# Enhanced Translation
It goes without saying, but Ivan is a rational person.
That means he's not the kind of impulsive, reckless man who throws an axe just because a long-distance projection spell is spouting nonsense.
It was a pity. Ivan was confident he could have brought the axe down on Alexandr's head at least five more times before a single breath ended.
"...Is that a question that requires my answer?"
So, Ivan decided to engage in conversation.
Perhaps if he played along with this madman, he might reveal where he was and what he was doing.
No, that possibility was unlikely.
At the very least, Ivan had... a duty as Elizabeta's agent to remember this conversation, continue it, and report back.
Duty.
Yes, that's all there is. Focus only on that.
Anger comes later, and mourning for the departed also comes later.
After placing the Crown Prince's head before the tombstone in the Intelligence Command's internal burial ground.
So, for now, think only of duty.
Ivan relaxed his grip on the axe and waited for the Crown Prince to speak.
"Was my question strange? Have you not met the Hero in person?"
"Why does he...?"
"The Hero... was he human?"
"More so than anyone else."
Ivan answered coldly with an expressionless face.
At his words, Alexandr smiled brightly.
"Yes, that's right. More human than anyone. Someone who was utterly human. Appearing just before the dark world, the horrific war, and the extinction of species, saving humanity and then exiting."
Like a lamp shining in the darkest night.
Having seen the Hero up close, Ivan knew. The Hero had no religious beliefs.
But the Hero clearly knew how to use divine spells. Magic too, and swordsmanship. All at master level.
He was like the embodiment of all human potential. Even his personality.
"His existence was like the reality of the Lord. Who would dare deny it? The Lord loved us and sent down His son to this rough night, this dark world."
Ivan came from a world where God doesn't exist, or at least where God is silent. Therefore, he was a person highly skeptical about God's existence.
But not in this world. God exists here and reveals His presence through miracles to His followers.
From that perspective, the Hero's existence was itself miraculous. A creation specifically made to save a world heading toward its end.
His soul was from the same Earth as Ivan's, and yet. His powerful physique and talents could well be considered God's blessing.
Therefore, all humans in this world willingly praised the Hero. The Lord loves us and has sent His representative.
Though he couldn't deny it, Ivan felt somewhat bitter.
The Hero had called himself "merely a representative who stepped forward on behalf of everyone, someone anyone could have become."
Unlike the public praise, he had wanted to remain purely as an "individual."
"If, as the old men of the church say, we were created in the image of the Lord, and the Lord loves us, answer me this. Why is our world so fallen? Why must we live lives of hunger, envy, struggle, and plunder?"
When you remove the name of the human species, their attitude and cycle of life is no different from beasts.
This was a question already settled on Earth. Although Ivan neither graduated from theology nor held any particular religious beliefs on Earth, it wasn't difficult to answer.
But this world, once again in retrospect, has a personal deity that directly reveals its existence.
Ivan didn't answer Alexandr's question. In fact, Alexandr hadn't asked expecting an answer.
"Are there religions in a world without God?"
"...!"
"There must be. The essential element of religion isn't God but humans. The object of faith isn't important. It's the existence of people willing to obey that forms the foundation of religion."
So this guy knew too.
He even already knew that Ivan was a transmigrator.
But that... that.
Even the Hero Party, even Elizabeta didn't know that.
When Ivan's eyebrows twitched, Alexandr smirked.
"So I thought this way. Since it's true that the Lord loves humans, the reason humans aren't good is because our 'Lord' isn't good. Searching through ancient documents and flipping through the so-called 'wicked' old records that the church designated as forbidden books, I realized. Ivan Petrovich."
"So, you got upset because your god wasn't actually good?"
"Haha, no. I envied you. You 'people'! How beautiful must be the religions of a world without God. How pure must be the faith created by those who haven't directly faced God's existence! In a world where such faith becomes everyday life, how beautiful is the fact that humans do good. Isn't it evidence that human nature is good!"
"...Now I really want to show you our world."
If possible, he'd like to drop him in the Middle East.
Ivan could all too easily recall scenes of Islamic extremists burning children and Christian fundamentalists throwing bombs at minority households.
