They could now imagine the death of the world.
Born as mere villagers in a small, unremarkable town, they had lived their lives with dirty hands, and had never once considered that the world itself could perish.
Even if their entire village were to vanish overnight, they never believed this vast, indifferent world would crumble. Those who seriously contemplated such things were the strange ones.
To them, the greatest danger imaginable were knights.
They thought that they would meet their end by being beheaded by some righteous knight who had discovered their sins and would deliver their deaths with unrelenting violence.
And yet, even that fear seemed optimistic now.
had disappeared. They could no longer tell if their feet were touching the ground. Though they thought their bodies were moving, there wasn’t a shred of evidence to confirm it.
“『Subtraction』.”
It felt as though something was being stripped away from them, but they couldn’t figure out what it was. All they knew was that they were being chipped away, bit by bit.
At this rate, they were going to be erased completely. When they were gone, what remained would just be unrecognizable smudges left behind by crude drawings on a whiteboard.So.
To prove their existence in this pitch-black darkness…
“AAAACK──!!”
“Heuack, heuaaack!”
They screamed with everything they had, desperate for their own voice to reach their ears.
But as time passed…
No one was crying anymore.
===============================================================
“All the human traffickers have been wiped out, and there’s only one left but⋯⋯..”
“So what now? Are you planning to let him off again and call it his ‘last chance’?”
The Paladin tightened his grip on his greatsword as he listened to the distant voices of a man and a woman. Although he couldn’t see anything, he sharpened his senses and prepared himself.
This, too, had to be a trial—a challenge ordained by the Goddess herself. Even if he fell here, the Archpriest would carry forward their divine mission.
The 『Holy Liquid(聖液)』 they had miraculously discovered in the Church of Elmest…
Drawn by its powerful scent, the Archpriest and Paladin came out of hiding. While the Paladin worked to gather human sacrifices, the Archpriest worked fervently to prepare the ritual for the Goddess’s resurrection.
So.
As long as she was revived, nothing else mattered. Even if he died here⋯⋯!
The voices in the darkness vibrated and echoed.
“See? He’s dazed. Probably one of the dead Queen’s pawns⋯⋯ If he was brainwashed while living a normal life, we should free him.”
“Does that erase his crimes?”
“That’s why he needs to keep living. Death would be an escape from his guilt. He should live and atone for his sins. And yes, I’m saying this so you can hear it.”
“Heung, I have no intention of paying you back. So⋯⋯ are you planning to crack open his head or something right here? That’ll take about three hours, won’t it? I don’t want our trip to get delayed.”
Something was slithering in the darkness.
The Corrupted Paladin strained his eyes, trying to figure out what it was, but the impenetrable shadows revealed nothing. Only the chilling air hinted that ‘something’ was approaching.
A young man’s voice cut through the void, calm and detached, like a lecturer explaining a dissection experiment to his students as he looked at the frog, with complete nonchalance.
“There’s a faster way. Submerge him in malice—just a bit. It’ll draw out every vile thing he’s hiding.”
“Submerge him in Malice? You, your eyes, aha⋯⋯ you’re not suppressing that wicked streak in your head anymore. Are you trying to confront it head-on? To use it?”
“What I’m trying to conquer is the rest of you— the 93%. I’ve already beaten you. Get it right.”
“Well, well, you’re giving me hope to escape. I’ll hope for that one day, you’ll trip over yourself. In the meantime, let me guide you.”
Black.
In the already pitch-black void, a deeper, darker speck began to move.
A tiny yet malevolent dot floated and weaved through the air, leaving faint trails as it moved. Another abyssal speck followed, and together, they completed a spell. A translucent mirror materialized in the air.
When he gazed into it, a pitch-black entity stared back at him. Only then did he realize that this was a mirror designed to corrupt people’s minds with Malice──
“I have done nothing wrong!”
The words erupted from him..
His tightly shut mouth opened as if his very soul was retching the truth.
“I worshipped the Goddess because I was told I had the aptitude for Divine Power! I prayed every single day, even though it was a pain in the ass and tedious. That’s how I became a Paladin!”
“So?”
“Then the Goddess appeared to me in a dream and said sheliked me so much. She seduced me. I was a devout believer—I couldn’t resist her! Tell me, how could any man refuse the chance to embrace a Goddess?!”
“Desiring to embrace your deity, huh⋯⋯ interesting. Go on. What did you do with the power she bestowed upon you?”
The Paladin couldn’t stop the words pouring out of him. The inky blackness overtaking his mind felt like a beckoning tide, dredging up every vile secret he had buried within himself.
