novelraw Chapter 599: The Eve of Confession
Chapter 599: The Eve of Confession
Pinching the exquisitely drawn painting in her hand, Eliog smacked her lips with an extremely displeased expression. Because even from her perspective, Baimon was indeed worthy of being a master who grasped the world's art and arcane knowledge. She could effortlessly render the scene incomparably exquisite, simply as lifelike as if it were a reproduction of the actual scene.
It was as if unprovoked flames began to spread bit by bit from her fingertips. In the blink of an eye, they were about to spread all the way up from where she contacted the painting to burn it completely. However, out of the corner of her eye, Eliog still saw Fisher, who was currently looking down at those paintings, and seemingly also saw his slightly touched heart...
"Tch..."
Those flames suddenly came to an abrupt end, slowly retracting back into her body, sparing this painting—that could be called a work of art—from disaster.
She still remembered being exceedingly certain when speaking to Fisher previously: that Baimon must have approached Fisher out of some special motive, that she would only place the "Favored One's Sigil"—which was extremely precious to demons—upon him, and even went as far as to erase and overwrite her own sigil.
Although even now Eliog still felt this way, looking at these detailed drawings depicting scene after scene right before her eyes, Eliog was temporarily unable to speak up and reiterate this view.
Conversely, Eimhart, who was in Fisher's chest, merely took one glance before hiding back into Fisher's chest as if he was unable to bear looking at it. Acting without thinking, he said,
"This is definitely Baimon's evil scheme! She arranged this in advance; you absolutely must not fall for it!"
"..."
Fisher patted the startled Eimhart. He only looked at the drawings beside him, and even at the many drawings Jasmine hadn't picked up that were laid out on the floor. Every single painting among them appeared so detailed, evidently having undergone the meticulous carving of the painter.He picked one of them up, took a look, and suddenly spoke up,
"These are all scenes from when I first met her in the past..."
"...Heh, truly unlike her, awooo."
Eliog casually tossed that massive painting back to its original spot. Perhaps she had originally wanted to reiterate the same viewpoint as Eimhart. After all, from her perspective, it was highly likely that Baimon had designed all of this in advance so that they, who came here, would see this scene.
Not only could it let Fisher see their past experiences, but it could also enrage the other women standing beside him. Why not do it?
But thinking about it carefully, Eliog didn't speak up, because she suddenly discovered a contradiction within it. It was as if she suddenly wasn't certain of Baimon's true thoughts and disposition either.
If Baimon had merely designed this, and everything was just as Eimhart said, then she wouldn't need to care at all about all these things she painted; everything was fake anyway.
But when Eliog saw her recording with delicate strokes what didn't seem like her usual mindset—narrating her teasing of Fisher, narrating Fisher's concern for her—that love spanning ten thousand years like a steadily flowing stream became stuck in Eliog's throat like a fishbone.
If all this laid out by Baimon wasn't a design but sincere, and she truly reminisced immensely over these ten thousand years about a lover who only existed in the future, then this instead made it even more unacceptable for Eliog.
It was as if she was proving that erasing Eliog's sigil and dyeing it with her own was perfectly as it should be, proving she had even more reason to possess Fisher.
Adding the two together, it didn't seem right no matter how she thought about it, and it only made Eliog increasingly displeased.
Sensing Eliog—who had been continuously displeased before him, practically on the verge of bristling and hissing—Fisher had no choice but to quickly change the topic. He turned to look at Jasmine and cut to the chase,
"Regardless of whether Helaire let me see this on purpose or if it was already like this, our current top priority is to find the Base. Jasmine, can you still sense the Base's specific location?"
Behind him, Jasmine was still puffing her cheeks while picking up the drawings on the ground, exuding quite a "I'm going to take these pieces of evidence back to show Raphaela" vibe. It wasn't until Fisher turned his head that she finally paused her actions. Pouting her lips, she said,
"I'll give it a try. I can feel it's very close to here..."
