episode_0016

Hieronymus pauses at my greeting. I can hear his head spinning as he tries to figure out the situation.

“Yes, Rebecca. I came to see you because I was worried about how you were doing.”

Hey? Shouldn’t I be asking who you met here and what you talked about? I don’t know if you know everything but are pretending not to know, or if you’re both on the same side and are just trying to test me.

So, I don’t tell lies.

Answer only what is asked.

Today is the fifth day.

There is only one contract between me and Hieronymus.

So that’s it.

So I just stared at him. It felt like five minutes. Maybe it was actually a minute? After some time had passed, I turned to Hieronymus and asked him.

“How warm is it?”

Is there anything else I can ask you besides food?

Goals are superficial. Plans? I don’t know. What else do I know? Nothing. From his perspective, I really don’t know anything.

Just come here and enjoy the warmth. And other than that, there’s nothing but blessings.

Actually, I made a mistake.

Joanna was the first warm feeder, but I created the warm harvester to try something different.

But now Jerome knows.

That eating blessings and warmth are different.

It’s quite possible that he knew I wasn’t simply what Hieronymus wanted. If anything were to happen, Joanna would be the next most suspicious person after me.

this.

Now that I think about it, it was my fault.

If I had just had a quick bite of low-quality warmth there, I wouldn’t have been suspicious.

No. Then you don’t know about blessings.

Hmm. It would have been better if I had put the risk and possibility on the scales now. At that time, I didn’t know who I could bless.

If I had just accepted the warmth that was given to me, I wouldn’t have been able to take care of five more people.

lol.

“Please wait a little longer. I will bring it to you as soon as it is ready.”

He lowered his head. When he lowered his head, his expression was invisible. But when he raised his head again, there was a faint trace of disgust.

Yes, that’s right.

Originally, people should hate animals that eat people. They shouldn’t have put them in zoos or made them completely extinct, and then they should have shed a few fake tears. That’s how it should be.

Aren’t you a beast?

Yes. I am an animal. I became an animal that eats people. So what? Where did my humanity go?

I’m frozen.

So, let’s put these boring facts aside and move for warmth.

“Yes, I understand.”

I answered. I asked what they wanted, and it didn’t change. Really, Andrew or Hieronymus. I’d like to give one of them a blessing, but it’s a shame.

Then, we can enjoy seeing at least one side of the relationship between the two.

The fog on the battlefield is very thick.

It would also be fun to grope around and find a place like this. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to enjoy it while moving around for warmth?

There are quite a few sparks for that.

For example, there is Wide, who is fervently preaching about me, and now he is showing off his power in a place where many warriors of faith gather. Many people admire Wide and think that they too can receive such blessings.

Next is Tisha, who wants to escape from this cult. If he can escape properly, I think he will attack the Future Hope Church in a good mood someday. But that is likely to be in the very distant future. He is still focusing on building up his power.

Next up is Andrew, who is still uncertain, but he has a 50/50 chance of being on bad terms with Hieronymus. Since Hieronymus came rushing in like this, there’s a slightly higher chance of them being on bad terms.

And I also kept in the back of my mind the possibility that Hieronymus’ surveillance had been fooled, either because he couldn’t hear the sound or because the image itself had stopped.

“Then I will take my leave now. If anything comes up, you can contact me through Joanna.”

He said that and went out without listening to my answer. Little by little, very little by little, my attitude towards people is changing to that towards animals.

If it were simply a dangerous beast, it would be disposed of, but it has proven its usefulness.

Strengthening of the church members.

Bring them in front of me and click to get 3 free people per day! Sometimes you get a dud, but I haven’t had one yet, so it’s just a simple strengthening method.

The only worry is that they might not send anyone to receive the blessing until they prepare an offering to provide warmth.

If you think of it as that kind of deal, you’re in trouble.

Because to me, both are like meals.

Blessings are for farming, and warmth is for gathering and eating.

So I wish I had the chance to appeal to that, but would it have been a failure to appear like such a stupid child?

***

Hieronymus, whose real name is Jasle, is the leader of the Future Church and has closed the door to Rebecca Rolf.

