The Monologue Must End · Chapter 3
Demon Lord
Voidborn A
Krgh, ooooh...! (Jessica, will you accept my love?)
Voidborn B
Krghoo, oh... (Ah, Charles. With all my heart.)
Voidborn A
Krghoo...? (Then what about your husband...?)
Voidborn C
Krghoooo! (There you are, you cheating rats!)
Voidborn B
K-Krgh! (H-honey!)
Voidborn A
Krgh! Krghoo! (Stand back, Jessica!)
Rosaria
Cut! Cuuut!!
I'm pretty sure I told you all to put your hearts into your acting, did I not?
Surely you aren't being lazy because you don't care for the script I wrote.
Voidborn A
Krgh?!
Voidborn B
Krgh! Krgh!
Rosaria
And this is supposed to be a messy love drama. A MESSY ONE!
A disgraceful love fight of mortals hopelessly twisted up in their own desires!
This is supposed to be the only cure for my boredom...
If all you do is go "krgh krgh" all the time, then this is no different from a monster movie!
Voidborn A & Voidborn B & Voidborn C
Krghoo... (Our apologies...)
Rosaria
*Sigh...* Forget it.
I suppose I'll have to abandon the idea of making you perform.
There's no point in taming all of y ou if you can't recite the wonderful lines I wrote.
With no television to pass the time, I thought I might stage one of my works...
Grrrr!
I'm bored! Bored! BORED!
Tch... I should've brought at least a servant with me.
...Hmm? What was that just now?
Oh ho... Visitors form beyond, and uninvited at that.
Fufu, how interesting.
Of all the timelines there are, choosing to stick their noses into a world of ashes like this.
Perfect timing. I was bored anyway.
Now then, shall I go see what manner of creatures they might be?
Ahahahaha!
Omega
Burning up a whole world...? Omega's scared...
Asherah
So you're telling me what happened to this world...
It was all done by this Rosaria person alone?
Hilde
It would be easy for her.
If anything, it'd probably be more troublesome for her to hold back and not burn everything.
Asherah
B-But that makes no sense!
That's not on a scale any person could manage!
Hilde
To begin with, she isn't human in the way you mean.
Among the monsters we call Corrupted Objects, she is a malignant entity classified as a [Demon Lord of Qliphoth].
Omega
[Demon Lord of Qliphoth]...?
What's wrong, Omega?
Omega
U-um... Nothing.
Hearing that just now... just gave Omega chills somehow.
Hilde
...Demon Lords may appear human, but each one of them is a monster capable of ending a world on its own.
Common sense is useless against them.
Asherah
Then that means...
This Rosaria... is on the level of a [Void Star]...?
Hilde
I couldn't say. The term [Void Star] is unfamiliar to me.
Just think of it as the leader of the monsters outside.
Something obsessed with ending the world... if I had to put it simply.
Hilde
Obsessed with ending the world...
Aside from that, I supposed the comparison is close enough.
For Demon Lords, the world's destruction is just a tool . Their goals all differ from one to another.
Omega
Is there really something they want badly enough to destroy a world for?
Hilde
...Needless to say, it's never anything sane.
Some would try to devour an entire world just to gain knowledge.
Or exterminate anyone who fails to meet their standards, claiming it's for humanity's sake.
Either way, they're all insane.
Omega
Ooh... Omega thinks she'll have nightmares tonight...
This all feels seriously wrong...
Asherah
Same here...
A being like a [Void Star]... It feels unreal, hearing something like that...
Hilde
It sounds just as absurd from my side as well.
Rosaria has always been impulsive, but she was never this out of control.
When she burned the world, our forces were wiped out.
For now, the only survivors left are just me and the rookie.
So the reason Mina's acting that way is...
Hilde
...She seems to think this happened because she couldn't do anything.
Even though this is no time to sit around blaming herself.
That must be why people say the younger generation is unreliable.
Aren't you part of the younger generation too?
Hilde
You're as insolent as my useless apprentice.
By years lived alone, I surpassed four times your age long ago.
Omega
Ooh...!
Then should Omega call you grandma from now on, Hilde?
Hilde
...Perhaps I should've let Mina shoot you earlier.
Listen carefully, you little tin can.
A warrior who can still fight is never a grandmother. Understood?
Omega
O-okay! Um... then, should I call you ma'am...?
Asherah
Huh? That sound just now...?
Omega
Mina! You're back!
Yoo Mina
Damn it...!
Everyone, get down!!
The moment we ducked at Mina's warning...
A purple beam of light came crashing down and engulfed everything in sight.
Buried beneath the collapsing debris, I couldn't tell which way was up.
I tried to force my way out when—
Asherah
Don't go out, Captain. It's dangerous.
Asherah!
Thank goodness you're safe.
Asherah
Yeah. Omega helped me.
Omega
There's a scary lady outside, Mister. If we run into her, we'll be in trouble.
Outside?
At Omega's words, I peered outside through a narrow gap where a thin ray of light slipped in.
There she was.
Rosaria
Can you hear me, uninvited guests from the [outside]?
