Chapter 58

The first world gradually began to change.

All the Harvesting Systems were gathered in the Ansellus Kingdom, so it was impossible to know all the facts precisely.

But you could kinda see which way things were flowing.

An anti-Seongsin Church movement started in the Ansellus Kingdom.

When you looked at it through the eyes of the Harvesting System, not everyone in the Ansellus Kingdom outright hated the Seongsin Church.

It was more like a tantrum. The people, exhausted by two years of famine, needed somewhere to vent their frustration.

And it wasn’t like they stormed the Seongsin Church from the get-go.

They just verbally criticized it and stuff like that.

But the timing was super bad. Sure, the timing sucked, which is why the people rose up, but there were also plenty of sharp individuals on the Seongsin Church side.

Famine’s always a tough time for all living beings.

Just like how getting hit when you’re sick makes you even angrier, the Seongsin Church decided to crack down big-time on other religions.

An order filled with such intentions arrived at the Ansellus King from the Seongsin Church headquarters.

Only problem? It portrayed the Ansellus Kingdom as if it were an enemy nation.

The king summoned all the nobles for a meeting. And during that meeting, he unfolded the order from the Seongsin Church.

The contents demanded that the king and nobles of the Ansellus Kingdom hand over nearly everything they had as tribute and thoroughly suppress any religion other than the Seongsin Church within their borders.

Neither the king nor the Harvesting System were happy about this.

In other words, there was a high likelihood others wouldn’t be happy either.

So, practically speaking, the Ansellus Kingdom ignored the Seongsin Church.

Even so, erasing the Seongsin Church after believing in it for so long met resistance from many who refused to separate themselves from it.

Plus, while it seemed like rejection, it was actually more like partial compliance—paying some tribute and bowing slightly, essentially accepting it.

But the Seongsin Church sent another order demanding they follow what was written.

And it happened several times.

Finally, one came threatening excommunication against the Ansellus Kingdom.

From the king’s perspective, there was no money to fulfill all that. To pay tribute, they’d have to squeeze the nobles dry, which would definitely spark rebellion—something even I could tell watching from afar.

Especially since the famine made squeezing people out of the question.

While trying to manage public sentiment through diplomacy, the king, being part of the Harvesting System, grew increasingly gaunt day by day. Despite having a strong body, he eventually collapsed from illness.

But apparently, the Seongsin Church didn’t care. Eventually, the king’s younger brother took over his duties, only to have relentless demands fly toward him, treating the kingdom as if it owed a debt.

And those demands weren’t for gold or treasures—they wanted food.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, a year passed where the Ansellus Kingdom could neither advance nor retreat.

The famine showed no signs of ending.

Year three of the famine.

The forests became barren, fields were empty of grass, reports of cannibalism poured in from everywhere, and starvation victims started appearing in the capital.

At this point, the king’s younger brother gathered the people in the plaza of the capital, announced the Seongsin Church’s demands, and declared that the kingdom could no longer endure.

It was practically an announcement of doom.

But the commoners already had an alternative.

Yeah.

Amidst extreme hunger and resignation to death, a few reached out to me.

And they said that someone with special abilities would appear, right?

A person who could turn stones into bread appeared.

Originally, he was a Harvester known only to certain people in the capital. He desperately hid his ability, fearing higher-ups would take it away.

He approached the king’s younger brother and proposed worshiping a new god. But the acting king questioned him, saying he saw the old gods die that day.

The Harvester argued that he received blessings after the old gods disappeared, insisting that the Outsider hadn’t vanished completely, persuading him.

The king’s younger brother believed him and decided to believe in another god.

Overnight, the national religion changed.

It was an era where even the nobility were starving. The miracle of the Outsider spread like wildfire.

But it wasn’t like a typical cult. Since they knew the Seongsin Church, they borrowed its doctrines and patched together a somewhat plausible set of teachings to spread.

The nobility, especially those involved with the Harvesting System, refined and expanded its influence.

Those who merely rebranded the Seongsin Church as the Outsider added a few new myths.

I brought along some words from when I disappeared from the first world.

Yeah.

Belief doesn’t guarantee salvation.

Humans have the freedom to believe and the freedom not to. The Outsider gives blessings without asking for anything in return.

They cleverly combined this into a religion focused on saving others. Forgiveness requires no price. When giving gifts to others, don’t expect anything in return.

The funny thing is, do you know who created these doctrines? They were neatly organized by none other than Martin and 17 others.

Once back in the Seongsin Church but ultimately exiled to the fringes due to their unnatural purple hair, they needed a new faith.