For a moment, the place where Rebecca Rolf was being watched was completely darkened.

The surveillance magic that was connected to Yasle had disappeared from the viewpoint of the ceiling. So I ran over to see if the monster had lost patience and done something, and there was Rebecca Rolf sitting in almost the same position as before the surveillance magic ended, greeting me as she did every time she entered.

It looks straight at Yasle with eyes that have a faint purple glow.

Yasle honestly thought it was disgusting. It was like a tamed beast.

A monster that covets an element that is thought to be related to the soul called warmth. However, strangely enough, the monster listens.

Yeah, that’s the weirdest thing.

No one has ever tamed him, but he is a monster that craves warmth and yet knows how to be patient. And Yasle knows.

An animal that knows how to be so patient is smart.

Especially if it’s a beast. Especially if it’s a monster that can break out of the small prison it’s currently in at any time.

But in other words, that which has taken over Rebecca Rolfe’s body also means that it is faithfully complying with the contract.

The one who called first and signed the contract was Yasle.

If the other party is faithfully fulfilling the contract, Yasle has a duty to listen. Yasle knows from countless experiences that the one who breaks the contract first is the one who becomes unhappy.

She has to be careful, but she can manage.

Rather, those who are having a hard time are those who are gradually breaking out of the management framework.

Strictly speaking, it’s not that they are outside the management framework, but they were originally like that.

Although Yasle created it in the form of a refined religious order, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a Future Hope Church before. It was created by gathering a ragtag group and absorbing other small and medium-sized groups.

Moreover, Yasle’s rule is unstable, as it has only been ten years.

I walked along, wondering what to do with those who showed signs of being particularly strong and why the connection with the surveillance magic had suddenly been cut off just now.

At that moment, a path was blocked in front of him as he was walking.

A small stature. And a girl’s face that is clearly visible because she is not wearing a mask. Above all, a staff made of a skull and spine that clearly identifies her even with a mask on.

It’s a shame.

Two days ago, she met Rebecca without even reporting to Yasle. After that, she left the room and was not seen by anyone since.

At least that’s what Yasle knew.

“Two days. Heungkeshni. Don’t you have something to tell me?”

Since it was only the two of them, Yasle changed her expression. However, when Hyukkesuni hit the ground with his staff, the surroundings instantly turned black.

[Scream Valley, Mangmyo Cemetery]

It has a faint purple tint to it. However, the color and energy are somewhat paler compared to the dark purple fog that Rebecca uses.

Yasle was nervous. This was an area that could only be seen when the Hyukkeshni made a full-scale attack. She, who had the title of the Witch of Joy, had the occupation of a high-ranking shaman.

Due to the nature of the job, it is also possible to create a realm similar to the world of the dead.

Yasle, who had lost many of his subordinates here during his time as a leader of the old religion, calmly asked Hyukkesuni.

“Are you finally going to betray me?”

At that question, Hyungkesuni giggled and shook his head from side to side as if he had no such thoughts.

“No, no. Yasle. I have something to tell you, according to our contract.”

Hukkeshuni spoke in a very depressed voice, different from the strangely excited voice that Yasle usually heard.

“You even prepared a tent like this? You’re being so thorough, which is unusual for you.”

“Hahaha, I feel uneasy even doing this. I don’t want to believe it either, but there’s something you need to know.”

And then Hukkeshni raised his head, looked straight at Yasle, and opened his mouth.

“I told you before, right? That’s what we call a Ksacksshit.”

“Yeah. Why? When I checked the identity, it wasn’t that?”

In response to Yasle’s question, Hyukkeshni shook her head from side to side as she recalled. Yes. When we first met, I clearly thought it was a demon from the yin dimension. Or a monster from the world of emptiness.

But what I thought was just a simple monster.

A vicious wolf-like monster that eats children who do bad things in the story.

But it wasn’t a small monster there. The evil wolf that meant someone’s death in the story looked like a simple puppy.

“It wasn’t a monster. Yasle.”

“But is Ksax the god?”

“The god you speak of is a being we can hunt. A monster that is big, strong, and wise, but that’s all.”

