Chương 156: The Sanctuary in the Sky (5)

A new Carbuncle arose in a wave of miasma. Eole and her brother were thrown back—though Vayan caught them with his wings—while everyone else flinched. All of Lady Junon's and Belzemine's spell protections were stripped away in an instant, their enchantments consumed by darkness. Simon alone remained unaffected as power flowed through the bond he now shared with his new servant. Their souls resonated as one, bound by an invisible leash.

The creature Carbuncle had turned into only shared a superficial resemblance with his former self. The dark, corrupted eidolon took the shape of a circular mirror with a smooth obsidian surface and a thorny, black metal outline floating through magic akin to Darkflight. A small carving of an impish creature resembling a winged and demonic version of the original eidolon protruded out from the top, its three ruby eyes gleaming with life. Fiery words floated above its head.

Carbuncle, the Devil-Mirror Level 44 Dark Eidolon of Mirrors, Obsessions, and Uncomfortable Truths Artificial/Demon Auspice: Twisted Reflection: Constant Mirror status applied to the summoner. Mirror: You are surrounded by a magic-bouncing barrier. Any spell that fails to pierce or bypass the barrier will be reflected back to the sender. An… Auspice?

"What is this abomination?!" Vayan snarled as he roared and unfolded his wings like an eagle trying to frighten off a dangerous animal. Lady Junon covered her mouth with her hands while both Eole and Ruto were shaken to their core; Queen Zeal alone appeared pleased with the result, her smile showcasing her fangs.

"I am Carbuncle, mirror of men's desires," the eidolon introduced himself, his deep voice coming out of the small carving on top of his body. His ruby eyes settled on Simon while his mirror's surface undulated like liquid darkness.

"What is thy bidding, my master?" Experience flowed into Simon as he completed the summoning, granting him another ill-earned level and turning horror into pleasure. Level 64 Overlord Perk: All-Seeing III (Active): You can channel the malice of Hell through your eyes at will, blasting anyone you gaze at with rays of hellfire and horrific visions.

Victims hit by this Hellfire Gaze take sustained Fire and Soul damage, while suffering from escalating ailments depending on prolonged exposure: Stun, Terror, Paralysis, Madness, and finally, Instadeath. Individuals slain by the Hellfire Gaze are incinerated. As always, the Overlord rewarded him for making things worse for everyone else. At least the new Perk sounded useful, and Carbuncle didn't appear hostile in his new form. He simply floated in place without a care in the world.

"I think he is under my control," Simon informed his audience before they could do anything foolish.

"He won't attack."

"I exist to serve you, my master," Carbuncle confirmed.

"Shall I reveal your heart's desire?"

"Lord Carbuncle?" Eole asked warily, "Are you… are you in there?"

"What are you talking about, Eole? Where else would I be?" The dark eidolon turned her way, the surface of its mirror rippling.

"Look at what I can do for you, my dear friend. I can show you your truth." The mirror began to reflect shimmering, blurry images. It showed a city which Simon recognized as Beleth, but with no humans or Endymion flags in sight; only shifters without slave collars or tattoos, acclaiming Eole as she smiled and waved at them. All gazes were on her, everyone clapped at her, and she basked in the attention.

"This is your heart's desire, that which you seek most and will grant you happiness," Carbuncle told Eole, his words sweet as honey, "Pursue that dream, Eole. Fulfill it. Shatter the chains that bind your people and all will admire and celebrate you, for you will have changed the world. Only then will you be happy." Eole appeared mesmerized by the image for a moment, only to flinch and turn away. Something in the vision had rattled her.

Ruto moved in front of his sister and then asked his gods, "What's happening to him?"

"The mana that formed the bulk of Carbuncle's essence has transformed into miasma…" Lady Junon muttered in horror after casting a handful of analysis spells.

"Only the core remains thankfully untainted. Even his typing and purview have changed."

"He is stronger too," Queen Zeal noted with interest.

"I can feel it."

"His estimated level has risen by over thirty," Vayan confirmed, his talons sinking into the stone.

