2 – Prayer

Pibbslow Fortress.

In front of the Head of the Small Temple’s room.

Velosa arrived at the Head of the Small Temple’s room, guided by Hans.

“Thank you.”

“I-I just did my job!”

“…”

Velosa approached Hans and brought her face close to his.

Though hidden by a veil, Hans had a strong impression that their eyes met.

Velosa whispered in his ear.

“If it’s alright, would you come to the Head of the Small Temple’s room when your shift ends? I’d like to thank the hardworking knight properly.”

“Huh..!”

A sultry voice.

Breath touching his ear.

Hans’s face turned bright red.

Velosa released Hans and stepped back, smiling at him once more.

Hans returned to his post with a red face, laughing awkwardly.

He forgot to even answer.

No, his answer was sufficient.

Velosa chuckled as she sent Hans off, recalling how he couldn’t take his eyes off her chest and fidgeted nervously.

“How cute. Should I eat him up?”

She licked her red lips.

The maid opened the door to the Head of the Small Temple’s room.

“You’ve arrived.”

Head of the Small Temple Tostol.

He bowed.

She sat in the chair he had prepared.

Velosa crossed her legs and asked.

“First, tell me what you know.”

“Congratulations.”

Tostol knelt before her and offered his congratulations.

“I heard you successfully smuggled out part of the Progenitor’s body. With this, we’ve taken another step towards reviving our clan. Congratulations.”

“…”

“You don’t look very happy. From what I know, I heard the Death Knight stole the sealed artifact… But I guess that’s not the case?”

Velosa’s expression was indifferent.

She said:

“Those people wouldn’t have deceived me. They were visibly frustrated. Besides, they have no reason to lie to me. I’m the most crucial person for resurrecting Him, so it makes no sense for them to antagonize me.”

“Then…”

“You must have been deceived. You’ve made quite a few enemies to get here, haven’t you?”

“But there’s no reason to deceive me either. Why would they keep it a secret from me, the Head of the Small Temple, when the seal has disappeared?”

Indeed, there was no reason.

Yet Tostol had heard that the Death Knight had stolen the seal.

The knights believed so.

There must be a collaborator.

If he heard it was stolen despite that, only a select few or just the leader must know.

“It must be one of two things.”

Velosa pointed at Tostol.

“Either you were deceived, or everyone was deceived.”

“Everyone, you say?”

“From what I’ve heard, wasn’t there someone who entered the sealed area before the knights?”

“Yes, a woman named Amel.”

“If you weren’t deceived by Beogeureo, then it means everyone is being deceived by Amel. There’s no other explanation.”

“But for what purpose?”

Velosa folded her arms, lifting her chest.

Whatever the purpose, circumstantial evidence provides the answer.

The opponent is the Hero.

Can’t take it by killing her.

However,

“Whatever her purpose, we just need to take it directly.”

“Directly, you say?”

A curse.

Left by the Death Knight.

That’s what he said.

“Amel is under a curse. The Archbishop said he’ll launch a large-scale attack soon. We just need to kill her once.”

Velosa raised her index finger.

“Just once.”

We only need to kill her once.

She had heard some interesting information from the Death Knight.

Amel was cursed to become undead if she died.

It was one of the solutions proposed by the Eternal Order to counter the Hero who resurrects without a corpse, by turning even the Hero into an undead without exception.

“The Eternal Order seems prepared to suffer losses to kill Amel. It will escalate into a huge war. Several Death Knight-level forces are moving. If we intervene, we’ll just be caught in the crossfire between giants.”

“Are you saying there’s nothing for us to do?”

“There is.”

Knock knock.

At that moment, someone came looking for the Head of the Small Temple’s room.

The maid opened the door,

Grabbed Hans’s arm, brought him inside, and headed towards the inner bedroom.

“Don’t kill him by drinking too much.”

“”Yes~.””

Hans was dragged away by the maids with a silly grin, not understanding Velosa’s words.

