Hieronymus hesitated when he heard my greeting. I can hear the sound of his brain working to grasp the situation.
“Yes, Miss Rebecca. I came to check if you’re doing well.”
Oh? Shouldn’t he ask here who I met and what I talked about? I don’t know if he knows everything but is pretending not to know, or if they’re actually on the same side and are trying to test me.
So I don’t tell lies.
I only answer what I’m asked.
It’s the 5th day today.
There’s only one contract between me and Hieronymus.
So that’s exactly it.
So I just stared blankly. Felt like 5 minutes. Maybe actually about 1 minute? After time passed, I asked Hieronymus.
“What about warmth?”
Is there anything else I should ask besides food?
The goal is superficial. Plan? I don’t know. Other things I know? Nothing at all. From his perspective, I really don’t know anything.
I just crave warmth after coming here. And besides that, there’s only giving blessings.
Actually, I made one mistake.
Joanna was the first food for warmth. But I created warmth harvesters to try a different method.
But now Hieronymus probably knows.
That blessing and eating warmth are different.
There’s a high possibility that he’s realized I’m not simply the being Hieronymus wanted. If something happens, Joanna would probably be the most suspicious after me.
Oh no.
Come to think of it, it’s because of my mistake.
If I had quickly eaten even low-quality warmth there, he wouldn’t have been suspicious.
No. Then I don’t know about blessings.
Hmm. If I put danger and possibility on a scale, now is better. Because at that time, I didn’t know I could give blessings to anyone.
If I had just eaten warmth as it was given, I wouldn’t have been able to secure five more people with warm warmth.
Hehe.
“Please wait a little longer. I’ll bring it as soon as it’s ready.”
He bowed his head. When he bows, his expression can’t be seen. But when he raised his head again, there’s a very faint trace of disgust.
That’s right.
Originally, humans should rightly abhor animals that eat humans. Put them in a zoo, or completely exterminate them and then shed fake tears saying we shouldn’t have done that. That’s how it should be.
You say I’m a beast?
Yes. I’ve become a beast that eats humans. So what? You ask where my humanity went?
It froze.
So let’s put aside these uninteresting facts and move for warmth.
“Yes. I understand.”
I answered. I asked for what I wanted, and that hasn’t changed. I’m really disappointed that I can’t give a blessing to either Andrew or Hieronymus.
Then I could at least see and enjoy what’s between those two.
The fog of war is very thick.
It would be fun to grope around and find your way in such a place. While moving for warmth, wouldn’t it be nice if you could enjoy it?
There are quite a few sparks for that.
For example, there’s Wide who’s passionately evangelizing about me. Now he’s boasting about his power in a place full of warriors of faith. Many people admire Wide and think they can get such a blessing too.
Next, there’s Tis who wants to escape from this pseudo-religion. If he can properly escape, he might pleasantly attack the Future Hope Church someday. But that’s likely to be in the very distant future. He’s still focusing on building his power.
Next, though still uncertain, there’s Andrew. There’s a 50/50 chance his relationship with Hieronymus is bad. Since Hieronymus rushed here so urgently, the possibility of their relationship being bad is slightly higher.
And I’ve also put in a corner of my mind the possibility that he might have deceived Hieronymus’s surveillance, whether by not hearing the sound or by freezing the video itself.
“Then I’ll take my leave. If anything happens, you can contact me through Joanna.”
He said that and left without listening to my answer. Little by little. Very little by little, but his attitude towards people is changing to an attitude towards beasts.
If it were simply a dangerous beast, it would be disposed of, but it just proved its usefulness.
Strengthening of church members.
Bring them in front of me and click, 3 free per day! Sometimes there’s a dud, but it hasn’t happened yet, so it’s a simple strengthening method.
But what’s worrying is that there’s a possibility he won’t send people to receive blessings. Until he prepares sacrifices to provide warmth.
It’s troublesome if he thinks of it as such a trade.
Because for me, both are like meals.
Blessing is like farming, and obtaining warmth is like gathering and eating immediately.
So it would be good if there’s a chance to appeal that, but was it a failure to show too much of a stupid child-like appearance?
* * *
Hieronymus. Real name Yasle. The leader of the Future Church closed the door to the room where Rebecca Rolfe was.