"Mm."
Originally, when she saw Fisher getting angry at discovering that Baimon was deceiving him earlier, Jasmine still felt a tiny bit of secret joy in her heart. But now, upon seeing so many sweet memories, Jasmine's heart rose into her throat again, making her feel displeased even looking at the "evidence" she gathered in her hands.
Initially, she didn't feel much towards this "Baimon" she had never met, especially since she had only just eaten Professor Fisher. Now, having experienced these things, much like Eliog, she also harbored wariness and dissatisfaction towards Baimon, just like how she treated Elizabeth...
Mm, as for Eliog, seeing as she didn't harbor much hostility towards her, she'd temporarily cooperate with her for now.
Jasmine began searching for the location of the Base. Eliog, contrarily, was surprisingly quiet. She merely re-hung the painting, whose corners she had crumpled slightly, back onto the wall, then stood by the door with her arms crossed, similarly awaiting Jasmine's actions.
Fisher swept his gaze over the paintings on the wall once more, chewing over the words Helaire left behind the paintings in his mind. At the same time, he also saw the spiral staircase beside the paintings leading to the second floor of the palace.
"..."
Eimhart in his embrace was already very uneasy to begin with. After pondering for a moment, Fisher still took him out of his embrace and told him to wait here for a bit; he was going up to take another look.
The Eimhart being left behind originally wanted to advise him to be careful, but Fisher had already stepped onto the stairs, walking towards the even more gloomy second floor.
The second floor precisely aligned with the image of wisdom that Baimon had passed down over thousands of years; a great multitude of bookshelves were placed there. Fisher stood in place and sized up his surroundings for quite a while before walking step-by-step through the bookshelves towards the end of the second floor. The lighting from the first floor transmitting here had also become increasingly dim. He could only vaguely see that at the end of the bookshelves lay a desk covered entirely in dust, looking as if it hadn't been used by anyone for a very long time.
Behind the desk was the image of the Demon God "Baimon" circulated by the world.
It was a back view filled with shadows. On her back grew wings akin to an angel's, and she possessed a holy, flawlessly perfect appearance, hence being referred to by humanity as the "King of Dominions."
She wore a crown brimming with gemstones, riding on the back of a dromedary camel capable of human speech. It was as if she was perpetually on a journey, constantly walking across a desolate desert.
Fisher looked up at this back view that didn't record her true appearance. He suddenly reached out his hand, lifted this painting, and looked at its back—Helaire had a habit of leaving the artwork's title and annotations behind her works, and this painting was no exception.
Written on it could be seen:
[Me]
"I seem to be tirelessly searching for the path leading to the 'future,' awaiting that person from the future to come welcome me."
Only then did Fisher realize that the image of "Baimon" widely circulated among the people of the world was actually closely related to himself.
Of course he remembered that the crown on her head was formed by him clumsily placing gemstones into it one by one; of course he also remembered that the female camel she rode beneath her was picked up for him at the snake-human tribe favored by Sorobato.
He looked at this painting above, then turned his head back around and sat before the desk Baimon used to sit at. He quietly looked at the gloomy library before him, just sitting there quietly like this, not knowing what he was thinking about.
It wasn't until his face and body began to squirm, as if some pitch-black fluid was moving within his body, that he heard a tender voice,
"Fisher, you seem to be thinking?"
"Yes, Cupid."
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about the true owner of your name."
"...So the name Cupid has an owner?"
"Sorry."
"It's okay, can I continue using it?"
Fisher remained non-committal, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He merely leaned back lightly in her chair and suddenly asked this glob of black mud,
"I suddenly feel like I can't see someone clearly anymore. I don't know if everything about her is true or false, I don't know the reason she approached me... all those doubts from before could be interpreted with 'belief', but now I don't know if I can entrust that same belief to her anymore."
"Then do you understand her a little better now?"
