The Dark Hero.
It's a name I've heard recently.
"I'm pretty sure—"
When Yasu was being measured, the goddess said something.
"Yes… There was a similar reaction once before. The same reaction as the strongest man, the one called the Dark Hero…"
So he was discarded here as well.
The goddess back then had seemed unusually hesitant for some reason.
It was as if she couldn't quite rejoice about it.
I look at the skeleton's face.
Did he defy her?
To the goddess, were you an inconvenient person?
Did she judge you a threat?
And so she discarded you…?
The "Dark Hero," called the strongest man.
From the sound of the name, I had assumed he was some evil hero.
That's why I thought the goddess had shown such a bitter reaction.
But now, looking back, I'm starting to feel that assumption was wrong.
What was the reason he was called "Dark"?
Perhaps he possessed some dark-type unique skill that manipulated darkness… something like that.
"If that's the case, then the meaning of 'discarded ones' changes quite a bit…"
Among them were heinous criminals, the goddess had said.
But was it truly because of "evil deeds"?
For example, people inconvenient to the goddess or the Allion Kingdom…
Weren't they labeled "criminals" and sent here?
I continued reading.
"I was forcibly sent here by the goddess Vysis. It seems that, to her, I had become an unnecessary and troublesome human."
…As I thought.
"There is little ink left. The amount I can write is limited. Therefore, I will omit the detailed circumstances of how I was sent here. There is only one thing I wish to convey: if there is anyone here who has the will to leave this ruin alive, I want to entrust to them what I risked my life to bring here. Therefore, feel free to take anything from my belongings. I will probably remain here like this…"
The text broke off there.
From around the middle, the ink had begun to fade.
It must have run out toward the end.
There were traces where he had pressed hard with a stiff pen nib, trying to carve grooves and write once more.
But he seemed to have given up partway.
Perhaps it felt ridiculous.
Or perhaps his will had simply run out.
I crumple the edge of the parchment in my grip.
"Damn goddess…"
The goddess called the Great Demon Emperor the ringleader of evil.
The Great Demon Emperor might truly be a great evil, just as her words suggest.
But isn't the goddess herself an extraordinary evil?
"Even I, who have no intention of saving this world from the Great Demon Emperor and am only trying to take revenge on that shitty goddess—I'm probably on the side of evil too."
Evil vs. evil vs. evil.
A three-way deadlock of evil.
What a rotten setup.
If someone who saves the world from evil is called a "hero,"
"Then I'm a failed hero."
A defective hero who wields courage only for survival and revenge.
With a self-deprecating smile, I began inspecting the Great Sage's belongings.
The relics of the Great Sage.
"To anyone with the will to leave this ruin alive."
I do have the will to reach the surface.
I think I'm qualified to take them… right?
There was a hemp sack placed to the side.
The bag had holes in it.
It didn't seem usable as a container anymore.
I peer inside the sack.
"This is…"
It appeared to be an old book.
I pick it up.
About the size and weight of a paper encyclopedia.
The binding was elaborate and sturdy.
The title was written like this:
『Forbidden Arts Compendium』
"Forbidden arts?"
I flip through the pages.
It seems I can read the text after all.
However… while I can read it, I can't understand it.
It feels terribly complicated.
I should take my time and read it properly later.
Still, I force myself to skim a little further.
"Hm."
After glancing over it quickly, I get a rough sense.
It doesn't appear to be a book recording attack magic or sorcery of that sort.
Though it speaks of "arts," it gives more the impression of something close to alchemy, for example.
It seems to contain recipes for generating medicines or magical tools.
...
It might come in handy for something.
I set the 『Forbidden Arts Compendium』 aside for the moment.
The rest… broken tools of some kind.
I can probably leave these here.
"And this… a map?"
Three cylindrical parchments tied with thin cord.
They look quite old.
I untie the cord and unroll one.
"...I can't read it."
It wasn't a map.
There were characters written on it.
But I can't read them.
"So even heroes can't read every kind of writing."
Perhaps these are ancient scripts that only a limited number of people can read?
Just to be sure, I check all three.
The style of the characters is the same.
None of them were readable.
I think they must be something valuable, but…
Rustle.
"Hm?"
A slip of paper fell from one of the scrolls.
I pick it up and check.
This one I could read.
"Forbidden Curse Spellbook"
"Forbidden curse?"
Forbidden spell, I suppose?
Does this contain that spell?
From the name alone, it sounds like an incredible spell…
I place my hand over my mouth and think.
"If I could recruit someone who can read this… it might become a trump card when fighting the goddess…"
I recall the moment right after being summoned.
My status ailment skills had no effect on the goddess.
Probably because of that thing called [Goddess's Dispel] or whatever.
Because of that initial nullification, I had convinced myself they were defective skills.
But now, the possibility has emerged that they are only nullified specifically against the goddess.
"In that case."
I'll need a different kind of power for dealing with the goddess.
"Forbidden curses, huh."
If I can get a forbidden curse user on my side, I might be able to oppose the goddess.
This is something the man called the strongest personally hid and brought here.
It must contain tremendously powerful spells.
I stuff the spellbook into the leather pouch.
There was nothing else that caught my eye.
I decide to take the Great Sage's robe with me.
My original black cloak is quite damaged.
The Great Sage's robe seems to have good original fabric and looks durable.
Perhaps because he was called the Dark Hero, the color is black.
It should be perfect for blending into the darkness.
I finish putting on the Great Sage robe.
I drape my original cloak over the Great Sage's skeleton.
Leaving it bare somehow felt wrong.
"Sorry… Consider it an exchange. Forgive me."
Holding the 『Forbidden Arts Compendium』, I stand up.
Great Sage Anglin.
Also known as the "Dark Hero."
The goddess said he was the strongest man.
Here, one question arises.
Why couldn't he reach the surface?
What stopped the man crowned with the name of the strongest?
I look up at the ceiling.
What exactly is up there?
I look at the Great Sage once more.
"The dead do not speak, huh."
Before leaving the room, I tried to put the 『Forbidden Arts Compendium』 into the leather pouch.
That was when I noticed it.
The pages toward the end were dirty.
That area also gave the impression that the paper had become slightly sodden.
But what caught my attention most was that unnatural color—
"What the hell is this…"
The moment I opened to the problematic spot, a chill ran through me.
Scribbled writing.
Was he in a state of panic?
The characters were a complete mess.
They weren't the calm handwriting from the earlier parchment.
The Great Sage had written that his ink was almost gone.
So he must have substituted something else.
Probably—blood.
Written in blood.
"Beware the Soul Eater!
Everyone was done in by THAT!?"
"..."