Chapter 547
He appears indifferent, yet occasionally reveals a sense of loneliness.
So, what desires drove Lilith, the Witch, to do all that followed? What did she want to grasp in her hands?
Although it was the same question, Roland had a different way of answering it this time.
She slightly raised her head and glanced at the gray city:
"Kirishima, have you ever wondered why R'lyeh allows the Black Death Cult organization to exist?"
Luo Liuqi's father was deceased. Lan chuckled and asked a completely unrelated question.
Black Death Cult?
It's been a long time since I've heard the name "Kirishima Ai 3" mentioned.
After all, the combat power has increased too many times in the previous versions; she alone could elbow the entire Black Death Cult.
"Huh? You're allowed?"
Strange word choice.
"Isn't it because they've all hidden themselves and their bases are impossible to find that we can only deal with the Monster they create to cause destruction?"
Kirishima Ai blinked and said it was the obvious reason, the reason she had always had.
But after she finished speaking, she realized something was off.
It was one thing before, her vision wasn't broad enough, but now...
Roland continued speaking in my ear---
That's true.
"However, Magic girls of the teacher's caliber are out of the question. Even a Lunar Crown Rank like myself could easily find a planet larger than Earth in the Universe and smash it down, annihilating that planet."
"If it weren't for the Crown Rank Magic restrictions imposed by successive Queen, a Flower Crown Rank Magic Girl could also Magic the minds of everyone on Earth in the blink of an eye."
"Finding a Black Death Cult base is a piece of cake."
At this moment, Kirishima Ai indeed felt the sense of unease she had sensed earlier.
She discovered that the power of high-ranking Magic girls far exceeded her imagination, to the point that a force of the Black Death Cult could not possibly survive for a thousand years under the hostility of Magic girls.
But why?
It sounds rather sinister.
"Uh? Then... what has it been for all this time?"
The girl really couldn't think of anything this time.
Roland had anticipated this reaction and continued patiently:
Do you often pay attention to the term "Monster Disease"?
In recent times, I've only heard about it on TV news; I haven't actually seen it in real life.
Kirishima Ai shook her head.
"Although I know it, this word still feels quite distant from my daily life."
The girl said in a clear voice.
Although it involves Monster, the Magic girls of Maple Plain City have not dealt with any incidents related to the Monster Disease.
Yes, she remembered that Maple Plain City was a very rare city, with almost no cases of Monster Disease occurring in decades.
But judging from the news, it doesn't seem to be such a rare disease.
"That was actually a global topic at one time."
"Huh?"
Kirishima Ai couldn't quite understand that expression.
At that moment, Roland gently snapped his fingers, and the dazzling starlight formed a fairytale painting in the empty sky.
The scroll depicts the following scene:
In ancient Kingdom and villages, a strange and incurable plague appeared out of nowhere. Mortals infected by this disease transformed into a kind of natural disaster that brought calamity and despair.
A monster.
It presents a human form distorted by desire, covered by a pale and grotesque mask, an empty shell with no substance.
--- Monster.
"In the past, on Earth, a disease called 'Monster Disease' appeared. Infected mortals were transformed into monsters driven by malice and desire. And these monsters multiplied, at one point... they even threatened to destroy the world."
Roland smiled as he recounted a story that had long been buried in the dust of history.
She mentioned this in a conversation with Takanashi.
This is a perfectly natural thing.
"This is precisely why mortal kings and Alchemist at that time sought to refine the Genesis Crystal, the so-called 'Sage's Stone'."
"Once this disease appeared, it has never been removed from human history. For mortals, it is incurable, with only death or transformation into a pitiful monster as possible."
Has the history of this Monster Disease been that long?
It predates even the birth of Demon King and Magic Girl, and R'lyeh...
"Even a Magic girl like you can't cure it?"
Kirishima Ai looked at Roland.
Roland tilted his head slightly, giving a rather disheartening answer in a light tone.
Ultimately, it is a nightmare in people's hearts; once it takes root, it cannot be undone.
"Oh, if you really want to know, there is a way."
That is—to artificially germinate and bloom it outside the body in advance.
"Artificial?"
Just as Kirishima Ai was about to ask a question, she suddenly realized what it referred to.
What the Black Death Cult has been doing all along seems to be... creating Monster?
Even if the Monster they create are destroyed, the host will not die as a result.
However, the Monster in people's hearts will be purified as a result.