Fisher leaned back in the chair, suddenly recalling again the words behind that massive painting from earlier. She said,
"On a night where they possessed each other, what he held onto was the woman he loved the most, and the woman who loved him the most."
Fisher rubbed his temples. Right before this final period of time while Jasmine searched for the Base, under the gaze of Baimon's shadow-filled back view behind him, he muttered a sentence,
"...I don't know either."
"..."
The black mud didn't speak again, merely quietly accompanying him, just like how it said it "loved him" previously.
On the first floor, as Fisher headed to the second floor alone, Jasmine began searching for the specific location of the Base. Eliog, however, still stood before the wide-open doors of Baimon's palace with her arms crossed. Her expression was no longer sluggish, yet it was also unknown what exactly she was pondering over.
"What's wrong, why is your expression suddenly so awful?"
And right at this moment, Cidi's voice suddenly rang out from behind her, interrupting Eliog's train of thought. She unhappily turned her head to look, only to see Cidi—whose fingertips were constantly twirling his long red hair—looking at her with a smiling expression.
"What?"
Cidi scanned her up and down before saying somewhat gloatingly, "...I can tell your 'sleep therapy' is still quite effective. To think you haven't even exploded after having your Favored One snatched away by Baimon, is it because your true body hasn't been unsealed yet?"
"Spit it out if you have something to say, fart it out if you have to fart."
Eliog yawned, the tail behind her wagging, and said this.
But Cidi didn't mind Eliog's words in the slightest. They had known each other for god knows how long; naturally, they wouldn't appear estranged over such superficial trash talk.
"Your Barbatos is still running around for you up above, yet you can actually stay here with peace of mind doing absolutely nothing, awooo? You don't seem like that kind of person."
"Ever since Barbatos and I got together up until being sealed by that False God, we've rarely seen each other too, mainly because you basically sleep all day. Isn't it normal for me to have some changes? I don't have any dissatisfaction with the current situation. What's more, entrusted by that friend related to Fisher, he can also be considered my junior. Helping either side would put me in a difficult position, so I might as well just do nothing at all."
"That friend... who exactly is it referring to?"
The smile on Cidi's face grew increasingly unbridled. He raised his finger and chuckled,
"Is it because she has a relationship with Fisher that you're curious?"
"None of your business."
Eliog shot Cidi a glance like a cat with bristled fur. And Cidi no longer spoke against her words, instead honestly admitting,
"The fellow who played matchmaker for Barbatos and me. But Barbatos doesn't know her. Me being so free and easy now has a lot to do with her as well... mm, I must say, breaking free from that [Fundamental Nature] really feels satisfying."
"Satisfying, is it..."
Eliog narrowed her eyes. Before she could experience the sense of relaxation spilling from Cidi's words, Cidi tapped his chin and continued,
"My matters are actually secondary. The key issue lies with you, Eliog."
"Me?" Eliog looked at him and yawned again. "What about me?"
"What about you? Weren't you very displeased with that Baimon when you just came in? What's on that Fisher's body is Baimon's Favored One's Sigil, not yours."
"What, do you want me to walk my [Old Path]?"
"This isn't a question of Old Paths, Eliog..."
Cidi also leaned against the wall. Looking at the tides obscured by the ∞ symbol outside, his gaze also gradually emptied as he immediately said,
"Barbatos and Agreas might have been utilized by Baimon's trickery; I believe you can also see this point. You and Fisher are also currently striving to shatter this trickery. But have you ever considered what happens after this matter?"
"..."
Eliog kept her mouth shut, yet Cidi continued to speak,
"Barbatos and Agreas still remain within the seal. That False God's seal is both a curse and a blessing to us. You understand, us walking freely driven by our fundamental nature will only bring pain to ourselves and others... You are also one of us. So, after this matter, what about you?
"Will you also return to your own seal after completing this matter just like in the past? Or do you want Fisher to solely release you using the Base? I think, even if you were to be released, you wouldn't be willing to accept it, right? Otherwise, why did you sleep in your lair for these several thousand years?"