And amid the famine, they latched onto the swelling belief in the Outsider.

Knowledgeable folks are scary, huh?

Frontline heretic hunters fighting against other religions wield tremendous power when attacking their own.

A forgiving god.

A god who cares for humanity.

A god that guarantees freedom.

A god for the lowest of the low.

A god who freely bestows blessings.

In no time, the Outsider Faith spread far and wide.

And it became known that purple hair marked those blessed by the Outsider, and some revealed blue-tinged skin among the blessed.

Difference sometimes breeds sanctity.

Dakota, a child destined to die at the hands of Xungkeshni, survived.

I know because I closely watched her, considering her a rare talent. Initially, people thought her pale skin was a disease and avoided her, but her purple hair saved her life.

Despite starving for dozens of days or being beaten until her bones cracked, Dakota miraculously survived thanks to her vitality.

As times changed, she was revered like a saint of the Outsider Faith.

Of course, she didn’t believe in it. I heard her mutterings alone in private.

She had been thinking only about her revenge on the witch all this time.

I knew she was listening.

She judged that sitting here would help her exact revenge on Xungkeshni. So she decided to play the role of the saint people desired.

When the three-year famine finally ended and things slightly improved, she met Martin. Not just Martin, but everyone present when the Outsider died.

But this wasn’t because Martin or the former holy knights and priests of the Seongsin Church had any particular thoughts.

They were half dragged there.

Because the Outsider had appeared.

Huh?

I haven’t even gone to the first world yet, right?

I’m full of questions watching familiar faces.

A petite girl with long blonde hair—though small in stature, her chest was quite impressive.

She introduced herself as Rebecca Rolfe.

What are you doing here?

Considering it’s been 84 years since she left her body, she should be close to a hundred, yet she looks young. Can receiving blessings let you live this long?

Wait, Rebecca never received blessings in the first place, right?

I was startled and focused on the Harvesting System.

It turned out Martin and the former holy knights and priests of the Seongsin Church were almost dragged there because they’d seen the Outsider up close.

They claimed the Outsider had truly returned.

But Rebecca denied it.

She said she was merely a vessel for the Outsider.

I don’t know what Rebecca Rolfe is thinking.

If she knows everything I think, then she knows I’m an evil monster.

If I say something here, the truth I slightly distorted might be corrected.

For example, what happens when warmth is stolen from people.

Then the illusion surrounding the Outsider would shatter.

But I lack the power to manipulate this situation.

So all I could do was stay quiet and observe.

And Rebecca spoke the truth she knew.

That the Outsider desires warmth.

That it watches over people through the eyes of the blessed.

And that a terrible method was used to summon the Outsider.

She recounted what happened until her heart was ripped out and she died in the Future Hope Church.

And that the Outsider saved her as it departed.

Martin stammered and asked,

“Is this… a resurrection?”

“Correct. Put your ear to my chest and listen. There won’t be a heartbeat. After dying once, I can no longer die.”

Martin felt extremely uncomfortable. His gaze kept flickering to Rebecca’s chest before pulling away. That’s when Dakota approached her.

“I’ll do it.”

Rebecca, who had been carefully observing Dakota, soon smiled broadly and opened her arms wide.

“Oh, what a dear child! Alright, come here.”

And as Dakota approached, she embraced her, pressing Dakota’s ear to her chest. Instead of the sound of a beating heart, something whirring could be heard.

My altered heart is still there.

As Dakota tried to push herself up, her body wouldn’t budge despite her effort.

“What…”

As Dakota tried to ask, a faint whisper accompanied her breath through her ear.

“You whose name cannot be spoken. Are you listening?”

Rebecca whispered softly into Dakota’s ear. “You whose name cannot be spoken.”

That must be referring to me.

“We will meet again soon.”

And immediately, she released Dakota. Dakota touched her ear with a troubled expression. Rebecca smiled at her and then addressed everyone present.

“Well, kids. Let’s move for the Outsider. This body is here for that purpose.”

Everyone looked at Rebecca with troubled expressions. But as she began explaining, their expressions changed.

I know this method. It’s the principle of how a religion spreads in a certain world, adapted to fit this one.

Together with that, a prayer was born.

Using the prayer originally intended to torment Xungkeshni, she inserted me into it and modified it for the Outsider Faith.

At least she knows what I’m doing and acts accordingly, knowing that stealing warmth harms people.

I don’t know why.

Dakota seemed unaware, but I detected intense hatred on Rebecca’s face. Maybe she’s grown disillusioned with the world.

Well, that’s enough.

I decided to keep watching how the first world would unfold with anticipation.

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