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~Chapter 31~
BZZZZT!
-
Rule 2: Do not damage anything within this space.
Before my eyes, the fanatic was being seared by crimson lightning.
What was even more terrifying was—
‘This is truly horrific…’
—that when the red glow faded, Usher appeared utterly unscathed.
Was his skin made of stone?
“Oh… that was rather exhilarating.”
In that moment, my face must have betrayed a look of sheer disgust.
“Hmm, Rule 2, you say… then there must be a Rule 1 and 3 as well, mustn’t there?”
Yet he had not emerged completely unharmed; portions of his gloves had been charred, and his hands were in ruin.
“But it says not to damage anything within this place… surely that includes people as well, doesn’t it?”
Usher narrowed his eyes.
“What do you think, Candidate?”
He wore a smile that said, ‘Thanks to you, I’ve gained a valuable piece of information, haven’t I?’
The way he stared at me was unsettling.
“Candidate, could it be… you knew this would happen if I attacked?”
Rather than meet his gaze, I gestured toward the stone.
“How long are you going to waste time with your pointless chatter? Are you planning to stay here forever? We’ve already lost enough time because of you.”
“…”
Usher shrugged nonchalantly.
“It was so exhilarating I completely lost my senses.”
He must have truly lost his mind.
Moments later, Usher hoisted me into the air.
Unlike my father, who always lifted me with awkward gentleness for my comfort, Usher’s hands—gripping me beneath my arms—felt revolting and unbearably unpleasant.
“I absolutely despise this.”
“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that.”
“I detest people who handle children roughly.”
“Ah, so as long as I’m gentle, it’s acceptable?”
Ignoring him, I fixed my eyes on the puzzle before us.
This problem was so notorious in this chapter that entire cheat sheets existed for it.
And like all such trials, there was always a pattern.
“Excuse me, dear examiner…”
Correct the following sentences.
(You may only use a single straight line.)
-
The evil god is right.
-
The evil god must rule the world.
-
The world must perish.
-
I have come to desire worship and fanatic devotion toward the evil god.
I stared intently at the stone before speaking.
“Does this puzzle even have a correct answer?”
At my question directed toward the unseen examiner, Usher, who was holding me, scoffed derisively.
“Haha, Candidate, do you really think it’s going to answer you?”
Oh, it will.
I know far better than you, you fool.
Sure enough, something appeared on the wall.
This time, it seemed a bit more hurried than before.
-
……
-
……
– Time Limit –
02:59:00
02:58:00
I allowed myself a faint smile.
‘Just as I expected.’
A sudden time limit had been imposed, as if the examiner itself had been startled.
Sand trickled steadily through the hourglass etched alongside the inscription.
As though it wished to heighten my anxiety, it marked the passing time with relentless precision, yet I calmly grasped the chalk.
There was no need for cheat sheets or old forum posts for a puzzle like this; I remembered the core pattern with flawless clarity, down to the very last letter.
I merely paused for a brief moment, pondering which variation it might be.
“I will now write my answer.”
Ending my deliberation, I lifted the chalk.
Correct the following sentences.
SCREEECH—!
Correct the following sentences.
Drawing a single straight line, I gazed serenely at the wall.
“They said if I answered correctly, I’d be hanged, and if I answered incorrectly, I’d starve to death, did they not?”
If that was the case—
“Then is this the correct answer… or the wrong one?”
I had obeyed the examiner’s command, drawing the line and creating an answer, yet it was neither truly correct nor entirely wrong.
‘In the end, all that matters is creating this contradiction.’
Honestly, the developers should have explained the rules better; this puzzle had once ignited a wildfire of outrage on the community boards.
“Ohhh,” Usher whistled, still holding me in his arms. His piercing gaze burned into me, but I simply looked upward, toward the ceiling, where the unseen examiner must be lurking.
How much silence passed before—
– Value Proven.
GRRRRK!
The wall shifted aside, revealing a doorway wide enough for a person to pass through.
The time limit had vanished without a trace.
I smiled thinly.
‘Just as I expected.’
Moments later—
“Well, well. I’d heard the labyrinth test zones were full of all sorts of challenges, but something like this? Incredible.”
We were now walking down a seemingly endless corridor. I ignored Usher’s awed commentary and pressed forward.
‘I need to ignore him and get out of here as quickly as possible…’
Then suddenly—
[Danger Detected!]
Startled by the prompt, I whipped my head around.
“Hmmm?”
Usher’s hand had stopped just shy of my throat.
BZZZZZT!
That same crimson light I’d seen earlier coiled around his hand, as though it sought to restrain him from wrapping his fingers around my neck.
Usher tilted his head.
“So, it doesn’t work after all?”
