Chapter 32 - The Will
The moment Zova—better known by his nickname, “Ragged Cloth”—heard my voice, he jerked his head up with a snap and leapt to his feet on the spot.
“Y-You... a Heisenberg...? No, wait, that voice... don’t tell me, Void?!”
The instant he, with a look of sheer shock, tried to unleash <Primordial Ice>—his right ear dropped clean off.
“Ghh... guh—!”
As Zova struggled to stifle his groan of agony, Dia and Ruby fixed him with a chilling glare.
“You mean Lord Void, don’t you? Watch your words.”
“Do not dare point your shabby little magic at the great Lord Void... or I’ll tear you apart.”
“Gh... (T-These women... the mana pouring out of them is monstrous...! They’re far stronger than I am, immeasurably so... Void has two monsters like these under his command...?!)”
Before the “Great Elder” turned into a “small elder,” I quickly stepped in.
“C-Come now, both of you, calm yourselves... Look, you’re scaring poor Zova.”
And for the record, I was scared too.
“My apologies for overstepping.”
“We beg your pardon.”
Dia and Ruby bowed deeply at once.
They really were such honest, good girls.
...Just a little too broken in the brakes department.
“Well then, let’s do proper introductions. I am Void, founder and sovereign of Nihil. Though to you, Zova, I’d be better recognized as Hollow von Heisenberg, heir to the Heisenberg house. That ring a bell?”
“Revealing your identity to this degree... means you’ve no intention of letting me escape, do you?”
“Correct. Glad you caught on quick. Your ‘outer world’ self is already dead, by my hand. You will never return there again.”
After laying out the facts with a detached tone, I briefly explained his current predicament.
“This place is called the Void Realm. It’s a world of my own creation, mine alone—”
“—I know. Anything swallowed by <Void> is deposited here in the Void Realm. In this world, you are akin to a god. Both your mana and strength are vastly amplified—so much so that you could be called ‘invincible.’”
“Oh, well-informed.”
I couldn’t help but clap my hands together in a round of applause.
“Hmph, naturally. I have pursued that power... pursued the <Void> itself, for three hundred years.”
“Fair enough. Makes sense.”
While offering a casual nod, I activated <Void Step> and pulled out a brush and a scroll I had prepared beforehand.
“Sorry to spring this on you, but I want you to write a will, Zova.”
“A will? Hah, what, do you want a cut of my estate—gghh?!”
Out of nowhere, Ruby’s merciless kick slammed into his solar plexus.
A straight toe kick.
The toes dug in.
That had to hurt.
But... why? This time, Zova hadn’t even done anything—!
Hhhgh... Wh-Why...?!
As Zova and I both broke into cold sweat, Dia and Ruby stated the obvious as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“When Lord Void asks you a question, answer within two seconds.”
“And your answer should be either ‘Understood’ or ‘Yes.’ Also, your choice of words is lacking.”
“Y-Yes, I deeply... apolo... gize...”
Seriously, this was the kind of interrogation that would put the Yakuza to shame.
“A-Anyway... just write something like: ‘I hereby pass all the inheritance and property of the Ainsworth house to Nia.’ That’ll do.”
“Y-Yes, understood...!”
Zova scrambled to comply, moving within the two-second deadline.
...Ruby’s attitude, well, I could understand.
She was a dragonkin, after all—complete with all the good and bad traits of a dragon.
To break it down: (1) aggressive by nature, (2) protective of the pack, and (3) fatally single-minded.
Trait (1) was obvious enough—Ruby had a decidedly sadistic streak.
Trait (2) was one of her best qualities—she treated everyone in Nihil like family.
Trait (3), though... was a bit of a problem.
At present, her “single-mindedness” was directed entirely at me, and she was ridiculously clingy.
It probably all went back to that incident—when I rescued a young, abused Ruby from her dragon tribe.
In any case, a dragon like Ruby being ruthless toward Zova made perfect sense.
But Dia... she seemed pricklier than usual.
She wasn’t a sadist, not at all.
If you overlooked the fact that she was “incredibly heavy,” she was a perfectly gentle, ordinary girl.
Hmm... oh, I get it.
After giving it a little thought, the answer clicked into place right away.
Just before we came to Nihil Palace, I had given Dia a quick briefing.
[—And that’s why this rag really was a vile man.]
[...I see. A piece of filth beyond saving.]
Zova had gathered gravely ill children and used them for inhumane experiments.
Those in Nihil who bore the Mark of Defilement had once been subjected to such cruel experiments by wicked humans like him.
To Dia, Zova was the very type of person she despised most—so it made sense her hostility showed through in her behavior.
While I was thinking that, Zova’s brush moved swiftly, and in no time at all, the will was complete.
“L-Lord Void, would this suffice...?”
“Let’s see... yeah, that looks good.”
To put it simply, it read: ‘I hereby transfer the family headship, assets, and full authority of the Ainsworth house to my granddaughter, Nia le Ainsworth.’
All that remained was to quietly plant this will in the Ainsworth estate, and the house’s wealth would be passed on entirely to Nia.
Heh, with this, the great Ainsworth house of the Four Great Noble Houses was practically in my grasp...!
Nia was a noble heroine who would never tell a lie. Just last night, she had sworn to “spend her life repaying her debt.”
If I so wished, she would hand over the Ainsworth fortune, research data, and vested rights—literally everything.
At this rate, bringing the Four Great Noble Houses under my control might actually be pretty doable...
