[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 19: Trapped in Wax (3)
Bang!
Hamel and his companions rushed into the dressing room.
The inside was still pitch black.
Antonio, clutching the lamp tightly, asked in a tense voice,
"Hamel-nim, what should we do now?"
They had all followed him without question when he said he had a plan.
But no one actually knew what that plan was.
As their eyes focused on him, Hamel said without turning around,
"Put out the lights."
"...What?"
Even Antonio, who always followed his instructions, questioned his ears this time.
But unfortunately for Antonio, his ears were working just fine.
"Please extinguish all the lamps."
"...Alright."
Antonio extinguished the lamp with an uneasy expression.
Ono, on the other hand, frowned and asked,
"Why are we turning off the lights? We need them to find the Light Eater..."
"Just put it out, Ono-nim."
The head priest interrupted Ono and extinguished his lamp.
Ono coughed awkwardly at the priest's rare rebuke.
Ignoring their voices, Hamel slowly moved forward.
He couldn't see anything.
Only darkness.
His companions also remained silent.
Only the clinking sound of glass shards under Hamel's feet could be heard.
'This should be enough.'
Hamel grabbed the blade of his sword with his bare hand.
Slice!
Red blood flowed out.
Hamel let the blood drip down his sword, then abruptly plunged it into the floor.
He then quietly clasped his hands together and prayed.
Whoosh!
Azure flames engulfed the sword and flared up.
Although it wasn't enough to illuminate the room, the light that bloomed in the pitch-black darkness was brilliant.
And at that moment,
Rustle, Rustle!
As expected, it came.
As if yearning for and craving the shining light.
The demon, born and living in darkness, reached out for the light.
Whoosh!
With the sound of wind blowing, the flames of the Azure Flame were extinguished.
"It swallowed it."
Hamel muttered softly.
That was all.
Whoosh!
"...?"
Suddenly, azure flames flared up in the darkness.
Clinging to the ceiling, the glowing figure resembled a will-o'-the-wisp.
But its true form was...
Keeek!
With a shriek, something fell to the floor with a thud.
The azure flames grew larger, revealing its form.
A giant spider, flailing its long legs.
But its face was that of an elderly human.
The flames, spreading from its belly where it had swallowed the Azure Flame, engulfed its head and grew larger.
The group watched in a daze.
They hadn't imagined that a demon would be dealt with so easily.
On the other hand, Hamel wasn't excited, as he had expected to get this far without much difficulty.
The important part was what came next.
The high-ranking demon, the Speculoculus, still remained.
'Focus.'
Hamel pulled his sword from the ground.
As the Azure Flame disappeared, the surroundings were once again plunged into darkness.
But he was no longer afraid of the darkness.
Until now, he had been nothing more than prey hunted in the darkness, but not anymore.
Now, Hamel was...
A hunter stalking its prey.
***
As the room darkened again, Antonio's anxious voice came from behind.
"Hamel-nim, should I light the lamp?"
"No. Wait."
Now that the Light Eater was gone, lighting the lamps would reveal the Speculoculus's location.
But that would prevent him from carrying out his plan.
Instead, Hamel took out the hand mirror from his pocket.
Amazingly, the mirror allowed him to see far into the darkness.
'This is Night Vision.'
Hamel marveled at the magic he was experiencing for the first time.
But even the time to marvel was a luxury, so he hurriedly scanned his surroundings with the mirror and slowly moved forward.
"Found it."
Boom!
"What's that...?"
As soon as they stepped into the hallway, a tremendous roar echoed.
A doll, flying from afar, landed in front of Hamel with a thud.
At the same time, dozens of dolls armed with spears charged towards the monster.
But,
Clang, crack!
The spears couldn't pierce the monster's skin and stopped in mid-air.
However, as if he hadn't expected them to penetrate in the first place, David quickly gave another order.
"Push it back!"
At David's order, dozens of dolls rushed forward and thrust their spears.
Lance-like spears and short spears overlapped, creating a wall.
The dolls, filling the hallway, pushed the monster back with their spears.
Screech!
The monster's legs slid back.
"It's... it's being pushed back!"
Antonio exclaimed with delight.
“Ugh...”
The monster started to lean forward.
The situation began to reverse.
With a cracking sound, the floor of the second-floor hallway crumbled, and the monster slowly came to a stop.
On the other hand, the dolls holding the spears were gradually pushed back.
Then, as it gained momentum, they started to be pushed back.
The formation crumbled in an instant.
The monster grabbed a handful of spears thrust towards it.
And pulled them towards itself with force.
The dolls, who had been pushing with all their might, were dragged forward, still holding onto their spears.
The monster swung its arm at them.
Crack!
That was the end.
With the sound of wood splintering, the dolls' heads flew in all directions.
Like dandelion seeds scattering in the spring breeze.
"...What in the world is that?"
Antonio muttered with a pale face.
A supernatural phenomenon.
An overwhelming force.
Countless dolls were already scattered in pieces in the monster's wake.
David's doll army would soon reach its limit.
They were running out of time.
"Let's hurry."
Hamel quickly ran towards the stairs leading to the third floor.
Even though he had lived here as a child, he wasn't foolish enough to forget the layout of his own house.
Hamel and his companions ran without hesitation.
Now that they were on the third floor, there was no need to hesitate.
They headed straight for the lord's office, which was also his study.
They had already prepared themselves.
Clank!
Hamel flung open the wooden door.
And there,
"...?"
There was no one.
The study looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.
A chill permeated the room, and dust covered the desk.
It was empty.
"If it's not here, then where...?"
Hamel muttered, faltering.
It was difficult to maintain his usual composure. He had come here believing that everything would be resolved.
'There's no time.'
He didn't have time to investigate further.
Less than ten minutes remained of the golden time to save Daniel, and the monster was coming up from downstairs.
What should he do?
Just as Hamel unconsciously bit his lower lip in frustration,
A jeweled dagger on the desk caught his eye.
A strangely familiar dagger.
Hamel soon recognized it.
'This is... Father's weapon.'
The Black Blade, the dagger that could unleash shadows like sword beams.
Why was it here?
As he lifted the dagger, he noticed a piece of paper pressed under the inkwell.
Hamel immediately picked it up.
It was a blank sheet of paper, but Hamel felt a sense of familiarity.
How had his father delivered the signet ring to him?
Recalling the letter delivered by the butler, Hamel muttered softly,
"...Divine power."
Hamel closed his eyes and prayed.
A faint divine power gathered at his fingertips.
And at that moment,
Swoosh!
The hidden words appeared.
[With this, it is possible]
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]