Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 221

“Miss, that Beast is…”

Ryu, who was standing in front of the mansion, asked.

“It’s fine. He’s Eugene’s guest.”

Karen waved her hand dismissively.

“A guest… I understand. Please come in.”

Though the gatekeeper stepped aside, Charmol still hesitated to enter.

The old man might look withered on the outside, but the strength emanating from his soul was far from ordinary.

“Can you really guarantee this isn’t a trap?”

Charmol asked Karen.

“Really. No one here will harm you. Even if they try, I’ll stop them. You just came to meet Eugene, right? Because you want to know about Blanc. If you’re not here to fight, no one needs to die.”

“Hmm, understood.”

The reason the cautious Charmol came here alone was because of his trust in Red Hood.

Though they had never truly been allies or even proper negotiating partners, Charmol knew Red Hood never lied.

Of course, he also rushed here impulsively after hearing the shocking news about Blanc.

They entered the mansion.

The walls were covered in rose vines, their fragrance noticeable just from walking past.

But in Charmol’s heart, only emotions like anxiety, confusion, and hatred continued to swirl.

“He’s really here?”

“…Yes. Rather, I want to ask you something too. What will you do when you meet him?”

“First… I need to hear what happened. Whether Blanc is really dead, and how she died.”

“That’s all?”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t interfere. Except if you end up unable to return.”

“Why go that far?”

“Because you’re extremely rare. A behemoth who survived from the past era until now.”

“So what? Don’t tell me your kind actually considers that impressive?”

“At least I think it’s admirable. Though that’s not the only reason. I also like things to be fair.”

“Fair?”

“You’ll see.”

Karen walked ahead and Charmol stared at her back for a moment before following.

They arrived at a room at the far end of a corridor.

Though the wooden door looked extremely old, only the nameplate seemed newly attached, gleaming cleanly.

The name written there was Eugene.

“Go on in.”

“By myself?”

“Why? Don’t tell me you’re scared of Eugene?”

“What a pathetic provocation.”

Charmol opened the door.

A wooden floor without even a mat, furniture consisting of just a wardrobe, desk, chair, and bed.

There was a large fireplace on the wall, but it had no fire or even firewood.

For such a large and extraordinary mansion, the room was incredibly sparse.

In the corner of the room, a man sat in a chair with his back turned.

Charmol recognized who he was immediately.

“Are you Eugene?”

Charmol had thoroughly investigated everything about Eugene until now.

He had looked into every detail with almost obsessive dedication.

From his appearance to his career and evaluations from those around him.

But he had never seen him in person.

“…Charmol.”

Eugene said.

“You know me too?”

“Yes.”

Eugene still spoke with his back turned.

“Then you must know why I came here?”

Charmol walked toward him.

“Blanc.”

“Right. I heard you had Blanc killed by praying to some god called Noah… How absurd.”

“…”

“You killed Blanc with such a trivial method? This makes my blood boil. This is an insult!”

He stood in front of Eugene.

Eugene remained seated, legs crossed, face hidden under a pulled-down hat.

Charmol didn’t like this demeanor.

This appearance and attitude were completely different from what he had investigated.

“Wrong.”

Eugene said.

“What?”

“Blanc isn’t dead.”

He finally lifted his head to look at Charmol.

The moment their eyes met, Charmol instinctively stepped backward.

His steel body, several times larger than Eugene’s, crashed into the wall with a loud thud.

“Wh-what…”

“I didn’t kill Blanc. No one should have told you that.”

“…”

It was true.

Red Hood hadn’t explicitly said Blanc was dead.

Blanc is gone now.

Her corpse can’t be controlled either.

But when asked if she was dead, the answer was almost yes.

Almost.

“Karen can be a bit mischievous, you know. She probably wanted to tease you.”

“You, who… who are you?”

“You already know.”

“No, wrong! You’re not Eugene! My eyes can’t be deceived. Your soul is different! Your soul is like something…”

Something, whatever it was.

It was difficult to describe what exactly.

“Like… a god…?”

“…”

“Don’t tell me… you’re…?”

“Noah was a real god. As you knew.”

“You’re Noah? Really that Noah…?”

“No. I am Eugene. Noah is gone now. But if you’re asking whether I’m a god, then yes… I am a god.”

“…Ha. Haha, hahaha… Ahahaha!”

“…”

“What kind of farce is this? Eugene is a god? A talentless lower-ranked hunter born in the backwoods of Vanitas is actually the Creator God? There couldn’t be a cheaper script than this!”

“I agree… Being that lower-ranked hunter born in those backwoods would have been enough… Maia.”

At that moment, green flames burst forth from the empty fireplace.

“You called?”

A woman’s voice came from within the flames.

“Yes. Help me a bit.”

“Want me to kill that Beast?”

“No, I’m trying to stand up.”

“Ah, got it.”

The fire went out and a girl with green hair crawled out of the fireplace.

