Day One
Am I… dreaming? A nightmare?
I feel like I'm losing my mind…
Damn it, why did it come to this?
…No. Calm down. Do not panic.
My name is Nigun Grid Luin, commander of the special ops unit of the Holy Kingdom — the Sunlight Scripture.
We were assigned to kill Stronoff near Carne Village.
And there… we encountered that monster woman.
That was the beginning of everything.
I will never forget her face.
The woman who commanded those abominable undead.
Because of her, not only did we fail the assassination…
Her horde of undead dragged us deep into the Great Forest of Tob.
They surely intended to torment us here.
Where even are we?
Too deep in the woods to know distance or direction.
If only we still had our magic items, we might track our location — but the undead cut off our limbs, stripped us naked, and left us helpless.
Ah… right.
I must explain how we are even still alive, despite being captured by undead—
Fortune or misfortune, a monstrous plant—like wooden tentacles—burst from the earth and blocked their path.
The undead fought it and were destroyed, and the creature, apparently satisfied, burrowed back underground.
We live only because of that.
Was it the gods saving their devout servants?
Or a devil sparing me for the sake of spectacle?
Abandoned, maimed, in the deepest forest where monsters roam freely—
We, the Sunlight Scripture, now sit in utter despair.
Left here limbless, with monsters prowling everywhere…
This is a crisis requiring immediate rescue.
For now, my subordinates and I cast Fireball on each other's wounds, burning the severed stumps to stop the bleeding.
Four died because they misjudged the strength of the flames.
Their screaming figures, burning alive without hands or feet, are seared into my memory.
We dedicated our lives to every mission — we cannot be allowed such an end.
Night approaches.
…Honestly, I don't think we'll survive.
If this is a nightmare, let me awaken from it.
I will record this through Soul of Memory, carved into my body — at least as proof that Nigun Grid Luin lived.
It needs no voice; only thought.
…I can only hope the Holy Kingdom realizes the anomaly and sends a rescue team.
Even adventurers might stumble upon us.
We will not give up hope.
May the Six Gods watch over us.
Day Two
The fever is terrible.
With that much blood loss, of course it is.
My body won't stop shaking.
We cauterized our wounds, but it hurts as if a hot iron is still pressed to them.
Last night, using Fly, I escaped to the top of a tree and barely survived.
But those who cannot cast Fly — the majority — were eaten by beasts.
A hell beyond belief.
If only we could summon angels, our specialty.
But that woman ordered the undead to crush our vocal cords because our begging annoyed her.
Without voices, we cannot summon angels.
Our mana cannot endure Silent Magic–type castings of high-tier Summon Angel.
…I'm scared.
I've never been this terrified in my life.
Why must those who serve the gods die as feed for beasts?
I pity my crying subordinates, but their sniveling only irritates me.
Beasts and monsters have sharp hearing.
I keep telling them through Message to stay quiet, yet they won't stop crying.
…Damn it.
Even I want to cry.
If tears would help, I would do so — but crying changes nothing.
Nightmares continue waking or sleeping.
I pray the rescue team comes.
May the Six Gods watch over us.
Day Three
The hunger is unbearable.
My consciousness grows faint.
Stress and starvation have made everyone irritable.
We argued — through Message, of course — whether to wait for rescue or escape using Fly.
Ironically, losing our limbs prevented the fight from becoming physical.
If we were whole, someone would've tried to kill someone.
But the answer is obvious:
Escape using Fly is impossible.
Our life force is too depleted; casting spells repeatedly is suicide.
Even climbing and descending trees for stagnant rainwater drains our mana.
And even Message at close range consumes precious energy.
Gods… but I'm so hungry.
Crawling across the ground eating unknown bugs and weeds — I can't take it anymore.
What little nutrition they offer only leads to diarrhea, then dehydration — a spiral of death.
…I want meat.
I want clean water.
That woman… I will kill her.
Revenge is the only thing keeping me alive.
Day Four
…They did it.
My subordinates finally did it.
I knew they were unstable from hunger and fear — but I never imagined they'd escalate an argument through Message into killing each other.
The burned corpse smell from Fireball still lingers.
From the ten who survived the first day, only three remain.
Everyone has gone insane.
…Perhaps I have too.
I'm constantly irritated.
Constantly terrified.
Just now, goblins walked beneath this tree.
If they spot us, they'll climb up or shoot us with arrows.
Ah…
Will I die tomorrow?
Will I kill a subordinate by accident?
This is all that woman's fault.
If I survive, I will kill her—
…No. Killing won't be enough.
I'll make her suffer a fear greater than mine.
Tear off her limbs, throw her into a goblin den.
Up here on this tree, doing nothing but rotting away —
I kill her in my imagination a million times, to keep my sanity from breaking.
…No. It's already broken.
Only while recording this do I feel the faintest shred of humanity.
...
…Roasted human flesh tastes far better than weeds.
May the Six Gods—
Day Five
I killed them.
The last three.
I slaughtered them.
They blamed me — claimed everything was the commander's fault — and tried to kill me together.
...
......
DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!!!
Those worthless fools!!!
They survived this long because of my orders!
Ungrateful scum!!!
Ahh… the irritation won't stop…
But today, I suppose I'm lucky.
I now have plenty of meat.
Food won't be a problem for a while.
Why hasn't the Holy Kingdom sent help?
Those useless bastards.
…Today again, I fantasize about killing that woman.
Day Six
I nearly died today.
The goblins found me.
Poisoned arrows rained down.
I managed to escape, but one grazed my shoulder.
The poison is spreading — my heart races, my body tingles.
