Chapter 44: 38 - Astilbe (9)
Pat!
Someone tapped the TV in front of him several times, and the sound of a broken TV with mosaic pictures filled the screen. Even though the TV looked unusable, the person didn't care and instead inserted a cassette tape into the cassette player next to the TV.
The TV immediately exploded.
The man stared at the smoking TV, he just shrugged his shoulders and sighed before he opened his hand, and out of thin air a small clock fell into his hand.
Unlike a normal clock, the hands of the small clock turned in the opposite direction.
Back to the beginning where the man hit the broken TV.
"-!" The sound of the explosion rang out again, instantly waking Eriu up, his heart beating as fast as the broken television that finally exploded again. Suddenly feeling a cold sensation on his cheeks, Eriu turned his head to notice Amiley's presence.
She raised her hand and picked up the glass carried by the roots behind her.
"How do you feel?" Amiley asked as she handed Eriu the glass. After the glass was taken, the root disappeared.
Eriu got up from the bed, taking the glass with both hands as he slowly nodded to Amiley. After Eriu drank the water, he opened his mouth, "...bad." Amiley chuckled softly, "A kid your age would cry."
"I am not a suitable child to be compared with them. I'm a man hiding in a child's body.
No need to ask, Amiley recognized those words herself, "Heh."
"Um..." His hands shook, he was so afraid of something bad happening that it felt like his voice didn't want to come out, "Is Noah okay?"
"..." Amiley leaned back in the chair and pointed to the sword scabbard lying at the end of the room, "I thought he would just shut up, but he turned out to be more reckless than I expected."
"He...?" Do you mean the creature that often appears as an eye?
Amiley nodded, "Hm, him, the thing you saw."
Eriu realized something, something was wrong with all of this. His heart skipped a beat.
His gaze returned to the bag with the sword inside.
The root of the yellow flower was wrapped around the bag, but the tip of the root was turning black and white.
... The same yellow flower that had purified the monster.
Amiley said that there were dangerous creatures inside, but since he was only a slave, he couldn't do anything unless he wanted to be destroyed. That's why Amiley said everything was okay. She also said that if he came to someone in a dream, he would accept that person as his owner.
Of course, he felt a bit calmer after hearing that.
"....!"
Why was he attacked by a giant bird or a so-called divine servant?
Why did Amiley invite him to play the game of death?
Why would a creature that usually appeared quietly suddenly attack him?
The giant bird was indeed a divine servant, but why was it in this house? Noah had once told him that the barrier of this house was an artifact, and only the owner of the artifact could grant someone the right to enter or not.
The game of death was just a trick from the beginning, which meant that she had something to hide. The reason he accepted the game was trivial, all the items were there.
To him, taking medicine could only be called healing compared to playing the game of death.
And the three, the creatures, from the beginning he was indeed a disaster, the creature from the beginning was out to get him. The creature from the beginning appeared after he woke up that day, an event that was like a dream but real, even now he was wondering if the moment Eros stabbed him was real or not.
And why did he appear openly in front of him when he was still within her mother's reach? Why was he so desperate? If he was a slave, then there was a limit between what the master could and couldn't do, right?
It felt strange, even though he wanted to attack him, he seemed to want to confirm something...
But what is it that he wants to confirm?
"Inside this bag is my favorite sword, don't open the bag, if you do, tell your aunt. Auntie can close it again because she is a priestess. You must listen to what she says, don't make her angry or sad, watch your words. Auntie has been through a lot, you understand?" Ariadne remembered him once. The day he said he wanted to get better, he wanted to live a normal life, but he underestimated her.
That stupid bastard underestimated her words.
His chest felt tight, "...you, why are you doing all this?" Eriu's eyes opened wide as he looked at Amiley. Amiley touched her chin and smiled softly, "?" Amiley's calm demeanor irritated him. "It's impossible that you don't know about the existence of this creature, you're a priestess!"
In the game there are always characters who are the guardians of the incarnations, they are not parents, mothers, or fathers, nor are they the closest people, they come from the church. In the explanation section, it is written that they are the ones who make sure that the incarnation does not betray, they are also few, so if one of the incarnations has them, it means that their god has a name and is quite famous.
Priests are blessed with the power of the god, although the power given to them is only a copy, their power can still be called very strong. Unlike incarnations, priests are those who have the trust of the god. They were blessed to the point that they could kill incarnations that betrayed the god.
"You knew it from the beginning, you could have sealed it! Why didn't you? Can you be calm as you watch your child almost die?"
Amiley's silent look made Eriu even more angry and nervous.
"I was wrong, I should have prevented the bag from opening, but, but..." If someone had died back then... if Noah had died, what...
Could I even forgive myself and return to normal as before?
The blood-red eyes trembled, staring intently at the person as if judging how she would act.
"Calm...?" Amiley murmured before asking Eriu something, "Do you remember what I told you when we played the Death Game?"
