Chapter 226: The Curtain (Part 2)
In an instant, my vision turned completely white.
The ash falling from the sky dispersed like a dream, and the sharp wind that had been slicing across my face suddenly stopped. All the colors of the world faded from view, and for a brief moment, time felt like it had frozen. I felt as if I was floating in a void, my forward momentum wimping out like a deflated balloon, my body swaying as if it were on the surface of a lake.
Ah, what a nice feeling…
Just as this thought popped into my head, a wave of nausea and pain crashed into me like a rogue wave, overtaking my senses.
“Ugh!”
Not this feeling again!
That intense discomfort felt like a high-voltage shock jolting through my body, leaving my mind blank and utterly overwhelmed.
I couldn’t help but curl up, clenching my little fists, spinning helplessly in this bizarre, pure white space, eyes tightly shut, unable to think of anything else—not even to scream. All I could do was grit my teeth and silently endure the extraordinary dizziness and pain, hoping this eternity-like “space travel” would wrap up soon.
Before long, my body felt lighter all of a sudden.
I’m out…
The instant I realized this, I reopened my eyes.
In the hazy vision before me, that void of white receded, revealing a starry sky resembling an inky curtain, with two soft, radiant moons hanging above, illuminating the night.
I’m out!
But my body took a nosedive, rolling wildly in the grass with a “thud,” crushing innumerable twigs and leaves. My head smacked into the soft, damp ground, and the familiar, earthy scent rushed at me, alive with vitality. I immediately understood I had left that rotten, dark world behind. A tiny spark of joy flared within me, as if I had been brought back to life, awakening my dazed spirit. As the rolling finally ceased, I swiftly scrambled to my feet.
Where am I…?
I sat in the grass, scanning my surroundings.
The gentle breeze swayed the wide grassland beneath the starry sky, creating waves as far as the eye could see, while the faint sound of insects filled the air. It seemed the night had grown quite deep; the moonlight softly blanketed the earth, faintly outlining the silhouettes of distant, dead trees.
I recognized this place; it was definitely Woodward Forest…
I’m back in the normal world…
I made the right bet!
The intense dizziness in my head was slowly fading. Though I still felt a bit nauseous and waves of fatigue washed over me, I pushed myself to rise, standing unsteadily and looking back.
Nothing behind me.
The storm from earlier, and the towering divine tree amidst it, seemed to have vanished without a trace, like it had never existed. Even the red glow in the sky had long since disappeared, as if nothing had happened at all. Only the wind, still carrying a hint of bl**d, and the barren land beneath the night sky bore witness to whatever chaos had occurred.
But…
Where is everyone?
Rubbing my temples, I turned back, brow furrowed.
The warriors from the Faith Organization, the Old Pope, the Old Heretic…
Where could they have gone?
Just as this thought crossed my mind, a flickering light from a torch appeared up ahead.
One, two, three… bright red flames emerged from the depths of the night, slowly approaching. The flickering firelight revealed the bl**d and corpses hidden in the darkness—mostly knights and clerics from the Faith Organization, their heads severed and bodies cleaved in half, bl**d pooling gruesomely a hundred meters away, grotesque sights spread across the grassland.
Closer, I spotted a knight’s scythe spear—produced by the Central Workshop—stuck upside down in a dense patch of grass, its tip impaled through a bloodied human head. The firelight drew nearer, and the features of the head became discernible. A familiar shock of grayish hair flashed in my mind, bringing to mind the old servant who had followed Miss Ailna: Sebastian.
He…
Is dead?
I instinctively took a step back.
Buzz—
In the next moment, a golden flash appeared, and a figure materialized before me.
“Hey, Little Black Charcoal~”
The figure waved cheerfully, the familiar teasing tone, the familiar golden hair, the familiar smile. He stood less than ten meters away, grasping a staff under the moonlight, surprise flickering briefly in his eyes before they softened.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m late… How are you? Did anything bad happen? That thing inside is dead now, right? You took it out, didn’t you? What about that heretic woman? Did you take her down too? Wow… you look a bit pale. You must be exhausted!”
The man threw out a barrage of questions, though they felt rather insincere. He stretched his arms wide, in a distant, inviting gesture. “Come on, come here, into the Pope’s embrace!”
“Angel…”
I whispered the man’s name, my feet barely lifting, hesitating to move.
Seeing this, he laughed. “Ha, don’t be shy… Come on, come on! You’ve worked so hard; I need to give you a good hug… Can you still walk?”
“……”
I stared at him, lips parting to speak but no words came out.
Something’s off…
Though Angel looked the same as always—his nonchalant, slightly irreverent demeanor was intact—I noticed the fleeting hint of wariness in his eyes. He was clearly on guard. His playful banter didn’t hold the same warmth, and he stood far away, showing no intentions of coming closer.
“Hey, Little Black Charcoal, what’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
Noticing my silence, the man lowered his arms, ruffled his messy hair, donning a rather confused expression. “You’re not okay, are you? Don’t scare me now.”
