Murky Darkness – Part 01
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Translator: Kell
Interlude: Eternal Punishment
The death of Thirteenth caused his binding on Sanare to disappear. She was in high spirits as she returned to the princess’s body.
Things didn’t go exactly as planned. If anything, the situation developed to a better direction, so she had no complaints whatsoever. She could manipulate the kingdom of Wenias however she pleased, now that Thirteenth was dead.
“Ah, Master is so incredible. She cut down his talented student so easily. She killed him like it’s nothing.”
Sanare herself might have let Thirteenth live so she could use him, which could’ve resulted in having the rug pulled under her.
The Boss—the Murky Darkness’ mercilessness came from absolute confidence. She possessed sheer power and intelligence that allowed her to affirm that Thirteenth’s loss was nothing.
Someone powerful like her needed Sanare. The thought filled Sanare’s heart with joy. She would do anything for the Boss, no matter how dirty it was. She only had to believe and follow her, then a world of witches would come soon.
“Raul! Please prepare some hot water! Something great happened today.”
The clattering of hooves echoed through the underground tunnels of the campus. As she searched for the source of the sound, Sanare noticed something strange.
“What is this place? A storeroom?”
The campus, built by remodeling an underground tunnel, had remnants of storage rooms here and there. Once such room was located in the deepest section, with crates and lumber piled up all around.
While Sanare was out of her body, Princess Amnil was free to move around. She didn’t care where she went, but what in the world was she doing in a place like this?
“We were thinking of putting away some unwanted items,” Raul replied softly.
“Okay. You were probably in the middle of your chore, but I’m not gonna do it. Drop what you’re doing and prepare the bath. Hurry. I like being clean.”
A chuckle echoed in the basement.
Sanare thought Raul was laughing, but his expression was still.
Someone’s here.
“You like being clean, you say? When you look like that? Interesting.”
“That voice!” Sanare turned around. A beautiful silver-haired witch was standing there, a different Murky Darkness witch. “Zero?! What are you doing here?!”
“I have been waiting for your return. Horse served me some tea. He has a fine taste, I must say. I like these tea leaves. I will take all of them with me along with the copy of the Grimoire of Zero. I doubt you can enjoy tea in your current state anyway.”
For the first time, Sanare felt something off. She looked at her hands. Instead of the slender fingers of a beautiful princess, there were blackened fingers of mud. Her body was a misshapen figure of dirt.
“Wh-What is this?!”
The mud puppets that the princess created for her research, powered by the souls of the dead, looked like this.
Sanare glanced around and saw a Magic circle carved on the floor. She staggered forward, only to be repelled by a warding, and fell on her back.
“The princess’s mud puppets are very well-made,” Zero said. “With the help of Horse, I was able to prepare a substitute for the princess without too much trouble. As a result, the ward is more powerful than planned.”
“A substitute?! Give me a break! Where’s the real Amnil?!”
“Captured, locked up, and sealed inside a ward. Do not expect any help. You will not get any. From now on, you can never get close to the princess. I will even take her memories away, if necessary. Now, then.” Zero flashed a cold-blooded smile, the smile of a child contemplating how to hurt an insect that had been torn apart limb from limb. “Let eternity begin, Sanare. Eternal loneliness and regret. A torture called boredom that will make you detest your immortal body. You will feel no pain, no hunger, no thirst. You cannot sleep either. It will be very interesting to see how long you can maintain your own sanity in the endless passage of time.”
This… This can’t be happening. Everything went great.
There had to be an escape route somewhere. A crack in the warding. A small gap that a soul could pass through would be fine.
Sanare desperately searched for a hole in the warding. There shouldn’t be any, but she prayed for one. Then she found it. It was almost hard to believe.
I see, Sanare thought. Zero is not as good at drawing Magic circles as Thirteenth. Even Solena’s ward had cracks in them, so how could Zero’s be without one?
Grinning, Sanare jumped out of the puppet’s body and rushed towards the ward’s tear.
“Mercenary,” Zero called.
The Beastfallen on standby stepped forward.
Idiot, Sanare thought. Brute strength couldn’t possibly do anything to a soul.
