False Prophet (2)

“Those idiotic temple bastards… Isn’t it hilarious? Trapping magic within the shallow ideology of ‘God’s will’ and trying to interpret it to their liking? Ha. No… it shouldn’t be that way. Magic needs to be more diverse. Creating and destroying isn’t all there is to magic. In the first place, magic can’t be confined to an individual’s ideology.”

With bandages wrapped around his left shoulder, he applied powder medicine to my body. The man who introduced himself as Heriot kept talking non-stop while treating me. He even tore his own clothes and wrapped them around me after the treatment was finished. Clothes reeking of thick blood. I was used to the smell of blood, so I didn’t care, but I was curious as to why he was doing this.

Frankly speaking, he seemed like a madman. There were many eccentric mages, but meeting one in person made my head spin. The guy who shot crossbows with a serious face when we were being chased was now treating me by hand as soon as we escaped the pursuit? It was a perfect case of ‘giving poison and then medicine.’ Was I even kidnapped?

However.

This bizarre reaction reignited my fading interest. ‘Interest’ is my motivation for action. If I’m not interested, I won’t bother with it. I won’t even care. A terrible ennui strangles my neck if I move without any desire. So, only according to reason. For now, it would be ‘reasonable’ to cut off this man’s head and hand him over to the temple.

The only reason I’m following quietly is interest, so if he can’t satisfy me, a fireball filled with ennui will fly.

“The world is cruel to seekers of truth! Everyone misunderstands my true intentions. But it’s alright. This too is a trial given by God. Rather, I should be grateful to the God who saved me from the pit of death.”

I followed Heriot, listening to his mumbling, not knowing if he was talking to me or to himself. He didn’t restrain me. He didn’t even look at me, only moving forward.

Heriot deliberately twisted the path. He said he could track by looking at the trampled grass. He went to places where tough grass grew as much as possible. “Even though it’s a nameless grass, its willpower is worth learning from,” he said, launching into another tirade, which made me dizzy.

While I was debating whether to block my hearing, we reached the outer center. It was so obscured by tall trees that I couldn’t even see ahead. At that moment, Heriot stopped moving.

“Now, young lady. Don’t be surprised. We’ll be arriving at the ‘village’ soon.”

“…?”

“You’ll see when you see it.”

He took a step forward. As we crossed the part where the grass was dead, the world rippled. It was a barrier. A recognition-lowering barrier. It was a type of barrier similar to those used in labyrinths.

“Here is…”

As we crossed the barrier and arrived inside, a wide open space appeared. On top of it stood a shabby wooden plank house. The ‘village’ Heriot spoke of was a common shantytown. The village, which didn’t get much sunlight and looked very gloomy, didn’t feel like it had any inhabitants. I gave my emotionless review.

“It’s shabby.”

“But it’s a place where everyone is happy.”

“….”

He still only muttered meaningless words. That’s what made it even more unsettling. The atmosphere of this village, and Heriot, who was talking so much it was strange. It wasn’t that I was scared now. I was just in a bad mood. It’s not like cockroaches are scary because they’re stronger than humans. It’s just that a physiological disgust was consuming my body.

As I frowned and only rolled my eyes, Heriot shouted with a satisfied smile.

“Now, villagers! We have a guest!”

Pa-chak! As Heriot clapped his hands, the atmosphere changed abruptly.

―Kung!

Doors opened simultaneously. With only a few seconds of difference, figures of something were seen through the doors that opened in order.

“…….”

“What do you think? My masterpieces.”

When the word masterpiece came out of Heriot’s mouth.

I could understand his words. The things that came out of the doors were humans. No, they were lumps of meat that wanted to be human.

Not long ago, I had seen things like that before. The things commonly called chimeras looked like that. They weren’t human, they were monsters. Among the various eccentricities that took place in the magic tower, there were experiments involving mixing monsters. Usually, they used monsters like goblins or orcs with severed tendons to lead the experiments. But they all failed. In a magic-convenient world without even the basic concept of immune rejection, the success of bodily transplants, let alone interspecies fusion, was remote.

But.

‘Those things’ were human. Humans who hadn’t failed. Those who hadn’t become human because they hadn’t failed. The one crawling on the floor had six legs. They were all different sizes. It had three eyes. I realized that that was the most complete form when I saw five residents.

I looked up at Heriot with a serious face. He was still staring straight ahead with a satisfied smile. He smiled proudly, as if he were the father of the results he had created.

“Crazy bastard.”

“I agree. But madness has been a longtime friend of artists, inspiring them. Don’t you think so? I completely agree.”

―Eugeugeuk… He, Herioot…

A lump of meat with two heads approached, making a geugeuk sound. My blood ran cold. I scowled. I reflexively distanced myself from the revulsion that was crawling up my body.

―Ni, nice to, mee, meet you.

However.

When I heard a warm word that didn’t match its appearance. I couldn’t move and just froze. ‘That thing’ greeted me with slightly sad eyes. It looked like a doll with buttons instead of eyes, but I could read sadness in its expression. Heriot, noticing that I was standing still in a daze, gave me a look and lectured me.

