Chapter 123: Village of Sinners

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each time the rock slammed its head down, it felt as if the mountains were shaking.

After it did it three times.

The rock rubbed its nose bridge with a tearful expression.

“M-My nose is broken…”

“You dare talk back to a Transcendent?! Has your liver left your belly?! Want me to switch your left and right brain with sorcery?!”

“N-No! Absolutely not! I’m sorry!”

‘Does it even have a brain?’

‘Forget that, does it even know what a brain is?’

The group watched the whole thing unfold as they dusted off the dirt on their bodies from using the underground passage or sitting down for a brief rest.

“What’s your name?”

“P-Pressing Stone! M-My friends call me Stoney!”

“Stoney… That’s a cute name.”

“Thank you!”

“Why do you have such a cute name, huh?! It doesn’t suit you at all! Are you trying to make fun of a Transcendent?! From now on, you are Big Stone! Call yourself that!”

“…”

Pressing Stone stared at her blankly, clearly displeased with its new name.

“What? You want me to use my sorcery to change your name? I can engrave ‘Big Stone’ on your forehead if you want me to!”

“N-No! T-Thank you! I-I’m truly grateful that a great Transcendent has bestowed a name upon me!”

Pressing Stone—no, Big Stone—prostrated itself in gratitude.

Rianna, who had been listening to the conversation, quietly approached Isaac.

“…Did Sharen use to treat you like this?”

“…Well, there were days when she was being excessive, but she usually just made me do stuff rather than bullying me.”

Aside from making him buy her snacks and such, she didn’t do much.

While Sharen was disciplining Pressing Stone, the group sat down to discuss what to do next.

“In any case, our priority should be to find a way to return.”

Hearing Isaac’s words, everyone nodded.

None of them had the slightest intention to spend the rest of their lives here.

To find a way back to their original world.

That was their top priority.

But before that, there was a pressing issue that needed to be addressed first.

Their lack of supplies.

“For now, we need to recover. We need somewhere to rest and eat.”

Silverna, who knew exactly how dire their situation was, calmly conveyed.

The soldiers were in a really bad condition, and even Uldiran had been closing and opening his eyes, with the former being more often as if he had fainted.

When they asked Pressing Stone if there was a place to rest, it pointed in one direction.

“T-There’s a village over there.”

A village, huh?

Is it a Transcendent Race’s village?

Wait, where did Sharen go?

When he glanced upwards, Isaac found Sharen, somehow had climbed onto Pressing Stone’s back.

“Is it a village where Transcendents live?”

“N-No! There are no Transcendents there!”

“Woah?! Hey, I almost fell!”

“S-Sorry!”

As Pressing Stone shook its head while answering, Sharen almost fell to the ground.

After that, Pressing Stone continued his explanation. Thanks to him being terrified, he answered all the questions immediately without beating around the bush.

“What kind of village is it?”

“It’s the V-Village of Sinners!”

“Sinners?”

Hearing that unexpected answer, Isaac tilted his head.

“Y-Yes… I-It’s a village where those who have committed sins near the Transcendents’ territory and those who have fallen from their favor live! It’s a place for those who could no longer be called Transcendents. I-It’s a peaceful place now, but occasionally, a supervisor comes to visit…”

“That’s perfect!”

Silverna said from behind.

It wasn’t just her, the others shared the same opinion as her.

Since they had Rianna and Sharen, whom the rock mistaken for Transcendents…

They could enter the village no problem.

Climbing down from Pressing Stone’s head, Sharen said.

“From today on, you’re Big Stone! My personal mount!”

“…M-Mount?”

“What? You don’t like it? This disobedient kid—”

“N-No, I like it! It’s an honor!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Pressing Stone started banging its head again.

It was as if this was some sort of spell to make itself smarter.

After it was done, it raised its head, wearing a puzzled expression.

“But… Why don’t you know about Benheim Village…? Aren’t you Transcendents…?”

At that moment, silence fell among them.

Everyone glanced at each other, unsure what to say.

“Hey!”

Everyone, except for the tomboy, of course.

“A-Are you making fun of us Transcendents?! Why do you keep questioning our motives?! Do you really want to taste my sorcery?! Should I turn you into sand right here so you’ll finally shut up?!”

“N-No! I-I’m sorry!!”

Has Sharen ever been this reliable?

Isaac couldn’t help but feel impressed seeing her like this.

After descending the mountain for a while, the outline of the village came into view.

They could see a wooden fence surrounding it, and inside, there were mud-walled buildings, densely packed.

The buildings, constructed in an unfamiliar style, exuded an exotic atmosphere, making it feel like this was really a different world.

