Thud.
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Thud.
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Thud.
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Albrecht woke up, feeling a pain in the back of his head.
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What he saw was a red ceiling.
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Then, he felt a pressure on his ankles.
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“Ugh...”
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“Have you awakened?”
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Hearing the voice, Albrecht raised his head.
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“...Archduke?”
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What he saw was Hegrion, dragging him by his ankles, and Theresa beside him.
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Albrecht was bewildered.
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“What the... No, you have to escape...!”
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“We escaped and came back. Do you remember what happened?”
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Hegrion stopped walking.
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At that, Albrecht frowned and shook his head.
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His mind felt foggy.
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Hegrion’s words implied that a considerable amount of time had passed, but his memory ended at the moment he was trying to lead the advance party out.
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“...Not at all. My last memory is frantically swinging my sword.”
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Hegrion let out a long sigh and spoke to the confused Albrecht.
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“After the escape, we re-entered with a small group. Elia’s group, me, Miller, and Friede.”
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“Where are the others?”
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Albrecht got up, touching his head.
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Hegrion shrugged his shoulders.
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“I don’t know. We went separate ways as soon as we entered.”
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“Then it’s dangerous...”
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“It’s not.”
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Albrecht tilted his head.
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This time, Theresa stepped in.
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She smiled and answered Albrecht’s question.
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“The movement of the flesh has stopped. Even the laughter of the spirits is gone. It seems like someone in the other groups did something.”
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“Ah...!”
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“Do you see that?”
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Theresa gestured to a patch of flesh.
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Albrecht’s eyes widened as he followed her gaze.
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“An arm is...”
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It was decaying.
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“It’s been like that for several hours. I don’t know who it is, but someone among those who entered seems to have found a solution.”
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Albrecht’s face brightened.
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“That’s great! Let’s go help them quickly!”
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Theresa smiled even more at his quick recovery.
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“Yes. But first, our goal is to find the advance party that wasn’t able to escape.”
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“How many are there?”
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“Approximately two hundred. How are you feeling? I’ve treated you, but are you feeling any discomfort?”
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Albrecht felt around his body, then shook his head with a bright smile, showing his neatly aligned teeth.
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“I’m perfect! Thank you for your kindness.”
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“That’s good.”
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The atmosphere brightened as Albrecht woke up.
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Hegrion observed their conversation and hesitated.
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There was only one reason.
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He wanted to express his gratitude to Albrecht for helping him reach the realm of Intention.
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However, it was not easy.
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The first reason was that it was difficult to thank him now after expressing his displeasure for so long.
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The second was...
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“Phew, I look like a mess. If I keep moving like this, my skin will get damaged...”
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That consistent personality was the problem.
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No matter how much he tried to see it positively, Albrecht’s particular narcissism seemed repulsive and made it difficult to speak.
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Hegrion’s expression soured.
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Albrecht, unaware of it, flicked off a speck of dried blood from his hair.
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Theresa, who noticed Hegrion’s mood a bit late, just laughed.
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‘This is a good time.’
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She thought that there was something magical in the friendship of young men.
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Vera wrapped his body with divinity.
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‘The deathly aura is getting stronger.’
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The deeper he went, the thicker the deathly aura became.
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It went from a level he could just tolerate to a level that made him frown, and to a level that directly affected his body.
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In the now dangerously dense deathly aura, Vera looked at Camilla.
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“Are you okay?”
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“Yes, yes...”
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Camilla was looking more and more frail.
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His golden divinity shielded her, but it wasn’t enough; her complexion was becoming more pale and sickly.
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“Let’s, let’s go...”
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Yet, she didn’t collapse.
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Her next step was full of desperation, as if she was determined to find her sister.
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Vera bit his lip at the renewed surge of bitterness and nodded.
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The entirety of the castle was deplorable, but the center was particularly nasty.
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First, old people with their flesh peeled off were nailed to the walls.
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They should have been dead, but they shuddered and trembled, signaling that they were alive.
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Then, there was the overwhelming deathly aura and corruption, and something else that set off Vera’s alarm.
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‘No one else is here.’
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Apart from the old people, there was no sign of anyone else.
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No guards, not even the apostates who must have brought the old men and children here.
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It made no sense.
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It felt even more dangerous that there was evidence of people but nothing upon entering.
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Vera readied his posture to draw his sword at any time and moved on.
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After what felt like an endlessly long time,
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“Wait...!”
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Vera stopped.
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Camilla caught her breath and looked up.
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Then, she gasped.
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The sight before them had brought out that reaction.
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“That… that is...”
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Her voice trembled.
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Despair began to fill her eyes.
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What filled the enormous room was a graveyard.
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No, it was a strange scene that resembled a graveyard.
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There were tombstones, and behind them was soil, with inverted crosses rising from it.
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Hanging upside down from the crosses were…
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“We… we have to go...!”
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Camilla’s body bolted forward.
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Vera lifted his arm to stop her and covered her mouth.
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“Mmph!”
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“Shh—”
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Vera calmed her down, but his heart seethed with more rage than he had ever felt before.
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‘...’
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As expected, it was a scene of a sacrifice.
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Even considering that, it was a repugnant scene he could not bear to look at.
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Countless children were hanging upside-down from the inverted crosses.
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Below them was a spell inscribed with blood.
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Vera’s eyes flashed red at the scene that unfolded.
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His voice was the most brutal it had ever been.
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“...Stay here. I’ll check for enemies and come back.”
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Camilla burst into tears.
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The thought that her sister might be one of those hanging there made her body shake uncontrollably.
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She barely managed to nod.
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Then, Vera released her arm and slowly moved forward.
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Thump.
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Thump.
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His heart raced violently.
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His pupils constricted, etching the dreadful scene into his mind.
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It was a gruesome sight.
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Therefore, it was a sight that compelled one to question what it was for.