Even in my drowsy state, that voice still infuriated me. It wasn't until I woke up and Hikari patted me for a long time to soothe me that I finally managed to calm down.
Looking back now, all I remember about that person is that deep, husky male voice, and that deep black robe that seemed to be adorned with a few stars, but with burn-like marks only at the edges.
I had never seen that kind of outfit before, but it inexplicably felt somewhat familiar to me.
Could it be... a follower of [Wisdom of the Stars]?
Those who claim to follow the guidance of the stars toward the dawn are all lunatics and madmen.
So far, in the events I've witnessed where their remnants or traces remain, these guys have mostly appeared as villains, causing several significant incidents, and there may even be more incidents that are closely related to their existence.
Just like the quest [Dawn] and the others received to find the whereabouts of the World Tree, and the incident involving the Chimera Laboratory that I am currently investigating, even the mentors in the academy have been affected by them and are still missing.
The academic community, which has become increasingly vigilant about this, has probably already begun to take precautions in secret, and it is unknown whether they have secretly dispatched capable personnel to conduct an in-depth investigation.
I followed this line of thought, but my intuition ultimately gave me an ambiguous answer.
It was as if it was implying to me that although I did have some knowledge of that existence, my guess about its identity was wrong.
Who could it be?
As I pondered this, another flash of inspiration struck me.
I remember Sheng once described a group of strange people.
In his quest for treatment of a rare and incurable disease, Sheng unexpectedly encounters a group of doctors at a private medical institution that claims to be able to cure all diseases, providing free treatment and covering all medical expenses. There, he also meets many children with similar, strange, and incurable illnesses.
Admittedly, they were indeed cured of their injuries and illnesses, but according to him, the children who received the same treatment often muttered strange words and eventually joined that strange underground religion after being discharged from the hospital.
That strange underground religion, whose members call themselves "Doomsday Cultists," took some of the survivors with them while the rest of us were fighting the berserk beasts in the temporary underground safe zone during the raid on the "Hidden Dungeon: Art Gallery."
I have no idea what their intentions are.
However, the moment I thought of those guys, a feeling of certainty struck me that "it might be related to them."
This is also something that needs to be confirmed with Sheng later.
After making a mental note of the tasks to be done, I started thinking about other things.
That night, after the prophet left, the three of us set off into the depths of the forest without informing anyone. In that environment, even if we were injured but not dead, we didn't seem like we could have held out until rescuers arrived from the library. But judging from the current situation, we clearly returned safely in the end.
Surely it's impossible that among the three people present at the time, one of them still had the ability to move?
Before my senses completely faded, I was certain that all three of us had suffered serious injuries. We were in no condition to carry anyone, let alone stand upright. The most severely injured Sword Demon even had a huge hole in his back; I didn't know if his heart had been ripped out or his lung had been pierced.
As expected of the protagonist in a tragic story, even if he survives this ordeal, people will still shake their heads and sigh that he is quite pitiful.
Last time, I was able to provide him with follow-up treatment, but this time, I'm afraid he'll lose half his life in one go.
While I was thinking, the door in the picture seemed to be pushed inward. First, there was a slight misalignment, and then it was pushed to a half-open angle, revealing a short-haired girl who looked like she was wearing a dress with the hem only reaching her upper thighs because she was wearing an overly loose shirt.
I steadied myself and, using the light in the picture, carefully checked the familiar eyebrow outline and hair color before realizing that it was just a girl who had clipped her slightly longer blue hair back.
So that androgynous face and petite, slender figure were quite deceptive; even I was fooled for a moment.
Sheng, whom I hadn't seen for a while, looked somewhat tired. Her face, which used to be a little chubby, had become thinner, and the exposed skin revealed the outline of her bones. I don't know if it was because she hadn't been eating well, or because she had been worrying too much for a long time and was carrying too much burden.
He tilted his head, seemingly talking to someone, his thin eyebrows slightly furrowed, then closed his eyes and gently shook his head. The figure speaking to him remained outside the frame of view, its form never clearly visible; only the hilt of a black knife briefly appeared in the frame before disappearing again.
Sheng's conversation with that person ended briefly, and neither of them seemed to be in a very good mood. I saw him close the door behind him, slowly walk towards my direction, and then sigh.
I noticed that Sheng's gaze fell on the untouched plate beside him, and then crossed with mine across the screen.
Uh, should I say something now? No, even if I did say something, would he even be able to hear me?
Soon, before I could make a decision, Sheng in the picture sat down on the edge of the simple bed, turned to the side, and reached out his hand in this direction as if to stroke it.
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