Before his regression.
“Hello? Nice to meet you. It looks pretty suffocating in there, doesn’t it?”
In the pitch-black space, Shane opened his eyes at the sound of the voice.
But all he could see was the dreadful darkness.
“Who… are you?”
“Hmm, well. Does it really matter?”
Of course, it mattered.
This place where Shane was trapped wasn’t a physical space but one made of his mind.
Wasn’t it the Envy that had gained self-awareness made Shane jealous, and it ended up imprisoning him within his own mind?
It was the result of seeking power that defied reason.
Anyway, that’s how his encounter with the girl began.
The girl, who didn’t answer his question about who she was, would occasionally strike up a conversation like this.
In this mental space, where he couldn’t tell whether the periods were days, hours, or even years.
The presence of the girl, who would sometimes speak to him, was a great help to Shane.
Sometimes he wondered if he had gone mad and conjured up an imaginary person, but that didn’t really matter to him.
He had even thought that if he were to go completely mad, he might find freedom from this cursed space.
But Shane knew all too well that he wasn’t insane, so he chose to focus his thoughts elsewhere.
The first thing he attempted, naturally, was to regain control of his body.
Didn’t he join an organization and master countless forms of magical knowledge?
So he went through the spells he’d learned, even the ones he didn’t fully understand, and dissected and analyzed them with renewed effort.
Did those efforts yield any results?
Shane who had been trapped deep in the core of his consciousness eventually reached a point where he could share the sights and sounds perceived by his other self—Envy.
But that was as far as his efforts could take him.
No further progress could be made.
When he faced the girl once again, Shane couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Oh my, impressive. You’ve already made it that far?”
The girl who occasionally spoke to him was now reaching out to Shane through Envy’s self-awareness.
The identity of the girl, whom he had been so curious about, was something close to a ghost.
Or perhaps, a soul.
She had been speaking to Shane while occupying the bodies of others.
And the host changed every time.
Sometimes, she would be in Gordon’s body.
Other times, it would be in Dilaila’s.
Sometimes, she would speak to Shane while possessing Karhu’s body.
What on earth was her true identity?
He had asked her that several times, but each time the girl refused to answer.
However, every time Shane saw her, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It was as if she didn’t quite belong to this world.
“You should prepare for the time that will eventually come. Do your best with what you can from there, understood?”
She would often say things like that, and after his regression, Shane greatly benefited from it.
Of course, it wasn’t because he had prepared based on her words.
In the world of consciousness where nothing could be done, all he could do was explore the knowledge that came to him from the outside.
And.
Sometimes, she would say things he couldn’t understand.
“There’s definitely a different kind of fun on this side.”
“Is it because of the nature of the librarian here?”
“What do I mean? Don’t worry about it. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Ahaha.”
***
In any case.
“Why are you taking that form?”
Back to the present.
The dark spirit who was trembling opened its mouth in response to Shane’s question.
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know the reason either. I only saw a being very similar to this form during the process of intertwining with your soul.”
“……”
Could it merely be a form of subconscious?
Perhaps, in the aftermath of Origin, his severely damaged soul had unconsciously remembered a companion who had been a small comfort in his most vulnerable moments. And all of this led to this event.
The dark spirit mostly took on the appearance of that girl, but instead of her molten amber eyes, it had eyes the same roseberry color as Shane’s.
“Stop trembling. I was just thinking about something. Now, get up.”
“Th-Thank you!”
Shane had no intention of blaming the dark spirit for acting on its own.
In fact, if it hadn’t, who knew what condition his soul would be in by now.
However, he didn’t offer praise either.
He didn’t want the spirit to make unnecessary decisions on its own next time.
“Then, I suppose I should give you a name.”
“……! R-Really?!”
The dark spirit was overjoyed.
A name isn’t just something used to call someone.
It secures the value of one’s existence, while also carrying the history of that being.
Until now, the dark spirit had been unable to find value in itself.
This meant that no matter what it did, the dark spirit had no confidence in itself which was why it so desperately sought Shane’s approval.
“A name…”
However, the dark spirit’s joy was quickly crushed by Shane’s next words.
“Blackie will do.”
No matter how much it revered its master, this just didn’t seem right.
***
As soon as the war ended, everything moved swiftly under Crown Prince Samuel’s support.
The once stagnant negotiations with the coalition progressed rapidly, and the adventurers who experienced the summer couldn’t hide their amazement at Arunvida’s brutal weather.
“They said it was cold, but this is no joke.”
“Wow, this must’ve been one hell of a battle.”
“Look at all these bodies.”
The corpses of monsters and orcs strewn everywhere made it clear how fierce the battle had been.
After all, they had faced a 500,000-strong orc army and a wave of 150,000 monsters.
It wouldn’t be surprising if businesses dealing in weapons would soon be screaming with joy.
Arunvida’s monsters were notoriously difficult to handle, but that meant they could also be used for a wide range of materials.
