Case 231: The Curse of the Red Room.
Nothing happens for a while after that incident.
The cult's strike might as well be considered a prank, since there has been no follow-up to it. People and cities are affected, but not to the degree they must have been hoping for. The attack stands out like a sore thumb, yet we don't have much time to dwell on it.
One pressing matter right now is figuring out the relationship between Buezrith and Ravenous Moon. That day, two of Buezrith's clones appeared alongside Darkness, an Advent. Logically thinking, either they have established a cooperative relationship... or Buezrith has been involved with them from the start.
Pondering back, I should have captured a higher-up of the cult to interrogate them. That is a miss from me.
After this incident, I have also realized a critical weak point in our strength—that is, the lack of coverage. We can manage to protect Zircon alone, but when several cities are under attack, our forces are spread too thin. That brings lots of risks.
Of course, we aren't the world's saviors, and we don't have the obligation to guard every person against every threat. However, Neveah does, and she is our ally. Moreover, it isn't a bad thing if we just happen to obtain a power that can kill across the continent itself.
So... I've been thinking for a while.
''...I decided.''
Smiley, who is enjoying my petting, perks up curiously.
''I'm going to summon another horror, Smiley.'' I muse. ''Are you excited?''
The husky smiles dumbly, seeming unaware.
Nonetheless, I move to a secluded area and begin to channel my power. Now that I have half-fused with my future self—the source of the horrors, I naturally know the origin of them. The act of summoning horror is essentially the same as manifesting them from my imagination.
They aren't real... until I make them real.
As long as I have enough power, I can call upon more powerful entities.
This time around, I need something that can kill on command, preferably quickly, and has a long reach. Should I bank it all into teleportation? That doesn't sound too efficient. I need something more infectious, something elusive.
Like... a virus.
''...''
The Curse of the Red Room.
A Japanese urban legend depicting a pop-up message that appears when users browse the internet, asking whether they like the red room or not. There is no way to reject it. Even if closed, it will pop back up. Their screens will be dyed red soon after before a list of past victims is displayed.
And regardless, the victim will be found dead in their room—a red-soaked room—sometime later.
Although there is no internet or an equivalent in this world just yet, what if we could inject the curse into the system itself? As far as I know, Neveah proudly claims that nearly all eligible living beings inside the dome are under the system's gaze. In that sense, the curse will be even more powerful than its Internet-based counterpart.
After a few moments of deliberation, I nod to myself and begin the process.
Unlike other horrors, this one doesn't seem to possess an ego or any intelligence for that matter, which is reasonable. I suppose I can wield it as a weapon.
Soon enough, the entity manifests successfully in my void, taking an intangible shape. As it is, the curse, which I will call 'Red' from now on, sits somewhat uselessly in there. It needs a medium to infect people through.
As such, I immediately head to the system's core, where the goddess is usually at.
''Neveah,'' I call out to the white-haired, white-clad woman. ''Can you do me a favor?''
Keeping a busy front, Neveah's eyes never leave the tablet screen in her hand, ''Go on.''
I organize my words and give her the basic idea of what I'm trying to do. Upon hearing it, Neveah pauses and ponders, ''Using the system to assassinate, hm... not a bad idea, but I'm afraid we don't have the kind of computational power to crunch the numbers. Injecting that curse of yours into it is fine, but there are hundreds of millions of people on this continent. Collective data is huge.''
''Can't you build more?'' I suggest. ''I reckon that would improve the system's efficiency, too.''
Massaging her temples, Neveah replies wearily, ''You know, my hands are already full trying to restore the lost moon. The artificial sun works fine, still, but we can't replace the moon with an aurora borealis forever, right?''
''Is that so? I think it's fine.''
We exchange some back-and-forths before Neveah eventually caves in. Perhaps the sight of me so earnestly asking for something is quite rare.
''...Fine.'' She sighs. ''But you'll need to collect the materials for those processing units yourself. And get some other things for me, too.''
''What things?''
''Stuff I can use to hasten Yggdrasil's hatch. She will be a valuable asset to us.''
''So I'll have to go on an errand again, huh...''
Suddenly, Neveah glances at me, a hint of surprise apparent. Yet, that look quickly turns into a teasing one. For a while, I am puzzled at her attitude... until I inevitably realize what I have just uttered.
'Errand' and 'again'—subconsciously, I've already treated Aurora's experience as mine. That in itself isn't particularly embarrassing, but Neveah's smugness irritates me.
''Oh, my. It looks like our little owl girl is growing well.'' The goddess chuckles. ''I wonder when we can get together like the old times, hm?''
''Tch.'' I click my tongue dismissively and turn away, leaving the pervert behind.
After exiting the place, I waste no time setting off to find the materials for the new computers. The metals can largely be brought from the empire, but the reserves for some of them aren't enough, so I have no choice but to wait for the imperial family to get them from other countries.
While waiting for that, I also gather the ordinary materials and begin to look into what Yggdrasil needs. Neveah handed me a note before I left, so...
''...''
Great. I have no idea what any of these are. Still, no problem. I just need to ask someone experienced—like Skely.
''Let me see...'' The skeleton scrutinizes the list intently, the light in his eye sockets flickering. ''Unicorn's horn, pixie's dust, naga's inverted scale... all mythical treasures. Finding these won't be easy.''
''Is there a way, at least?''
After hesitating for a moment, Skely eventually nods, ''As far as I know, these creatures are either extinct or barely detectable nowadays. However, I suspect that the cult does possess some of them.''
I immediately perk up when he mentions the cult, ''Go on.'' I urge.
''I used to fight the cult back then, too. I once heard that a high-ranking member of theirs was pursuing these items. Apparently, they contained a sizable amount of divinity, allowing whoever consumed them to ascend to godhood.''
''Godhood...?''
Like Neveah and Aurora? I mean, if they can become gods, so can other people. Still, the fact that Ravenous Moon does not have a god-level figure, at least not outwardly, tells me that they haven't succeeded yet.
''Maybe they haven't collected enough treasures yet,'' Skely adds. ''If we can intercept them and steal, it would be the best.''
''...Good timing. I suppose it's time we begin to hunt them down once and for all.''