Chapter 191: The Voice’s World. (2) (1/2)

The world of the Voice continued out like a wave. Even she, a developer, didn’t know it yet, but the concentric circles that composed it were stored in her memory.

“…So, there could be dead people in this world.”

Lia explained it to Leo and Carlos. The three were wearing robes and sitting in a corner of the tavern. Leo’s eyes went wide as he tilted his head.

“Why?”

“What, are you stupid? The memories of the dead are also stored in this world. A dead person can live on with their memories of when they were alive.”

Carlos’s answer was partially correct.

“Yeah, it’s something similar to what Carlos said. But…”

Lia paused for a moment, her eyes darting up. Two Named, Sylvia and Julie, were at a table eating, and not only that.

Screeeeech—

The wooden door of the tavern creaked open. At that moment, the temperature inside suddenly grew cold. Lia and the children naturally looked to the door. No, everyone in the tavern did.

“…It’s Professor Deculein.”

A noble who attracted everyone’s attention, and a magical villain who would captivate you if you let your guard down even by a little. He was an irregular that couldn’t be expressed by Lia’s status. That Deculein.

Step—step—

His stride was regular, and his elegance flowed like an icy cloak behind him. He was always tidy and clean, to the point it was morbid, and that didn’t change even in the Voice. Leo was surprised to see him.

“Huh. Huh. Lia! How-“

“…Shh.”

Lia, who was watching vacantly, put a finger to her lips. Leo nodded, and Carlos pulled the hood of his robe down.

“…Lia, what should we do? Should we run?”

Leo whispered.

“No, we won’t run away. He’s someone we are going to meet eventually anyway.”

Deculein was essential in the Voice now that he had become much, much stronger than the original. In the first place, the final boss of the Voice was his father, Decalane.

Tremble—

But suddenly, the table began to shake. Lia noticed Carlos was trembling.

Tremble—

The child’s eyes had already lost focus, and his complexion turned blue. Fear had been imprinted in him, activated by Deculein’s mere presence. Carlos was twice as strong as her now, so she couldn’t help but feel sad to see him shaking and breaking out in a cold sweat.

“…It’s okay, Los.”

Lia held Carlos’s trembling hands. Leo, who was beside her, also put his hand on top of them.

“That’s right! It’s okay. We won’t get caught~.”

Carlos grinned at his carefree attitude.

*****

As soon as the tavern door opened, all attention was on me. I sat down at the bar with Epherene. I didn’t want to associate with those bandits.

“…Professor, everyone is looking at us.”

Just as Epherene said, everyone was openly watching us, but Sylvia and Julie were desperately pretending to not notice as they kept their heads down.

“Is this your first time here?”

The owner, who was cleaning a cup, asked. Epherene answered.

“Yes, why?”

“Hmm, I didn’t expect to see Professor Deculein in this place.”

“You know the Professor?”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t? I even heard of the rumors that he buried the Demon Blood alive.”

“…”

Epherene trembled then mumbled softly, wary of me.

“That’s a bit too much…”

“I want to hear a different rumor.”

I moved straight to the point. All sorts of rumors could be heard at a tavern, and all kinds of quests appeared. Therefore, it was the starting point in the Voice.

“Hmm. Rumors. If you were someone else, I would have just snorted at you… but it’s a different story with the Professor. You have a reputation even in this world.”

The owner raised his eyebrows and handed over a beer, but I didn’t drink such cheap things.

“Ehem. Count Demetheon is looking for people.”

“People?”

“Yes, to kill the demon covered in human masks.”

I didn’t say anything but leaned back in the chair and watched the bar owner.

“…”

Calmly and peacefully. However, my Psychokinesis manifested and shook the tavern, rattling the bottles and tables.

Dadadadadada…!

The small earthquake even moved the walls and the floor. This Psychokinesis that had reached its peak was becoming my aura. It was at the stage of unifying my will and the outside world.

“Woah, Woah. Calm down.”

The owner was freaked out and my mana subsided a moment later. The angrier I grew, the colder my heart became, thanks to the predisposition of my Composure.

“I know Yukline, the clan of hunters, very well. Will you accept this?”

[Main Quest 3333: Voice (1)]

◆Goal: Demon Hunting

◆Reward: Store Currency +10

Ten units of store currency. It was an opportunity to finally strengthen the quality of my mana once again, perhaps for the last time. I couldn’t refuse this.

I nodded.

“I accept.”

“Good. You can go inside from there.”

The owner pointed to the door next to the counter.

“Good luck.”

I stood with Epherene following behind me.

Screeeeech—

I opened the door using Psychokinesis. When I passed through, I could see two men. One appeared to be sleeping on a sofa, and the other was sitting in a chair. He was holding his forehead with his eyes closed.

“Hmm. How dare someone… huh? Deculein?!”

He slowly raised his head to reveal his face. I recognized him as Zukaken of the Six Snakes.

“…Ehem, Deculein, is this the first time we’ve seen each other since the incident?”

When I didn’t respond, he straightened his expression with some embarrassment.

“It’s awkward, but it’s a relief. There’s no one like you when it comes to knocking down demons.”

The Six Snakes was an underworld criminal organization. They referred to themselves as a guild and committed all sorts of crimes for money. I didn’t have to be nice.

“I don’t want any small talk. Where is the demon?”

“…I also don’t want to talk to you for long. Here, take this.”

Zukaken pulled out a briefcase. I took it before asking.

“Who is Count Demetheon?”

He closed his mouth.

“…That’s for later. You go and see for yourself because he’s the demon that you’ll hunt. For your information, the down payment is ten brass coins, ten times that once completed. Ten brass coins are equivalent to one thousand Elnes in the Empire.”

Tak—!

I opened the case. There were two pictures inside.

“…”

I glanced over at the first picture. It was a familiar face.

“To briefly explain the mission, there is a demon here. To be more exact, a human brought back to life by the Voice.”

Zukaken’s words reached my ears and scattered.

“They are dolls made by the Voice by instilling parts of their soul. But, what if you kill that doll? The Voice becomes incomplete, too. This is the most straightforward way of defeating the Voice.”

The person was someone I had never seen before. But, the woman vividly remained in Deculein’s memory. I spoke her name.

“…Sierra.”

“That’s right, but don’t be mistaken. The memories and mask belong to her, but inside her is a demon. It will act like her, but it’s not real. But… it should be easy for you.”

Zukaken smirked.

“Because you’ve already killed her once before.”

“…What?”

Then, Epherene flinched.

“Who… is she?”

I looked back to Epherene. Her round eyes were blinking on and off like a light bulb.

“It’s Sylvia’s mother.”

“…What?! That, that, uh-“

I ignored Epherene’s shock and turned to Zukaken again.

“Zukaken, don’t you want to maintain the Voice?”

“Hmm? No, I don’t. You, think about what I’ve accomplished in the underworld. Do you think I would want to abandon that gold and my treasures to live in this world made by demons? Also, underworld guys easily fall for these fakes. So, the existence of this place is bad for us. Shouldn’t we break this fake world as soon as possible?”

His words were surprisingly convincing. He didn’t seem to be lying.

“Ah, more than that. There’s one more in there. You have to take a look at it now and decide.”

Zukaken’s expression became quite serious. I lowered my gaze again. Behind the photo of Sierra smiling softly was another paper. The moment I peeled it away to look at the third-

“…”