6. Proof of Existence (31)
It was an encounter of only a few days.
Perry’s face was still there. His strong body looked relaxed as if he had forgotten his fatigue, and his skin was so clean that he looked like someone who had just taken a vacation.
But there was one thing that was different from before.
A desolate face that is not dry.
The man I met again had a face cracked like mud that had been deprived of moisture. And the cause was clear enough that there was no need to dig into it.
The contract of the Dark Church was engraved on that young merchant’s body.
Soon, an inorganic voice greeted me.
“Ian, have you heard of it? I heard that sad intuition always fits… … .”
Stuttering, Lia stepped back, dragging her butt. Dewdrops formed in Ria’s eyes as she came close to me. A thin, trembling finger immediately pointed at Perry.
A wet appeal followed.
“Oh, brother… Whoops. me, that human… something is weird not a person… A monster!”
Instead of answering, I decided to remain silent.
He was just staring at Perry’s back with a gloomy gaze.
His eyes were fixed on the crimson sun in the sky. As if he were an artist who looked up to his lifetime masterpiece.
Whether Leah burst into tears or not, the man didn’t care at all.
On the contrary, Perry started talking to me in a more relaxed tone.
“Just in case, it’s like that. I thought it fit so well. They deliberately accompanied the ascending, and at the right time separated the movement… … .”
“Did you notice?”
“To some extent.”
The man’s emotionless eyes looked back at me. The pupil had already lost its light, revealing that he was not in a normal state.
It was a look I had seen before.
It matched the appearance of one of the faceless strangers who attacked me and the saintess in the city when possessed.
Realizing this, my eyebrows narrowed slightly.
I expected it, but it didn’t feel very pleasant.
“… … We are old.”
Then, a dry laugh burst out of the man’s mouth.
A voice that doesn’t contain even a single grain of emotion, wouldn’t it be better to say noise?
“Sure. You don’t know how long I’ve been paying attention to you.”
Turning slowly, Perry asked me a question with a subtle mocking tone.
“I didn’t expect to have a conversation with you so soon… By the way, didn’t I introduce myself?”
“Were you still watching me then?”
However, I didn’t even listen to Perry. I was just asking what I was curious about.
My attitude was unexpected, but the man’s eyes were dumbfounded.
Regardless, my questioning continued.
“In town. You kept looking at me.”
“Aha, you mean then? Of course I did.”
He shrugged and smirked. It was a contrived way of speaking, as if he were a play actor.
“Was my gaze a little hot? Ha ha ha, hope you understand… Isn’t that something that doesn’t matter now anyway?”
It was right after the man smiled cruelly.
All the lights and sounds flickered with the sound of finger snapping.
Yes, a very short time.
Woo-woo, a low cry tickled my ears. A soft, melancholy tone brushed through my eardrums, and then the light returned.
The scenery around him had changed a lot.
Because dozens of black shadows were raising their bodies.
Until then, the party, including me, did not show even a hint of agitation.
Only Leah was terrified and cried as she grabbed my crotch.
“Oh, brother… … .”
The shadows that stood on the ground one by one began to wear a shell of blood and flesh. It was a ‘faceless stranger’ with crushed features and hideously wrinkled skin.
Why do you feel like you’re popular?
If its essence was only a shadow, there was no way that the living body’s breathing could be detected. I almost laughed at the secret that was finally revealed.
I wonder if I am happy because of the reaction from me.
A fluke of awkward emotion came across Perry’s face. A wave of joy twisted the muscles of the man’s face grotesquely.
Soon after, the waist bent with an exaggerated example, the intention of ridicule was obvious at first glance.
“To commemorate the long-awaited meeting, we have prepared a simple bet. The condition is, yes… Why don’t you find my body hidden in the double?”
“main body?”
“Yes, as you can see, I can freely adjust the object. It also means that you can go back and forth between these dolls as much as you like. But it’s no fun without the product… … .”
The moment the man’s hands touched each other.
Again, an oddity occurred.
Pak, and the blood-red sun began to stretch its stems through the lights that turned on again. A faint shriek mingled among the humming vibrations.
aaa
It wasn’t a random sound.
The howling voice was forming a certain rhythm. A majestic, ominous, and oddly upbeat tune landed in the darkened room.
It was bad taste.
Playing music with screams of pain.
Against the background of that terrible performance, bloody tentacles appeared.
Tentacles from the blood-red sun wrapped around the body of the fainting girl in the blink of an eye. Soon, the monstrous creature that covered the child’s body like a cocoon began repeating an ominous beating.
“How about making this child a commodity? Either way would be a decent bet. If you can save it early, you can save the child’s life, even if it’s too late… … .”
A mean laugh erupted from the man’s mouth.
“… … It will make a wonderful gift. I bet you.”
“Then is it just the beginning?”
Despite the blatant provocation, my voice was still calm.
Perry clicked his tongue, as if he didn’t like it, but he couldn’t help it. He just sighed and shrugged.
“Whoa, you’re surprisingly not a fun person. Doesn’t your heart race when you hear this exciting bet?! OK, so let’s get started… … !”
Kkap, do it.
Before I could finish my words, my kicks hit somewhere. An unidentified body flew through the sky, and the man’s wide-eyed eyes fixed on me.
Truly intrusive.
No one opened their mouths. Except for the person who groans and flops on the ground.
The silence was broken after a few seconds.
It was because mangled words were leaking from Perry’s vocal chords.
“What are you doing… … .”
“Let’s make a bet? Was it ‘finding the body’?”
Along with that, my nonchalant eyes turned to a certain point. It was kicked by me, towards the girl who was out of breath.
Golden eyes stained with disbelief were staring at me.
The pain must have been excruciating from the sudden kick, and the hand holding my stomach trembled. Tears trickled out between her closed eyelids as she complained of pain.
mandible, mandible.
Even breathing was unstable due to the blow to the abdomen. No matter how much I tried to catch my breath, the painful expression did not go away.
It was a heartbreaking sight.
Yes, at least that was the case not too long ago.
“… … is not it?”
“Uh, how… … .”
Panting, Lia let out a voice soaked in resentment and betrayal.
The hand on the ground was squeezed tightly, leaving blood stains on the floor. Blood flowed profusely between the broken fingernails.
Water welled up in the girl’s golden eyes.
drop, drop.
The tears that fell drop by drop let out a mournful death.
As if incomprehensible, a sobbing sound escaped from the girl’s mouth.
“how?”
It was the reaction of a person who faced an unbelievable reality.
My heart was shaken for a moment, but I had a quiet time of patience.
The girl’s fists, stained with blood, thumped and hit the ground one after another.
“How, how, how, how, how… How eh eh eh… … !”
crying, weeping
Filled with anger, despair, resentment and remorse, the girl let out a scream.
Around the time when I was so buried in crying that I couldn’t even hear the sound of my breathing properly.
The trembling in her white shoulders finally subsided, and the woman slowly began to raise her head.
And the moment I met the girl’s face.
As if I knew that would happen, I had to hold back a dejected smile.
“… … How did know?”
With a terribly magical smile, the girl drew the corners of her mouth with her index finger.
An eerie bloody arc is drawn.
“Eheh.”
With the sound of a charming laugh that doesn’t fit so well.
The way he winked at one eye and slightly bit his tongue seemed overly playful.
I thought about it.
It seems that today’s battle will be quite tough.
The second hand of fate was moving again.