[Vol. 8] Chapter 313: Half True, Half False
This world was almost certainly connected to the World Sustainers. That was why, when Violet heard the demon girl call herself by a number, her first thought was to use their strict class system to her advantage.
As for the golden light she had shown to “prove” her identity…
Haha, in truth, it was nothing more than a simple form of power she created while studying the [Forbidden Words]. It was just a rough idea given shape, nothing divine.
From long ago, Violet had suspected that the [Forbidden Words] were directly connected to the World Sustainers.
Back when the disaster in Saint Tyr City was solved, there was also [Towerf], another being who seemed like a Chosen One. He had mistaken Sasha for one of his companions and even demanded to know why she was causing trouble. At the time, it seemed funny, but clearly, there was a reason behind it.
After thinking carefully, Violet believed that the reason for such a mistake was most likely the [Forbidden Words], which could rewrite rules. She had never been able to prove it, until now.
The events that had just happened seemed to quietly confirm her guess.
And so, Violet and her companions entered what should have been enemy territory, but as honored guests. The villagers were strange, yes, but the village itself looked fairly normal.
Outside the village, there were fields growing rice and other crops. Along the road, Violet and the others saw many villagers working. These people behaved much like [11279], they showed no fear or suspicion toward strangers. Their simple and pure behavior was so extreme that it seemed unnatural.
With [11279] leading the way, they had no trouble entering the village. In fact, there was no guard force at all, and every household left their doors wide open. It looked like some ideal land where no one locked doors or stole from others. Everyone was busy with their own work, and along the way Violet didn’t see a single idle person.
Although [11279] had offered to guide them, she did not take them around to see the whole village. Instead, she led them straight to one house and respectfully explained:
“Great Chosen One, the Village Chief lives here. She is also a chosen being. The blessing she received is not as great as yours, but she is still far above ordinary citizens. If you wish to understand the village, the Chief would be the best person to guide you.”
“The Village Chief, huh…”
Violet repeated the word quietly, then nodded. “Alright. Let’s meet her.”
Since barging in with eight or nine people at once would be impolite, the group discussed quickly. A few, including the young dragon girl and Alex, stayed outside to keep watch. Only the priestess Violet and Nitila entered with [11279] to test the Chief’s true nature.
The Chief’s house was more luxurious than the others, though in truth it was only the village’s single courtyard, fenced by wood and mud walls. Inside, they saw a beautiful young woman in plain clothes, sitting at a stone table, writing or drawing by the daylight. Even without makeup, she carried a noble aura.
“Village Chief, look! The great Chosen One has arrived!” [11279] said in a respectful but excited voice.
“You’re saying…”
The young woman stopped writing and turned her head. She seemed ready to speak, but when her eyes met Violet’s, both sides froze for a moment.
Violet didn’t know why the Chief was stunned, but the woman’s appearance left no doubt. Her blue-and-white hair, and the four teardrop-shaped markings at the corners of her eyes, were the unique traits of the Mingjiao tribe. The priestess didn’t know her personally, but the face felt strangely familiar.
Then—
“Aunt Laylin? You’re really still alive!”
It was Nitila who recognized her.
But surprisingly, the beautiful young woman, clearly also of the Mingjiao tribe, quickly hid her brief surprise. She tilted her head slightly, her expression full of doubt, and looked at the two guests with confusion.
“Guest… Were you just speaking to me?”
“...?”
Seeing her unfamiliar look, Nitila felt like she was struck by lightning. The excitement drained from her face, replaced by silence. Then, as if realizing something, she quickly changed her words.
“Uh, no, no… I just misspoke. You look very much like someone I once knew. May I ask your name?”
The young woman nodded. Perhaps the earlier flash of surprise was just an illusion. With calm elegance, she politely introduced herself.
“I am the Village Chief, the one who manages this place. You two must be the Chosen Ones that [11279] just mentioned, right? I never thought such great people would come here at this time. Please allow me to greet you with respect.”
Noticing the princess beside her growing shaken and silent, Violet quietly stepped forward half a step and smoothly took over the conversation.
“Do we need to prove our identity again?”
The young woman smiled and shook her head.
“That won’t be necessary. [11279] is a clever child. If she dares to say so, then she must have already seen the blessing with her own eyes. The arrival of a Chosen One is a great blessing for our village. May I ask what we can do for you?”
“...”
Hearing these flawless, careful words, Violet felt a little uneasy.
Whatever the truth of this Village Chief, who seemed to be someone the princess once knew. One thing was clear, she understood this person far better than the low-class [11279]. Violet’s explanations could trick ordinary villagers, but saying too much here might reveal flaws.
After thinking for a moment, Violet calmly shook her head, choosing to step back.
“We are only passing through here on our mission. If the Village Chief is busy, there’s no need for any special effort. We can simply walk around and look by ourselves.”
“I see…”
The young woman’s eyes flashed with a faint light, hard to notice. Yet she did not object, instead going along naturally.
“That’s fine. But [11279] has a low status, so it would not be proper for her to stay at the side of a Chosen One. Since such important guests are here, we must not treat you with any neglect.”
Saying this, she turned toward the half-open door and raised her voice slightly.
“[39211], come out for a moment.”
“Yes, Village Chief.”
With a clear voice, another figure quickly walked out from inside.
This was also a young woman of the merfolk tribe, wearing simple village clothes. Like the Chief, she had four teardrop-shaped marks at the corners of her eyes. But compared to the Chief’s mature grace, this girl was clearly younger. Their faces were very similar, at least seventy percent alike. It was obvious they were most likely mother and daughter.
