In the quiet basement, only the scratch of a fountain pen broke the silence. After a long while, Joey sighed, filled with mixed feelings.
In short, a wealthy playboy had grown tired of his usual amusements, then one day met a woman as innocent as a blank sheet of paper and fallen in love. The love was real, but love was not all romance. There were everyday necessities to contend with, too.
After taking over the family business, Erich inevitably had to deal with all sorts of women, but Naomi could not understand the social customs of the upper class.
Already insecure about her status, she gradually went mad. She tried to destroy everything Erich had and turn him into a commoner, so the two of them could stand on equal footing.
Neither of them was wrong. What was wrong was this warped class system.
Wasn't Erich's constant involvement in upper-class social circles a form of indulgence, too? Perhaps he had loved Naomi, or perhaps he had only been playing around.
"Only powerless people try to prove their worth by changing others. Looking for the problem in themselves never even crosses their minds."
If Naomi had been capable enough to shoulder even a little of Erich's work, they would never have reached this point.
You did not have to be exceptional, but you had to work to improve yourself.
Naomi had accounted for everything except one thing: Erich's summoned soul had not taken over Joey's body as planned.
One mistake had ruined everything. Erich had fought her for control of her body, and in the end, they had remained entangled even in death.
"Looks like my luck today was pretty good!"
The mention of luck seemed to remind Joey of something. He glanced nervously around the room before his gaze settled on a large chest in the corner.
He walked over and opened it. An indescribable excitement quickly spread across his face.
Many of the potions jumbled inside were useful to him.
"Thank you, Mrs. Jeff!"
"Hmm?"
Joey tilted his head and thought for a moment. Thanking a woman who had just tried to kill him felt rather strange.
After returning the page of 0-013 to the Great Hall, he approached the open doorway and stepped through. By the time he came to his senses, he had left the basement and was standing on a street near his home.
Upon returning to reality, Joey's first impression was silence. It was far too quiet!
He could not help wondering whether he had really returned to the outside world.
Suddenly, the heavy stench of rotting flesh and blood reached his nose.
Just then, the Sun Clock in the main city boomed, and the ground began to shake. The grayish-white mist overhead twisted and writhed like a living, intelligent creature.
Its color changed little by little. No longer grayish-white, it became a riot of colors.
"The rebels are attacking!"
Soon, a confused clamor rose, and the once-silent main city erupted into activity.
Many people were running in the same direction: toward the Imperial City, where the Knights Templar were stationed.
People gravitated toward strength. When danger came, they sought protection wherever it would benefit them most.
Joey's black eyes remained still as water. Without hurrying, he returned home and shut the doors and windows.
"This doesn't seem right."
It felt as though someone was deliberately directing the unrest.
Even if the rebels broke into the city, they would only target those in power, not commoners. That was why there had been relatively few casualties earlier, even when the Second Prince and Emperor Eng had split Senegal in two.
This was the Forsaken Land of the Gods. There was no sun, and the population was already sparse. No one would undermine that foundation. Even the Necromancer Sect understood that.
For commoners, whoever held power made little difference. At most, they would have a new landlord and continue being exploited.
Why would riots break out when people knew they were safe? That was hardly normal.
The Imperial City?
Could "they" be trying to use these rioters to overwhelm the Knights Templar?
Stop them? How?
If they let people in, the enemy would slip in among them. If they refused, there was little they could do with the crowd.
Then, all it would take was one accident during the standoff to turn it into a battle between the nobility and the royal family.
Suddenly, Joey seemed to think of something and murmured:
"0-013's ability to direct events!"
This was very much like what he had encountered at Earl Aaron Manor.
"Then what role does this mist play?"
Through the window, he could see that the mist shrouding the main city had grown thicker.
"According to the information the Rabbit Officer gathered, the Color Out of Space can bewitch people and drain life. That complements 0-013's abilities perfectly."
At that thought, cold sweat broke out all over Joey.
The Color Out of Space influenced the mind, while 0-013 directed the drama.
What Joey needed to consider now was not what he should do, but what he could do.
Run away?
Senegal was the only habitable land left in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Beyond it lay Night Demon territory. Even if he fled, where could he go?
While he was lost in thought, a strange sound came from the room next door, and his Fortune Teller intuition began frantically warning him of danger.
He opened his door, stepped outside, and gently knocked on his neighbor's door.
After a long while, a familiar voice came from inside:
"Is that Joey?"
Boom!
At that moment, it felt as though a thunderbolt had struck Joey Clive's mind, blasting it apart.
It was Naomi Jeff's voice.
Joey's gaze instantly grew intensely grave, and his knocking hand froze in midair.
"It's me!"
He did not even notice that his voice was trembling as he spoke.
"Naomi, I thought I heard something strange just now. Did you hear it?"
Several minutes passed without any response from inside.
Joey did not dare move. Besides fear, countless questions filled his mind.
Wasn't Naomi dead?
Then what was that voice just now?
Should I summon 0-013's page again?
No. I can't. I can't act recklessly before I understand what's happening.
Joey frowned deeply, unsure what to do. He tried to control his emotions and spoke slowly:
"Naomi, are you ill? Could you open the door?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a furious, anguished scream burst from the long-silent room:
"No, you're not Joey! You're lying to me!"
Before Joey could speak again, her voice weakened:
"Save me, Joey. Save me."
As Naomi pleaded, that spine-chilling sensation locked onto Joey once more.
Then he saw a thin trickle of blood seep out beneath the door.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have believed them."
Naomi's voice alternated between piercing cries and whispers as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Joey suspected something was wrong with her mental state. She might even have been corrupted. Her words were strange.
