episode_0025

“…It seems we’re getting closer to the Western Boundary, with these withered trees.”

“Yeah, I can see the Western Boundary up ahead. Once we cross over there, we’ll be in the West.”

“Returning to that crazy town again, sigh…”

“But isn’t it better than Daelim? From your perspective, the West must seem like paradise, right?”

“That’s true.”

It had been about a week since we left the city and headed towards the West.

The signs of nearing the West were starting to become visible.

Unlike the lush forests or meadows found elsewhere outside the city in the South, this wilderness was different, with barren plains and sparse, withered vegetation scattered across the landscape.

Confirming that we were almost reaching the western part of the continent, I let out a small sigh of relief.

About halfway there now?

Then I guess the plan is half successful.

Since I still couldn’t see any elves, I had at least succeeded in leading us westward.

…Seems like they were quite pleased with the negotiation terms.

Given the lack of news for almost a week when we could have caught up within a day or two, it probably meant there had been debates going on for at least three days.

While I felt relieved by the favorable turn of events as expected, I also began to feel anxious.

Disappointment and despair are usually felt more intensely than the size of the hope one held.

Of course, you could also call it ‘regression to the mean’ as mentioned before, but based on the events so far, this seemed more like a curse than luck.

To me, it just looked like a devil’s prank to drop me from an even greater height.

What kind of twist was waiting that everything was falling into place so smoothly?

Could it be that we’ll end up fighting the elves right before crossing over to the West?

…It’s a possibility.

Failing just before escaping is usually the most despairing outcome.

After pondering these thoughts, I urged the group to quicken their pace.

“Let’s hurry, I have a bad feeling.”

“Because of the elves?”

“Yeah, for now, it would be best to cross over to the West quickly and reduce one risk factor.”

Things changed after crossing over to the West. Since there are many guys who go crazy for a ‘beauty,’ we could surely save time through them.

The biggest difference between the western part of the continent and other regions is the unrestricted freedom due to its lawless nature.

And that means that the West is heavily populated by all sorts of lunatics who couldn’t be handled elsewhere.

Especially among these lunatics, there are many who are obsessed with women.

If those lunatics, who know nothing but themselves, come across the elegant forest elves, dressed as if saying ‘I’m yours,’ what choice do you think they will make?

Probably a decision that will be a lifelong regret.

In this way, the West is a crazy place in a different sense from Daelim. Thanks to these beings, as long as we don’t get caught at the outset, we should be able to reach our destination without much trouble.

…As long as the original setting remains intact, if the protagonist’s group follows the path of encountering only moderate folks, just like in the original work, then everything should be fine.

Were they contemplating the route while stumbling through the original content like this?

The Western Boundary, which seemed like it would take quite a while to reach, was suddenly right in front of us, and the city guards protecting it questioned us.

“Who are you, and what is your purpose here?”

“We are adventurers, and our purpose… we just stopped by before heading to the Paradise City.”

“Hahaha! So someone did come, new hopefuls for suicide. Good, you may pass!”

Showing them the emblem of Karl’s mercenaries, we replied, and the guard burst into laughter, sending us a sympathetic look.

Receiving that wistful gaze, we entered the border city – Western Boundary.

—–

Unlike the small towns in the South, we didn’t linger long in the border city.

Just buying various things will only make you a target for the crazies in the West.

Since it’s unpredictable when the elves might catch up with the group.

So, they just made sure to prepare as much as possible without causing any trouble.

They sold their horses from the capital to the border town, stocked up on a week’s worth of simple rations, and that was about it?

After roughly preparing, the group immediately prepared to leave the Western Boundary, setting foot into the West while hearing the mocking blessings of the guards.

Thud!

As all six of them stepped out, the castle gates closed firmly, startling the priestess who turned back, only to be puzzled by the group’s nonchalant reaction.

“Uh… we can’t go back now?”

“Isn’t that obvious? It’s almost like a prison here. Just think of it as a complete opposite to the capital.”

“So, that means they really dislike priests…?”

