Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 138

Until about 100 years ago, the Polendina family was just an ordinary noble house.

However, they suddenly acquired immense wealth and honor thanks to the appearance of a once-in-a-century genius, Vile Polendina.

Vile was an inventor who was centuries ahead of his contemporary intellectuals.

From engineering spanning electricity, radio, and automobiles to all sorts of chemical compounds and the secrets of life.

Of course, the vast majority of his concepts never saw the light of day due to practical limitations, but occasionally he could implement a few simple ones.

For example, most of the machines running in factories contained Vile’s technology to some degree.

Money poured in like a waterfall, too vast to measure.

Vile himself was reluctant to reveal himself and at most only associated with a few prominent intellectuals who could somewhat understand his concepts.

The rest of the Polendinas were satisfied with the enormous money flowing from Vile’s knowledge and didn’t bother trying to understand.

Then 20 years ago, when Vile fell and became a Beast, he brutally massacred intellectuals including scholars, professors, and inventors who he had associated with.

Fortunately or unfortunately, since no one could be held responsible for rampages by Beasts, the Polendina family didn’t have to pay compensation.

However, they were tacitly exiled from almost everywhere, including social circles.

Though they had to move to the outskirts, the family lived well off Vile’s money.

“At least until that money ran out.”

Zepetia smiled bitterly.

“Isn’t it foolish? Even though they couldn’t earn money anymore without grandfather, mother, father, uncle, and brother all continued wastefully spending money just like before. They squandered that enormous fortune in just 20 years. They should have naturally gone completely bankrupt and lost everything including their noble status… But then… I appeared.”

A girl was born who was eerily identical to the vanished Vile.

From a young age, Zepetia used her innate intelligence to interpret and understand the few materials Vile had left behind, making them her own knowledge.

Not only that, but she even had outstanding talent for creation, managing to physically produce some of Vile’s designs with just a small amount of money.

“Everyone was in an uproar at first. Saying things like the family’s fate rests in your hands, you need to restore us all, we need to put those bastards in their place again… When I was young, I just agreed because I liked being praised.”

The family members tried everything they could to raise Zepetia exactly like Vile.

From a free research environment and quiet demeanor to even correcting her eating habits.

But that environment was something Vile had created to suit himself, not something forcibly imposed.

From childhood, Zepetia had received the peculiar support of indifference.

“They’re all the same. Mother and father just want me to become like grandfather and eventually make tons of money again. The Order was the same, and even Pinocchio deceived me! No one truly sees me! …But.”

Zepetia grabbed my cheek.

“You’re different. You’re just… kind.”

“…You’re wrong.”

I brushed her hand away.

“I’m the same. I was only nice to you because you’re capable and provide good weapons. I also wanted something from you.”

“Ahaha, you don’t understand what I’m saying.”

Zepetia smiled wider.

Her purple eyes glinted.

“Of course you want something. Just… you’re the only one who speaks while looking into my eyes rather than just at my knowledge. Besides, it’s so obvious that what you’re saying is a lie.”

“Why?”

“Do you really not understand?!”

Zepetia grabbed my face more forcefully.

That indescribably strange heat and atmosphere deep in her eyes, that gaze.

Momentarily overwhelmed by it, I was struck speechless.

Was Zepetia originally this kind of character?

No, even before Blue Paper Moon, was the Zepetia I knew this kind of person?

What’s with this sudden change?

Could it be Pinocchio’s mind control…

“Your kindness, that humanity of yours drives people mad!”

“…!”

Blanc’s face flashed through my mind for a moment.

What about me drew that one in?

What was it that attracted the madness called Blanc?

And now, that something of mine had brought another potential madwoman who could become a behemoth before me.

“I’ve had enough too! No matter how much knowledge I have, I can’t be friends with anyone anymore. I can’t become that kind of person! But even someone like me, you still approach!”

Zepetia was reluctant to meet others at the Order.

Though she would do it when unavoidable for work, she couldn’t take initiative to do anything herself.

That was… because of learned solitude.

Her surroundings wanting her to become like the solitary Vile had made her that way.

No.

No.

Not this again.

What does someone else’s misfortune matter?

Just close my eyes…

“Please! I’m begging you!”

Don’t beg.

“Keep accepting even someone like me.”

Don’t accept.

“I know you can’t refuse.”

“I, I…”

“You can call me a coward. But I have no other choice now… Even Pinocchio, the friend I made myself, betrayed me. So please don’t betray me.”

Why?

Why did it turn out like this?

I just needed Zepetia’s abilities.

Zepetia was just a normal person who was a bit lacking in social skills.

“Or else… I might become like the ‘real’ grandfather too…”

“…!”

Vile…

Vile was also just a normal person who was a bit lacking in social skills.

He was smart and capable, but just didn’t know how to make friends.

The result was deep despair and a rampage, killing countless people before completely leaving human society.

Now, a granddaughter resembling Vile stood at the start of a similar path.

And I, thanks to that damned knowledge from my past life, knew that Zepetia could very well follow the path Vile had walked.