While preparations to head to the orcs’ stronghold were steadily progressing, a meeting was held among several senior leaders.
First among them was Zephyr D. Natasha Anastasia, the lord of Arunvida.
Next was Oliver G. Daniel, the commander of the Knights of Judgment dispatched by the Empire.
The last to arrive was Marcellus, the commander of the White Tree Adventurer Party from the coalition.
Although the White Tree Adventurer Party led by Marcellus was considered lower in rank compared to the Raviata or the now-disbanded Hermes Adventurer Party, in terms of activity, they were by far the most active.
“You are truly incredible!”
Marcellus’ booming voice echoed through the meeting hall.
He was as large as his voice suggested, with a shaggy mane of hair and a thick beard that gave him a rather intimidating presence, yet his eyes in contrast were as gentle as a cow’s.
“Marcellus, the man. I’m deeply moved by the Princess and the people’s efforts here. Does the Empire even know about this, Sir Daniel?!”
At first glance, his tone seemed almost confrontational, but Marcellus was genuinely moved by the outcome of the war in Arunvida and was simply asking out of admiration.
Though the Crown Prince he served had lost some political ground, Daniel who was actively involved in the imperial politics nodded as if in agreement.
“I agree. Who would have thought things would turn out this well? A true example for the Empire, no doubt.”
“Wahaha! Coming from Sir Daniel, it must have truly been a great feat, Your Highness!”
“Thank you for the praise. But this was only possible due to the sacrifices of many. That is why we have gathered here—to quickly bring an end to the war.”
“Yes, yes! You’re right! I’ve been rambling on too much. Let’s begin the meeting right away!”
The topic of the meeting, as Anastasia had mentioned, was the preparation to bring an end to the war.
Though the orc army had been dismantled, their base still remained intact.
To prevent a recurrence of such an event, the most reliable solution was to strike at their stronghold.
Thanks to their successful defense of Arunvida, Anastasia held strong influence on this meeting and led the proceedings efficiently.
The Crown Prince too had chosen to remain a spectator in this matter, so Daniel didn’t raise any objections to the princess’s opinion.
The military strategy was simpler than expected.
Divide and conquer.
Felice will lead the residents of Arunvida.
Marcellus would lead the adventurers of the Coalition.
The imperial army, led by the Judgment Knights, would take down the orc forces one by one.
“It doesn’t seem like the most effective approach.”
As Daniel had pointed out, it wasn’t the most efficient strategy.
Even though it was a divide and conquer tactic, there was little need for such an approach now that the enemy’s army had already collapsed.
However, Mimir who was assisting Anastasia responded to his remark.
“Given Arunvida’s nature, there’s no need to stir up unnecessary trouble, is there?”
“Hmm…”
It was an openly hostile remark.
The imperial army made up of the Crown Prince’s men couldn’t mix with the people of Arunvida.
The residents of Arunvida were already not fond of outsiders.
There was no need to create conflict and offer themselves up as easy prey for the other side to exploit.
Since Daniel had only made a casual remark, he quickly nodded his head in agreement.
With that, the military formations were set, the strategy meeting proceeded, and the counterattack began in earnest.
However, none of them could foresee that the course of the war would unfold in a completely different direction than they had anticipated.
***
The elder shaman of the orcs Kargato exhaled heavily as he assessed the current situation.
The orcs had been defeated by the humans.
And not just any defeat; it was a crushing and devastating loss.
The great chieftain Pagabutan, had lost his life in vain, and most of the 500,000-strong army had either perished or scattered.
No matter how strong the orcs’ breeding capabilities were, an army of 500,000 was not something easily rebuilt.
Many young orcs failed to survive the harsh environment of Arunvida, and even more were killed during the process of awakening their magical powers.
And that wasn’t all.
How much internal dissent had arisen when the Mountain King abandoned them and the Nameless Organization intervened?
Under Pagabutan’s leadership and Kargato’s decisions, those rebellious orcs had been purged or had their blood magic drained, turning them into slaves.
Of course, immense dissatisfaction had built up during that process, but wasn’t there still the grand goal of seizing the fertile lands of the humans, and using that as a foundation to return to the orcs’ homeland, Urbulak?
And yet, they had suffered such a crushing defeat.
Not only was it difficult to recover an army of that size, but it was also uncertain whether the remaining orcs would even trust Kargato, who had led them to this point.
“It’s not… too late yet…”
Still, Kargato did not believe that a full recovery was impossible.
Internal divisions could be unified in the face of external threats.
At the time, the humans were probably desperate to find their base, so all Kargato had to do was take advantage of the chaos to regain power.
Then, he could appoint another great chieftain to suit his needs.
What greeted Kargato was none other than a man wearing a mask, and a large group of orcs standing behind him.
“You’re late. Disgrace of your race.”
“You…!”
Among the many reasons for the defeat in the war, the biggest one was this man who had commanded the mysterious dragon. And the man looked down at Kargato with eyes colder than Arunvida’s weather.
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