We were doomed to lose this battle from the get-go.

A defeatist would probably be enthralled writing an introduction like this. But we’ve never known defeat, we’re reckless, and we’ve never forgotten our all-or-nothing sense of adventure.

There were corpses and piles of guts, meat, and brains everywhere. Even with all of this flesh scattered across the floor, for Master Byakuya and I, there’s only one way forward.

It’s the same as how a fired bullet is only interested in what’s in front of it; it’s a fundamental matter of principle.

Sedlec Ossuary.

This strange building in the town of Kutná Hora is famous for storing the bones of approximately 40,000 people, with the bones of around 10,000 of those used to decorate the interior.

The altar, ceiling, monstrance, banisters, coat of arms, objects, everything is made from human bones. It’s been dubbed by many as the “Church of Bones.”

You may be wondering, “Why so many human bones?” Borges would answer this simple question eloquently, but this is no time for history lessons. The present is moving at breakneck speed.

The most spectacular decoration in the Bone Church is the giant chandelier made of human bones. It is said to have been pieced together with bones from each part of the body, and it shakes our views on life and death to a sickening extent. But now, beneath the chandelier, an even more vivid scene unfolds.

A scene from the infernos of hell.

Wet flesh was stuck to the walls, intestines were caught on the banisters of the staircase, and blood was splattered red on the floor. It would take a dozen hungry bears to create such a sight.

However, it was a human, not a bear, who accomplished this. I knew this, having fled from their attack.

“Tch. To be slaughtered in a place like this. In the end, their lives were as meaningless as a mere insect,” Master Byakuya said with a bored look on his face, as he sat on the windowsill, barely avoiding the bloody ravages. His black tuxedo stood out against the white of the bones and the red of the blood in a flaunting way.

“Phew. I’ve stomped on thousands of Goombas up until now, but this kind of crushing leaves me speechless,” said Hiroyuki, who was still not speechless as he lit a cigarette.

Yuika strolled inside the church. She didn’t seem too bothered by the blood at her feet, maybe because she was already wearing red shoes.

We somehow gave off the feeling of “the squad,” which was painful to think about.

It looks like I won’t be able to expect a romantic rendezvous with Master Byakuya for a while.

Anyways, back to work.

I placed my finger on my temple and activated Borges. Even without biometric data, it is possible to identify an individual from pieces of flesh, clothing, precious metals, skin color, etc. It’s basically the same as identifying bodies after a plane crash.

By combining the visual information like a 3D puzzle, we were able to confirm 83 bodies. Of these, we were able to identify 31 as belonging to members.

That’s thirty-one bodies. That matches the number of members of the council excluding Master Byakuya and Princess Sonia.

“Can you fill me in now?” Hiroyuki exhaled a smoke. “What’s this pool of flesh? Why were you all gathered at the Church of Bones?”

“Explain,” was all Master Byakuya said. Looks like this is my job now.

“The great Master Byakuya, the heir to the acclaimed Togami clan, is a member of the Council of World Controllers.”

“…Pst, m’lady, does that story involve the Freemasons or something?”

“If you want it to…”

“Woah…”

“You wanted to talk about underground corporations, didn’t you?”

“I’ll leave this alone. Please continue.”

“I haven’t been told how or when the Council of World Controllers was formed. Apparently it has existed for centuries as an organization that issues orders when a crisis strikes the world and secretly guides people to make choices to avoid it.”

“Oh, I see…” Hiroyuki trailed off. “By the way, are all of its members really just big-name politicians, aristocrats, or large corporations?”

“Sorta like the Bilderberg Club.”

Borges = Search results

#36695501

Category: Conspiracy theory

Title: “Bilderberg Club”

A secret council founded in 1954 by Józef Retinger and others.

The meeting is attended by about 130 people, including big-name politicians, financial leaders, CEOs of major companies, monarchs of European countries, and bankers. Due to the contents of the meeting not being made public, conspiracy theories arose, such as “They are plotting to establish a unified government” and “They are discussing a depopulation plan to regulate the world’s total population.”

“This is the first meeting since Master Byakuya became a member. We flew to the Czech Republic for the weekend to go to the Church of Bones.”

“Do you always hold meetings here?”

“Supposedly, at least from what I’ve heard.”

“This here Kutná Hora was called the ‘Treasury of Czech Lands.’ You really get the vibe they're controlling the world from behind the scenes, huh.”

“That’s a strange way of looking at it.”

“Ieyasu found the phrases ‘May the state be peaceful and prosperous’ and ‘May noble lord and servants be rich and cheerful’ on the temple bell, and destroyed the Toyotomi clan as a result during the Siege of Osaka. Metaphors foster conspiracies and create destruction.” Hiroyuki had a pretty serious look on his face. “Anyway, now we know why you guys were in Prague. I never guessed a secret society would turn up, though.”

“How could you be here and meet us now when you didn’t know about the existence of the Council of World Controllers?”

“It’s a piece of cake for an underground corporation, am I right?”

“Are you saying you live in an unrealistic world too?”

“We live in the real world. Nothing too outlandish or unrealistic happens, so it’s impossible to become a world controller.”

