Chapter 52

Below the towering gray walls that separate the Royal Castle from the outside lies a vast open space.

Just yesterday, Tisah’s coffin had been paraded around the capital, but now, smack in the middle of this wide-open area, a tall altar has been erected.

The people living inside the castle walls all know what this means.

An execution platform.

It’s the place where notorious criminals are publicly beheaded after their crimes are announced for all to hear. This method of capital punishment is supposedly meant to uphold the law, but ironically, those who actually enjoy it tend to see things differently—and the organizers are fully aware of this too.

Executions are basically circus acts that entertain the masses. The sight of someone’s blood brings excitement. Watching a sinful human being brutally killed evokes a primal sense of pleasure.

If you’re hearing this for the first time, it might sound hard to believe. You might even think these people are barbaric. But give it some thought—don’t we all get thrilled watching videos online where someone gets torn apart by a mob over one mistake?

This isn’t about being good or evil; it’s more like an instinct ingrained in us through societal evolution. In primitive societies, condemning wrongdoers was necessary to maintain order. If you didn’t ostracize or kill outsiders who broke the rules, your group would collapse.

And guess what? We’re descendants of groups that survived by sticking together. So, it makes sense that this tendency runs in our blood.

As word spread that another bloody festival was about to begin, people instinctively gathered at the plaza in front of the royal castle, eagerly anticipating who today’s screaming villain would be.

Ironically, this crowd was larger than usual due to the recent funeral, which had left everyone feeling down. And among them stood two satisfied figures: a priest and a holy knight.

Seeing the massive turnout, they were thrilled. This was their chance to showcase the glory of the Seongsin Church across the Ansellus Kingdom! They even discussed how best to torment the young girl labeled as the “Evil God” to make her beg for mercy.

In this world, anything goes when dealing with beings declared enemies of the gods—even if she were just a regular human, they wouldn’t have felt an ounce of guilt doing the same thing.

People become truly cruel under two conditions: either they believe they’re right, or they don’t see their target as human. Combine both, and chaos ensues.

Take witch hunts, for instance. Or worse, certain nations that turned mass killings into pastoral routines. Here, comparing it to a witch hunt feels most appropriate.

Of course, Outsiders deserve to be hunted like witches—they aren’t human; they’re beasts.

While the church folks brainstormed ways to “cook” the Outsider, someone else was enjoying the wait.

The Outsider herself.

Though her expression betrayed nothing, she was mentally plotting how to further torment the god once enough people gathered.

But really, her calm demeanor stemmed from something else entirely. From afar, she watched three men in a mansion on the outskirts of the capital intently reading a piece of paper. No one suspected a thing.

Especially not because Tisah’s wife, Thungkeschuni, was quietly waiting among the spectators, hoping to witness the Outsider’s execution.

Should Thungkeschuni decide the Outsider poses a threat and attempt to erase her existence, those book-reading individuals could easily become collateral damage.

There’s no stopping it. After all, Thungkeschuni’s only obligation is to create the book. Beyond that, there are no promises—something the Outsider knows all too well.

Because if needed, she’d ensure Thungkeschuni receives blessings…or at least guide her towards someone already blessed.

Until the trio finishes reading the book, the Outsider plans to bide her time.

She glanced at the chains binding her arms, legs, and neck—restraints placed by the Seongsin Church knights to prevent escape. Inscribed with sacred runes invoking divine power, these chains weren’t just holding her back; they were digging into her flesh like tiny spoons, causing immense pain.

To a normal person, it’d feel like being flayed alive. That’s exactly what the Outsider was enduring—but she barely noticed.

What truly bothered her was the relentless cold seeping deep into her bones, attacking something vital within her. It was unbearable.

That’s why she craved warmth so desperately. For warmth, she’d do anything.

She knew acquiring temporary warmth wouldn’t sustain her forever—that this agony would persist endlessly unless she found a solution.

So instead of succumbing to madness, she looked far ahead. She didn’t expect much, focusing solely on obtaining the knowledge to summon beings from other worlds.

For now, she decided to mess with the god while waiting for the game download to complete, much like casually scrolling through short videos on her phone.

