NOVEL WEB Chapter 96
“I believed in mages. Their unreliability, their greed, and their desires would inevitably harm others.”
Similarly, I believed in treasures. I thought they would act on their own desires. Yeah, I was convinced that treasures would cause a stir someday. It was a kind of certainty too.
So, I made quite a few preparations. First, I scattered Shadow Dolls and Mirror Bugs throughout the tower to create an impeccable security system. It wasn’t just a few thrown around for the students; there were many hidden in the tower.
The space where the students stayed was smeared with my dolls, which kept spreading around the tower, continuously on the lookout.
They thoroughly checked for any anomalies or problems and sent me information. That’s how I discovered Hao, mesmerized by the teeth the other day.
The grading chart through the Mirror Bugs was another measure for him. I also decked out the first floor with tons of statues for that reason. It was all a precaution against treasures.
Now, what about the treasures? Did they really not know I was preparing for their reckless actions? No way. I glanced at Mira beside me, who was quietly staring at the Mirror Bug.
Mira had a strong desire but wasn’t stupid. She had enough insight and intelligence to steer me in the direction she wanted.
Other treasures were likely the same. They knew I was preparing for their havoc as well. Yet, they would definitely act. I knew that too.
Yeah, this was like a board game where the opponent is completely visible. They are trying some tricks, and I’m just blocking them; it’s that simple.
So, who are the pieces in this board game? The students, of course. And those students have now formed a religion. It was undoubtedly a move by the Sky Ring Church.
But what could their goal be? I frowned slightly. I had met and talked about it several times over the past period. Through that process, I understood their thoughts a bit.
They had no intention of leaving the storehouse they lived in. That storehouse was like a world they built. Everything inside was happy.
If they stepped out of that storehouse, they would fall back into suffering. That was why the Sky Ring didn’t want to go outside. They were deeply satisfied within that complete world.
I stroked my chin with my finger. Even if I didn’t know their purpose, I had to act. If I left it as is, it would definitely keep breeding.
“Mira, have you noticed anything strange?”
Mira let out a small yawn and nodded. She handed me the Mirror Bug she was looking at. Inside, a video of the Sky Ring Church preaching was playing.
“As you can see, it’s the same as yesterday. They’re saying exactly the same things. It’s just that one more person has joined.”
“Is that so?”
I watched the video with Mira. The newcomer was the student who had entered the tower the day before after fleeing from them. I remembered him leaving with a horrified expression.
And now, he had joined them today. He had a very happy face now.
I wasn’t sure how they were pulling it off, but they were drawing people into their religion one by one, starting with those who had the strongest rejection reaction.
The Mirror Bug in my embrace vibrated slightly. I checked the content and nodded. These were the words I had been waiting for. Now there was a sufficient amount piled up.
An alarm went off due to complaints left by the students. They were protesting about them, feeling disgusted by how they were blocking the tower’s entrance and seemed tainted by its power.
Indeed. Other students were noticing their oddness as well. Those who received the power of the Sky Ring were particularly attuned to it. So, just like the newcomer today, they tended to avoid them.
Yet, the Sky Ring Church clung to people, unperturbed by that aversion. People were even more disgusted. Thus, they raised their complaints.
“Well then, let’s move. We need to stop that preaching first.”
I couldn’t suppress them alone. No matter how I used the tower, it was their freedom. However, since students were complaining like this, I had enough reason to act. So, I went down the tower with Mira.
The tower’s entrance was quite noisy. Thirteen people were casting magic while scattering flyers along the path to the tower. The monsters they summoned were doing the same.
They were downright serious about preaching. That’s why complaints had started flooding in.
I approached Hao among them. He had rolled up his sleeves and was conveying the words of the Sky Ring to those entering the tower.
I lightly tapped his shoulder. He stopped talking for a moment when he noticed me. He glanced around, scratched his head, and then slightly bowed his head as he opened his mouth.
“We’ve received complaints about the noise. I think we need to prohibit preaching at the entrance from now on. No, we ought to ban any preaching activities around the tower altogether.”
This preaching seemed particularly suspicious. Since that began, the numbers had started to increase one by one. So, we needed to halt this first. Hearing that, Hao’s eyes widened.
“This is purely coming from our heartfelt desire. It’s our wish to bring happiness to others. Don’t you understand that?”
Hao said with tearful eyes. The refreshing scent emanating from him grew even stronger with the tears. Mira began drooling from her mouth.