"Like a butterfly that attracts someone with nectar, we never know the future unless someone predicts it."
"The reason why many people still play the game of death, even though the rate of people who survive the game is very low, is because they are loved by death. They can stay alive even if their head is crushed or even if their body is destroyed, as long as they manage to live in the game, they won't die until their number runs out."
"When I first met you, I realized that you were surrounded by a mysterious power, but I couldn't guess it except for the creature you told me about."
"The creature attached to the sword seemed intent on destroying you."
That's why you're like nectar to me. You make them all come to you with their intentions, making the butterfly smile broadly.
"That's why I'm testing you. Whether or not you will remain calm in the face of a creature greater than yourself."
"Your mother didn't want to tell you from the beginning, she was afraid that you wouldn't want to come here. I respected her wishes, but since you've met him, I thought I should tell you sooner or later."
Amiley closed her eyes and the calm tone seemed to mock her interlocutor, "Those who can see this creature are those who have committed many crimes. Killing, stealing, cheating to win, running away from crimes committed, well, you could say those who have many sins."
"Because this thing is a demon."
"They are the ones who take away the owner's bad memories, and also the ones who kill the owner if they look weak for a second."
"..." Every time Eriu listened, he remembered everything that had happened to him.
Now, he just wanted to cover his ears, he didn't want to hear it, he felt that the more he knew, the worse his life sounded.
"That's why I asked you to play the game of death, to see how much luck you have. Because this..."
Eriu immediately interjected, "Because it's for the future? You mean that's why you're doing all this just to mock me? You're having fun, aren't you?" Eriu stared at Amiley coldly, "From the beginning, the Death Game wasn't about preparing for the future, you were only interested in the power surrounding me. And ever since I set foot in this room, I've been trapped, all the items in there are made from the body parts of divine servants."
"I must be a very good nectar for you to attract your pleasure."
Divine servants are only where the manna collects, so when the manna they love suddenly disappears, what happens? That's why the "purification" is done because what possesses them when they die is their hatred.
They have been the target of the world's cruelty from the beginning. They have plenty of manna, but they can't live without manna.
When they are here, there is only one answer, to die and become tools.
Almost all the magical tools in this world use the bodies of divine servants.
Which meant that all the objects in the room were traps to lure people in and reveal all the secrets.
"Uriel must hate you so much that she chose you to be a priestess." Eriu bluntly said what he was thinking,
If she didn't hate her, why would the so-called good goddess choose her? If the world knew what she was doing, she would have been judged immediately and her divine power would have disappeared at such a crucial moment.
Amiley's eyes widened in disbelief at these words.
He hated that this person was playing with him, from the beginning she had no intention of going through this in peace.
"You are wrong to question whether I am very lucky or not."
"Look at me, I should have died several times, but I survived and lived a normal life. I even met a person who can talk to God, I am loved by that person, the one who brought me here is the one who can see the future, see, I am very lucky compared to you."
"You don't have to deceive me anymore, that demon appeared in front of me on purpose from the beginning, otherwise why didn't I see him during the 5 years I lived with him?"
"My mom is not an omnipotent being who can erase someone's existence.
"And when you say that people who can see things are evil and cruel, isn't my mom that kind of person? What I want to ask you is-"
"What would you do if my mom found out what you did to me?"
Yes, he was angry, he was very angry.
It seemed that Eros' habits were rubbing off on him.
Eriu realized how lucky he was to have that little book with him. That day, the demon had wanted to attack him, but thanks to the book, he had survived.
But he was also unlucky to have let that person open the bag.
Amiley's eyes widened as she looked at Eriu, who was still staring at her angrily. She felt like laughing, this kid guessed everything right, all her intentions.
"You're right, I can't do anything if your mother acts."
He thought for a while before speaking again, "Your mother is a very scary person, the moment I heard she had a child, I thought this child was stupid for daring to make her worry."
"Even I was surprised when your mother looked more like a normal girl than the last time I saw her. She talked about how handsome her son was, how he was a genius for being able to say the word 'mom' when he was only 4 months old, all praise for the boy, but the boy disappointed her by being 'sickly'."
"I suspected that the child would have a short life, so I advised them to find another child as a friend or substitute for the child so that they wouldn't be sad for too long."
"Who would have thought that the child would be as horrible as his mother?"
"When you said that the guard would fall asleep, I tried to contact people who were very close to the place and they all told me that the guardian fell asleep."
She remembered the moment she read the letter sent for her, all between panic and excitement, wondering who would protect them from the outside world. Who would take the place? What kind of treasures did the place hold?
Greed and fear, they all hadn't decided to make a move for fear that what they knew was a mistake.
"No one wants to touch the place yet, even though they know that the 14 Deus and the Guardians are not on good terms, they realize that the 14 Deus are still their enemies."
1 promised to protect the world from the dangers out there, and 14 promised to watch over those who stepped on this world.