"But that should be impossible. We eidolons derive our power from our followers' faith. It takes years of harnessing beliefs and prayers for such a jump in power."

"The Abyss' power flows through Carbuncle," Lady Junon replied, staring at Simon with something new: fear and dread.

"Simon is like a doorway to the Dark, an intermediary between our friend and the darkness that now sustains him."

"Miasma and mana enhance each other when used together," Belzemine explained.

"The eidolon's mana core and the flow of miasma it draws on sharpen each other." And yet he's still not matching my true Overlord level, Simon thought. The Dark Eidolon boost has a ceiling. I wonder if Vayan is right and a Summoner Perk could change that…

"I see new text above Carbuncle's head," Simon informed them.

"It says his 'Auspice' grants his summoner a constant ' Mirror' effect."

"My Auspice is the blessing I bestow upon you, my master," Carbuncle explained eagerly.

"So long as you channel me, no spell may harm you."" Mirror is a very rare and powerful effect," Belzemine informed Simon.

"Few single-target spells can bypass such a barrier."

"I will protect you with my life, my master," Carbuncle told Simon as it floated in front of him.

"I will show you what you desire most and help you fulfill it." Simon tensed up.

"My desire?"

"Your heart yearns for an end your mind cannot visualize. I can end that confusion, my master. I can show you the truth you seek." Carbuncle's mirror-body fluctuated, images twisting on its surface as the vague outline of the Overlord armor beginning to take shape.

"You will be happy once you know yourself…"

"N-no," Simon said as he recoiled from the mirror, its reflection returning to darkness. Even if Carbuncle could indeed show him his heart's desire, the risk of showing something terrible like the Overlord or the Crimson Throne in front of everyone present was too great.

"No, that is fine…" Vayan squinted at Carbuncle's new form.

"If this form is the result of a constant flow of miasma, then Simon dismissing him should revert our friend to normal."

"Yes, it might still be possible to reverse the process," Lady Junon agreed, meeting Simon's gaze.

"Cancelling a summon should be a simple matter of saying 'Dismiss.'""Dismiss," Simon quickly declared. He sensed the connection cutting off immediately, like scissors snapping the thread binding him to Carbuncle. The magic the eidolon shared with him was stripped away from his summoner, and the dark eidolon's substance returned to the miasma from which it sprang. It didn't take long for the original Carbuncle to reappear where its corrupted form used to float, panting and shivering.

"Ah…" Carbuncle caught his breath like a wounded animal. Simon had to admit his distress unnerved him a bit.

"Ah…" If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Take my mana, my friend," Vayan said as he raised his talon at the lesser eidolon. Magical energies flowed from the Sky-Father to Carbuncle, restoring his health.

"You have more than earned your new altar."

"That's good…" Carbuncle rose to his feet and looked up at Simon with unease.

"Your power is scary, Simon. Please don't summon me ever again." Simon winced.

"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely.

"I didn't think the effect would be so… extreme."

"Are you feeling well, Carbuncle?" Lady Junon asked her friend with concern.

"It was me… I was still me, but… a darker me. I wanted to help everyone, even if they didn't like my help." Carbuncle lowered his head.

"Becoming that thing was… intoxicating, in a messed up kind of way. I wasn't afraid to tell the truth anymore. I could become something… new." Queen Zeal alone appeared enthusiastic about this outcome.

"Imagine the power the Sky-Father would command if he were to form a contract with the prophet," she argued. This display had clearly convinced her of Simon's importance, but probably not for the better.

"He could destroy the fiend in the Forbidden Keep." Vayan growled.

"No. Not unless we have no other choice." The harpy clenched her jaw.

"But–""Have you learned nothing, Zeal? The Abyss is not evil by itself, but its power is always dangerous. Someone will pay its price, whether it shall be me, my summoner, or the islands I cherish." Vayan studied Simon carefully.

"Nonetheless, I believe that fate did not bestow these gifts on our visitor without a reason. There may come a day when a Dark Eidolon Pact may prove to be our salvation, but it has to remain a weapon of last resort."

