Volume 6 Chapter 68 It's a Common Thing, but This is Also a Form of Aesthetic Beauty
"So, is this what caused all the commotion with the earthquake?"
Tilting her head, Miranda glanced around at the corpses that clung to the surroundings like stains.
There were so many bodies that had been blown apart so violently, it would probably be faster to burn them or bury them than try to clean up the mess.
That said, they were in an underground space.
The town—or rather, the streets—were above them, so simply crushing or burning everything wasn't an easy option.
On top of that, they still didn't know what lay beyond the door.
With that in mind, they couldn't just destroy everything recklessly.
"It looks like this space was created by pushing away the earth using magic."
Just as Miranda said while touching the wall, the walls had maintained enough density to stay intact even with Randy and the others causing havoc—precisely because the space had been formed by magically pushing the earth aside... but if they were to collapse it now, it would take time and effort to return that density back to normal.
"Sturdy as it is, you did go a bit overboard."
Miranda gave Randy a sideways glance, and he bowed his head with a quiet "Sorry."
Now that he'd calmed down, even he felt he'd gone a little too far.
"Still. It's true that without Sir Randolph, there would've been quite a bit of damage. Isn't that right?"
With a sigh to shift the mood, Miranda listened as Randy explained: this place might be the hideout of the *Pilgrim of Truth*, he had just taken down one of the Four Saints, and the orb he held now could very well be something like that person's soul.
"I see. So... one of the Four Saints..."
Thinking deeply, Miranda revealed that apparently, two of the Four Saints had infiltrated Braubelg.
One of the people, Elliot, was among them—but the other wasn't present here, nor had there been any sign of them appearing.
"Maybe I overdid it...?"
Randy was a bit worried—wondering if his actions had caused the other one to escape. But Miranda shook her head.
"That's unlikely. The other one may have already left Braubelg."
She explained that she'd gotten this information from one of the [Pilgrim of Truth] members she'd captured over the past few days.
Apparently, they had said something along the lines of "everything is ready."
"'Ready,' huh..."
"Of course, I'm not just believing everything."
Miranda sighed deeply, and Randy showed her the orb he had picked up earlier. "So, should we try asking this?"
"Is there really something inside this?"
Miranda frowned, and Randy slowly gripped the orb tighter. "Maybe," he said.
As he added more strength, the orb began to creak in his hand.
'It's useless. I won't say anything.'
A voice came from the flickering orb.
"See?"
"That's true."
Miranda looked surprised at Randy's smug face.
"Hey, you orb jerk!"
The orb in Randy's hand shouted, 'I'm Elliot!'
"Where did the stronger Four Heavenly Kings go?"
'They are the Four Saints.'
"I don't care either way."
As Randy put more force into his grip, the Elliot orb flickered and mocked, 'You think I'll tell you?'
"If you don't, I'll just crush your orb!"
'Do as you like. Don't think this is all I can do.'
Randy and Miranda exchanged glances at the cocky Elliot orb.
If that's true, breaking the orb without thinking might be a bad idea.
But it could also be a bluff to save itself.
"What should we do?"
"Well..."
Miranda thought hard and gave a cold smile to the Elliot orb.
"Your friends have been taken down, so let's make you suffer too."
'Go ahead. We, the Pilgrims of Truth, fear no death...'
The orb flickered rapidly, laughing mockingly.
'...I have seen hell long ago──'
"Then let's shove you into some horse dung!"
Miranda smiled at the Elliot orb, but her violent words made even Randy gasp, "Eek!"
Of course, the Elliot orb, which had been so proud...
'S-stop! Are you crazy?'
"Wow! You're breaking so quickly!"
...As Randy pointed out, the orb flickered even faster, looking panicked.
"Maybe we should just hand over the mineral salt to Hartfield instead."
A mineral block that livestock and pets lick.
The white thing that the cow is licking.
A cheerful Miranda said, "I suppose bugs would be next," suggesting a clear annoyance.
'Hmph, usually I'd sink that to the bottom of the sea!'
Elliot protested against the torture methods, but Miranda responded with a seductive smile.
"That wouldn't be fun, would it?"
"Eek!"
'This is madness...'
Two men──one of them without a body──felt a strange 'whoosh' sensation in their lower halves, and their faces went pale.
Especially Randy, who felt odd sympathy for Cedric, who was not there.
He thought, 'This one is definitely a pushover.'
Ignoring Randy's escape into fantasy, Miranda peered into the flickering orb in his hand.
"What will you do? I can promise a warrior's honorable end if you want to talk."
Smiling, Miranda watched as Elliot's orb fell into silence for a moment... before it slowly began to flicker as if he had made up his mind.
'Sorry, but I won't betray my comrades. I am still one of the Four Saints. So──'
The orb in Randy's hand started to glow fiercely.
The light growing brighter and stronger was definitely a bad sign.
"Sir Randolph!"
"Leave it to me──"
Randy shouted, gripping the orb tight and rushing towards the entrance.
There was no way he could just toss the glowing orb in this underground space.
If it exploded, the whole underground could collapse.
He knew that the town above would suffer unimaginable damage if that happened.
In an instant, Randy made a decision.
He shoved past the [Dark Tide] near the door and sprinted up the stairs to the surface with the speed of light.
As he saw the light ahead, Randy literally rolled back out into the world above.
But in front of the lined-up buildings, the orb in his hand was glowing even brighter.
(Looks like I won't make it to the sea)
The light leaking from Randy's hand was as strong as the midday sun.
There was no time left.
With the thought of climbing as high as possible, Randy muttered "Namu San──" and threw the Elliot orb towards the sky.
Just then, Miranda and her group burst out from the underground.
A trail of light shot up into the sky at ultra-high speed.
Everyone present watched over that trail.
A line of light stretched across the night sky... and then shone brightly.
It was as if the sun had shown its face for a moment, brightly illuminating the streets of Heisenberg.
After the light, a fierce sound and wind rushed across the ground.
The blast, pounding down from high above, was so strong it made one forget the distance.
Mixed in with that blast, Elliot's words resonated in Randy's eardrums.
──"This world is wrong. Don't you think so?"
Squinting against the gusting wind, by the time it settled, the sky above Heisenberg was a clear, cloudless night sky.
"Sir Randolph!"
As Miranda rushed over, Randy let out a sigh of relief, "That was close."
If such a large explosion had occurred underground, Heisenberg would have suffered tremendous damage.
In fact, the impact that struck the town brought an unusual commotion to Heisenberg in the dead of night.
Looking at the stirred-up town, Miranda turned to her subordinates.
"Everyone, confirm the damage! Coordinate closely with the guards and prioritize understanding and caring for the citizens' situation!"
Following Miranda's instructions, the [Dark Tide] members scattered across the night town.
"I must also report to Marquis and Sir Cedric."
With that, Miranda disappeared, and Randy looked up at the now cloudless night sky once more.
──"This world is wrong."
Hearing the voice in his head, Randy snorted in discontent, "As if I don't know."
"Just because it's wrong, doesn't mean we can do anything we want."
Looking down at the noisy night town from the rooftop, Randy sighed.
Driven by unease, watching the agitated citizens, Randy could hear the sound of the empire's marching boots.
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