“…I’m fine.” I whispered back.
Just terribly tired…
But at that moment, I didn’t want him to catch even a hint of my weakness, quietly pinching my thigh to keep my eyes wide open. “That old Heretic—you killed him?”
I pointed at the bloody head hanging on the spear.
Angel paused for a moment, turning to look in the direction I pointed. The torchlight drew nearer, allowing a clearer view of the grotesque face. Sunken gray eyes, a long mouth, a face lined with wrinkles—I recognized him at once: he was Sebastian, the old servant who had been by Ailna’s side.
“Oh, you mean him.” The Pope shrugged, losing interest after a quick glance. “I didn’t k*ll him; it wasn’t my turn. I might have arrived late, but I brought help, didn’t I?”
He let out a puff, smiling at me again. “You’re fine now; that’s great! If you hadn’t come out sooner, I might’ve had to figure out a way to rescue you… actually, I was already thinking of ways, but that d*mn entrance suddenly disappeared, and we were stumped trying to figure out how to get in. You know, just a while ago…”
“Angel.”
I cut off his rambling as he tried to score easy points. Steeling myself, I asked, “Why did you arrive just now?”
“…Huh?”
He sounded puzzled as if playing dumb. Seeing I wasn’t going to say anything else, he realized he couldn’t bluff his way through. He finally began to explain: “Oh, that. I got held up by some things; I was supposed to arrive earlier… but luckily, everything went smoothly. Little Black Charcoal, you look a bit tired; why don’t we—”
“Hold on.”
My head was buzzing, my legs felt like jelly, making standing an exhausting effort. I had planned to crash the moment I got out, but contrary to my expectations, I never anticipated running into Angel here—especially him saying something like that after everything was over.
“Angel… do you think everything is… smooth sailing…?”
As I spoke, I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself alert, calming the anger that suddenly flared within me.
That line was casual for him, without realizing the issue at hand. He noticed my strange emotion and paled slightly. “Wha—not smooth? Little Black Charcoal, didn’t you manage to eliminate that thing inside? Or—”
“If you’re referring to the demon you all talk about, I killed it.”
I interjected, and Angel raised an eyebrow. “So you—”
“But before that, many people died.”
I paused, forcing a smile at him. “The civilians of Stag Town, the clerics, the knights… Olivia, Karl, Daniel. They all died. You didn’t know, did you?”
“Uh, Little Black Charcoal…”
The Pope scratched his nose, wanting to say something, but I didn’t give him a chance. “Or do you think, despite all this, everything went well because I did what you wanted me to do? Other than that, everything else… doesn’t matter, right?”
Angel froze.
He finally grasped something was amiss.
“Not… Little Black Charcoal, you got me wrong. What I meant was… huh—”
The man sighed deeply, tilting his head as if weighing his words. The next moment, his smile vanished, standing solemnly before me. “This battle was truly tragic. Many people sacrificed their lives—believe me, I understand it well. Little Black Charcoal, I sincerely empathize with your feelings, which is why I didn’t want to bring up these sad things, because you really look exhausted.”
“But you seem to have misunderstood me. I don’t know what’s triggered this sensitivity in you—perhaps someone said something that made you this way… but you used to be tougher than this. Don’t you know what I’m really like? You’ve known me long enough!”
Well, who knows…
I didn’t say that aloud; I quietly watched him explain, his slightly awkward face expressing more than I cared to admit.
The Pope continued, “Forget it, let’s not talk about this now. You really are exhausted. These days have been tough on you, with all that you’ve seen… you’re just a little girl. I overlooked that, thinking you could handle everything, and that was my fault. Now… let’s not dwell on it. Just come back with me. Little Black Charcoal, you need rest. You need time to stabilize your new powers; that’s really important, and we can’t delay…”
“That demon was the Goddess of Sin, wasn’t it?” I suddenly interjected.
Angel’s expression shifted slightly.
The change was so subtle; this man was incredibly skillful at masking his emotions. Had I not been particularly perceptive, even in my exhaustion, I might have missed the fleeting shift.
“You heard that from that Dancer, didn’t you?”
Angel dusted off his clothes with a chuckle. “That’s not entirely inaccurate, but there are some discrepancies. The relationship is very complex. If you’re interested, I’ll explain it to you clearly when you wake up. But now…”
“Now, I need to leave for a bit, take a break.” I shook my head, taking a step back. “Angel, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll come back to find you if necessary.”
Maybe he isn’t what I thought…
But until everything is clear, I truly can’t trust him.
I should leave here first…
I turned to walk away, but my legs suddenly felt unsteady, and I nearly stumbled.
“Ha ha!”
The man’s carefree laughter echoed back. “Little Black Charcoal, you can’t even stand straight. Where do you think you’re going? Wait, let’s see who I brought along!”
Behind the Pope, the flickering torchlight drew closer. I could vaguely make out the figures holding torches, and amongst them was someone I felt quite familiar with.