"I understand," Simon replied, much to the harpy's dismay. He wasn't willing to alienate his hosts over this particular matter, and while the presence of eidolons within the Sanctuary had been fortuitous, practicing his Dark Visionary powers wasn't an immediate priority.

"As I said, I have never summoned an eidolon before and I did not mean to cause harm."

"We know you didn't," Lady Junon reassured him, which was both heartwarming and saddening. These people were too kind by half in a world that would mean them harm.

"Nonetheless, would you and your companion mind staying in Boreas for a bit until we can confirm Carbuncle will not suffer any side-effects from the summoning?"

"It's fine," Simon reassured her, turning to an anxious Belzemine.

"This will be good for the both of us." And so Simon spent his first two weeks in the Sanctuary in the most comfortable case of house arrest he had ever experienced. Lady Junon kindly provided Simon and Belzemine with a residence near her favorite beach, which she did by growing them a home from a giant tree stump. Golems then proceeded to hollow out the insides, furnish it with amenities, and even fashioned a small magical workshop for crafting.

Silk had once told Simon that Illusea's inhabitants lived in indolence thanks to automatons doing all the work, and Boreas wasn't so different. Their golems handled much of the community's hard labor, and while some elves did partake in it as a hobby, most of them dedicated themselves to leisure, the arts, or intellectual pursuits instead. Simon and Belzemine's next-door neighbor was apparently an expert mage, but he was currently away at the Forbidden Keep to check on the seal there, so they had yet to meet him.

Simon spent his time between the beach—it was amazing how comfortable it felt to do nothing except gazing at the horizon there under the radiant sun—and magical research. Though he dedicated most of his time to crafting a geas contract, he also managed to finish his Dispel variant: the Invert spell. True to its name, this spell transformed buffs and beneficial status effects like Rampart into debuffs and ailments respectively.

This would make the life of anyone exposed to it very difficult, though unlike Dispel, Simon wouldn't be able to use it to lift debilitating effects off his allies. His miasma variant of Recall would likely take longer to adapt, especially in a region that actively interfered with teleportation. Otherwise, Lady Junon introduced him and Belzemine to the local elven community, then spent the better part of their forced stay grilling them about the surface. How many Tribes were there?

What happened to civilization after the Doom? How many of her sisters remained? What did the landbound people of the world eat? The questions just kept coming. The dryad showed the insatiable curiosity of a sheltered teenager in search of novelty. Simon was fine enlightening her, though he was careful to stick to generalities and avoid mentioning the Overlord for now. It wouldn't do too well to make her suspicious after the whole Carbuncle fiasco.

"The surface sounds like a horrible place," Lady Junon said after another interrogation session near her lake. The dryad loved to rest there in the evening, and Eole was always present to sing for her with her harp.

"To think an empire crueler than the kish one controls half the world… It saddens me to hear the shifters are once again in bondage."

"Was the situation any better before the Doom?" Simon inquired. He had had few chances to speak with someone who lived before those dark days.

"Of course it was. We had oppressive nations like the Kish Empire and demon warlords around, but most civilizations coexisted in peace. The Noble Heroes protected the people. They didn't fight each other for glory or territory like their successors do." Lady Junon shook her head.

"The surface seems awash with greed and cruelty… It is like the Doom awoke a great evil in the hearts of men." An evil called the Overlord, Simon thought. Eole sent him a brief, sideways glance. How can I break the news to her in a way that won't cause them to expel me on the spot?

"But even in the heart of darkness, there are still wonders," Lady Junon said, smiling.

"Like those airships of yours. Even if the invention threatens my home, I am so glad you humans can finally fly."

"Human ingenuity never ceases," Simon concluded, his feet resting in the water while he sat on a rock. The lake was always pleasantly warm.

"How did Telluria look before the Doom?"

"I don't recall all the details," she admitted.

"Nodens the Painbringer had been terrorizing the region that would become my islands years before the Doom threw us into the sky. I think he knew it would happen, or he helped it happen, because he then cast a big ritual over the entire archipelago."

"To do what?" Simon inquired. The memories he had inherited from the past Merchant pointed to something devastating.