“Is that so?”

“There are many organizations of many sizes in the world, and unpredictable events happen at every turn. How can you possibly control such a big crazy world with just one will? I like my fair share of conspiracy theories, but you’re seriously stupid if you truly believe them.”

I don’t necessarily disagree with Hiroyuki’s opinion. You can’t take on the world, it’s impossible to perfectly control schools, companies, and even the smallest organizations like families.

We’re not cogs in a machine or dolls to be played with. Just like how Louis XVI, who developed the guillotine, had his head chopped off by that same blade during the revolution, this world is full of miscalculations and ironies. It’s impossible to control the world.

“Unless you have a ‘poor cow.’” Hiroyuki smiled confidently and turned to Master Byakuya. “Spill the beans, kid. How did this organization called the ‘Council of World Controllers’ get so close to you Togamis?”

“What is this ‘poor cow’ thing you speak of, wannabe mogul?”

“Uh huh. Don’t play dumb with me, now tell me what reason they had to approach you Togamis.”

“Because we’re Togamis, enough said.”

“......”

“I was simply just asked to lead the world, I have no information regarding internal details.”

“It’s not like li’l boss to just run errands.”

“Small social interactions are an inevitable part of making a name for yourself.”

“Or maybe… The Council of World Controllers approached the Togamis to find the secret to their prosperity.”

“Like you did?”

“Kehehe… Say, what was the current crisis that’s threatening the world? A meteorite fall? An alien invasion? Global warming?”

“Isn't it obvious? It’s the Despair Novel that caused the despair disease.”

Borges = Search results

#92778018

Category: Books

Title: “Despair Novel (Restrictions apply, pending verification)”

A common name for the text that is believed to be the cause of the phenomenon that makes humanity despair, i.e. the onset of the Despair Disease. The official title has been confirmed, but it is not introduced on this level due to the possibility that it may cause the Despair Disease.

The original text is believed to be Japanese. It has been translated into 25 languages at present, and is still spreading around the world. It is 3,382 Japanese characters long (including punctuation). It’s classified as a short story and autobiographical novel. There are other parts that are known, but they will not be quoted or outlined on this level.

The Despair Novel, which is spreading rapidly around the world, is said to “make the reader fall to despair without fail,” and those who read it gain a condition called Despair Disease.

To date, there have been no reported cases of people who have not developed the disease or who have returned from the decision after reading it, and it is inevitable that the disease will be contracted once you read the Despair Novel even once.

Methods such as reading quickly, taking your time before reading, stopping halfway through, listening to it being read aloud, altering the text, and starting from the last page are being explored to read it without causing symptoms, but none have been proven safe.

Leaders of various countries have issued orders to burn books, and international organizations including the World Health Organization are also working to find a solution.

Borges = Search results

#55091194

Category: Diseases

Title: “Despair Disease (Pending verification)”

The colloquial name for the symptoms suffered by “readers” who finish the ever-growing Despair Novel (#92778018).

Whatever the language, those who read “Despair Novel” experience mental changes within 24 hours. Self-deprecating, self-abuse, discriminatory, humorous, aggressive, and violent aspects are particularly prominent, and many sufferers describe their state of mind as feeling “despair,” hence the name Despair Disease.

Victims become more open to their own impulses, band together with other “readers” to become violent, and there is a tendency to attack concepts that evoke hope (big companies, prestigious schools, celebrities, aristocrats, wealthy people, etc.).

Additionally, some anti-government activists and terrorists have taken advantage of the chaos caused by the infected and have been operating in secret, leading to civil wars in some countries.

The heads of countries have responded by isolating infected individuals and burning the copies of the Despair Novel, but the “readers” continue to spread like a virus, translating them, printing them, and posting the data on the internet, so the disease has not yet been eradicated.

Also, since reading Despair Novel always results in contracting the Despair Disease, the source, or even a cure, has not been identified. Theories include terrorist weapons, an unknown virus, Super High School Level talents being involved, and it just being mass hysteria.

As no fundamental solution has yet been found, some military analysts and think tanks are of the opinion that “if the phenomenon continues to spread, it could lead to the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history.”

Perhaps because Czech is a minor language, or because absurdist novels are not uncommon in the Czech Republic, there was currently no Czech translation of the Despair Novel available.

The original language of the Despair Novel is said to be Japanese, a language that is nowhere near as minor as Czech. However, there were no signs of the Despair Novel spreading in Japan. The incidence rate in the country has not been high, proving that in Japan, where everyone works hard, anime is aired all night, and 24-hour convenience stores abound, there is no time to read.

If I’m being honest, I’m not particularly interested in the Despair Novel. With the fake World Domination Declaration and Master Byakuya and the world in danger, it completely slipped my mind.

As a member of the Council of World Controllers, I’m sure I would have a vivid sense of conflict and epidemics that occur in faraway countries, but in the end, I only have the sensibilities of an ordinary person.

And so I was currently in a hidden room built into the basement of the Church of Bones. I had hoped to find survivors, but the place was deserted. It seemed no one had made it there. They probably didn’t have the time.