I decided to take a few days of rest at Valérie's workshop.
Part of it was to recover physically, but I also had a few things I wanted to hear from her.
As soon as I entered the workshop, Valérie took the specimens and the captured monsters straight into the lab.
A while later, as if she had finished her analysis, she called for me.
"What were the results?"
Valérie took off her glasses and said,
"Didn't find much. It's pretty much what I saw back then with my Mystic Eye."
In other words, she hadn't been able to find any traces.
Valérie put a cigarette in her mouth.
I looked at her for a moment.
She looked casual, just like always, but her pupils shifted slightly—awkwardly.
"Valérie."
"What."
"You remember I beat you in the Three Questions game, right?"
"..."
Valérie made a face, as if something had hit a nerve.
"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?!"
"Didn't I tell you back then? That I can tell when you lie?"
Valérie looked blank for a moment.
I chuckled at her reaction.
Valérie would never call me over without learning anything.
She's the type who keeps researching until something comes out, not the type who gives up just because nothing's showing.
Valérie let out a dry laugh.
"You've gotten cocky. If you knew how people treated me in France, you'd be in shock, you know? This big sister was really—"
"Yes, yes, I get it."
"No, seriously! Do you have any idea how revered I was in France? I was the Rose of the famous École Magique Eiffel! At the Mage Tower, people would line up just to get a word in with me. Whenever I published a paper…"
I watched Valérie as she suddenly went off on a passionate rant.
Honestly, just judging by looks, she was beautiful.
That typical Western small face with sharp features, and probably because she didn't go out in the sun much, her skin was pale and flawless even without makeup.
The dark circles under her eyes and the perpetually tired expression gave her a bit of a decadent aura, which in its own way, added to her charm.
But there was something strange in what she said.
"Wait… Rose? Is she nuts?"
I already knew the nicknames the media had given her.
"Rose" was a bit much—eccentric was closer. No, lunatic probably fit best…
"Alright, enough stalling. Just tell me already."
"Oh, come on! You didn't even listen to what I was saying!"
"Exactly. So let's stop talking about that."
"..."
Valérie's face turned tomato red as she clenched her lips shut, visibly shaking.
'Yup. She's about to sulk for real.'
If I pushed any more, this embodiment of self-love might just shut her mouth for good.
I licked my lips and spoke in a gentler tone.
"Someone like you wouldn't call me here without discovering something. So please, just tell me. You don't need to be coy—I already know how amazing you are."
"H-huh?"
"You figured out who owned the Analysis Tablet, helped push my magic skills to the next level, and even uncovered the secret behind that stone tablet my ancestor hid. You're the only one who could've deciphered it. You made it sound easy when you explained it to me, but I know it was incredibly complex."
Oops. Got carried away with the compliments—it ended up sounding like I was reading from a textbook.
I glanced over at Valérie.
But either she didn't notice or didn't care, because she snorted proudly and crossed her arms.
"Hmph! Obviously. There's nothing I can't figure out."
"Then please, just tell me already."
When I smiled and spoke to Valerie, who was grinning slyly, Valerie giggled and opened her mouth.
"Alright. You know, I was…"
But soon after, Valerie suddenly came to her senses and shut her mouth tightly.
"…Before I talk, I have something to ask you first."
She's really trying to dodge the topic again?
By this point, even I was starting to get a little curious.
What on earth did she find out that's making her hesitate like this?
"Go ahead and ask."
"The monsters that attacked you this time—did they target you from the beginning?"
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I believe so. They weren't exactly in a state to have a conversation, so I can't say for sure, but yes."
"What did you find at the place where the tablet was? Do you know what those people were after? Was it something really important?"
More than the question itself, my attention was caught by one particular word.
People.
Valerie said "people."
After a moment of thought, I replied cautiously.
"I did bring a few things back… but it's hard to explain everything. I trust you, Valerie, but this is a bit different. As you know, that tablet belongs to my family. Just because I found it doesn't mean I can speak freely about it."
The matter of the ancestor's cloak was probably fine, but the parts about the Black Night Chronicle and the Black Fog—those were things I couldn't reveal.
Valerie seemed to consider my words for a moment.
"Why are you asking me these things anyway? Could you at least tell me the reason?"
"Well, the thing is… sigh."
Valerie let out a long sigh.
It was so deep, her whole body seemed to deflate like a balloon losing air.
She tapped out the ashes of her finished cigarette and lit another one.
