I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 116. Residues (4)

I awoke with a start.

“What was that just now…?”

Since I had partially melded with Carlos, I could feel it clearly. He had definitely sensed me.

“A 5th rank might cause that? No. 5th ranks are terrifying Transcendents, but still, this is…”

My eyes automatically gravitated toward the back of my hand. There were no traces of the dice having rolled.

This meant there was no mental harm.

“Any abnormalities in my body?”

Even with my transformations functioning normally, there appeared to be no external anomalies.

I had even dissolved my skin layer, split my muscles, and checked my bones, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

“My understanding of miracles has significantly deepened.”

I now understood that this miracle wasn’t merely about transforming the surroundings to create a useful battlefield.

The essence of this miracle lay in receiving a special drop of black blood, which, when scattered, allowed the miracle to grow in power and range by absorbing life.

Conversely, if the black blood diminished due to significant harm, the range and power would decrease as well.

“Everything seems normal… but why is it normal?”

I tried using the “Enlightenment of the Prophet” to search for related cases, but found nothing relevant.

The only information I could gather was about Carlos.

Aside from his history of massacres and pillaging, there wasn’t much of interest at the moment.

“He isn’t still alive. Servan eventually battled and killed him in the second war.”

I expelled a breath. There wasn’t much I could decipher, but there remained one more thing to attempt.

“Dice Roll.”

The power I discovered through the existence of the White Night was more formidable than I had initially imagined.

Things that I couldn’t remember or perceive could be recalled immediately with a successful dice roll.

“How did Carlos sense me?”

The dice did not roll. It was like how you needed certain conditions to be met to attempt a dice roll in a TRPG.

“Then, might as well try to recall what I’ve missed.”

Dice Roll. Information Acquisition Check.

『18』

When the green number emerged, I realized something crucial, a discrepancy I hadn’t noticed.

“The fact that this miracle is recorded is itself bizarre. The scenario I witnessed was during the Holy War!”

According to Belido, this scripture reached Arkanis before the Holy War erupted.

The Holy War started only after Levan and Elena had separated, splitting the scriptures between them.

“This miracle happened while Mystica, arkanis’ heir, possessed the scripture.”

This suggested some very intriguing possibilities.

“Newly emerging miracles are inscribed into the scripture.”

Considering that the scripture was not a mere bunch of paper but a divine manuscript bestowed by a God, such an occurrence seemed plausible.

“The likelihood that Mystica had internal spies or few members is low.”

Perhaps Mystica only split and didn’t destroy the scripture due to its mysterious powers that rendered it indestructible.

“Testing it… would be risky.”

I debated entirely reading and then destroying the scripture… but considering I’ve been committing blasphemy regularly, restraint seemed prudent.

“Aside from that, servan and Alexander… I’m curious about them too.”

Servan was a Disciple of Nodens.

While there are many Ancient Gods in this world who are friendly to humans, nodens was particularly special.

When I encountered Outer Gods through Dowol’s enthusiastic accounts and novels, I learned…

Nodens was among the few Gods friendly to humans in a world devoid of dreams and hope.

“Servan’s title as a hero may not have been undeserved… The greater concern is dealing with another follower of Nodens.”

Given the likelihood that this disciple would be my enemy, it would be wise to preemptively recruit or prepare countermeasures.

“And Alexander…”

Recently, the incidents relating to Zeus, particularly the increasing tales of thunder being witnessed, caught my attention.

Investigating him might yield clues about Zeus.

“Considering such major players in a single meditation… I’m lucky. It also revealed the scale of battles.”

The battles of the 5th rank were events of a different magnitude.

One could call them natural disasters colliding.

While Cahon was still restrained by Zeus’s constraints, releasing these constraints would mean he could wield disastrous power.

“It’d be a good idea to research battles from the Holy War of the 5th rank. I can ask Redner to find them excitedly.”

After organizing my queries and research subjects, I left the room.

“Ah, you’re awake?”

Eldritch was standing outside, appearing about to knock.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’ve been resting for a long time. The sun is already high.”

“I went in when the sun was already high, so what’s the fuss?”

“It’s already been a day, Lord Ethnos.”

… A whole day passed? I felt bewildered.

“We let you sleep soundly without interrupting… Was there anything amiss?”

“I wasn’t sleeping, Eldritch. I was meditating.”

Eldritch furrowed his brow.

“Meditation… the one that usually takes about 5 minutes? Is it possible you fell asleep afterward?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. I woke up immediately.”

It indeed seemed that this meditation was significantly different from the usual, but I couldn’t grasp the cause or foresee whether it might pose a significant problem.

“… I’ll think about it later. There’s nothing off. What about the guests?”

“If you mean Mr. Ender and the others, they have yet to arrive.”