A chill ran down my spine.
‘…This bastard.’
As I stared at him, Usher grinned slyly.
“You’re not even surprised?”
His expression brimmed with certainty.
“So you really did know this would happen if I attacked you, didn’t you? How did you know? Will you tell me, Candidate? Hm?”
He withdrew his hand.
The crimson light vanished—only for his hand to dart forward again, stopping just short of my face.
[Danger Detected!]
BZZZZZT!
The next strike was aimed for my heart.
[Danger Detected!]
CRACKLE!
Then for my solar plexus.
How many times did he repeat this?
– Warnings Accumulated!
This time, the light did more than merely restrain his hands.
CLANG!
Crimson chains snapped into place around both of Usher’s wrists.
CLANG, CLANG!
“Hm?”
Usher gave his bound hands a few experimental tugs, then shrugged.
“Ahaha, looks like I can’t do any more!”
He waved one shackled hand lazily.
“If only it weren’t for this bracelet… what a shame.”
The Bracelet of Punishment, the item that reduced guardians’ strength to less than half, gleamed on his wrist.
‘…And what would you have done if it weren’t for that?’
I knew the answer. I had seen enough bad endings to recognize the signs.
‘So the bracelet is even suppressing his hidden fanatic abilities.’
I despised the fact that I was learning new information in this manner.
Even so, a reluctant thrill stirred within me at the discovery.
‘Damn it, I hate myself for this…’
I was losing my mind.
‘Father… I miss you so much…’
* * *
Derrick suddenly lifted his head.
‘Just now… I could have sworn I heard Nemesia’s voice…’
Was it merely an illusion?
He ran a hand down his face.
“My, my, are you terribly worried? Well, I suppose that’s only natural,” came a gentle voice beside him.
It belonged to the man with the bandages covering his eyes—the same one Nemesia had dubbed part of the “Royal Spy Set No. 1” back in the Angel’s Interview space.
“Sir Antonio and Sir Derrick must be deeply concerned… separated from your Candidates. Ah, I can hardly bear to imagine it.”
Also present were the female Holy Knight Laura, who had just spoken, and the young Pope Candidate she served.
There were four of them in total. Derrick’s worry only deepened.
There were two guardians here without their candidates.
That meant there might be places where the children were completely alone.
And worse still—Nemesia might be trapped with that man.
SMACK!
When Derrick struck his own face, Antonio and Laura were left momentarily speechless.
“Let’s move. Now.”
“Uh… ahem, Sir Derrick, that sort of reckless behavior is just like your prime years, isn’t it?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Derrick replied dryly.
Antonio grumbled under his breath.
Weren’t there rumors he’d grown timid after becoming a tainted Holy Knight? Who started spreading that nonsense?
“Sir Antonio, I’ll be counting on that clever mind of yours for the next problem as well.”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
Derrick walked forward in grim silence. None of them realized he was barely restraining himself from rampaging.
‘…Dad, you’re the best, so come and get me. I’ll be waiting.’
Those words echoed faintly through the smoldering haze of his mind.
It was the power of a single voice—his daughter’s voice—that kept the frayed threads of Derrick’s sanity intact.
She was waiting for him somewhere, and for that alone, he strode forward without hesitation.
“W-wait for meee! I want to see our Candidate too!”
Antonio scurried after him with quick little steps, while Laura shook her head behind them, holding the young Candidate in her arms.
As a mother, she didn’t forget to add a bit of “education” as well.
“Now, Lady Mel, that is not something you should imitate. It’s a no-no, alright?”
“Mm-hmm.”
After the first chamber, what followed was a seemingly endless corridor.
To Usher, its design evoked little interest.
This was the darkness he knew all too well.
The darkness of the Evil God.
The suffocating void…
CLINK.
Usher glanced down at his hands.
CLANG.
Crimson chains glowed brilliantly as they wound tightly around his wrists.
‘How vexing…’
He had indeed grown complacent.
To think that the bracelet restricting guardians could possess such formidable capabilities—
Even his unique talents as a fanatic had been sealed away.
‘…Truly troublesome, Lord.’
Usher flexed his fingers, clenching and relaxing his hands.
A fanatic designated for infiltration was trained to wield holy power—to conceal the mark of the Evil God’s power.
But if his holy power was constrained, the divine corruption within him might very well manifest itself.
In this place, it was best not to use any power at all…
Usher lifted his head.
“Why is this corridor so endlessly long…” he muttered under his breath.
Ahead of him, a small, rounded back swayed ever so slightly.
His gaze followed the soft, cotton-candy-like hair bobbing gently as she walked.
The glint in his eyes sharpened, predatory, as though he had finally fixed his sights on his prey.
