TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 213
The fire was out.
Even in the late night.
Even at early dawn.
The fire that was always lit at the inn had been extinguished.
Should I feel puzzled?
Or should I think nothing of it? The emotion felt in the calmly settled senses was not confusion but unease.
Mana was flowing out from the inn. It was too powerful to belong to just an ordinary Adventurer and too eerie to belong to a Wizard.
Now I think I understand.
Why the fire at the inn is out.
And why the Apostle of Mercy is in the North. It feels like I’m finally grasping the situation.
“Dark Mana…”
The Ultimate Goal of the Heretics is the recreation of the world.
Reviving the Evil God to erase regrets of the past and sorrow over lost memories, and to start anew—that was the Ultimate Goal of the Heretics.
The weapon used by the Heretics with their absurd dreams was none other than Dark Magic. It was an abnormal powder fueled by emotions as its medium.
The method of replenishing Dark Mana varied from person to person.
Some through murder.
Some through Twisted Justice.
Others accumulated Dark Mana through envy and jealousy.
I don’t know Olaf’s conditions, but one thing is clear: he didn’t come to the North without reason. After all, he was a figure entrenched in the Heretics, educating Believers.
‘Still, there is hope. Is that it…?’
I quietly closed my eyes and spread my Sense Perception. Then, I let out an empty laugh.
“Ha…”
I couldn’t sense anything.
Not a single sign of anyone’s presence.
Not even the number of people inside.
I couldn’t glean even the slightest bit of information.
‘Is this what they call a Rank Difference…?’
In the moment of hesitation, as my heart wavered.
-Ding.
The one I wished wouldn’t appear was now forcing me to make a choice.
[Q. A Name That Can No Longer Be Called.]
Somewhere in the North.
A Girl who lost her Mother at a young age lived there. Lonely yet resilient.
Even when teased by other children saying, ‘You don’t have a Mother,’ the Girl would shout back, ‘Well, your Father ran away!’ and bravely endured the sadness with her Father.
The Girl disliked the lonely and barren life in the North, but she was happy to be with her Father.
Fishing on the ice.
Sleeping in her Father’s arms.
Warming themselves by the fireplace together.
The Girl was happy and content.
When the Girl became an adult, she began to dream of one thing: to succeed and make her Father live comfortably.
She wanted to stop gathering firewood and instead buy it, and she wished her Father wouldn’t have to work with aching shoulders anymore.
To the Girl, her Father was someone the world couldn’t do without.
Nobody would know.
How much the Girl loved her Father. To her, he was like a pillar.
If her Father disappeared, the Girl would be deeply sorrowful. To the point of pouring out resentment on someone.
(!) Save Yuria’s Father ‘James.’
1. Rescue Yuria’s Father ‘James.’ (0/1)
2. Survive against the Apostle of Mercy ‘Olaf.’ (0/1)
Reward: New Realm, Rehabilitation’s Touch Lv. 2
Failure: Yuria’s ‘Hatred,’ Annihilation of Rehabilitation’s Touch, James’s ‘Death’
───────────
“I’m not even surprised anymore.”
I let out an empty laugh and looked at the Blue Window. I had delayed too much, far too much.
I stretched, feeling the stiff thumping of my Heartbeat.
‘Can I win?’
-Thump. Thump.
‘It’ll be hard, won’t it?’
Still, what choice do I have? What can I even do?
I can’t fix the Lady’s Legs, and when a beautiful woman cries, what can I do? Feeling weak to the Crying of a Beauty, I let out a bitter smile and gripped Tirbing.
‘Let’s go.’
Olaf’s Mana didn’t seem to be abundant, so there seemed to be a chance. Whatever the case, I’m a Possessor, and there was no opponent I couldn’t defeat.
I patted the head of the Young Lady, who was drinking milk with a blank expression, and smiled.
“Ugh… My hair’s getting tangled.”
“It’s fine. It’s not my hair anyway.”
“Eeeek!”
In a Calm Voice, I spoke to the Young Lady.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes.”
“Could you wait here for a moment?”
The Young Lady tilted her head, a Question Mark on her Head.
“Why?”
“Hmm… I’m thinking of an excuse, so please wait.”
“I need to sleep soon, so I can grow taller.”
“Pfft… That’s true. But it seems the inn isn’t fully cleaned, so I need to go help.”
Seeing the Young Lady’s expression, as if asking why I’d clean when we’re paying to stay, I gave a small smile and gently tugged at her cheek.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Ugh… It’s cold.”
I placed the Young Lady’s wheelchair far from the inn and crouched down to speak.
“I’ll be back soon.”
I headed toward the inn and softly called out someone’s name, infusing Mana into it.
‘Mr. Hans.’
After all, insurance was necessary.
*
The inside of the inn was dark.
It was eerily quiet, and the chaos of a rough battle was evident, with the tables in disarray.
‘Splash.’ The damp floor caught my shoe. The sticky texture and the familiar smell of the floor made me let out a bitter smile and mutter softly.
“So the rumors of being a renowned Adventurer in his youth were true.”
Under the Moonlight streaming through the window, the traces of the battle were vividly clear.
Three corpses that appeared to be Devotee-level.
One corpse that seemed to be Inquisitor-Level.
And the sword displayed on the first floor of the inn was missing.
James. No, it must have been Yuria’s Father who did this.
With a pained smile, I followed the trail of the Bloody Battle, and before long, I stood before a Bloodstain leading to the stairs.
It continued.
The blood flowing from one person hadn’t dried and led toward the second floor.
