KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 65

A sense of déjà vu washed over her first. From that feeling, buried memories slowly clawed their way back to life.

Paula remembered the road to the Albrecht estate, riding in a carriage with her mother. In a mountain village, they had received a green liquid inside that very jewelry box. Back then, the old apothecary who handed over the medicine had spoken clearly.

[Apothecary] "This is Mengele. It mimics the scent of a Purifier. I am a master of my craft, so you can use it immediately."

Paula had carried it herself and delivered it to the research lab. She recalled explaining how it worked to the other alchemists. It had been incredibly useful when they were trying to turn Odette into a fake Purifier. For the main servants of the Albrecht house, including herself, this object was unforgettable.

So how did I forget this?

The moment Paula realized something was wrong, her vision blurred and dizziness struck. She collapsed onto the floor, her own body feeling like a foreign object.

[Charlotte] "Now, Paula. It is time to pull out your hatred for Odette. Remember how it felt when she stole your mother from you."

As she spoke, Paula felt something leave her body. A mass of red air emerged, looking like a massive bubble. She had seen such red bubbles five years ago in that mountain village, too.

[Apothecary] "Creating Mengele requires your resentment. I need your desperate hatred, your jealousy of Odette. Don't you hate her for pretending to be your mother's daughter? Don't you despise her?"

Looking back, everything was strange. How did a stranger know about the relationship between her and her mother? How had she forgotten something so grotesque?

[Charlotte] "What? Why is it so small?"

Her annoyed mutter sounded miles away.

[Charlotte] "If the resentment was going to be this tiny, I didn't need to insist on using you!"

Just before her consciousness faded into black, Paula thought Charlotte's face looked exactly like that of the old woman from the village.

---

Malea searched Charlotte's room, letting out a frustrated sigh.

[Malea] "Where did these people go?"

She regretted going to the dungeon. After Odette headed there and the chaos broke out, Malea couldn't help but check.

She had only been gone for ten minutes to ensure Odette was safe, yet both Charlotte and Paula had vanished.

They couldn't have left the estate in such a short time.

And where was the Count?

Unlike Malea, who went all the way to the dungeon, the Count had turned back toward Charlotte's room, claiming it was too dangerous to be there without a Purifier. At the very least, he should have been here.

[Malea] "This is bad. My Lady told me never to take my eyes off Charlotte……"

She touched her earring. It looked like coral, but Odette had actually carved the shell herself and painted it red. The bead was tiny and thin, designed to shatter under even the slightest pressure between a thumb and forefinger. If crushed during an emergency, it would send a signal directly to Odette.

Should I break it now? Nothing dangerous has happened yet.

Losing sight of a target felt like a minor mistake. Breaking the signal now seemed like an overreaction. Even so, an ominous dread filled her.

Splat. Splat.

A tiny sound echoed. She held her breath and looked up.

……The ceiling?

Splat. Splat. Splat.

The sound of wet footsteps traveled across the ceiling.

No one can walk up there.

The room above was a sealed warehouse. The entrance had been boarded up for years to prevent anyone from entering. It was impossible for someone to be walking there.

That isn't a rat. Those are definitely human footsteps.

Driven by an ill omen, Malea headed for the servants' stairs. As she climbed, the faint wet sounds grew louder.

The boards are gone.

The warehouse door was closed, but the wooden planks that once formed an 'X' over the entrance had been ripped away.

Water droplets stained the floor. She crept toward the door. She knelt and touched the water with her finger.

One taste confirmed her fears. The fishy, salty scent was unmistakable.

Seawater? Why is there seawater here?

She noticed a tiny hole in the warehouse door, likely a gap created when the boards were torn off. She pressed her eye to the hole. Inside, she saw the Count and Paula collapsed on the floor.

Malea covered her mouth to stifle a scream. Charlotte stood over them, pulling red bubbles out of the Count's body.

What is that?

Charlotte opened the jewelry box and placed the bizarre bubbles inside.

As Malea watched, transfixed, Charlotte suddenly whipped her head around.

……What?!

Malea doubted her own eyes. Charlotte's face was covered in deep wrinkles. She looked like a ninety-year-old woman—no, an even older hag.

What is that thing?!

The urge to bolt was overwhelming, but the sound of Charlotte's footsteps would surely give her away.

No. Don't run. If I make a sound, it's over.

Malea didn't know if that was Charlotte or a pink-haired demon.

Malea carefully shifted her weight, moving her face away from the hole and leaning against the wall so Charlotte couldn't see her through the gap.

Then, she crushed her earring.

Crackle.

The coral turned to powder between her fingers. Her hands were slick with sweat.

It's okay. Odette will know now.

Malea barely breathed. If Charlotte noticed her, she was dead. She took one last look through the hole to confirm the situation.

[Malea] "……!"

An eye was staring back at her from the other side of the hole.

[Charlotte] "Hello, Malea."

The eye didn't blink once. It felt like communicating with a dead thing. The voice remained shockingly sweet, but the bloodshot, light-blue eye glared at her.

[Charlotte] "That earring…… it's an item from the status window, isn't it? You belong to Odette."

She opened the door. The creak of the old hinges sounded like a death knell. She looked like a nightmare—a hag with sagging skin—yet her voice was as cheerful as a young girl's.

[Charlotte] "Peeking is a bad habit, Malea."

Charlotte opened her palm. A tiny, shriveled fruit rested there, looking like a dried peach. It grew larger on her hand until it took a shape Malea knew all too well.

It was a Calamity.

This is the capital…… how is a Calamity here?

The thought was cut short as a massive pressure pulled at her. Malea struggled, but her resistance was useless.

The pitch-black void swallowed her with a sickening gulp.

---

Karl must be safe. He die.

While Odette waited anxiously for Viktor, a ding echoed in the air.

[The 'Warning Seashell' has shattered! The status window is tracking Malea's location.]

[Malea's Location: Inside the Calamity]

……What?

The coral earring was an item from the status window shop, disguised with paint so Charlotte wouldn't recognize it.

Why? Paula just went back to the house. How can she be inside a Calamity?

Odette turned pale. Zion's brow furrowed beside her.

[Zion] "The capital's defenses are down."

[Odette] "What?"

[Zion] "Calamities appeared nearby. Three small ones in a row. The capital has a mind-control barrier, so how could this—"

Before he could finish, the shadow beneath Odette's feet turned pitch black.

[Odette] "……?"

Without time to scream, she was pulled into a Calamity that had opened beneath her. Only after the darkness took her did she realize she was inside the entity.

[Odette] "Damn it!"

It happened in the blink of an eye. She fell into a bottomless pit. The entrance vanished instantly, leaving her in total darkness. She realized escape was impossible.

Then, a flicker of light appeared.

[Zion] "Odette!"

A faint golden glow shone in the distance. Massive chains made of golden thread wrapped around her like a protective shield.

Zion had leaped into the Calamity after her.

---

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