As we descended the ladder, the voice of a girl whose identity remained unknown grew progressively closer. It sounded like she was crying, laughing, and screaming in agony all at once, yet there was an undertone of joy that filled us with increasing discomfort the more we listened.
“…What kind of magic is this? Why am I hearing such strange noises…? This doesn’t seem right. And demons being mentioned earlier… Myungho, do you have any idea?”
While Akashi would be the one to ask about something like this, he’s such a devious and cruel individual that it’s certain he wouldn’t provide a proper answer, so I asked Myungho instead.
“Perhaps… it’s Dark Magic. Though I’m not entirely sure, it seems something has gone wrong.”
“It’s not just ‘wrong.’ This is what happens when things go right. A deal with a Demon is a taboo. Look at how it ended up. Myungho, understand? This is the downfall of a Dark Mage.”
Akashi interjected abruptly, emphasizing to Myungho that this was indeed the correct outcome. Of course, a deal with a Demon wouldn’t resolve properly.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a Demon. Myungho didn’t respond to Akashi’s comment at all.
Yuna seemed unconcerned with the men’s conversation, grumbling from above about how much further we had to descend.
“…We’ve come quite far already. Surely, this isn’t the Underworld, is it?”
“Ah, rest assured on that. The Underworld isn’t some neighbor’s baby name. Only a Dragon could even mimic the Underworld. This is just plain deep.”
Not long after Yuna complained, Myungho finally announced from below that we’d reached solid ground. It felt as though we were five stories underground.
The sound of the girl was now clearly nearby, indicating we might have truly arrived.
“…It’s eerie. Strange sounds are echoing, and there seems to be something inside the room at the end of the corridor. Everyone, prepare for battle. Whoever turned the village into this state probably isn’t in their right mind.”
Preparation for battle. If only I’d thought ahead to grab a stone dagger or something beforehand. Reluctantly, I accepted an arrow from Yuna.
Though it looked more like a small harpoon, its menacing appearance suggested it could serve as a weapon. At least it would suffice to protect ourselves.
The torches attached to the corridor walls were still burning, indicating someone had been here recently. Likely, whoever caused this chaos. With the arrow firmly in hand, I followed behind Myungho.
As we approached, the sounds grew clearer. One fact became evident: this noise wasn’t coming from a single girl.
At minimum, dozens, perhaps hundreds of girls were speaking simultaneously. Thus, every emotion was intertwined. Myungho seemed to catch on, his expression darkening.
“…Then, let’s open it.”
Standing before the door, Myungho confirmed we were all armed before kicking it open forcefully and storming inside. Following bravely behind him, I froze upon witnessing the horrifying scene.
The room was dimly lit due to the lack of torches, but its size rivaled that of a large hall. The issue lay in the fact that the expansive room was completely filled with girls.
Not ordinary girls, however. Some had half-faces of men, others had limbs haphazardly attached, while some appeared to have their lower halves crushed out of existence. There were also figures that were hard to identify—were they girls or old men?
Incomplete Beings filled the room. Each one, despite their disfigurements, repeated the phrase “Daddy, I love you.” Even those with lungs protruding outside their bodies struggled to articulate the same words.
“Ooooh, my daughter! Where are you?! You’re not my daughter either, you aren’t! Not you either! Daughter! Where did you go…? Answer me if you can hear your father’s voice! Please…”
Though better than the moldy kingdom, the scene remained horrific. Among these Incomplete Beings stood an old man searching desperately for his daughter.
When the “girls” heard the man speak, they responded in unison, “What nonsense, Daddy! I’m right here!” The man, growing increasingly frantic, trampled over the Incomplete Beings.
“…What is all this? Who is that man…? From the start, these things don’t even seem aware we’ve arrived, do they?”
We made quite a racket entering, so there’s no way they wouldn’t have noticed. Either they’re collectively deaf and couldn’t hear us, or they simply don’t care—one of the two.
…Most likely, it’s apathy. Neither the man nor the girls paid us any attention; the man appeared deranged, and the girls focused solely on him.
Neither Myungho nor I had any clue what to do. Despite wielding both a brush and a sword, Myungho stood dumbfounded, unsure of what was happening.
Yuna was similarly speechless, standing motionless. Only Akashi seemed amused, clapping his hands and laughing boisterously.