For a moment, the place watching Rebecca Rolfe turned completely black.
The surveillance magic connected to Yasle from the viewpoint looking down from the ceiling was gone. So thinking this monster couldn’t endure and did something, he ran there, but Rebecca Rolfe, sitting in almost the same posture as before the surveillance magic ended, greeted him as she always does when he enters.
It looks straight at Yasle with eyes faintly glowing purple.
Yasle honestly thought it was unpleasant. Like a tamed beast.
A monster craving something related to the soul called warmth. But strangely, that monster is obedient.
Yes. That’s the strangest thing.
No one has tamed it, but while being a monster that craves warmth so much, it knows how to be patient. And Yasle knows.
Animals that know how to be patient like that are smart.
Moreover, if it’s a beast. And if it’s a monster that can shatter the small prison it’s currently confined in at any time.
But in other words, it means that the thing occupying Rebecca Rolfe’s body is faithfully observing the contract.
The one who called first and made the contract is Yasle.
If the other side is faithfully fulfilling the contract, Yasle has an obligation to grant it. Because Yasle knows through countless experiences that the side that breaks it first becomes unfortunate.
He needs to be careful, but that thing can be managed.
Rather, what’s difficult are those who are gradually escaping from the framework of management.
Strictly speaking, it’s not that they’ve escaped from the framework of management, but they were originally such people.
Because although Yasle made it into the form of a sophisticated church, it doesn’t mean there was no Future Hope Church before. He gathered a ragtag group and absorbed other small groups to make it this far.
Especially because it’s only been 10 years, Yasle’s rule is unstable.
He moved his steps while pondering how to deal with those showing signs of going astray with power, and what was the reason for the sudden disconnection of the surveillance magic just now.
That’s when someone blocked his path in front of the corridor he was walking through.
Small stature. And a girl’s face clearly visible because she’s not wearing a mask. Above all, a staff made of skull and spine that clearly identifies the owner even if wearing a mask.
It’s Hyunkeshuni.
Two days ago she met Rebecca without reporting to Yasle. After slipping out of the room, she wasn’t seen by anyone during that time.
At least as far as Yasle knew.
“It’s been two days, Hyunkeshuni. Don’t you have something to tell me?”
Since it wasn’t a place for just the two of them to meet, Yasle changed his expression. But when Hyunkeshuni tapped her staff on the ground, the surroundings instantly turned black.
[Silent Scream Dreamless Grave]
It faintly turns purple. But compared to the dark purple mist Rebecca uses, both the color and energy are a bit paler.
Yasle tensed up. This is a domain that could only be seen when Hyunkeshuni attacked in earnest. She, who has the title of Witch of Joy, has the profession of high-level necromancer.
Due to the nature of the profession, it’s possible to create a domain similar to the world of the dead.
Yasle, who lost many subordinates here when he was a leader of the old religion, calmly asked Hyunkeshuni.
“Are you finally going to betray?”
At that question, Hyunkeshuni giggled. And as if she had no such thought, she shook her head greatly left and right.
“No, no, Yasle. I came because there’s something I must confess to you according to our contract.”
Hyunkeshuni spoke in a very dejected voice, unlike the strangely excited voice Yasle usually heard.
“With such a curtain prepared? It’s uncharacteristically thorough of you.”
“Hahaha, I’m actually nervous even with this. I don’t want to believe it either, but there’s something you need to know too.”
And Hyunkeshuni raised her head, looked straight at Yasle, and opened her mouth.
“I told you before, right? That that’s what we call Cruxshibal.”
“Yes. Why? Did you find out it wasn’t when you checked its identity?”
At Yasle’s question, Hyunkeshuni shook her head left and right and recalled. Yes. Certainly when she met it, she thought it was a beast from another dimension. Or a monster from the void world.
But what she thought was just a simple monster.
A monster like the bad wolf in stories that eats naughty children.
But what was there wasn’t such a small monster. The bad wolf in stories that signifies someone’s death looked like a simple puppy.
“It wasn’t a monster, Yasle.”
“But Cruxshibal is a god?”
“The god you speak of is a being we can hunt. A beast that’s big, powerful, and wise, but that’s all.”
