Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 92

Winter of Salvation was, just as the Heresy Inquisition Department had assessed, still nothing more than an underground organization.

But then one day, that black woman appeared.

She donated items with special powers to Winter of Salvation.

“We heard a lower-ranked hunter would be easy enough to capture, and that turned out to be true. Though we also heard that hunter was particularly weak to begin with.”

I gritted my teeth with all my might at those words.

You bastards…

“Anyway, after we caught the hunter and returned the item, she congratulated us and passed around drinks… Then, when we came to our senses, we were here. We were completely fooled.”

Princess Bari got involved with Winter of Salvation?

That wasn’t in any of the stories I know.

Originally Winter of Salvation wasn’t supposed to appear until much later.

By then Snow White would be unsealed, so regardless of the organization’s power, there wouldn’t be any openings for Princess Bari to meddle.

But now because of the changed story, there are gaps everywhere which led to this situation?

“…”

And the person who changed that story was me.

In the end, I’m the one who brought things to this state…

“By the way, what’s your situation?”

The cultist asked from beyond the wall.

“My situation?”

“How did you end up…”

Just then, the dungeon door opened and footsteps approached.

An undead in a black cloak passed by my cell and went toward where the Winter of Salvation members were.

“W-wait! Arghh!?”

A scream.

After a moment of silence, the undead from before dragged limp bodies past my cell.

They were all unconscious and powerless… Huh.

“Wait a moment!”

I hurriedly pressed my head against the iron bars and called out to the undead.

Among the people being dragged away, there was a thin man with graying blonde hair who looked familiar.

“That person, don’t take that person!”

It was Chris.

Without a doubt it was Chris.

“Stop! I said stop!”

With my arms bound, I resorted to banging my head against the bars trying desperately to get attention.

But the undead paid me no mind and simply walked past.

“No!!”

In the end, Chris was dragged away by the undead before my eyes.

“No…”

I lost all strength and my head drooped.

I collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

I couldn’t think about anything.

I didn’t want to think about anything.

“…”

…The problem was that someone talentless like me ended up on too big a stage.

An extra should have stayed true to being an extra.

What’s all this about resisting until the end?

What’s all this about getting up to fight?

I should have left such things to the talented main characters of the stage, and died back in that tutorial, or that day 7 years ago, or even in Cranion…

Looks like I’m quite good at missing my chances to die.

How stupid.

*    *    *

Surprisingly, my turn came quickly.

Still with my hands bound, I was dragged somewhere by the black-cloaked undead I saw earlier.

In this magically restrained state I couldn’t escape, and I’d even lost the will to try.

The destination was a deeper basement with a huge pit.

Arachne’s remains are probably down there…

The moment I peeked down after walking to the edge of the pit, my restraints were released and I was simultaneously pushed from behind, tumbling down.

I’m not sure how many times I rolled, but strangely it didn’t hurt much.

More than that, it felt unusually damp and itchy.

“What is this?”

The entire pit was filled with moss and vine-like growth.

Beyond just being soft, it was completely green like a swamp.

In Blue Paper Moon there weren’t any plants like this in the pit.

It was just filled with dry dirt and dust, with only the headless body of a giant spider lying at the bottom, unlike this.

Right, originally in the middle of this pit was Arachne’s remains…

“…?”

For a moment I couldn’t comprehend what I saw before me.

No, I didn’t want to comprehend it.

“Ah, aah…”

That thing, no he, no no no…

“Eu, Eugene.”

Chris called out to me.

Please… Even if this is a goddamn cruel and trashy game, please not this.

Not this…

“Pl, please… He, hel…”

Chris couldn’t finish what he was trying to say.

His head disappeared into the mass, and more heads emerged instead.

It looked exactly like a Hydra larva with its lizard-like body, multiple long necks, and heads attached to each one.

While behemoth-level Beasts generally break free from witch curses, Princess Bari’s Hydra was loyal to her since she raised it from its larval stage according to the setting.

The material for creating Hydra is of course humans.

Many of them at that.

I lost all strength and fell to my knees.

This is my end?

Of course… I knew it wouldn’t end well.

Someone as mentally ill as me couldn’t possibly live properly in this sick world.

But… but this…

“This is too much…”

I thought of Crowty’s dagger.

I don’t want to become part of such a monster.

If it comes to this, I’d rather by my own hand…

However, when I instinctively reached for my waist, what I grabbed was something else.

“…?”

Ah, the Hand Cannon.

I need to return this…

‘You must come back to return it.’

…Come to think of it, Crowty also asked me to make sure to return his dagger.

‘You will… come back, right?’

I recalled Hera’s tearful request.

‘Please return safely.’

For some reason Sephira came to mind too.

