I Became a Villain who Receives Obsession

41 – Cult (1)

A space where only quiet silence flows.

The sun was shining down, illuminating the dark space.

“Patriarch.”

There, a man in a black suit was kneeling and bowing his head.

In front of the man, like him, a white-haired old man in black was praying toward the altar.

“How was it?”

A deep voice leaked from the old man, whose faded white hair was neatly tied back.

The old man called the Patriarch was one of the three leaders of Mercia, the largest order in the Empire.

The name of the spirit that helped the person called the human king in the past when he founded the first human kingdom in the Central Continent.

In modern times, all spirits have disappeared, but their efforts are passed down to the next generation.

Among them, a spirit called Mercia was a spirit that accompanied the human king from beginning to end, and helped him to drive out all the different races on the continent and build an empire.

Mercia even gave humans another power called ‘mana’, which is part of the spirit’s power, by sacrificing herself so that her descendants could prosper in the future.

Humans who have gained a new power called mana develop it into magic,

Later, as he gained the high-level power of magic, he began to rapidly expand his influence on the continent based on this.

From kingdoms to empires, mana has been very useful to humans.

Even though in modern times, people who can handle ancient mana have lost their power, the things that spirit Mercia has done for humans have not been forgotten and have been passed down to future generations.

The living witness was the Church of Mercia.

“Recently, the cycle of anomalies occurring across the continent is accelerating.”

The abnormal phenomenon the man on his knees said.

It was to eat the continent that had recently been blessed by Mercia.

After praying, the old man turned around and approached the man.

“What is the cause?”

“This is it.”

What the man presented was a jewel.

It is also a crimson jewel with a hint of red.

“This is a blood fossil, which is normally a material used in accessories for nobles, but it can hold mana like this even though it is in a small amount.”

The crimson jewel turned bluish. The man put mana into it.

“Jewels that can hold mana are very rare. Even that can hold a very small amount of mana, so it can be seen that it is impossible to contain magic itself like blood fossils.”

“Well.”

The old man called Patriarch nodded with a satisfied smile.

The man was one of the most skilled judges in the church. There is no doubt about the man’s ability, to the extent that even the knights within the empire have come to him again and again to take him.

Regarding the abnormal symptoms of monsters that had recently begun to occur throughout the empire, there was no reason not to believe that blood fossil was the result of the man’s own investigation.

So the old man was very satisfied with finding the cause as soon as possible.

“Can you solve it?”

“It will be difficult to be alone.”

The old man was rather surprised.

That man, a man with such skill that he was called the devil of the church, said such a thing.

Since he had been carrying out the mission alone every time, his words a while ago made me guess how difficult this case was. However, if there is one thing that is fortunate, it is that I did not say ‘no’.

The man reassures me, as if he had read the old man’s thoughts.

“It’s just a matter of finding the caster of the magic contained within. We need more people because we will probably have to run all over the continent.”

“Ah, that was it.”

“It may be that he is skilled enough to use the same magic on monsters all over the continent, or it may be that he is struggling to be seen.”

According to common sense, if you want to use blood fossils to embed them into demons on the continent and activate magic at the same time, you’ll have to prepare for years at least.

Also, the level of difficulty is so high that there is no way to do it with poor skills.

The man was self-righteous, but he was not stupid.

If there was an easy way to go, I used it without hesitation. It was like that even now.

“Okay. Within a few days, request the dispatch of judges.”

“thank you. Patriarch.”

Is it necessary to get your hands dirty to catch bugs?

The eyes of the old man stared into the distance for a while.

“Oh, and. Those who were sent to the academy.”

“Come to think of it, there is no news. How did it go?”

“They say it failed. It seems that an unexpected presence intervened.”

“Unexpected?”

“It must have been stopped by Instructor Bona Mana. Even if I was able to enter easily thanks to the entrance ceremony, I don’t think I could avoid the eyes of the instructors.”

“… That’s why the school principal sent me a letter.”

“You mean the letter?”

