Plod, plod, plod.
The sound of my footsteps scattered through the still night sky.
When I finally reached the front of the pond, I looked down at the pale green water that gave off an eerie feeling.
‘The identity of what lies below is…!’
In the novel, it is described like this:
It is an oval body with several huge tentacles. By stabbing the victim with a thorn attached to the end, it turns them into living corpses that exist only to serve.
“…The being’s name is Glaaki.”
I took a round object out of my pocket and activated it.
It was used a while ago to deal with the evil spirit Eddie in the Langham Hotel. Called the ‘Migo Detector’, it detects unseen, mysterious signals sent by evil spirits.
Beep, beep, beep.
A red light illuminated the detector and the signal sounded
It meant that there was an ‘unknown existence’ in the pond
Suddenly, a strange sound reached my ears.
Coo, coo, coo.
The dark green surface of the lake, which was lying still a moment ago, began to shake slowly.
Steadily, it grew more violent.
…Oh my god!
A huge figure soared out of the dark green water.
“That thing…”
I prayed for my safety, opening my mouth in front of the ‘great old being’ that finally revealed its majesty.
‘Glaaki.’
An old monster from outer space that spreads the ‘promise of eternal life’ in dreams.
Facing such a dreadful sight, I began to tremble slightly.
It was about 4 meters tall.
Its body, reminiscent of a slug, was covered in mushy slime and was armed with pointed, terribly sharp spines.
At the top, there was a hole– presumably a mouth, with sharp teeth.
One eyeball was attached to the tip of the three tentacles that trailed around it.
Those eyes, those eyes—!
“Heh heh, heh heh.”
…It was looking at me.
Fear seeped into my lungs.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
As the tentacles on its body wriggled towards me, I couldn’t move a single step.
“I …will protect… your mind…”
The drowned-out voice calling for the protection of my mind was to no avail because I was already completely overwhelmed by the creature’s immense presence.
Instead of running away from it, I was short of breath in fear that I had glimpsed the ‘absolute unknown’ that humans should not be able to see.
‘I, Emily Carter–!’
“Welcome the great king,”
I have to welcome him…
“With your insignificant body”
“Eternal life, eternal life…”
“Human life is so insufficient■■■■, I am still■■■■■■…”
No, I’m no longer Emily Carter now. I am the part of…
“Welcome the great king…”
Immortalfpanisutksher■■enemyfgdfgfdNyarlathotepmsesdjuuse■■■■■■Great■■IwiyinB’knnetje■■■■■AnfdggdgdunbrokenfdgdglineageJfpanisutkshethisfutileenemyNyarlathotepffsfdslife■■■■hot■■■mseshet’wdjuusemseshet’wdjuusemseshet’wdjuusemseshet’
At that moment…
“My apostle, Emily.”
A faint but very clear, beautiful and nostalgic voice was heard.
“I, the King in Yellow. With all my might…”
“I will protect you.”
In the shattered, blurry vision, I could see an impeccable golden light dyeing the world.
A fluttering gold cloak.
A familiar and pale scent emanated…
The apostle, ‘Emily Carter’, left the body.
* * *
I am…
What did I see…
My mind was confused.
‘Glaaki.’
I remember going to the pond to check its identity, and in front of it, I even remembered that the Migo detector had beeped loudly.
The memory after that was completely gone.
…As if someone cut the film and threw it away.
‘Was it to protect my mind?’
If so, it means that a bad memory was gone.
The moment I made a clear conclusion, my vision brightened.
‘Where is this?’
The familiar scenery seemed hazy, but the perspective was a little strange.
It was not the usual first-person view, but a third-person point of view where one looked down at something fixed.
I couldn’t even move it at my will. It was like watching a movie when the scene in front of me changes quickly.
‘Am I dreaming?’
A conscious dream like this is called a lucid dream.
My vision became clearer when I decided to enjoy my dream comfortably as if I was a spectator in a movie theatre just like in my previous life.
…It was a nostalgic scenery.
A space with only a round table and two chairs in the middle of the simple decoration.
‘This is…’
Wasn’t it the North London girls’ boarding school that I attended 10 years ago when I was a girl?
I was choked by the strict discipline, but after all, it was thanks to attending this school that I met my most precious friend, Helena.
‘This is the drawing room used when guests arrive.’
Visits to boarding school students were limited to once a month, and only to family members and relatives.
We used to call this place a ‘visiting room’ as a joke, as if we were locked in a prison.
“…I saw you in April, so it’s been two months.”
