I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 109. Knight (3)

“… What are you doing?”

Arian’s sword had grazed my neck, leaving behind a very small cut. Blood spattered slightly, but that was all.

“I will stop here.”

With the sword sheathed, Arian had a larger wound on her neck, a backlash from 〈Geass〉.

“The 〈Geass〉 was real. But…”

I couldn’t quite understand.

“Honestly, tricking and killing like this isn’t the most efficient, but I thought it was a sure method.”

Wasn’t she aiming for mutual destruction by using 〈Geass〉 as a lure?

‘She’s too valuable to throw her life away like that, though.’

Despite this, treating my threat level seriously and using a method to drag me out to kill wasn’t a bad idea.

Even with suspicion, I had come to this place, and if she attacked intending to sacrifice herself, she might have killed me.

“You’re mentioning strange things.”

“You’re the strange one. I simply can’t understand your actions.”

“That’s what I would like to say!”

Bang!

Arian slammed the table, and it shattered completely.

“… Thanks to you, I’ll need to buy a new table.”

“Why is that my fault…?”

“Exactly, isn’t it? You blew Wave Reach, and my house also went up in flames, but surely that’s not your fault, right?”

Arian sighed.

“Yes, I know. Truly, it’s not your fault.”

Seated in a chair, Arian spoke with a calming voice.

“You’ve really confused me. I pondered for days and nights and finally reached a conclusion.”

“And what conclusion is that?”

“As unbelievable as it may be, I concluded that you are not an enemy.”

I stared straight at Arian. She began to verbalize what she had been thinking to support her conclusion.

“When we first met in Ahab, you clearly used me. You tricked me completely. But you did confess the truth to me.”

Arian mentioned the two things I had said under the miracle of 〈Radiance of Truth Discernment〉.

First, I came to support a young girl named Talia. Second, I was hostile toward an Outer God.

“You shouldn’t put too much trust in miracles, you know?”

I scoffed.

“For some reason, even Inquisitor’s Saintess couldn’t detect my blatant lies.”

“… That’s very concerning, but it’s not just that, is it?”

The battle between Arian and Sharl. I had stepped in for Arian and the children.

“There were countless questions on why you interfered, why you tried to save me.”

Arian accurately deduced the situation at that time.

She shouldn’t have seen me as I couldn’t act too overtly to protect my identity.

But I couldn’t just let her die, so I revealed myself.

“If it was to save for a living sacrifice, there would be no reason not to just leave me.”

From other actions I’ve taken, she already seemed to have formed a judgment about me.

“I debated countless times whether to kill you or not. Believe it or not, at least for now, I thought I shouldn’t kill you.”

“Why?”

“Are you even listening to me? Clearly-”

“Why, though?”

I couldn’t help but frown.

“You shouldn’t come to such a conclusion. If it were anyone else, fine, but not you.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Arian Elata. You prioritize duty above all. Your personal judgment never exists, and you’ve always adhered strictly to the rules. So why would you spare an Outer God priest?”

This was not like ‘Arian Elata’ at all. Even as I was cautious of her, I recognized her conviction. Arian wouldn’t make such a decision.

“Did you know? I dislike Gods. Not just Outer God, but the Ancient Gods and Hayat as well. I also dislike people who follow such Gods blindly.”

“I don’t understand why you are bringing this up all of a sudden.”

“It’s straightforward. I dislike people who entrust all of their choices and doubts to a God who may not even listen.”

Arian looked at me in disbelief.

“Do you just want to say that you dislike me?”

“… I still remember the conversation we had in the carriage.”

At first glance, Arian seems like a person who prioritizes rules excessively. Like someone blindly following religion. But that wasn’t the case.

“You followed rules because you judged them to be the most correct after much contemplation. That’s why I respected you, and also believed you’d find a way to kill me at all costs.”

Because that was the rule and Arian’s belief.

“Then why did you change your mind? Did saving your life once really shatter that conviction?”

I realized then why I was hesitant to meet Arian.

“Look at me. I am not human anymore.”

I began transforming. Returning to Ethnos’s form, revealing Gluttony’s spider legs and tentacles.

“Am I really someone you should make an exception for and keep alive?”

“… Are you.”

Arian looked up at me and spoke quietly.

“Are you expecting me to judge whether you should live or not?”

Of course, I had no intention to simply die. But I wished for her to remain a threating adversary, still keeping me in check.

