Ch.282Waiting NPCs. (1)

“KUHEOEOEK!!!”

[Now, now. What are you doing? Stand up straight and clench your fists. You call yourself a seed of God? You’re not going to give up just because your face got smashed once or twice, are you?]

What, what is this golem? How is it that the power of demons… that a body enhanced with holy power from 60 people doesn’t work against it…!!!

“KUAAAAA!!!”

[Good. That’s right. If you don’t give up like that, even your burnt hair follicles will rise again.]

-PUEOEOK!!!

“PPUHAK?!!!”

Are those my teeth scattering in the sky? Is that my blood being sprinkled like dew under the pre-dawn sky?

“S-si… JENSANG!!! JENSAAANG!!!”

[That’s the spirit. You tormented our Lady Ira and innocent people, and I truly cannot forgive you for trying to break here on your own terms.]

-KWADDEUDEUGEUK!!!

“PPUHEOEOEK!!!”

This golem that grabs my outstretched arm, with one hand and awkwardly regenerated legs, what is it? I can’t shake off the captured arm, nor can I handle the attacks that mimic my movements but are much faster.

-TEOK!!

[What are you doing? Stand up. It was just one knee to the solar plexus. Your internal organs haven’t even ruptured, so is someone chosen by God kneeling?]

Disgusting. What is this text? The liquid that seems sticky like water—no, slime—follows my gaze even when I turn my head, taunting me. My eyes, which had to look at the ground, can’t even control my field of vision because of that disgusting provocation.

-KWAJIK!!!

[Get up, baldy. The sin of eating my body meant for our master several times, and even trying to touch it. Plus the karma of offering people as sacrifices to demons. Don’t think it will end with just this much.]

The golem’s gray eyes coldly look down at me as it forcibly grabs my head. What, what is this? Why, why does something like this exist!!!

“I AAAAM!!! God’s representatiiiive… PUHOK!?!!”

[I am my master’s proxy guardian, you bastard.]

My face caves in. The absurd and unreasonable violence mercilessly destroys the power I’ve cultivated until now—the power the Holy Nation has nurtured. This can’t be. This shouldn’t happen!!!

-KWAK!!

“KUAAAAA!!!”

-PEOK!!

I force my body back up after being knocked down by a punch and drive my fist into the female golem’s face. Finally, my attack has reache—

[That’s a weak and feeble punch, just like your burnt head. Is this all you can show?]

-KWAJIK!!

“KUAAAAK!!!!”

The golem, not even flinching from the punch to its face, crushes my fist like a soft cookie. Why, why is this happening…!! For God, for God’s sake!! For the continent, for holiness, why am I being defeated by a mere golem!!!

[A priest who should spread God’s word and education. A human in a position to care for the weak and the people, yet you lead the way in bringing demons. You torment and kill people with it. This story isn’t even good enough to be bar talk. What are you people? Why are you waging this meaningless war, doing these damned things?]

-PPUDEUDEUGEUGEUK!!!

“KUEUEUGEUT?!!!”

The golem roughly pulls my crushed hand and breaks my arm, then thrusts its distinct facial features at me as if showing them off while questioning. Ha, haha. Meaningless? Damned things?

-TUEOT!!

“You’re talking nonsense, a doll made by barbarian hands. What do you know to be talking like that?”

[Hmm.]

-PEOEOK!!

“HUEOEOEK?!!”

When I spit in the golem’s face, it doesn’t even blink and kicks me right in the groin. Damn it, really. Am I going to die here? My strength, all the holy spells I possessed are being dispelled.

[Seeing that you’re not even asking to be spared in this state, I assume you have the resolve and pride. But why? Aren’t you followers of God? Surely, God didn’t encourage you to summon demons?]

As if genuinely curious, the golem asks again without wiping the spit flowing down its face, and I gritted my teeth. Damn it, in a place like this. If it’s going to end so futilely…

“Everything is for the continent.”

[Offering people to demons is for the continent?]

This thinking golem, clearly possessing thoughts and emotions. Let me at least try to persuade it. With such a futile thought, I began to answer its questions.

“This continent is heading toward its end. Humans, people have begun to blindly trust magic more than the holy power bestowed by God. They’ve started to trust their own technology more than God’s words. Those with magic power outnumber those with holy power. Those seeking technology and ability are increasing more than those seeking God. If this continues, faith in God will completely disappear from this continent, the holy power for purification will vanish, and only evil will remain.”

[…Even if that’s the case, I still don’t understand the meaning of summoning demons to this continent. Because of you, that process is only accelerating, isn’t it?]

The absurd and overwhelming violence stops, and the golem holding me tilts its head like a Zen riddle and questions me. Ha, to think I’m trying to explain everything to a golem and seeking understanding. What has become of me.