If I managed to unify the noble faction, it would mean having half of the Kingdom of Klein in my hands.
Then again... considering the main route’s progression, trying to control the other two houses might be stretching it. I don’t want to ruin the advantage I’ve painstakingly built after perfectly clearing Chapter One. The ‘world’s corrective force’ already gave me some interference, but the ‘Protagonist De-MC-ification Plan’ was going smoothly. Maybe the best move is to keep playing it safe and prepare for the royal election...
As I was mulling over these branching routes, Zova spoke up nervously.
“Lord Void... may I be permitted to speak?”
“Go ahead.”
“What’s... I mean, what will become of me after this...?”
Yeah, I figured that was on his mind.
“Well, Zova, when you think about it, what you’ve done was pretty heinous. Honestly, I could’ve just ended you right there... But you’ve got three hundred years of wisdom. Letting that go to waste felt like a real shame.”
In terms of raw knowledge, he ranked among the top in this whole story.
To simply bury that away—it gave me pause.
“Right now, I’m building a city—Void Town. It’s kind of a hobby and a practical venture at the same time. Lately, the population’s been growing, food self-sufficiency is up, and things are looking really good... but there’s just one problem.”
“And that is...?”
“Since most of the residents were... uh, ‘invited’ from among dangerous criminals, the population’s skewed a bit too heavily toward ‘muscle-types.’ I’ve built a research-and-development facility, but I’m not confident it can run properly.”
At present, the only ones who could be called “brains” in Void Town were Glad—the bandit chief who once worked for the Ministry of Magic—and Igva, the deputy leader of some underground Great Magus Cult branch I caught in the Garzak prison.
From that perspective, a pure researcher like Zova was a valuable asset.
“So—especially for you, I’ve prepared the position of ‘Facility Chief.’”
“...Fa-cility Chief...?”
Zova gaped, only for Dia and Ruby’s stern gazes to rain down on him.
““Be grateful.””
“Th-Th-Th-Thank you, thank you so much...! I am deeply honored beyond words...!”
Rubbing his hands together, Zova forced a sycophantic smile.
Damn it, infuriating as this is, I’ve no choice but to obey Void for now...! But... heh, heh heh... You’ve underestimated my ‘obsession,’ boy. Thanks to <Primordial Ice>, this body’s aging is frozen! That means I have... ‘infinite time!’
Hmm... yeah, he definitely looked like he was plotting something nasty.
I’ll unravel every secret of your <Void>, and one day I’ll rip that Mana Factor right out of you! When that day comes, don’t expect a clean death. I’ll freeze you limb by limb—legs, waist, torso, arms—until only your head remains. I’ll show you a hell so deep you’ll beg me to kill you! And don’t worry about those two women—fine faces, fine bodies. I’ll make sure to ‘cherish’ them well, as my pets!
Yeah... best to drive a nail in here, before he tried anything stupid.
“...By the way, just so we’re clear...”
“Y-Yes...? What is it?”
“Don’t even think about something stupid like ‘starting a rebellion,’ okay? This Void Realm is my stomach. If I so much as focus my mind, I can grasp everything about you—your location, your actions, even your conversations. Literally everything.”
“...!”
Zova sucked in a sharp breath.
“If I ever discover even the slightest hint of ‘rebellion’... then you’ll be put in the Friendly House.”
“Th-The Friendly House...?”
“Put simply, a punishment cell.”
“...Gh—!”
A bead of sweat rolled down Zova’s forehead.
Yeah, that reaction said it all—he really had been plotting something shady.
“Ruby, what do you see?”
“...Within this ragged cloth festers an ‘extraordinary malice.’ With all due respect, I believe he must be thoroughly educated, so that he may learn his place.”
The eyes of a dragonkin were sharp, able to see through the essence of things.
In simpler terms, it was like having an ultra-high-precision lie detector.
Of course, this ability only worked when there was a large difference in mana between the two.
In other words, it didn’t function on me or the rest of the Five Prisons, so our privacy remained intact.
If Ruby says so, then yeah... Zova must’ve been plotting something bad.
And honestly, given that shifty face he was making earlier, I had found him plenty suspicious myself.
Well… in the original Ronzolkia, Zova really was a relentlessly persistent character.
A lump of ambition, obsession, and vengeance.
A villain who would trample over anything and anyone to achieve his goals.
That was Zova le Ainsworth.
It seemed his character had been faithfully carried over from the original setting.
As I was wondering what to do, Ruby spoke up with a suggestion.
“Lord Void, may I be entrusted with the education of this rag?”
“Ah... sure, but don’t overdo it, okay?”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
After bowing deeply, she seized Zova by the collar and dragged him across the ground without a shred of gentleness.
“Wh-What are you—?!”
“Be silent and come with me. You need discipline.”
And so, for three days and three nights, Zova’s screams were said to have echoed through the vast Void Realm.
I, however, was busy in the outer world focusing on the main route, so I didn’t know anything about that at the time.
By the time I next met him in Void Town—
“Ah, Zova, perfect timing. I actually have a little favor to ask—”
“—Ohhh, my, my, if it isn’t Lord Void! Yes, yes, by all means, give me your command! For your sake, this Zova would gladly toil like a beast of burden!”
“Uh... yeah. Thanks.”
The figure of the former “Great Elder” was gone without a trace.
His eyes now shone with an unsettling sparkle, as though little stars glittered within his pupils.
He was... completely broken in.
Yeah... I never asked anyone to take it this far.
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