Eliog had become entirely expressionless, yet she didn't refute Cidi's words. She merely crossed her arms and asked,
"What exactly do you want to say?"
"I wanted to say that perhaps deep down you have already overcome your fundamental nature. You... conceded defeat to Baimon."
Cidi began to smile, hanging his head down and concealing his face in the shadows, leaving only that pink mist circulating within. It looked like two pink stars revolving in the darkness, extremely terrifying.
"You cannot leave this place by breaking your true body out of the seal, and you yourself don't wish to leave either. You're afraid of walking the previous 'Old Path,' so you headed towards its opposite extreme. I know what you're thinking. Baimon can walk freely outside, and even shares such a deep connection with Fisher, so compared to you, she is indeed more suitable to become Fisher's Favored One. Therefore, you silently accepted it in your heart, accepted the fact that she erased your sigil..."
Eliog still remained silent, merely looking at the scorching heat outside the palace, evidently tacitly agreeing with Cidi's statement. Even until he finished saying everything, her expression still hadn't changed in the slightest.
And Cidi also turned his head to look at her at this time. After pausing for a moment, he couldn't help but ask doubtfully,
"Is this really what you want, Eliog?"
"..." Eliog looked at the flames outside and shook her head, saying, "Merely an ephemeral romance of one night. This level of unwillingness, even if I let go, it's..."
"Do you believe the way to avoid the old path is to walk towards its opposite extreme?"
Eliog's words were interrupted by the smiling Cidi beside her. She froze slightly, turning her head to see Cidi raise a single finger. Subsequently, he suddenly blinked and said,
"I frequently have demands in that aspect towards Barbatos. His fondness for showing off to gain praise also stems from hoping to obtain my satisfaction. Me no longer meeting outsiders, and Barbatos no longer clinging to his virtuous reputation in the Mortal World, doesn't mean we completely discarded the original us. The more you feign generosity now, the more it will instead drive you onto the old path...
"It's just that you lack experience in this regard, and don't know that the choice you're making now is completely useless. Do you want to try confessing to him before everything arrives? Or is it that you want to go against your fundamental nature like this, handing over everything by conceding defeat to Baimon?"
Eliog's expression was somewhat hesitant, seemingly undergoing some struggle in her heart. It wasn't until the Cidi beside her left the wall he leaned against and walked towards the depths of Baimon's palace, finally waving his hand and muttering,
"Don't forget what the next sentence after 'Defeat the undefeated' is~"
"'The defeated... shall be undefeated'..."
Eliog muttered a sentence. A terrifying flame gradually lit up within her eyes that were coiled like fire snakes. However, the tail behind her still swayed slightly following her hesitation, carrying an ambiguous implication.
It was just that amidst this quiet contemplation, all the sounds around her seemed to be enveloped by the quietude within her skull, turning silent and still.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
It wasn't until a very, very long time later that powerful heartbeat sounds exploded from the depths of her mind one after another.
The initially faint smell of saltpeter in her nasal cavity suddenly became viscous, as if tainted by the smell of iron rust. It was about to pour in through her seven orifices, so dense it was about to erase everything.
Arriving along with the sound of that heartbeat was a past that seemed like an auditory hallucination to her.
She heard the booming of snapping blades and swords, heard the whistling of armored horses and iron weaponry, heard the trembling wails of countless races.
Felt their fear, felt the intoxicating sensation of defeating them.
The Eliog of that time couldn't see anything, merely hearing their pleas and wails amidst the smell of saltpeter and blood.
They knelt and worshipped towards the pillar of fire shooting into the sky; they extolled the name of this Demon God.
Until this fear and trembling was passed down generation after generation along their bloodlines, ultimately being washed by the years until it landed upon the tip of a pen, becoming two short lines of text:
"Eliog"
"Duke, First Pillar corresponding to the Gate of Victory"
"Greedy and manic, enjoys violence, fond of war, calls for destruction"