reason? To him, Hoyeon was just such an existence. Though she was cute, beautiful, and harmless, her very nature was fundamentally different.
Having watched over her since she was an infant, he thought this even more so. Before the age of five, she had been so alien that he had considered her a smaller version of byeolbi.
She didn’t cry, didn’t laugh, didn’t even whimper. Her inorganic reactions were so unlike those of a normal child that even he, who had been through countless battles, had felt a chill.
Sometimes, she would suddenly vanish from right in front of him, only to appear perched above his head. How she did it, he had no idea.
It wasn’t until she turned five, after byeolbi performed some mysterious act on her, that Hoyeon became the person he knew today. Still, he hadn’t forgotten the being she used to be—something that felt more like a creature than a child.
Black Wolf shook off his stray thoughts and refocused on his surveillance. After all, he knew better than anyone what happened to those who tried to understand such things.
'…Still, what is that boy’s deal?'
The story about Dogeon’s parents was clearly a lie.
In the East, humans were either preserved as exhibits in a corner of a zoo or kept alive only in byeolbi’s private domain. Even if someone miraculously escaped and byeolbi tolerated it, there were no ships heading west that they could hitch a ride on.
Thus, he had assumed Dogeon to be the child of a merchant who had visited the East, but even that wasn’t certain.
The boy didn’t meet with anyone other than fellow academy students, and any background checks turned up nothing, as if he had been hastily fabricated out of thin air.
“…Sigh. Why is Her Highness so smitten with someone like him?”
Knowing that thinking about it further would only be detrimental to himself, Black Wolf decided to let his imagination run wild instead.
***
Fidgeting with the green orb in my pocket, I tried to pass the time.
Preparing problems suited to Anya’s sieve-like brain while also creating assignments for the Church folks, who worked just fine without me, had been a headache. Still, I managed to finish it all within an hour.
I’d even written out the material for today’s lesson with Dogeon the moment the session ended… leaving me with nothing to do.
This was how most days went. Whenever I showed my face, Dogeon would stiffen his tail like a wary cat, but after spending about an hour together, that would be the end of it.
I had even stolen a few of his unworn clothes from his room just to sniff them. But doing so only reminded me of his absence.
I’d read so many books in the library’s literature section that it was faster to count the ones I hadn’t read. I didn’t feel like going back there.
Besides, after making such grand declarations to my mother about why I had to go west, it felt too pathetic to just hole up inside reading books all the time.
Since I felt like wandering around the academy today—maybe even finding places to visit with Dogeon later—I decided to prepare myself for getting lost and just explore.
…If only those Church people weren’t tailing me, it would’ve been perfect.
Lately, they didn’t even bother trying to hide their presence. Gold Sun was like that from the beginning, but…
What did I ever do to that elf to deserve being followed?
…Well, there was that one thing, but I fixed it and returned it to him, didn’t I? No harm done.
Seriously, why were they following me? I couldn’t understand it. Isn’t it enough that it ended well? Why cling so obsessively to the process?
Ugh. I hate this. Getting marked by such a gloomy person… What rotten luck.
“…Cecilia, are you sure the concealment barrier is working?”
“Don’t worry. It’s a special one, combining spirit magic and my own knowledge. It even muffles sounds…”
I could see and hear everything, though. Not that I felt like pointing it out. She sounded so confident and self-assured—it felt cruel to burst her bubble.
Besides, I couldn’t help but think, Isn’t this how the townsfolk must’ve felt watching the Emperor in “The Emperor’s New Clothes”? It was kind of funny.
Since I wasn’t planning anything particularly important, having them tag along as travel companions didn’t seem too bad.
…Just not as companions for my journey to the afterlife. That phrasing came out weird.
“…Sigh. Dogeon’s probably rolling around with some other girl again…”
He seemed especially determined to win over Camilla these days. But was it really okay to keep pursuing someone who had already told him to get lost, both physically and verbally?
No matter how charming or magnetic his personality might be, that only worked on people who hadn’t put up their A.T. Fields.
If someone was rejecting him outright, it was a waste of time at best.
It reminded me of the MT trip. I pushed away people who came to me and waved goodbye to those who left. Dealing with people was just exhausting.
These days, if someone asked for help, I’d probably offer it, but thinking about it now, I realized I wasn’t quite the same person I used to be.
Well, my gender and even my species had changed—how could my mind remain the same?
Lost in these trivial thoughts, I wandered the academy with my two ridiculous companions until, as expected, I got completely lost.
Where… am I?
The surrounding colors seemed to shift from green to gold. The ground was covered in fallen leaves, as if this place alone was trapped in autumn.
It was a strange area.
Then again, if there was nothing I could do about it, there was no point in worrying. I’d just let the Church people lead me out later. For now, I decided to enjoy this lonely autumn path.
“…Cecilia… Something just… shifted. Did you feel it?”
“Yes… Dimensional flux detected… up ahead…”
Their voices were distorted with static, but I could still make out their words. They seemed intrigued.
Dimensional flux? That sounded ominous, but surely they were mistaken.
If it were real, I’d have sensed it first.
Still, the crisp air that brushed past me suggested something was up ahead.
The presence of divinity in the air ruled out the World Tree. So, was it something created from the remains of a god?
There were records of demon bodies being used for various purposes, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.
I just hoped it wasn’t something grotesque like Anima’s severed head.
That would be too tragic.
But what appeared before me was far more shocking.
“…Stefania?”
It was undoubtedly Stefania.
I called her “that” because there was no way she could still be alive in her current state.
Her arm and leg were both missing on one side, and there was a massive hole in her abdomen.
Not to mention the gaping wound on her head, which looked like it had nearly been split in two. There was no way someone in that condition could be alive.
“…Hooh. Can’t recognize me, child?”
But for some reason, the corpse before me addressed me in an oddly familiar way. Someone who would call me like that…
…No way. It couldn’t be. There’s no way.
I hastily read the flow of magic. The sealed god deep within the earth’s ley lines… and a single strand of energy connecting to that place…
“This is disappointing. I was sure you would recognize me immediately. Or perhaps the fault lies with my crude methods. Hahaha, who can say!”
…Sil.
What stood before me wasn’t Stefania. It was a god, using Stefania’s remains as a shell.
My god.
No, wait. Not remains. As faint as it was, she was still alive.
Barely. Like someone whose life would end the moment a switch was flipped off. But alive, nonetheless.
“…Miss Hoyeon! Step back!”
Even the Church people, who had been watching from their concealed position, could no longer stay idle. They threw off their concealment barrier and rushed toward me.
“Oh my, I didn’t realize there were meddlers around. Truly, human senses are so incomplete.”
The god… They actually seemed somewhat surprised, as if they truly hadn’t noticed the Church members until now.
Soon, she… or he…
…Anyway, the god was bombarded by the spells Cecilia unleashed.
“Oh. So this is the method that byeolbi’s disciple was advocating? How amusing…”
The god chuckled faintly, as though the overwhelming display of ice and fire raining down—so intense it darkened the sky—was nothing more than a triviality.
It was as if the magic Cecilia had shown during sparring had been a mere joke compared to this.
And yet, with a single dismissive smile, the god murmured:
“…Disappointing.”
And then, they dismantled it all.