Hyungkesuni heard the story of Tisah being spoken by the Outsider from afar.
Whisper…
The Outsider’s ramblings had no effect on Hyungkesuni’s heart.
Pfft!
Of course, Hyungkesuni knew the Outsider was speaking some truth. But it sounded more like a monster trying to curry favor with the people of Ansellus Kingdom.
Snicker!
So, she didn’t react at all to the mention of religious freedom.
Shrug!
After all, Hyungkesuni had been hunted by various religious groups in the past. In her life, gods had always been on the opposite side.
Duh!
Thus, even if someone told her that people had the freedom to choose their religion, she could only wonder why anyone would say something so obvious.
Roll eyes!
To someone who stood outside the gods, the notion of having the freedom to believe in a deity held no weight.
Thud!
It wasn’t like there was a promise of blessings if she believed, and if there was freedom to believe in the gods, those already believing in the Holy God wouldn’t change their stance.
Zip!
Of course, hearing these words now made the Holy God seem a bit cowardly, but would anyone genuinely give up their faith? So it must be just nonsense to fool people.
Ha!
Thinking this way, Hyungkesuni sat on the terrace of some unknown person’s house, gazing at the execution platform.
Gaze…
However, it was getting a bit boring.
Yawn!
Watching the Outsider getting hit in the face or trying hard to curry favor made her feel good, but she wanted to see something more stimulating.
Zing!
For example, the Outsider on the execution platform, crying and begging for their life.
Wahhh!
As Hyungkesuni contemplated casting a curse, the Outsider on the execution platform kept speaking.
Chat, chat!
“I blessed Tisah as long as he was alive, and when he died, the contract was completed. So, according to our promise, I went to him to receive his last warmth.”
Flutter…
It was a pure statement of fact.
Nod!
Knowing that warmth was important to a person and understanding what happens when someone loses it, Hyungkesuni wondered if the Outsider was confessing their sins before dying.
Hmm…
Those with knowledge can often forget how the uninformed think.
Duh-duh!
When you know something, you assume everyone else knows it too. It’s an easy mistake to make, and Hyungkesuni fell into that trap.
Bump!
You really have to experience this a lot to understand.
Oof!
While trying to share her knowledge with someone who doesn’t know, one realizes how difficult it is to explain that knowledge to them.
Whew!
But Hyungkesuni had no such experience.
Nada!
Had she taught Yasle?
Eh?
He was already an expert. With just a bit of knowledge that only Hyungkesuni possessed, he could organize and apply it in his own way, being bright and knowledgeable.
Smartypants!
So, she carelessly mistook how people would receive the current story.
Wha-?!
“But something prevented it. It stopped me from fulfilling the last promise.”
Doom!
There’s a phrase about a person’s warmth.
Warmth…
It’s a phrase that’s hard to use negatively. And speaking of the warmth just before death, people would think of it as being there to see them off on their final journey.
Sniff…
And the Holy God prevented that.
Wha…
“I condemned it, and then it did this.”
Sizzle!
Everyone knows what that “something” is.
Duh!
It’s the Holy God.
Ding!
Originally, even hearing such words, it was hard for the people of Ansellus Kingdom to think negatively of the Holy God. If you say something bad about the deeply-rooted faith and deities in society, the person’s just considered a heretic, that’s it.
Bash!
Insults would bring a mob with sticks, but…
Thwack!
In other words, just because the Outsider said a few words, the faith in the Ansellus Kingdom wouldn’t be shaken.
Boop!
Unless they had humiliated Tisah just before this.
Oh no!
Human greed sparked anger.
Grrr!
Just a little jealousy that someone blessed by the Holy God was outside the Holy Church didn’t sit well.
Pout!
Of course, the Holy Church had their excuses.
Wink!
Because the God spoke directly.
Boom!
“Go and defeat the Evil God!”
Go, go!
A powerful authority was issued that you could do anything in Ansellus Kingdom. If this is hard to understand, think of it as opening a simulation game. Once it starts, gamers usually like to cruelly kill people, right?
Slice!
The word of the God was a compelling justification for wanting to do anything.
Zing!
It melted away the reasoning of the people.
Meltdown!
Here, all the members of the Holy Church had studied theology thoroughly. Not just basic theology but also had excellent political skills.
Smart cookies!
Because otherwise, they wouldn’t be in this position right now.
Duh!
However, the call of the God was so intense that it melted even their rationality.
Blow!
The frenzy of ‘can do anything’ blew away rules people should uphold, not to mention even the minimum caution.
Wheee!
Heading to oppressed regions to spread faith might be enough motivation, but using such authority to punish the weak was going too far.
Yikes!
Because of that power, members of the Holy Church crossed lines that should not be crossed.
Oops!
Had it been long ago and forgotten, it wouldn’t matter, but they had just buried their leader yesterday.
Ooof!
A rift developed between the Holy Church and the people of Ansellus.
Crack!
And through that gap, the words of the Outsider seeped in.
Slip…
“Does humanity unilaterally break a contract without any cost, even if there’s someone who initially made the deal? Or is it that if it’s the God, they can disregard any contract?”
Dum!
The Holy Knight reacted immediately to the Outsider’s words.
Bam!
“You dare to speak carelessly of the Evil God! Our Lord would never allow the redeemed ones to be taken back! Even if deceived by the treacherous devil’s words, as long as we have our Lord’s teachings, we shall walk the righteous path!”
Hoorah!
