Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 119

Before Pinocchio, before Iron Hans, hundreds of years ago, there lived a man who lived like a king.

Though not of noble blood, the man lived in great wealth thanks to the iron mine his family owned.

His parents died at the perfect time, when he was in the prime of his youth.

Thanks to that, he could fully enjoy all the family’s wealth when he was most vigorous.

Rare delicacies brought from distant lands.

Painting by an unknown but apparently famous artist.

Prostitutes fawned over him to get even one more gold coin he scattered, and children working in the mines bowed and scraped to avoid being fired.

He didn’t even have the noble’s duty to risk his life on the battlefield for honor.

Everything was as he wished.

Today too, thanks to ■■ who gave him everything.

It was truly a blessed life that could only be explained as divine favor.

But everything changed quickly.

When he first heard stories of monsters appearing somewhere, he thought it was just tales from far away.

When the price of iron from his mines fell because those monsters could not be harmed by iron weapons and could only be fought with silver, he thought it was a crisis.

When strange silver coins were issued as new currency somewhere to fight Beasts, reducing the value of his gold coins and making prostitutes’ visits sparse, he felt dizzy.

When even the young boys and girls who bowed and served him as master left to do strange work like hunting, leaving the mines empty, he fell into despair.

The man who once reigned like a king became penniless in an instant.

No one would buy the steel that once made all sorts of weapons, and the glittering gold that once filled his pockets couldn’t even buy bread, being called old money.

He hated everything.

He hated the world that took everything from him.

If only he could get it back…

Women showing their charms…

Young slaves who wouldn’t resist even when kicked…

Delicious food and fragrant wine…

Envious gazes as the mine’s owner…

And in that man’s heart, that desire and hatred became kindling for a great fire.

Once more.

Just needed to rise once more.

Money comes and goes.

Just had to find as much as was lost.

If he could just do that, he could get everything back.

He would become king again.

And that intense, dark obsession was a perfect nest for a curse to take root.

The human who lived like a king, fell, and still tried to rise again became Iron Hans.

Time passed, and Iron Hans went with other behemoths who shared his cause to kill Red Witch ‘Red Hood’, the source of this curse.

And they were all slaughtered.

Except for Iron Hans alone, who used others as shields until the end.

“Now only you remain.”

Red Hood said.

Her blonde hair was filthy with Beast blood, and her hood was red as its name.

She looked at Iron Hans while pulling out the huge axe she had used to chop off one of the behemoth’s heads.

“This… this can’t be…”

Iron Hans said.

“This is impossible! Kenken fought your kind alone! So why?! Why did we fail even joining forces?!”

The behemoth Kenken, called the Sea King, challenged Little Mermaid Rusalka alone.

And word was he was still fighting well even now.

Believing in the possibility of defeating a witch from that, he gathered this many behemoths.

The result was this mountain of Beast corpses.

Beast corpses filled every direction.

Severed limbs and heads rolled everywhere, and just walking made sticky blood and fluids squelch underfoot.

“…Do you really not know?”

Red Hood asked with wide round eyes as red as Iron Hans’, seeming surprised.

Despite being the one who created this hell, she had a childlike air.

“You didn’t join forces. You just had multiple individuals come.”

“What?”

“You knew this would happen from the start, didn’t you?”

Red Hood smiled.

“You never intended to join forces. You just wanted puppet slaves to fight in your place to kill me.”

She pointed at the corpse of another behemoth that had been forced to be Iron Hans’ shield.

“You just wanted to kill me and take my place… Right?”

“N-no! I will become human! If I kill you, I can become human!”

“How amusing. You are human. Before, now, and will continue to be human.”

“You say that looking at this monster-like form?! Do you know what I’ve lost?! It’s all your fault! All your fault! None of this would have happened without you!”

Iron Hans snarled, baring his large, sharp claws.

Red Hood watched this silently before smiling.

That smile.

Or rather, the crack that formed on her face was more like a distortion.

Though it was clearly a girl’s smiling face, it felt like the maw of an abyss rejoicing with unfathomable malice.

The flames of rage that had filled Iron Hans’ heart instantly extinguished as fear quietly raised its head like smoke.

“You resemble her. You resemble Sister.”

“Wh-what?”

“Sister who killed our Lord ■■ said the same thing as you. That this is your fault. But I know. That Sister was originally such a wretched being. Just like you now…!”

Red Hood walked forward.

The huge axe in her hand dragged on the ground, its grating sound striking at hearts.

“What you lost was just a shell. I only revealed your true face and you should be grateful?”

Red Hood smiled wider.

Dark ecstasy could be seen bubbling up in her bright red eyes.

“Sh-shut up… Shut up! Shut up, you witch! I-I did nothing wrong!!”

Unable to bear it, Iron Hans turned and ran.

“Ahahahaha! Ahahaha, hahahaha!!”

Red Hood’s laughter rang out from behind.

Iron Hans ran.

Though she clearly wasn’t following, that laughter remained like an imprint in his ears, echoing in his mind.

A red moonlight rippled past.

“Aaaagh!!”

