Chapter 35 - <1>
Episode 4 begins! It's planned to be 13 parts long.
This time, the serious elements are quite strong. But the cast is the same as always.
In a narrow, dimly lit basement room, where the light of several candles on a stand flickered, the discussion was held. Floating vaguely in the twilight were the pupils of several people, filled with a dark radiance, and, in contrast, their tightly drawn, distorted mouths.
The people were merely silent, lost in thought. It was not a comfortable silence, but a heavy one that would make any observer uneasy. Though it was called thought, the decision to carry out that deed had already been made among them. All that remained was who would be the one to say it.
As if they disliked having their faces seen by one another, everyone there was wrapped in a black, hooded robe. The same expression, the same attire… In this bizarre atmosphere, a man standing in a corner of the room let a faint smile grace his lips.
In the oppressive silence, as if at the bottom of a pool of stagnant, dark air, the man became the sole focus of the people’s gazes.
The man waited for the people to speak. The man knew what was desired of him. But he had to make them speak. If he were to say it himself, it would be no fun.
The men here had no other choice. That was why, to gain a more advantageous profit, it was wiser not to open his own mouth.
A long silence continued. The men were surely sweating nervously under their robes. To the man, it was comical and amusing.
Crackle. The flame of a candle made a sound. A small winged insect, burned by the flame, fell. The only other sound to be heard was the quiet breathing of the people in the room.
The man, still silent, gave the row of hoods a slow, deliberate glance. Perhaps unused to being looked at in such a way, the men shifted. The man’s sadistic tastes were pleasantly stimulated, and a low chuckle involuntarily escaped his lips.
As if unable to bear it any longer, one of the men took a step forward. This man was the representative of the group. The man hesitated for a moment, then took out a multifaceted, mirror-like object from his breast pocket and placed it down. His hand was trembling slightly. Everyone present understood what this act meant.
“Hoh, so this is…”
Letting out a breath of joy that sounded like a sigh, the man finally took the offered object in his hands and, smiling, gazed at the owner of the multifaceted object.
“Are you telling me to use this?”
“…That’s right.”
To avoid conversation as much as possible, the owner replied. He was afraid that by speaking, something would be revealed. But such an effort was futile. Those who knew of this multifaceted object were limited within the kingdom.
The moment he produced this, the man had essentially announced his own name.
“…Do you hate him that much?”
When he asked cheerfully, the owner of the multifaceted object openly scowled and turned his face away.
“Do not pry into matters that do not concern you. Who is your employer?”
His tone was accustomed to giving orders. Even though he no longer held any power.
“…My apologies.”
What a foolish man. To think that what is lost can be regained.
With a smile playing on his lips, the man looked around at the group.
“Does this mean you will entrust everything to me?”
The men in the line nodded, their faces slightly stiff.
“I shall accept. Now, your signatures in blood on this contract…”
The men pricked their index fingers with a small knife and, as they were told, signed the contract with their own blood. After applying cloth to their wounds, the men left the room one by one, silently, without a sound. The sight was like a funeral procession. No, perhaps it really was a funeral procession.
Of a fool who did not know the times…
Finally, only two remained: the original owner of this multifaceted object, and the man.
“Does this treasure have a name?”
At the question from the man, who held the multifaceted object as if making an offering, the former owner replied softly.
“Infinite Nightmare. Befitting, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hoh, quite elegant…”
As he let a faint smile soften his lips, the original owner irritably shook his white hair and stared at the man.
“It will truly work, won’t it? He can be trapped in eternal suffering, can’t he? Like me?”
“Rest assured. We will be sure to avenge you.”
“I’m counting on you. I… will rest now. I am a little tired today.”
“Yes. Please rest well.”
The owner of the treasure walked away from the bowing man with an unsteady gait. More than his age, alcohol was ravaging his body.
How ironic. When a man loses power, does he fall this far?
The remaining man gazed at the multifaceted treasure in his hand and laughed quietly.