“The residents will be sad if you’re too serious. More importantly, welcome, Clara! Or Ruri? Since you’ve become one, Cluri? Anyway, I’ve returned safely, so you can give me a reward. Cluri can come find me later. And since I came back alive thanks to this little girl, it wouldn’t be bad to express your gratitude. Come on, Cluri, bow your head?”

―Tha, thank. You.

A giant with two heads that seemed to be 2 meters tall. It diligently moved its muscles that looked like they were melting and bowed its head. I discovered the innocence of a young girl in that bulk. My head went cold. Just as the urge to kill was about to rise, Heriot, sensing that my condition was not normal, attempted his own excuse.

“They asked me to do it. To save one of the dying ones, they had no choice but to parasitize a healthy body. Increasing the bulk was essential. The more precarious their lives, the harder it is to maintain their original form. It was unavoidable.”

“…How many people have you turned into monsters?”

“Monsters! Who on earth defined humans? God? No! Humans have only defined themselves and trapped themselves. These people are also clearly human. The residents here… well, it would be correct to say that they haven’t adapted. So I’m willingly taking care of them.”

I covered my nose from the stench coming from the bloody mass and glared at Heriot. Madman. It would have been better to just kill a dying human than to make them like this. That’s how miserable they looked.

“Did you bring me all the way here just to show me such dogshit philosophy? You’re just a madman. A madman who won’t be recognized by posterity.”

“Your evaluation is harsh. It’s not like I’ve turned every human who’s passed through my hands into this form. Rather, there are more people who have become healthy in their original form. They’ve melted into the city and found their own lives.”

“…A hundred good deeds don’t erase one sin.”

“But it’s not like a hundred good deeds aren’t recognized either. The reputation I’ve built up manifests in reality and helps me. Keulkeul. It’s several times better than those temple bastards who only chant God’s will day and night and try to kill me.”

“….”

Since our values were different, our words didn’t mesh.

This was a parallel line.

Heriot’s expression was indifferent. He didn’t feel anything even after receiving my barrage of criticism. Rather, he proudly puffed out his chest. Look at those humans who are living because they can’t die. Aren’t they happy? His depravity flowed out of every word he spoke.

Certainly.

They were happy. They were grateful to be alive. They were living without dwelling on each other’s appearances. I don’t know if I have the right to interfere in their lives. No, I didn’t need to know. It was just. Fucking awful. I felt fucking awful. I hated Heriot for forcibly injecting happiness and making them live. At this moment. Instinct overwhelmed reason.

I decided to take action instead of words. I drew up Mana. I’ll kill you all at once without pain. I followed because talking was interesting, but it only ruined my mood.

The ground vibrated. The wind that was blowing fiercely between the trees was blocked by the flow of Mana and couldn’t approach. Heriot seemed flustered by the amount of Mana, which was more than he had imagined, but he soon waved his hand, telling me not to do anything foolish.

“What do you think is the reason I brought you all the way here?”

“I don’t know, you fuck… I don’t want to know.”

“Hehe. You’re quite foul-mouthed for a young one.”

At that moment.

The residents began to approach me. They came forward confidently, not afraid of the fiercely fluctuating torrent of Mana. Their eyes were filled with pity. Why? The question flashed through my head. Why would they pity me?

―Do, don’t fight….

―We, we’re okay….

Just as I was about to bury them all alive by blowing up the ground. Their cries stopped my magic. I hate to admit it, but is it because I think of them as humans inside? A momentary hesitation arose. That sob. Those melted muscles. And yet, the sight of them clinging to me without losing their humanity. It stimulated something in me. The magic stopped. The wind that had been swallowed up by the torrent of Mana and disappeared blew again.

Then.

-Pook!

“…!”

A gap created by hesitation. Heriot didn’t miss that short gap and approached in an instant. A sharp, pointed metal object was stuck in my arm. Something entered my body. I, who couldn’t react quickly because of the residents, immediately knocked away his arm and bounced Heriot away.

Kung!

Heriot, who was hit by the Mana wave, flew far away. But, he didn’t suffer much damage. He quickly put up a barrier when the attack was launched. Judging by the speed of deployment, his skills were considerable. As a magician who had succeeded in the fusion between humans that no one had succeeded in and no one had even attempted, it was natural that he was a considerable skilled person.

It was laughable.

It was too laughable for me, an Archmage, but I was too concerned about the liquid that had flowed into my body. It was only a few drops at most, but there must be a reason why he had to give up the opportunity to land a effective hit.

I bind him so he can’t move. Heriot’s eyes widened in astonishment at the flow of Mana that was binding his body. But soon he couldn’t help but laugh and chuckled.

“You’re just like the other ingredients. Foolishly, you couldn’t abandon your humanity.”

“What did you inject?”

“But I’m curious. Why did you hide your strength when you’re so skilled? If you had used your strength from when you were hit by the crossbow, there would have been no need for this.”

“What did you inject?”

“You’re in a hurry. It’s a rapid growth agent.”

Rapid growth agent? Heriot pointed to the residents with his eyes.

Melted muscles.

A bulk that easily exceeds 2 meters.

“Aren’t you curious where those swollen lumps of flesh came from? For your information, those are the ones that have been ‘cut down’ once. If left alone, they’ll be buried and die in the lumps of flesh.”

I lowered my gaze.

Bubbles were boiling in my arm.