She supported Eugene’s shoulder and placed a staff in his other hand.

“Wait a moment. It’s hard to balance my body.”

Eugene said to Charmol.

True to his words, he seemed to have no strength in his body at all.

But Charmol didn’t let his guard down even slightly.

Though his movements seemed impaired, the level of existence emanating from that soul was higher than anything he had ever encountered.

“Let’s go.”

“…Where?”

Charmol asked.

“To where Blanc is.”

Eugene walked out of the room supported by Maia.

“You should have called me.”

Karen, who had been waiting outside, frowned slightly.

Maia stuck her tongue out at her.

“But where are you going? Eugene still needs more rest.”

“To Blanc.”

“I could have guided him instead.”

Karen frowned even more at Eugene’s answer.

“I wanted to do it myself.”

“Jeez…”

“…”

Charmol followed behind them, feeling indescribable sensations at seeing this unimaginable side of Karen.

They went down to the mansion’s basement and arrived at a room at the end of a corridor.

Like Eugene’s room, the door was old but the nameplate was new.

The name was ‘Blanc’.

Charmol noticed this room was directly below Eugene’s room.

“Is Blanc really here?”

“Yes.”

Eugene opened the door without knocking.

Blanc’s room was even more desolate than Eugene’s with only a bed for furniture.

Blanc lay on that bed with closed eyes.

“Blanc…!”

Charmol approached Blanc and examined her condition.

There were no visible wounds at all and her soul was intact.

She was just sleeping.

“Red Hood… did you lie to me?”

He turned to ask.

“I never tell lies.”

“But how do you explain this? Blanc is perfectly fine.”

“…”

“She is fine. And will continue to be for a while.”

Eugene said.

“Blanc. Wake up.”

Ignoring his words, Charmol turned back to Blanc and tried to wake her.

But no matter how much he called her name or shook her, Blanc wouldn’t open her eyes.

“…So she’ll continue not waking up for a while, is that what you mean?”

Charmol asked after laying Blanc back down properly.

“Yes.”

“And how long is this while?”

“Until the next creator appears.”

“Next creator…?”

“Yes. Blanc has the qualifications.”

“Qualifications?”

“As a transcendent being who completely surpassed the limits of being a creation.”

“Transcendent being?”

“You’re called behemoths now, but that’s not your proper form. Before curses spread across the world and twisted everything, humans like you who broke through the limits of existence and transcended had the qualifications to live in the next era. It’s an old tradition.”

The women called witches, except for Belle, were originally such transcendent beings.

Even for a creator, using existing superior materials is much faster than creating something from nothing.

“The next creator means exactly that – my successor. Someday a person with those qualifications will be born among humans. I’ll pass this position to that person.”

“…That doesn’t matter to me. Blanc being asleep like this… was it what she wanted?”

“…No.”

A faint killing intent rose from Charmol.

At the same time, Karen and Maia’s eyes grew slightly sharper.

“Blanc… wanted to die. She asked me to kill her.”

“If you’re really a god, such a thing would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

“It would be simple. But it would be a waste.”

“A waste?”

“Blanc deserves a more proper end. And… she’s needed for the next era too.”

“To choose your successor? You mean you’ll use Blanc to judge if your successor is qualified?”

“That’s right. Blanc’s standards are very strict. She’ll definitely choose a good person.”

“…Many humans will die when she wakes up. Not that I particularly care but… are you fine with that? Did becoming a god change your personality?”

“Death isn’t the end. You, me, we’ll all die someday, but nothing ends there.”

“…”

“…You have the qualifications too. That’s why we brought you here. Will you also sleep until the next era?”

“I refuse. When Blanc wakes up someday, I’ll greet her then.”

“You’ll try to survive until then?”

“That’s who I am.”

“Right. That’s exactly who Charmol is. Well then, we have no more business.”

“I’ll return to my castle. I’m satisfied knowing Blanc is safe.”

Charmol turned around and walked out of the room.

But he stopped at the doorway before taking a step across.

“…You must know. That I was the one who caused that incident seven years ago.”

Charmol said.

“I know.”

Eugene answered.

“You don’t resent me?”

“I resent you to death. Even now as a god, the pain feels like it could tear my heart apart.”

“Yet you’ll let me leave?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

“I told you, didn’t I? Nothing ends. The seniors who died… someday, somewhere, we can meet them again. Though we won’t remember names, faces, or memories and everything will be different, we can still meet again.”

“You’re satisfied with that?”

“Not everything can be satisfying. It’s a lesson I learned at a very high price.”

“How worthless.”

“To a transcendent being like you, it must seem that way.”

“…Hmph.”

And Charmol left.

Eugene could have taken revenge for his seniors right now.

With a single gesture, he could have bound Charmol and tortured him for eons.

But he didn’t.

He only looked forward to the next time.

Someday when everyone’s lifespan ends and they die, they’ll meet again after being reborn.