Capítulo 40: Chapter 40: Beauty Under Monstrosity; Monstrosity Under Beauty
Orario.
A unique city that existed in the center of Gekai. It bore witness to many heroes' awakenings. It serves as the lid to the Dungeon—a breeding ground for monsters.
I came to a realization.
"No matter what world it is, there are undercurrents beneath its normal facade."
Who could've thought there would be someone crazy enough to destroy Orario and free the monsters?
The darkness this city hid is just as evil as my world. Being part of the said villains helped in realizing this. Both Evilus and Enyo had their fair share of dealings. Some of the affiliated organizations, trade routes, and secret entrances are with me. I escorted some of these myself.
"Soma Familia."
The nearest trace to the surface is none other than Soma Familia. Their winery business is all over Orario. They are the number one winemaker in this city. The amount of money coming through their account for a few percent of this city's gross income.
Soma's wine was something even gods become intoxicated with. It is one of the luxury goods from Orario—it extends to the entire Gekai. As for the other god who made wine... it's the bastard behind Enyo's identity; Dionysus.
{Map conversion complete.}
A 3D model appeared on the phone's screen. After the talk with Welf, I went to Dionysus Familia's home. I did a quick [Correspondence] before immediately scooting off. there's a low chance of being discovered, but it is better to be careful than sorry.
Through that, I made the floor plan as well as the location of all its living beings. Filvis-san's unique signature as a creature helped me locate her room.
That's right.
"Cutting off Enyo's strongest helper while helping Filvis-san…"
This is my first plan to go against him. I will undo the sufferings he had inflicted and will be inflicting on others. I couldn't let him go after using me like a pawn and making others suffer in the process.
"He's still going out."
One thing I noticed was his usual strolls in his neighborhood. I saw him several times last week. He is very popular within his area. Many people look up to him. That's why he's receiving nothing but sympathy and comfort when people heard about his deceased familia members.
All of that without knowing the true face of that bastard.
"I need to act fast." I muttered. "Miku. Show the five routes that will lead to the target."
{Understood. Deriving fastest routes…}
Five different paths are highlighted on the map. It showed the possible infiltration routes I could take.
Filvis-san's room is located on the edges. Hence, one of the possible routes is directly from the outside.
"Hm… I could use it."
It is currently 11:23 AM. It is the only time Dionysus is out to "act". It should be fine to infiltrate once he's inside the familia home, but it could lead to severe repercussions—such as knowing my real identity. Who knows what they could do? I will be their enemy as Sirius in the future, but I would prefer to keep my current peace for now. At least, until I finish my preparations consisting of recreating magic tools in my modern world.
To that, another identity could serve as a confusion, diversion, and for buying time. It isn't like me to do something similar to this, but the rouge route seems suitable. In this case, it'll involve changing my appearance during missions and removing any possible traces.
As for killing Dionysus, that would naturally be the best route. However, the aftermath I'll have to deal is huge. Aside from the unknown locations of the Demi-spirits, it'd be best if he gets unmasked as Enyo first. Things would be less troublesome that way.
"A daytime breakout it is."
I made up my mind.
"Time for my first counterattack."
*****
12:43 PM.
The sun is high up in the sky. Adventurers from all walks of life could be seen all over the streets. Some had their day off while the others are preparing for their expedition. There are also ones heading to Babel for the dungeon.
Nobody ever thought that a person will break into a familia home at this moment.
Hup-!
After crossing the wall, I found myself in their backyard. The ripoff [The One Ring] on my left hand hid my visage decently. It is something I accidentally made along with another thing. Without upper-class adventurers, I would remain invisible for a short period.
Buzz.
The nail let out blue arcs before it got planted in the soil. Consequently, it formed a small-scale sensory disruption domain.
"Escape route number one secured."
Snap-!
Shou-!
A silent wind blast propelled me to the top of the roof.
"One… two… three… four… This is it."
I double-checked the number of windows I walked through. The roof is inclined, making it easier to do so.
"The second floor…"
I took out the silver dagger and activated its sharpness-related spells. Then, I made a cube-shaped cut. I did not cut it completely but made a trace instead. Then, my mind imbued a magic circle. It is to automatically set after ten minutes had passed.
"Number two secured."
{Thirty seconds have passed.}
The ring-shaped earring let out a voice.
"I'll be skipping numbers four and five. I'll secure the third one."
{Affirmative.}
I didn't expect an item I created leisurely to be used in this operation. I made a small pair of earrings while testing my [Miracle Maker] skill. I did not embed any type of magic in them, though they received this [Resonance] ability.
I left the other earring on Miku's side while I wore the first one. She coordinated me in real-time which effectively reduced my workload.
I slid down the walls until I grasped the edge of the window. I started engraving a magic circle on the concrete. My mana and mind are being imbued into the concrete.
