Chapter 59

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Episode 12 - Find the murderer [5]

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Breathing slowly, I finally climbed up through the hole above where Celestia had entered.

As I climbed up, the first thing I found was, unexpectedly, a door.

There were no creatures guarding the entrance, but there were two flower pots instead.

Seeing this, I could not help but think about how strange this villainess is.

Anyway, I focused my senses and explored the inside.

The place was truly enormous, stretching throughout the trunk of the gigantic tree.

On the other side of the door was an empty room that led to a staircase.

At the end of the stairs was a wide space with some furniture.

’This person has been living here for a long time.’

The thought crossed my mind for a second, then I shook my head and finally stepped inside.

Within the Dark Plane, I prepared myself to record everything that happened in there.

I moved silently, searching for the place Celestia had gone to.

Soon, I arrived at a room.

I sensed Celestia’s presence and, without hesitation, started recording everything that happened.

Before long, I heard her voice from the other side of the room.

"I’m seriously being killed by this fucking boredom."

Celestia said as she sat down on a chair.

"Ugh, I still have two days left before I get the hell out of here. Those idiots will probably bother me for making such a spectacle... still, it was fun, heh."

Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but smile as I crossed to the other side of the room.

Then, Celestia appeared in my view, sitting with a magical device in her hand.

It was shaped like a disc. Celestia then placed it on the table, and soon, it emitted a brief sound.

Then, suddenly, the Power of Chaos from the disc surged out, forming a screen.

’Well, this is enough, but...’

It’s better to know who she’ll be talking to, so I stayed for the moment.

A voice emerged from nowhere in the room, directing its attention toward Celestia. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"You have been assigned a new mission. You must return tomorrow. Find a way to leave without raising suspicion."

A long sigh escaped from Celestia.

"A new mission? And now what? I just killed that Harris guy, and now they’re giving me another mission. This is a joke, right?"

The man’s voice responded.

"Look, I know this is annoying, but we have to accept the mission. Understand, woman."

Celestia clenched her teeth and pointed a finger at the screen.

"Go fuck yourself, idiot. During the last attack from those other bastards, I was close to being exposed. If I hadn’t killed one of those professors, and right now that lizard is watching over this place, do you have any fucking idea how difficult it is to get out?"

The shout echoed throughout the entire room, so loud that my ears were close to bleeding.

’I don’t understand how the members of the Black Dawn Church can work together.’

With a sigh, I continued with the recording.

The man’s voice let out a sigh and said:

"Yes, look, if I don’t accept the mission anyway, they’ll kill me, and sooner or later they’ll come after you too. So find a way to get out tomorrow night, understood?"

Celestia simply remained seated in silence.

Seconds passed, and she finally said:

"I was planning to leave through this Labyrinth. On the 87th floor there is a strange creature that opens portals to the outside, so it will take me a full day to get there."

The man said nothing for a few seconds.

"Alright, I’ll cover you in the meantime. I’ll tell you the details of the mission when you return."

With that, the screen made with the Power of Chaos disappeared.

Then, Celestia’s long sigh filled with frustration echoed faintly.

"Shit, if I had known that villains are just used like this by that damn Church, I would’ve stayed an ordinary human instead of being in danger."

Celestia kicked the table while rubbing her temples.

She seemed to be genuinely frustrated and exhausted.

’So she was always just an ordinary human, and that’s why she went down the path of a villain, huh.’

Because of how unawakened humans are treated on this continent, it is known for having a high rate of villain emergence.

More and more villains appear out of nowhere. Newspapers in every city across the continent constantly carry new reports about villains.

Although some unawakened humans manage to leave the Sacred Continent, in the other continents, even if to a lesser extent, they are still mistreated.

’Dark-attribute users and unawakened humans are not very different as long as they live on this continent.’

Celestia let herself fall back against the chair, covering her eyes with one arm.

"First they chase me for not awakening, then I almost starve to death, then that damned Church shows up saying I can become strong... and now I can’t even escape."

Her voice sounded bitter.