"I never wanted to hurt anyone. I really didn't. Erich... I just loved him too much."
"Mr. Keliwei," she called him as she always did, "you really do look so much like Erich."
Her solemn voice suddenly paused. Joey heard a faint laugh, seemingly self-mocking:
"Heh! I once thought about starting a new family with you."
"Mr. Keliwei, what do you think of me? Could I be your partner? I'm not really a woman who's good at cooking. I can't make lavish meals for you, only simple breakfasts."
Her voice rose slightly, as though she wanted to convey how serious she was.
"I swear, I truly fell in love with you."
After a moment's thought, Joey decided he must not upset her now, so he spoke in a very gentle voice:
"Naomi, could you open the door first? At least let me know you're safe."
"No!" Naomi's voice suddenly filled with terror. Something crashed to the floor, followed by her frantic words: "You can't come in! Don't come in! Leave me alone. I'm just a filthy woman."
"Hmm?" Joey was puzzled, unable to understand what she meant.
"I used to be nothing more than a dancer for nobles to toy with. It was Erich. He was a ray of light in my life. He pulled me out of that filthy, ugly abyss. He never looked down on me or felt disgusted by me. We loved each other so much."
As she spoke, her voice gradually weakened until it became a sob. "He died. Erich was such a good man, and he died at the hands of a bunch of street thugs."
"I hate his kindness. If he hadn't helped a girl who was being robbed, he wouldn't have died."
More and more blood seeped beneath the door, even staining Joey's leather shoes.
"I hate his kindness. His kindness saved me, but it was also his kindness that took him away from me."
Joey lowered his voice and asked gravely:
"So you were bewitched into trying to resurrect Erich through a ritual?"
Naomi's voice became shrill:
"No, I wasn't! You're the only one I love now. I just wanted a clean, young, beautiful body. I just wanted to be worthy of you."
For ordinary people, youth could not be regained. Anyone seeking to reclaim it would have to pay a price.
"I know you don't like my skin color."
A trace of embarrassment crossed Joey's face. He coughed lightly and said:
"I have no intention of discriminating against you. You know black hair and black eyes aren't welcome in Senegal."
Dark skin was found only among people who had spent long periods exposed to the altered air.
The upper classes, royalty, and dukes had healthy food and warm shelters. This gave them attractive complexions, and their hair and eye colors differed greatly from those of commoners.
"Mr. Keliwei, please go." Naomi's almost pleading voice came haltingly through the gap in the door. "I don't want anyone to see me like this. This is my punishment. My punishment for being unfaithful to Erich."
"Naomi, no one should have to live in the past forever. Erich has passed away. You'll meet someone new and fall in love with someone new. That isn't being unfaithful."
Joey shifted his feet, moving half a meter back and preparing to break down the door at any moment.
"A person's beauty isn't judged by appearance alone. Naomi, in my eyes, you're a kindhearted young woman. That has nothing to do with your skin color."
After a long, hesitant silence, Naomi's voice drifted out:
"Really?"
"I came from the Outer City myself. Once, I fought stray dogs over a potato. I suffered a lot of unfair treatment because of my skin color. How could I ever look down on yours?"
"All right." Naomi sounded timid, her voice carrying some indistinct emotion and brimming with apology. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about your past."
The door was gently pulled open. Joey quickly retreated to a safe distance, ready to turn and run at the first sign of trouble.
A foul stench hit him. The room was dark, with every window sealed shut.
The faint light spilling through the doorway barely allowed him to make out the scene inside.
Thick blood covered the floor. In the center lay a writhing mass of bloody flesh covered in tentacles, each studded with eyeballs of varying sizes.
Naomi's face was embedded in the middle of that bloody mass. The tentacles were like her hair, spreading throughout the entire room.
"Mr. Keliwei, do I look very ugly now?" Naomi's expression held the endearing innocence and bashfulness of a little girl.
Of course, if that face had not been embedded in a mass of rotten flesh, Joey would have greeted her with a compliment.
He opened his mouth, his throat feeling dry, and forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit.
"Naomi, who told you about this ritual magic?"
Naomi's face filled with excitement:
"It was Erich. Erich told me. He said it would give me a noble's skin and the most beautiful hair color."
She lifted her eyes as the tentacles swayed gently before her.
"Look. What beautiful hair."
Joey stood frozen. In Naomi's eyes, he could clearly see a kaleidoscope of colors. Her eyes were like amber.
"I never imagined I could have hair even more beautiful than royalty's. Erich gave me all of this. He's still just like he used to be, always surprising me."
As she spoke, her voice suddenly caught and stopped. A few seconds later, she spoke rapidly, in panic:
"Erich is dead. He died long ago. He isn't Erich!"
Judging by the color of Naomi's eyes, she might have been bewitched by the Color Out of Space.
That differed from his earlier conclusion. This was not the Necromancer Sect's doing.
Wait.
No. Why did I assume everything I encountered before had anything to do with the Necromancer Sect?
Then what was everything I went through before?
Joey sank into confusion and self-doubt.
Naomi seemed to have abruptly broken free of some mental trap. Her gaze swept around, taking in the tentacles filling the room, and she spoke with a bitter smile:
"So he wasn't Erich after all!"
Without giving Joey a chance to speak, she hurriedly continued, her voice tense:
"Give me another chance. Please don't hand me over to the Church. If I perform the summoning one more time, I can return to normal."
"I tried it before. He really did make me ten years younger."
The writhing mass of flesh crawled across the floor, inching closer to Joey. With no feet, she tried to use the tentacles to move.
Joey stepped backward. Right now, he had no way of judging whether Naomi was in her right mind.