"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Six days had passed in a blink of an eye since then.
Eleona struggled to break the curse, but even with her renowned power, the ancient god's magic seemed elusive and resistant to interpretation.
"Ugh..."
Suddenly, she clutched her chest and began to groan in pain.
The intensifying darkness seemed to be overwhelming her.
She was sweating as if suffering from a severe illness, and her breathing was labored as though she had exerted herself heavily.
"I haven't finished yet... but the time is already drawing near..."
Alone in the desolate temple, she caressed a well-sealed envelope.
The letter was from Morione, suggesting they gather at the central royal road either before sunset or shortly after, as tonight was the decisive day. Thinking about the letter's content, Eleona looked up at the ceiling. The atmosphere had been gloomy for the past few days, but she could still discern the time.
The sky, from which no light permeated, indicated twilight transitioning towards midnight.
"I need to leave soon... but the curse is still..."
Before she could finish her thought, the temple's doors began to open.
"Huh?!"
Hearing the doors opening, Eleona desperately tried to hide her emotions and fixed her gaze on them.
And at the edge of her vision...
"Lady, it seems the time has come."
A man appeared. Recently, Eleona had been acting strange.
Was it the stress from the impending Night of Ruin? Lately, her demeanor had been quite different. The usual relaxed aura around her had disappeared, and her smiles seemed forced, almost as if she was hiding something.
"Lady, you seem unwell lately. If something is bothering you, please let me know."
However, despite his concerns, Eleona's replies were always vague.
"There's nothing wrong. Is it already that late? Then we should head to the royal road quickly."
She quickly changed the subject to avoid further questioning.
"Now, hold my hand. I'll teleport us to the royal road in an instant."
Despite his best efforts to find out what had been bothering her over the past six days, he had been met with her impenetrable defenses.
"Understood... then."
Following her lead, I approached and took her hand.
It was visibly sweaty but felt cold to the touch.
"Please let me know if there's anything uncomfortable. The imminent crisis is literally upon us, so now might be the only time for us to discuss it."
However, without acknowledging my words, she began to cast the teleportation spell.
"There's nothing wrong. Just get through tonight, and everything will be fine."
Although she said that to me, I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was hiding something. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a familiar place, the city's center.
However, a peculiar tower, glowing as if emitting its own light, caught my attention. It didn't seem temporary or particularly massive.
It looked more like a stage than a tower, and one could clearly see figures atop it.
"The other gods seem to have arrived. They're having a meeting, so I should join them alone."
Upon arriving at the plaza, Eleona, after exchanging a few words with the gods, took her seat among them. At the center of the large round table stood Morione, the goddess of destiny, who seemed to be the organizer of this event. Although she appeared to be speaking loudly, her voice did not reach us.
After ascending the steps, Eleona briefly talkd with the gods before taking an empty seat. Morione began to speak in earnest once the last participant had joined.
"Hmm..."
As the gods began their conference and I was momentarily left with nothing to do, I started observing the surrounding situation.
The overall atmosphere was heavy. Everyone present wore serious expressions, silently wandering the streets or standing still. From their appearances, they all seemed to be adventurers or guards protecting this country. The scene somewhat resembled something I had seen in a game.
I too became immersed in the ambiance, silently collecting my thoughts in this still place.
"Isn't that Harold?"
A familiar voice caught my ear, instinctively turning my gaze towards it.
"It is you, Harold. I somewhat expected it, but I knew you'd be here."
A woman with red hair tied in a ponytail approached me with a familiar smile.
"Erina, you're here too."
I slowly nodded in response, my face reflecting a mix of emotions.
"Yes, I had a request from Abne, but I also felt you'd be here tonight. Don't worry, Harold! I'll protect you tonight!"
Her reassuring words, accompanied by a tightly clenched fist, brought me a deep sense of relief.
While we exchanged pleasantries, our chance encounter wasn't the only one in store.
"Harold? I did expect it, but you're here too?"
Mir, seemingly also present, approached me with a light step.
"And... there's that unlucky adventurer next to you."
However, her initially cheerful expression changed abruptly upon seeing Erina. Erina reciprocated with a cold stare, and the already tense atmosphere grew heavier.
"Why has a being, who seems more fitting in the deep darkness over there, come here?"
The situation was so tense it became suffocating. I felt compelled to intervene to prevent it from worsening.