“Why me?”

“Because at least you would be the fairest of all.”

Saintess Iris failed to assess me properly due to Hayat’s scheming.

Archmage Cernun watches over me but considers my value too high, ignoring most of the issues.

If even Arian ceased to be fair, then there would be no one left to judge me properly.

“Goodness…”

After a long silence, Arian, as if trying to measure me, asked,

“Do you really not feel any emotions?”

“Besides anger, other emotions are vague.”

“Then what do you think about Outer God and their forces?”

“I don’t like them.”

“Why? Aren’t you an Outer God priest?”

“Not by choice. Had there been another option, I’d never be an Outer God priest. I dislike being a priest in general.”

Arian observed me with a perplexed expression.

“I’d like to use a miracle to see if you’re sincere… but you said it doesn’t work, so let’s skip that.”

“You’ll just take my word and skip it?”

“I may not be convinced, but you wouldn’t be able to accept the result.”

True enough. At the same time, I realized what Arian was trying to do. She was judging me while simultaneously making me judge myself.

“Why have you only hunted corrupted priests?”

“I need to accumulate achievements to rise in rank. Hunting heretics accumulates merits. Killing corrupt ones draws less pursuit.”

But there was a bigger reason.

“Other priests don’t bother me much, but seeing those kinds infuriates me.”

“Do you always add so many reasons? Ultimately, you hunt them because you despise the wicked.”

Arian let out a small smile.

“What? Why are you smiling?”

“After suspecting and being wary so much, you seem to be just another person with worries.”

Suddenly, Arian took off her chest armor and set it aside. Beneath, a quilted armor was exposed, offering little defense compared to the shed plate armor.

“Why are you…?”

“Did you know? I did plan to lure you with 〈Geass〉 for mutual destruction.”

Arian laid down her sword and ornaments, spreading her arms open.

“What are you doing all of a sudden!?”

I frowned and asked. Arian abruptly questioned,

“Why aren’t you killing me?”

“… What?”

“You should know enough about me, right? Without this armor, delivering a fatal blow should be easy.”

“That might be true, but—”

“Oh, is it because of this quilted armor? There’s nothing hidden inside, but I can take it off too.”

Eventually, Arian took off her quilted armor, leaving her in just cloth, and stared at me silently.

“Even with that quilted armor, I would die if you struck my neck. It would be even easier to stab my heart now.”

“I don’t understand why you keep insisting I kill you.”

Arian raised the corners of her mouth slightly.

“You’re an evil Outer God priest, and I am an enemy who should be guarded against, right? Killing me would accumulate significant achievements, wouldn’t it?”

“No, that’s not—”

“There are no ambushes around. I came out earlier than expected, so truthfully, I should still be at the shrine. Escaping wouldn’t be hard. It’s the perfect moment to eliminate an enemy.”

I was at a loss for words. Such calculations had already crossed my mind.

“You have no reason not to kill me, but have countless reasons to do so. You seem to think a lot, so you’ve probably finished calculating it already.”

“…”

“And yet, you haven’t killed me. No, you probably never even intended to.”

Indeed. Despite simulating several scenarios in my head, I never considered killing Arian.

“Isn’t that sufficient?”

“Sufficient? If my mind were slightly lower, I would’ve attacked immediately. I could target civilians outside. I am a monster.”

“Not entirely yet. And…”

Arian rose from her chair and stood directly in front of me.

“It appears you’re striving to return to being human. Otherwise, you wouldn’t care how much you’ve transformed.”

Ah… was that it.

The constant questions about these incomprehensible emotions.

Unable to justify why they shouldn’t occur, yet somehow not crossing the line.

It was because I wanted to become human again. I had been resisting an Outer God all along.

“As a member of the Luminaries Knight order, it is an honor to help people. Just as you helped me…”

Arian offered her hand. Her eyes, though not as bright as before, held a hint of regained radiance.

“I too will help you.”

I looked at her hand for a moment. In being judged fairly by Arian, I was acknowledged to still deserve life.

“Of course, if you do insist on becoming a true monster, I’ll find a way to end it.”

“Yeah… then I’ll leave it to you.”

As a person, I reached out and took Arian’s hand. Thus, for the third time, I could truly establish a friendly relationship with Arian.

TL’s Corner:
Ethnos is a pretty sad entity.