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Chapter 70 Part 3 – Side Story: The Blood-Sucking Madam of the Abandoned Castle (Part 3)

Half of Elisabeth’s face was swollen purple.
And that was not all.
Her flesh had been scraped to the point that the white bone peeked out, creating a pool of blood at her feet.
A bloodstained table knife and a piece of flesh from her cheek that was discolored in black lay on the table.

Before the deadly poison from the 「Poison Lady’s Kerchief」 spread all over her body, she personally gouged out the poisoned part.

「…… I’ve changed my opinion about you. Elisabeth. Let’s settle this.」

The unexpected determination of Elisabeth who considered beauty as supreme brought a dark sense of pleasure to my heart.
The person who killed my precious Hannah could not possibly be a trivial little villain.
Besides, it’s much easier to be seething with anger and fighting spirit than to feel the bitterness of this loss that has left a gaping hole in my heart.

I glared at Elisabeth and stepped forward.

But after having her last hidden card not working on me, Elisabeth’s spirit was broken.

She screamed and turned her back on me.

Feeling disappointed, I reached into the pocket to take out my throwing knife to deliver the finishing blow. But then I froze.
In the direction where Elisabeth was running to, Alisa was there.

「…… With the blood and skin of this exquisite sacrifice, my face will surely be restored ……!!」

She let out a shrill, insane laugh and tried to swing her knife down at the unconscious Alisa.

「…… Alisa!!」

The moment I pulled back my arm to throw the knife, I felt a huge shock coming from below the floor which sent my legs about 10 centimeters into the air.

「W-what is this!?」

Elisabeth, too, fell on her buttocks and was dismayed.
The whole castle creaked eerily.

Earthquake ……!?
No, the ground only shook in the beginning.
And yet, cracks ran through the plaster on the ceilings and walls. The rumble didn’t stop. Dust and debris fell. The huge pillars were bent and portraits of the successive generation of castle lords and magnificent furnishings were being smashed to the floor one after another creating loud crashing sounds. Then the floor itself began to tilt. It was now difficult to even stand up properly.

I turned pale when I realized what was happening, but Elisabeth’s panic was greater than mine.
She could no longer afford to be bothered with Alisa.

「Impossible!! This can’t be!! My Vente Castle can’t possibly be collapsing ……!!」

She screamed as she ran all over the place in panic.
The Vente Castle that had boasted of its impregnability, collapsed on itself as if it could no longer bear the weight of the sins.
This miniature garden where Elisabeth is free to do as she pleased is going to disappear.
For her, it would be the equivalent of the end of the world.

But I didn’t have the composure to laugh at Elisabeth and say, 「You deserve it」.

「…… Alisa!!」

At this rate, we will be caught in the collapse of the castle and die.

Just as I was about to rush over to Alisa, the ceiling of the banquet hall fell down. A deafeningly loud noise that was similar to a lightning strike and a cloud of dust, stones, and sharp pieces of wood fell in torrents, obstructing the space between me and Alisa. In front of this massive cascade filled with murderous intent, a human being is no better than an ant. My body was easily blown off like a spinning top and flung into the air. My field of vision whirled around.

‘…… Alisa ……!! …… Hannah ……!!’

As my vision was filled with the collapsing ceiling, I glanced at both of them. Then, my consciousness sank into the darkness as my body was blown away by the centrifugal force.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

「…… Impossible, what is this …… time has stopped ……?」

Still unable to stand up due to fear, Elisabeth stared at the crumbling ceiling in a daze.
The enormous falling object that should have crushed Elisabeth had stopped moving in mid-air.

「Ahahaha, it’s not that time has stopped. Welcome to my world of ‘Dark Illusion’. Elisabeth.」

A beautiful blond girl with a fluttering black ribbon laughed mockingly.

「…… What are you so surprised about? If you master the art of combat to the point where you can deceive not only people but also the world, this kind of thing becomes possible. It’s just a trivial trick.」

Hearing her talk about it as if it’s nothing, Elisabeth gulped.

She was certainly the stupid girl named Alisa who was supposed to be lying unconscious on the plate just a moment ago.

But she seemed different.
The face was the same, but she’s like a different person.

She was no longer completely naked, but was now clad in a jet-black dress over her entire body. The cruel dark night seemed to have become a dress and clung to her body. And the freezing cold ‘status’ that Elisabeth, a high-ranking noblewoman, had never felt even from the king was so overwhelming that she wanted to kneel down right then and there.

No, this was death itself.
It reminded Elisabeth of the despair of being surrounded by a pack of wolves when she was a child.
The feeling she felt now was hundreds or thousands of times more intense than at that time.
The absolute ruler for all living things.
The unbeatable Dark Lord.
And her hunch was absolutely correct.

「…… Elisabeth. Considering Hannah’s personality, she must have offered her blood and pleaded to you to let her become the sacrifice instead of the other girls. How did you respond to her?」

The serious atmosphere made it impossible for her to lie.

「H-How can I use the blood of a girl with such a monstrous face ……!! I told to stop acting conceited and whipped her all over her body …… Hiii ……!?」

Elisabeth immediately stiffened after saying so.

The atmosphere around Alisa changed.
The previous atmosphere that was calm and made it impossible for people to defy her became even sharper than the blade of a drawn sword.

「…… You are a fool that does not understand the value of a loyal subject. You are not qualified to be the lord of the castle.」

A tremendous amount of power burst from Alisa.
Alisa casually slammed that power against the wall with one hand.

「The great Vente Castle. I release you from the role of a foolish castle lord’s miniature garden. I think that you would also be happier to rest as the gravestone of a loyal subject.」

The enormous amount of debris and dust vanished.
An ugly mummy clad in tattered clothes was floating there.

Elisabeth’s eyes opened wide. She recognized what it was and let out a deafening scream.

「Ahahaha, I’m so glad you like it. Don’t you think it’s a gift that is just right for you? I wonder if you have remembered it. You were locked in a room as punishment and left to dry up and die ugly. You should properly burn into your eyes the appearance of your correct self. Oh, and let me introduce the others. Aside from you, I have also invited a few other lovely guests to the world of ‘Dark Illusion’.」

Alisa smiled ruthlessly.

「Come on out. Feel free to renew old acquaintances to your heart’s content.」

The crumbling walls and floors rippled in waves and the figures of the bloodstained girls appeared. Not a single one of them had all of their limbs intact. They were in such a terrible state that it made others want to cover their eyes. With dreadful resentments flaring in their eyes, they moved unsteadily and surrounded Elisabeth. They were the girls that Elisabeth had sacrificed in the name of beauty and buried in the castle and surrounding area.

Unlike the gaze Alisa directed toward Elisabeth, her eyes were filled with calmness when she looked at the girls

「All of you have asked me to save you. If you sincerely seek me, I will never betray your wish. Fufufu, it looks like it’s going to be a very passionate welcome hug. By the time everyone’s greetings are done, I hope you will still have one finger left, Elisabeth.」

Then Alisa continued to say with a scornful tone, 「Poor thing. Come to think of it, there’s no way the dead could die. Well then, have fun playing here forever until all of them are satisfied.」 Then she turned her back and walked away.

The ring of encirclement of the girls shrank and a gurgling, horrifying sound began to echo. The feast of blood continued without end, swallowing up Elisabeth’s hands and her cries for help as she struggled frantically for her life.