Chapter 243 – Technique (6)

Magrina Fildegrin.

Born as a high elf, who could be called pure-blooded among elves, she realized that she was hated by the elves.

She could not help but know.

From some point…

No, from the day the curse laid by the black ones bypassed Magrina.

It did not take long for the world, which had only been kind to her, to be colored with enmity.

That curse, which fell upon the elves during the war with the black ones and took away their designated lifespan, took away many things in an instant.

The sages who possessed wisdom through long years.

The great warriors.

The magi who were stronger than anyone else.

The precious family members…

From some, it took away everything.

There were those who did not hate Magrina.

But they were merely a small number, and her father.

The other elves, without exception, showed enmity toward her.

She was then an elf who had only been born for 15 years.

One who also did not have much knowledge of the magus way.

Aside from the title of princess, she was just a child who did not know the ways of the world.

Nonetheless, the elves did not hide their hostility.

The elves who had never seen her.

The elves who had seen her even once.

Even the elves who served her.

As if searching for a target for their resentment.

Disguising irrationality as common sense, they naturally targeted Magrina.

Spreading ridiculous false rumors that she sold out her race to the black ones to protect her own lifespan.

The one who allowed her to endure in such an abnormal situation was her father.

The father who warmly embraced her at any time.

However, even that kindness could not fully soothe her loneliness.

That was why.

Why she specifically headed outside the royal palace, where she should never go out, in the appearance of a human.

She, who returned to the capital of the alliance forces like a miracle from that place where she was thought to be dead, made one friend while coming here.

Ella.

The elf of a similar age to her, whom she was able to become close with just by the fact that she had escaped from that hellish place, blew away the loneliness Magrina had been carrying until now like a lie.

Magrina could not help but be captivated by the sweet emotion she was tasting after a very long time.

Because the small warmth she had not properly felt from anyone except her father was so precious to her.

So…

“Look, it is this brat! I clearly saw her transforming into a human!”

“Kugh…!”

…It had turned out like this.

Her bracelet was taken away, and her true form was revealed.

Magrina, while struggling to breathe somehow, looked at the elf who was strangling her neck.

“Die…die…!”

The elf wearing rags expressed her anger to the fullest.

As if to cut off Magrina’s breath right now, she tightened her grip on her neck with all her might.

And next to her.

Ella, who had only given her smiles until before, was looking down at her.

With a face containing thick anger, not a smile.

It was not just her.

Most of the elves here were shouting to kill her.

As if they did not doubt that happiness would come at the end of her death.

“Ha…”

Magrina let out an absurd laugh unconsciously.

Her neck was being choked more and more, but at some point, Magrina stopped resisting.

She had had this experience several times.

Once by a warrior who had lost his master.

Another time by a soldier who had lost his parents.

Another time by a maid who had lost a precious person.

Without exception, those who used to smile at her now tried to break her.

Her vision was gradually blurring.

She could have resisted sufficiently, but Magrina quietly let the strength out of her body.

In fact, she had been pretending to be okay, but she was slowly reaching her limit.

No matter how much her father blocked it.

To endure the gazes of malice striking from all sides, the life she had lived was still too short.

‘I wish I had been cursed too…’

To others, it was an unmistakable curse.

Like a fear they wanted to cast off somehow.

But Magrina wanted to receive that curse.

If so, she would not have had to suffer such a state.

…Because she would not have had to be suffocated by this painful curse, which was different from others.

Magrina felt her senses drifting away one by one at some point.

The senses that were driving her into pain were gradually fading.

And…

“Gah…!”

Before she knew it, she opened her eyes wide at the air entering through her lungs and took a deep breath.

“Huff…huff…!”

The ringing in her ears disappeared and returned to normal.

Sensation arose in her body where nothing had been felt, and her vision regained its color once again.

Thus, the last thing she saw was.

“…”

A very familiar back.

####

Magrina, who had been pushed virtually to the brink of death.

Ashir and the soldiers who followed in suppressed the commotion in an instant, and Alon rescued her safely back to the kingdom.

“Thank you, God… I have received your grace again.”

“It is nothing.”

Magrina bowed her head deeply to Alon as soon as she arrived at the kingdom.

She was trying hard to pretend to be okay, but both ears were drooping and her eyes were full of a gloomy light.

Watching that appearance, Alon’s heart became troubled.

He had heard from Kalanda in advance, but…

Because honestly, he had not thought the enmity would be this thick.

Only after hearing Ashir’s words did Alon understand the elves’ irrational attitude a little bit.

‘The Day of Wailing… I see.’

A curse that takes away the designated lifespan was laid.

A catastrophe where numerous elves rotted away and disappeared.

At that moment, while he was repeating the name of that day in his mind.

“Magrina…!”

From afar, throwing away even his royal dignity, Kalanda ran breathlessly and,

“Truly, truly thank you.”

Expressed his gratitude with a deep bow and disappeared with Magrina.

Watching that back, Alon suddenly recalled the scene from earlier again.

‘…Something is strange.’

