Lost and sprinting in the pitch-black forest... This is a siege of eternal night, burying all hope.
What... exactly lies ahead?
Leike... what was she to an existence like Linge?
Thinking carefully, perhaps all his actions were merely unrequited sentiment; with just a small trick, the girl had made him pour his heart out... "I just killed someone..."
Just thinking about it made his hands start to tremble uncontrollably.
Was it worth it?
Was she worth it?
Questions constantly plagued his heart, and even Linge stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the sky.
Was that girl truly more important than the past he held onto?
"I'm not sure... No, I should know, but I still haven't figured out exactly what it is?!"
The relatives and friends from his hometown were what Linge missed, but could Little Red Riding Hood really be compared to them?
And why had he even given up his identity as a human for this?
Linge stumbled forward, finally realizing—
"It's the direction..."
Coming to his senses, he realized where he was.
By the pitch-black bonfire, a lovely succubus lady seemed to have been waiting for a long time~
Seeing her, Linge wasn't surprised; she had said before that she would wait for him on his way back.
"Can I go back now?"
Seeing Eva, Linge didn't let down his guard but spoke to test her.
"If you consider paying, you can right now."
Eva pouted, like a girlfriend who needed to be coaxed.
Linge was in no mood for her games; he closed his eyes and said unhurriedly.
"Take whatever you want from me. Of course, if you could be considerate of my anxiety, then naturally..."
Before he could finish, his mouth was blocked by something moist.
A soul-stirring and dream-haunting entanglement followed; Linge retreated step by step while Eva pressed on victoriously... Enough.
Nearly unable to breathe, he could only push hard with his hands to extract himself from the gentle trap.
"Are you satisfied?"
Linge wiped the corner of his mouth, his gaze becoming more complex.
"Satisfied~ but also not quite satisfied..."
Eva put on an innocent smile, attempting to fool Linge with her cuteness. "I feel like... it's far from enough..."
Wait... Linge realized something. He touched his neck; the marks left not long ago had all vanished.
"You..."
"Mhm~ It's magic!"
Eva gave a mysterious smile.
"It's just that magic... always comes with a price..."
Under Linge's questioning gaze, she changed the subject. She looked at the fire and asked:
"This is the 'Hole' that maintains your existence, isn't it?"
Linge frowned and followed her gaze to the black bonfire.
"What... Hole?"
Looking closely, the bonfire seemed to be overflowing with flames, yet also seemed to be eroding its surroundings.
This... wasn't a bonfire, but a phenomenon... "Why... am I only realizing this now..."
Linge felt a sense of suffocation even stronger than before... "What... am I... who am I... my cognition...?"
Abruptly, Linge froze.
"Did I... just say something?"
"Good question... Hmm... Eva doesn't know either..."
Eva waved her hand in front of Linge.
"How about I tell you about my discovery? It's related to that Queen!"
Eva clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly. She tried her best to appear pure, but she couldn't seem to suppress the innate charm in her bones.
"That Queen might want to completely dominate this world, and the darkness that has always shrouded this forest is one piece of evidence."
"But..." she immediately changed her tone, "she has power but lacks the corresponding authority, so she must constantly plunder souls, attempting to accumulate enough to achieve a qualitative change..."
Eva shook her head with a look of regret. "It's just that, in this world... if you aren't born with certain things, you'll never have the chance to get them for the rest of your life."
"So, the monsters in this forest are all..."
After hearing her words, Linge understood many things.
According to Little Red Riding Hood, these monsters were 'Remnants'.
This might mean their souls had long been taken, leaving only a physical body... No, that wouldn't explain the killing in this dark forest... Then again, perhaps it's precisely because all humanity has been drained that only monsters remain here... From that perspective, that Queen seems quite picky?
Does this also mean I am a special individual... "This bonfire... what does it have to do with me exactly?"
As if possessed, Linge asked this question.
"Bonfire... Hmm, your imagination is indeed outstanding. I suppose I should say 'as expected of you'..."
Then Eva shook her head, reached her hand into the Hole, and pulled out a handful of viscous substance like black mud. She held her hand before Linge's eyes so he could see clearly, then said, "These are obsessions."
"What...?"
Watching the droplets fall, Linge suddenly felt that this was similar to something within him.
It was the resentment of the dead.
