IBPOFCP 90

Chapter 90
At that moment, in the Centaur habitat.

“Good heavens. Don’t you remember? Look at my face. Get a grip—we were just having a good conversation a moment ago!”

“You must be crazy, wanting to die together.”

It was almost too late. Realizing the situation just in time, Deon shoved away the deranged dwarf—now a monster—who was charging at the centaur. The creature let out a grotesque sound and crashed to the ground.

Chaos had already taken over the place. The centaurs’ grassland, once serving as a bridge between the monster zone and the southern empire, was now devastated by the transformations. Pits scarred the earth, and dirt was strewn everywhere.

“You’ve been trapped here for two weeks and still prattle on about your comrades. Come on.”

Dragging along the dazed centaur, Deon sighed and pushed open the creaky wooden door. From behind a chair, Cedric cautiously poked his head out.

“Did you manage to get food?”

Deon sighed again, brushing back his sweat-soaked hair. That small gesture alone was enough to silently signal him to shut up, and Cedric quickly nodded, wordlessly supporting the collapsing centaur.

It had already been two weeks since they were trapped here. Of the five who had set out on reconnaissance, two had turned into monsters. Now, only Deon, the centaur, and Cedric remained alive.

This was worse than Drace Prison. At least in the prison, most monsters were human or lowly beasts. Here, however, the monsters were towering three-meter abominations—half-man, half-horse. They were fast, and one blow from their massive hooves could instantly kill an ordinary human.

That was why, though they had entered through a secret passage just for scouting, they could not leave. If they tried to escape recklessly, the monsters trapped here could spill out into the buffer zone and the southern empire, causing absolute ruin.

Instead of going inside, Deon sat down on the landing.

“Still, we’re near the secret passage now. We can escape tonight. So don’t despair…”

“Why did they form the Khan Alliance?”

The centaur, regaining his senses, muttered as he stared out the window at the hellish scene beyond. His expression twisted with disgust.

“If it weren’t for that damned Alliance, if we’d secured our territory properly instead of letting humans meddle, none of this would have happened.”

Though he spoke without malice, his words were enough to freeze Cedric in place. It didn’t matter whether he was scared or not, but such tension wasn’t good for their chances of escape.

“Watch your words. This wasn’t humans—it was those half-blooded vampires.”

“But it all started in a human-made prison, didn’t it? Am I wrong, Divine Beast? You’ve seen for yourself how selfish humans are.”

Both men turned their sharp gazes on Deon. One, the centaur, pressed him for an answer for the sake of his fallen dwarf comrade. The other, Cedric, watched anxiously.

Deon replied with silence. But the centaur pressed on.

“Be honest. Was the dwarf right? Did you really form the Khan Alliance just because of some human woman?”

“And what does it matter now?”

“I need to know—for the sake of my comrade who became a monster. Tell me! Did you really create the Alliance out of nothing more than a petty, human-like desire?”

“You’re going too far. It sounds like you’re blaming me for all this.”

Growing weary of the centaur’s one-sided anger, Deon leaned back, crossing his arms with a raised brow. Seeing his displeasure, the centaur finally fell silent.

The air grew heavy. The sky outside, once glowing red, faded to ashen gray. The monsters that had been stirred up by their arrival began to slow, and silence descended once more.

Yet in Deon’s mind, the centaur’s words lingered like an afterimage.

Petty, human-like desire.

It was true. Of all the races that had built civilizations in this world, humans were the most emotional and fragile. Even the vampire lord who once ruled firmly in the buffer zone had been forced to flee to the empire—because of a child with a human.

Deon had known all this, but he had been far too young back then. The first bond he had ever formed had been, unfortunately, with a human—Lemoni. The Khan Alliance had never been about saving humanity. He only wanted Lemoni to be safe. He only wanted an official way to see her again through the Alliance.

“I regret it too.”

If the centaur’s question had meant that, then yes—Deon regretted it now. Yet even as he regretted it, he felt relief knowing Kim Eun-ji remained safe in the southern empire. Human emotions were truly wretched. Even after ruining everything, the mere thought that the one you yearned for was safe could make it all feel bearable.

“…What is that human doing?”

The heavy atmosphere shattered. The centaur, standing uneasily at Deon’s side, suddenly bolted forward.

Deon, startled, quickly opened the door and rushed outside as well.

There, in the middle of the lawless zone, Cedric—whom they thought had been quietly resting—was locked in a desperate struggle. Or rather, he was running for his life, cold sweat flying as monsters chased him.

“Damn it, Cedric!”

“I’d heard humans were weak in spirit… and now, cornered, he’s lost the will to live.”

“No! Look at this!”

Before Deon could react, Cedric tore something hastily from his cleric’s robes.

“I think I’ve figured out the principle behind monstrous transformation!”

He held it high with confidence—an amulet set with a glittering gem. Despite his peril, there was an odd excitement in his expression.

“For reference, this necklace, set with a fine amethyst, was a gift from dwarves I once saved when I traveled to Telouji Island to hunt a dragon. Look at its deep clarity—it surpasses grade one, nearly impossible for humans to obtain. Humans call the discarded gems from dwarves ‘first grade,’ but this one is so pure it’s considered precious even among dwarves. It’s said that a dwarf, obsessed with shiny things, would leap from bed at the sight of it…”

“Humans really are lacking somewhere,” the centaur muttered, grimacing as if his ears hurt.

“Lord Deon, it’s the same with you! When you transformed, didn’t you open your eyes at Lady Lemoni’s command? It’s because it was unconsciously imprinted!”

Then a great rumbling tore across the sky, as if more monsters were being drawn to them.

“You—have you been transformed before?” the centaur asked.

“You believe a human’s words? You’re tainted like me,” Deon said with disdain, frowning.

“And if my theory is right… well, it’s a waste, but—!”

With a regretful cry, Cedric hurled the amethyst pendant at the face of the dwarf monster chasing him. Something strange happened—the monster, who had been howling furiously, suddenly sniffed at the pendant and began fiddling with it.

“If I’m correct, monstrous transformation is a kind of dark magic. It’s called the Soul-Suffocating Ritual.”

Panting heavily, Cedric approached the strangely calm dwarf. Both Deon and the centaur’s faces grew grave at the sight.

“Soul-Suffocating Ritual?”

“These creatures haven’t lost their reason entirely. Just like when it happened with you and Lady Lemoni, part of their soul is merely asleep. The primal, destructive side is awakened, while the rational part slumbers.”

Swallowing nervously, Cedric raised his hand toward the dwarf’s back. A faint light flickered.

It was holy power.