A crescent-shaped curse leaving a red trail passed through Iron Hans’ arm.

One shoulder became lighter as intense pain struck.

But Iron Hans didn’t stop running.

Had to escape no matter what.

Somewhere… had to hide somewhere…

…The mine.

Yes, the mine would be good.

Want to go to the mine where I lived like a king.

Hide there and bide my time.

Hide for a hundred years or five hundred years.

Until I can become human again…

* * *

Hilde’s vision gradually became clearer.

The waves emitted by Iron Hans’, no, Pinocchio’s brain showed hazy glimpses of past memories.

But… how much time had passed?

When Hilde came to her senses and raised her head, she saw Pinocchio’s bleeding brain extending its tentacles toward Eugene.

Just before those tentacles could enter Eugene’s ear, Hilde’s blue eyes flickered as she swung her axe wide.

A blue moonlight flew in a crescent shape, tearing through the invisible wall made by Pinocchio’s brain and cutting those tentacles.

“Aaargh!!”

Though there was a strange sense of déjà vu, there was no time to pay attention to such things now.

“You… witch…!”

Though the tentacles were cut, Pinocchio’s brain emitted dying thoughts.

“Not yet… Not yet… I survived… Always… sur…vive…”

Having lost its last strength, Pinocchio’s brain plunged to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

The huge brain hit the ground with a splat, the impact point becoming crushed.

“Hu…man…”

Pinocchio’s tentacles trembled weakly as they moved toward the bound Zepetia.

“As expected…”

Hilde raised her axe again.

Blue moonlight rippled, wrapping the axe blade in a clear crescent shape.

“I cannot acknowledge you as human.”

And the Executioner’s Axe split Pinocchio’s brain in two once more.

“…Hah.”

Hilde collapsed to her knees.

It felt like all strength had drained away.

“Now… it’s over…”

Hilde took a deep breath before gripping her Executioner’s Axe again and standing up.

At the same time, the chains holding Eugene broke and he fell to the ground.

“Ah, aah!?”

Hilde panicked, putting down her axe to try catching Eugene with her hands.

“…Human!!!”

Suddenly, one half of Pinocchio’s split brain let out a thought like a scream.

“…!?!?”

In that instant.

A very short time, but everything seemed to move slowly.

Half of Pinocchio’s brain threw itself toward Zepetia.

Hilde desperately stretched out one hand.

And barely managed to grab Pinocchio’s brain.

With a squelch, the grabbed brain tore.

The remaining part continued flying toward Zepetia.

Zepetia was still bound to the chair with her head down.

The last remaining part of Pinocchio’s brain approached Zepetia’s ear canal.

A hook caught Pinocchio’s final piece of flesh.

“Just die already!!”

The falling Eugene grabbed the chain of the hook and twisted his whole body to throw the caught piece of Pinocchio’s brain at the wall.

Pinocchio hit the wall with the chains and slid limply to the ground.

“Ah…”

Thus Pinocchio died.

“Ugh!”

Eugene crashed to the ground with a cry.

“Eek!? S-Senior! I’m sorry! I should have caught you…!”

Hilde stomped her feet anxiously.

“This hurts like hell…”

Eugene felt around the ground as he sat up.

Whether from the impact or the hook wounds, blood spurted from his shoulder.

“Waaah?!”

Hilde screamed, not knowing what to do.

“Hey… get the bandages from my pocket…”

Eugene calmly pressed his shoulder with his hand as he spoke.

“Ah, y-yes!”

Hilde took bandages from Eugene’s pocket and tried wrapping his shoulder.

“Not like that. Do it this way…”

Eugene bit down on his gun handle like a gag and stuffed the bunched up bandage into the hole in his shoulder.

“Hnnngh! …Hah, hah…”

After enduring the pain for a moment with his neck and waist twisted, Eugene put down the gun he’d been biting.

“Don’t just cover the wound, properly plug it. That’s how you stop the bleeding.”

“Yes…”

“…Is Zepetia okay?”

Eugene turned his head to look at Zepetia.

“Um, that… she seems fine.”

“Go untie her. My arm is…”

“…What about you?”

Hilde asked in a low voice with an ominous tone.

“Hm?”

“How can you think of others in this situation?”

“Huh? Oh that… sorry. I should thank you first…”

“That’s not it!”

Hilde knelt and grabbed Eugene’s hand.

“You’re always like this, Senior. Always putting others before yourself. What do you think of yourself?”

“No, well…”

Eugene was flustered by Hilde’s sharp voice and frowning face.

“Do you even realize you almost died this time!? Really… really…!”

Tears welled up in Hilde’s frowning eyes.

Eugene reflexively pulled Hilde’s head to his shoulder with his good arm.

“I survived, didn’t I?”

“That’s not the point…!”

“I believed. That you would save me.”

“…!”

Eugene’s shoulder grew damp with Hilde’s tears.

“…You’re lying.”

“You don’t like that it’s a lie?”

“Yes. So I’ll make it not a lie… From now on… from now on, always…”

“…I’ll look forward to it.”