"Brother?"
Just as I was about to step in, another voice chimed in.
"Miru?"
Upon hearing her name from me, both stopped their quarrel and fixed their gaze in the direction of the voice.
Someone resembling Mir but distinctly different appeared, causing both to widen their eyes in surprise.
"Who are you?"
One of them, looking somewhat diminished, asked Miru with a baffled expression.
"Uh... well..."
Miru, looking flustered upon seeing the girl who resembled her yet appeared more mature, was clearly taken aback.
If there were any differences between Mir and the newcomer, it would probably be their personalities. Miru rarely showed her emotions, but the other one was so transparent that one could easily tell if she was lying.
"I am Miru! I don't know who you are, but you look just like me when I look in the mirror!"
She quickly adjusted and asked the girl with a tone of amazement, even if it sounded a bit feigned.
"Happy to meet you! My name is Miru!"
Though her greeting seemed fitting for a younger individual, Mir remained silent, staring at her with piercing eyes.
"Um... bro...?"
As Miru appeared slightly intimidated, I nudged Mir to break the tension.
"Hmm... I get it. Nice to meet you, I'm Mir. It's a bit ironic that our names are so similar."
Mir introduced herself with a hint of reluctance. However, Mir's smile seemed somewhat forced given the previous tension.
"Ha-ha... What a coincidence..."
Mir continued to give sharp glances, making the atmosphere awkward again, prompting a change of subject.
"So, why are you two here?"
I tried to lighten the mood with a casual question, to which Mir replied first.
"Today, the world's atmosphere feels especially dark. From my perspective, the overflowing darkness feels quite pleasant."
Given her nature to consume darkness, this situation must feel like a feast to her.
"I just saw people gathering and came over. And there you were, brother!"
Miru's presence also seemed coincidental.
Lately, I had been suspicious about her true identity. Every interaction seemed coincidental, which felt odd.
"Anyway, Harold, it seems like you've had a tough time in my absence... Would you like me to heal you a bit?"
She looked at me intently, then suddenly, with a mischievous grin, grabbed my shoulder. "Uh..."
Due to the curse inside me, Mir was able to neutralize some of its adverse effects. Given that the curse was dyeing my inner self with darkness, she needed to draw out that darkness from me. With an impending battle ahead, it would be relieving to suppress any unforeseen pain. However, there was something that made me reluctant about Mir's proposal...
"Wait... are you trying to steal a kiss from Harold again? I can't allow that."
It was the method itself that made me extremely uncomfortable. To draw out the darkness, I would need to kiss her, and I especially didn't want to do that in front of Erina.
"But isn't this the only way? Do you understand the risks? If a bloody battle ensues and he has a sudden attack in the midst of it, nothing would be more dangerous."
At those words, Erina bit her lip slightly and shot a glance at Mir.
"He doesn't need it. Harold will stay still. No matter what happens, I will protect him."
"Aren't you being overly confident?"
Amidst their standoff, I clapped to attract their attention.
"I appreciate Mir's concern, but... is this really the only method?"
Upon my earnest inquiry, Mir looked as if she felt betrayed. However, she soon sighed deeply, as if to say she had no other choice.
"Sigh... Fine then."
So, there was another way? If so, why had she been stealing kisses from me all this while?
"It might hurt a bit, okay?"
Suddenly, she firmly grasped my chest and began to forcibly draw out something, not physically, but metaphysically.
"Wa...wait!"
"You asked for this, remember? You said you could endure it."
Was this the other method? True, I could see a black mist-like substance being drawn out from me, but the process was excruciating.
"Gasp...! Ha... Ha..."
After the brief agony subsided, I regained my senses and looked around with a slightly aggrieved expression.
"So, you now understand why kissing was the better option?"
However, before I could respond, she preemptively silenced me.
"Hmm..."
Erina looked at Mir with a slightly uncomfortable expression but decided to let it pass.
"Brother, are you okay?"
Miru, seemingly shocked by the ordeal, looked at me with concern and held my hand tightly.
"Yeah... I'm fine."
The pain had completely subsided. As my vision cleared, I surveyed the surroundings. Seeing the many people filling the square and the two of them, I had a gut feeling that the final showdown was imminent.
If I just cooperate with them and get through this seemingly long night...
"Thank you for waiting, our loyal devotees!"
As the gods finished their meeting, Morione's voice echoed from atop the tower, drawing everyone's attention.
