I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 32 The Underground of the City(3)

—What’s this… do you… like stuff like this?

That had been my reaction when I first saw the sketch of Arian that Dowol brought. Most characters were just described by him, but sometimes he drew the character’s face directly, like Arian.

‘Looking back now, you really drew it exactly right.’

Dowol had desperately insisted, albeit disgusted, saying, “The Luminaries criteria are extremely strict, and they only set characters who are beautiful or impressive!”

I had just assumed he was making excuses but…

“Why, Mr. Ahab? Do you wish to say something?”

I felt sorry for doubting Dowol’s preferences towards someone like this. My ears felt as if they were about to bleed.

“No, first of all, the first discoverer—”

“That is not an actual law! Generally, the cooperation of ordinary citizens, including mercenaries, is only permitted during emergencies!”

Right, this was the issue.

To put it nicely, she was someone who strictly adhered to the rules.

To put it negatively, she adhered to the rules too strictly.

The kind of FM officer you would dread meeting in the army.

‘Look at those crazed eyes.’

She was truly a fanatic with clear eyes.

“This matter is unacceptable! According to the rules of Luminaries—”

“Wait a minute! First, lower your voice!”

“Luminaries must reveal themselves boldly without any concealment, and it is a rule to disclose tasks to eliminate any anxiety among citizens!”

“But there’s no rule about bursting their eardrums! Speak quietly!”

With a smile, Arian paused for a moment, thought, and then nodded.

“Indeed, actions that harm citizens’ health are prohibited by Luminaries. I shall lower my voice then.”

At last, she lowered her volume to a more bearable level.

“And about this matter, in a way, it is an emergency.”

To persuade this inflexible woman, it was necessary to dig into the meticulous regulations of Luminaries.

“If this case involves heretical priests, especially with large-scale rituals, it constitutes a city-wide emergency.”

“Hmm, there is some truth to that… but my definition of an emergency involves situations like natural disasters where citizen support is necessary due to a lack of manpower.”

It wasn’t getting through. Despite seeming a bit dim-witted, she wasn’t completely so.

“In cases related to the regulations of heretical priests, evacuation of citizens takes precedence. However, this is only when the influence of a heretical priest is confirmed and it requires upper-level approval through relevant reporting.”

By the time that happens, everyone would already be dead. Didn’t she have any flexibility at all?

“Hey.”

Belmot, who seemed just as weary of the conversation as I was, put his palm to his forehead and spoke.

“Then, what if we consider this issue as ‘special training for the Luminaries volunteers’?”

What was that supposed to mean? Whatever it was, Arian nodded after some thought.

“If the danger level of this incident has not been measured, it can be permitted under normal investigation conditions. Then, Mr. Ahab, are you a Luminaries volunteer?”

The look from Belmot urged me to just go along with it.

“Yes. I plan to volunteer.”

“Luminaries volunteers should not have any disqualification based on appearance, and they must score at least 25 out of 30 in the screening.”

… Did she just call me ugly? Dazed, I stared at her, but Arian looked back at me with serious eyes.

“There should also be no prior use of substances prohibited by the Church of Hayat. Physical tests, simulated combat tests, ideological verification tests, monster hunting tests, a seven-day combat test without sleep, and an overall combined score of 70 out of 100—”

“Stop! Stop! Regardless of whether this friend has disqualifications or not, he can still apply, right?!”

Belmot interrupted, unable to listen any longer.

I too found myself flabbergasted. I had heard that getting into Luminaries was tough, but this was beyond imagination. Were the two Luminaries members I’d argued with earlier really those who had passed all that?

“Indeed, you are correct. However, it is beneficial for applicants to be aware of these requirements.”

Arian’s gaze wasn’t on my face but elsewhere.

“Hair loss is one of the main reasons for disqualification.”

Even though Ahab had lost some hair, pointing it out like that felt excessively harsh.

“So, I understand! As a hopeful applicant, I will accompany this case personally as an observer.”

“And the personal agreement between Luminaries and the citizens must be honored, right? If you promise to give this friend 80 percent of the loot, he won’t have any complaints.”

“Personal agreements and contracts must be strictly upheld!”

I wondered if she was born with a characteristic where her voice automatically increased in decibels when lowered.

“I, Arian, as a military inspector of Luminaries, will ensure that 80 percent of the loot from this investigation, except for essential report items, is given to you.”

‘… Alright.’

I expressed my gratitude to Belmot, and he quietly nodded in return.

Honestly, I wanted to abandon this whole ordeal, dead bodies be damned.

‘Just going with her is more dangerous than being in a basement with over a hundred corpses.’

There was a risk of exposing my identity, but her excessively upright nature made it even more perilous.

—Since the necklace you possess has been confirmed to be a heretical relic, I am here to arrest you!

When they suddenly said they were arresting me, I was playing with quite a high-level character at the time and actually faced off against Arian.

‘It was truly absurd.’

Until then, I had quite a good impression of her. With her immense battle capabilities and embodiment of pure righteousness, she had shown a lot of favorable traits.

‘And yet, after saying she trusted me and fighting back to back, even sharing stories about her family…’

Turning adversarial just because of one ancient relic. Even now, it felt utterly absurd. In the end, my character died, and I furiously complained to Dowol about it.

“Then, I will go gather my belongings.”

“Before that, please sign this consent form!”

At the sudden mention, I turned around to see Arian pulling out a stack of papers on the table. There was the Luminaries application form, a special training application for the applicants, and a consent form officially documenting agreements made with Luminaries.

