The Evil Noble Desires A Beautiful Demise - Could It Be That You're Stuck In A Loop? - Episode 36

Did I die, pierced by a black flash?

That horrifying sensation was death itself, just as I had felt it before. And once again, time rewound…

“Lady Tiarola, what happened?”

“Uh, ah, sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

In a hurry, I respond like that.

I was dazed, but what time is it now?? Since Firai was asking about the magical tools, I just started searching for Salifa.

No, that’s not it.

I have to hurry and head there.

“Church! Let’s head to the church…!”

At this stage, the church has not collapsed.

Before that explosion sound happens, we have to get over there…!!

“Tiarola, wait… I have something I want to confirm.”

Endens, who had been staring silently at me, finally spoke. However, time is of the essence now.

“I’ll explain later! So, hurry up now…”

“Before the church collapses, huh?”

“…Huh?”

I freeze at Endens’s words.

But, that word, in other words…

“It seems we have something we need to discuss.”

Endens said that with a serious expression.

Even if we say we will discuss it, we can’t afford to take our time.

There was surprise. There were things I wanted to talk about.

Even so, we confirm only that we are both experiencing time rewinding and switch our focus to deciding the next course of action. It is a mysterious phenomenon, but thinking about it is futile. And, as expected, I couldn’t convey to Firai that time had rewound.

“Under the current circumstances, going to the church should be the priority. I understand that the imperial castle is also a concern, but…”

“Ah, that’s fine. Either way, if we leave that thing unchecked, the imperial capital will collapse.”

With Endens’s consent, I run to the church.

While turning a blind eye to the fact I don’t want to believe.

I arrived at the church.

Nothing has happened yet.

“I’m coming in.”

Following the end, I step into the church.

Although I entered cautiously, it was deserted. However, the very fact that a church is deserted is strange.

I searched inside the church, but I couldn’t find the humanoid shrouded in that black mist. Moreover, there’s no trace of the repulsion that the humanoid emitted.

“Where is that humanoid? Tiarola, isn’t the magic compass reacting?”

“Well, it is responding, but…”

Look at the magic compass.

The needle is firmly stopped, but it still points towards the center of the church.

“Isn’t this pointing a bit downwards?”

When I looked at the magic compass again after being told that by Firai, I indeed felt that the needle was slightly pointing downward.

“I see, it’s underground.”

“But, there weren’t any stairs or anything, were there?”

“There must be a secret passage or something. There is one in the Imperial Castle too.”

When you say “escape route,” do you mean something like a hidden staircase? But how would I ever find something like that…

We started searching for any strange places, but we couldn’t find anything at all. After all, hidden staircases aren’t something you can just easily stumble upon.

Time keeps passing, and my anxiety is growing.

And then…

Bang!

With the sound of the explosion, the church shook violently.

Immediately after, a black flash bursts forth from the floor of the church.

“Lady Tiarola…!!”

I was frozen and unable to react, but Firai came to my aid. However, because of that, Firai ended up injuring his leg.

“Excuse me, Firai…!! I’m treating you now!!”

Returning to my senses and trying to start treatment, I was stopped by Firai with a hand gesture.

“Something is coming! I’m fine, so please be careful, Tiarola-sama!”

Gradually, I could feel the unpleasant malevolence drawing closer. The death I had just witnessed came to mind, and my body trembled. But this time, I had no intention of being easily defeated.

And, there is something that must be confirmed.

“It’s coming…!”

Endens said that and glared into the depths of the church.

The statue of the goddess slowly rotated, and from beneath it, it emerged. A black humanoid figure, exuding a sinister aura, climbed the stairs from the underground with a slow, deliberate motion.

I glanced at the magic compass. I couldn’t help but look.

It wasn’t a mistake.

“Ugh, no way…”

The needle was pointing at a black humanoid figure.

“Haahhh!!!”

Endens slashed at the black humanoid.

But, that was, that was…

“Endens!! Noooooo!!”

I couldn’t help but scream.

“That’s Salifa…!!!”

I don’t want to admit it. I can’t believe this.

But, there’s also a part of me that accepts it. I don’t know why, though.

“What…!?”

Endens’s eyes widen and he comes to a sudden stop.

