Surviving without God

In the deep darkness, a faint light and wind stirred. The darkness—sticky, as if it had flesh—and the heavy, stale stench receded. For the first time in a long while, the three called each other by name.

— El.

— Kalos.

— Dietrich.

The chains of restriction binding them trembled faintly. A sharp metallic screech rang through the air, as if cracks had begun to spread through seals layered thousands of times over. At the same time, the oppressive, horrifying pressure weighing down on the three eased slightly. And again, with voices that had grown a little stronger, the call followed:

— El.

— Kalos.

— Dietrich.

With each name spoken, a faint cracking echoed through the air, and the Abyss itself began to tremble. The ominous whisper that had constantly lingered beyond the darkness seemed to gradually fade.

A hell where every minute and second stretched into eternity. As breath slowly returned, the three gods once again tasted the word “hope.” A name they themselves had once brought into this world, yet had long since forgotten.

A gentle voice rang out:

— Heh-heh, Rahenia’s still such a crybaby.

— Some habits never change—always sniffling away in that tower, — a teasing voice replied.

— Well, it’s still better than Dietrich when he gets dumped with a bang.

At a moment like this, immediate retaliation should have followed, but instead only a heavy silence filled the space. Alphonse quietly turned his head and looked at his friend. The King of Knights stood motionless, staring into the endless darkness. His hands gripped empty space as if the beloved sword that had long left him still rested in his palm.

— Now the real part begins.

After that, neither the Saint nor Alphonse said a word. They all knew. Until now, the times had been chaotic and grim enough, but what awaited Gunther ahead could not be compared to the past.

In the Border City, “Night Raven” and Gunther were barely holding back the infiltration of Luthien, but across the entire continent, the grand design of the Seven Evil Gods was being carried out with precision. It was something that the current Gunther, no matter how much he struggled, could not stop alone. The world was rushing at terrifying speed toward the nightmare they remembered. The Seven Evil Gods, once defeated by them, had now prepared more cunningly and covertly, while the people of this era had no sufficient means of defense.

And yet, not a trace of doubt appeared on the faces of the three gods.

— He’ll manage, right?

— He will.

— Obviously~.

It wasn’t only Gunther who had begun to believe in the three gods. They, too, watching Gunther’s path, had gained certainty. He was capable, calculating, and knowledgeable.

But more than that. His greatest weapon was that the direction he moved in always remained straight and never broke. Alphonse let out a snort of laughter.

— Hey, you Luthien bastards! A truly troublesome guy is coming your way now~.

Only then did the King of Knights allow himself a faint smile. The Saint, smiling brightly, pointed toward the edge of space, which had begun to slowly brighten. It was the moment when Gunther awoke from his long, delayed sleep. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

.

.

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Gunther opened his eyes in a soft bed. He had tossed and turned until dawn, but at some point, he must have fallen into a deep sleep. His body felt refreshed.

Last night. Even when the shocking truth surrounding them had come to light, the three gods did not appear. They had likely wanted to give him time to sort out his thoughts.

“There really was too much to deal with...”

From the moment he met the abducted Dimona, the preparations for her rescue, the assault on Bellamor Mansion and the battle inside it, the encounter with Marien within the illusion, breaking through that vision, defeating Kate, and escaping the collapsing building. The density of time had been so high it felt like months had passed.

“And yet, in reality... only a couple of days.”

As a result, he had come to understand many truths he hadn’t known before. But at the same time, he reaffirmed that the task he had to accomplish remained unchanged.

[Influence of Luthien in the Border City: 8,326]

“Start with what I can do.” With that mindset, Gunther got out of bed.

— ...Gunther!

First, this. He took out the glass container he had kept in the corner of the room. It was wrapped in thick cloth and covered with a “sealing technique” passed down by Alphonse. Gunther carefully picked it up and headed to the dining room. One floor below, Brody was already waking the shelter’s residents, calling them to breakfast.

***

The meal in the kitchen was quite lively.

— Alright, everyone, enjoy!

This was the result of Brody rolling up her sleeves early in the morning after hearing about the new guests. Roanna had also contributed a few side dishes.

The two of them shared one thing in common: both were full of enthusiasm when it came to cooking. Of course, there was also one difference. Skill. The forks flashing above the table clearly gravitated only toward Brody’s dishes.

Meanwhile, Gunther’s gaze was drawn to the apron hanging in the corner of the kitchen. For some reason, he felt like he should put it on and stand at the stove with them—but he restrained himself with all his strength.

Next to him sat Giles with a deathly pale face. He looked as though he had completely lost his appetite, but Eddie had apparently dragged him here by force.

Dimona sat quietly at the very end of the table. In front of her were vegetarian sandwiches personally prepared by Brody, along with fruits that were difficult to obtain at this time of year. The reason why the business-minded Brody was putting in so much effort was obvious.

— They say you’re an Arcane Runner...

— ...Yes.

— And that your skill is incredible...

— Yes.

For an information broker, an Arcane Runner was practically a golden key. Her desire to get closer was obvious even without looking closely. Considering that Brody always got what she wanted, they would soon become friendly. Moreover, the fact that Dimona was sitting here with everyone was already a significant achievement. It seemed she, too, was gradually trying to get used to the faces she would now encounter often.

“Good.”