They couldn’t see any movements from it, but Rianna said she could sense multiple presences from that place.

Sure enough, as they got closer, they felt as if there were eyes watching them from behind the houses’ windows.

It wasn’t only Rianna and Sharen who felt that way, Silverna too, so the feeling was undoubtedly real.

“We’ve arrived…”

As Pressing Stone bowed its head slightly, Sharen slid down from its head.

Slinging her greatsword over her shoulder, she glanced at her sister.

“Should I do it, Sis?”

Sharen asked, eager to step forward.

But Rianna shook her head and overtook her.

“No, I’ll do it.”

“Tsk.”

Isaac agreed that Rianna would be the better person to lead them, though. When lying, the more one spoke, the more contradictions would arise.

So, Rianna with her taciturn personality would do better in this situation.

Isaac turned his head.

The soldiers behind him all had faces full of fatigue.

Unlike Sharen, who pretended to be cheerful even though her face was obviously pale, the soldiers had almost stopped talking.

Silverna’s cheeks were hollowed out, while Uldiran could barely even breathe—which was concerning.

Every single one of them were hungry.

Their bodies and minds were already at their limit.

So they needed to proceed without hesitation.

“I’m counting on you, Rianna.”

At Isaac’s words, Rianna nodded slightly and took the lead to enter the village.

He had told her to conserve her Crimson Essence, but, at times like this, there was a need to appear flashy.

She unleashed her Crimson Essence, letting it surge into the dark night sky, drawing the entire village’s attention.

“Let the manager of Benheim come forth and greet me.”

Rianna’s low voice echoed.

Almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for this moment, a man with a hunched back appeared.

He had the face of a goat, and even though he looked like a Transcendent, their characteristic hostility wasn’t present on his face.

“M-My name is Rankelon, I-I’m the head of this place. I-I never expected one of the great Primordials to visit such a humble place…”

Moreover, this guy, Rankelon, didn’t show particular hostility toward humans.

For Isaac, this kinda collapsed his worldview, as he had always believed that the Transcendent Race could never be friendly toward humans.

Here, Rankelon and those around him only showed curiosity and interest toward the sudden visitors.

They didn’t bear any hostility or killing intent.

“Prepare food and a place to rest.”

Rianna calmly demanded, as if it was something obvious.

But perhaps because of that, her words brought the expected effect.

“A-Ah! O-Of course! I’ll prepare it right away!”

“We will stay for a few days, so prepare everything properly.”

“Yes, understood! B-But… Do you need provisions for the humans behind you as well? I-I can capture them and cook—”

At Rankelon’s words, Rianna stared at him dead in the eye with her blank eyes.

Her expression didn’t change, but the pressure she exerted intensified.

“They are sacrifices I’d need for sorcery and I need them full of life force. Except that my journey is long, and they might die before then. So, I need them to not die until my journey is over.”

“Ah! I see! Understood!”

After that, Rankelon left.

He began calling out to other villagers and seemed to be telling them various things. Shortly after, smoke began to rise from one part of the village as if a fire had been lit.

“…You’re good at this.”

Isaac whispered as he approached Rianna quietly.

“Not really. I’m a little nervous.”

“Is that why your expression turned stiff halfway? That actually makes your performance better.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“A great compliment, to be exact.”

Rianna typically had a stiff expression when she got nervous.

Isaac often misunderstood her because of that too.

Especially on their wedding night—

At that moment, Rankelon approached, hopping excitedly. But, when he saw Isaac standing next to Rianna, a frown appeared on his face.

“How dare a mere sacrifice stand next to the great Primordial! Should you not be on your knees, crawling on all fours?!”

“…”

For a moment, Isaac was at a loss for words.

It was immediately apparent from Rankelon’s eyes that he didn’t actually think that way.

Because even as he spoke, he repeatedly glanced at Rianna, clearly seeking her approval.

I should probably just kneel here. It’s not like it’s difficult for me.

Thinking that, he was about to do exactly that when…

Rianna crossed her arms and pulled him to her side.

“This one’s my slave.”

“…Pardon?”

“He is a slave I’m fond of. Don’t handle him carelessly.”

Rankelon, whose eyes had darted left and right several times, nodded vigorously.

“Ah! I-I see! I apologize! I-I’ll tell the others to take special care of him!”

After saying that, he left the place as if running away.

The way he scurried off felt like he was saying something like, ‘I don’t understand the hobbies of high-ranking people’.

Isaac looked at Rianna for a moment, who scratched her cheek and said.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine… That was a good move to take in that kind of situation.

After that, Isaac stressed that he had nothing to complain about, and then, for some reason, Rianna took another step closer to him.