Chapter 99

Impatience drove him.

Despite thinking that it was unlike him, he couldn't stop his emotions.

He had intended to proceed with caution, but now many flaws were exposed.

This was a failure due to a lack of information.

The incident in the capital, where Ink Reesecraft went on a rampage.

Sera Ambilen was supposed to die, pursued by a large number of eyeballs.

However, for some reason, she managed to escape and survive.

The then Pope exiled her, who might possess information about the Origin Core, ensuring she would never return to the capital.

At that time, Satuki did not consider Sera's movements to be particularly important.

"Was it already unraveling then?"

Who could have imagined that Sera, who had infiltrated the capital, would encounter Negus and that a connection would be formed between Flamm and the demons?

In reality, contact had already been made at Enichide, but there was no way for him to know that.

In any case, not noticing the existence of Sera and Negus led to the collapse of Satuki's plan.

Naturally, even a normal person would feel anxious.

But it was precisely because he was not normal that Satuki was able to rise to his current position.

The premature start of the war was a decision made like that of an ordinary person.

Even if he couldn't help but make that decision, he wondered why he couldn't be more patient—

"No, even so, our victory is unshakable."

Even if the hero were to join their side, the demons could not defeat the Chimera army.

All that remained was to wait for the report that the battle was over.

However, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Satuki, who had been sitting at his desk, sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling.

Then, he stood up with a slight push and left the room to clear his mind.

Without any specific orders, the four wolf-type Chimeras that were on standby in the room followed him.

He acknowledged their necessity as guards and recognized their abilities, but they were still unsettling.

As he opened the door, fresh air entered, and his eyes met those of a knight waiting outside the room.

He couldn't help but smile wryly at how he felt more at ease just seeing a human face.

"Are you going out, Sir Satuki?"

"No, I just need to clear my head. I'll just go outside for some fresh air."

Saying this, he stepped into the hallway.

The walls, all white, were adorned with the symbol of the Origin religion, which was said to represent a god.

The ceiling was high, and the windows were large—

"What a luxurious building."

This grand cathedral, which had cost more money, time, and manpower than the royal palace, was a symbol of authority and the pollution by Origin.

The stained glass windows, set high up, colored the floor with the light from outside.

The well-polished floor stones reflected the colors, casting faint patterns on the walls.

The interior was indeed beautiful, but the thought that it was created by the Pope and the king, who had been brainwashed by a dubious god, made it seem defiled.

"…I'm not in a position to criticize others."

Satuki glanced at the Chimeras and muttered.

Wolf bodies, bird heads, bear arms—monsters of various types forcibly connected by the Origin Core, forming monstrous beings.

As long as he depended on them, he could not claim to be free from the curse of Origin.

Although they were currently indispensable to him, he also harbored the thought that he must eventually break free from this dependence.

Looking out the window at the capital, which was being rebuilt, he stepped onto the balcony.

He looked up at the blue sky and took a deep breath.

Until recently, the air in the capital had been stagnant due to the rampages of the Children and Mother, but it had recently become much cleaner.

"I hope it becomes even more beautiful than before…"

Satuki considered the reconstruction as a kind of opportunity.

The capital would not just be reborn but would be reborn anew.

A city more livable, beautiful, and prosperous than before—

"Yes, I think so too."

A woman's voice echoed through the grand cathedral.

"Who's there!?"

Satuki turned around to see a woman in a nun's habit standing there, wearing a white mask.

Her face was hidden behind the blood-stained mask.

"Maria Aphengens…!?"

But to him, Maria seemed to be smiling.

"Yes, it's been a while, Your Holiness."

She bowed respectfully.

However, there was no reverence in her gesture.

As she slowly raised her head, she approached Satuki.

"Chimeras, quickly capture that woman!"

He hurriedly gave the order, but the Chimeras, who should have moved at the sight of Maria, remained motionless like dolls.

"Why, why aren't you moving…!"

"It's because I am not your enemy."

"What do you mean?"

