Chapter 838

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Hell of Cognition Part Five

The galloping sound of beasts’ hooves echoed through the vast and deep archway. The figures of the knights gradually disappeared within the dim redness inside the castle.

My female swordsman and I exchanged glances.

From her eyes, one could see the indescribable confusion and horror.

“What do you think this is?”

Before she could speak, I asked her first.

“… An illusion?”

Miss Sword Ghost’s answer was very uncertain; she stared blankly at the direction of the city gate, as if throwing back a question to me.

However…

The term “illusion” wasn’t wrong either.

“I guess when you came here before, your situation was similar to those knights.”

I tilted my head towards her, indicating we should continue forward, then stepped ahead first: “I don’t know exactly when the Silent Castle started to transform into this ghostly state under the terrifying power of sin. But from the decaying and collapsed tents outside the castle, it’s clear that the corruption has been ongoing for at least half a year, or perhaps even longer…”

“Whether it’s you or those knights, or many others who have been here before, up until now, they couldn’t detect anything amiss here… Even the high-ranking clergy, the more senior religious officials, might still be unaware. That’s what I guess. Otherwise, what would be sent wouldn’t be gold coins, but something like Papal Knights.”

Yes…

Although it might be somewhat shameful to say.

But if this big mess was caused by an experiment, the Church would certainly take every possible measure, in the fastest and most covert way, to handle it before any national forces noticed.

They would act very proactively, just like what Reckert mentioned, the measures taken during the unexpected collapse incident in Raberil Great Canyon—sealing off the area, searching for witnesses, fabricating lies, and covering up the truth…

In one fell swoop, then pretend nothing happened.

That’s their style.

But currently, the situation in the Silent Castle seems different.

This place is already so bizarre and terrifying. Forget about the surviving chances of the original occupants here; they certainly don’t have the ability to escape. Otherwise, if there were any survivors, this place would have been sealed off long ago.

Or maybe someone like Sword Ghost.

They went out, but forgot everything that happened here. They saw people acting normally, assuming everything was fine, and never thought about it again after leaving.

So until now, no warning messages have been transmitted, leading the high-ranking clergy not only to fail to realize the disaster but also to continue sending teams to transport gold coins…

Could those knights who entered get out?

I guess it’s fifty-fifty…

But regardless, this power transcending reality clearly cannot be achieved by the sin power of “the Goddess.” Although the castle is filled with that bloody smell, there must be some substance left from that “divine body,” which the Church is using for something. Perhaps it’s part of a new experiment.

As for how the infection occurred, I suspect it has something to do with the “cargo” transported from Woodward Forest…

But no matter how the sin power evolves, it can’t block human senses, especially not in such a targeted and large-scale manner, or make people near the Silent Castle hallucinate instantly. These two types of power are fundamentally different, and I’m well aware of that…

Then, what is this?

— It is disillusionment.

It is a stronger, more mysterious power, akin to “disillusionment.”

Most likely…

I can confirm this in my heart.

“Do you mean the high-ranking clergy are unaware of what’s happening here?”

While I pondered, I quickened my pace toward the castle, hearing Miss Sword Ghost ask behind me, “But I saw a cardinal earlier, and he was already inside the castle.”

“What you saw might have been a scene from half a year, or even longer ago,” I replied, biting my fingernail.

“…Hmm… Hmm?”

Miss Sword Ghost let out a long “hmm” twice behind me. The tone sounded as if she was transitioning from partial understanding to increasing confusion, the pitch rising from low to high, until finally

Already filled with doubts, I began.

“Hah…”

My train of thought was interrupted, and I felt somewhat annoyed. I sighed lightly, my tone showing a bit of impatience. “This place is complex and vast, something I haven’t fully understood yet… Uh, do you understand what I mean by ‘illusion field’?”

Without waiting for her response, I continued, “It’s the kind of thing where once someone enters, or accidentally triggers it, they see false illusions, even non-existent people. Everything is fake, manifestations of thoughts, but they can hide the true appearance of the Silent Castle and deceive those who come here…”

“…”

The Sword Ghost lady remained silent for a long time.

Then, she seemed to finally understand something: “…I just tried to find the residence of the old man who took care of me. But I couldn’t find that blurry gray tent in my memory at all.”

Her voice sounded a bit sad. “So… according to you, the old man doesn’t exist, and everything is just my illusion?”

“Yes.”

I nodded, but immediately denied, “Not entirely.”

“The old man you saw, no matter where he is now, whether he has left or is in an even stranger situation, he existed and lived here for some time as you saw him.”

“Wha-what…?”

The female swordsman, not fond of thinking, was clearly confused. I couldn’t imagine how complicated her feelings were right now, nor did I care much. While talking to myself, I was also trying to sort out my own thoughts: “The birth of an ‘illusion’ cannot be separated from reality. Even if it has such powerful and strange forces, it’s impossible to create a realistic human activity scene just with a thought… Moreover, its way of thinking might fundamentally differ from humans…”

“… So this is actually a ‘replicated’ illusion.”

“That power replicates the appearance of the Silent Castle when it was still functioning normally.”

Hmm…

That should be correct.

Although I didn’t see the illusions that the Sword Ghost lady saw, and I’m not sure if the knights saw the same version of the Silent Castle, this replicated illusion obviously has very complex… interactive content?

I don’t know how to describe it, but everyone and everything in the illusion must be operating naturally, so much so that no one can tell the difference after being here for a while…

Or perhaps those who notice something are the ones who can’t get out?

I don’t know…

In any case, it’s too complex…

Even with the ability to ‘dissolve illusions,’ this is not something I can achieve.

“Forget it, let’s stop thinking about it.”

Speculating here won’t help; let’s go inside the castle and see what’s really going on…

“I guess this power is disadvantageous to those who think too much… simpletons like you might get out easily. Although I’m not sure about this, just in case… Lady Sword Ghost, stop asking questions and don’t use your stupid brain to think about anything. Focus on the possible situations ahead… be alert, we’re entering the castle.”

As I spoke, I stopped and looked up.

Ahead, the huge doorway was filled with eerie wind sounds, like a woman’s strange moan. The rotting giant door seemed like the mouth of a man-eating beast, and the dark red, bloody air currents surged forward with the chilling wind.

Let’s go…

I still felt a bit uneasy.

Unlike facing strong enemies before…

The unseen and unknown danger is the most terrifying.

Sigh…

I really am.

I hadn’t planned on doing anything…

Why…

Am I still holding onto these things…

“Huh—”

I took a deep breath and then stepped forward.

The moment my foot touched the ground, suddenly my neck tightened, and I felt something was off.

Sword Ghost…

Why isn’t she moving?

!?

Realizing this, I turned around abruptly.

Behind me…

There was no sign of the Sword Ghost.