Hesitating, I lifted my head and stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor. The eerie creak of the wooden steps echoed in my ears.
“This is intense.”
I slowly drew Tirbing, steeling my Determination. And at that moment.
-Crunch….
Outside the Window, an Enormous Something began to cast a shadow. It was grotesque to be called human and too massive to be a Demonic Beast, as it blocked the Moonlight and revealed itself.
I gave a small smile and snapped my fingers.
-Snap.
Things seemed to be going easier than expected.
*
James clutched his abdomen and clenched his fist.
The pain felt like it would burst.
His legs gave out.
Even standing was reaching its limit.
James let out a hollow laugh and muttered to himself.
‘This is ridiculous…’
James gritted his teeth as he recalled what had happened just moments ago. Thinking he shouldn’t have opened the door to the merciful-looking Old Man’s words.
James bit down.
-We’ve come to share good words.
-Ah, you’ve come as a group.
-…
-How many rooms…
-…Show mercy.
-What?
-Grant a Room to Stay to a wandering prophet.
-So, how many…
-Mercy… Show mercy, I said.
James coughed up blood and struggled to breathe.
“Why are you doing this…”
He let out a scream filled with Injustice, pleading to those who had used Violence against him.
If they had just asked for money, he would have gladly given it. James, filled with questions about why they resorted to Violence, looked at them with trembling eyes.
The Believers, breathing heavily.
And the Old Man in a White Linen Robe, at whom James directed his Resentment.
“Why are you doing this! I’ll give you as much money as you want.”
The Old Man in the White Linen Robe smiled kindly and began to step toward James.
-Click. Clack. Click.
The Old Man clasped his hands together in a Reverent Posture and began to speak.
“God does not desire money.”
“…What?”
“God merely wishes for His followers to act. To know God’s heart and act accordingly—that is Faith.”
The Old Man, speaking incomprehensible words, stroked his short white beard and addressed James.
“Brother, you have doubted God’s will.”
The Old Man, with a body too robust to be a typical Cleric, gazed at James with a pitying look.
“Isn’t that right, Brother?”
“…Who are you people.”
“We are Clerics who believe in God. Shepherds who spread doctrine and guide with pure Faith.”
The Old Man extended his hand and brushed James’s chin. The rough Palm, filled with Calloused Skin, chilled James’s skin as it touched and then withdrew.
Removing his hand, the Old Man smiled in satisfaction and began to preach to James. Explaining why they had done this, what James’s fault was, and speaking calmly in a Reverent Voice.
“Heh heh… We asked you to show mercy, Brother.”
“And I said I’d give you money…!”
“God does not ask twice. The sheep simply follow the Shepherd’s Voice… A beast developing self-awareness is an unacceptable thing.”
The Believers, listening intently to the Old Man’s words, kept their mouths shut and nodded. In the strange atmosphere created by the Believers, who were busy jotting something down in their Pocket Notebooks, James, alone, didn’t know where to focus his trembling eyes.
“I intended to use this humble Inn today for prayer.”
“To hear God’s Voice.”
“To receive strength from God to survive the trials that lie ahead, I intended to make use of this place. Do you understand?”
Olaf’s Voice gradually grew more intense. His expression, like the one Ricardo and Olivia had seen in the Snowfield, filled with chilling emotion, stared down James.
“I’m offering to make it useful, so why all the fuss.”
Olaf finished his sermon and started slashing his wrist, sprinkling blood on the floor.
As the dripping blood touched the ground, it sizzled, forming a Utopian Pattern.
The Black Magic Circle slowly and meticulously encircled James, drawing a perfect circle. And the moment the circle was completed.
“Gah…!”
James’s breath was strangled.
“Gah… I can’t breathe…!”
His blood boiled, and the Pain that felt like his heart was about to burst overwhelmed James. His vision gradually turned red, and his hands and feet began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Guh…! Cough…”
James, gasping for air, grabbed Olaf’s hand. Begging for his life, pleading desperately. In the torrent of Life-Flashing Memories, he clung to the hope of seeing his daughter until the very end and spoke earnestly to Olaf.
“Save me…”
“…”
“Please save me… I have a daughter. A family…”
Olaf’s eyes landed on a Small Picture Frame placed on the desk.
A beautiful and elegant woman.
Olaf picked up the frame and smacked his lips.
“Ho… If you offer this woman, I might reconsider.”
“What…?”
“She seems suitable as a toy. Hmm, yes, she doesn’t seem like she’d bore me.”
“You bastard…”
“How about it? I’ll give you an hour. Will you offer her? I’ll make her a precious lamb receiving the Shepherd’s love.”
James, seething with rage, lunged at Olaf.
“You son of a b*!!!”
At that moment, James saw an Enormous Something.
Outside the Window, it was staring at him.
Too massive to be a Demonic Beast, and too grotesque to be human—a Monster.
It had the shape of a horse.
-Clatter.
Overwhelmed by Fear, James dropped the Sword Gripped in Hand. He had never seen such a Monster in his life. Yes, it felt like a grotesque amalgamation of all living beings.
Only now did James realize the purpose of the Magic Circle surrounding him.
‘Prey…’
As the Overwhelming Fear threatened to sever James’s life.
-Flash.
Crimson Lightning began to pour down on the head of the Colossal Demonic Beast.
-Rumble…
Without pause.
It began to pour.
At the moment James’s Pain began to subside, a familiar Young Man’s Voice was heard.
“Pick on someone your own size. Filthily.”