I shall grant you the honor of performing my magnificent script.
A production with the script, direction, and staging all handled by yours truly.
Fufu, does it not make you restless to take part just hearing about it?
Hmm... How strange.
By now, you ought to be rushing out barefoot, begging me to cast you.
The traces clearly led in this direction...
Could it be you were taken out by small fry before I arrived?
Hmph. Pathetic.
Asherah
...We're okay now. She's gone.
Omega
O-Omega's heart is still pounding!
Thanks. We were almost done for.
Yoo Mina
...Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't warn you because I care.
Hilde
Rookie, you didn't use your sword at all, did you?
Yoo Mina
Yeah. Just like you ordered, not even once.
Hilde
She called you uninvited guests from the [outside].
It seems she followed the traces you left.
Wbut we've never even met before!
Hilde
Perhaps she truly intended to cast you as actors.
Completely self-indulgent...
Asherah
Still... she did look incredibly strong.
A [Void Star] would be that strong too, right...?
How are we supposed to win against her?
Yoo Mina
Win? Don't tell me you're thinking of fighting her.
Forget it. It's impossible.
Asherah
But...
Yoo Mina
Shut it.
Going up against something like that will just get you killed for nothing.
Think about the people who'd have to watch that happen.
Asherah
Th-that's too harsh!
Omega
But Asherah just wants to figure out how we can win.
Omega... wants that too.
Yoo Mina
...If I'd known things would turn out like this, I shouldn't have listened to Bishop back then.
Omega
Mina's gone...
Asherah
Even if she has her own reasons, that was still too much!
Hilde
Leave her be. She'll return once she cools off.
So there really is no other way?
Hilde
Why are you asking me that?
You seem like you would know.
Hilde
*...Sigh*
There is a way. But the odds are slim.
Asherah
Really?! Then you should've said so sooner!
Hilde
Reckless as ever. When an adult is speaking, listen until they're done.
Asherah
An adult? Who are you talking about?
Hilde
...Perhaps I should reconsider speaking at all.
Asherah
W-wait! Does that mean you're older than us?!
We humbly seek your guidance, wise elder!
Hilde
Hmm...
Now that I look at you, you might get along well with my hopeless apprentice.
You treated that apprentice with care, I assume?
Hilde
Don't worry. You'll experience it firsthand.
In the end, we begged shamelessly until she let it slide...
Hilde
So... a way to fight against Rosaria.
If I can restore my armament, there will be a chance.
By armament...
You mean that thing floating behind you?
Hilde
Yes. It was damaged during my fight with her.
It has a self-repair function, but...
For some reason, even that isn't working as well.
Asherah
Hmm, but...
Captain, where would we go to fix something like that?
Should we look for a forge?
Omega
One, two! One, two!
I don't think a forge will do.
And there wouldn't be one in a wasteland like this anyway.
Omega
*Inhale!*
Asherah
Figures... What do we do now...?
...Omega? What are you doing?
She's making a giant hammer...
...Wait. A hammer?
Hilde
...A hammer?
Omega
Yep! It's broken, right? Then you just have to whack it!
Omega can fix it!
Like this!
Wait?!
Omega
Repair Hammer!!
Omega created a massive hammer and slammed it down!
Hilde
What exactly are you doing right now?
I-I mean...
We did fix Cube Palace that way...!
Omega
Take this! And this!
Asherah
It worked! It's reacting!
Hilde
You can actually fix it like this...?
System
Advanced authority confirmed. Authentication bypassed.
Resuming suspended self-repair.
Please supply the energy required to restore critical components.
Hilde
Advanced authority...?
So this really was his doing after all.
Who?
Hilde
...There's someone I've known for a long time.
Maybe an ill-fated acquaintance would be more accurate to describe him.
The type who schemes in secret, then appears afterward claiming everything went according to plan.
This armament was one of his arrangements too.
Sounds suspicious...
Maybe he's a technician like Smile?
Hilde
I'm not fond of him.
No—judging by what he's done, he might as well be an enemy.
Even so, it is true that he's useful.
In any case, once repairs are complete, we'll go after Rosaria.
Asherah
Got it! We'll do our best too!
System
Warning. Energy supply interrupted.
Suspending self-repair. Switching to standby mode.
Asherah
H-huh? Why did it stop?
Omega
Ugh...
Omega's tired...
Asherah
Ah... right. We've been running around ever since we arrived.
Hilde
It seems she consumed too much energy. The damage must be more severe than I expected.
How does this child restore her energy?
To restore her energy...
She needs a lot of food.
Hilde
...I see.
I bet you think she's [completely slapdash], don't you.
Hilde
...Ahem. If food will suffice, that's a relief.
However, the food supplies we had secured were likely ruined by the recent attack.
The whole area was wrecked, after all...
Asherah
That's bad. Omega's always been a big eater to begin with.
And it doesn't look like we'll find anything outside either...
Omega
Ugh... Omega's tummy keeps growling...
Are there other places like this?
We can't stay here forever.
Hilde
Hmm. There is one shelter I came across earlier.
I don't know if food remains within, but... we'll head there for now.
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