“It’s a place even for followers of evil. Why would they like priests? That’s why I said, take off your robes. I won’t know anything no matter what happens.”

While priest robes might be useful elsewhere, here, one can confidently say they are utterly useless.

Perhaps they provoke the criminal instincts of the Western lunatics, but no one treats them as priests.

Treat them well, and they’re healing; treat them poorly, and they become mere tools for sexual release.

“A priest dedicated to the gods commits a sin.”

In a way, this place, the West, is where those who feel such things are most prevalent.

…Curious about how witches are treated?

The treatment of witches is pretty much the same everywhere except for the eastern part of the continent.

‘Handle with care.’

Didn’t the author say she’s like a walking nuclear bomb with the detonation switch active?

With her explosive personality, even the Western lunatics wouldn’t dare touch her easily.

For anyone to provoke her, the church must be willing to spill blood… you can imagine the madness without me saying it.

Anyway, once the decree was issued, the priestess hurriedly took off her robes, packed them in her bag, looked around anxiously, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Seems quite scared of getting into trouble.

I chuckled at her meerkat-like behavior and started walking.

If she’s already scared, what will happen next?

As soon as I finished my thought, I noticed dust swirling in the distance.

Thump thump thump thump!!!

Soon, fierce attackers emerged.

“Rob the men and kill all the women!!!”

They were muscular men with a ferocious appearance.

Watching the horrific scene unfold, Veldem pulled out her kettlebell from her bag and muttered, “There’s no reason not to kill them.”

The first battle in the West that they must win had begun.

—–

A temple near ruins.

There, a desperate voice pleaded with someone.

“P-please spare me… I-I won’t do any more thieving, I swear…!”

“Haha, if you regret it so much, why did you do it in the first place? If you hadn’t done it from the beginning… none of this would have happened.”

Covered in black priestly robes, someone mocked the man, slowly approaching him.

Then…

Lick –

The priest gently licked his cheek, savoring something.

As if tasting something, the priestess smacked her lips, then whispered in the man’s ear.

“This taste! It tastes like lies? To dare covet the property of the divine and then lie in front of it… Moreover.”

With a sinister laugh, the priest drew a ceremonial sword from her bosom.

Simultaneously, she plunged the sword into the man’s heart and spoke.

“You’ve killed people too, haven’t you? Murder is a serious crime… Are you asking for leniency?”

“Gah… cough…”

The man with a dagger in his heart collapsed to the ground, wearing an anguished expression. The priest, with a crazed voice, shouted towards the sky over the corpse.

“Oh, God… I offer this sacrifice to you…♡”

As the eerie voice swept through the temple, a sinister gray aura began to seep out from beneath the body.

Slowly taking on a grotesque form, the gray aura soon violently consumed the man’s body.

Crunch! Crunch!

The man’s body completely lost its form within the gray aura and vanished, while the priest, watching the spectacle, eagerly embraced the gray aura with a delighted expression.

“Oh…♡ My God…♡”

Pat pat.

Was it expressing satisfaction with the meal or conveying appreciation for the effort?

The gray aura briefly caressed the priest’s head as if hiding its actions, but the priest, savoring the moment, soon realized that someone was rapidly approaching.

Who could this disrespectful intruder be?

What unnecessary purpose drove them to disrupt this intimate moment between the priest and their deity?

Prepared to strike, the priest raised the gray aura menacingly, ready to attack, but upon hearing a voice as the door creaked open, she concealed her power once more.

“Hi, High Priestess?! The, the witch party has arrived in the west!”

“Oh my, this is quite important news.”

She recalled the priest who had gone to the south for ‘missionary work’ and recently made contact.

[High Priestess? We seem to have a problem.]

[No, we have a problem. This much is certain.]

Hadn’t he declared retirement, saying he had ‘disturbed the witch’s mind’?

Truly despicable.

Receiving divine grace, yet abandoning faith so easily.

“Well, it’s alright. Thanks to them, preparations are nearly complete.”

Should such blasphemy be overlooked?

She gazed down at the city of paradise, smiling softly.

Soon, true divinity would descend from paradise to cleanse this vile world.