"death is constantly playing out in this forest. The souls of the losers are taken by the winners, leaving only a bit of lingering regret to wander. Collectively, they loathe this world and pray continuously until they summoned the 'Hole'."
At this point, Eva's expression became much more serious. She intellectually smoothed her hair at the temples, stood up straight, one hand on her waist and the other raised, pointing as she spoke.
"Do you understand... Perhaps you are the very Savior born here, the one these dead expected and called for!"
A Savior for the dead...?
"You almost made me laugh."
Linge almost believed Eva's words, but the concept of a'Savior' was simply too absurd, making everything she had said before seem unreliable as well.
"Let's leave it at that. It's time for me to go back..."
"Mhm... Time is just about up~"
Eva's fingers tapped rhythmically on her fair arms. Then, she raised her hand to hide her smile and said slowly:
"Actually, a succubus's bodily fluids possess very strong medicinal properties..."
Medicinal properties?
Could it be... Linge reached up to touch his face; it was incredibly hot, and even his ears could clearly feel the surrounding temperature. He then pressed his hand against his wrist, feeling the almost frantic pulse.
"So, there's no need to leave, right?"
Eva walked over and took Linge's arm.
"Forget about that girl. My love for you won't be even a bit less than hers..."
Drip, drop—
What answered Eva were the beads of blood constantly falling before her eyes.
It was Linge's blood. He had used a knife to carve wounds into his own face. His eyes were like abysses, as if questioning the words Eva had spoken.
"Let me go, just as we agreed."
Linge had no more patience; his words were cold and brook no argument.
"I see. Then go..."
Releasing her grip, Eva took a step back as if to hide her disappointment.
Linge looked back, but the knife was immediately snatched away by Eva.
"Seeing you like this makes my heart ache... Besides, after giving so much, I should get something in return, right?"
Eva waved the knife in front of Linge's eyes. When Linge reached for it, Eva pulled her hand back, and the knife simply vanished into her palm.
Linge grew impatient and closed his eyes in a sulk, but his face was cupped by Eva's hands... "I like you, but not because of your looks."
Opening his eyes, he could clearly see affection slowly overflowing from her gaze. It was hard to tell if it was real or fake, but Eva said slowly with a certain tone... "I have loved you since the moment you were born."
The succubus's kiss approached again. This time, Linge hesitated and did not dodge.
At the moment of contact, he felt isolated from the world.
Here... only you and I remain... But I know that the warmth here is merely your temporary charity... Their lips parted, and the surrounding scenery shattered. Opening his eyes again, where had that person he had been intimate with disappeared to?
..."Something's wrong..."
Back in the familiar basement, Linge felt his condition worsening.
Although Eva had always helped him, this devil definitely had a belly full of bad intentions.
Linge's body was flushed, his breathing heavy, and his blood boiling... He had thought that as an Undead, he should be cold.
He hadn't expected his body to be no different from a normal person's, having the same physiological responses... Desire stacked up like waves, like a dam about to break. If it burst, it would be a smooth release; otherwise, he could only suffer under this heavy pressure.
He set the sword aside; Linge no longer had the strength to carry it.
To walk, he naturally had to travel light, and there should have been nothing to worry about besides his legs... but he couldn't help it; while the greatsword on his back was set down, the 'greatsword' in front was another story... "Damn it..."
Linge cursed inwardly. If he could, he would have tied this 'greatsword' around his waist and used it as a belt.
But it stood between his knees right now, as valiant as a general requesting to go to war!
Great General, please withdraw your divine power!
Linge spread his legs and tried to walk.
But the Great General said no, it had to be the vanguard... "I can't even suppress you?!"
Linge's expression hardened, and regardless of everything, he ran forward. After several stumbles, he finally crawled out of the basement.
Arriving at the kitchen, he searched the cutting board and finally found a boning knife. He stabbed each thigh once, then viciously pressed it against the Great General's neck, saying coldly:
"See that? You're next!"
Soon, the Great General bowed its head and admitted its mistake.
In this way, Linge proved through action that his will was still the master of his body... He walked into the main hall, which was still empty, no different from before.
But his destination wasn't here.
Turning to another ladder, Linge climbed up, step by step, appearing steady yet struggling.
He must be insane to have stabbed both his legs, restricting his movement.