The drool that started from Mira’s mouth showed no signs of stopping. A Doll gently wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
Hao glanced at the doll while half crying. It seemed his gaze was naturally drawn to the doll’s beautiful appearance. He couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from it.
As time passed, his tears eventually dried up. He zoned out for a moment, then cleared his throat to regain his composure. I shook my head at him.
“All the students are uncomfortable. Such actions breed hostility towards you all. So, unfortunately, we have to ban this.”
At those words, Hao fell into quiet thought. Eventually, he nodded obediently. He clapped his hands and began gathering everyone who had been scattering flyers around.
“Hearing that makes me think a lot as well. I never imagined our pure intentions could cause discomfort for others. It is as you said.”
With that, Hao placed his two hands together and made a circle in front of his chest. Others lightly responded to him. They nodded at each other and began tidying up their spot.
“We can’t cause discomfort for the sake of our own satisfaction. As Ebron said, we will end the preaching here. Many people must have already learned about our beliefs.”
They quietly headed towards the tower. Passing students lightly applauded me with very satisfied expressions. I slightly bowed my head to them.
And I stared at Hao’s back, who entered the tower with his eyes narrowed. Did he really just comply without any resistance after a few words? It was unexpected.
If this preaching were truly important, he would have tried to continue it no matter what. But they gave up so easily, as if they had already achieved their goal.
Mira came closer and wrapped her arms around mine. She too was staring intently at Hao’s back. The drool marks on her lips were clearly visible.
“I could just eat that in one bite. Incredible. I almost melted from that fragrance.”
“Indeed.”
I lightly nodded. I had smelled a pretty decent scent before, but not like this. That change came from faith.
Hao’s mental score rose higher within such faith. As it did, that scent thickened. Others probably wouldn’t notice. It was a fragrance humans couldn’t inhale. I gently stroked my nose.
After that day, they truly stopped the preaching. The tower’s entrance quieted down, and the students were very satisfied.
The Sky Ring Church began holding gatherings more passionately instead. They almost met every three hours for a simple mass towards the Sky Ring.
The frequency of offerings increased too. Originally held once a day, their worship time became twice a day, morning and evening. Thus, they started to systematize their religion.
—Repeatedly saying, your happiness is my happiness. Just do what you want.
“The Sky Ring said, ‘You already know happiness well. When you move toward that happiness, I too feel happy watching you. So just do what you want. There will be happiness at the end.’ Today, once again, he left these words with us. Let’s engrave this deeply in our hearts and pray together.”
Hao drew a circle in front of his chest. The believers in front of him did the same. Mira, watching their faces through the Mirror Bug, smiled slightly.
“Ah, someone has joined in again?”
I nodded silently. Indeed. The thirteen had become fourteen. The student had seamlessly blended into their gathering and was now participating in worship.
“Looks like it wasn’t their preaching that was the cause. I have no idea how they draw people in like that.”
“Could something be happening outside the tower? Maybe they attack during the night and brainwash those with that power?”
Mira suggested. She was probably right. There were no traces of anything happening inside the tower. That meant something was going on outside.
But if it were as she speculated, and they were forcibly brainwashing, there should be some kind of aftereffects. I analyzed their scores one by one through the Mirror Bugs, but I found no signs of contamination.
I attached a bunch of dolls to them for that. While I could confirm their actions simply through the Mirror Bugs, what if they just left them behind? Mira also left to check on them herself.
Thus, all the students left the tower. I sat down in the workshop and pulled up a map. Red dots were marked on it. Those were the people of the Sky Ring Church. They were all gathered together.
The place they were located was the Monster Zone. I already knew they stayed there. I had been able to determine where the students were staying through the Mirror Bugs ages ago.
There was only one peculiar point. The student who joined them today had strayed from his original place and entered the Monster Zone. Other than that, I couldn’t see any significant differences.
They managed monsters there, chatted, and prayed towards the Sky Ring. Their chants echoed loudly, uniting their voices nearby.
Mira’s guess was wrong. They weren’t attacking the other students at all. They were just gathering together to pray towards the Sky Ring.
“I recall the words the Sky Ring first spoke to me. ‘I know your sins, so you only dream of happiness.’ To me, happiness is this very moment. And we…”
In the center, Hao spoke passionately. The piece of the ring floating above his head radiated clear light.
Days passed like that. Their numbers had now reached twenty. Half of those empowered by the Sky Ring had joined them.
Through that process, I learned what their preaching method was. It was monsters. There were many monsters left by other students in the Monster Zone. Those monsters were listening to their prayers.