"No matter where I go, I always end up being used."

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

For the first time since I saw her, she seemed to completely lower her guard.

However, just as I thought that, her expression changed abruptly.

She looked around as if she sensed something strange.

’It’s time for me to leave.’

I quickly moved my legs, walking calmly through the Dark Plane and, after a few seconds,

I stepped outside, moving away from the tree where Celestia was.

’I felt a bit of pity, but she’s a villain, and I need to complete the Main Mission anyway.’

Even if I feel compassion for a villain.

Even if I heard the reasons why she ended up like this.

It doesn’t change the fact that she became a villain.

Being a villain isn’t just about obtaining the Cube of Chaos; it requires certain procedures.

One of them is using emotions. Usually, villains who hardly kill anyone.

Use emotions such as frustration or revenge.

However, the act driven by the emotion of killing is considered better.

It sounds somewhat basic, but simply killing increases the effect of that emotion.

So, in theory, Celestia could have killed a large number of people to become a villain and accept the Power of Chaos.

’No matter how their lives have been, that doesn’t mean they can resort to killing so easily.’

If we’re talking about me, I don’t have emotions. All my expressions or actions with Rinna and the others.

Are completely fake, so I don’t feel anything when I kill, and I feel even less need to help others when they aren’t even kind.

’How ironic, if it weren’t me, any other transmigrator might consider becoming a villain to grow stronger quickly and beat this Empire to a pulp.’

But I continue to remain calm. I have a goal, and that is to find answers and, above all, to know who I am and what I will do in the end.

Whether to die or to give up.

***

Upon returning to the first floor, I extended my senses as far as I could and searched for a specific area.

’The White Dawn Staff, as strange as it may seem, is here, on the first floor.’

For an item of Legendary rank, it should at least be somewhere between floors 80 and 90.

Even as a game developer, I never knew the reason behind leaving this staff here.

’And I don’t even have any memories about the reward on the final floor.’

After all, my only memories are simply of the game’s story, the characters, hidden pieces, strategies, all the endings, side characters, and extras.

After some time, I located a statue at the end of a hallway.

Without hesitation, I ran over there and, after a few minutes, finally arrived.

The statue in front of me was that of a woman with her face covered by a veil. She wore ceremonial church garments.

’This is the statue of the first Saint.’

Lowering my gaze, there were letters carved into the stone.

’Master, I will tell you a few letters here.’

I don’t know how to read the language of this world, but, strangely enough, I can speak it as if I had been born with it.

Shortly after, I spelled out the letters carved into the stone, and my teacher said.

〖It is the name of the statue; her name is Maria〗

"..."

’Wait a moment, now that I think about it, I don’t know the names of the first and third Saints; they aren’t in my memories.’

I had just realized it, and that was something strange.

In the story of the game, although the first and third Saints are dead, I am sure their names are mentioned constantly.

And now I realize that I didn’t know their names.

’What does that mean... could it be that I don’t remember everything about the story of the game?’

My expression twisted for a moment before returning to normal.

’If I don’t remember everything, then there’s nothing I can do.’

What can I do when my memories are incomplete?

So, without much hesitation, I raised my sword and drove it into the statue’s abdomen.

The statue cracked and soon crumbled.

Then, a hollow space appeared on the other side of the statue.

Large enough to hold a single object.

And there it was, a staff that, according to the game, had a metallic white color. Its shape was not very different from others.

I took it, and instantly felt how light it was.

’Ideal for a mage.’

Shortly after, the staff disappeared from my hand, entering the Inventory.

Then, I turned around and searched for a monster in the surroundings.

It didn’t take long to find one; then I let it see me and soon ran toward the statue’s location.

Upon returning, I finally feigned a fight, moving my sword at certain angles, and in the end, I pierced the monster.

My sword passed through its chest until it reached the hollow behind the statue.

’With this, if Director Bernice asks about the staff, even if I answer, she could come here to verify it, so leaving traces like this won’t raise any suspicion.’

With that in mind, I finally left the Labyrinth.