“Damn.” Excitement built in Guiche’s chest. “Damn!” If they got their own city, Guiche intended to make sure he got a high-ranking position. If he became a government official, he could accept bribes and oppress the people who had looked down on him all he liked. He wasn’t sure what being a government official entailed, but as long as it made him important, he didn’t care. That said, he wanted a job that didn’t make him think too hard, if possible.
“So, first—ah, forget it.” The leader suddenly turned his head back, then cut himself off as though annoyed. A man who had seemed to be a religious leader had been giving a similar speech to the believers behind him, yet at some point, he had disappeared. Facing the slaves again, the man’s expression had turned uncaring. “Anyway, the rest is up to you. Good luck.”
With that, the man took off running down the street and quickly disappeared from view.
“Hey, he just left.”
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“Should we call out to those other guys?”
“Then what?”
Confusion broke out among their ranks.
Guiche was convinced he’d found his chance. If he spoke up now, he could become the next leader. Though he was nothing more than a member of the rebel mob, if he acted while the leader’s followers were still confused, he could quickly assert himself. He might even be able to secure himself a spot at the head of the government. His life started here and now.
Why did the man know about the religious group?
Why had he suddenly fled?
Why had he led them to this specific location?
Why was the city empty?
Doubts lurked in the corners of Guiche’s mind, but he didn’t dwell on any of them. It was a pain, and he had more important things to consider. What sort of speech would be most effective? Guiche pushed his rarely utilized brain to its limit and came up with an idea. An excited smile breaking out on his lips, he tried to compose himself as best he could before speaking. Just as he was about to open his mouth—
“The world is made of zeros and ones.”
A voice echoed through the city center. Guiche, the slaves, and the religious followers all looked up in its direction. A lone figure was sitting on the roof of a building overlooking the square.
“Nothingness and existence. Shadow and light. Frost and flame. Death and life. The world is full of opposing concepts, and with just those two numbers to describe them, everything can be explained.”
The figure’s stature was in-between—too small to be an adult, yet too large for a child. It was impossible to make out their gender. It was due in part to their androgynous voice and build, but more importantly, their entire face was wrapped in bandages, leaving no discernible features. The figure, their eyes covered, looked out at the group with contempt.
“By this theory, you all would be one. Though insignificant, you most certainly exist, and when gathered together, you become something greater. You’ve done well to come this far. I shall guide you from here.”
Both groups began to stir. There was a hint of relief in some of the voices. After being left bewildered by the loss of their leader, they seemed to let their guards down.
Guiche clicked his tongue. His plan to become the next leader had been spoiled just like that. Just who was that bandaged person?
“Nevertheless, I find that ‘one’ ill suits me,” the figure said in the same unchanging tone. “I prefer desolation over the clutter of variety. I prefer dim shadow to bright sunlight. I very much dislike the heat. It’s unpleasant, and I’m quick to burn. Oh, but most important of all—I don’t care for the living.” The figure had an open book in their hand. A moment later, particles of light began pouring out of it.
“Wh-What the?!” Guiche raised his voice in unease amid the murmurs of the crowd, but he could already hazard a guess as to what the book was. It could only be a grimoire, a book used by mages to summon monsters or objects. Though he had never seen one in person, and his conjecture was based purely on adventurers’ stories and bardic songs, he was confident. Which left one question—what was the bandaged person about to summon?
“You’re better off without your insignificant wills. Return to zero, and with my own will, I shall guide you in a systematic and orderly fashion.”
The particles of light began to take shape, then a bizarre monster appeared in the square.
“Wha...”
It resembled a giant lizard, with a thick tail and two wings on its back. At first glance, it almost seemed like the dragons spoken of in adventurer tales. However, it had seven heads. Around the central head, which seemed to belong to the original dragon, sprouted six others.
Each one was different. One was the slender head of a hydra, while another was the eyeless head of a wyrm. There was the triangular head of a wyvern, and the fish-scaled head of a sea serpent. On top of that, there was a long neck that ended in only a single giant, red eye, and a translucent head that appeared ghostlike.
Upon closer inspection, even its scales were mismatched here and there across its body. It had poor balance, perhaps due to the weight of its heads, and looked as though it might topple forward at any moment. It was clearly an unnatural monster. It looked as though someone had forcibly combined all the pieces.
“You can relax, I won’t do anything barbaric.” The hydra’s head drew back as the patchwork dragon’s chest swelled. “So die beautifully for me.” The hydra’s maw opened wide, breathing out a massive gust of wind. A moment later, it covered the entire square.
“Urgh...” A stench like rotten eggs assailed Guiche’s nostrils. He couldn’t stop himself from grimacing before being struck by a wave of nausea and pain in the eyes. “Gah... Ack...” Guiche coughed, unable to breathe. No matter how much air he inhaled, it didn’t fill his chest, as though a serpent were wrapped tightly around his neck. Tears ran down his face. Not from sadness—simply because his eyes couldn’t handle the pain.
Guiche lost all his strength. He collapsed face down on the ground, barely able to see the sight of all his allies around him in the same position through his teary eyes.
“Good, good, good. It’s not easy to secure so many corpses in excellent condition. This went perfectly. Since you’ve gone to such lengths to set the stage for me, I suppose I must live up to expectations.” Guiche heard an unpleasant monologue just before he finally lost consciousness. “Now, let us begin.”
A massive magic circle covered the center of the square.