After some hesitation, she finally began to speak.
"Just remember—this is all just my guess. You can think of it like science fiction if you want."
Her expression was more serious than I had ever seen.
And slowly, she began her story.
"During the Great War, there was a group."
It was a secret tale, unknown to the world.
***
The Great War.
Also known as the World War, it all began with a massive invasion by monsters.
But as the war escalated, it became more than just a conflict between humans and beasts.
Humans, other races, and monsters.
Ideologies and beliefs.
Countless races and thoughts collided in a chaotic mess, and their clashing interests turned the world into a bloodbath.
The times demanded blood, and in answer to that call, many hidden things from beneath the surface revealed themselves.
Among those that appeared were six groups.
They were bizarre, mysterious, and, in some ways, endlessly alluring.
They saw the structure of the world from a slightly different perspective.
Their ideologies were dangerous yet fascinating—flawed yet strangely righteous.
These six groups each influenced the world in different places, in different forms, and in different ways.
But because of the strange commonalities between them, people grouped them together under a single name:
"The Six Nights." Groups so obscure you could hardly find them even in history books.
Valerie continued, looking uncomfortable.
"Honestly, even that name—I only know it because my master taught it to me. People lump them together like that, but apparently the Six Nights didn't consider each other allies."
"So the ones I met yesterday… they were one of the groups you're talking about?"
"There was one group called Behemoth. More like a religion than a real religion… From what my master told me about them, and what you just described—it sounds very similar."
Valerie paused, tapping off the ash from her cigarette.
"Their ideology is actually simple. Liberation from rationality. They believe humans should live through instinct and the unconscious, not logic."
"For something you said was dangerous, that sounds like what a lot of scholars and thinkers at the time were saying, doesn't it?"
"If it had stopped there, yes."
Valerie leaned against the sofa, exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke.
"They say the human form is ultimately just a mask, and by taking off that mask, one can attain true freedom. That's why they chose to walk around looking like monsters."
"…Excuse me?"
What kind of bizarre nonsense was that all of a sudden?
"Why is the story suddenly going in that direction?"
Valerie frowned, her beautiful forehead creasing sharply.
"I don't really know either! But according to what my mentor told me back then… he claimed that monsters, moved purely by instinct, represent the truest form of life. So they tried to become like monsters."
"Then… are you saying they turned humans into monsters even back then? If there was a precedent, why did you say it was impossible?"
Valerie shook her head at my question.
"No, what my mentor said and what you're saying are different. He just talked about people who wore monster-like masks or draped themselves in hides. He never said anything about a human actually becoming a monster."
I paused to organize my thoughts, then said to Valerie:
"Just hearing that much, it honestly just sounds like some cult."
Valerie opened her mouth slowly, as if arranging her own thoughts.
"They were… quite radical, apparently."
"Radical?"
Wearing a strange expression, Valerie continued.
"They believed their ideology was absolutely right, and they were fervent about spreading it. They recruited followers in all kinds of ways. And they were an incredibly powerful organization—strong enough to go to war with a nation."
That was shocking.
A mere cult, strong enough to stand against a country?
Chzzk!
The sound of Valerie's cigarette burning felt unnaturally loud.
"That's actually why I was hesitant to talk about them. They were forgotten because they needed to be forgotten, buried because they needed to be buried."
Valerie looked me straight in the eyes.
"We still don't know for sure if they really are the ones once called Behemoth. But whatever the case, a group that had stayed hidden from the world has made a move—and they've set their sights on you."
"Yes. I know."
"So?"
Tap!
Valerie flicked the cigarette butt into the ashtray.
"What are you planning to do now? Honestly, I… I'm a little worried."
She didn't look like she was belittling me—her concern seemed sincere.
But no matter who was after me, my decision had already been made.
"I plan to continue my peaceful journey, just like now."
At my words, Valerie sighed, as if she had expected that.
"If I was going to run back to the family just because of some uncertain threat, I wouldn't have left in the first place."
I'm living this life to escape and to never be taken again.
Whether it's a mysterious organization, the family's entrenched powers, or anyone else—
If someone's targeting me, I have to overcome them and move forward.
"I figured as much."
Valerie gave a bitter smile.
Those unwavering eyes.
It was those eyes that made her take a liking to Icheol in the first place.
And at the same time, a thought crossed her mind—this child wasn't someone who'd be swept away and hurt by people like them.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]