Ch.377Betrayal (3)

“So… you’re saying both the innocent victim and the two bereaved family members were devil worshippers, and they staged this whole thing to approach me and tarnish my reputation?”

“Yes.”

“And the grandmother was found dead at the entrance.”

“Yes.”

“That’s it?”

Kate nodded at my question. However, her expression showed she wasn’t entirely convinced either.

That makes sense—the beginning, development, and crisis were perfect, but there’s no climax or conclusion. It feels like the story was cut off in the middle.

I understand the devil worshippers’ intentions, but it seems too sloppy, and I have no idea what methods they used.

Just to be safe, Kate declared the area sacred ground, but nothing unusual was found.

I’m just a bit groggy from waking up in the middle of a nap. After all that urgency, the resolution feels somewhat anticlimactic.

Pooong!

Amidst this confusing situation, an unfamiliar sound reached my ears.

The sound was so loud that I didn’t need to check who made it. It came from Ariel, whom I was hugging.

I turned to look at her. She was staring into empty space with her head raised.

“Ariel?”

“Hmm?”

“Was that you who just farted?”

“What?”

Ariel tilted her head at my question. Come to think of it, Ariel doesn’t have bodily functions like flatulence—or any basic physiological functions, strictly speaking.

Given her origins, I could overlook this, but I was concerned enough to examine her thoroughly.

The examination showed that while she had all the parts a human should have, they were mostly non-functional.

She could eat more than an adult but never defecated, and at most she would burp.

So naturally, I was a bit surprised to hear her fart.

“What you just did. That poong sound with the feeling of emptying your insides.”

“That’s a fart?”

“Yes.”

Poong!

“This?”

“…Yes.”

There was no need to confirm it like that. I gave an awkward smile at Ariel’s innocent response.

I wonder what she ate to make her fart. Maybe the snack she had before going to bed was bad?

This thought made me worry. Ariel literally chews on stones, so if she ate something truly harmful, it could be serious.

Last time, she almost ate a plate piece by piece, so I couldn’t help but be concerned.

“Did you eat something strange while daddy was sleeping?”

“…”

That question must have hit the mark. Seeing Ariel avoid eye contact with me confirms it.

So what did she eat? There’s nothing in the dormitory that Ariel shouldn’t eat.

If anything, maybe the dough in the refrigerator. But Ariel had tried that once and immediately spat it out. She got quite a scolding for that.

Poong-

How much did she eat? She keeps farting like a little fart machine, making me chuckle.

Strangely, there’s no smell at all. For the record, I have no intention of scolding her.

I’m genuinely asking out of concern.

“Daddy’s just worried. Can you tell me what you ate?”

“Umm… cloud chocolate cookie?”

“Cloud chocolate cookie?”

Cloud chocolate cookie? That’s quite a strange name for ordinary food.

I wasn’t sure if it was a new cookie Adelia had created or just a name Ariel made up herself.

Meanwhile, Ariel started explaining with various hand gestures.

“I felt something weird and opened my eyes. And there was a cloud chocolate cookie floating in front of me. So I ate it?”

“…?”

“…?”

Kate and I looked at each other as soon as we heard the explanation. Judging by our expressions, we felt the same way.

Ariel’s vague explanation was impossible to understand. A floating cloud chocolate cookie?

We needed more details. I grabbed the notepad and magic pen from my bedside.

Drawing it might help us understand a little better.

“What did this cookie look like?”

“It looked like a person.”

“Like a person?”

“Yes. No eyes or nose, just a mouth. And no clothes.”

The more Ariel explained, the more my brow furrowed. Did Ariel really see something like this?

After she finished explaining, I showed her my drawing. Both Ariel and Kate looked at my notepad.

“Did it look like this?”

“Yes! That’s right! It looked like that!”

“…”

Judging by her enthusiastic response, my drawing seems accurate. I tilted my head and checked the drawing in my notepad again.

An egg ghost with only a mouth. That description fits the appearance perfectly.

“Um… Kate?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Do evil spirits usually look like this? As far as I know, they’re supposed to look more grotesque.”

In this fantasy world, ghosts, spirits, and evil spirits that directly harm people all exist.

The church conducts exorcisms for evil spirits, while ordinary ghosts are either helped to resolve their grudges or guided to rest through sorcery.

But I’ve never heard of a ghost that looks like what I’ve drawn in my notepad.

Even ghosts have distinct facial features, but this one had nothing, like an egg ghost. I couldn’t quite identify what it was.

“No. Evil spirits are beings that became wicked due to grudges from their previous life. They have a much more horrific appearance than this. They can even exert physical force.”

“I see. Anyway, Ariel, you ate something like this?”

“Yes.”

Poong-

Another cute and mischievous fart sound. It seems the digestion(?) is still in progress.

“Isaac, may I share my theory, though it’s just speculation?”

“Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”

“I believe the devil worshippers were trying to possess you.”

“Possession…”

I nodded at this highly plausible hypothesis. Possession means being haunted by a ghost.

