Extra in a Romance Fantasy

187 – Door (1)

Creak—

—

Noise echoed through the air.

It was a sound reminiscent of the unpleasant screech of old hinges when a door creaks open, reverberating within the crater.

Someone who heard that sound thought to themselves.

This sound, it seemed, was akin to a scream.

And then.

With that strange sound, at last.

The space began to open.

“That is…”

“A crack…?”

Someone murmured.

It was as they said.

The space split apart, revealing the other side, resembling a crack they had seen many times before, something they were all too familiar with.

However.

“…No, that is not a crack.”

Beluid denied their observation.

“Not a crack…?”

At Rachel’s puzzled question, Beluid nodded and replied.

“That is a ‘door.'”

“A door….”

At those words, the group’s gaze refocused on the ‘door.’

“It certainly… looks a bit different from a crack, but…”

While it resembled a passage connecting to another realm in the way the space split, the feeling was different.

“A crack is merely a temporary phenomenon, isn’t it?”

“……! What do you mean…?!”

At those words, a ripple of unease crossed the face of someone who had caught on.

Receiving that gaze, Beluid nodded heavily.

“…That is a permanent rift. Therefore, it can truly be called a ‘door.’”

“A permanent…!!”

The expressions of the group grew grave.

They quickly grasped the destructive potential of a permanent rift.

“Then, does that mean that monsters from another realm will forever emerge from that ‘gate’?”

Upon arriving at this place, and even after entering it, those who had faced countless rifts felt a bit strange, but the rifts themselves could be considered small disasters in their own right.

Even if only insignificant monsters were to appear, depending on the location of the rift, it could lead to a major incident.

Yet, the fact that a rift of such size could be maintained permanently…

That alone could justify calling its existence a disaster.

However.

“It’s hardly just that.”

Beluid shook his head firmly.

“Wha…? Hardly just that…?”

At his words, the group displayed a somewhat bewildered reaction.

A rift that endlessly spews forth monsters, maintained permanently.

That could be described as a disaster capable of bringing about a crisis for humanity.

Yet, Beluid referred to it as ‘hardly’ that.

At his words, the atmosphere shifted, and the group could not help but feel unsettled.

It seemed to suggest that an even greater disaster could occur, one that was beyond comparison.

Thus, all eyes in the room turned to Beluid.

With a heavy gaze, Beluid opened his mouth once more.

“…Now, I can speak. The ‘constraints’ have been lifted.”

His gaze, which had been fixed on the ‘gate’ with an indescribable intensity, turned towards the group.

“I will tell you what the true purpose of the Order is. And what the identity of that ‘gate’ is.”

*

“You probably don’t know. The very existence of the Order.”

Beluid’s gaze moved slowly.

He then scanned the students of the Academy, including Alexis and Rachel.

“…….”

They said nothing, but their eyes conveyed a silent agreement.

In truth, through a series of conversations and the various sights they had witnessed on their way here, they had sensed that some group was closely related to this situation, but they were completely unaware of the details.

Perhaps having read the meaning behind their gazes.

Beluid continued without pause.

“The Order has existed in this land for a long time. For a very long time, it has operated in the shadows of the continent, quietly expanding its influence without anyone noticing.”

“Order…”

Alexis murmured the word quietly.

“…Indeed, I’ve never heard of it.”

Though he had no intention of engaging in the struggle for the throne, Alexis was a prince of a nation.

He could be considered part of a class of individuals quite close to the pinnacle of power across the entire continent.

Yet even someone like Alexis had never heard of the Order.

“Neither have I.”

“…Me neither.”

Chris and Wilhelm also expressed their agreement.

“It’s only natural not to know. Until this moment, there are probably only a handful of people across the entire continent who have truly noticed the existence of the Order.”

As if the reaction was expected, Belluid nodded slightly.

“The Order has been involved in various affairs over many years. Some of them were small enough to be dismissed as mere accidents, while others were significant enough to shake nations. Small disputes among nobles… or even wars between empires.”

““……!!””

The eyes of the group widened.

“Wars between empires… then could it be…?”

“Indeed.”

Belluid calmly affirmed their speculation.

“The war between Elbrent and Reinberg was instigated by the Order. In the end, the war did not occur, but still.”

““…….””

A moment of silence fell over the group at Belluid’s assertion.

Instigating a war between two empires.

One could only indirectly grasp how absurd that was.

Even disputes among small groups do not easily arise due to the tangled web of interests involved.

But if the parties involved transcended nations, existing as only two empires on the continent?

And if the opposing side was the other empire?

No matter the circumstances, the probability of actually reaching war would be exceedingly slim.

After all, they would know it would lead to mutual destruction.

Yet, Elbrent and Reinberg had actually come perilously close to war.

In the end, the war did not happen, but they had reached the brink.

And to think that it was the Order that instigated it?

It was a story that could not help but make one doubt their ears.

It meant that the cult had seized control to a level where it could manipulate at least one empire at will.

“…What exactly is the ‘great undertaking’ that the man mentioned earlier refers to?”

Alexis asked Beluid with relative directness.

He was equally astonished, but felt the need to keep the conversation going.

In response to Alexis’s question,

“Can you not see it right before your eyes?”

Beluid replied, and naturally, the group’s gaze shifted.

Towards the massive rift that Beluid referred to as the ‘gate.’

“Is that… the purpose of the cult?”

“Indeed.”

Beluid also quietly gazed at the ‘gate.’