“It’s the opposite. Demons with overwhelming power—if the Seven Deadly Sins invade the continent, chaos and confusion, violence and despair will overflow. When that happens, people will seek God and hope in the face of disasters they cannot handle with their own hands. That’s how holy power is ‘recycled.'”

[Creating disasters and making situations people can’t handle, then expecting them to seek God? That’s not recycling; it’s extortion by a thug with a knife. In the first place, when you, who call yourselves God’s representatives, summon demons, who would believe in God?]

The golem, having understood my words superficially, frowns as if it still doesn’t understand. As expected, even a thinking golem knows one thing but not two.

“Holy power is the strength God has given to defeat demons. You saw me earlier, right? Even a high priest of my level can easily subdue high-ranking demons.”

[…I see. So you release demons on the continent, let people be slaughtered by them, and then the Holy Nation plans to act as if they knew nothing? Then, the current Empire is…]

“…Kukukuk, that’s right. The Empire is a guinea pig. We make this experimental ground a battlefield first, and with the blood shed on that battlefield, we summon and strengthen the Seven Deadly Sins. The stronger the demons become, the more people will seek God. The Holy Nation will then stop the demons based on that faith. Of course, many people will be sacrificed, but if it can replenish the weakening holy power in this continent, isn’t it the right ‘cycle’?”

There’s no need to involve the entire continent. The largest country in this Eight Continent—if the Empire staggers due to demons, many humans will surely become believers in God. And those who die believing in God will become martyrs. The weakening holy power will be filled once again through their martyrdom.

[…I see. It’s disgusting, but I understand the principle. Just one question remains.]

“Ha, what is it? I’ve told you everything anyway, so there’s nothing more I can’t tell you.”

[You said holy power is weakening, but why does only ‘evil’ remain when ‘holy power’ disappears? If holy power disappears, wouldn’t magic power simply strengthen to replace it?]

“…Ignorant and blind, you know no fear. Do you think mere human magic can replace the power God has bestowed to save people?”

[Hmm. I see.]

-WHIK!

“Kuhek.”

The golem that was holding me threw me away like garbage, then nodded as if understanding something and began stretching.

“…What, are the questions over? Then, do you understand that all this was for the sake of this world…”

[Yes, yes. I understand. I don’t know what the problem is, but I clearly understand that ep.7 has been incredibly advanced and is overlapping with ep.5, creating an anomaly. I have more to report to my master.]

“E-ep seven? Ep five? W-what does that even…”

The golem, suddenly uttering incomprehensible words, rotated its shoulders, then lifted its skirt to check its regenerated legs before continuing to speak to me.

[My master said the story of the [Holy Nation] is ep.7 ‘Abandoned Hope’ or ‘Discarded Hope’ or something, but certainly, it seems there is no hope for you people.]

“…What?”

As I think about the golem’s increasingly incomprehensible words, I suddenly start to get goosebumps. Wait, story? As if the golem’s master knew about our plans…?!

[Yes. They knew. My master has known everything for five years, and I’ve been with them for those five years. I’ve heard in advance and roughly knew the knowledge my master possesses, the flow of this world. It’s just that what they say keeps getting twisted and changed, and happens similarly but completely differently, so I couldn’t be certain.]

“…W-wait! What exactly is your master?! Did that person know about our grand…!!”

[‘Continental Holy Salvation’? Yes. They knew everything. That’s why they said they wouldn’t even piss in that direction.]

The golem, saying something like “They didn’t piss in that direction, but somehow we got involved,” finished stretching and started cracking its knuckles. I-impossible!! The Continental Holy Salvation plan is a secret plan that even the Empire’s collaborators don’t know about. Even the demons we contracted with don’t know! Who could possibly…!!!

[I suppose, if I had to say, they might be like the ‘God’ you all love so much. Someone who can defeat demons without magic or holy power—someone too wonderful and lovely. Moreover, someone who makes even a golem like me want to bear their child.]

The golem, finishing with the word “Enlargement,” grows to an incomparable size and lifts me up.

“W-wait!! Finish what you were saying!! What, what is, who is it?!! Who is your master?!! Who knew about our plans?!! The being you called ‘God,’ the being who can impregnate even non-living golems, what exactly…!!!”

[There’s no need for someone who’s about to die to know. Just let me tell you one thing.]

The golem, lifting me to its eye level, curled up the corners of its mouth as if mocking me and wrote text in front of me.

[Earlier, that high-ranking demon wasn’t defeated by you, but by our Lady Ira. Originally, with the holy power your so-called god gave you, you couldn’t even clean the dirt from under its nails.]

I can see the ‘status’ of this world, the golem said, but I didn’t understand even half of it. I opened my mouth to ask again, but no voice came out. Yes, by the time I realized it, it was already…

[Regret all your useless actions as you slowly dissolve in my stomach.]

All my body and every orifice were being wrapped in sticky liquid and swallowed whole.