Thankfully, they hadn’t arrived yet.

“Lord Ethnos, that meditation… Isn’t it better to avoid it?”

“Why? There’s been no issue so far.”

“It could be my lack of understanding, but…”

Eldritch cleared his throat slightly before speaking.

“In truth, I’ve never heard of such a training method. I just assumed there was a misunderstanding and that you were engaging in a meaningless act.”

Whether there were other priests like me who meditated, I didn’t know.

After all, this wasn’t something I inherently knew, but knowledge gained after being forcibly initiated by the formless residues.

“But the meditation has a distinct effect. I’ve directly experienced a prophet’s experiences.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, not simply my delusions.”

After explaining in detail the battle Carlos had instigated, Eldritch seemed astonished.

“I’m aware of Priest Carlos. However, he’s not a widely known figure because he left no significant accomplishments.”

He was powerful and caused extensive harm to various factions, but that was all.

Records indicated there wasn’t much about him because he acted solely out of self-interest.

Given how little was documented about such a character, Eldritch seemed convinced that meditation was showing me something.

“Even at the 6th rank, overlooking space-time to detect Ethnos is strange.”

On that point, I agreed. No matter how I examined it, there were no links between the residues’ side and such phenomena.

Perhaps I needed to consider the possibility that a perilous entity, akin to the White Night’s existence, was involved.

“I’ll be more cautious. I might even test some things.”

“Risky endeavors aren’t recommended, but… I’ll help with any issues.”

I chuckled softly and nodded.

“Alright. You’ve grown dependable. You should’ve advanced your rank sooner.”

“Geez… Must you add extra comments?”

While I was chatting casually with Eldritch, Mary descended from the ceiling.

“Guests are here. Three of them.”

“Bring them in. Fetch that expensive wine Lyla purchased.”

Mary nodded and vanished promptly.

A while later, the guests arrived.

“It’s been a while.”

Ender had a few new scars, but the other two hadn’t changed much.

“I’ve heard the predicament from the other day at Wave Reach.”

Taking a deep sigh, Ender continued.

“I feel ashamed.”

“It’s alright. The side effects back then are gradually recovering, so don’t worry… I’d like to transition to discussing the Wildlands promptly.”

“Our lady has something to say regarding that matter.”

With Delion’s words, Ansandy stepped forward.

“We… intend to reject this proposal.”

Ansandy’s sudden declaration.

While hiring different mercenaries was an option, the reason I selected them was above all trust.

I wasn’t inclined to consider alternatives.

“Can you explain why?”

“We realized something during the last incident. Our compatibility against the Outer Gods’ monstrosities isn’t favorable.”

“Despite saying that… You did manage to slay a tremendous number of spiders, didn’t you?”

There was no reason for their accomplishments to be underrated.

“The monsters emerging in the Wildlands are tougher to kill than those spiders. Given our abilities, efficiency isn’t promising.”

Delion added seriously.

Certainly, a strategy of exploiting weaknesses to deliver fatal blows wasn’t suitable against monstrosities related to Outer Gods.

Those creatures, with their unreasonable vitality, required being confronted with substantial firepower.

Some didn’t even have identifiable weak points to exploit.

“I understand. Of course, I’ve taken that into consideration.”

A natural smile appeared as memories surfaced.

“The joy of assembling a party.”

One of my favorite aspects while playing TRPGs was forming parties.

The enjoyment of assigning roles, distributing necessary equipment, and nurturing growth. Those memories flowed back vividly.

“If you’re still inclined to fight against the Outer Gods’ forces… Could you follow me for a moment?”

Mary, who had placed the wine in the reception room, glared at me, but I ignored it and led the group toward Lyla’s room.

“Oho? A beautiful mage trapped in a tower! Such inspiration is…”

Delion’s dramatics were abruptly cut short as Ansandy elbowed him in the stomach.

“Seems like you’re doing well.”

“And you, Ender, your face is glowing.”

Ender and Lyla exchanged cordial greetings. Meanwhile, I introduced Lyla to the remaining two.

“This is Lyla Eldenwillow. She’s Archmage Cernun’s apprentice and a 3rd rank enchanter.”

“An enchanter? Isn’t the enchantment method tightly held by the Magic Workshop Alliance…”

The two exchanged their surprised greetings. Certainly, the purpose of bringing them here wasn’t just for greetings.

“Ms. Ansandy. Would you entrust your sword to this enchanter?”

“Hmm… Planning to enhance it?”

“Yes. Though that’s not all.”

I lifted the parchment on the table, the request list I had given to Lyla.

“These are armaments I personally designed from head to toe for your upcoming endeavors in the Wildlands.”

Ansandy and Delion’s expressions shifted as they examined the detailed content.

“Do you two still feel the same?”

There were no objections any longer.