Chapter 165

Episode 165. Cernunnos

****

The inside of the infantry fighting vehicle was surprisingly spacious. Originally designed for adult males, it felt quite roomy by my standards.

“Where are we heading now?”

Operator Paper.

She plays the role of a normal human in the Director’s Office and also serves as my personal assistant. She insisted on coming along, so… It’s her choice to follow, but if she dies, it’s not my problem.

“The Garden, a supernatural space.”

“Hmm, I know it’s a bit of a stretch. I’ve never set foot in a supernatural space before. But since I participate in decisions at the Director’s Office, I thought I should at least see it once…?”

Fair point. That’s why I brought her along.

There’s a bit of a dilemma with Paper. Some argue that the more Paper knows about the world behind the scenes, the more helpful she’ll be. That’s obvious, but here’s the problem.

The more Paper knows about the Foundation, the further she strays from being the “normal human” she was brought in to be.

Eventually, Paper might just become another ordinary Foundation employee. That’s probably how it’ll end.

“Paper.”

“Yes.”

“According to Dr. Chae’s containment procedures for Cernunnos, we need to offer a human sacrifice to this monster twice a year, during the spring and autumn equinoxes.”

The plan has changed a bit from the original. It has helped reduce sacrifices somewhat.

Paper frowned. The infantry fighting vehicle rattled as it moved forward. I guess this still seems abnormal to a normal person.

“That’s… unfortunate.”

“We see it as unavoidable.”

“Is the process painful?”

“I don’t know. Cernunnos physically devours them, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt for long, right?”

“Can’t we anesthetize the person being sacrificed?”

“Pain is part of the ritual. That’s why we can’t use dying people, clones, or monkeys for these rituals.”

The symbolism of a “real person,” the power of pain—these are all components of the ritual.

They’re often crucial components. It’s a bit too late for trial and error. If the situation is under control, changing variables is risky.

“If we can’t change the ritual, how about modifying other things? Like finding a way to save the sacrifices… Oh.”

Paper held her forehead.

“Not easy, huh?”

“My head hurts.”

It only takes a drop of the absurd to ruin a bucket of common sense.

We need someone to sacrifice to an ancient god. How should we select this person, and how can we treat them most ethically?

There’s no real answer to this. Well, for now, the people we need are usually brought from prisons.

“Let’s get out soon.”

Paper gathered her gear and got out of the infantry fighting vehicle. I glanced at the back of her head. She’ll die young if she keeps going into the field.

“Don’t take the lead, Paper.”

“Ah. Sorry.”

We’re in front of the Center of the Garden.

A massive concrete building erected long ago.

****

We entered the facility.

We walked in silence for a while. Paper was holding some combat gear, ready for entering a combat zone.

What gear is Paper carrying? I wondered. Earpieces, a gas mask, and goggles.

She was wearing something resembling a military uniform, but it didn’t seem like she had a bulletproof vest. Well, she’s not built to carry one. She was holding a strangely shaped gun.

Where have I seen that? Ah, right. It’s the 5.56mm recoilless rifle, a bizarre creation. It was designed so even non-combat Foundation personnel could use it.

They used to hand out pistols to non-combat personnel, but pistols are notoriously hard to aim without training.

Eventually, the pistols handed out gained a reputation within the Foundation as tools for suicide, and this was the more practical alternative.

A gun anyone can shoot without recoil. There’s a downgraded version of this, the Foundation-made rifle with vertical-horizontal recoil control.

Anyway… I just wanted to say that Paper is carrying a gun she can actually use.

“Is it dangerous?”

“A little.”

This is the building at the center of the Garden, where Cernunnos is imprisoned. We cleaned it thoroughly, but nothing’s perfect. We couldn’t gather enough manpower to fully staff this massive facility.

“But there shouldn’t be any hostile entities inside besides Cernunnos.”

“Who is Cernunnos?”

“Think of him as a forest god. Huge, with deer antlers, and all that.”

I stopped walking.

“Paper, wait outside. If something happens, call me.”

Paper nodded. I looked at the iron gate leading to Cernunnos’ area. I don’t know why I’m not scared.

****

Arrival.

The Garden. Cernunnos’ prison.

It was just as I had seen it months ago.

The massive Cernunnos was chained with seven chains at the center of the Foundation facility’s Panopticon, staring at me.

“Long time no see, Cernunnos.”

“It’s you again.”

“Hello. How have you been?”

“As you can see. Being imprisoned is quite unpleasant.”

“Oh. We’ll release you soon.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Cernunnos.

A nature god imprisoned in the supernatural space called the Garden. A being bound within an old building inside the Garden.

Who, how, and why he was imprisoned—I don’t know.

Probably the Foundation did it. Honestly, I can’t imagine how. Why? Probably to freely use the Garden.

Crude oil comes from inside the Garden, after all. Thinking about it, I can kind of see why Cernunnos is here. Anyway.

“Release the chains.”

“Uh, we’re working on it.”

Of course, we can’t release him.

It’s uncertain if we can re-contain Cernunnos. We could discuss it with Hasti, Dr. Chae, or the Foundation’s magic team.

But it feels a bit unfair to increase their workload.

There’s no real reason to, either. The Foundation’s mages have already provided a reasonable method to control Cernunnos.

“Insect. When I first saw you, you were literally just a monkey.”

“You flatter me.”

“You’ve become a monster worthy of standing alongside the ancient god-emperors and the old beings of the past, with your own pantheon…”

“Huh?”

“The Child of the Stars, the Black Seed, the Serpent of the Abyss, the Created Miracle, the Fragment of Salvation, even the Garden—all are yours. You have the power to grasp half the world.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Let me think.

The Child of the Stars is probably Dr. Chloe. The Black Seed is Niguras-4? The black seed? Hasti?

The Serpent of the Abyss is obviously Jörmungandr, and the Created Miracle is the Blue Rose.

The Fragment of Salvation is probably the Popos. Thinking about it… I really have gathered a lot of gods.

In the few months since I last fought Cernunnos, much has changed. I’ve grown stronger, and even ancient gods bow their heads just at the sight of me.

Like Cernunnos now.

The power I need isn’t anything else.

The power to protect myself. The power to protect those dear to me. And the power to keep the Foundation from messing with me.

The first two are easy. Just stay in the fortified area of Foundation Facility 82. The third is a bit harder. A lot harder.

I wonder if such power even exists in the world. The Foundation Headquarters isn’t infinitely powerful, right? Probably…?

Cernunnos looked at me.

“Serve me as your master.”

“Release all the chains now, and I’ll consider it.”

I thought for a moment. How much can I trust Cernunnos? If I release him now, would he just destroy the Garden?

I should decline the offer.

Pride leads to destruction. Supernatural phenomena are inherently uncontrollable, and if you’re lucky enough to control them, it’s best not to touch them.

It’s like the code of a predecessor whose workings I can’t understand at all. If you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it. If you don’t know why it works, just don’t change anything.

“Declined.”

“A pity.”

“My apologies.”

“Monster. Get lost.”

I bowed to Cernunnos. Whether he’s a comrade, a Pokémon, or a prisoner, there’s no need to be rude.

****

The meeting ended inconclusively. I thought Cernunnos would throw a fit, but he seemed in a better mood since we fed him a few days ago. Paper was waiting outside the Panopticon area.

“How did it go?”

“Success. Cernunnos is still imprisoned, and we had a decent negotiation.”

“But what does Cernunnos mean?”

“That? It’s a nature god from Celtic mythology. That thing isn’t actually Cernunnos, it’s just what I call it.”

Paper frowned.