Chapter 89: Quite to My Liking

Яҽａⅾ ȯ​ṅ ​Ḱａ​țŔε​ａｄɩṅցСа​ｆе

Since ancient times, the act of circling around a certain object, tower, or castle has been performed as a kind of ritual.

It could be a ritual to pay homage to something sacred, or perhaps a ritual to secure victory in battle. There are many variations. For example, there’s the story of how blowing a trumpet after circling a massive castle seven times caused it to collapse in an instant.

Such tales are also applicable in this world, so Riley simply widened his eyes.

He thought it would be better than direct contact, so he went ahead and circled it once. And it worked—only Sugar disappeared.

Cedric came up from behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Calm down. I can roughly guess the function. A teleportation device… or perhaps an isolation chamber. Given that only that girl disappeared, it’s likely something only they can use.”

“…”

“Even if she hasn’t received their baptism, she once carried the evil god’s power. That’s probably why she was transported.”

Riley didn’t respond and instead pulled out his staff.

“Did you put a tracking spell on her?”

“Yes.”

After reuniting, he had reapplied a tracking spell to her headband. Following the traces, it abruptly cut off.

Since tracking wasn’t possible, the answer became somewhat clear. Rituals require as much dedication as the value of what one desires. No matter how much you perform a ritual, it’s unreasonable to expect long-distance teleportation after just one circle without any offerings.

So, where could it be? Where did Sugar disappear to?

There’s a crystal tower here. It’s made of the crystal of a gem dragon, which blocks the influence of magical power.

Riley calmly suppressed his surging magical energy and quietly glared at the crystal tower.

*************************

To Sugar, the followers of the Shadow Cult were “those who always had dull, lifeless eyes and acted without a sense of self, following the orders of the apostles.”

They spoke minimally. Having no will of their own, they would even carry out orders to die without hesitation. That’s how they were portrayed in the original game, and that’s how she had seen them in this life as well so there was nothing particularly strange about it.

Rather, it was the beings before her now that were strange.

“the true Saintess… please liberate us.”

“Punish the false apostles.”

“How can you remain so serene? Grant us the peace of a tranquil lake…”

‘These guys, they sure have a lot of desires.’ They’re brimming with self-awareness. Their eyes are clear and bright, which is even more unsettling.

Sugar hid her reaction. In truth, her back had been drenched in cold sweat for a while now, but she was good at pretending to be unfazed.

It’s about time to say something impressive.

Something impressive… something impressive…

“—Wherever I go, I shall not waver, for I lean on His arm.”

“Ahh…”

“Saintess…”

“Our Lord…”

They prostrated themselves once more.

‘Hmm. Quite to my liking.’

This is how those who serve a saintess should be. They should worship her. What kind of insane religious group would strip their saintess of her senses and lock her in a basement?

Although the people before her were part of said insane religious group, they still felt different.

‘Come to think of it, they’ve been talking about liberation and false apostles. It’s been nagging at me.’

Were they imprisoned here? By the hands of those false apostles?

Sugar looked around. No matter how she looked at it, it was a closed space with no windows or exits. She had literally been dropped out of thin air.

‘A kind of prison…’

Focusing her senses, she scanned the magical energy in the air and found it to be extremely faint. Had the evil god’s energy clinging to her body absorbed it all?

‘The moment I entered here, the evil god’s energy reacted to me and gathered all at once.’

As she studied the followers’ conditions, she noticed various patches of white discoloration speckled across their skin; the heavy, dark magical energy affecting them visibly.

Yet, they looked up at Sugar with wide, clear eyes.

When Sugar met their gaze, they quickly bowed their heads.

“…How did you come to be here? Speak, and I shall listen.”

What followed was a scene reminiscent of a flock of chicks.

As if they had been waiting, they all started chirping at once, their voices filled with sorrow. It was impossible to make out what they were saying. She could tell they were resentful, but the specifics were unclear.

Sugar raised her hand.

“Only one of you, speak.”

The followers, who had fallen silent, glanced at each other before pushing forward the one who looked the oldest.

“Your name?”

“Paul…”

“Very well. Paul, I ask you: Who imprisoned you here?”

“The false… beings unworthy of being called apostles, and the corrupted apostles.”

False, beasts, corrupted. Quite the mess for heretics, from the perspective of the Holy Church, they’re all the same.