An instinctive intuition.

As Kalanda said, many people turn away from the truth and believe only what they want to believe.

But even so.

Because the enmity of the elves he witnessed earlier was more abnormal than that.

‘I should look into it once.’

He stared at the shadow cast on the spot where Magrina had been for a long time.

###

Afterward, Alon headed to where Rine was along with Ashir.

“This is the place.”

“…”

The place they arrived at was in front of a massive building.

Unlike the brilliantly decorated buildings, it had a neat square structure.

Upon entering inside, he saw Rine standing tall in the middle of the dark square.

There was also Penia, who was watching that appearance with interest from the side.

“Ah, Marquis…”

“Penia, what is the situation?”

“Hmm, there’s no special change yet. She seems to be observing something, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Penia nodded her head vigorously while observing the book and Rine alternately.

“You’re reading the book diligently.”

“Of course, once I return to the original world, even if I use just this one properly, I’ll be immediately recogni…zed by the academy? Being recognized is also important, but! I thought it might be helpful for the Marquis’s magic research…”

Penia, who was letting out a sycophant’s laugh, “Hehehe…”, with her eyes narrowed like a cat.

Watching that appearance, Alon thought.

‘Once we return, I see.’

Of course, Alon’s top priority was also to return to the original timeline.

The difference from Penia was that there was a part he had to care about after returning.

‘…Hungry ghosts.’

The hungry ghost had already met its death in the previous battle.

However, as far as Alon knew, a hungry ghost did not end by killing just one main body.

‘Only by destroying the soul stone in the underworld will the hungry ghost…no, the hungry ghosts, completely vanish.’

In Psychedelia, after the player kills the hungry ghost, there is no particular need to enter the underworld.

In the game, if the player kills the hungry ghost.

Although it depends on the route, one of the Four Great Powers always raids the underworld at the right timing to retire the hungry ghost.

But unfortunately, since he could not expect the intervention of the Four Great Powers like in Psychedelia now.

‘Instead of resting when I return, I should head straight to the underworld.’

He recalled the location of the underworld that had appeared in the setting and engraved it in his mind once again.

####

The hungry ghosts, one of the Four Great Powers, were feeling very happy.

The reason was, of course, because of the death of the leader who led them.

Hungry ghosts are subordinated to the strong of the same race from birth.

Born with strong power by nature, they have no choice but to be subordinate to the leader who grew up eating numerous kin.

In other words, the death of the leader was a new opportunity.

They were happy as if an enemy had died…

And at the same time, they began to fight while devouring each other.

Because a new leader had to be chosen now.

How and in what way the former leader died.

No one was interested.

The hungry ghosts who were in the inner world constantly devoured each other, killing and being killed.

Of course, no matter how much they were torn apart and devoured, they did not completely vanish.

They were merely being absorbed.

The weak individuals to the stronger individuals.

The strong individuals to the even stronger individuals.

Repeating the cycle of eating and being eaten constantly until only one remained.

‘It’ was born again.

‘It,’ who became the new leader, took away the intelligence of the hungry ghosts and allowed only instinct, just as the former leader had done.

Also, the authority of greed left behind by the former leader made it even stronger than the original leader…

It, who gave itself the name ‘Mansang.’

Vowed to become much stronger than the stupid former leader.

…All of this was a story of a day ago.

“Kaaaaaak!!!!”

Mansang looked up at the existence in front of him while letting out a terrible scream.

His whole body was trembling.

Clearly, even though he had fashioned a body more robust than the former leader.

Even though he had become able to use greed better than the former leader.

He could not overcome the existence in front of him at all.

No, it was not that he could not overcome.

That.

Was not something that could be overcome.

Because it was something that could not even be named…

Incomprehensibility itself.

“Ee…eee…”

Mansang tried to escape by somehow dragging his body, which was completely wrecked, in the opposite direction.

However, a girl walked toward him silently.

That face was apathetic.

No emotion was felt.

And she did not make any expression.

She just walked toward him calmly.

“Why…why…?”

Toward the girl, Mansang threw a question.

Even while feeling terrible pain.

As if he could not grasp why on earth such a situation was happening.

He looked at her with eyes full of questions.

At Mansang’s trembling voice,

“……Why, you say.”

The girl who was approaching it until a moment ago…

“I know well that he will definitely return.”

No…

“I know… I know, but…”

Yutia Bloodia.

“Still, I am angry.”

She whispered quietly.

While trembling with fear, Mansang, who could not understand Yutia’s words at all, distorted his face.

“Nothing changes even if you kill me. Even if my existence vanishes, hungry ghosts are born again! W-we are truly many, many! Even if you kill us constantly, we appear and appear again!”

A shout that reached out even in the trembling, close to a struggle.

However.

“I know.”

“…What?”

“I said I know.”

Yutia just muttered to herself silently.

“It’s just, that…yes…”

Calmly.

“It’s just, venting my anger.”

While raising her index finger.

“Simple, venting of anger.”

She looked at Mansang.

With two eyes that were infinitely red.