"In this case, it's more accurate to say that I am not Origin's enemy."

Satuki couldn't understand the meaning of her words—no, he didn't want to understand.

To acknowledge it would mean accepting his own death.

Maria approached, and Satuki backed away.

Sweat appeared on his forehead, and his mouth was dry.

"S-Someone… someone, help! An intruder is trying to kill me!"

"Hehehe, hearing such things makes me smile involuntarily. Especially from someone like you, who looks down on others."

"Why are you trying to kill me!? No, why are you—"

Maria stopped.

"Why… why are you doing this?"

She tilted her head like a broken doll, her words filled with anger, causing Satuki to let out a small, strained sound.

"Sir Satuki, you know about my hometown, don't you?"

"Y-Yes, I know. The church worked with a demon named Diza to destroy the village of heretics and—"

"Yes, to gather test subjects and candidates for the Holy Maiden. They also succeeded in worsening the image of demons in the kingdom… Yes, that's correct."

"Then there's no reason for me to be targeted! I killed the Pope and the king who gave those orders! I am now at odds with the demons!"

"It seems you have a misunderstanding."

Maria stated the facts dispassionately.

"Maria and Diza are allies."

Satuki's eyes widened, his mouth half-open.

"What… what do you mean…?"

"Our motives may differ, but our goal is the same. We have been working together, communicating regularly, to unseal Origin and eventually eliminate all life from this world."

"If you do that, you won't be safe either. Is that what you want!?"

"It doesn't matter to me."

Maria answered immediately.

There was no longer any hesitation.

She had already broken down when she discovered the truth long ago.

"I hate the demons who destroyed my hometown. I hate the humans who orchestrated it behind the scenes. But I also hate myself for hating everyone and involving innocent people. I'm a half-hearted, lying, dirty person, and my very existence is a mistake. I'm sure everyone is the same."

"So, you want to destroy everything?"

"Yes, I want to destroy everything."

"Is that why you helped the heroes?"

For the first time, Maria showed a sign of hesitation.

"It's because… I wanted them to have at least a little happiness."

"Happiness?"

"I like Linus. I had already given up on everything and couldn't be brought back, but I fell in love for the first time… Honestly, it was confusing."

She had layered many lies.

She had swallowed all the sins and malice, and became even more hateful of humans, whom she already disliked, and of herself.

In the midst of this, she met Linus, a man who became the first ray of hope in her life, which she had already given up on.

"Even without my intervention, the script would have converged to the same ending. Whether someone wins or loses, Origin will be revived. So, I wanted him to smile at least during the process."

"…Self-satisfaction, huh."

Although he asked, it was a matter of little importance to Satuki.

He had hoped to find a weakness to exploit, a motive that would give him an opening.

"Yes, you're right. At first, it was just about Linus, but as I spent time with him, I started to care about others too. I might have done more than necessary, but the ending is the same regardless."

She took a step forward.

Satuki took a step back.

But there was no more room to retreat.

His palm touched the rough texture of the railing.

"You will die here, and Origin will be revived."

She took another step forward.

The distance between them shortened by the length of her stride.

"I won't die. I still have things to do!"

"Is that so, but—"

As Maria began to speak, multiple footsteps approached from behind.

The knights had rushed to help upon hearing Satuki's cries for help.

He let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright, Your Holiness!"

Three knights arrived.

They might not be able to defeat Maria, but they could create an opportunity for escape.

They gripped their spears and pointed the tips at her with tense expressions.

"Go."

Without turning around, Maria raised her hand and gave the order.

The four Chimeras, which had not moved until then, suddenly attacked the knights.

"What…!?"

Two knights were impaled through the chest before they could react.

One managed to avoid the initial attack, but they were clearly outnumbered and outmatched.

They were quickly surrounded and their hands were pierced and torn apart.

The three bodies fell, and blood pooled on the floor.

"Didn't you have complete control over the Origin Core!?"