The effectiveness didn’t matter. Just annoying the deity was satisfying enough.

Considering her main quest was acquiring the summoning method, everything else fell under mini-games rather than sub-quests. Things to pass the time.

Thus, she resolved to let loose.

Right up until the moment she was dragged onto the completed execution platform, she kept thinking this way.

Kneeling before the crowd, a holy knight stepped forward to introduce himself. Those familiar with rumors instantly recognized him—a renowned knight of the Seongsin Church.

Briefly introducing himself, he re-read the letter addressed to the king by the head of the Seongsin Church, then kicked the kneeling girl in the face.

Had no one known this girl was the Outsider, the scene would’ve seemed brutally cruel.

Yet the crowd cheered.

After all, there stood an evil witch—or close enough for most people. Language aside, the meaning was clear: a creature deserving a painful death.

“This wicked god made a pact with your hero, Tisah! Do you know why he possessed such superhuman strength? Because he received power from THIS evil deity!”

The square fell silent. This revelation was shocking. The famous Tisah, champion of the Seongsin Church, had conspired with an evil god? Though many dismissed it as nonsense, several figures with purple hair stood nearby.

Purple hair symbolized royal lineage.

This added to the confusion.

Smirking, the knight capitalized on the chaos by recounting ancient tales. He spoke of how heretics worshipping the evil god once invaded and devastated the capital. All of them had purple hair.

He shouted dramatically.

Tisah was once a heretic. Yet he repented and embraced the mercy of the benevolent Seongsin god. While his punishment faded, his sins remained.

Using this speech, the knight intended to tarnish Tisah’s legacy and elevate the Seongsin Church. To him, Tisah was merely an old hero long dead.

By revealing the truth, he believed the citizens would look down on Tisah and revere the Seongsin Church even more.

Unfortunately, here in the capital, Tisah wasn’t just any hero—he was a great king who revived the fallen Ansellus Kingdom, building it into an unprecedented empire.

The adults present remembered his reign. The children grew up hearing his legends.

A crack appeared.

Worse still, the organizers decided to spice things up by letting the Outsider speak.

Holding a long sword, the knight stabbed it into the Outsider’s shoulder and pointed at the crowd, demanding she confess.

A psychological tactic often called self-criticism elsewhere.

Any human would struggle to endure such pressure.

Any human.

The Outsider opened her mouth.

“That’s correct. I bestowed blessings upon Tisah.”

She planned to tell only the truth. Lying would inevitably expose her, so she stuck strictly to facts.

This approach shone brightest during unexpected moments.

“He grew up in the cult known as the Future Hope Church. Born with a pure heart, he questioned the immoral practices of sacrificing lives as offerings.”

Slowly, fragments of Tisah’s largely unknown past emerged.

Perhaps no one in this world knew Tisah better than her current storyteller, who began unraveling his tale—not to reveal the truth, but to poison the world with pure malice.

“Tisah was forcibly brought before me and compelled to receive blessings under threat of death. He had no choice.”

Caught off guard by this unexpected narrative, the knight plunged the blade deeper into her shoulder to silence her.

But to the Outsider, this pain was merely a signal.

“Receiving my blessings saved Tisah from life-threatening danger. Later, seizing an opportunity, he escaped the cult. Determined to stop their immoral deeds, he came to the Ansellus Kingdom. There, his inherent goodness earned him recognition from both the kingdom and the Seongsin Church. Eventually, the church encouraged him to convert, and he accepted.”

This seemed favorable to the Seongsin Church.

The knight eased off the blade embedded in her back, believing this painted the church as forgiving and inclusive. Even the priest behind him thought it sounded positive.

They thought too narrowly from the church’s perspective.

Neither anticipated what came next.

“Even after converting, Tisah continued receiving my blessings because humans have the freedom to choose their religion.”

Who could’ve guessed?

The Outsider declared outright that humans possess the freedom to choose their faith.

She didn’t care about the repercussions.

Her sole intention was to annoy the religious authorities.

Dressed as a monster yet spreading such ideas, she began poisoning the world.

All to buy time for the three readers—or simply to torment the god during their delay.

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