It's a worthless intellectual contemplation that there's no reason to discuss in the first place. It's exactly the level of concern that would shock only little kids who've spent their lives safely in palaces.
Ivan shook his head. Just for, just for this nonsense my subordinates...
"The old dogs of the church say that the 'Lord' symbolizes 'light.' They say the Lord brings light to humans, chasing away darkness. Then, what is darkness? What is it that even the great Lord must spend half of each day immersed in darkness?"
That's a natural phenomenon due to the planet's rotation. Kid.
Ivan didn't bother telling him. He waited.
Expecting the typical self-absorbed villain to make a mistake about his identity and location.
"If there is divinity in light, isn't it obvious that there is also divinity in night? What if the devils in the Bible were fragments of some past beings? And... what if they were related to you 'people who were dragged here'?"
"What...?"
"We don't know the name of the Lord. A unique being doesn't need a personal pronoun. But if there was a time when even God was called by a name. If there was a time when giants with divinity walked the earth. What if after the struggles of that era, we call the victor 'the Lord,' and have forgotten the ancient superstitions, religions, and myths."
-The qualification to turn the last page of truth, the qualification to look at the hands on this game board.
Ivan recalled what Beolgrin had said to him. Gods on the game board... giants of ancient religions...? This.
'Was it a Constellation story...!'
Ivan sighed.
If fragments of some past beings are related to those who were dragged here, that is, transmigrators.
Ah, isn't it obvious? Damn it.
The cause of possession must be ancient evil gods or something like that. After all, who but a god could cross between worlds?
The Saintess had said something similar. Transmigrators could easily be found in the church's old records.
Ivan shook his complicated head.
Now he knew the cause. The cause of these damn 30 years... Some returned, some disappeared, and some died. That's what Enrique had said.
Then, it means that the person who turned the last page of the story can return.
Although Ivan didn't know his own story, he was still relieved. He could go back. That was enough.
"Enough."
"...What?"
"I understand."
Ivan raised his axe while looking at Alexandr.
Long-distance astral projection cannot be directly struck. However, it was possible to attack the organ generating the magic.
Given that conversation with the astral body, that is, interaction, is possible, this spell is dangerous. The spell must be completely neutralized before attempting analysis.
Because if this entered the Intelligence Command, there would be a risk of confidential information leaking.
"How typical. Seeking wisdom from ancient evil gods, babbling as if you've realized the truth of the world, establishing an evil organization and working behind the scenes... I get it."
"Hey, I..."
"I told you to stop."
Ivan, being a rational person, had neither the inclination nor the time to engage in further jests.
He had listened to all the verbose nonsense and obtained the information he needed, and had even concluded that he probably couldn't determine this guy's location at this point in the episode's development.
Perhaps this "hidden room Easter egg" was some kind of character variation episode where the protagonist accidentally finds it and becomes corrupted...
I don't know what kind of idiot would be corrupted after hearing such a story, but well. In this primitive pre-modern world full of such darkness-seeking fools, this Crown Prince must have created some kind of "organization."
Strengthening a protagonist character through the theme of corruption is a very common episode. There's a reason Venom is so popular. It's a universal truth that things look cool once they're painted black.
But Ivan is not a middle school student going through puberty. He doesn't find attraction in dark and strangely twisted things. What he finds attractive is a quiet director's office, a comfortable sofa, and kimchi stew.
"I have only one thing to say to you."
"...What is it?"
"Stay alive."
Ivan glared straight at Alexandr and growled.
"Make sure you're alive until I find you."
"Ivan Petrovich. You're just a puppet. The hands on those strings...!"
-CRACK!!
Ivan smashed the small magic device emitting the projection spell and dusted off his hands.
To the end, a predictable story.
Ivan tucked the axe into his waist and turned to leave.
-AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!
-Just kill me!! AAAAARRGGHH!!
-Grrrr... ugh....
"Wow... what... um. What on earth... is happening...?"
Asidis swallowed hard as she looked at Isabelle and Oskar.
They were pale and tense.
Screams, screams, and nothing but screams.
Screams echoing throughout the entire building and the thunderous sound of furniture being broken and smashed.
And soon.
-Thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps.
"Gulp..."
Except for the sound of swallowing dry saliva, the three people couldn't make any sound.
They stared at the door with eyes full of tension.
After a moment passed, footsteps were heard again. Coming up to the door and pulling the doorknob.
-Click.
The sound of the locked doorknob turning several times, and then.
-CRASH!!
An axe blade split the door.
In the dim interior, a silhouette stretched long between the faint lights.
A terrible smell of blood wafting in.
"P-please spare..."
"Stay still."
The shadow walked steadily toward Asidis. Eek, Asidis curled up, wrapping her arms around herself.
But, click. With a short noise, her hands were soon free. He had split the iron chains bound to her hands right in the middle.
"Can you stand?"
"Y-yes... N-no. My legs are w-weak."
"Wait."
The man turned around and left. Soon, click, click. With the sound of metal splitting, the other two were also freed from their chains.
In Asidis's tense ears, Isabelle's excited voice rang out.
"Ah, it's you, mister! My goodness! Mister! You came to save us!"
"Mm."
"How did you know I was here... Gasp, were, were you watching me?"
Isabelle's "mister." That is, her stalker!
Asidis looked at Isabelle with shocked eyes. Is it okay to ask a stalker "were you stalking me right now?"
And to an axe-wielding stalker covered in blood...?
"No, I followed Mord."
Asidis collapsed at those words.
Ah, it was me. Right, I was also someone who was stalking.
This unfathomable desire at the end of this blasphemous scar frightened her...
"Get on my back."
"No, ah, ugh, I'm fine..."
"Time is precious."
Ivan picked up the trembling Asidis and placed her on his back.
He retraced his path, walking steadily without a word.
Blood, flesh, pieces of dead bodies.
Half-destroyed outer walls, broken windows, smashed and split doors.
Such corridors continue. The corridors that were pure white until they were dragged here, now so red that it's hard to find a space that isn't crimson.
It's frightening.
Asidis trembled. Because this man, and the things this man could do, were too frightening.
"It's okay."
"Eek...!"
"It's okay, Asidis. It's all over now."
Huh.
Asidis, who had been trembling with her eyes tightly shut, carefully opened her eyes as she felt a hand gently patting her back.
Short-cut hair, exposed firm nape, muscular broad back extending below.
A calm voice, steadily continuing.
Huh...?
-It's okay, Asidis. It's all over now.
These words. I've heard them before.
This voice too, come to think of it... I've heard it before?
Asidis blankly stared at the back of Ivan's head for a long time.
Closing her eyes tightly, trying to recall the scene when he saved her earlier.
Trying to remember his face when they met on campus recently.
Covering his beard with her hand, vaguely trying to recall someone from the distant past one by one...
"Uh... uh...? U-U-Uncle...?!!"
"Hmm?"
"Ivan... Uncle...???"
"Mm."
"Um...ah...uh...eh? Why...?"
After stuttering with an overloaded brain for a while, Asidis simply collapsed and fainted.
Ivan supported Asidis's limp body and quietly nodded.
Well, if you've been betrayed by a trusted Huskarl and detained all day, you'd be tired too.
When tension is released, one might faint. Having seen many such soldiers, Ivan wasn't surprised.
"Mm."
He silently adjusted Asidis on his back and moved on.
As someone who runs an orphanage, he had much experience in picking up tired children and taking them home.
"...Why."
"What's wrong, Miss Isabelle?"
"Why... me...? I was kidnapped first, I knew first..."
Isabelle was biting her nails while glaring at Asidis, who was being carried on Ivan's back.
The woman she thought was her friend was riding on Ivan's back, chatting amicably with him.
And then suddenly she hugged the back of his neck tightly and surrendered her body to him.
Rubbing her somewhat 'outstanding' body parts against Ivan's back, very tightly. Firmly. So irritatingly!
Getting carried because her legs were weak, whispering in his ear and chatting intimately...!!
"I was first. She's just copying me."
"Um, Miss Isabelle. That. Uh, you're kind of scary."
"Traitor..."
Crunch, blood began to seep from the tip of Isabelle's thumb.
Episode 10. Stalker vs Stalker