Fortunately, his recovery ability was superhuman. The bleeding had already stopped, so he wouldn't dirty the girl's house.
Walking to the hallway and looking at himself in the mirror, he looked quite wretched.
Linge didn't stop, walking straight to Little Red Riding Hood's door.
Before entering, he made some preparations.
His right hand took out the small crystal bottle, while his left hand took out the boning knife and held it against his lower abdomen.
He wasn't about to cut open his stomach to show how many bowls of jelly he'd eaten; he had a deeper resolve.
Simply because he... had never had any expectations for himself.
He continued forward, step by step.
If anything happened, he could ensure that nothing would harm the girl... Like a spark of fire reigniting in his eyes, it was a pitch-black absolute will that would never let go until its goal was reached!
Yes.
Including himself.
Walking in, he saw that the girl was still lying on the bed, her hands clenched tightly. She must have been having a nightmare, as there was a faint sweat on her cheeks.
For a patient, sweating was a good sign, meaning metabolism was accelerating and the immune system was working efficiently.
But that wasn't enough. What truly maintained the girl's life was the Requiem, the magic... and magic would eventually have a moment where it failed.
Linge flicked his thumb, popping open the bottle.
Little Red Riding Hood kept humming, but her mouth was tightly shut, which troubled Linge.
"I'm here."
He whispered softly into Little Red Riding Hood's ear.
As if hearing his voice, the previously tense Leike relaxed, and Linge easily pried open her lips.
Then, carefully, bit by bit, he fed the antidote from the small crystal bottle to Little Red Riding Hood. His right hand was extremely steady, but his left hand was trembling, and beads of blood were slowly dripping from the blade's edge.
Fortunately, Little Red Riding Hood was very cooperative and swallowed it.
Great!
Linge slumped to the floor, feeling much more relaxed.
He had done all he could; now, he just had to wait patiently!
However, it wasn't over... He stabbed the knife fiercely into his leg, the intense pain jolting his brain. He crawled out without a hint of lingering attachment... It felt like he had had a very, very distant dream.
In the dream, he was playing with companions.
It didn't feel real.
Was that laughter his own? It felt too unfamiliar, appearing fake.
After all, things like friends were something he had only seen in books.
Could it be family?
No, to them, he was just something extra, so it was only natural that he was forgotten in a corner.
The beautiful things described in books always seemed to have nothing to do with him.
Walking out of the illusions, through the mire, and strolling through the night... the passing scenery had always been out of place with him.
Oh, perhaps it was because he was hopeful that he had such fantasies... but love was something that didn't belong to him.
"..."
The girl woke up.
She wasn't used to this; her head was dizzy, a feeling she'd never had before.
How did the clothes she wore outdoors end up on the bed?
How terrible, she had never been this messy... No... first, she should think about where this smell of blood came from.
She saw pools of blood at the foot of the bed, with clear marks of something being dragged.
It was likely a person... Following the bloodstains, they led to the door.
The door had actually been closed.
Opening the door, she could see bloodstains scattered in the hallway. That fellow seemed to have started running as soon as he closed the door.
Further ahead, he had fallen and tumbled all the way down the wooden ladder... It seemed he had found the quickest way.
Going down the ladder, Little Red Riding Hood looked around the hall.
There was almost no difference from usual, except for the blood trail leading to the kitchen. Leike followed it.
Hidden deep in the kitchen was the basement, where a stone staircase led down. The difference this time was that every stone step had a bloody footprint.
Following the footprints, she came to the cubicles.
In the first one, within the mirror, the forest that was once full of mist was now shrouded in darkness.
In the second, the bright lakeside view in the mirror had also fallen into darkness.
The third was as usual.
In the fourth, a giant sword blocked the doorway.
Little Red Riding Hood struggled to pull it aside and looked inside.
Blood stained the entire cubicle like a brutal murder scene. Ropes from somewhere were wound everywhere, tied tightly. This heavy color sketched an amazing artistic image, except for the person in the pool of blood, whose body was covered in wounds as if he had been flayed.
Pain can mask many of a person's emotions. Many clergy members use it to ensure their faith in the gods.
Leike reached out and touched his chest, wanting to check his heartbeat.
Her hand was slapped away.
"I know, let me sleep a bit longer..."
Heh... No one saw it, not even Leike herself noticed... but she was smiling.