Chapter 35

If you ask me if I feel nothing about humans dying, that’s not the case either.

Why, I was a human in my past life too, so how could I feel nothing?

To put it in a metaphor—yeah.

It’s like dropping a cheap snack you bought at a stationery store on the ground.

‘What a waste of despair, really a waste…’

To define what the monsters are doing in one sentence, it’s like ‘slitting the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs.’

If humans are already pouring out despair on their own, is there really a need to kill them?

If it were me, I’d keep them around and use them as despair rice cookers for life.

Gulp, gurgle—

“Thank you? Is there really a need to thank me?”

If I had caught humans and fed them to you, it would make sense, but all I did was take you out of the test tubes.

Ah, could it be a thank you for taking you out of the test tubes?

‘…By the way, just how big is this place?’

I thought it was big, but even after walking for a while, I couldn’t see the end.

I even told the monsters following me to leave after eating one human head each, but more monsters were waking up from the test tubes than leaving, so the number actually increased.

There was even one who didn’t want to leave me and ate the lower half instead of the head.

Seeing the one who didn’t leave, I made a face of disbelief, and it made a crying sound like, ‘It’s not the head, so I don’t have to leave, right?’

‘Oh, me…’

The increased number of monsters cleared the path ahead of me, scouted the surroundings, and ran to devour humans as soon as they heard their voices—

Wow, it’s a night parade of a hundred monsters~

Blink— blink— blink—

‘The lights were fine just before coming this way…’

The monsters are a collection of despair energy, and with so many of them gathered, the despair concentration was quite high.

Just getting near made the lights flicker and a gloomy aura spread, and because of that, the atmosphere was so intense that humans who came near would immediately collapse.

“Oh, now we’re getting the mixed ones.”

Gurgle?

So, does that mean we’re under a supermarket?

Tilting my head and looking into the test tube, the monster next to me also tilted its head.

“Strange?”

Growl—

The creatures inside the test tubes had monster parts and human parts, all different.

Some had only monster arms, only monster legs, only monster heads, or their whole bodies were monsters with only human heads.

It felt like seeing a dog’s head with a human head attached.

Thud!

Gurgle!

“Well, if you don’t want to, we don’t have to take them out.”

I’m not sure about the ones with monster heads, but the ones with human heads left were just humans with monster bodies.

They still feel despair, and if the human part is fatally wounded, they still die.

…Maybe we shouldn’t take them out after all?

Creak, creak—

“Let’s take out at least half, since they’re still kin? Well… strictly speaking, it’s not exactly half.”

Still, it’s better to take them all out as we see them, so it doesn’t feel awkward later.

After all, we’ve taken out all the monsters we’ve seen so far, so it would be strange to leave out the half-and-half ones.

Squelch, squelch—

‘I hope they don’t just scream when they wake up…’

There were plenty of creatures around that would make even a normal human scream.

As the test tube broke, I sighed, looking down at the half-and-half creature flopping onto the floor.

Why am I shaking so much?

“Uh…?”

“Are you awake?”

“What… what is this…?”

“It’s good you’re coming to your senses. Do you remember what happened to you?”

Crouching down and looking at the half-and-half creature, its dazed eyes scanned my body.

Same reaction as last time. Is it because they were forcibly taken out of the test tube?

“Ah, ahhhhh!!!!!”

Thud—

“Ah.”

Just as the half-and-half creature suddenly lunged at me, its head disappeared.

Tsk, what a shame. This is the first time I’ve seen a creature react like this, and I wanted to observe it a bit longer.

I turned my head to look at the monster that had removed the half-and-half creature’s head.

Gurgle—

“Yes, well done.”

The monster tilted its head as if asking if it did well, but I couldn’t treat it like a pet.

Alright, alright, I’ll just give verbal praise, so stop pushing your head at me so insistently.

I pushed the monster’s head away with my finger as it dripped blood from its mouth.

“Really, my gown got dirty again.”

If you ask why I’m so fixated on the gown, I honestly don’t know.

Why am I so obsessed with this lab gown?

Crackle—

“…Doctor.”

So, you were skilled enough to create an apocalypse, but didn’t give me even a sip of despair, huh?

A lab made by mere humans is this splendid!

It was a disappointment that even created hatred that didn’t exist before.

The reason I’m obsessed with the doctor’s gown is to not forget that hatred.

‘After all, taking away food you were about to eat is the worst.’

I let out a sigh to release the anger boiling inside me and stood up.

I will definitely vent this anger on that suspicious squinting guy.

***

My head was spinning.

So, monsters appeared? And a significant number of them?

It didn’t make sense.

In such a small city, that many monsters appearing was impossible.

And the location was—

“I have to go find Akari! Akari—”

The hotel where I had booked Akari to stay overnight.

Monsters appeared there.

In the place I sent her.

“Get a grip, Emerald! What’s wrong with you?!”

“My, my friend… there are monsters where my friend is, ugh…”

Nausea rose from within.

I came back to not lose the people I care about, but my own mistake sent a precious person to danger.

What kind of magical girl am I?

What kind of—

[Akari will be fine, Emerald.]

“…May.”

[That’s why I booked the safest hotel, right? The kind that can even block gamma-level monsters.]

“That’s, but…”

I slowly exhaled at May’s calm words.

I acted out of character and made a fool of myself.

…I just reunited with Ruby, and now I’m showing this side.

I was too ashamed to lift my head.

“So, who’s Akari? Another friend, right?”

“Yes, something like that…”

I rolled my eyes at Ruby, who was giggling as she spoke.

In the previous world, Ruby would have been the one excited, and I would have calmed her down, but now the situation is completely reversed.

“I never imagined Emerald would have a friend she’d die for, pfft!”

“Ah, haha…”

“So, Akari is a new friend you made after coming back? I don’t remember hearing that name before.”

“Something… like that?”

A new friend… well, in a way, she is a new friend.

Except that her true identity is the Apocalypse from the previous world.

If Ruby finds out about Akari, she’ll definitely get mad.

Are you out of your mind, are you crazy, and so on—she’ll pour out all sorts of unfiltered curses at me.

“Introduce her to me later. If she’s Emerald’s friend, she must be a good person.”

“Haha… if the opportunity arises.”

Such an opportunity will never come.

If Ruby sees Akari, she’ll charge at her without thinking and pierce her with a hope energy blade.

“Let’s clean up the nearby monsters first. I’ll head to the big mart, and you go to the hotel on the other side.”

“…Ruby.”

“I believe you can handle it alone, Emerald.”

I steadied myself with Ruby’s consideration.

Right, Akari is in a safe place now.

We can take our time cleaning up the monsters in the city.

They’re just numerous, not high-level.

“Then, let’s meet again after cleaning up! Don’t get hurt!”

“Yes, Ruby, be careful too.”

Unlike me, who has self-healing abilities, Ruby is entirely focused on firepower.

Her combat style is close-range.

Even though it’s dangerous enough to risk her life, the reason I didn’t go with her was partly because of Akari, but also because I trusted her combat abilities.

“Let’s go, May.”

[I’ve roughly scanned the monsters’ locations. I’ll quickly brief you on the nearby ones.]

“…Got it!”

I calmed my mind with May’s steady voice.

Let’s go, Emerald. Save the people, and save Akari too.

The hope circuit, which was creaking just a while ago, started spinning more fiercely.

Hope becomes stronger the more it blooms at the end of despair.

Steady your heart, straighten your gaze.

And at the end of that gaze is surely—

.

.

.

—the top floor of the hotel, stained with people’s blood, turned into a sea of blood.