“They persecuted and oppressed us for not following their will. They imprisoned and exploited fellow followers. They arrogantly distort His teachings and violate the doctrine. Saintess… please punish them. Guide us with His true will…”

As he spoke, another follower beside him wiped away tears and muttered, “If only Apostle Louveci were here…”

“Where is Apostle Louveci now?”

“After being branded a traitor, the Apostle disappeared. But now, you have come to us, Saintess. We believe this is a sign to clear our names. Please, help us wash away this stigma…”

“…So, you were once her followers.”

The followers prostrated themselves once more.

The situation was becoming clearer.

Even among heretics, there are levels.

There are those who are irredeemably evil, and then there are those who simply believe in a different god but are otherwise reasonable. The problem is that the god they believe in is one that says, “I love humans too much, I must become one with them.” But if they want to quietly worship in their own corner, what can you do?

And it seems the people before her belong to the latter. Followers who lived under the gentle teachings of Louveci.

In the original story, they would have all been dealt with after Louveci’s death.

However in reality, Louveci’s fate is unknown but her standing has certainly fallen. In the meantime, a new faction has successfully taken control of the Cult, and the purge has begun.

‘Is that why their activities have been scarce lately?’

The internal affairs must have been in chaos. And now, they must be plotting something.

It’s unlikely they would make such conspicuous moves just to purge opposing forces. A crystal tower filled with dark magical energy.

“Why are they trying to release His power into the world?”

“…Huh? Didn’t you come here knowing that?”

Sugar emitted dark magical energy.

“W-we were forcibly brought here without any information given to us, so it’s hard to say anything definitive… However, I do remember those heinous beings referring to us as ‘fuel’…”

After finishing his words, Paul muttered, “Please, withdraw your power…”

Sugar waved her hand, retracting the magical energy, and then began to think again.

Fuel… Fuel.

Fuel to be offered to the demon god’s power?

Is this inside the crystal tower?

She had experienced something similar in Steele. A multi-dimensional overlapping space; Spatial entanglement.

A clearing much larger than it appears. Accidents caused by overlapping spaces in the dormitory. There are even doors that lead to different places each time they’re opened.

The mysteries of spatial entanglement are profound, and their interpretation is still ongoing. Even Steele, completed two thousand years ago, has many spaces that haven’t been fully understood to the point where some areas have been sealed off.

For now, she understood the situation. There’s still much she doesn’t know, but it seems these people don’t know either. The Saintess can’t afford to keep showing her shortcomings.

‘First, let’s escape.’

Sugar pulled out her staff.

But then she stopped.

‘…That wall. Can I break it?’

To get out of this enclosed space, she’d have to break through the wall. But isn’t this inside the crystal?

She’s not sure what would happen if she broke that wall. Would the crystal tower also shatter? Or would it lead to another dimension?

Either way, it’s not a pleasant thought.

The former would result in the outside being devastated. The latter is too uncertain and unstable.

Or something entirely unexpected could happen.

‘But… something feels off.’

Sugar looked around. The followers were staring blankly at her, their bodies and clothes partially whitened.

Then. She looked at the wall. It was a gray stone wall, but some parts were white.

Just as she was frowning at the sense of dissonance.

“Ah… Ahh…!”

Someone’s mouth fell open.

That was the trigger. The followers began to tremble and huddle together. They looked like herbivores again.

“I told you not to fear.”

“S-Saintess… Please, calm this fear.”

They pointed behind Sugar and pleaded with her desperately.

Sugar turned around following their gestures.

There was a small girl.

Black hair and red eyes. Quite cute.

Her body was tiny, even smaller than Sugar’s when she was a child wearing only a black dress.

On her head were animal-like ears that twitched incessantly, suggesting they weren’t just decorations.

“…A beastkin?”

“T-that’s a beast… Saintess. That thing is a beast.”

“Calling a beastkin a beast is a bit harsh.”

“That thing is indeed a beast.”

They were trembling, huddled in a corner, hiding from each other. Sugar looked at them incredulously before turning her attention back to the front.

It was gone.

The girl was gone.

The moment she realized it, the girl lunged from the left with a whoosh and bit deeply into Sugar’s upper arm.

Flesh tore away immediately, and blood sprayed out.

As the sharp pain and surreal scene sent chills down her spine, she heard murmurs from behind. It sounded like an incantation to overcome fear.

“How can a person eat another person… That’s why it’s a beast… It can only be a beast…”

In front of her, the beast with its mouth stained red, was chewing on Sugar’s flesh with relish.