"This is what makes me curious about you, who he is who brought you, who you are." When the guardian fell asleep, Deus would take the place of the temporary guardian, but this boy knew the future.
The worshippers of the past could never touch the sun.
Those who have lived to see the past of this world, but none of them can see the future.
The one who comes out of the eggshell is just like them.
Destroying those worshippers of the past while she stood in the present.
Eriu still looked at her suspiciously. Even though Amiley asked him, he also did not have the answer and had no intention of telling her. This person was more dangerous.
From the beginning, they didn't realize that Eros was the substitute, they took him because they believed the advice of this person.
Did 'Eriu Grith' even know that?
He was sure that Louise had indeed realized Amiley's intentions and had secretly told Ariadne the lie that he liked Eros. Normally Ariadne would give them the same clothes, but somehow the clothes Ariadne bought for them were not the same, even their belongings were different.
The big bed in their room from the beginning didn't want to be moved, but suddenly they got their own beds.
5 months ago he would have thought it was normal, but now he realized that the differences made it look like Eros and he were not siblings.
Amiley chuckled softly, "Hehe, I can tell from your face that you don't trust me and don't intend to tell him. But I thought you should know."
"The person who killed me first was your mother."
"She saved us all, if they find out she has a child and that child is a Chimera, what bad things do you think will happen?"
I have no idea!
I don't know, and I haven't even been told!
Amiley leaned forward, "They will take you alive to be a sacrifice to the wing." Eriu, seeing the terrifying smile on Amiley's face, felt an overwhelming sense of horror. He could not even stop his hands from shaking.
"They firmly believe that your mother is the torch that will burn the sun, but if they find out that your mother gave birth to the Chimera, they will go crazy and scream that your mother lied to them all."
"That's why I've arranged all this, I'm not fooling you or playing with you, it's all for the future. You who can see the future but are trapped in the past will be a disaster for the present."
... Mom is going to die!?
He had just woken up, and his heart was already like being put on the world's most dangerous roller coaster.
"So, if you can survive the death game, you can live as long as the number given to you."
"And I suggest you take the demon's heart if you want to increase your safety."
Eriu was silent for a while as he thought about his life, he felt tired, shouldn't he have been healed when he came here? he should be healthy, he should go home with a smile on his face, his teeth white as snow would look when praying a big smile... Shouldn't it be like that?
What is this?
The demon is like a masochist.
The game of death is like playing uno, waiting for the +4 card to appear and turn the tables.
His mom's friend who's a little crazy
His mom killed her friend.
Past, present, future? Huh? Hell with it!?
The game doesn't even explain any of this! Isn't this a romantic game where love rains down on these crazy people?
She's sure 'Eriu Grith' gets nervous every time his name is called!
Oh, dear God...
He's just an ordinary person, and his way of thinking is just like an ordinary person's way of thinking, if people experienced this, what would be on their minds, definitely fear and panic! They're not the main characters of a story, they're not OverPower characters either, they just have flesh and bones and their names!
001 doesn't even compensate for that, every day his heart is like a drum that keeps beating!!!
Sigh...
After sighing and making peace with himself, he asked, "How many days have I been asleep?" Amiley widened her eyes and laughed, "Heh, really?" Eriu could even read the expression on Amiley's face, wondering why he was asking that now when they were already at the end of the conversation.
"..." Eriu looked at her but said nothing.
"A week."
. . .
"Really?" Now it was he who asked.
If he slept for a week, why wasn't he hungry?
"Um, right. Why?"
Eriu shook his head, "No, I was just surprised..."
He felt bad for Noah, he was the one who caused the trouble, but this good-hearted innocent girl was affected... he still regretted leaving the bag open, especially since his instinct that something bad would happen if he opened the door at that time was probably right...
"Um, that means Noah is still being treated, is she getting better...?" Eriu looked away, now he did not dare to look at Amiley, his brave spirit had been sucked back into his body.
Amiley frowned, "No, the demon doesn't want to come out of Noah's body, even if it's forced, the situation will get worse because the demon wants to explode itself."
"!?"
"I sealed the main body so that it would temporarily weaken the demon..." Amiley's face returned to its flat and calm expression. "Until you wake up and make the demon your slave."
"..." Eriu could not hold back his expression.
... My God, this ordeal was so cruel.
"When you deal with him, never take him lightly, just play him until you manage to trap him. You don't have a book to protect you anymore, so be careful and don't waste the numbers you've been given."
In a languid tone, Eriu asked, "When do I have to face him?"
"Tomorrow."
.
.
.
The veiled woman was laughing, surrounded by butterfly decorations that were shattering everywhere, the blue color coloring the whole place with chaos.
Hahaha!
It felt like she couldn't stop laughing.
The butterflies flapped their wings simultaneously, changing the direction of the chaos wind.
As if a gift appeared on the lady's table.
The surprise of the lost sheep and The wrath of fate.