Ch.104104. Bjorn and Beginner’s Mind (3)

The place Bjorn visited when he fell asleep changed after the day he rescued people captured by the Rom Empire’s legion.

Usually, he would visit dungeons to develop his combat experience, but after that day, when Bjorn fell asleep and woke up, he found himself in…

‘…Sigh.’

A place that evoked bad memories just by looking at it—a place devastated by the Rom Empire, much like Bjorn’s homeland.

Of course, Bjorn didn’t realize this from the beginning.

Initially, he was mostly transported to villages that had been recently subjugated under the pretext of preventive warfare. Because of this, Bjorn believed it was only meant to save the oppressed and spread faith.

But as time passed, the places Bjorn was transported to became more diverse.

Ancient cities long destroyed and reduced to ruins. Magical realms where massive piles of human bones—traces of massacres—accumulated with countless undead naturally spawning above them. And even the crime-ridden city of Phobos, notorious for its depravity even within the Rom Empire.

Unable to find common ground among these disparate locations, Bjorn suspected there must be a reason for these constant shifts, assuming it was a message meant for him.

Additionally, deducing that all the places he had been transported to were related to the sins of the Rom Empire, Bjorn finally realized what message the God of Vengeance was trying to send him.

‘Are you saying my resolve has weakened?’

In essence, the God of Vengeance whom Bjorn worshipped was telling him this:

That his desire for revenge—particularly his wish for the downfall of the Rom Empire—had weakened as he continuously grew stronger.

‘…Indeed, that’s true.’

Thinking about it, Bjorn had been so blinded by his growth lately that he seemed to have forgotten the origin of everything.

The reason he had been able to come this far so desperately was all rooted in his desire for vengeance—to bring an end to the disgusting and vile Rom Empire.

But recently, perhaps because he had grown continuously stronger, this fact had faded from his memory. Thus, Bjorn’s master, the God of Vengeance, sent this message to advise him.

That without the desire for revenge, there was no meaning to how far he had come.

Of course, nearly ten years had passed since that terrible day, so by common sense, it was enough time for vengeful feelings to fade.

But that shouldn’t happen.

If Bjorn—called the incarnation of vengeance, the red god’s representative of revenge, the avenger descended to earth, and worshipped as a Saint in the order—forgot his desire for revenge…

No. He believed it shouldn’t even be allowed to fade.

‘…I, I, I am a sinner!’

Therefore, recognizing that he had become too optimistic and his desire for revenge had weakened, Bjorn began to criticize himself and repent, secretly praying in the basement while abstaining from food and drink.

That evening, when he fell asleep and opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar place.

The site where his tribe once settled, now with only a few traces remaining.

‘…This place, is.’

A place that reminded him of his most horrific past, a place that could only appear in nightmares from Bjorn’s perspective.

Because of this, Bjorn could guess that his transportation here was the will of the God of Vengeance—roughly speaking, an instruction to reflect and repent in this place.

‘This place… has all turned to ruins.’

And thus, seeing how the carefully cultivated foundation of his tribe had changed like this, Bjorn felt a deep anger burning within his heart…

Just then.

“D-Daddy…?”

Bjorn froze completely upon hearing a voice he thought he would never hear until death—the voice of his youngest daughter, Lisa, coming from behind him.

And in that frozen state, turning his neck with stiff movements, Bjorn looked back with his wildly pounding heart.

“…Is, is it really Daddy?”

“…Lisa?”

In Bjorn’s eyes, the image of Lisa, maintaining the old appearance he remembered, was clearly reflected.

He wished, more desperately than ever, for this moment to last just a little longer, for that Lisa to be real.

However… the unexpected reunion didn’t last long.

‘…D-Daddy? Daddy!?’

As Lisa’s voice echoed in his ears, Bjorn’s vision suddenly blurred and his consciousness faded, and before he knew it, he was back in his room at the Colosseum.

And having awakened from his sleep, Bjorn briefly reminisced about the past, immersed in lingering emotions, before rising from his bed with an expression that simultaneously conveyed joy and hatred.

With this, Bjorn regained the mindset he had before becoming an apostle of vengeance.

Or more precisely, a mind filled with an even stronger desire for revenge, burning with hope for reunion and endless faith in his god.

※ ※ ※

Meanwhile, at the same time.

‘I’m glad everything worked out well…’

Feeling a deep sense of relief from my heart that everything had proceeded according to plan, I happily smiled and shifted my gaze elsewhere.

The place I turned my attention to was Lunifer Ficentrius’s laboratory.

Currently, Lunifer was crafting a new golem I had commissioned for punishing sinners.

The existing golem used for punishing captured criminals, known as the body modification golem, was perfect for punishing serious offenders by general standards, but…

From my perspective as the God of Vengeance, while it was suitable for punishing major criminals, I felt the need for a separate golem for more heinous sinners.

That is, for those who had committed taboos like cannibalism or eating their own kind—those for whom the expression “human scum” would be an understatement.

Therefore, the golem I commissioned from him was, metaphorically speaking, a kind of walking execution platform.

Originally, “execution” refers to displaying severed heads on poles, and inspired by this, the official name of this golem is… ‘Eagle Totem.’

Among Viking execution methods, there exists a punishment called the “Blood Eagle” (blóð-ǫrn), which I had used once before.

This method, so cruel that historians debate whether it was actually practiced, literally transforms a human into a bloody eagle.

The victim’s arms are firmly fixed outward, the skin and muscles of the back are meticulously peeled away to expose the ribs, and salt is applied to the wounds to extend life through disinfection and cause pain through osmosis.

While the victim suffers, all the ribs are broken and detached from the spine, and then the lungs are pulled through the gaps between the broken ribs to create the final image of an eagle with bones and lungs spread out—a brutal method.

Naturally, victims would die during this process, but in this fantasy world, healing magic can keep them alive in that state for extended periods.

Especially this mad magical scientist, who becomes strangely cruel toward sinners, is creating a golem that uses such a human as both a power source and a life-sustaining device.

Therefore, the final appearance of the golem is truly horrific.

A human subjected to the “Blood Eagle” punishment is nailed to an eagle-shaped wooden board, with blood vessels flowing from their mangled body connecting to the golem parts.

This golem part doesn’t look much different from the existing punishment golems, but if I had to describe it, it has an appearance that could be called an “open-top golem,” like a convertible car.

The part where the head and torso should be is hollowed out as if excavated, and the human who has become a “Blood Eagle” is connected there.

Additionally, the entire body is covered with steel guards adorned with sharp spikes, and from the groin area, chains with the skulls of non-believers at the ends hang down.

Furthermore, iron bars protrude like spears from the shoulder area, and the limbs naturally feature sharp steel spikes like knuckles.

Made of matte metal and dull-colored rock, it gives a very oppressive feeling, enhanced by the stark contrast of the blood flowing from the eagle perched on top.

A torture device, likely the most terrifying in this world, designed to judge and make an example of extremely wicked sinners or non-believers.

This Eagle Totem possessed an excellent and oppressive appearance that well reminded one of its purpose.