Chapter 61 Gods Behind The Stage
If you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest. If shadows dissolve, a starless night is perfect place.
"Awesome."
The sound of the cold wind was quiet in the sleeping forest.
Looking at the ruins of the burned orphanage, the man in all black let out a voice filled with excitement.
"To think that just a small fire, barely awake, could cause this much destruction. Hehe, good. Very good. This is exactly why I set up the roles."
The man had no expression. He wore a strange mask that covered only one eye. But in front of the painful signs of destruction, his joy twisted his body with delight. It was the kind of joy that comes from someone who has gone off the path, mixed with something creepy.
"But... maybe I let the cast play around a bit too much. I never expected an unexpected bug to fly around so happily. Things don't always go as planned... but that can be interesting too."
His joyful shivering suddenly stopped. The masked man thought about the irregular (Hiiro) who defeated the 'beast Banshee.'
Originally, the Banshee was supposed to be burned along with the orphanage by the rampaging Shura, but the unexpected cast messed up the plan a bit.
However, the result didn't change much. So, it could be left alone.
"If it comes to it, I can just use him as firewood. Because hope makes the flames of despair burn even brighter."
If he become a nuisance, he can just get rid of him. Or, he could include that irregular in the script. The more Shura trusts him, the more the flames of despair will grow and consume everything.
"Right──my Shura. The 'twilight fire' that turns everything to ashes."
If everything is going to turn to ash, then let's enjoy the process as much as we can.
Love and hate. Joy and sorrow. Happiness and unending anger.
"Hehe, Ahhahaha!!"
Turning into a black crow with four wings, the story’s fixer soars through the night, patiently awaiting the arrival of the long-promised day of wrath.
His laughter echoes in the darkness, brimming with confidence that everything is going exactly as planned.
But one day, the masked man will come to understand.
The "insignificant bug" he once mocked is far more than it seemed.
The sparks of rebellion are stirring—a fire eager to consume the script he so gleefully crafted.
The unexpected variable that slipped into his carefully orchestrated tale... is his greatest threat.
The fate of this story has already begun to be killed.
* * *
"Haa..."
"Oh, what's wrong Goddess Norn? You look like you just tasted something bad."
"It's not just a bad taste, it really is bad. To put it simply, we saved Korghi Village, but I still feel uneasy about a lot of things."
"Well, that's how these games go."
"First of all, in terms of fighting. In the end, we had to lose to the beast Banshee in an event battle... What was the point of my effort to defeat the endlessly spawning little beasts (orcs) just in case?"
"It couldn't be helped. The Banshee's black magic 'Aïne Klaïne' has a strong brainwashing effect that makes you mistake it for a precious woman you lost in 'this world.' Considering the Banshee's situation in the orphanage, it's almost ironically perfect for Shura."
"I know. The 'Clamor' song that silences and the 'Mother Goose' song that controls sleeping opponents... It was really troublesome magic."
"Regular villagers wouldn't understand. A sleeping child was heading towards the ruins on their own. Even Shura ended up like that."
"And after that power went out of control, if Mr. Eigun hadn't rescued Shura from the burning ruins, she would have... ."
"Yeah. She probably would have been buried under the rubble."
"But because of that, Mr. Eigun... ."
"...passed away."
"I thought Mr. Eigun was someone special, but I never expected he was the village head and Ms. Hauchi was his daughter."
"The 'tragedy of the orphanage,' huh?"
"...He must have been regretting it for a long time. I was surprised when he appeared at the ruins at the end... Mr. Eigun must have seen the Banshee burning while stroking the bones of the baby, thinking of that nun..."
"Yeah. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said 'I'm sorry' in that scene."
"Right... Ha. It's heartbreaking. But he didn't have to pass away right after that..."
"There's nothing we can do. Even though he's old, he saved someone from the building that was starting to collapse. He literally gave it his all."
"Ugh, I can't get Ms. Hauchi's crying out of my head..."
"That scene really hurt, didn't it?"
* * *
"By the way, that guy looks super suspicious!"
"Yeah. A really shady character showed up. The author probably didn't even try to hide it."
"Well, they said a lot of things that made me curious... but more than that, what about that metal pipe the masked guy picked up? That was definitely from when Shura finished off the boss in the port town, right?"
"Yep. I heard it's called 'Ruthless'."
"But why was it at the orphanage in Korghi Village...?"
"When it was heading to Korghi Village, the head of the village, Ms. Hauchi, explained it in the carriage. She said she heard about the 'Ash Valkyrie' from a merchant in the caravan merchant."
"Yeah... wait, no way!"
"Yeah. It seems that merchant secretly collected it after the port town incident. They were trying to sell it in Fjikra as a cursed item that brings bad luck if you touch it, but it didn't sell."
"Well, of course, after everything that happened."
"So, it looks like they thought about selling it in the Capital of Holy Western Country and joined the caravan merchant."
"What happened to the caravan?"
"Well, they were just curious about the cursed orphanage. They ended up as a meal for the little demons."
"Wow, so that's why they ended up there... What a surprise. It seems like the mastermind didn't expect that either, but somehow it ended up in the hands of someone who shouldn't have it... Ugh, I feel like a really bad twist is coming."
"Yeah, Goddess Norn. I can't say much, but that thing is definitely going to play a part in some dark developments later."
"Ugh... I'm feeling down about moving forward... Oh, by the way, what about Mr. Hiiro's turn?"
"Oh, what are you talking about? Chapter one isn't over yet!"
"Huh!? But the situation in Korghi Village should be resolved by now..."
"That's true. But... it seems Goddess Norn forgot something."
"W-What did I forget?"
"You were wondering about it too, right? The head of village, Ms. Hauchi. Why she knows about the Ash Valkyrie, but she didn't say who told her that Shura is one and that she's currently in the knight order."
"......Oh."
"Alright, let's get to the last battle of chapter one!"
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