At that moment, Eddie, who had been watching his cousin’s enthusiastic efforts with confusion, turned his attention to the bundle Gunther had brought.

— What the hell is that?

— Want to take a look?

The moment Gunther peeled back the cloth just enough for him to see, Eddie slammed his fork down with a loud clatter.

— For fuck’s sake... like I didn’t already have no appetite.

After Roanna demonstrated her “dagger technique” using a fork and Eddie made a desperate attempt at defense, the topic at the table naturally shifted to the “worm” Gunther had brought. The container was carefully placed where the cleared plates had been. Eddie shook his head in horror.

— Can you explain why you brought that to the dining table?

The background was this. At dawn today, Gunther had arranged a meeting with Seraz. Before that, he needed to determine the true nature of this worm, and he figured there was no better place than this gathering. Gunther looked at everyone present in turn.

An Arcane Runner who could see through information. Brody, whose knowledge and breadth of experience were immense. Eddie, who had spent five years accompanying Kalian on trade journeys and picked up all sorts of things. Roanna, whose experience as a veteran of the Lower City gangs gave her knowledge of the strangest matters. And even Giles, a former insider of the Bellamor household.

If they didn’t know, there was no other way to find out right now.

“Well... unless I go see Sharin.”

Gunther fixed his gaze on one of them. Then immediately asked:

— Giles. What is this?

As expected, Giles didn’t hesitate to answer.

— I don’t know exactly. I only know it’s a monster obtained from the diocesan head, Albino...

Such willingness to cooperate was expected. Giles’s hostility toward Luthien ran deeper than anyone in “Night Raven.” Gunther had known this in advance. He had confirmed it through interaction during the game’s {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} events.

The curse gnawing away at his lineage. Giles had long known that the Luthien cult was behind it. Until now, Kate had simply kept him in check through fear. But now that she was gone, he was ready to help. That was one of the reasons Gunther had brought Giles along.

Giles frowned briefly, choosing his words, then added in a quiet voice:

— Ah, and... its main diet is fresh human flesh. Not a living person, but freshly flayed... I’m sorry. I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Grandmother fed this worm like that for several days.

He finished, his face twisting in disgust.

— ...Human flesh?

Before Gunther could ask anything further, Dimona’s calm voice spread through the kitchen:

— Kate told me this worm would replace me.

And that was enough. Several clues in Gunther’s mind rapidly began to assemble into a single picture.

“Replace... I see.”

The suspicious traces he had encountered before while looting the empty homes of Bureau officials in the Upper City. And the image of the “Perfumer” who once brought a glass container straight into Brody’s office. All those memories overlapped with this worm in an instant.

“...What kind of monsters are you, to have created something like this?”

Gunther was able to roughly grasp the bigger picture of what was happening in the Upper City—the very case Seraz had been racking her brain over. Without hesitation, he picked up the container and stood.

— I’m heading out.

— ...Huh?

— Everyone, stay quiet today.

There was still time before his meeting with Seraz. Since he now roughly understood the worm’s function, it was time to extract more information. That information would become his evaluation—and the price in the deal. Gunther headed to the “Nest.”

***

Sharin Vega’s laboratory. Sharin was indescribably delighted at the arrival of a new test subject and dragged out a pile of reagents and strange instruments. ...The worm on the dissection table trembled faintly, as if letting out a silent scream.

Since they had already figured out that the worm’s key ability was “Imitation,” they were able to approach the matter more directly and precisely. Thanks to that, they managed to extract far more information than expected.

— There’s a trace of Jean Daet’s divinity in it, though very faint. It looks like a womb... Hm, I’ve never seen a womb of this type before. Its primary function is imitation, followed by camouflage...

— A womb?

— Yes. But the connection was severed some time ago. I can see the energy dispersing. Was that your doing?

The skill he received from Alphonse included a “sealing” effect. Gunther had taken precautions in advance, fearing the worm might be controlled externally, and if it truly was a “womb,” then he had unknowingly made the right decision.

“It could have become a god’s eyes.”

As that thought crossed his mind, another name surfaced.

“Lord of Imitations... Morphesia...”

That was the very name that had recently appeared in his status window. At that moment, Sharin, who had been conducting some kind of experiment, suddenly raised her head with an extremely excited expression.

— Listen, it really doesn’t like this!

That was the decisive clue.

.

.

.

Seraz, who appeared at the meeting place, looked utterly exhausted. It was only natural—Gunther and the Fourth Platoon had caused chaos in the Upper City just yesterday at dawn. She likely hadn’t slept at all, dealing with the aftermath. In fact, if not for Gunther, she probably wouldn’t have shown up at all.

— Handsome, seeing your face... well, it’s great for relieving fatigue, but your aunt’s a bit busy today, so I can’t stay long.

She took a deep drag from her cigarette, eyes half-closed. She didn’t even touch the alcohol she usually loved. Gunther looked at her silently and asked:

— Tired?

— ...Can’t you see?

— Then let’s get straight to it.

Empty comfort or sympathy didn’t suit Seraz. Gunther knew that well. What she needed wasn’t a hand to wipe away her tears. She needed a target to aim at, prey to sink her teeth into. ...That was the only approach that fit her.

Gunther took out the glass container and placed it in front of her.

— This is the Luthien monster that devoured your subordinates and impersonated them.

Slurp—

...The shot glass was emptied in one go.