He even forgot to answer.

No, his answer was sufficient.

Velosa chuckled as she sent Hans off, recalling how he couldn’t take his eyes off her chest and fidgeted nervously.

“Prepare for the attack. Make as many knights as possible into sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices, you say?”

“Can you do it?”

“…”

Tostol smiled lustfully, as if that’s what he wanted to do.

The next day.

Amel visited the small temple.

“Is anyone here?”

Inside was a priest cleaning the small temple.

He approached quickly, holding a broom in both hands.

“Good morning. Are you here for morning prayers?”

“…”

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to do that too.

Guided by the priest to the inner area.

Sitting on a pew, she looked at the symbol inside and closed her eyes.

She offered a [Prayer].

‘God, hello.’

Text appeared inside her closed eyes.

The god answered.

[Hello.]

‘I borrowed someone else’s Wish Stone. Can I use it?’

[You can use it.]

‘Does information that affects the game consume the Wish Stone?’

[That’s correct.]

‘Then…’

What should I ask?

The curse?

‘Is it possible to remove the curse embedded in my heart? Without killing the Death Knight.’

[It can be removed through a saint’s purification.]

Oh.

‘Where is the saint?’

[Currently approaching Pibbslow Fortress.]

It seems to provide the saint’s location within a range that doesn’t affect the game.

‘Pibbslow is here, right?’

[That’s correct.]

‘You’re saying the saint is coming here?’

[That’s correct.]

Then I can ask for purification when she arrives?

With the curse embedded in my heart, I can’t die carelessly. I asked thinking there might be a way, and the answer comes on its own.

As expected, since [Death Knights] are involved, correspondingly skilled individuals are gathering.

Another question…

Clasping both hands, [Prayer].

‘God, do you know about the dungeon called the Altar of Blood?’

[A Wish Stone is required.]

‘What kind of monster is sealed in the Altar of Blood?’

[A Wish Stone is required.]

‘Is a Great Devil sealed there?’

[That’s correct.]

Using [Prayer], I realized that information collected by the player during the game is reflected and provided without using a Wish Stone.

As expected, a Great Devil was sealed in the [Altar of Blood].

But anyone who’s not a fool would know that much.

‘What should I ask to get the best value?’

I thought hard.

Hmm…

‘This is giving me a headache.’

Win wasn’t here.

She hadn’t returned yet.

Jang Yu-ha’s intuition doesn’t tell me such specific details.

She just said I could ask freely, but that’s all.

I changed my mind.

Instead of asking about the Great Devil sealed in the [Altar of Blood], let’s ask something else.

Anyway, judging by the lack of response from the sealed dagger so far, the seal is probably still intact. Then I just need to keep holding onto it.

So…

‘Where are sealed locations like the Altar of Blood or the Trial of Strength?’

[A Wish Stone is required.]

I paid a [Wish Stone].

It disappears from my inventory.

Coordinates were marked on the [Map].

[Subquest ‘Great Devils Sealed by the Northern Empire’ has been generated.]

<Subquest>

[Great Devils Sealed by the Northern Empire]

The [Prayer] response continues.

According to the god’s answer, it seems the Northern Empire had been fighting against Great Devils.

They succeeded in subjugating and sealing 31 out of 72 Great Devils.

However, they lost their main forces in the continuous battles against the Great Devils,

Eventually, they had no choice but to end with sealing the last 3 during subjugation.

Those 3 were each divided into 6 parts and sealed in sealed lands created in each territory of the Northern Empire.

[The Great Devils were divided into head, heart, left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg for sealing, and the Altar of Blood and Trial of Strength were among those seals.]

[The Great Devils sealed by the Northern Empire are as follows:]

1. Great Devil of Connections.

   • Grants substantial power to relationships, wielding widespread influence.

2. Great Devil of Magic.

   • Can use all magic in the world and unravel all magic.

3. Great Devil of Blood.

   • Shares the power inherent in the blood of those with blood.