It has finally begun... the Night of Ruin.
The quest commenced with Morione's speech.
Beside him stood the goddess I worship, Eleanor. Whether by coincidence or knowing intent, she was looking directly at me. Even from a distance, I could clearly sense Eleanor's aura. She was definitely hiding something. What was she thinking right now?
"The gathering of gods has concluded, and I will now relay the current situation."
Morione unrolled a scroll from his pocket and began reading with focus.
"The world is now overwhelmed with darkness. The followers of darkness grow stronger while everything opposing them weakens. The worst night approaches."
Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath and attentively listened to the voice of destiny.
"And those who are well aware of this fact, the fallen ones, will seize this opportunity to lead our nation to ruin."
Though his words were grave, the following statement sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"However, even through these hardships, we will triumph together with the deities you serve! Nothing can taint the universe and its concepts!!"
Wrapping up what needed to be done and boosting morale, a newfound confidence began to shine in the eyes of the adventurers and soldiers below the tower. Right now, the atmosphere is going too smoothly.
However...
"Today, we shall prevail! We will drive out the wicked beings and the darkness that tarnish this place we've been safeguarding and return to our former vitality."
As Morione's speech came to an end, the onset of doom began... Just a few seconds ago, only the sky was dark, but now the whole world had darkened.
"What's happening?!"
With Morione's startled tone, the atmosphere below the tower instantly became chaotic.
"Harold...!! What's happening right now?!"
The world became so dark that it felt like being deep within a forest, where you could only recognize the person immediately next to you.
And then...
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion sounded from a distance.
"What was that noise?! Did something explode?!"
"Fire is starting in the distance! What's happening?!"
Chaos quickly ensued, accompanied by a massive fire.
Thanks to the distant fire, visibility somewhat returned, but without a moment's respite, screams pierced the air.
"Ah, help-!?"
"Heretics! The heretics are attacking!"
"Some madman among us was hiding!"
From the final cries of the dying, to people desperately shouting air raid warnings, to those drawing their weapons with harsh words, everyone was in a state of panic.
"What's happening?! This isn't what I expected at all!"
Stunned by the unexpected turn of events, Morione, followed by other gods, hastily began to exercise their divine powers.
ZAP!
"Ahh!!"
Ting! Ting! Ting!
"Hahaha! Die, you hypocrites!"
With terrifying slashing noises and the chaotic atmosphere, the place turned into a cauldron of chaos.
It was just a few minutes ago when everything was calm, but now, people couldn't even differentiate friend from foe as they began fighting in a frenzied state.
The Night of Ruin had begun.
The final quest of the first scenario had officially started...
"Harold! It seems there are heretics among us! We need to recognize each other and fight!"
Hearing the urgent voice of Erina, I nodded and relayed the information to Mir.
"Mir, did you hear what Erina said? If we let our guard down, we might be in big trouble."
However, upon inspecting her, she seemed even more energized than usual.
"I feel so powerful, as if I can take on the entire world."
The aura surrounding Mir was familiar, but the dark energy pulsating around her was slightly unsettling.
Right, when you think about it, Mir was a being of darkness, wasn't she?
Things might go smoother than expected.
Then, the only one left to worry about was Miru...
Erina, as always, looked steadfast, and I had bolstered my own strength, so there shouldn't have been any issues.
"Uh... Ah..."
"Miru?"
But if everything went smoothly, "I can feel my power drawing near, quite fortunate indeed. Such a wonderful vessel now possesses my power."
"Doesn't it seem delicious?"
She spat out those incomprehensible words and chuckled. And then...
Raising her head, Miru exuded a completely different aura, her smile eerily chilling.
Thump-!
"I have descended upon this world, everything here is for me."
Suddenly, my heart shook, a spasm struck, likely a side effect of the curse.
A pain like I've never felt before...
"Harold! Are you okay?!"
Wasn't it just a moment ago that Mir helped alleviate the darkness within me?!
It's... it's too painful...!!
I could hear Erina's worried voice, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to it right now.
"Is your name Harold? It's a good name."
Miru - or rather, something wearing Miru's form - continued to speak in a strange manner.
"Before we indulge, let me introduce myself."
With a sinister smile, she spread her arms wide in presentation.
"For now, call me... Lusria. I'm a fallen deity who has existed for quite some time."