Leaving the audience hall, I was struck by a sudden bout of dizziness.
I instinctively braced a hand against the wall and stopped.
Then, darkness began to cloud my vision again.
It flickered intermittently, eating away at my consciousness.
I tried to wave it away with my hand, but there was no sensation.
As I suspected, it was merely a hallucination, without physical form.
While I struggled with the hallucinations, nausea began to set in.
Of course, as an undead being, I couldn’t possibly vomit.
I could only endure the discomfort.
Despite this, I managed to force my legs to move and continued down the corridor.
Something was definitely wrong.
When I tried to use teleportation, I noticed a disruption in my magic.
It seemed wise to avoid using advanced spells in this condition.
With no other choice, I continued on foot.
(What is going on?)
I was bewildered by my own transformation.
I never imagined I would be plagued by symptoms like this after becoming undead.
My condition was gradually worsening.
I attempted to ease it with magic, but it had little effect.
“…Ugh.”
Searing pain like a splitting headache struck me, and I drove my fingers into my skull.
I pushed too hard, and heard a squelching, cracking sound.
It seemed part of it had truly broken apart.
Yet somehow, the pain felt slightly relieved.
I decided to continue walking with my fingers still embedded in my own head.
Occasionally, fragments of bone crumbled and fell.
Treading on them, I made my way toward my room.
"Damn it..."
"You seem to be in pain. Are you alright?"
A voice reached me from ahead.
Looking up, I saw Yura standing there.
However, I immediately realized my mistake.
Her detached aura was not like her usual self.
The mass of power she now emanated was anything but ordinary.
I called out the entity's name.
"The Great Spirit, I see..."
"Yes, that is correct. I have a communication for you today. It is a matter of great importance."
The Great Spirit responded flatly, pressing on with the conversation single-handedly.
Half her words slipped right out of my head.
I knew I shouldn't let them go.
However, the severe headache and nausea made it impossible to focus properly.
I used a light holy spell to cleanse my head.
A searing, intense pain followed as my skull seemed to dissolve at once.
But through the agony, I managed to mask the suffering of my symptoms.
It looked terrible on the outside, but that wasn't bad.
While I was battling my symptoms, the great spirit stood silently.
It said nothing, merely waiting for its turn to speak.
I glanced at my purified fingertips, then addressed the great spirit.
"It seems this is not a conversation that can be postponed."
"No, it isn't. This is a matter of pressing urgency. It is also related to the anomalies afflicting you."
"What did you say?"
I reacted to the great spirit's words.
My current condition—it was clearly unnatural.
For something that wasn't supposed to be undead, a host of maladies had begun to pile up.
The great spirit, it seemed, knew the cause.
"Shall we speak here? Or would you prefer to move elsewhere? I don't mind either."
"...Let's move."
I wanted to hear its business immediately, but this was a corridor in the castle.
Someone could inadvertently overhear.
It would be better to hear it somewhere uninterrupted.
I move to invite the Great Spirit into my room.
Along the way, I nearly collapse several times but endure it through sheer willpower.
The symptoms are worsening rapidly.
The creeping blackness was spreading, threatening to engulf my entire vision entirely.
I have the Great Spirit sit on the sofa in the room.
I collapse onto the sofa opposite her.
My body feels heavy.
Though I feel on the verge of losing consciousness, I decide to continue the conversation.
"There shouldn't be any worry about eavesdropping here."
"You appear to be suffering considerably. When did the symptoms begin?"
"Just a short while ago."
"I see. It appears it is not yet too late. There should be plenty of time."
The Great Spirit says, looking somewhat relieved.
While her expression doesn't easily betray her emotions, I sense something close to familiarity directed at me.
Despite this, I address the point that troubles me.
"Plenty of time for what?"
"I will explain that now."
The Great Spirit straightens her posture.
She begins to speak in a flat tone.
"To state the conclusion, the defense mechanism has been triggered. In other words, it is a crisis that threatens the world's destruction."
"..."
Hearing that, I fell silent.
After a brief pause, I asked her:
"I know you're not the type to joke, but is this true?"
"I speak only the truth. The crisis facing the world is undoubtedly approaching."
"Then what kind of crisis is on the verge of destroying the world?"
I pressed the question again.
As far as the Demon Lord's Domain's intelligence network could discern, there was no such world-ending crisis. At most, it was merely skirmishes between nations or conflicts with the Demon Lord's Domain. Of course, calling those a "world crisis" would be quite a stretch. At the very least, there should have been no activation of any defensive mechanisms.
While my thoughts churned, the Great Spirit delved into the heart of the matter.
"Beings of a supernatural nature are beginning their invasion from beyond this world. The cause of the anomaly affecting you is one of them."