If possession occurs, the target’s body is taken over. However, it’s not permanent, and with proper measures, the person can be restored to normal.

The problem is that it’s impossible to detect possession. If someone falls for an act, serious trouble could ensue.

“So you’re saying the devil worshippers first possessed the human trafficker, then possessed the bereaved family members to approach me?”

“Yes.”

“Then they approached me as a soul, only to be deliciously eaten by Ariel.”

“That seems to be the case.”

“Is that even possible?”

Ghosts are beings who wander the mortal world because their grudges from their previous life are so strong that they refuse to follow the ‘natural order.’ In other words, they need enough accumulated grudges to reject the ‘natural order.’

Can that really be called ‘will’? Absolutely not.

But the devil worshippers approached me purely by their own will, and as spirits no less.

Fortunately, a catastrophe was avoided thanks to Ariel’s appetite, but even considering that, their abilities are extremely dangerous.

“As I said earlier, this is just speculation. This is my first time experiencing such a situation…”

Poong-

Another fart sound echoed in the serious atmosphere. Kate glanced at Ariel before continuing her explanation.

“…my first time experiencing this, so I can’t be certain.”

“Isn’t there an expert on this at the church?”

“Soul-related matters are better understood by sorcerers rather than clergy… I’m sorry. I only know how to exorcise, not how to guide spirits to rest.”

“Even you, Kate?”

“Yes. Sorcery is the ability to interfere with the ‘natural order,’ including nature. No matter how powerful divine power is, it cannot escape the natural order created by God. That’s why necromancy is closer to sorcery.”

I thought it was a simple ability like rain rituals, but apparently not. After all, even humans used sorcery before learning magic, so its effectiveness is certain.

It’s just that it’s quite unpredictable.

If magic uses 50 power to achieve 50 results, sorcery might yield 30, 100, or even 0.

‘I need to investigate more.’

I’ve barely researched sorcery, unlike magic. It’s an ability rarely used nowadays, and there are too many uncertainties.

But this incident has given me a reason to investigate. Ariel stopped it this time, but there’s no guarantee she’ll be able to do so next time.

“I understand. Thank you for your hard work today, and now…”

Poot-

Is she having trouble digesting something dirty? I looked at Ariel, who kept releasing her sphincter at random times.

She was holding her stomach with a sad face, as if she really was having digestive issues. Well, it must be difficult to digest a soul so corrupted it was targeting me.

But I can’t prescribe medicine for this. It’s not really a stomachache.

“Ariel, does your tummy hurt a lot?”

“Mmm… a little.”

“Lie down for a moment. Daddy will make it better.”

“Really?”

“Don’t you trust daddy?”

As soon as I asked, Ariel quickly lay down on the bed. Her red hair, inherited from me, spread across the bed.

I smiled at her cute behavior and slightly lifted her top. Her adorable belly button and plump tummy were fully exposed.

Swoosh-

Then I placed my large hand on her stomach. My hand is so big that it covers her entire belly.

The cure-all for children—not “monster,” but “mom’s hand is medicine.”

Everyone who grew up in South Korea has experienced this loving touch at least once. There’s a saying that its effectiveness depends on how much maternal love is put into it.

“Daddy’s hand is medicine. Ariel’s tummy is a poop tummy.”

I gently rubbed Ariel’s small belly with my large hand. I smiled at her while making eye contact.

For reference, this actually works. It helps disperse gas in the intestines and, more importantly, confirms love, which makes the pain more bearable.

Ariel must have felt my love because she broke into a bright smile. I smiled back and continued with the song and the healing touch.

After doing this for quite a while…

Poooong!

Ariel released gas vigorously, as if she had fully digested it. Or more precisely, she released a soul.

“Ahh…”

Judging by her relieved expression, she seems to have expelled everything that was left inside. I continued rubbing her belly a bit more before slowly removing my hand.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes! It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“That’s good. Up we go.”

I picked up Ariel, who was lying on the bed. A small girl who fits perfectly in my arms.

The gods once said there would be no crisis for a while. That’s probably because Ariel is by my side.

But I can’t keep her by my side forever. Even as a transcendent being, she’s still a person who should live freely.

‘I need to grow stronger quickly.’

At least enough to not be a burden to others. Just enough to protect myself.

As I was thinking this while patting Ariel’s back, I suddenly felt an intense gaze from in front of me.

Looking up, I saw Kate staring at us with a dazed expression. Her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were out of focus.

Naturally, this made me uneasy. I asked her in an awkward voice.

“Um… Kate?”

“Yes, yes?”

“Did you have something to say…”

“No, nothing.”

That’s a relief…

“Haa… haa…”

“…?”

“Isaac’s healing hands…”

Why are you rubbing your stomach?

“Um… Isaac?”

“…Yes?”

“I think my stomach hurts too…”

“I don’t give healing hands to liars.”

When done to a grown adult, it takes on a completely different meaning.