‘Then, please wait until we meet again. Promise?’

Even Hilde’s shy confession flashed through my mind.

“…After making so many promises.”

As an extra, after receiving so many words from the main characters of the stage, I can’t help but follow through.

I immediately drew the Hand Cannon from my back and loaded three silver bullets in succession.

“Gyaaah!?”

With a crude thud, a mass of silver bullets shot out from the Hand Cannon.

The bullets hit one of the Winter of Salvation cultist’s heads and burst it like a watermelon.

“Ha.”

How funny.

Is this how easily humans lose even the resolve to die?

Whatever happens, if you have a goal, shake off useless thoughts.

While the body is tough, the heads burst instantly from this level of firepower just like earlier.

Of course it would be impossible against an adult, but the Hand Cannon’s firepower works on a larva.

“Grrrr…”

Foam-like substance dripped from the mouths of all the heads.

It’s the exact same preparation pose as Breath of the Dead, Hydra’s signature technique.

I immediately ran backward at full speed.

“Ughhhh!”

Even with my back turned and wearing a mask covering my nose, I could smell the revolting stench.

And the unpleasant lukewarm sensation from behind too.

When the Breath of the Dead seemed to end, I turned back around to see a disgusting dark green bubbling tar-like floor spread between me and the Hydra larva.

Breath of the Dead not only deals powerful poison damage, but also restricts approach by leaving such dangerous floor effects where it passes.

Let me think for a moment while we have some distance.

Primary objective is surviving the Hydra larva.

Secondary is escaping from here.

My tools for this are the rifle, Hand Cannon, mithril dagger, and what I received from Mad Hatter in Wonderland recently…

“…Hm?”

Wait, Mad Hatter’s watch can heal almost any wound and even break curses.

Then… couldn’t I use that to save Chris?

As that thought occurred to me, something blazed in my chest.

No, it’s shining.

There’s still hope.

Until the very end.

“Ha, haha… hahaha!”

My precious comrade and benefactor has become a horrific monster.

And I need to save him from the curse, then escape this damned castle together.

Plus somewhere in this castle is the witch Princess Bari, a final boss level powerhouse, and she knows of my existence.

But there is hope.

“Not yet!”

I reloaded the Hand Cannon.

The Hydra larva is top tier even among mid-tier because of its powerful Breath of the Dead attack and tough body.

However, I know its weaknesses and how to defeat it.

Burst the weak heads one by one until the hidden final head appears, and killing that will finish it.

The final head is probably Chris who was pulled in first.

Somehow leave only Chris, then use Mad Hatter’s watch.

And…

“This time I’ll save you!”

My seniors’ sacrifice and resolve could shine because Chris was there.

If not for him, despite my seniors’ efforts, someone like me would have died without escaping that hell.

After receiving such grace, I hadn’t been able to repay anything to him who was drowning in survivor’s guilt.

Not anymore.

It’s my turn now.

“Shaaaah!”

As the poisonous liquid bubbling like lava from the ground disappeared with the curse’s power fading, the Hydra larva charged toward me.

Unlike most enemies that charge in a straight line, Hydra’s charge follows you slightly.

A mid-ranked hunter could probably dodge it completely, but with my skill level it’s a bit tricky.

So I’ll crush it head on.

I threw a white phosphorus round and immediately shot the Hand Cannon at another head.

The Hydra lost three heads from the simultaneous two explosions and lost balance while charging, falling over.

Five heads remain excluding Chris.

One white phosphorus round left.

How many silver bullets remaining?

“Take this too!”

I threw silver daggers simultaneously at two heads of the fallen Hydra larva.

Use everything you can.

As long as I’m still breathing, there’s reason enough to struggle.

“Three left!”

Only three remain!

I drew up magical power to quickly reload the Hand Cannon and burst one head of the rising Hydra larva.

“Two left!”

“Grrrr!”

The Hydra larva also sensed its end and tried to unleash Breath of the Dead at me again.

No time to reload… the Hand Cannon.

I used even [Acceleration] and drew pistols from both sides, emptying their magazines of silver bullets into each head.

And when all the heads were destroyed, Chris’s head that I saw first emerged from within the Hydra larva’s body.

“Ah… Eugene… hel…”

“It’s okay! I’ll help you!”

“…Run… run away…”

And from the center of the pit, something massive raised its head.

The pressure felt overwhelming, as if the entire basement, no, this underground space itself had raised its head.

“What a lovely scent.”

This is also a voice I know.

“Hello. Have you come back to see me? Kind hunter.”

Maia greeted me.

“Ma…ia?”

“Wrong. I am Thumbelina.”

Thumbelina, the worst sorcerer closest to becoming a witch, spoke.