I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 72

Chapter 72:The Monster’s True Identity

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“Fuh… Fuh…. Haaah…”

“I know it must be hard, but please endure it a little longer! The wounds are too deep! I need to be careful in healing you…”

“Phew… Phew… Sorry, Alwyn. I know you must be busy…”

“What are you talking about?! We’re comrades, aren’t we?!”

I immediately headed to the church upon hearing the news. There, inside a small treatment room in the corner of the church, I saw Alwyn placing both of her hands over Brien’s wounds. Alwyn looked really desperate as she cast healing magic on Brien. Alwyn’s eyes then widened in surprise at the sight of our group of four. Me, Nia, Chloe and Rielle.

“Huh? Everyone…? Why are you all here?”

Then, upon seeing our faces, Brien turned ghastly pale. Panicking, she immediately reached out for her bow and arrows. 

“-?! De-Demon?! And Chloe as well… Don’t tell me…!”

“N-No! It’s not like that, Brien-san! You’re wrong! Kai-san is not a bad person!”

“Agh-! Phew… Haaa… Haa… Fuh…. Bu-But… The-There’s no way he’s not a bad person! After all, the monster that attacked me also used black magic and only demon’s subordinate could wield that kind of power-“

“Monster?!”

Though I knew I should speak calmly, but the flustered voice slipped out of my mouth without me realizing it. Seeing the grim expression on my face, Brien fell silent. She was clearly torn between speaking up or remaining silent.

“It’s okay, Brien-san. I understand if you can’t trust Kai-san yet, but please trust me.”

“….”

Alwyn encouraged. Then, seemingly reassured by Alwyn, Brien finally opened her mouth, albeit gingerly. 

“I was attacked by a humanoid monster. Well, mostly ‘human’. Its skin and everything else were kind of disfigured.”

“I see…”

A humanoid monster. The first thing that came to my mind upon hearing that was the bodies in the underground laboratory of the slums. The disfigured humans that were preserved in giant test tubes. Maybe the empire had forcibly injected black magic into living human bodies to turn them into monsters. Either way, the fact that they could create monsters powerful enough to injure Brien this badly was not a good thing. 

“Brien… This… Just what happened…”

“Yeah… It’s been a while, Chloe… Fuh… Fuh… I’m sorry for showing you such a disgraceful sight.”

“Who cares about that?! What happened?! Just look at all those wounds…!”

Shocked at how severely injured her old comrade was, Chloe quickly sat next to Brien. She started checking on Brien’s injuries. Chloe’s reaction was understandable though. Just from a single glance alone, I could tell Brien’s arm was severely injured. Her left arm was almost torn and there were deep cuts around her waist on the opposite side. The elf’s clothes were stained with blood, almost making it hard to know the severity of her injuries. 

Fortunately, Alwyn managed to stop the bleeding. But still, Brien was not in a condition to speak calmly. I glanced at Rielle, who had her mouth covered with both hands before I turned my attention back to Brien.

“Brien, sorry for interrupting, but do you think you could spare a moment to talk with me after Alwyn finished treating you?”

“Me? You? Why? You’re the demon in prophecy―”

“Brien-san, it’s alright.”

While still casting healing magic on Brien’s arm, Alwyn interjected. 

“Considering our situation right now, Kai-san is our ally.”

“But…”

“Please, Brien.”

Chloe gently held Brien’s other hand and looked at Brien in the eyes, pleading. 

“Just once. Just once is enough. Look at me and look at Alwyn and then… Please tell us what happened in detail, along with Kai as well.”

“….”

Though Brien still seemed unconvinced, she eventually relented. Brien sighed deeply and nodded her head several times. 

In the evening of  the same day, we gathered once again in one of the vacant bedrooms at the church, where Brien was staying. It seemed the pain had eased a bit, since Brien looked calmer now compared to during the day. She sat on the bed with her arm still wrapped in bandages. 

She stared at the bandage for a few seconds before she finally decided to speak.

“After the incident with the Pope, I was thinking of returning to the village for a while. Since Kaltz was also… Yeah, Kaltz is dead and Alwyn said she wanted to dedicate her time to rebuild the church. Of course with everything that has happened, it’s safe to consider the party has been disbanded, right?”

“…I’m sorry, Brien-san.”

“Like I said, you’re not at fault, Alwyn. Anyway, I was thinking of returning to the village to think about my future. After all, I never expected Kaltz would die all of a sudden like that and even the Pope… Ah.”

“No, it’s okay, Brien-san. It is a fact that the church has committed unforgivable sins. There’s no denying that fact.”

“….Anyway, there were just too many things going on and I was thinking of returning to my village to sort out my thoughts. I didn’t even know what I was fighting for anymore after all.”

Brien paused briefly before continuing.

“And then, on my way back to the village… I encountered that monster.”

Brien said she was attacked in a plain near the capital. It wasn’t a common route due to the dense forest nearby. There was hardly any human traffic there. 

“When I first saw it… I was honestly surprised. Monsters are supposed to be trapped inside dungeons and I didn’t expect to see one so close to the capital. Anyway, I was thinking of defeating it anyway since I was already there and then I could quickly get on my way back to the village, but then…”

“But…?”

I prompted her to continue and then, Brien had a tense expression on her face as she continued. 

“He was stronger than I expected.”

“….”

“It wouldn’t be strange if that monster is the boss of an S-class dungeon or something. He was really strong and he fought with a sword in hand. Honestly speaking, I couldn’t stand a chance against him. It was almost a miracle that I managed to escape from that monster.”

“Impossible… Brien-san…”

“It’s true, Alwyn. He was incredibly fast and terrifyingly skilled. Every swing of his sword was filled with murderous intent and yet, despite the clear fury emitted from that monster… He showed no openings. He also had a great amount of magic power and you know what?”

Gulping, Brien stared at me. 

“Just like what I said earlier, the monster was using black magic.”

“…”

“His sword was imbued with black magic. It emitted a black aura and upon closer inspection, the monster’s body was misshapen too. Half of its body looked like a ghoul. His eyes were bloodshot and he kept mumbling incomprehensible words. He was probably a human that underwent body modification with black magic.”

“Body modification, huh?”

“Yeah and you know what else? That guy… Ah, no…”

Brien halted, as if she suddenly came to her senses. She shook her head several times, but she still looked clearly anxious. Everyone present was taken aback at her reaction. Brien remained silent, seemingly thinking hard about something. Her expression remained serious as she looked down on her lap. 

I instinctively knew something terribly wrong was going on. I glanced at Chloe. She nodded at me before she returned her attention back to Brien. 

“Brien.”

“…”

“If you really don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. You don’t have to force yourself, but… I’m really curious. Even the smallest details can help us in finding out who or what that monster really is.”

After hearing Chloe’s words, Brien finally lifted her head. Even now, her face was still filled with anguish. Just like in the game, Brien wasn’t the type of person who would tell someone something she wasn’t certain herself. 

However, this time, the suspicion seemed to outweigh her usual cautious nature. She trembled slightly as she finally continued. 

“Like I said earlier, his sword was clouded with black aura, so it was hard to see clearly, but…”

“Okay, what about that sword?”

“….Somehow… The sword looked like the holy sword.”

Everyone was rendered speechless at Brien’s last word. A look of clear shock filled the room. 

The holy sword? THAT holy sword?! But in that case…

“And his face, grotesque as it was…”

Adding further shock to our already stunned minds, Brien whispered. 

“To me, that monster’s face looked oddly familiar. He looked like Kaltz.”

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