However, he is not the kind of opponent who would miss such an opening.

“Ugh…!!”

The humanoid that moved in front of Endens in an instant punched Endens away.

Ah, this is my fault.

I knew it all along… I pretended not to notice…

“Lady Tiarola, is it true that that is Lady Salifa…??”

With a puzzled expression, Firai asks.

I can’t stay silent any longer.

“The… magic compass is pointing. And I can feel it. Salifa is over there.”

“Is that so…?”

Saying that, Firai stood up and began to walk towards the humanoid, despite having an injured leg.

“Firai, what are you doing!?”

“Lady Tiarola is going to the underground with Lord Endens. There might be some clue to bring back Lady Salifa. I’ll take care of that.”

Firai drew his sword and took a stance.

It’s a beautiful standing posture that doesn’t seem like someone who is injured.

“Please, I beg you. I can’t bear to see my student in such a state.”

For some reason, Firai starts running towards the humanoid figure that is standing still.

I must do what I need to do.

“Endens! I’m sorry, it’s my fault…!”

“Ugh… it’s fine. I heard the story. Let’s hurry to the basement.”

Endens has a pained expression, but fortunately, it doesn’t seem like any bones are broken. I lend a hand to Endens and we descend the stairs to the basement. It’s dim, but the light spilling from below barely allows us to see ahead.

After descending for a while, I found myself in a spacious area with a high ceiling. I never knew there was such a place beneath the church. There are several doors in the walls, but I can’t worry about that right now.

A nervous-looking man dressed in a deep green outfit was looking this way.

“What the hell? Who are you?”

The man in green attire glares at us.

There’s no doubt that this man knows about the black humanoid.

“That’s our line. What are you doing in the church basement? Let’s hear about that black humanoid!”

Endens responds like that.

However, the person in green attire looked at me with a relaxed expression and smiled.

“Hah! Who do you think you’re talking to? I have nothing to say to the likes of you.”

Snorting derisively, but I have to get him to talk. I have to find a way to bring Salifa back.

In the first place, this person is…

“Are you Zebras…?”

The moment he said that, an immense pressure was unleashed from the man.

“Hey, hey you. How dare you say that name in front of me!? Of all people, me, that madman…!?”

The man’s eyes were bloodshot, and veins were bulging on his forehead.

This man is not Zebras…?

“Disgusting! Ah, so disgusting…!! I was going to kill you anyway now that you’ve found this place, but I’ll make it even more brutal…!!”

The man, in a fit of rage, unleashed some kind of magic.

I instinctively braced myself, but there were no signs of anything happening.

No, they’re coming.

I feel that ominous presence approaching from behind.

“Hahaha! Even if you realize it now, it’s too late! My demon! Kill these unpleasant people!!”

A black flash approaches.

However, thanks to my vigilance, I barely managed to evade it.

“Hmph, cunning little one. But that won’t last forever, you know? My demon is the ultimate masterpiece! I have long since surpassed that dying madman…!!”

I am narrowly avoiding the black flashes being unleashed one after another, but at this rate, I will end up just as that man said. Somehow, I have to find a way out of this.

“Fire Lance!”

“Flashbang Light Bullet!”

In response to Endens’s magic, we also cast our own spells. However, they were all sucked into a black vortex and vanished.

Our attacks were ineffective, and gradually we could no longer avoid the opponent’s strikes. There was a hopelessly vast difference in skill.

And then…

“Ugh…!!”

First, Endens was struck by a black flash, targeting the moment of stiffness after the martial arts technique. Then, it became immobile.

“Endens…!!”

Until now, we had somehow managed to hold on together, but with the loss of endurance, that has become impossible.

“Ah, uh…”

Before long, I couldn’t keep up with the movements of the black humanoid.

And then, I was pierced through the body by that black arm from behind.

“Kuahahahahahaha!!! This is it! This overwhelming power! Even though I haven’t even unleashed half of it right after my descent!! With this power, I can reach even greater heights…”

I couldn’t listen to the man’s words until the end.

My consciousness is fading.

We can’t defeat that black humanoid.

“With that magical tool, can we find Lady Salifa…?”

After the feeling of a gruesome death, consciousness returns.

It was good to be able to return.

But, what should I do…?