From Trash to Demon Lord: I Can Turn Heroines Into Villainesses

Chapter 92: The Abandoned Church...

The group slowly made their way through the swamp’s muddy terrain until they stopped in front of the enormous abandoned church.

Its stone walls were covered in moss, roots pierced through the ancient masonry, the windows had long since lost their stained glass, and part of the bell tower looked as though it had collapsed centuries ago.

The little Peeks ran from one side to the other, inspecting the building with the same curiosity they had shown earlier when examining Nox’s horns.

Catherine walked up to the massive front door.

It was still sealed shut by a huge rusted padlock.

"Leave this to me. I know a few tricks for this kind of thing."

Bone claws extended from her fingertips.

The girl began manipulating the mechanism with surprising skill.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Meanwhile...

Dawn studied the enormous structure.

"...I don’t understand."

Nox turned his head.

"What?"

"What’s a church doing in the middle of a swamp like this?"

Tessa crossed her arms.

"Honestly..."

She looked at the building as well.

"...I don’t understand why the Grand Church of Frosthold had a portal connected to this place either."

Audrey absentmindedly stroked the head of one of the Peeks.

"The little one says this church was already here long before they existed."

Nox smiled.

"Then it makes sense."

Everyone looked at him.

"What makes sense?"

Misty asked.

Nox pointed at the church.

"For lands to be abandoned..."

Then he gestured toward the swamp.

"...someone must have lived here at some point."

He fell silent for a few seconds.

"And if creatures like the Peeks still exist..."

His gaze shifted to the little blue creatures.

"...then when the Goddess spoke about abandoned lands..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"...she didn’t mean they were empty."

Dawn immediately understood.

"She meant they were abandoned by the gods."

"And by their religion."

Tessa finished.

Click.

CLANK.

The massive padlock hit the ground.

Catherine smiled proudly.

"Done."

She slowly pushed the door open.

The ancient hinges let out a loud creak.

The entrance gradually opened.

The girl grinned.

"We can finally go into our new home."

◇◆◇

The inside smelled of dampness.

The stone floor was covered with shallow puddles.

Huge cracks ran through the walls.

And some of the pillars looked as though they remained standing purely out of habit.

The Peeks were the first to rush inside.

They ran everywhere, inspecting every corner and tapping on the walls.

Poking their heads behind the broken pews.

They looked like children discovering a castle.

Misty watched them.

"...We should be careful."

Nox shook his head.

"We don’t need to."

"How do you know?"

"My Danger Sense."

He placed a hand on the back of his neck.

"It never stops warning me whenever something wants to kill me."

He looked around.

"Right now, it’s completely calm."

That made everyone breathe a little easier.

The entrance opened into a massive prayer hall.

A partially collapsed wall separated it from another section.

At the far end stood the remains of an ancient altar.

And on both sides, spiral stone staircases climbed toward the second floor.

The Peeks continued exploring the ground floor.

Catherine immediately joined them.

Misty and Tessa began inspecting the pews and the side rooms.

Audrey stayed behind, communicating with the little creatures and helping organize them.

Nox looked toward the staircases.

"Dawn."

The princess looked up.

"Shall we?"

She simply nodded.

"Let’s go."

◇◆◇

The second floor was completely different.

There were no pews.

No altars.

No religious symbols.

Only...

Bookshelves.

Dozens of them.

It was an enormous library.

The shelves occupied nearly the entire upper floor.

The Peeks who had followed them upstairs began exploring the shelves.

They touched the wood, knocked on the bookcases, and stuck their hands into every gap they could find.

They seemed far more interested in how the furniture had been built than in what it contained.

Dawn looked around with a hint of sadness.

"What a waste."

Nox raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I’m sure all these books are ruined."

The princess ran a finger along one of the shelves.

"After so many years..."

She looked up at the broken ceiling.

"...they must be full of mold."

Nox said nothing.

He simply opened one of the wooden cabinet doors.

The old wood creaked.

Both of them froze.

"..."

"..."

The books were perfect.

There was no moisture.

No yellowed pages.

No mold.

No unpleasant smell.

It looked as though the library had been used only a few days ago.

Nox picked up one of the books and opened it.

The pages were completely clean and spotless.

Dawn’s eyes widened.

"...That’s strange."

Nox was just as surprised.

Then a window appeared before his eyes.

[Protection Detected.]

Nox frowned.

"Protection?"

The princess looked at him.

"What is it?"

"I have the feeling these books are protected somehow, but I don’t know what that means."

Dawn slowly shook her head.

"I don’t know either."

"You’ve never heard of anything like this?"

"No."

The princess looked just as confused as he was.

Nox turned back toward the bookshelves.

’Well... since we’re here...’

He began checking the titles.

Some were easy to understand.

"Cooking for Beginners."

"Meat Preservation."

"Bridge Construction."

Others...

Were written in completely unfamiliar symbols.

"I can’t understand any of this."

He muttered.

He continued browsing.

He picked up another.

"Bestiary of the North."

Another.

"History of Frostgard."

Another.

"Sacred Architecture."

None of them seemed especially useful.

Until...

One immediately caught his attention.

It was different.

It had no golden lettering.

No elegant cover.

It was an old, worn notebook with a dark leather cover.

More like a journal or a personal diary.

Nox picked it up.

’That’s strange...’

He slowly opened it.

The moment he read the very first line...

His entire body froze.

"..."

Dawn noticed the change immediately.

"Nox."

He didn’t answer.

"Nox."

The princess stepped closer.

"What’s wrong?"

The demon continued staring at the first page without blinking.

As if he had stopped breathing.

Because there...

Written in black ink...

He could clearly read:

"The Survivor’s Diary."

And beneath it...

There was a name.

The very same name he used now.

"Nox."

A chill ran down the demon’s spine.

’What...?’

He read it again.

It still said the exact same thing.

It hadn’t changed.

He wasn’t imagining it.

Dawn leaned over his shoulder.

She read the name as well.

"...Nox."

The princess slowly looked up at him.

"Is it yours?"

The demon took several seconds before answering.

"No."

His voice came out as little more than a whisper.

"I’ve never been here."

He slowly turned the page.

The paper remained flawless.

The first lines appeared in elegant handwriting.

"If someone is reading this..."

Nox swallowed hard.

"It means I failed."

Dawn felt a chill run through her body.

"...I don’t like this."

Neither could Nox tear his eyes away from the diary.