“Puh…hah, hahaha!!! Oh, how wonderful! To have so many daughters now, huh? Right, Myungho, isn’t it funny? Hahaha… Witnessing the miserable downfall of Dark Mages is always entertaining. So, why do you look at me like that? Over time, this is the only amusement that never gets old.”
Akashi answered the unfriendly gazes directed at him with a tone of nonchalance. Myungho sighed and inquired about the meaning of having so many daughters.
“Long explanation or short?”
Akashi again asked whether Myungho wanted a detailed or brief explanation. Without hesitation, Myungho requested that he explain it simply enough for Alterra to understand.
…Wait, that remark. It somehow implied I’m not very smart, but I used to attend university. Granted, I died in an unfortunate accident midway through, but I maintained decent grades.
“The soul of the daughter shattered into pieces, each fragment inhabiting these incomplete forms. Where these bodies came from, I don’t know. Anyway, that’s how it happened. The Demon did keep their promise by returning the daughter. Sure, things got twisted, but they kept their word, right? That makes them pretty decent, doesn’t it?”
So, the daughter’s soul fragmented, each piece inhabiting the Incomplete Beings present. I understood that much, but the question remained—what should we do with them?
Leaving them alone posed no immediate threat. The madman responsible for destroying the village was flailing around, and the Incomplete Beings didn’t appear capable of causing harm.
We could just leave. They wouldn’t affect the world in any significant way. But… is it really right to just walk away?
“…Myungho, what do you think we should do?”
I hesitated to make a decision. The man thrashing about had already received his punishment—a fate worse than anything we could imagine for his sin of seeking his daughter.
However, Myungho didn’t seem to share this view. His grip on the sword trembled.
“…Akashi. If we kill everything here, what happens to the man’s daughter? Does her soul return naturally to the Underworld?”
“It should. Though, you might need to release the souls trapped in your blade separately.”
Myungho, seemingly resolved, looked at us and quietly stated that we should kill everything here. Neither Yuna, Akashi, nor I had any intention of opposing him. The daughter bore no fault.
A father shouldn’t pass his sins onto his child. With that conviction, we began slaughtering the Incomplete Beings.
Stepping on heads, slashing with harpoons, striking with tails—we killed the Incomplete Beings. Their bodies lacked bones, crumbling easily under even the slightest pressure from my foot.
With a loud thud, the iron arrows fired by me tore apart countless Incomplete Beings into six pieces with a single shot.
Every time Myungho swung his sword, a purple aura drained from the Incomplete Beings and entered his blade.
Akashi casually launched a black sphere that devoured the flesh of the Incomplete Beings as if creating a vacuum in the air.
We killed swiftly, minimizing suffering as much as possible, to save one soul. The Incomplete Beings cried out for help, calling for their father as they perished.
The father, seemingly oblivious to their pleas, continued to thrash about, insisting this wasn’t reality and avoiding confronting his own actions.
Their cries for help gradually transformed into curses. None of them had ever wished to be resurrected, spitting blood as they shouted their final words.
Once the last Incomplete Being was slain, the previously noisy room fell eerily silent. Only our heavy breathing and the weeping of the surviving father amidst the massacre remained audible.
After freeing the fragments of the girl’s soul from his sword, Myungho silently destroyed her form with his brush before it could speak.
The girl disappeared without a trace.
Exhausted, Myungho slowly approached the weeping man standing amidst the pile of corpses.
The man remained silent until Myungho forced him to kneel and grabbed his head, forcing it to the ground while raising his sword high. Suddenly, the man spoke.
“…That mark. Are you one too?”
Without responding, Myungho powerfully swung his sword, severing the man’s head. As the severed head rolled across the floor, it attempted to speak one last time before falling silent.
Only a purple aura escaped from the gaping mouth, merging with Myungho’s sword.
“…Let’s go. It’s over.”
None of us were physically tired, yet we all felt drained.
Climbing back up the ladder, Yuna quietly questioned Myungho if this had truly been necessary, to which he retorted if she had a better alternative.
“…No. It must have been the right thing to do.”
Upon reaching the surface, it had started raining.
Normally, we’d have panicked and sought shelter, but strangely, none of us wanted to avoid it. Perhaps the rain could wash away this lingering unease.
Closing my eyes and letting the rain fall on me, I heard a distant commotion. It seemed a caravan was searching the village for survivors.
“…Myungho, I found a carriage. Let’s go.”
Myungho, like me, stood drenched in the rain, lost in thought, before remembering our original purpose and declaring that everything had worked out well.
We all knew it hadn’t.
