For You This World I'll Destroy

Published Mentari Festival (End)

— 26 —

A Pathfinder is a guide to humanity. As the strongest pillar of civilization, we have the jurisdiction to oversee a major project and special investigation concerning the threat of Malice to the general public. And that jurisdiction has brought Nuwa, The Pale Moon in a terrible serial murder case.

“I was first surprised when the police invited me to this investigation. I, who happens to like criminal cases, consider it an outlet for my hidden hobby. Well, you see, if I didn't have this much magic talent, I actually wanted to be a detective,” said Lady Nuwa who led me with a lantern in the sewer of Alexandria.

U-Ugh, this dark place reminds me of Junon.

“What murder do you mean?” tanyaku jump over the root of the Yggdrasil tree that grows in the middle of the road.

“Ah, Chrysant too often in Underworld, to the point of not knowing anything about what happened in Alexandria huh. In this one month, there were many reports of the disappearance of the young Apprentices and Chroniclers. But after a week passed, we found the young witches dead in a terrible condition,” he said, stroking his chin gracefully,

“Diamonds grow around their bodies like cancer cells, which slowly plunge into their hearts. Forensic experts had already examined them, but the results made them even more dizzy. Somehow, those young witches were infected by Warden Cell.”

Our conversation was delayed when we infiltrated a narrow ventilation duct. In that darkness, my mind floated.

… Skin covered in diamonds, I remember Khanza's hands and feet. In my dream, I remember a woman named Lady Luciel saying that by injecting Warden Cells into the Homunculus, the Qualification process would begin.

In the Alchemy Reakta, the alchemical magic textbook, Homunculus is the highest magic in chemistry, where a Witch is able to simulate life in a mechanical puppet. But, all the Homunculus I met including myself, had almost the same body composition as humans, except our heart was pumped by a Magicite.

It is possible that the Qualification process inadvertently provided humanity for the puppets. A body that feels warm and cold, love and hope and all that man has. It is possible that the cells of the body that make up this body belong to The Warden.

But most importantly...what if Warden Cells are injected in humans? If the murder victim preys on the lower level Witches…

“Is it possible that the young Magicians thought, Warden Cells will increase their magic power?” I muttered after we got off the vent and reached a very cold and dark warehouse.

Strange, what is this place? I was surprised to see Lady Nuwa stunned and immediately awkwardly scratched my cheek,

“C-Chrysant wrong talking?”

Lady Nuwa also woke up and immediately cleared her throat, “Sorry, I don't think you can guess it that far. Hmmm, may I ask, did Khanza tell you all this?”

I shook my head, “That ngawur witch just made Chrysant dizzy. Chrysant is just second-guessing.”

“... Witch? Hmph, Chrysant is getting interesting. But we put aside our annoying colleague. Right, after digging deeper, my investigation team discovered that there was a group of people selling Warden Cells on frills with a hundred thousand Magicoins you could gain the equivalent power of Lightbearer, you could gain,” was obviously Lady Nuwa who called out the red orb that warmed our bodies.

“Sounds like a scam, only desperate people believe right?” my many.

“Malah many believe. Because the results are real. Two months before dying, the young witches who were originally ordinary, were suddenly able to hunt Malice two levels above him. It is far from the promise of a Lightbearer's power, but the evidence is enough to attract new customers.

Now, in total there were a hundred young witches who were injected with the Warden Cell. Twenty of them were hospitalized at the Gremory.” Family Hospital

“... Why didn't Lady report this discovery to Arthur? Sure as Prince Noctis, he can—“

Lady Nuwa shook her head and cut me off, “Your instinct says.. The person who killed the man in the barn just now was a Hunter isn't it? Your guess is just right. Because that man is the agent I sent to investigate a prominent figure whom I suspect is related to this case.”

… He used the bodies of his own men, into his plan? I'm starting to feel weird about Lady Nuwa.

“You suspect the internal Black Company, so do not report to the prince so that the figure is not aware of it?” shoot again.

“Oh mo, I'd love to hire Chrysant as my assistant. Rarely do I find someone who connects with me.”

“No, thank you,” reject me. I don't want to be a pawn in Lady Nuwa's chess that can be sacrificed for free. I sighed and squinted my eyes at the suspicious Lady,

Nuwa smiled and replied, “Follow me,” she said who also led my way to the hallway with a twitching light.

The further we went, the more my nose was greeted by the thick smell of blood. Into my silence, I saw a lot of Security's dead bodies lying on the floor, full of gunshot wounds. Along the wall I was staring at, splashes of blood painted walls and floors full of bullet marks.

No one survived.

But what made me shudder the most was how Lady Nuwa could pass through the horror scene quietly. Bad premonition choked my neck, I immediately pulled out my sword and followed the woman vigilantly.

There's something very wrong here.

“We have arrived,” said Lady Nuwa in front of a tower, with a bright bluish summit. From that beam flowed clear water that entered the complicated channels under our feet.

Why... I am so familiar with the tower? Wait, isn't it almost exactly the shape of the red tower under Junon?

“This place is a water-producing center in Alexandria. All the water you use to bathe, swim, cook, eat and drink comes from this tower.

The mechanism created by a genius named Emilia Fairchild,” explains Lady Nuwa.

The emilia? Why is that name mentioned here?

BUM BUM BUM!!

Suddenly all the entrances were covered by thick concrete doors. The warning alarm sounds, “Emergency-Emergency! Intruder Detected at Magicite Reactor!”

… Magicite Reactor?

“Lady Nuwa, what does all this mean?”

Lady Nuwa showed Syringe Cell Warden in her hand, “My job is just to lead you into this room. Next is your real test. Ruin Hunter, in the face of a bitter destiny, will you choose to save yourself or die and save everyone?” he said he smiled cynically before throwing the Syringe into the Blue Tower,

“Show me your true color, Chrysant!”

“No!” my screams, which shot like lightning, reached for the syringe before it fell, contaminating the Alexandrian water source. I clasped the syringe tightly and stared intently at the woman,

“You've gone crazy?!”

But Nuwa was no longer there. He sat at the top of the tower and his chin-backed chin looked at me like an interesting toy.

“Interesting, even though according to The Great Gamble report should make you unable to use magic. But it turns out you can still use magic. Other than that magic element is different from the one listed, you can use it without a spell. As if you were a Witch,” said Lady Nuwa who showed Warden's cell Syringe in her hand,

“You think I'll give you the real syringe? In your dreams.”

“You... just deserve it, by killing all those people, what do you want to achieve, Nuwa?!” my yelling.

“Heh, are you pretending to be stupid or are you being too naive? You think the reason I set you up here? If the police find that Chrysant the Pathfinder is the criminal who poisoned the water source of Alexandria, the death penalty will certainly await you,” said Lady Nuwa who threw the syringe like a toy,

“Seeing a lowly woman like you, touching a Noctis with too familiar... Ah, how long have I been waiting for the right moment to get rid of you,” said Nuwa who also injected the syringe into the blue tower.

Simultaneously his body melted into water leaving a sound that echoed throughout the room.

“Goodbye, Chrysant the Son of Malice.”