That’s right. Gods can be hunted. The Luminous Theocratic State’s order attacked primitive tribes like that, killed their gods, and civilized them.
They brought people into the embrace of the right god. Not trash monsters that demand living sacrifices, but into the embrace of their god who moved only for human salvation.
The arrow that blew off Rebecca’s face at first, or the sword that cut off the neck of the sacrifice that turned into a monster, are works made with the technique to kill gods.
“That’s different. God. Yes, if it’s a god, it’s a god. But compared to such trivial things, the scale is too different. It’s like comparing a grain of sand to a rocky mountain. Shall I use a different word to make it easier to understand?”
Then Hyunkeshuni even leaned her staff against the wall and pondered.
“It’s not an evil god. That doesn’t judge good and evil. It’s not a death god either. As a necromancer, I can affirm that has nothing to do with death.”
At those words, Yasle asked without realizing.
“You’re saying a monster that demands sacrifices to give up warmth isn’t a death god?”
“Think back again. Did it create the dead? When it ate the sacrifice’s warmth, the sacrifice turned into a monster.”
At Hyunkeshuni’s words, Yasle recalled the scene he saw that day. He brought two strong warriors of faith as guards, and brought one usable human from among those kidnapped.
At that time, after having its warmth taken away, it certainly turned into a monster, but it was clearly alive. If we hadn’t killed it in advance, it would have just become a monster.
“When it lost something important, it fell into a similar state. It’s that kind of monster. But among the gods I know, there’s nothing fitting.”
As Hyunkeshuni said, there were no words in this world that could describe Rebecca. So now she’s creating a neologism.
“So let’s call it an existence beyond that. An outer god that came from the void where we thought only laws existed, with nothing else.”
“Is she a monster that needs to be called that?”
At those words, Hyunkeshuni slowly nodded.
“That’s simplifying it to the extent that we can understand. With that, we barely shaved it down to a level we can understand by putting it in the frame of a god. It’s even at the level of just attaching a shell after removing all the important information.”
Hyunkeshuni continued speaking while chuckling as if she couldn’t hold back her laughter. The only one who knows that this laughter of Hyunkeshuni stems from fear is, mischievously, only Rebecca at this time.
“Be careful, Yasle. This is sincere advice.”
But Yasle could tell that Hyunkeshuni was trying to give sincere advice. So rather, he was puzzled. While liking so much that such a new monster has come, probably rejoicing that new knowledge has increased, why are you speaking to that extent unlike the Witch of Joy?
“An outer god. Good. If it’s for revenge, it’s good to have a powerful god attached. I’ve become a heretic too.”
Hyunkeshuni looked at such a Yasle with dark eyes filled with despair. Of course, being soaked in despair was her default state, but even so, she couldn’t help but look like that.
At that time, Hyunkeshuni went back and recalled what Rebecca said while suppressing her fear. And the more she ruminated on it several times, the more faintly she saw its identity.
It’s not a powerful god. It shouldn’t be viewed so logically. She swallowed such words. Because there was no way to explain further.
So she could only plead once more like this.
“Be careful, Yasle.”
And her unfortunate point was that there was someone in front of her who didn’t know her.
“But Hyunkeshuni. You contacted the outer god without listening to my words and as you pleased? Then it’s punishment. Go and figure out what kind of being the outer god is.”
For Yasle, this was close to goodwill. If you enjoy meeting such a scary being so much, go and feel both fear and joy, he gave both punishment and reward.
Not knowing that it would become the most terrible punishment, he forced punishment on Hyunkeshuni, whom he disliked.
“You’re really a son of a bitch.”
“You flatter me.”
And the black curtain there disappeared. Hyunkeshuni trudged along like a cow being dragged to a slaughterhouse, then saw Yasle heading towards where he was going without looking at her.
“Hieronymus.”
“What is it?”
“The one who twisted your magic was Andrew. Idiot.”
Hyunkeshuni, who made a satisfied expression seeing Yasle looking at her in surprise, moved her steps again towards the place where Rebecca was.
It was a terrible order, but she certainly had to figure out the existence called the outer god.
On this day. Many people’s hearts crossed paths.