[Currently, the seals are weakening.]

“…”

There are many Great Devils.

‘It’s a wonder they didn’t perish.’

The Heroes of that time must have been competent.

I was able to hear a lot of information for just 1 Wish Stone.

It feels like the god’s desire for quick subjugation is being conveyed.

Kindly marking the coordinates, I could go right now if I wanted.

‘But I should postpone it since I need to meet the Emperor.’

There’s also the subjugation of [Dream].

There’s so much to do.

It’s really complicated.

‘It was more comfortable when I was just climbing the Tower.’

I slightly regret taking this detour.

I finished the [Prayer].

I unclasped my hands.

“Was your prayer sufficient?”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

“…Hero, um.”

“..?”

The priest called out.

“Did the Head of the Small Temple not summon you?”

“I heard he called. I was planning to meet him soon, why?”

“I see…”

The priest’s professional smile stiffened even more.

“As a Hero, you must have seen many monsters while traveling outside, right?”

“Well, I suppose so?”

Only the northern continent so far.

I answered, going along with it for now.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask before you meet him.”

“..?”

“While it’s a punishable offense to doubt the Head of the Small Temple, I feel I must voice my suspicion.”

“What is it?”

Amel took a step closer.

“But before I tell you, do you know anything about humanoid monsters that suck blood?”

“Blood?”

“Yes.”

“I do.”

The priest’s eyes flashed.

“Are there such monsters?”

“They don’t seem to be well-known in this world, but all summoned Heroes would know. Vampires or blood-suckers. Monsters that look no different from humans.”

“Blood-suckers…”

“Yes, blood-suckers.”

The priest repeats, “Blood-suckers…”

“Have you seen a vampire, Priest? Someone sucking blood. If you’ve seen one, did they perhaps…”

I grabbed both of the priest’s shoulders and mimicked opening my mouth and bringing it to his neck.

“Try to bite you like this?”

“Y-Yes.”

The priest’s face turned red.

“Then it must be a vampire. Where did you see them, and who was it? The Head of the Small Temple?”

“There are outside women the Head of the Small Temple called. Yesterday, when I was going to clean the Head’s room, I saw a knight with bite marks on his neck.”

“…”

Does being bitten mean becoming a vampire?

I couldn’t be certain what type of vampire exists in Full Dive, so I couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Considering the monsters I’ve encountered so far, it’s likely that traditional aspects are reflected to some extent.

More importantly, there’s something odd about the priest’s information.

“But just seeing bite marks on a knight’s neck wouldn’t be enough to know there’s a blood-sucking monster.”

Especially if you didn’t know about vampires.

“That’s…”

The priest set the broom against the pew and pulled at the collar of his priestly robes.

“I was bitten too.”

“…”

The bare skin of the priest’s neck.

There were two clear holes.

He was bitten.

He was bitten, but?

Huh?

Amel closed her eyes, then opened them, focusing [Killing Intent] in her pupils.

The priest flinched in fear,

An information window appeared above his head.

[Vampire]

Gray text.

Ah, as expected.

He’s infected.

I closed my eyes again and let go of the [Killing Intent].

“Can I ask you one thing first?”

“Please ask anything.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“That’s…”

The priest added a hint of bitterness to his professional smile.

“I thought a Hero like you, Amel, could solve everything. Is that too simple?”

“…”

I shook my head.

Amel felt a bit bitter too.

“You know you’ve become a vampire, right?”

“So it is true? I did feel like I had changed.”

“It seems they left you alone thinking you’ve become one of them, but seeing you report this to me, it looks like you’ve retained your self-awareness.”

“…”

“Can I ask why, for future reference?”

“…”

The priest pondered the reason.

“Could it be faith? I’ve heard that if you accumulate faith, you can firmly maintain yourself even in the face of mental confusion.”

“Then you must be admirably devout, Priest. The god must be proud of you.”

“Thank you.”