This man, who had once hidden behind the façade of faith and devotion, now exposed his truths, drawn out by the intoxicating whispers in his mind.
“I embraced women.”
“Aha, you embraced women. What women?”
“The priestesses of the Church. Some of the captured living sacrifices.. while they were sleeping⋯⋯.”
“That’s despicable. Why did you do that?”
The voice in the darkness questioned him with a tone that was almost playful. It sounded like he was admonishing his beloved friend, but also like a detective interrogating a criminal.
The Paladin screamed.
“The Goddess commanded it! She said it was my right! That it was acceptable! That she wouldn’t strip me of my Divine Power, no matter what I did!”
“That was⋯⋯ probably the Succubus Queen that was acting as Goddess. Did it never occur to you that the seductive tone wasn’t the Goddess?”
“I doubted at first, but⋯⋯ the Divine Power remained. Even as I indulged in my desires, even as I killed, it never left me!”
“Nice, that’s enough.”
Clap.
A single clap resounded. It shook the very space. The sound startled the Paladin, and his body crumpled to the ground, drained of strength.
A young wizard emerged from the shadows, and delivered his judgment.
“You weren’t under deep mind control; you succumbed to a few sweet words. You didn’t even try to resist. When the opportunity came, you jumped at it without hesitation.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I will grant you the conscience you were born without. And I will also give you a quest. Lead those villagers, wander across the continent, and save those endangered by men like yourself.”
Every word struck the Paladin’s mind like a hammer, embedding itself deeply, as if his thoughts were being forcibly reshaped. He understood that he could never defy these commands.
He felt the oppressive weight of the restraints binding his mind. These shackles of remorse and obligation would remain until he truly repented for what he had done.
As his consciousness faded, the Paladin was left with one thought.
What have I done?
But it was far too late for regrets.
===============================================================
After piling the corrupted Paladin and the villagers onto the empty plains nearby, I knew that in about six hours, they would awaken simultaneously and begin acting according to the post-hypnotic commands I had implanted in their minds.
Experience hardships and save as many lives as you have taken.
As I dusted off my hands, feeling a sense of accomplishment from cleanly recycling all the trash, Evil God-chan poked my thigh with a smirk.
“Controlling people like puppets through hypnosis—what makes you any different from the Queen? Villain. Trash. Crazy Wizard.”
“Shut up. What’s wrong with using hypnosis for justice?”
“This so-called justice of yours is ultimately just your personal⋯⋯ eubeubeub.”
“I know where you’re going with this, god dammit. You’re really just here to provoke people, aren’t you? But seriously, who are you to judge me?”
The world-class rage baiter was running her mouth. I might accept moral criticism from others, but I wasn’t about to be lectured by this thing .
Maybe when Evil God-chan’s reformation was complete—when she had developed a proper conscience—I’d consider her opinions. Until then, she was nothing more than a beast in human form. That’s how I chose to see it.
I glanced toward the wrecked carriage and gave Evil God-chan a punch on the head.
“Tower Master, Pink-Haired Lesbian, are you both okay?”
“Eueung⋯⋯ I’m fine.”
“The carriage is badly damaged. The horses are dead too.”
“Ah, fantastic!”
It was a disaster. The horses that had loyally carried us this far were gone, and while the carriage was still in one piece, it seemed to have taken significant damage in multiple areas.
Was this the beginning of an on-foot journey? I couldn’t say I was really excited about it.
“I’ll try to repair it. There’s plenty of wood around here.”
“⋯⋯Even if you repair the carriage, what about the horses?”
“I can pull it.”
“Aha.”
Right—Pink-Haired Lesbian could haul it. Problem solved.
I suddenly picked up Evil God-chan, who had begun gnawing on my hand, and said,
“I’m going to scout the village for captives or remaining stragglers.”
“Understood. I’ll wait here.”
“I-, I’ll come too. In butterfly mode.”
Pororong. The Tower Master transformed into a butterfly and fluttered away.
She still seemed embarrassed and uneasy after unleashing the Yuna Death Beam so recklessly in front of me. I felt like I could understand that feeling. Like⋯⋯ how I didn’t want Tower Master to see the side of me that beat people senseless.
Of course, I had beat up all the players including Roderus and the others without hesitation, but hey, that was just a session.
I waved lightly at Pink-Haired Lesbian before heading toward the village.
It was a quaint mountain village. A few potato fields suggested an attempt at self-sufficiency, and the surprisingly sturdy wooden palisades surrounding it caught my eye.
It was just like spotting subtle hints in a mystery novel when you already knew who the culprit was.
Knowing that these guys were living off human trafficking, certain details about the town seemed suspicious. Such as how the layout of the town was clearly designed to prevent anyone from escaping.