"Five minutes."
{A slight deviation of three minutes from the original plan. You have to act faster, Goshujin-sama.}
Miku completed the calculations from that deviation. Her strengths are shown at this moment.
"Anima Repertum." (Life Detection)
A faint wavelength passed all over the mansion. Several dots appeared in my head.
"Dionysus is not yet here. Good."
Even if he is here, I could suppress him. My newly upgraded status are not for show. Even so, that'll be the worst situation possible.
"A level two on the fifth room… Was it the vice-captain?"
I recall someone like her during the second raid of Knossos. She's an elf if I'm not mistaken.
"I will enter now."
{Timestamp added. Current time elapsed: 51 seconds.}
Shou-!
A blast of wind pushed me up.
"Bis firmus." (Twice Robustness)
My arm forcefully pried the window upwards. I did not have to deal with noise cancellation thanks to it.
I dove into it adeptly.
Hustle-!
I rolled over the ground to cancel the force.
"Huh..?"
Bits of blue liquid stuck on my hoodie. It smelled something similar to blood. Immediately, I scanned my surroundings.
A bookshelf.
A closet.
A desk.
It is what one would expect from an elf. They are diligent when it comes to something.
When my gaze turned to the bed, I saw a gory scene.
Filvis-san sat unresponsively. Dozens of tears could be found on her dress. Traces of stab and cut wounds are present all over her body. Though, her regenerative capabilities are extremely resilient. Everything was healed a few seconds later.
'Dionysus..!'
I swear I will make that fucker pay hundred-fold.
*****
After returning to her familia home, she was greeted by a depressed Dionysus. Sorrow could be seen all over his face.
"Filvis…"
Tears fell from his eyes as he embraced her.
"Lord Dionysus…"
It sank into her. The miserable look of the god she serves made her remember everything that had transpired. Her comrades died due to the strange tendril. She should've died back then, but Nobu came in and saved her... at least that's what she thought.
Filvis' tension when she worried for his safety against Valletta caused her to briefly forget the traumatic scene.
In the end, she could do nothing but blankly stare somewhere. Even when Dionysus asked her to rest, she walked dazedly to her room.
"...You survived?"
Filvis was greeted by her familia's vice-captain—Aura Moriel. She is an elf like her.
"You must've left everyone to survive… That's it..!"
Her shock and depression led to her pushing the blame to her—Filvis.
"You coward! Everyone was dying, yet you—!"
'It wasn't anything like that..! I am only lucky to be saved by someone..!'
However, Filvis couldn't bring herself to retort. In her mind, she considered those words to be right. She couldn't help her comrades while they died one by one. She was only saved due to her sheer luck.
Filvis would've died if Nobu was not there…
…or will she?
"Come…"
"Aria!"
"Delicious..!"
Voices appeared in her mind. Each of them sounded childlike. At the same time, Filvis felt something spouting up on her.
"Kh..!"
"...traitor!"
All of these sent her state of mind spiraling downward. She kept her head low as she wordlessly entered her room.
"..still… talking!"
Bam-!
Bam-!
The enraged Aura didn't leave her behind.
"What… is this..?"
Shakily, she raised her hand. She saw red veins from her wrists. The voices in her head continued to distract her.
When she removed her dress, she saw a disgusting sight. A colorful crystal is embedded in her chest. Eerie red vines grew out of it, covering her entire body. Her skin started turning bluish-white. The area around her eyes sank, making her look like a corpse.
"Eek..!"
She fell when she saw her appearance in front of a mirror. Her horrified expression was caught clearly by the mirror.
Shatter-!
…
Many things happened since then.
Filvis struggled to accept she had now become a monster. Not only did she leave her friends to die, but she also turned into a horrifying being.
She became corrupted.
Dionysus knocked on her door many times, but she didn't open it. She is afraid.
'What would Lord Dionysus think of me? A monster? No—!'
A thought settled in her mind. It would be better to die than for someone to see her current appearance. She took out her dagger used for emergencies and began the attempts to kill herself.
Psshk-!
She tried stabbing the core first. However, it redirected into her chest instead. Blood dripped from the wound as she experienced excruciating pain.
"Argh..!"
Her hands shook. Although it wasn't her first time experiencing death, her mind subconsciously fears it.
"I… don't want this..!"
She lost her motive to kill herself, only for it to re-emerge after the thoughts on her appearance appeared again.
Thus, Filvis fell into a loop of denial and hatred. Her attempts to end her life are just as many as when she dropped the dagger. It began getting duller with consecutive attempts.
Then she noticed.
Her body kept repairing itself. All the wounds she inflicted on her body continuously disappeared. Slowly, she lost her hesitations. All that mattered is on how she could end everything.
Even so—
"Why isn't it working..?"