"I never learned it. The heroes disrupted the ritual and then sealed Nodens in his old fortress before he could finish it." Junon turned to Eole, who was about to complete her haunting melody.

"Eole's ancestors then led what remained of the kish people here into exile, and I granted them shelter. We have been living happily since, and I hope we will endure the second Doom like the first." Eole's fingers missed a string, bringing the song to an abrupt end. She scowled as she faced the sunset.

"Is something the matter, Eole?" Lady Junon asked her with a hint of sisterly concern.

"Your songs have been sadder than usual."

"Was it what you saw in the mirror?" Simon guessed. He had noticed that Eole seemed a little troubled since Carbuncle's botched summoning. Eole bit her lips.

"It's nothing," she lied poorly, which all but confirmed Simon's suspicions.

"How is Carbuncle doing?"

"Carbuncle seems to have completely recovered and shows no sign of transforming back, so I think we can lift the house arrest soon." Lady Junon smiled sheepishly at Simon.

"I'm so sorry we had to do that. I was just so worried he might transform back…"

"It's fine," Simon reassured her. Forced relaxation in a lakeside resort was an extraordinarily light response to accidentally corrupting a local deity.

"You were kind enough not to kick us out over this, so I have no complaints."

"Agnes and you are welcome to stay here as long as you want." The dryad suddenly noticed a certain someone's absence.

"Why is she not with us?"

"She prefers to work on the geas contract we will have the Adventurer's crew sign," Simon replied with a sigh.

"Truthfully, it is an excuse to avoid facing the other elves." Although Boreas' inhabitants had proved extremely welcoming and regularly invited Belzemine to activities like poetry contests, songs, and other gatherings, she had refused each and every one of them in favor of either staying with Simon or in their current home.

"It saddens me each time she looks at me and her fellow elves not with joy, but with anguish," Lady Junon lamented.

"What happened to her?"

"She was… tortured," Simon admitted, Lady Junon covered her mouth in horror.

"Vile people kept her as a slave for over three hundred years until they ground her will to pieces. I managed to get her out of their clutches, but she is unable to function without a master now. Freedom terrifies her."

"That's awful… how could anyone be so cruel to such a fair creature?" Lady Junon joined her hands, but her compassion swiftly turned to hope.

"Maybe Carbuncle can help her. He has a way of soothing the hearts of others and healing their scars." Simon frowned.

"Would he be willing to help us after what I did to him?"

"Oh, Carbuncle already forgave you. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's always eager to help those in need."

"That's very kind of him." Simon considered what to do.

"Agnes enjoyed gardening before her enslavement, and she was trained to be a caretaker. I think finding her a peaceful activity would be good for her."

"Why not give her a task to grow a garden?" Eole suggested.

"I do not think she will do anything unless you give her a long-term objective."

"That's a wonderful idea," Lady Junon said with enthusiasm.

"There are so many trees on our islands that require gentle care to grow." Simon nodded in agreement. Giving Belzemine the task to grow a garden for a few months would give her a goal she could enjoy dedicating herself to, and encourage her to spend time with other elves. He didn't expect a miracle, but it would be a start. What's this? Simon squinted as he spotted Vayan's shadow flying from in the east and straight at them. The eidolon appeared to be carrying a handful of people in his talons.

Since the kish didn't need help to fly around, Simon assumed he was ferrying some of the Adventurer's crew or Junon's caretakers to Boreas. Either way, it's probably nothing good. His suspicions were confirmed when the Sky-Father elected to land on the beach after noticing the group, dropping four people onto the sand. Three of them were elves whom Simon assumed were the caretakers Lady Junon sent to check on the Forbidden Keep's seal. And the fourth was the Adventurer herself.

Alcyone Hyades wasn't wearing her Class outfit at the moment, instead being dressed in a comfortable bronze corset with black tissue sleeves and leggings, with a ribbon tied around her neck, but she still carried the silver sword she used against Simon in the previous reign sheathed to her belt.

"So," she said, smiling at Simon with a hand on her sword's handle.

"You're the Overlord spawn I've heard about?"