Taming The Villainesses

(EP-188.1) Own place #4

188 – Each in their own place #4

Hynax asked.

“…Have you, by any chance, opened that door?”

It sounded like scolding someone for doing something they shouldn’t have.

Similar to a line commonly used in ghost stories, words such as, “Ah, you saw it-.”

Feeling that I might have said something I shouldn’t have, I hurriedly closed my mouth. However, such denial was no different than a confirmation.

“Hu-.”

Hynax sighed, “As I thought, you’ve seen it.” Then, he looked around and gestured. Suddenly, the open windows and door all closed.

“… Why are you closing the door?”

I started to feel a little anxious with the enclosed space, but Hynax said as if reassuring me.

“The things we will discuss henceforth are only for those who have reached a certain level. I’ll be transparent. So, Sir Theo, be honest with me, have you seen anything beyond the door?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even understand what I saw. That’s why I came to ask the Sage.”

“Yes, I understand where you are coming from. Sadly, Sir Theo, neither I nor anyone knows.”

“Really?”

“That’s right, we all saw the same thing as we crossed the demonic wall. The endless sea of ink, the otherworldly door and the throne beyond it. And a strange being sitting cross-legged….”

The other world and the throne. The strange being. I hadn’t described that part yet.

So the fact that Hynax mentioned it first meant that he saw something similar to what I had witnessed…

As expected, it wasn’t just a dream.

Hynax continued.

“It’s said to appear differently depending on a person’s aptitude. In my case, I could barely see a blurry, twisted figure sitting cross-legged.”

“A blurry figure….”

“But the Brown Sage Braun said he saw numerous wriggling eyes. It varies from person to person.”

‘I see.’

For me, the strange creature’s horrific figure was vivid.

It was like a grotesque composite of countless human bodies in a lotus position. It was so vivid, in fact, that I didn’t want to look a second longer.

Hynax proceeded to say.

“Black Mage, Sir Pelto, even heard its voice. A voice incessantly spewing negativity. A list of gloomy futures-. Sir Pelto might have gone mad because he looked into it too closely…”

I felt like I was starting to understand. The dots were slowly connecting. Sir Pelto was the most outstanding mage, reaching Rank 6, but he went insane.

“The most outstanding becomes the most corrupted.”

He kept saying negativity like “Destruction. Chaos. Raƿe, arson-.” He was parroting what he heard.

So this was why high-ranking mages got something wrong on their heads. In this case, had Aira seen it too?

Hynax said while I was in thought.

“It would be wise to keep what you’ve seen a secret. It could cause unnecessary chaos in the world. We, Archmages, have decided to keep the existence of the door and what’s inside it strictly confidential.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes. This is the church’s decision. It’s already been agreed upon with the Saintess and the previous Majesties. What we’ve seen must remain a secret, known only to those who have seen the door.”

To conceal such a terrific thing. It was a bit hard to accept, but I could understand.

It made sense to keep it a secret.

Some things were just best left in the dark.

If people were to know that somewhere in this world, there was a mysterious door that held a terrifying being that was muttering all sorts of omen, they would be living in constant anxiety.

Then, Hynax added to really hammer it down.

“It’s peculiar. However, it possesses a powerful force that deepens our magic. That’s why we’ve chosen to call it the ‘truth’ .”

“Truth? I don’t think that’s a fitting name, no…”

“Yes, indeed. However, you know the person who chose this name very well. There’s probably no one else who can give a more accurate name than her, the most brilliant mage in existence.”

Upon hearing those words, fluttering dark hair came to mind.

Aira.

She never said anything like this to me.

Somehow, a shallow sense of betrayal from Aira began to rise within me.

But the agreement was to keep it a secret, so it was only natural for her to hide it from me, who was not a mage….

While grappling with these complex emotions, Hynax said in passing.

“Surely, Solomon must have seen it too. I wonder what he would’ve called it.”

I also didn’t know how Demon King Solomon would’ve named it.

If it were up to me, it would probably be…

Something like a devil or whatever.

* * *

In a training ground located in a corner of Ark.

─Air Bullet-!

I casted the most basic attack magic.

It was a spell that fired a tiny air bullet from the tip of the wand, possessing destructive power equivalent to a conventional rifle bullet.

Paaang-!

However, my air bullet, colliding with the training dummy, not only pierced through its waist but also completely broke it in half, leaving a large hole.

This was like a full-blown cannon. It felt like the power had increased two to threefold.

Now, I couldn’t possibly use this magic against people.

Was this the skill of a Rank 5 Archmage?

If even the most basic attack caused this much damage, I couldn’t help but be both excited and scared as to how powerful the stronger spells might have gotten.

Edited by: faker