The Beastfallen foolishly raised a knife and swung it down without hesitation, sticking it deep into the floor.
The hole vanished.
Repelled by the ward, Sanare returned to the puppet only to be confused as to what had happened.
“What?! What’s going on?! Why can’t I get out?! I saw a hole in the warding!”
“There is no hole in my warding,” Zero said. “There is only a door, and I have just locked it.”
“Lock?! You just stuck a knife on the floor!
“It is no ordinary knife. I performed a ritual on it under the moonlight for thirty days. It is a ritual tool that houses a guard.”
“Doesn’t it look familiar?” The Beastfallen growled.
All knives were the same to Sanare. How could she remember this one in particular?
“It’s Theo’s knife. It belonged to the kid you killed.”
A guard? Sanare eyed the knife on the floor once more. When she focused, she saw a soul standing there.
A freckled face and a mouth missing one front tooth. He used to smile all the time, but there was only a boy staring coldly at Sanare now.
“Theo?” Sanare said. “A child as a guard? How stupid. Absolutely ridiculous! I can handle this soul with my power!”
“You are welcome to try,” Zero replied. “That is why I assigned a guard. I am a merciful witch. I will not lock you up in a storage room like this forever without any chance of salvation. The door will open if you repel the guard, or if the guard forgives you. You seem to be mistaken, however. Take a closer look.”
As a puppet, Sanare had no lungs, heart, or teeth. Yet she seemed to struggle for breath. Her heart ached, and her teeth clattered.
Following what Zero said, she strained her eyes at the knife. She noticed it wasn’t just Theo there. There was a couple standing behind him, probably his parents.
Not only that, but souls of those who passed away in the Republic of Cleon because of the saint. The spirits of those who died in the hands of the adjudicator that Sanare manipulated, back in the maritime nation of Telzem.
All of them stood in front of Sanare as guards.
Sanare screamed, scratching her mud face with her mud hands. Her body crumbled slowly.
“No! No, no, no, no! I did it for the witches! For a world of witches! Why am I being treated like this?!”
“I would be careful with that body if I were you,” Zero said. “The moment your body is destroyed, you will lose your physical tie to this world. Only an old witch who has lived for a thousand years can preserve their mind while existing as a soul. Like the great Solena.”
Sanare discarded her physical body, living as a pure soul, but she always possessed something. She had never spent extended periods of time without a physical body. Whenever she wandered as a soul, inexplicable fear gripped her, like she would be scattered in the wind.
Recalling the fear, Sanare gathered up the pieces of her body. “There’s no point in doing this,” she muttered to herself. “Master will save me! I’m talented! I’m useful to her.” She knew all too well that her master would not come.
Sanare recalled the ruthlessness that her Master displayed when she killed Thirteenth. The Murky Darkness witch would not tolerate those who disobeyed or failed her.
And Sanare had failed.
Raul’s hooves echoed in the basement. “Let’s go. I’m worried about the princess. I have no more business here.”
Oh. So this is what he meant by putting away unwanted items. To Raul, Sanare was nothing but a useless piece of junk, not even someone worthy of hatred.
Zero turned around, her long cloak flaring. The white Beastfallen followed her.
Sanare heard a door closing out of her sight, followed by a heavy lock falling. It was silent, save for the sound of footsteps receding into the distance.
She looked at the guards. Countless departed souls were glaring at her. One of them moved.
It was Theo, the owner of the knife. Watching Sanare with pity, he stepped away from the guards, moving out of the room.
“Does this mean you forgive me?” Sanare asked.
Theo turned around. His lips moved.
I don’t really care about you.
The boy disappeared, leaving only those words behind. He chose to stay with Zero’s party rather than exacting revenge on Sanare.
She sank to the floor. Her muddy body couldn’t even feel the coldness of the ground.
“Ahaha.”
Sanare laughed at her abrupt demise. All she could do was laugh. Her chuckle gradually grew louder and turned into the usual guffaw, her head thrown back.
She had lived her life ridiculing and laughing at others. This laughter was directed at her own wretched self.
Sanare heaved a sigh. “What a miserable ending. Perfect for someone as useless as me.”
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