Every time she tried to stab the core, her hand avoids it. She could keep harming herself but could not inflict a deathly wound.
Unbeknownst to her, the core symbolized that her body is no longer hers to keep. It now belonged to the corrupted spirits, and they do not allow her to do that.
Filvis' suffering continued. Occasionally, Aura banged the door in frustration but Filvis no longer has the will to answer it. The only time she spoke was when Dionysus is attempting to enter her room.
Soon, her mind began depleting. Her stamina dropped without any food. Her wounds stopped regenerating abruptly. Still, she could not kill herself. She kept bleeding, but her resilient body prevented her death.
Just as she progressed to the depths of the abyss, she received an uninvited visitor. Her hazy sight caught the blurry figure of the man.
"Who are you..?"
It was an unfamiliar young man. His red hair reflected the sunlight from her window. His scarlet pupils glinted brightly in her dark room.
"It doesn't matter…" She mumbled. "Kill… me."
Filvis presented the bloody dagger. It is already dull due to her continuous usage.
Her consciousness might be hazy, but she could still think. Someone barging into her room could only be a bad thing. It is why trespassing is a crime.
"It's already up to this…"
The man prepared for the worst, but it is even worst than that worst.
He grabbed the dagger she offered. Filvis felt easy now that she could end everything. She closed her eyes in resignation.
Then—
Shatter-!
She opened her eyes and saw the bleeding hand of that man. He directly crushed the dagger into pieces. Her downcast eyes looked at his.
"You might not know, Filvis." The man's voice sounded familiar to her. "There are people more humane than you, but their hearts are the opposite. They are monsters… fuckers that have to die."
After seven days, she completely turned into a monster. The red veins grew and her complexion turned worse. What was once beautiful and elegant turned into a monstrosity.
"But you… You are far better than them."
He then added:
"You are beautiful."
"..!"
Filvis was caught off guard.
"Lies… You are lying..! How could I be—"
—beautiful?
As if proving his words, he came closer to her. Their face is merely a dozen inches away.
"Ah..?!"
Filvis fell back until she reached the wall.
"W-what do you want?!" She is appalled.
"I want you to live happily."
Thinking about the Filvis in his memories, the man—Nobu—made this wish. She should no longer be fooled by Dionysus' sweet words. Rather than bearing Enyo's sins, she should live a better life..!
"M-me..?"
"But I am a—"
"It doesn't matter."
At this moment, she no longer questioned why he barged into her room or how he did so. Nobu knowing her identity as a monster no longer matters due to her befuddlement.
"The Filvis I know will fight a level five just to save her benefactor. At the very least, you are better than most self-proclaimed 'beautiful' people out there."
Filvis went silent.
"..."
Tears began falling from her eyes. She cried silently. Despite the randomness of this event, she found someone who would accept her.
Suddenly, Nobu hugged her. He crawled onto her bed and gave his shoulder to her.
"That's for the last time…"
"What..?"
"Nothing."
In his memories, Filvis sometimes hugged him like this. It was completely random too. But, he understood it was a form of her atonement—for herself who couldn't help her savior.
Nobu is not the only misplaced member of the evil faction. Filvis was also used and manipulated by Dionysus who went by the name "Enyo".
Worse, she knew about it. Only, she couldn't leave the only person who could accept her. Even if it's false, she accepted it. That was how she coped with everything. She became obsessed with the sole person who accepted her.
She was willing to be used as a puppet for something that could destroy Gekai itself.
However…
'Everything changes this time.'
Nobu was lost at this thought while he comforted her. When she stopped crying, he found out that she already lost consciousness.
"She's light."
He noticed how frail she seemed. After dying, Dionysus' falna was locked—just like what happened to Nobu. Dionysus didn't have the time to re-establish it as he waited until Filvis fully broke down. He is confident enough that she wouldn't leave him.
It is a god's arrogance in his omniscience.
"Renovatio Redivivus." (Restoration and Reconstitution.)
With a spell, everything was reverted to normal. Filvis' blood could still be seen on her bed, but the proof of Nobu's infiltration disappeared. That included his drops of blood from before.
After checking one last time, he cleaned off the magic tools (nails) he placed on the familia home. Nobody ever noticed him due to the sensory disruption it caused. Once he brought it, the illusion domain moved along with him.
Carrying a girl in a princess carry, the boy successfully changed the trajectories of fate in another world.
*****
"Filvis..?"
In the middle of the night, Dionysus' drunk state wore off. He was ready to convert Filvis into his most valuable trump card. While gods are powerful, their falna is sealed once they came to Gekai.
"Where is Filvis..?!"
He started panicking.
"It isn't possible she would leave on her own!"
The god knew her very well. With her current state, all she would've done is to try and end her life. She wouldn't have the idea to run away from them.
Then…
"Who is it?!"
Even a god's so-called omniscience could fail at times.
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