"Indeed, Echidna was an excellent researcher. But—by calling directly, I can control them to this extent."

It was a matter of strength.

For a sealed Origin, Echidna's measures would suffice.

However, if Origin were at full strength or if a human, like Maria, with a body modified to suit her purposes, sent a strong will, they could be controlled as killing machines.

"The church has conducted various research to expand Origin's possibilities."

The wolf-type Chimera, standing before the bodies, began to tremble.

It let out a groan and spat out twisted flesh.

"Children"

The flesh fell to the floor and crawled like insects toward the bodies.

It entered through the gaping holes in their chests, swelled where the hearts had been, and sent contaminated blood throughout the bodies.

The corpses stood up, just like the Chimeras, waiting for orders.

"Necromancy"

Another Chimera approached a fallen corpse and covered it.

The hairy wolf body pressed tightly against the corpse, and the two bodies began to merge.

It was more like absorption.

The knight's body disappeared completely, and the Chimera that stood up had a human face, the same as the one it had absorbed.

"And Chimera"

The face was not that of a bird but a human—the same as the absorbed knight.

"It took time, but we gained much. Especially the Chimeras, which will be a significant force in destroying the world."

"Could it be… that even the deployment of Chimeras in the demon territory was part of your plan…?"

"Perhaps."

If that were true—Satuki felt the blood drain from his body.

He thought he was defying Origin.

He thought he had reclaimed the kingdom for humans.

But there were things that made him doubt.

Why had he been so fixated on the human-demon war?

Even with the motivation of his father, was he really that devoted a son?

And—had he not just doubted his own hasty decision to advance the attack?

He lacked the evidence to be certain.

But he had no reason to completely deny it.

"Perhaps your entire life has been guided by Origin."

Maria's feet, which had stopped, began to move again.

"No! That can't be true!"

There was no place to run, or perhaps there never had been.

"If the path you thought you chose was actually given to you—"

People are born in a garden.

"I lived my life by my own will! Even if you are a god, you can't deny that!"

Walking straight through the spiraling vortex, mistaking it for a straight path, and believing it to be a choice, one walks like a clown.

"Then why are you so desperate? If you believe it's your will, be more confident."

People are fleeting pawns of a god.

"T-That… Ah, stop… Don't come, don't come! Is anyone there? What are the other knights doing!"

In the twisted hell, aiming for a paradise that may not exist.

"Thank you for everything."

All that passion becomes food for the god.

All that struggle becomes fodder for the god.

"I don't want to die…! The kingdom still needs me—ah."

All that life becomes a sacrifice to the god.

Thud.

As it fell and splattered, like a blooming bud or a ripe fruit, it spread sweet nectar.

Itadakimasu.

Gochisousama.

If those were human words, the god would join hands and say:

"May you rest in peace."

And she felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh, her facial muscles twitching.

It was a meaningless act, distorting the vortex.

There was no human face, so there was no point in human sentiment.

She looked down from the balcony, confirming that Satuki's body, splattered with blood and brain matter, was no longer moving.

She felt no emotion.

She thought nothing about his death.

She had already deviated from the human desire for revenge.

Let it all disappear.

The world, everything.

Having reached this conclusion after disappointment, she moved deeper into the realm of non-humanity, a place from which there was no return.

"Soon, the world will end. But—"

She had thought that when the time came, her heart would leap, like the day she received a birthday gift from her father.

She had thought she could look forward to it, like the day before a family trip.

But it didn't happen.

Even as her wish was about to come true, her heart remained as still as when she saw the corpse.

If it didn't move, there was no point in thinking.

Abandoning thought and humanity, she submitted to the voice she heard.

Maria turned and left the balcony, heading outside the grand cathedral.

The Chimeras, the human-faced monstrosities, and the resurrected corpses followed her.

◇◇◇

Satuki Ranagaki, age 49.

Died from a fall from the grand cathedral's balcony.

The cause of death was a brain contusion from a strong impact to the head upon hitting the ground.

May he rest in peace.