Yes, gods can hunt. The Yeongrang cult raided such uncivilized tribes, killed their gods, and civilized them.

He brought people into the arms of the righteous god. Not a trashy monster demanding a sacrifice, but their god who moved only for the salvation of people.

The arrow that first blew off Rebecca’s face, or the knife that cut off the head of the sacrifice that turned into a monster, were works created using the technique of killing gods.

“That’s different. God. Yes. If it’s God, then it’s God. But compared to such a small thing, the scale is so different. It’s like comparing a grain of sand to a rock mountain. Let’s use a different word to make it easier to understand.”

Then, Hyungkesuni leaned his staff against the wall and pondered.

“It’s not an evil spirit. It doesn’t judge between good and evil. It’s not a god of death. As a necromancer, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with death.”

At those words, Yasle asked back without realizing it.

“A monster that demands warmth and sacrifices its victims is not a god of death?”

“Think back again. Did it create the dead? When it ate the warmth of the sacrifice, the sacrifice turned into a monster.”

At Hyukkeshni’s words, Yasle recalled the scene she had seen that day. Two strong warriors of the faith were brought in as escorts, and one useful human was brought from among the kidnapped humans.

Even though it was transformed into a monster after its warmth was taken away, it was clearly alive. If it hadn’t been killed in advance, it would have just become a monster.

“When something important was taken away, it fell into a similar state. That’s that kind of monster. But in the prudence I know, there’s nothing good.”

As Hukkeshni said, there were no words in this world that could describe Rebecca. So now I’m making up a word.

“So let’s say there is another being. An outside god who came from the void where there is nothing, where only laws exist.”

“Is she a monster that should be called that?”

At those words, Hyungkesuni nodded slowly.

“That’s the only way we can understand it. Barely. We’ve reduced it to a level where we can understand it by putting it within the framework of God. We’ve even removed all the important information and just put on the shell.”

Hulkeshuni continued to speak, snickering as if he couldn’t hold back his laughter. The only one who knew that Hulkeshuni’s laughter was coming from fear was, ironically, Rebecca at this time.

“Be careful, Yasle. This is serious advice.”

But Yasle could tell that Hyuckeshni was trying to give advice sincerely. So she was rather puzzled. Why would she say something like that, so uncharacteristic of a witch of joy, when she was so happy about the arrival of a new monster, and perhaps so happy about the new knowledge she gained?

“It’s a foreign news. Okay. If it’s for revenge, it’d be good to have a strong god. I’ve become a pagan too.”

Hyukkeshuni looked at Yasle with dark, despairing eyes. Of course, it was his default to be filled with despair from the beginning, but he couldn’t help but look at her that way.

At that moment, Hukkeshni went back to what Rebecca had said and suppressed her fear as she recalled it again. And the more she thought about it, the more she could vaguely see its true identity.

He is not a powerful god. That doesn’t make sense logically. I swallowed those words. Because there was no other way to explain it.

So, I had no choice but to ask you this once more.

“Be careful, Yasle.”

And what was unfortunate about her was that there was someone in front of her who didn’t know her.

“But, Hyungkeshni. You didn’t listen to me and contacted the foreign news without permission. Then you will be punished. Go and find out what kind of existence the foreign news is.”

To Yasle, this was more of a good intention. If she was so happy to meet a scary thing, it was a punishment and a reward, telling her to go and experience both fear and joy.

Not knowing that it was the most terrible punishment, he forced the punishment on the hated Hyukkesuni.

“You’re a fucking son of a bitch.”

“No problem.”

And then the black curtain that had been there disappeared. Hukkeshni was walking along like an ox being led to the slaughterhouse, and then he saw Yasle, who was heading towards the direction he had been heading without seeing him.

“Jeronymus.”

“What is it?”

“Andrew was the one who twisted your magic. You idiot.”

Looking at Yasle, who was looking at him in surprise, with a satisfied expression on his face, Hyuckeshni walked back to where Rebecca was.

It was a terrible order, but they definitely had to figure out what the foreign press was.

On this day, many people’s hearts were mixed.