‘Didn’t she initially not want to take me?’

I thought she was carrying an unnecessarily large amount but realized how odd this seemed. The papers were bulky parchment scrolls, inconvenient to carry. She didn’t even have something like a spatial storage pouch.

‘Crazy… It was a test all along.’

I couldn’t have imagined it due to her attitude and personality, but it seemed all this had been a test by Arian from the start. She was evaluating whether I could obtain consent without violating the beliefs and laws of the Church of Hayat or if I should be excluded from this investigation as an unruly character.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Why not just ask for consent from the beginning?”

“One cannot ask for cooperation in an investigation from someone who doesn’t understand basic regulations!”

It was obvious that arguing more would just tire me out. Quickly signing the documents before my energy drained, I entered the room, and Eldritch started fussing.

『What are you planning to do? That woman is a Luminaries military inspector!』

“I don’t think she’s noticed my true identity. If she had, she would have cut me down on the spot.”

And I would have died without any opportunity to resist.

『Are you really thinking of continuing this act against her? Lord Ethnos, your physical combat abilities are severely lacking! You will be found out quickly!』

Given my physical abilities were weaker than an average adult male, the statement was painfully accurate. But I hadn’t taken on this task without some forethought.

“Yes, but ‘I’ am not the issue here.”

I took off my clothes and donned the cloak again. Underneath, I wore a suitable leather armor I had bought for Ahab, complete with long sleeves and gloves to cover my skin. Underneath my clothes, the cloak stirred, wrapping around my arms and legs.

『What… are you doing?』

“The tentacles of Gluttony are much stronger than I am. By wrapping them around my body under the clothes, I’m compensating for my lack of Strength.”

It was essentially a powered suit of sorts. As a test, I lifted a piece of furniture next to me.

Even though it wasn’t entirely easy on my body, I managed to endure thanks to the support given by Gluttony, which enveloped my entire being.

“I guess it’s true that I’ve become weaker with age. I’ll have to focus on throwing the spear.”

I also packed a whaling harpoon that I had never thrown before.

“Eldritch, it’s better if you don’t come with me.”

『Indeed, that is true.』

Eldritch agreed without much resistance. If he showed even the slightest suspicious element, he could be killed instantly. To Arian, he had to be treated with such caution.

『Then, I will keep an eye on the black market. If anything happens, please use this.』

Eldritch handed over a small twig-like object.

“What is this?”

『If you break it with your will, the twig I have will also break. It’s an enchanted item.』

“Alright. I don’t know if I could ask for help, but if it breaks, head straight to the Dream Chamber where Sevika lies.”

Eldritch shuddered for a moment and let out a troubled sound. What? That wasn’t the purpose you gave it for?

『I will attempt to make an audience… if necessary.』

“She’s not as fearsome as you think.”

『That’s preposterous! Anyway, I wish you good luck.』

With all preparations complete, Arian and I headed back to the place where the stone door was located. On our way, we drew considerable attention, and I never liked being the focus of people’s eyes.

“The place that Ahab discovered has been dispatched by Stigmata for investigation!”

“… Hey. Do you have to announce such information out loud?”

“The rules of Luminaries are—”

“I know! I know, so just let it go!”

I genuinely felt annoyed for a moment, but Arian maintained a bright smile and even waved to the people as though unbothered.

When we finally arrived at the location, I saw that Luminaries were controlling the crowd nearby.

“This matter has nothing to do with the heretical priest with red hair!”

“What?”

“With the cooperation of the grand mage Cernun, a large-scale detection spell revealed an enormous space underground that wasn’t previously recorded in this city!”

So, Cernun hadn’t come to the port city solely because of the black market issue after all?

“Stigmata was dispatched to multiple locations suspected to be entrances. Most turned out to be thick walls with no underground entry!”

“Then, is this recent discovery different?”

“Yes! In terms of scale, it is about half the size of the city! Finding an entrance wasn’t an easy task!”

… Damn.

“So you’re saying that it’s impossible for this to have been executed by the newly arrived heretical priest?”

“Not necessarily! Perhaps the plan was secretly in place for a long time, and only recently have activities started!”

“Hey. You said earlier that it was unrelated—”

“Correct! That assumption was incorrect, but this matter is certainly not related to that heretical priest!”

I felt my blood pressure rise so much that my neck felt warm, but I couldn’t show my frustration or yell. As I sensed the vibrations, I confirmed that the stone door was at least 30 cm thick. Yet, Arian casually grabbed and tore it out, lock and all.

“Unbelievable…”

Arian, with no sense of tact, but a transcendental physical strength comparable to the commanders of Luminaries.

“The owner of this underground space has been identified through the detection spell of Great Mage Cernun! A necromancer who went missing 200 years ago and was a great sinner ordered to be exterminated at the time!”

Holding the enormous stone door effortlessly, she flung it aside. When it hit the ground, it caused a tremendous roar and vibration.

“In short, it goes like this!”

Arian, wearing a triumphant smile, looked down into the pitch-dark underground.

“Why did the heretical priest come to this place, massacre members of Stigmata, and then vanish after discovering the stone door?”

Arian drew a sword made of pure white steel, emitting a gentle white glow.

“Why did the careful heretical priest leave a strand of hair behind as if to ensure it would be found?”

The voice that echoed loudly was no longer just annoying; it now pressed down heavily on me.

“Did you not simply pass by and find this place by chance, and manage to find a single strand of hair in the chaos by pure coincidence? In the name of Hayat, I shall uncover the truth!”