sonovelo Chapter 67: S2. Resentment Grazing The Stars - 2
Chapter 67: S2. Resentment Grazing The Stars - 2
Chapter 67: S2. Resentment Grazing The Stars - 2
༺ S2. Resentment Grazing The Stars – 2 ༻
In the secret hideout, there wasn’t a single proper piece of furniture. The only tool for a comfortable life was an old mattress to lie on. Aside from that, the space was neatly organized with items necessary for work and survival.
A week’s worth of food, mostly canned goods. Two pistols and five bullets. A large map of the city hung on the wall. A necklace with a strange pattern. And various seditious books and documents.
“It really feels like a base prepared solely for investigation. I didn’t expect that there wouldn’t even be a chair.”
“It signifies that much attention was paid to the mission.”
Tara looked around, before discovering a pistol; she seemed very interested in the lethality of the small weapon.
“Is this the thing that pierced Bennett’s shoulder a little while ago?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Niolle, luckily, there is a whiteboard here. It is smaller than the one you used to carry around, but.......”
Bennett handed over the whiteboard found in the hideout to Niolle. As soon as Niolle took the whiteboard with both hands, she began to scribble something on it.
“There is no need to apologize. Don’t waste the ink.”
[......Yes.]
She stopped her hand at Bennett’s interjection.
Bennett lightly tapped the outer wall to get their attention and summarized the situation. Two pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
“First, let us finish investigating the hideout. We might find additional information about the Order of the Silver Twilight. After that, we will discuss our course of action and move forward.”
[Yes, I understand, Bennett. I’ll work hard. I’ll be of help this time.]
“It doesn’t seem like there’s much here...... Can I take this gun?”
“The one lacking in lethality is Niolle, though........”
Bennett recalled Niolle’s previous condition, intending to arm her with the pistol. Then, he thought of the ominous spell she used in the fight against the fanatics. A gigantic pillar with thousands of mouths.
He frowned and addressed Niolle.
“Niolle. I think we need an explanation.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
“It looked like the same type of spell used by the fanatics. The cost of the spell was extremely high. I need to know how you came to know it and what was consumed for the spell.”
[Isaac gave this to me.]
“......Abraham’s daughter?”
Niolle took out a grimoire from her bosom. Just by looking at its cover, it was clear that it wasn’t a normal nor proper item. It was ominous and repulsive.
[It’s hard to understand the content and it takes time, but it’s a beneficial book that can grant a lot of wisdom.]
“It doesn’t look beneficial at all. From what I can see, it’s an artifact no different from a Demonic Sword. It’s an item that harms the user. It would be better not to u.........”
Niolle hugged the grimoire to her chest and shook her head, almost like a child being told to hand over their cherished toy. Then, she hurriedly made excuses.
[It will be helpful!]
“Just like a Demonic Sword, evil artifacts ultimately lead the user to ruin. You are already helpful enough without using it. I’ll seal it, so hand it over obediently.”
“............Euh, woo.”
Niolle shook her head frantically, looking up at Bennett and started to sob. After all, she wanted to make up for her mistake. If she could have dealt with the fanatic in one blow, maybe it wouldn’t have been too late.
Bennett was about to forcibly take the grimoire from her, believing it had brainwashing capabilities, when Tara, who was loading her pistol with bullets, intervened.
“Just leave it be, why don’t you? Bennett.”
“What?”
“We do need power, right? The Order of the Silver Twilight is still thriving and there are many we need to kill. We need magic capable of mass destruction.”
“So you’re saying to just let it be? Abnormal strength comes with a price just as it al──.”
Click. The sound of the mechanism clicking into place and a bullet being loaded interrupted Bennett’s words. Tara, looking at the pistol, then raised her head to meet Bennett’s gaze.
“It’s not you who pays that price. Isn’t that right?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Even if Abraham’s research vanished without leaving anything behind and not a single person remembered it, it didn’t matter.
The only goal was to save his sister, so ignoring this entire situation might even be better. Yet, a nagging discomfort lingered in his mind.
As such, Bennett quickly racked his brain for a reason.
“......It could also be used as a bargaining chip.”
“Bargaining?”
“That’s right. The chance that the Order of the Silver Twilight possesses the Shining Trapezohedron has increased. We could negotiate its handover in exchange for the α value and.......”
“You never change, do you, Bennett?”
Bennett averted his gaze and shifted the conversation.
“We have at least agreed on acquiring the research materials. Our next destination is....... The Forbidden Stacks of the Miskatonic University Library.”
The plan was set.
===============================================================
Day 6. The clock tattoo on their wrists was nearing 0.
Everyone agreed there was ‘no time’. Even if time ran out and they had to return midway, they decided it was crucial to obtain Abraham’s research as soon as possible.
However, after continuous battles and tense encounters, the group was in a significantly depleted state. As such...
[Even if we leave right now......]
“Let’s rest for an hour before we go.”
“3 hours.”
At Bennett’s declaration, Tara and Niolle expressed their dissatisfaction and anxiety.
“Isn’t that resting a bit too much? 2 hours.”
[Shouldn’t we hurry, hurry? I think resting for just an hour would be enough......]
“3 hours. No objections are allowed. Just try to get some shut-eye.”
Bennett crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Adequate rest was not a choice but a necessity and the group had been up all night. Given that, even 3 hours was a fairly tight schedule for rest.
Tara grumbled but soon fell asleep. And within a few minutes, she was snoring softly, occasionally munching on hair that got into her mouth, perhaps dreaming of a pleasant meal with her family.
Niolle glanced around to make sure no one was watching, before opening the grimoire as she was unable to sleep. If this book contained numerous spells borrowing the Evil God’s power, then it might also have a Reverse-Summoning Spell. She had to find the magic, save the world and give meaning to Abraham’s dea.......
Reading the grimoire made her brain itch. Although the brain had no pain receptors, it felt as if ants were crawling deep inside, tickling a spot that couldn’t possibly be scratched.
She endured and endured. And If it became unbearable, she’d bang her forehead against the wall or pull her hair out. That was how she continued to read the grimoire. She had to be useful. Because of her, Bennett had been shot. She could make amends. No, she absolutely had to make amends......
And as for Bennett, he did not dream.
===============================================================
In a white, empty space, Bennett opened his eyes.
In front of him stood a girl with distinctive pink-tinted yet purple eyes. Her blonde hair tied in pigtails quietly swayed. The girl looked both incredibly anxious and desperate.
It was muddled, as if in a stupor. Was this...a dream?
“Listen, Bennett. I have a favor to ask. It’s really important......!”
How important could it possibly be?
“It’s about saving one person.”
That doesn’t sound all that important, though.
“That’s not true. It’s important for your future too, you know? The lectures will become extremely difficult, and next time, you might be sent to a worse hell than Cthulhu.”
I don’t understand what you’re saying.
“I’ll explain the details outside, so...... Just remember this. If you expel the Viceroy, everything will turn out well. Got it?”
After uttering those strange words, the girl disappeared. Bennett looked around in a state where reality and illusion blurred. Then, like a candle being snuffed out, he, too, vanished.
/genesisforsaken