Chapter 35: The Eldritch Godness and the Duke's Heir Apparent

Felix led me to the courtyard.

"Iris. You don't want them to learn your true identity, do you?"

Felix asked me that.

"That's correct. I'd prefer if no one knew—especially not them."

"Right. I understand that. But they seem particularly troublesome. It'd be one thing if they were at least open to negotiation..."

"Negotiation?"

"Yes, negotiation. This isn't some beastly brawl. We can all use words. If that's the case, we should settle this with words."

Hmm... That said, I'm an Eldritch Godness whose mere existence causes deaths and madness. Even if you tell me to suppress that, I can't. And since they see me as a threat, is this really feasible~?

"First, we should see how they act. After that, Lord Felix, it might be best for you to keep your distance from me as much as possible."

"Why?"

"You might be mistaken for a member of the cult surrounding me. So, it'd be safer to act as though you have little connection to me. I can't possibly drag you into the trouble I've brought upon myself..."

"What are you saying?!"

Felix raised his voice at my words, startling me.

"I don't care about that. If I did, I wouldn't have gotten involved with you in the first place."

"But—"

"Let me help you. I'm begging you, Iris."

"If you insist... But I think you'll regret it."

"I won't."

Well, if Elizabeth and the others don't find out my true identity, there won't be any problems. Will they find out...? They probably will...

"I'll be as careful as I can, but I'll also assess how they act."

"Right. Let's do that. If there's any room for discussion, we'll try negotiating. The one thing we must avoid is a fight to the death. Right now, that's the only option we have."

"Understood."

It's true Elizabeth and her group came here because my presence threatens the peace of the academy. But they can't kill me.

Not even a nuclear bomb could kill an Eldritch Godness. At most, all Elizabeth and the others could do is force me back into another dimension.

I might have to give up my school life, but I wouldn't die. After all, Eldritch Gods are incredibly strong. Wahaha.

"Then I'll go ask Klaus about Elizabeth and the others—what kind of people they are."

With that, Felix left the courtyard.

The moment he was gone, the air grew thick and heavy, and a sickly-sweet scent, like rotting fruit, filled the space. Oh dear, someone's here.

"Claudia?"

I turned around as I called her name—and there she was.

"It seems the Rosenkreuz Society has arrived. Those witch-hunting hags. Fools who shut their eyes, ears, and mouths to the truth. It'll be quite entertaining to see how far they can go against you."

"Aren't you also someone they'd hunt, Claudia?"

"Hunt me? They've never once caught my trail. Their hounds' noses are far too dull. They likely won't even realize your true identity."

"That's good news."

Being chased by the Rosenkreuz Society would be a problem. A real nuisance.

"Still, they'll buzz around you like gnats, getting in your way wherever you go. In that case, eliminating them preemptively is also an option, you know?"

"You want me to fight them?"

"Slaughtering them all would be trivial for you. Isn't that right?"

Well, I mean... I am an Eldritch Godness. If I sic my minions on them, I could probably drive Elizabeth and the others away. But still...

"Are you saying I'd have to keep fighting them forever? That sounds exhausting."

Yes, resorting to easy solutions just to scrape by now would only bring future hardships. I’d rather avoid that, thank you very much.

"I see. So you have no intention of bothering with those gnats, then. In that case, as a devoted seeker of truth, I shall teach them a lesson—show them that the world they know is nothing more than a tiny space illuminated by a feeble flame."

"Do as you please. I’ll pretend I know nothing."

"Fufufu. Oh, I intend to."

I have no interest in or attachment to Elizabeth and her group, and even if Claudia attacks them, I don’t particularly care. As long as I’m not blamed for it, that is.

I know nothing~. It’s not my fault~. Don’t pin this on me~. Pretty please~.

While Iris was speaking with Felix in the courtyard, Elizabeth and Matthias, guided by Emilia and the others, were visiting the heretical temple discovered beneath the old school building.

With Emilia’s group waiting above ground, Elizabeth and Matthias investigated the underground shrine.

"Have we seen this statue before?"

"Yes. It’s an idol of Y’sri-Lis, isn’t it?"

Elizabeth nodded in response to Matthias’ question.

"Y’sri-Lis, huh. The Queen of Rot, the Darkness That Writhes Upon the Throne. A favorite among cultists. They believe this deity bestowed wisdom upon humanity, elevating their intellect. Not that we can confirm such nonsense."

"The delusions of cultists are hardly worth considering. More importantly, if this truly is a stronghold of Y’sri-Lis worship… do you sense anything, Matthias?"

Ignoring Matthias’ tangent, Elizabeth posed the question.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Given the state of decay, this place has been abandoned for quite some time. The last rites performed here must have been ages ago."

"Is that so? According to the National Gendarmerie, a forbidden text of Y’sri-Lis was discovered here. The informant mentioned it was a translated version."

"And where is it now?"

"Stolen, apparently. It was supposedly under strict guard in the academy’s library, yet it was taken with shocking ease."

"Tch. Amateurs."

"The thief was no novice, from what I hear. They were part of an excavation team that uncovered a Y’sri-Lis temple in the East."

Elizabeth pointed this out as Matthias scoffed derisively.

"Hey, take a look at this, Bess."

Matthias called out, using his nickname for Elizabeth.

"Hmm? A hidden passage?"

"Seems like it. Shall we check it out?"

"Um"

What Matthias had discovered was a cleverly concealed trapdoor hidden among the stone tiles. As he lifted it open, Elizabeth summoned flames to illuminate the passage as they descended.

What awaited them underground was a space tightly packed with skeletal remains—a catacomb.

"A catacomb beneath a cult's hideout? How considerate of these cultists. They could probably write novels or plays with this kind of theatrics, don't you think?"

"It must connect somewhere. We should hold off on further exploration for now. For the moment, let's just confirm this passage exists."

"You sure that's enough?"

"Yes. It's progress for now."

Just as Elizabeth spoke, the two turned to leave—when suddenly—

"I take it back. I feel something. Damn it, this presence... it's bad news..."

"Can you handle it?"

"If we don't, we're dead."

From the direction Matthias glared, a viscous, squelching sound echoed through the chamber.

"They're coming—!"

The instant Matthias shouted his warning, countless greenish, rotting tentacles—like putrid flesh—emerged from the depths of the shrine. They writhed grotesquely, surging toward Elizabeth and Matthias.

"Familiars or summoned creatures. Nothing we can't handle!"

Matthias traced a pentagram in the air with his fingers, and flames erupted, lashing at the approaching tendrils.

"IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURRRRRRRRTS!!!"

The tentacles shrieked in unmistakably human voices, giving Elizabeth and Matthias a clue as to the true nature of this fleshy horror.

"Pathetic mimicry. If we were the type to falter at that, we wouldn’t be in this line of work."

Elizabeth, too, traced a pentagram, unleashing a surge of lightning that crackled through the writhing mass.

Yet still, the tentacles pressed forward, their acidic secretions sizzling as they dripped onto the stone floor, dissolving it with a sickening hiss.

"Damn it. This thing's tougher than your average summon. What's the plan, Bess?"

"We can't let it escape. Exterminate it."

"Got it. Time to go all out."

Matthias bared his teeth in a feral grin, intensifying the flames until they roared like an inferno, engulfing the flailing tendrils. The creature convulsed, its human-like screams piercing the air as it burned.

The fact that neither Elizabeth nor Matthias so much as flinched at a sight that would shatter most men’s sanity—perhaps it was proof that they had long since left theirs behind.

"Burn. Burn to ashes."

Matthias laughed as the fire raged on, reducing the abomination to cinders.

……………………