"Well, although the birth of the Devil King Crystal didn't completely end the misfortune of the so-called Monster as everyone had hoped, in a sense, they can still play their original role after the Demon King are defeated."
Initially, it was a precious wishing stone, a symbol of hope and salvation, but it ultimately degenerated into a Pandora's box that brought disaster and misfortune.
However, besides bringing curses and diseases, the Pandora's Box also brought hope.
"We tacitly allow the Black Death Cult to continue existing on Earth, letting them 'guide' those unfortunate individuals ahead of time, and enabling potential Monster Disease's to conceive Monster outside their bodies in this form."
"Under the guise of training and missions, Magic girls were sent to help the then-weak mortals deal with those Monsters."
"This is—the mission of you Magic girls from Earth."
In the end, Roland revealed a radiant smile, possessing both the brightness of a young girl in her prime and the mystery and unfathomable depth of an elder.
Everything seemed to fit together perfectly.
The reason why Maple Plain City has not had any cases of the Monster Disease for so long is precisely because this city is home to the Black Death Cult base, which is the most active in the world.
Even the Devil King Crystal have gathered in this city.
"..."
Seeing that Kirishima Ai was quickly understanding and processing all of this, Roland remained unhurried.
Before we knew it, gray snow began to fall in the city.
Just like the past that Kirishima Ai dreamt of.
Roland always knew how to tell a story step by step, and after finishing the explanation of the origin of the Monster Disease, it was time to get to the main topic.
"Next, are some of the things Teacher Haihara did in the past also related to the Monster Disease '?"
Kirishima Ai looked up and voiced her guess.
"No, but you could say that."
"I'm sure you've been thinking the same thing, Kirishima: is it really impossible to eradicate this 'Monster Disease' from the world? Or even to eliminate Monster from the world altogether?"
"This is a mission that has existed since the birth of Magic girls; however, even now, this issue has not yet been resolved or answered."
"A Witch has an extraordinary fondness for mortals."
"A Witch who was heartbroken over someone's death at the time just wanted to clear her head."
So she went to study the problem.
"To this end, she defeated four Demon Kings, using them as research subjects to trace the origins of Magic Power, hoping to solve this problem and misfortune that has persisted for thousands of years."
"With the Witch's talent, I think she probably succeeded?"
When Roland spoke of this, her voice was quite gentle, revealing a hint of affection, as if she had great confidence and admiration for her teacher.
Upon hearing this, Kirishima Ai initially felt a little strange, but after she realized what was happening, she became puzzled.
If what Professor Roland said is the truth of the past, Witch Lilith's wish doesn't seem so bad, does it?
Rather, it's more accurate to say she's far too gentle.
Why did he transform into a rebellious Overlord who nearly overthrew the entire Kingdom and the world?
"If that's the case, why did the teacher turn out like that later...? This is so strange, it's almost like..."
Kirishima Ai's gaze wavered.
In the end, she couldn't express her own feelings.
However, Roland not only affirmed her feelings, but also used a description more extreme than she had imagined---
"Like... going crazy?"
Roland's smile was still bright at this moment, but it had become much shallower, and the smile in his eyes seemed to contain a hint of melancholy.
Seeing that Kirishima Ai looked blank, Roland repeated himself.
"You're right."
The reason is simple.
"The teacher back then went mad; she cared too much about the voices of every unfortunate soul, constantly listening to everyone's lamentations."
"However, the voice within the Devil King Crystal... the weeping of all the unfortunate throughout the millennia, has been bewitching her, tempting her, confiding in her, pleading with her, leading her to a deeper and more insane extreme."
"Even a Magic girl like the teacher couldn't withstand the influence of such an immense desire."
"---In the end, she couldn't ignore those voices."
"And so, driven mad, she became a serpent tempted by the forbidden fruit, and deep within her surfaced an insatiable, never-before-seen desire."
And then—he fell into Overlord.
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 65 The Demon King in the Story
"It's not just those crazy voices."
It also includes the desire for happiness of everyone in the world.
"Mortals, Magic girls, everything and everything."
"She heard all the sounds in the world."
"From that moment, she became the Demon King of Wishes, the Witch of the End."
It's no lie that Witch favor mortals.
However, it is precisely because of this favoritism that she will not refuse to listen to everyone's cries and wails.
Therefore, she feels pain for everyone's misfortune.
When the pain became so overwhelming that it engulfed her, she was unknowingly tainted by the colors of desire and despair. Cracks appeared in her once empty heart, and desire began to take root.
Because desire arose, the Witch became Overlord.