“The cult’s purpose is to open that ‘gate.’”

In a voice that sank heavily, he continued.

“…I don’t quite understand.”

At that moment, Chris interjected.

“What connection is there between starting a war and opening that gate?”

It was difficult to grasp what causal relationship existed between instigating a war and opening the ‘gate’ before them.

“A valid question.”

Beluid nodded.

Then he immediately provided an answer to that question.

“Why did the cult seek to wage war? It was to obtain ‘sacrifices.’”

“Sacrifices…?”

Sacrifices.

A word rarely heard, it sparked curiosity in everyone’s eyes.

“Yes. Sacrifices. The cult sought to create incidents, disasters, and wars to obtain sacrifices. The sacrifices of countless lives and souls.”

““……!””

“Through the sacrifices obtained in such a manner, the cult, and the leader aimed to open that ‘gate.’”

Beluid’s eyes, fixed on the ‘gate,’ grew even heavier.

“For that one purpose alone, the cult instigated incidents, caused disasters, and even waged wars.”

“Did you start a war…?”

Alexis mulled over Beluid’s words.

That expression lingered in his mind.

“Wasn’t the war between the empires ultimately a dud?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Beluid shook his head.

“The Order has already instigated a war in the past. Quite recently, in fact.”

“Recently? There hasn’t been anything worthy of being called a war in the last few decades…”

Alexis was well-versed in the history of humanity and the continent.

Thanks to the education one receives by virtue of being born a prince.

However, to his knowledge, there had been no wars in the last few decades.

Thus, he could not help but show his bewilderment.

But.

“No. There was. A war broke out ten years ago. A war that swept across the entire continent.”

Beluid firmly denied Alexis’s statement.

“A war that involved the entire continent ten years ago? There was nothing like that…”

Alexis, who was about to refute that statement, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Then, with a wavering gaze, he looked at Beluid.

“…The war with the monsters.”

He muttered briefly.

That was the only thing that could be called a war that had occurred ten years ago.

And.

“That’s right.”

Beluid simply affirmed Alexis’s words.

“……!”

At that answer, the group stirred.

“A war with the monsters… Are you saying that the Order instigated that?”

“Indeed.”

“…Is that even possible? That implies… that the Order can control the monsters…”

The war with the monsters had begun with a sudden onslaught of creatures.

Until then, the monsters that had spread across the continent, living among themselves, suddenly began to band together and attack humanity one day. That was the catalyst for the war between monsters and humans.

But to think that it was the cult that instigated this war?

That would mean the cult possessed the power to control the monsters, which was an impossible notion.

And it was something that defied common sense.

Yet.

“That’s right. The cult can handle the monsters.”

““……!””

Beluid offered a response that contradicted their understanding.

“Is that… is that even possible?”

It was a statement that went beyond the realm of reason.

Monsters are powerful beings, brimming with strength.

There must have been countless attempts to tame such unique and formidable creatures.

Many had tried to train the monsters.

To wield their immense power at will.

However, all had failed.

Not a single individual, no matter how exceptional their knowledge, strength, or background, had succeeded.

Thus, everyone on the continent was aware.

Taming monsters was an impossible task.

Yet, to think that one could command such monsters?

Even to the extent of inciting war with them?

That shattered their common sense, a claim too incredible to believe.

For that reason, Alexis had no choice but to inquire.

Was that even possible?

However.

Beluid did not answer that question immediately.

He did not resolve their doubts right away.

Instead.

“Have you ever thought it strange? How the monsters from another realm resemble our own?”

He posed an unexpected question to them.

“…….”

While somewhat puzzled by the sudden question.

“…Now that you mention it, they do resemble each other.”

Alexis nodded silently.

Indeed, there were similarities between the monsters of the other realm and the aberrations.

While the monsters from the other realm tended to be more bizarre, that difference was almost negligible when compared to the distinction between aberrations and ordinary animals.

Thus, it was not entirely strange to say that aberrations and the monsters of the other realm were alike.

Upon hearing that response, Beluid asked another question.

“Do you know when aberrations first appeared, where they originated from? Why they are hostile towards humans?”

““…….””

This time, no one could answer that question.

The reason was simple.

No one knew the answer.

Beluid slowly observed their reactions before speaking again.

“Let me change the question. Have you ever wondered about the origins of aberrations?”

““…….””

Once again, only silence lingered in the room.

“It seems there’s no one who has.”

At that response, Beluid lightly nodded.

“…How strange.”

Suddenly, Chris spoke up.

“I’ve never been curious about the origins of aberrations until now. Not until the principal mentioned it.”

“Now that you mention it….”

“…That’s true.”

Everyone agreed with Chris’s words.

It was as he said.

They had never wondered about the origins of aberrations.

Despite having encountered countless aberrations and even learning how to deal with them in class.

Of course, that in itself was not an odd thing.

Depending on the person, they might not be curious about such things at all.

But.

It was certainly strange that not a single person had ever shown even the slightest interest in it.

Even the professors who taught about the monsters had never once mentioned it.

That was undeniably peculiar.

It was strange.

As they felt a slight confusion about this fact, the voice of Beluid echoed once more in their ears.

“Why do the monsters resemble the creatures of another realm? Why do they blindly oppose humans? The reason is simple.”

Beluid’s gaze shifted.

Towards the ‘gate’ that was slowly opening even now.

And then he said,

“Because the monsters are beings that have invaded from another realm.”

He revealed a truth that no one had known.