The corner of the old man’s mouth went up at the young man’s question.

It was another look of an old man who did not usually show a change in expression.

“What? I was scolded for raising my head once.”

“her… .”

“Anyway, rather than that, reorganize the facilities.”

“If it is a facility… .”

The old man’s mouth went up.

“It looks like the lost sheep has returned.”

*

Holidays without academy classes.

A day where you can relax without a schedule. I was walking down the streets of the Empire with Elaine.

“… .”

As soon as she left the academy, Elaine’s speech suddenly became less pronounced.

Doesn’t he keep looking around as if he’s anxious, doesn’t he cling to me and hold on to my clothes from earlier?

I told her to stay in the dormitory if this was the case, but it was Elaine who insisted on following.

‘I didn’t expect the church to be like this.’

There were a few things I learned from talking again with Elaine, who had come in the morning.

The first is that Elaine is not the only child the church has taken in.

They randomly gathered children who were said to have extraordinary mana. It is said that most of them were girls of the same age as Elaine.

The second is that the church is obsessed with saint women.

The records tell us that the authority of the church that produced the saintess rose noticeably.

Because the role of the saintess is important in the upcoming rampant of demons.

The way Elaine came to the academy, and the guys who tried to kidnap her during the entrance ceremony.

I think I know now.

The church must have been searching for Elaine, who was trying to get out of her hands, with lights on in her eyes. Elaine avoids this and enters the academy.

Inside the academy, where the head of the school was the head of the imperial knights, even the religious order would not be able to directly step forward, so they were used.

The guys who came last time must have been some kind of subcontractor.

It was caught on me while I was looking for Elaine after entering the academy taking advantage of the chaotic entrance ceremony.

It’s just my delusion to the end, but I won’t be completely wrong.

Even in the game, it was the church the saintess belonged to that repeatedly blocked the main character’s party.

Moreover, unlike the game where you become a saint, here you have blocked the first event.

Originally, Elaine would have been dragged back to the church by those guys, but that was twisted.

From the point of view of the church chasing the saint, the shit line will burn.

I don’t know what else will happen in the future.

Kwak-

I felt strength in Elaine’s hand holding the edge of my clothes.

‘That’s why I’m just going to stay.’

―There were kids like me in the church. Children younger than me and older sisters. And… .

From Elaine’s point of view, there was no reason to go back to the church I came out of for the sake of my curse that I had just met.

However, it seems that she unconsciously felt guilty for those she left behind in the church.

While entering the academy, she herself became safe, but as she left the church, some disadvantages might have gone to the remaining children.

She wanted to check it out.

I can check it, but why? I asked again, but Elaine’s will was firm. In fact, if it wasn’t for me, she might have gone back alone, so it would be better for her to go with me.

He seemed to be hiding something else, but he didn’t bother asking.

Anyway, while I was suffering like that every day, the church’s gangsters appeared, and I appeared from there.

―The Count will protect you anyway, right?

Instead of giving information related to the curse, he ended up asking me to escort him.

“Whoa… .”

I don’t know if I can guide you properly when I’m shaking like this.

“Just tell me the location and I’ll come and go.”

“Oh, no. Because I’m going too… . Instead, you should stay by my side… .”

Elaine’s trembling was transmitted through her clothes.

Where did the mature image I saw last night go, and is there a stupid kid again?

“… You have to go right here.”

The place we are walking now is a long line of restaurants located in the center of the capital.

Because of that, sweet and delicious smells wafted from the surroundings and stimulated the stomach.

When I headed to the place Elaine pointed out, a dark alley appeared unlike the bustling main street.

“Are you here?”

As I entered the dark alley, I asked Elaine.

Elaine nodded slowly without answering.

As I went further inside, the noise around me decreased, as if I had moved away from the main street, and an empty lot appeared.

A man in a black suit was standing there.

A man with a sturdy physique looked at us and bowed his head slightly as he greeted us.

“hello. You’re the first to see it. And… Long time no see. Miss Elaine.”