Chapter 16

Hieronymus flinched upon hearing my greeting. The sound of his mind whirring to grasp the situation was almost audible.

“Ah, Lady Rebecca. I’ve come to check on your well-being.”

Hmm? Shouldn’t I be asking who he met and what they talked about here? But then again, maybe he knows everything already and is just testing me, pretending ignorance. Or perhaps Hieronymus and I are truly on the same side, and this is some kind of test for me.

So no lies shall pass my lips.

I’ll only answer questions directly.

It’s been five days now.

Between Hieronymus and me, there’s only one contract binding us.

Just that much, and no more.

Thus, I simply stared at him blankly for what felt like five minutes—probably closer to one in reality—before finally speaking.

“Where’s the warmth?”

What else would I ask for but food?

My goal? Just surface-level stuff. Plans? None whatsoever. As far as he can see, I truly know nothing.

I’m merely here seeking warmth after arriving. Beyond that, all I do is give blessings.

Though… I did make a mistake.

Joanna was the first nourishment I took as warmth. But afterward, I created a warmth harvester to try out alternative methods.

Now Hieronymus will figure it out eventually.

That taking blessings and consuming warmth aren’t the same thing.

He’s probably realized by now that I’m not what he hoped for. If anything happens next, Joanna would likely be the prime suspect after me.

Crap…

Guess it’s my fault.

If I’d eagerly taken even low-quality warmth back then, he wouldn’t have suspected a thing.

No, wait—if I had, I wouldn’t know about blessings.

Hmm… Weighing risks and opportunities, things worked out better this way. Back then, I didn’t even know I could bestow blessings.

If I’d just greedily consumed every bit of warmth offered, I wouldn’t have been able to secure five fine sources of warmth later.

Heh heh…

“Please bear with me a little longer. I’ll bring it to you as soon as it’s ready.”

With that, he bowed his head. While bowed, his expression remained hidden—but when he raised it again, there was a faint trace of disdain.

Of course.

Humans should naturally loathe creatures that eat other humans. They should lock them up in zoos or drive them extinct before regretting it later. A single fake tear drop. That’s how it should be.

You ask if I’m an animal?

Yes, I am. I’ve become an animal that eats people. So what? Where has my humanity gone, you ask?

It froze solid.

So let’s set aside these unpleasant facts and move forward for the sake of warmth.

“Yes, understood.”

I replied. My objective remains unchanged: to seek what I desire. Though I feel a twinge of regret that either Andrew or Hieronymus hasn’t yet received my blessing.

It would be fun to observe the relationship between those two.

Especially since I might enjoy watching at least one side of their interactions.

The battlefield is shrouded in thick fog.

Finding my way through such places adds its own excitement. When moving about in search of warmth, it’s nice to find ways to enjoy the process.

There are plenty of sparks to play with.

For instance, Wide, who’s zealously spreading the word about me. He’s currently boasting among many faithful warriors about his strength. Many look up to him, believing they too can obtain such blessings.

Then there’s Tisah, who wants to escape this cult. Someday, possibly far in the future, he might launch a satisfying attack against the Future Hope Church once he’s built up enough power. For now, though, he’s focused on strengthening himself.

Then there’s Andrew, whose relationship with Hieronymus is uncertain. Given how suddenly Hieronymus arrived, the odds slightly favor a strained relationship between them.

Also, I’ve kept in mind the possibility that Hieronymus’s surveillance was deceived somehow.

“Then I shall take my leave. Should anything arise, please contact me through Joanna.”

Saying this, he left without waiting for my response. Bit by bit, ever so slightly, his manner of addressing people is becoming more like how one would address beasts.

Were I merely a dangerous beast, I’d have been disposed of by now. But fortunately, I’ve proven useful.

Strengthening members of the church.

Bring them before me, click a button, and get three free enhancements per day! Occasionally there’s a dud, but it hasn’t happened yet, making this a simple means of enhancement.

The only concern is that they might stop sending people for blessings before preparing offerings of warmth.

Thinking of it as a mere transaction would be problematic.

Because to me, both are essentially meals.

Blessings are like farming, while obtaining warmth is akin to immediate collection and consumption.

So it’d be nice to have an opportunity to showcase this, but maybe portraying myself as overly naive was a failure?

***

Hieronymus. Real name Yasle. As the leader of the Future Church, he closed the door behind Rebecca Rolfe.

For an instant, the location where Rebecca Rolfe had been monitored turned pitch black.

The surveillance magic connected to Yasle from the ceiling had vanished. Thinking this creature had lost patience and committed some act, he rushed over to find Rebecca Rolfe sitting in nearly the same position, giving her customary greeting as he entered.

Her pale purple eyes stared straight at Yasle.

Frankly, Yasle found it distasteful. Like dealing with a tamed beast.

This monster that seeks some element related to souls, called “warmth,” is oddly compliant despite being so strange.

Yeah, that’s the weirdest part.

No one tamed it, yet this warmth-seeking monster shows remarkable restraint.

And Yasle knows.

Animals capable of such restraint are intelligent.

Especially beasts. Especially ones that could easily destroy their small prison anytime and escape.

But conversely, this means the thing inhabiting Rebecca Rolfe’s body is faithfully adhering to the contract.

Yasle was the one who first summoned and made the contract.

If the other side is faithfully upholding their end, Yasle has an obligation to reciprocate. He knows from countless experiences that the party who breaks the contract first suffers.

While caution is necessary, she can still be managed.

Rather, the real challenge is managing those gradually slipping beyond control.

Strictly speaking, they were never fully under control to begin with.

Though Yasle refined the church’s structure, the Future Hope Church existed in some form long before. Gathering ragtag groups and absorbing smaller factions brought it to its current state.