And when Violet saw her, she finally understood why the Chief’s face had felt strangely familiar before.
Because this girl was none other than the merfolk tribe captive she had seen just a few days ago in the capital!
Back then, Violet had spotted her among more than ten merfolk tribe prisoners, locked in a cart on the way to the palace. Out of all of them, this girl had been the only one with four teardrop marks.
Violet remembered her clearly because of both her unique features and her status. But how could it be? Only a few days had passed, yet this girl was now living here as if she had always been part of this strange tower-world, even holding a number like [39211].
The Chief seemed to find nothing strange about this. She looked at the girl who had just come out and gave a simple introduction.
“[39211] is my daughter. She has not yet received the blessing, but she has good potential. She helps me manage the village. If you two have any questions or needs, she will do her best to satisfy them. Do you understand your duty, [39211]?”
“Yes, Village Chief.”
Even though they were clearly mother and daughter, neither the Chief nor the girl called [39211] showed the slightest warmth or emotion in their words. Their blood relationship seemed like an empty shell. What truly mattered was the relationship of Chief and Villager.
What a strange and unbelievable sight!
Since entering this tower-world, everything they had seen kept breaking apart the values and beliefs of normal living beings. Beneath the surface, everything gave off a silent madness that made one’s heart shiver.
For Nitila especially, this was unbearable. These were people she had once known, even close to, but now they treated her like a stranger, doing things she could not understand. At this moment, the princess felt fear creeping into her heart. She even had the urge to vomit and flee from this place at once.
What was wrong with this absurd world?
Seeing the girl beside her grow pale and shaken, Violet lightly coughed to break the silence and once again took the lead in speaking.
“Having a guide is of course helpful. Thank you. Let’s go.”
“Yes, please follow me, honored guests.”
With that, the merfolk-girl called [39211] bowed deeply in a humble way, then stepped forward to lead the path. She guided the two young women away under the Village Chief’s silent and unreadable gaze, leaving the small yard and returning to the outside.
The demon girl [11279], who had guided them earlier, soon excused herself and left as well. After what had just happened, Violet and the others naturally had no mood to actually wander around the village. Instead, they met up with their companions waiting outside the yard. Using the excuse of asking [39211] to arrange some empty houses for rest, they sent her away, and then quickly explained what had just happened inside.
“What?! Lady Laylin is the Village Chief here?!”
After hearing the full story, Alex reacted the most strongly. His eyes went wide in shock, his face full of disbelief. Then, as if remembering something, he frowned deeply.
“Now that you say it, that girl did look like someone from our merfolk tribe. And she really did look similar to Lady Laylin. But… how could Lady Laylin not recognize the princess?”
“Um… so I’ve been meaning to ask, who exactly is this Laylin you all keep talking about?”
The priestess finally had time to ask. Nitila explained simply.
“Aunt Laylin is a distant relative of our royal family. In bloodline, she can be counted as my cousin-aunt. For certain reasons, she left the Eastern Sea Pearl long ago with some of our people, and built a tribe in the nearby coastal waters. The girl you saw before, Carnil, comes from Aunt Laylin’s people.”
“In the early days, when I was trying to unite the tribes across the islands, it was thanks to Aunt Laylin’s strong support that I quickly gained recognition. Later, when the Sea Tribe Alliance was formed, her tribe was the very first to join, setting an example for the others. Inside the Alliance, she had very high status.”
“But during a battle with the Austre Empire, her forces were surrounded. In that desperate moment, Aunt Laylin herself stayed behind with a few guards to cover the retreat, and saved the rest of her people from being wiped out.”
“After that, both Aunt Laylin and her daughter disappeared. They never returned to the Alliance. Many people thought they had died. But I always believed they might have just been captured by the Austre Empire, and hoped that one day we could find and rescue them. Who would have thought that after so long, when we finally meet again, it would be like this…”
At this point, the princess lowered her head sadly. It was clear that her relationship with that mother and daughter had been very close. Perhaps even her risky decision to come rescue the merfolk prisoners was partly because of them.
After a moment of thought, Violet suddenly spoke.
“Nitila, do you think what we saw just now was really them? Or… do you think this village itself is even real?”
Everyone was startled.
“What do you mean?”
The priestess only shook her head slightly.
“Nothing in particular. It’s just… while traveling in the Austre Empire before, I once saw a strange village that didn’t truly belong to reality. Even time there was frozen. And by chance, that too was something created by the Austre Empire.”
“You mean… this place as well…?”
The priestess didn’t answer directly. She only shook her head again.
“We cannot be sure yet. The best way is to stay here at least one night, and observe more closely.”
Nitila hesitated, looking uneasy.
“But… wouldn’t that take too long? After all, this place is inside the Austre Empire’s royal palace, surrounded on all sides. These people may act friendly now, but only because Violet fooled them for the moment. If something happens…”
The priestess only smiled softly.
“I know what you are worried about. But Nitila, have you thought of another very important question? Even if we wanted to leave right now… how could we get out?”
“…Eh? I completely forgot about that!”
Not only the princess, but everyone else also suddenly realized this. Their expressions changed, as they finally noticed the most serious problem. They had entered this world through the gate of the tower’s eighth floor. But after coming here, they had seen no path back at all.
In other words, they were already trapped in this strange and unbelievable place, with no way to return. The only hope was to truly understand the secrets of this world. Only then might they find a way to break free, and escape with their lives.