Perfect score for the words of a believer.
Gold star!
But, there was a deadly secret that shouldn’t be revealed.
Gasp!
“Then, the Holy God blocked the fulfillment of the contract. The Holy God would never abandon those who have entered into their embrace?”
Ominous!
The Outsider was confirming.
Hmm…
The priest, sensing a sense of dread, tried to interrupt, but the Holy Knight spoke slightly faster.
Zoom!
“Yes! Our omnipotent Lord is a greatness you could never hope to touch! I shall now slay you and re-establish His greatness!”
Slash!
The sense of dread was mutual for the Holy Knight. So he drew the sword embedded in his shoulder and raised it high above his head.
Thrust!
But he had already made a painful mistake. By answering, he lost his right to strike the Outsider.
Oopsie!
“But I have received Tisah back. There may have been some hindrance, but it quickly fell apart. So, I wondered if it meant it was abandoned; was that its true power?”
Dig!
It looked like a question, but it was a dead-end.
Spin!
Either lose omnipotence or lose mercy.
Gulp!
Swoosh.
Instead of speaking further, the Holy Knight beheaded. It was too late, but this way, it would be the end.
Chop!
If the Outsider died, it would be a clean kill.
Splash!
But no blood splattered.
Bloop!
Instead, cracks appeared at the spot where the head had been, like glass or ice shattering under a heavy object.
Crack, crack!
And among them, one line penetrated the head of the beheading Holy Knight.
Thud!
“Uh, uh, uh?”
Gasp!
The Outsider touched the Holy Knight through the crack. And grasped a white light.
Glow!
Attempting to snatch away the warmth right in front, yet displayed superhuman patience, so resisted.
Hold back!
Instead, licked the light.
Slurp!
As soon as it licked, it gained the memory of the Holy Knight, and the light transformed into a purplish glossy black. And that change occurred in reality as well.
Flash!
In an instant, the Holy Knight’s hair turned purple, and his healthy brown skin turned snowy white.
Wow!
Whispers.
Sounds of surprise spread from all around, and the other Holy Knights nearby aimed their swords at the one who had cut the Outsider’s neck.
Point!
Creeeak.
From the crack, something crumbled.
Crack, crack!
Precisely, it was the noise coming from the edges of the hole breaking apart, widening.
Boom! Boom!
People who’ve heard glass or ice cracking under something very heavy could roughly guess what it meant.
Ugh!
Something immensely heavy was on top of the hole.
Thud!
But that sound lasted for just a moment.
Tick!
The cracks spreading around were sucked into the hole. And inside and outside flipped, then the hole disappeared as if it hadn’t existed from the beginning.
Pop!
What remained in the spot where the hole was, was a girl with long purple hair.
Whoosh!
The evil god, who had just been beheaded, showed no wounds.
Haah…
“If you kill me, you receive a blessing. Of course, I’m not going to force you to believe in me. Believe in the Holy God if you want. Humanity has freedom of religion.”
Smile!
Speaking that way, the Outsider took a moment to collect their thoughts.
Hmmm…
This gave the public the time to focus on what the Outsider had said, just as they desired. And unexpectedly, it emphasized the next sentence.
Ding!
“There’s also freedom not to believe in the gods. If you don’t want to believe in the Holy God, who would abandon you, that’s also fine.”
Ha-ha!
The Outsider smiled brightly.
Joy!
When this Outsider thought, “Ah, I’ll be going back below the surface,” as they were beheaded, they quickly grasped the situation and spoke.
Snap!
Their improvisation was remarkably adept.
Zap!
They skillfully poured poison into their words.
Shhh!
Naturally explaining that the Holy God would abandon those blessed by Him.
Buzz!
At the Outsider’s words, the Holy Knight, Martin, faltered and backed away. The heat in his mind, fueled by faith, faded, replaced by the coldness of reality.
Chill!
Looking around, he saw the fellow Holy Knights aimed their swords at him.
Uh-oh!
That pierced his heart.
Boing!
How much had he devoted himself to the Holy God throughout all his years to be facing a sword now?
Gulp!
“The Holy God abandoned you just like He did Tisah. So, allow me to make a suggestion.”
Ding!
At that moment, the Outsider proposed.
Chime!
No matter how much he had reluctantly received blessings from the Outsider, he wouldn’t let this Outsider go freely. Holy Knight Martin resolved that.
Swish!
But that suggestion wasn’t directed at him.
Huh?!
The Outsider turned away from the execution platform, standing up from restraints.
Stand tall!
And bowed to the members of the Holy Church.
Bow!
“I’ll die here, so please forgive others. Just like me, I only blessed humanity. I also bear the sin of giving powerful strength to those who fell into deep despair before, so I will disappear from here.”
Thud!
Yet.
Tick-tock!
No one in that place understood what was being said.
Blur!
Hyungkesuni knew that the Outsider was the phenomenon of losers suddenly exploding, becoming the motif of primitive faith. But having not prayed to the gods, she had no idea what those words meant.
Huh?!
They were unaware of the fundamental reason that Future Hope Church captivated people’s hearts.
Ding!
The God of the lowest rung.
Bam!
Claiming that He forgives people and declares that they also have the freedom not to believe in the gods.
Surprise!
The Outsider truly wore a blissful smile.
Smile!
“I’ve already accomplished everything.”
Ta-da!
Now, three people in a mansion on the outskirts of the capital finished reading a book.
The end!