And how there were farm tools that could double as weapons suspiciously set up here and there.
“So⋯⋯ if you were the chief of the village, where would you hide the captives, Watson?”
“⋯⋯ What’s Watson?”
“Someone less smarter than me.”
Whoosh!
I dodged Evil God-chan’s low kick that came flying in at me with a jump. She angrily huffed, then began sharing what she had deduced.
“If it were me, I would hide them near the food storage. Constantly hauling food in and out would seem suspicious, so keeping them trapped and fed in one place makes more sense.
“Then let’s start there first. You’re an idiot if you’re wrong.”
“And if I’m right?”
“Then it’ll highlight my brilliance in hiring such a competent assistant.”
Dragging Evil God-chan along, I inspected a building that seemed to be the food storage. Sure enough, there was an entrance to a basement secretly tucked away in one corner.
Before opening the door, I pressed my ear to the ground and focused my mana. I could sense faint human presence below—someone was definitely inside.
They didn’t seem armed, which meant they were likely hostages. But what should my opening line be? Ta-da! You’re free?
While I was thinking about what my introduction would be like when I opened the basement door and entered, Evil God-chan grabbed onto my shoulder.
“Hey, Mima.”
“What⋯⋯ no, why are you calling me that? It’s weird.”
“Remember the bet from the carriage? Get on your kn⋯⋯.”
“La la la, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.”
Before she could finish outlining her terms, I bolted down the stairs leading to the basement. No way was I letting her ruin my reputation.
No way I was letting that happen. Whoever was being held down there, leaving a first impression on them as a Crazy Wizard in mount mode with Evil God-chan on top of him? It couldn’t happen.
Crashhh!
And a brief chase started.
“Hey!!”
“Good grief, save it for another day!”
“You think I’d miss this chance to make you eat shit? If you keep acting shameless, I’ll cry? Do you want me to go cry my eyes out in front of Lorei?!”
“You can go and ahead and try kid, but then I’ll use my special club to⋯⋯! Keuk!”
Evil God-chan’s movement speed was faster than I thought.
Evil God-chan tackled me from behind, sending me rolling down the stairs. After about three tumbles, I found myself sprawled on the floor with Evil God-chan triumphantly perched on top of me.
Clearly excited that she had just caught me, Evil God-chan confidently declared.
“You, become my mount! Get on all fours and crawl!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I turned my head slightly and raised my hand as if I was troubled. Then, loudly enough for everyone to hear, I said.
“You know, I appreciate your feelings but⋯⋯ I can’t accept your love. It’s too much for me. Besides, you’re not my type, and I’m not brave enough to handle your sadistic fetishes.”
“What the fuck are you even── ah.”
Evil God-chan remembered something she had forgotten about for a moment because she was so excited. The whole stunt was supposed to humiliate me in front of the captives.
Creaak , Evil God-chan’s head slowly turned.
Inside the cell, a young noblewoman with light blue hair stood watching with a confused face, and seemed to be trying her best to understand the situation. And seemingly making her own conclusions, she asked cautiously.
“⋯⋯Uhh, should I look away?”
“No! That’s ⋯⋯ no! I don’t like this guy at all! Not even a little! You’re misunderstanding!”
“I heard strong denials are strong agreements.”
“YOU SHUT UP!!”
It took a while for the flustered Evil God-chan to cool down.
===============================================================
Despite her initial confusion, the young lady maintained her dignity and gave a formal bow.
“Thank you for rescuing me. I am Ervasilion Julius, firstborn of the Grand Duke Family of Julius.”
“Heueek⋯⋯.”
“Oh no, she’s someone important. But how did you end up⋯⋯ Tower Master, what’s wrong?”
Yuna let out a high-pitched squeak and froze in place. Then she made frantic head gestures to bring my ear towards her.
When I leaned closer, she whispered the damning truth into my ear.
“Heuck⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
The revelation hit me like a dagger to the chest. Clutching my ribs, I struggled to breathe as Yuna and I both reeled from the information. Seeing our distress, Evil God-chan raised an eyebrow and showed her interest.
“What Mima, why are you shaking? Tower Master? What’s wrong with you two?”
“Nothing. No problem at all. Really.”
I desperately pretended like I was calm. This truth absolutely could not reach Evil God-chan.
Ju- something.
This symptom of forgetting names didn’t help so I couldn’t get the pronunciation. But I understood the gist of what Yuna had said.
The Grand Duke Family of the North.
So, that young lady’s father was…
⋯⋯ the whale who had funded me during my time as an isekai VTuber.
***
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