The Problem: Finding Selene. Richter, wary of the merchant’s responses, casually dismissed the rambling, chaotic creature, its head a tangled mess of colors, and fell into contemplation.
He scanned his surroundings, but found no sign of her. Perhaps she was elsewhere in the caravan, but he couldn't rule out the possibility she was outside… Making a big scene to find her? No, he didn’t know what that thing that was watching him was, nor what other dangers might be lurking. It was better to proceed cautiously.
If his suspicions were correct, and Selene was aware of their current situation to some extent…
【Waiting alone outside isn't good. You know, soul-snatching monsters roam these wilds, dangerous beasts.】
The chattering merchant continued.
Hmm? Richter’s expression shifted slightly. He proactively asked:
“I recall that soul-snatching monsters are only found in the eastern part of the Southern Continent. Their unique physiology can only tolerate certain types of mana, any deviation resulting in weakening of their body and consciousness. This weakening, when prolonged, transforms them into the branch-like, soft remnants of a mud monster… This location is at least two thousand kilometers from the eastern Southern Continent. You say there are soul-snatching monsters here? Are you sure?”
The merchant was immediately stunned, taking several seconds to respond.
【The Nymph people said so… In recent years, several people have gone mad along this route to Tatra. Mages determined they'd had one-third of their souls stolen—something only soul-snatching monsters can do!】
That's not necessarily true. "Spiritual Severance" and "Induced Personality Splitting," both high-level spells, can achieve similar results. Spiritualist priests can even perform even more precise manipulations of the soul… Richter hesitated, realizing the soul-snatching monster rumors were probably connected to something else entirely.
Aside from the impossibility of these creatures surviving here, let's consider their behavior—they are low-intelligence beasts with an intense, predatory drive. They wouldn't “steal 1/3 of a soul,” they'd devour soul and flesh together.
They wouldn't even bother to chew.
【But don't worry, as long as you're in the caravan, we'll protect you.】
The merchant chuckled.
Richter nodded indifferently, but sensed that despite its seemingly un-personified appearance, the merchant possessed a degree of cognitive ability. He tentatively asked:
"Have you seen a girl? About eighteen years old, black hair, blue eyes—"
Before he could finish, he saw a look of genuine terror on the merchant's exposed eyes—the lights on its face clustered together—nervously glancing around, with the air of someone being bullied.
Before he could express his question, the merchant whispered:
【Little Selene must have been possessed by the soul-snatching monster. Not only has she become erratic and lost her previous politeness, but ■■ just told me he could smell blood when standing in front of her—】
【Poor little Selene must have been murdered by the soul-snatching monster, just like in the stories, her skin flayed and worn as a disguise…】
"Enough," Richter interrupted. "Besides the fact that soul-snatching monsters wouldn't do that, how did you conclude that she's behaving abnormally?"
I think she's perfectly normal, even eccentric. What normal person spends hours discussing emotional problems with strangers in the middle of the night, Richter thought.
No, that should be called honest work.
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【…】
The merchant fell silent. Richter felt a gaze, a truly intense gaze, fall upon him. He frowned, unafraid to meet the gaze—mostly based on feeling, since the merchant lacked eyes.
Their gazes locked, neither moving.
A gust of wind swept through, raising fallen leaves and swirling dust.
Richter suddenly noticed that the cluster of colorful lights on the merchant’s head seemed to scatter, beginning to spread toward him.
Just as this anomaly nearly caused him to instinctively unleash a Fireball, the merchant looked away, chuckling as if nothing had happened:
【As long as you stay within the caravan, the soul-snatching monster won't harm you… Little Selene just ran into the woods to the right of the caravan. Children shouldn't run around on their own.】
He'd repeated that phrase twice. Was there some hidden meaning? Richter frowned.
