Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 45: The Herald of the Unnameable [1]

Mitsuki and Jeanne moved forward, watching the discouraging reactions of the people as the city darkened under the inevitable night. When the stars began to faintly shine in the dim sky, the murmurs of the fearful rose like a dissonant chorus that spread throughout the commercial district.

The vendors, for the most part, remained calm, selling their goods and taking advantage of the concern of the civilians wandering around.

’The Herald of the Unnameable...’ That title echoed in his mind like some ominous premonition.

He glanced at Jeanne for a moment, noticing that her usual smile had disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful and determined expression. However, that only confused him more. There were still countless things he didn’t know or understand about this world, so the mere mention of that being struck directly at his mind.

’The one who comes from beyond the stars... It can’t be me, right?’ Coming from another world himself, it could be a possibility—but he still didn’t understand why people were so afraid.

He wanted to ask about it, but he clenched his teeth, waiting until they reached the inn.

’And even if it’s not me, why? What is it about this so-called Herald that makes everyone so worried?’ As he walked beside her, he could feel himself being infected by the anxiety of the crowd. Then, the memory of that elf came to him. ’Ellegaard knows a lot... Her badge said she was a historian. Maybe she can answer my questions.’

As if she had read his mind, Jeanne took his hand, and they continued forward.

"Come on. The streets are getting crowded; we need to get back to Ellegaard and find Aslan, so don’t let go of my hand, Mitsuki." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

With no time to feel embarrassed, Mitsuki nodded and let Jeanne guide him. Soon, they found themselves back at the inn; Ellegaard was waiting at the entrance with a serious expression, holding her magic staff.

"You two incompetent children made me wait far too long," said the elf, walking inside the inn. "Get in already. There’s a lot we need to talk about."

They entered, but noticed it was completely empty, and at one of the tables sat Aslan, sipping from his cup of black tea. Unlike everyone else, the old man seemed far too calm.

’Aslan is here too... That means this is more serious than I thought.’ He took a seat at Aslan’s table alongside the girls. Lulú appeared, setting down a couple of cups of tea for everyone and refilling the old man’s cup.

Once they were gathered, Ellegaard began. "There’s no need to say it since you already know, so we’ll move straight to explaining the situation. Aslan."

The man nodded.

"The rumors grew very strong this morning, but I have a feeling it started last night. At dawn, some drunk people at the bar began talking about the Shadow Heralds, who managed to enter the capital of Holylight and come out alive. On top of that, they found clues about the origin of the catastrophe."

Mitsuki felt a knot in his throat. The capital of Holylight was where the Master of Cinder had nearly killed him, and remembering that brought a sharp pain to his stomach.

"From that moment on, the rumors only grew," Ellegaard added. Then she looked at Jeanne and Mitsuki. "Since you two were outside the city all day, you couldn’t have noticed, but things have gotten complicated. The rumors became more detailed as the hours passed, as if someone were spreading them throughout the city."

Aslan cleared his throat.

"Regardless of where the rumor came from, the fact is that it has frightened a large part of the city’s community, mainly because it would be foolish to joke about something so serious. We already have enough to deal with from the aftermath left by the Four Great Ancient Mysteries, so starting a baseless rumor is unthinkable. There must have been some irrefutable proof that no one could deny."

"Considering they’re the Shadow Heralds, I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to obtain some relic from King Uther of Holylight to convince people their story is real," Ellegaard said thoughtfully.

Jeanne intervened.

"Wait a second. So are the rumors true or not? People were genuinely scared. If the Herald of the Unnameable has finally appeared, that means the end of the world has begun. That doesn’t make sense—everything still feels strangely normal."

"That’s exactly what I think. Even if they managed to destroy the corruption, it’s not enough to clear the Ash Curse from just one of the four kingdoms of Nemoria. Besides, if only Holylight was purged, that would increase the strength of the curse in the other kingdoms, which in turn would drive all the Ash Beasts even more insane and likely cause them to leave their territory in search of corrupting another kingdom."

Bringing his hand to his forehead, Mitsuki realized just how bad all of that sounded.

’All of Nemoria is corrupted by the Ash, and it has four kingdoms. Could there be something like the Master of Cinder in each one of them?’ The thought sent a terrible chill down his spine. ’Shit... Did Galahad know about this? Is that why he said what he said at the end?’

He placed his hand on the table, finally ready to ask his questions. At least in front of these four people who had saved him, it wouldn’t feel awkward. In fact, the worry planted in his heart by the people in the city was forcing him to find out what the hell was going on.

"I... I don’t understand anything. What is the Herald of the Unnameable? What do you mean the Ash Beasts will start attacking other kingdoms? Is the world really going to end?"

Jeanne and Aslan seemed especially surprised by Mitsuki’s ignorance, unlike Ellegaard, who sighed as she stood up. She raised her staff as it glowed with green hues and said:

"You never know anything. It honestly surprises me you’re still alive, but..." she glanced at Lulú, who stood behind the counter with a kind yet fearful smile—even she was scared.

Following Ellegaard’s gaze, Lulú clapped twice, and the lights in the inn went out. Then the elf conjured beautiful green particles that glowed and floated above the wooden table.

"I will tell you the story of the calamity that struck our world more than four hundred years ago—the prophecy that condemned us to an endless end with the mere presence of the Herald of the Unnameable, who is, after all, the omen of our demise, as well as the nightmare that haunts all who live."