After only ten years, Yasle’s rule remains unstable.

Particularly troubling are those showing signs of straying while wielding power. And Yasle ponders why the surveillance magic connection was suddenly severed earlier as he moves along.

At that moment, someone blocked his path in the corridor ahead.

Small stature. An unmistakably visible face due to lack of mask—a girl’s face. Most notably, the cane made from a skull and spine that clearly identifies her even if masked.

Thungkesuni.

Two days ago, she met Rebecca without reporting to Yasle. Afterward, she disappeared from everyone’s sight.

At least as far as Yasle knew.

“Do you have something to report after two whole days, Thungkesuni?”

Since others were around, Yasle phrased it differently. But when Thungkesuni tapped her cane on the ground, the surroundings instantly turned black.

[Scream Wailing Shadow]

A faint bluish hue appears. However, compared to Rebecca’s deep violet mist, both color and energy appear paler.

Yasle tensed. This was the domain Thungkesuni only manifested during serious attacks. Known as the Witch of Ecstasy and a high-level necromancer, she can create realms resembling the world of the dead.

Having lost many subordinates in such a realm during his days as a religious leader, Yasle calmly asked:

“Finally decided to betray me?”

Thungkesuni giggled and shook her head vigorously.

“No, no. Yasle, I’ve come to confess something to you according to our contract.”

Unlike her usual excited tone, her voice sounded unusually deflated.

“You went through all this trouble to prepare a barrier? You’re being unusually thorough.”

“Hehehe, even doing this makes me uneasy. I don’t trust you, but you need to know something.”

Lifting her head to meet Yasle’s gaze, Thungkesuni began speaking.

“Remember what I said before? That thing we call Cruxshibal?”

“Yeah. What? Did you discover it isn’t what we thought?”

Shaking her head, Thungkesuni recalled. Indeed, when they first met, it seemed like a demon from the shadow dimension or a monster from the void.

But thinking it was just a simple monster was mistaken.

Like the wicked wolf in stories that eats naughty children.

Compared to what’s actually there, such a minor monster seems like a harmless puppy.

“It’s not a monster, Yasle.”

“A god, then?”

“The gods you speak of are ones we can hunt—large, powerful, wise, but ultimately monstrous beings.”

Indeed, gods can be hunted. The Linglang Church raided primitive tribes, killing their gods and civilizing them.

Bringing people into the fold of the true deity, not some trashy god demanding sacrifices, but a god working solely for humanity’s salvation.

The arrow that initially blew off Rebecca’s face and the sword that severed the necks of transformed sacrifices were crafted using techniques to slay gods.

“This one is different. Sure, a god. But comparing it to those minor deities is like comparing a grain of sand to a mountain. Let me put it another way…”

She leaned her cane against the wall and pondered.

“Not an evil god. It doesn’t operate on good versus evil. Not a death god either. As a necromancer, I affirm it has no relation to death.”

Hearing this, Yasle couldn’t help but question:

“A monster demanding warmth and sacrifices isn’t a death god?”

“Think about it. Did it create undead? When it consumed the sacrifice’s warmth, the sacrifice transformed into a monster but remained alive. If not killed beforehand, it would’ve just turned into a monster.”

Recalling that day, Yasle remembered bringing two strong faith warriors as escort and selecting a suitable human from the captives.

Though the chosen human did transform into a monster after having its warmth drained, it was definitely still alive.

“It fell into a similar state after losing something vital. That’s the kind of monster. But among the gods I know, none quite fit.”

As Thungkesuni said, there were no words in this world to adequately describe Rebecca. So now they’re coining new terms.

“Let’s call it an Outside Entity. Something that came from the empty void, where supposedly only laws exist, bringing forth incomprehensible existence.”

“Should we really refer to her as such a monster?”

Nodding slowly, Thungkesuni replied.

“That’s about as simplified as we can make it and still understand within the framework of ‘god.’ Even then, we’ve stripped away crucial information, leaving just a shell.”

Unable to contain her laughter, Thungkesuni continued. Only Rebecca, ironically, understands that this laughter stems from terror.

“Be careful, Yasle. This is sincere advice.”

Yet Yasle could tell Thungkesuni was genuinely trying to warn him, which puzzled him. She usually revels in new monsters and expanding knowledge—why is the Witch of Ecstasy acting so uncharacteristically cautious?

“An Outside Entity, huh? Fine. Having a powerful god on our side would be great for vengeance. I’m practically a heretic anyway.”

Looking at Yasle with despair-filled dark eyes, Thungkesuni couldn’t help herself.

When recalling Rebecca’s words and suppressing her fear, a vague outline of the truth emerged each time.

Not a powerful god. Thinking about it logically won’t work. She swallowed that explanation because there was no other way to articulate it.

So she had to ask again, imploringly.

“Be careful, Yasle.”

Unfortunately for her, someone unfamiliar with her stood nearby.

“Thungkesuni, you acted without consulting me and contacted the Outside Entity. Your punishment is to go investigate exactly what this Outside Entity is.”

To Yasle, this was almost a kindness. If she enjoys meeting terrifying beings so much, let her experience both terror and joy.

Punishment and reward combined in one package.

Unaware that this would become her most horrifying punishment, Yasle forced it upon the reluctant Thungkesuni.

“You’re such a damn prick.”

“My apologies.”

The black barrier dissipated. Thungkesuni trudged forward like cattle heading to slaughter, catching sight of Yasle walking past her without a glance.

“Hieronymus.”

“What is it?”

“It was Andrew who tampered with your magic. Idiot.”

Watching Yasle’s surprised expression with satisfaction, Thungkesuni resumed her steps toward Rebecca’s location.

Though the order was terrible, she did manage to learn something about the Outside Entity.

Today, many hearts were conflicted.

---