…I'm scared.
I'm lonely.
I never knew solitude could hurt this much.
And to make things worse, the goblins stole the last of my food.
I might really be finished.
Day Seven
…DiE…
ThE pOiSoN iS iN mE…
My whole body burns…
It hurts… hurts… HURTS—
WhY MuSt I SuFfEr LiKe ThIs!?
KiLlHeR!!!
KILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHER
KILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHERKILLHER
ThAt WoMaN…
No mAtTeR wHaT…
I mUsT kIlL hEr…
Day Eight
…iS sHe… rEaLlY… a DeMoN…?
As dEaTh dRaWs ClOsEr…
ThE rAgE fAdEs…
AnD mY mInD… cLeArS…
If I tHiNk BaCk…
ThAt WoMaN… dId NoT sAy AnYtHiNg WrOnG…
YeS… WhAt ShE dId To Us WaS DeMoNiC…
BuT hAvEn'T wE dOnE tHe SaMe…?
We bUrNeD vIlLaGeS…
We kIlLeD iNnOcEnT pEoPlE…
iN tHe NaMe Of "gReAtEr GoOd"…
MaYbE… sHe WaS aNgRy AbOuT tHaT…?
ShE wAs FuRiOuS wHeN i InSuLtEd StRoNoFf…
IsN't ThAt… nAtUrAl…?
WhAt I dId…
CoUlD I rEaLlY fAcE tHe GoDs…?
…GoDs…
SoMeThInG… FeElS… wRoNg…
As If I hAvE mIsUnDeRsToOd…
SoMeThInG…
WhY dId ShE hAvE tHaT MuCh PoWeR…?
WhY dId ShE aPpEaR aT tHaT mOmEnT…?
WhY Is ShE… So BeAuTiFuL…?
WhAt… Is ShE…?
My HeAd… iS cRuMbLiNg…
Day Nine
I… rEaLiZeD iT.
Day Ten
gOd GoD gOd gOD GOD god God
GODgODgODgoDGoD
gOd GoD GOD GOD god
GODGODGODGODgod GOD
goDgOdGODGODGOD God
god GOD GOD
MY GOD.
The record ends here.
Afterword Scene
"Well? How was it?"
Leaning against a dim corridor wall stood a girl appearing in her mid-teens.
She asked, though her voice lacked interest, her hands busy solving a Rubik Cube.
The captain of the Black Scripture shrugged slightly.
"Have you not read the report? You should have received a copy."
"I didn't. It's faster to ask someone who knows."
Her tone was flat, emotionless.
Her focus clearly lay more on the cube than the conversation.
"I heard the Sunlight Scripture's captain was summoned. That everyone except him died. So? What happened?"
"What happened…? Even we don't know. Not the High Priests either."
"…What do you mean?"
"They claim a white demon appeared in the Kingdom. But according to the High Priests… 'Nigun has gone insane.'"
"What happened?"
"He worships the demon who severed their limbs and abandoned them in Tob Forest as a new god."
"Hm. A god, huh. Is she strong?"
"Hard to say. According to other reports, she doesn't seem strong enough to threaten you, but…"
"…Shame."
She sounded truly disappointed.
The captain noticed she had completed two sides of the Rubik Cube.
"More importantly, what about Astrology's prophecy? You deployed to subdue the—"
Catastrophe Dragon Lord.
"…The revival happened as foretold. But when we arrived, it had already been annihilated."
A twitch.
The girl—Zesshi, Death-Curse-and-Demise—finally met his gaze.
Her abyss-black eye and moonlit-silver eye sharpened.
"By who?"
"An adventurer newly risen in the Kingdom. Momon. They call her the Dark Beauty, or simply… the Black Princess."
"…Not a team?"
Her aura shifted completely.
Gone was the dull apathy she held while hearing about Nigun.
Her cube hand lowered; she faced the captain directly.
"…Stronger than me?"
"That is…"
He hesitated.
Judging from available information, comparing Zesshi and Momon was difficult.
Momon supposedly used a magic item to generate a massive explosion and slay the Dragon Lord.
The aftermath resembled a meteor strike — scorched earth, gouged terrain — undeniably terrifying.
But that complicated evaluation.
Was Momon powerful…?
Or was the item powerful?
The magic tree was also cleaved in one strike — but was that a consumable item?
Or…
"…Hmm."
He stroked his chin, thinking only two or three seconds — trivial by normal standards.
But for Zesshi, seeing him pause to think when asked who was stronger — that alone was revolutionary.
"No way…"
Her Rubik Cube slipped from her hands, clattering across the floor until it bumped against his foot.
Her expression — excitement, shock, hope — all at once.
Like a teenage girl learning a long-lost sister still lived.
He had never seen her make such a face.
(Damn…)
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
He knew what would happen if she sensed someone possibly stronger than herself existed.
"Hey. Tell me more about this Momon girl."
"…Please don't misunderstand. Momon is still under investigation. There are many dubious points regarding her strength."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a high possibility the slaying of the Dragon Lord was due to a consumable magic item."
"...haaah."
Zesshi's expression dimmed like a light dying.
Seconds ago she sparkled like stardust. Now all of it vanished.
With a heavy sigh, she picked up the cube again.
"…But there's still a chance she's stronger than me, right?"
"…Only as optimistic speculation."
"When any report about Momon arrives, you give it to me. First thing. Immediately.
If you break that promise, I'll leave this country myself and go find her."
"…Understood."
The captain bowed politely, expression calm — but cold sweat ran down his back.
He swore silently to handle all information regarding Momon with extreme caution.