“…I.”

I just wanted a slightly better future.

Fortunately I had knowledge from my past life.

Knowing what circumstances everyone had.

Knowing what would happen in the future.

So I acted based on that knowledge in my own way.

If I hadn’t known anything.

If I had been an ignorant and ordinary extra without any knowledge from a past life, maybe this wouldn’t have happened…

…What.

So it’s my fault again?

“…Alright.”

I lowered my head helplessly.

“…Hee.”

Zepetia laughed.

“Heehee… eeheeheehee… Thank you. I knew you’d be like this.”

Zepetia sat on my lap facing me and embraced me.

The lukewarm warmth and breath felt unpleasant.

Where exactly did things go wrong?

Was the problem that I couldn’t make Zepetia friends with Hilde?

Or was the problem making Hilde weak by not letting her properly complete the tutorial from the start?

If not that… was the problem that I survived in the first place?

Did my seniors sacrifice themselves to save someone who would become nothing but a disaster like this?

Really, how did it end up like this?

* * *

“…It’s because you’re weak.”

Snow White Margarete said.

“I’ll admit it. You exceeded my expectations a little.”

The giant before Snow White spoke.

Its pillar-like legs that would have originally boasted overwhelming majesty were both cut off, and its mighty arms that could have demolished castle walls in one blow were so mutilated their original form was hard to make out.

Even its speaking head had its skin peeled off and skull shattered, exposing the writhing brain.

Yet there was not a hint of pain in the giant’s voice.

Since it was just a puppet to begin with.

“First fish people invaded, and now strange Beasts I’ve never seen before. What exactly are you?”

“As you can see, a Beast.”

“Well, whatever. Anyway, this works out. I needed a suitable opponent to test the walls I reinforced after Rusalka left.”

“I’m satisfied too. I would have been very disappointed if that infamous witch had fallen to such a shoddy experiment.”

“Hmm… Are you that behemoth called Vile?”

“That’s right, Snow White. I hear you prefer to be called the Winter Queen these days.”

“Fufu, it’s a suitable nickname for my slaves to call me by. By the way, I heard you were a shut-in who never left your room, but I guess you’re different when using such puppets? Your speaking is quite fluent.”

“…Hmph, this is just part of an experiment.”

“Well… it doesn’t seem like a very successful experiment?”

Snow White looked down from atop the ice walls.

The snow field stretching into the distance was filled with corpses of the same type Vile was controlling.

Being larger meant they had much more blood than normal humans, turning all the surrounding snow into red muck.

And ice giants even larger than Vile’s were cleaning up the corpses.

“I’ll make good use of those failures instead. I was actually running short on corpses. Don’t worry, I can use them much more effectively than you.”

“I don’t care about such things. They’re not even worth calling losses.”

“…Pfft.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Pufufu… Ah ah, really. To think there was this kind of clown too.”

“Clown?”

“I’ve been laughing because it’s too funny watching you desperately try to squeeze out words to avoid admitting defeat.”

“…It’s all true though?”

“Whether it’s true or not, your actions and words are too unsightly and ridiculous. But you can’t even understand that fact yourself, so what else could you be but a clown? A once-in-a-century genius? Only those who don’t know you would say that!”

“…”

“People like you always show it. Even talking from far away through a puppet because you’re too scared to face me directly, I can’t help but see through you.”

“I’m… not human.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re the same. Just like everything in this world now. Even if you’re a witch or whatever, you’re still just a being from the old era.”

“Old era?”

“Yes. The old era. Because the world will be rewritten with me as the standard.”

“…”

Margarete’s demeanor sank in an instant.

“I will make everything new. I will create this world anew!”

“…With what power?”

“Fufu, fufufufu… With this power!!”

The brain from the giant Vile was controlling squelched out through the cracked skull and gradually floated up toward the sky.

Then blue light began pouring from that brain.

“…! Y-You! Where did you get that power…?!?!”

Margarete showed panic for the first time as she leaned down from the wall to get a better look.

“You should know! This is true creative power! With this power alone, I can become a new- no, the next Creator!”

An enormous pillar of light burst from the brain and shortly after, a massive hole opened in the sky.

When blue light from that hole illuminated the ground, the scattered experimental bodies were drawn together as if pulled by an invisible force.

“Behold!!”

And the experimental bodies wrapped around the brain, trying to reform into one giant human shape.

“…”

When Margarete snapped her fingers, Kai who had been behind her shot out like a bullet and severed its head in one blow.

When the brain inside was split in two, the hole in the sky slowly disappeared and the light faded.

But Margarete’s gaze was fixed not on the fallen harbinger of the new humanity, but on something beyond the hole in the sky.

A large blue moon that couldn’t normally be seen.

Since the physical distance between the moon and this world is far, the moon always appears small like a fingernail, but what was visible now was dozens of times larger than usual.

“…Trash.”

Margarete’s voice carried colder and more murderous anger than ever before.

“How dare you… not knowing your place…”