It was me in my late teens who appeared in sight with a slightly husky, low-pitched voice.
In a more slender body than now, the skin that looked pale but not pure white stood out.
‘Did I look like that?’
Instead of looking in the mirror, seeing myself in the third person like this made me feel awkward and strange.
At 17, I looked much younger and unfamiliar than I was now.
At the time, I didn’t like how I looked very much…
‘Now that I see it, it’s quite pretty.’
I couldn’t come up with words to describe it, but it was definitely pretty.
Even the way I used to tie my wavy blonde hair up to my waist was dazzling.
The 17-year-old me opened my mouth.
“…How have you been, uncle?”
Uncle.
I frowned at the unfamiliar words.
‘I…Did I have an uncle?’
I lost my parents early.
They both died in a wagon accident just before I was 10 years old.
It was my aunt, Ms Marilyn Soberg, who took charge of the orphan me.
‘Emily, I have no intention of raising you.’
My aunt, who wanted to raise me like any other foster family would, inquired about a school where only women from prestigious families attended.
I was admitted to the women’s boarding school in North London, which had the highest rating among them.
‘So, remember, Emily. Never cause an accident.’
I think she thought that my innate free spirit would change a bit in a place like this.
Sadly, my aunt’s wish did not come true.
‘Ms Sauberg, Miss Emily Wood…’
‘Madam, I’m sorry, but Miss Emily again… … .’
Despite being called to school several times, my aunt still did not give up on me.
The more I look back, the more I think that I am grateful for my aunt.
“Okay, of course.”
I came to my sense by the voice of a man who I called ‘uncle’.
I could only see his back, but he looked like he had no special features, from his medium height, his normal body, and his thin hair.
‘Judging from his voice, he seems to be in his mid to late 40s.’
Again, I don’t remember having an uncle.
My mother was born as an only daughter, and my father’s blood was only Aunt Marilyn.
If so, who was this man?
“It took a while to get things done this time, Lady Emily…I sincerely apologise for causing concern.”
…’Lady’ Emily?
No matter how I looked at it, it was too polite and respectful. An uncle addressing his niece would not speak like that.
I once again observed the appearance of a man who treated me with so much respect.
‘His characteristics…’
He wore an ordinary suit, but there was a thick bracelet slightly exposed on the inside of his sleeve.
The pattern on the bracelet caught my attention.
‘That’s…It’s familiar.’
The six-pointed star, also called the Star of David, was engraved on the bracelet.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. But why are you here today?”
When the 17-year-old raised my chin and asked, the man addressed as ‘uncle’ shook his head and answered.
“Today, I would like to ask your opinion on what to do next…”
‘…This is so strange.’
First of all, in my memory, there was no such thing as a strange man who came to visit me.
Even if it was just that I couldn’t remember, the situation was so strange.
It’s strange that a middle-aged man addresses a girl in her late teens like that, and comes to ask for advice on something.
However, ’17-year-old Emily’ seemed very familiar with this situation, raising one corner of her mouth and smiling twistedly.
“It’s about time. Where’s the list?”
“Here, my Lady.”
’17-year-old Emily’ glanced at the documents the man had presented.
As I narrowed my eyes and focused, a name written on the paper was faintly visible.
M O R I A… …
Moriarty???
“Will the procedure be followed as scheduled?”
“Do you really need to ask me about such obvious things?”
The moment I was startled by the familiar name, ‘17-year-old Emily’ asked.
The man bowed his head as if embarrassed by this.
“That is…The vice-bishop told me to come after asking Lady Emily’s intentions.”
“Ha. Vice Bishop?”
17-year-old Emily’s voice subsided coldly.
“Did he call himself that?”
Even I, who was simply observing the peculiar situation, could feel the drop in temperature.
The man was startled and bowed his head even more.
“Y– Yes, my Lady.”
“Ha! Of course, no one would dare think themselves at the top.”
Emily, who muttered suddenly, burst into laughter.
That voice and the sound of laughter felt somewhat disillusioned.
It was very different from the past I remember.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter in the end.”
“Then…”
“Is it that hard to get it through your head?” Seeing the man looking for an answer, ‘Emily’ retorted.
“Give it to Enoch…”
…Enoch??
It couldn’t be Enoch Bowen, the founder of the Church of Starry Wisdom… right?
The moment my head shook at the name, the movie screening was over.
— — —
TL note: Hello! The next chapter will be delayed a little. I’m sorry for the wait in advance T-T