Advising him to remain in the caravan? Suggesting they were opposed to the "soul-snatching monster," and that he'd be protected within the caravan? But what was this "soul-snatching monster"... Could it be that thing that’s been watching him? What was it? A master spellcaster proficient in Eagle Eye and long-range mental magic? A fallen spiritualist priest?
Richter tentatively asked:
"What if I don't stay?"
【You'll be killed by the soul-snatching monster.】
The merchant solemnly warned.
【It will seize you with its claws, torment and kill you with various methods, then control your soul, turning you into a variety of terrifying monsters, or perhaps it will flay your skin and wear it, blending in with the crowd…】
Strange, don't you think the more you talk, the less the "soul-snatching monster" resembles an actual soul-snatching monster? Where did you hear that soul-snatching monsters do this? Are you talking about the Death Lord of the Fourth Era?
The more Richter listened, the more he felt that "soul-snatching monster" was merely a euphemism, similar to how humans know the God of Wisdom's name is "Eternal Cycle," but cannot call the true names of the gods, and must use the euphemism "God of Wisdom"... Well, that seems rather disrespectful to the gods, but it's fine, the gods are forgiving and won't mind.
In The Divine Construct, where language and information have imbued power, this sort of thing is commonplace.
Richter's mind raced, his face now showing understanding, said:
"I understand."
Then he saw the merchant again display a look of terror, its body seemingly wanting to flee unconsciously, but as if threatened, it couldn't help but stop, fidgeting in place.
"What do you understand?"
A dubious voice came from behind.
It was Selene’s voice.
Accompanied by a fetid smell.
Something seemed to be dripping onto his feet, sticky and crimson, like blood.
“…?”
Selene approached, observing Richter’s sudden stillness, a confused expression on her face. Remembering their physically “unified” experience at the end of Loop 2, she felt a twinge of guilt, saying:
“I saw you talking to that LED-head thing for a long time… Did I interrupt something?”
She heard numerous screams.
She saw pale smiles on the faces of the dying.
She felt a deadly aura, a chill crawling up her spine.
Richter calmly concealed his right hand in his sleeve; the War God sigil on his wrist subtly glowed warmer.
“No, are you mute?” Selene waited a moment longer, then glanced around, finding nothing unusual. She boldly approached, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Or did you suddenly get numb?”
The fetid smell intensified, almost touching her.
Richter suddenly drew his right hand and struck backward. A silvery-white, razor-sharp arc of energy materialized out of thin air, slicing diagonally through the air.
“!”
Completely unprepared for this development, Selene instinctively leaned back, but the distance was too close, the arc too long, her slow dodge completely ineffective. Instead, she lost her balance. Even though she narrowly avoided the initial strike, she couldn’t evade the follow-up.
Keng—
The sharp clang of metal on metal resounded.
Richter looked up, frowning, meeting Selene’s gaze.
He glanced at her light blue, slightly dazed and angry eyes, then at the tentacle emerging from her sleeve, gripping a short sword.
Then, he calmly released his grip, maintaining as much composure as possible, asking:
“What’s going on?”
“You’re asking me?” Selene retorted. “You didn’t just attack me…”
“I just felt something… terrifying approaching from behind, using your voice. Only now can I confirm that it was you, Selene, but not in the way I confirmed…” Richter took several deep breaths, pointing to the tentacle. “Can you explain what that is?”
“?”
Selene followed his finger, then remembered that the reason Richter hadn’t opened her skull was because she’d unconsciously used her tentacle to parry with the short sword.
“This… will take a while to explain.”
“Then make it brief—no, I'll just ask directly. Last time, did you kill me?”
“Huh?” Completely unprepared for this question, Selene faltered. Driven by anxiety, she blurted out, “It wasn’t me, I couldn’t help it. Logically, I should have died then, or at least been on death’s door. I had no sensation. Did Father know? Father… and so on? You remember?”
“Slow down,” Richter rubbed his forehead. “In short, let’s find a place to exchange information… Also, restrain that thing. It looks terrifying.”