I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 44. Capital (3)

“Hold on a second. What do you mean, a gathering of Outer God priests?”

“Yes, those who have embraced madness and succeeded in the ‘Awakening Ritual’. A gathering of the very few Outer God priests who are quietly expanding their influence in the dark.”

It might not seem strange for such a gathering to exist, but in reality, it is.

“Do they serve the same Outer God? If not, there’d be no reason for them to interact.”

“They don’t serve the same Outer God, but they still need some level of interaction. You’re not ready to be part of it yet, though…”

Sevika smiled and pocketed the key.

“Who knows what will happen after this task is done. Besides, even though you’re just a first rank, you’re special.”

As Sevika mentioned, I was quite a unique case. Not only had I been initiated into multiple Outer God religions, using various Outer God’s miracles, but I also used forbidden methods, which were considered blasphemous…

‘Still, these priests are higher ranked than I am. Even if not all of them are as powerful as Sevika…’

If they were all on Sevika’s level, this world would have already seen its doom.

“I’ll tell you more about it once you complete my request splendidly.”

Sevika made a gesture, creating a door.

“It’s time to wake up from the dream.”

“Until next time, then.”

I grasped the doorknob, and the next moment…

“Lord Ethnos? Are you awake?”

I woke up from my sleep.

“I know you’re scared, but if you delay any longer…”

“I’ve already met with her.”

My head felt slightly heavy. While I didn’t feel dizzy, just to be sure, I took a bottle of a mind-stabilizing potion.

“How long has it been?”

“At most, about three minutes… did you really meet her?”

I nodded. The meeting had left me with a lot to think about.

‘Putting an Outer God priests’ gathering aside for a moment, I didn’t expect this incident to be connected to Sharl.’

The underground necromancer’s apprentice, Sharl, who had shown an obsessive madness. An Outer God priest who apparently performed a ritual using a noble as a sacrifice. At the same time, someone aware of forbidden methods and a mage.

“Eldritch, is it possible for a priest to use magic?”

At least from my experience in ≪Orders≫, I’d never seen someone use both miracles and magic.

“From what I know, it’s incredibly difficult. Like a bird trying to swim.”

Eldritch, agreeing it was a rare occurrence, began to explain.

“Magic and miracles are fundamentally too different in nature. Usually, mages use enchanted items, and priests use Divine Relics.”

Eldritch added that he couldn’t understand why it was impossible for Ethnos, either. Since there was no way to explain the penalties of the game-issued traits, I simply shrugged it off.

‘Even for miracles, I don’t understand why I can’t use enchanted items.’

This was a personal grievance, as using magical enchanted items would significantly broaden strategic possibilities.

“The talent to be a priest is rare, and the number of Outer God priests is even smaller. Considering the rarity of mages, an Outer God priest who can use magic is… an astronomical probability.”

I expected as much. The thought of facing forbidden methods was disheartening, but…

Given the rarity of someone who could use both magic and miracles, it made more sense to suspect them of using forbidden methods.

“Without further information, it’s hard to draw any conclusions. Let’s rest, Eldritch.”

As I drifted to sleep, I recalled Sevika’s words. Sevika mentioned being unable to observe Sharl because she didn’t dream. Does that mean everyone who dreams is being observed by Sevika? I couldn’t properly sleep that night.

***

“You look tired?”

In the end, I faced the appointed time without having properly rested.

Cernun was waiting at the meeting place, munching on a fish skewer.

“Yes, I am a bit tired… but it’s fine.”

“Well, as long as you’re okay.”

Cernun, seemingly indifferent, gestured for me to come closer.

“Have you ever experienced teleportation?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“It’ll be an interesting experience. It could be a bad one too. Well, it’s one or the other, isn’t it?”

Rather unexpectedly, instead of casting a spell himself, Cernun pulled out a scroll. As he used the scroll, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant.

*Thunk!*

My head hit something simultaneously.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you to duck your head.”

This was definitely on purpose. Suppressing my urge to grumble, I looked around and noticed an unexpected place.

“Is this… inside a carriage?”

“Yes. Do you really think we could teleport straight into ‘Magna Aria’?”

Magna Aria. The special district within the imperial capital ‘Aion’ where mages gather. A place monopolized by the Mage Union renowned for their enchantment techniques, and only allowing mages and a few nobles to enter and reside.

‘I suppose, given the significance of the magical expertise there, they wouldn’t allow teleportation so easily.’

In Magna Aria, magic was rigorously controlled, requiring permission for each use. Despite being a city of mages, it was governed by stringent rules to prevent accidents.

‘Well… mages are known for their intelligence, memorizing all those complex regulations.’

When I’d raised a mage character, I’d suffered immensely due to the intricate regulations.

‘Back then, I wondered what madman crafted such detailed rules, but it turned out it was all copy-pasting.’

While thinking about Dowol, Cernun interrupted, urging me to sit.

“We’ll arrive soon. I deliberately timed it to coincide with our arrival.”

“Wait, hold on. Did you teleport into a moving carriage?!”

Eldritch, who had been quietly listening, sprang up in shock.

“Besides, the scroll doesn’t allow for precise adjustments, does it?!”

“There’s a way to calculate everything.”

At those words, Eldritch fell silent. Despite being a talented mage in his own right, it seemed he had trouble keeping up.

“Look outside. It’s your first time in the capital, right?”

As I peered out the window, an unfamiliar landscape unfolded before my eyes. Stone-paved roads and pristine buildings, guards walking orderly, clad in armor bearing the emblem of the capital.

‘So, this is the capital of Demiurge, Aion.’

Although the port city was quite developed, compared to Aion, it seemed almost rural.

“It’s magnificent.”

“It’s a city growing rapidly every day. The scenery changes constantly… a rather heartless place.”

Cernun seemed unimpressed.

“Soon, the noisy scenery will begin.”

Not long after, the bustling scene of Aion transformed. Passing through several checkpoints, the buildings started to rise like towers, and people’s attire changed.

“Magna Aria. Welcome to this accursed place.”

While Cernun grumbled, to me, a fantasy enthusiast, the scene was enchanting. Mysterious shops lined the streets, mages floated objects using magic for transportation, and various familiars were everywhere.

“Do you dislike this place?”

“It hardly feels endearing. Too many things to hassle with.”

Cernun sighed deeply.

“Is the recent trouble related to that noble’s murderer?”

“You know well. How did you find out? I haven’t mentioned it yet.”

“I have my own informants.”

“Don’t be so arrogant.”

“… I heard it from Sevika Embraced by Dreams.”

Cernun, for a moment pondering if that Outer God priest could be trusted, nodded solemnly.

“Indeed. Is she also involved in this incident?”

“Yes, the culprit stole a dangerous item that her subordinates were transporting and fled.”

“Then, this is more serious than I thought.”

Cernun clicked his tongue.

“Are you telling me that even an Outer God priest couldn’t catch the culprit? That’s troublesome. My tracking spells haven’t worked, and I thought it was simply due to some Outer God’s miracles….”

“Are you saying even your magic couldn’t trace it?”

I had assumed that due to the bureaucratic constraints of Magna Aria or some other rules, he couldn’t use the tracking magic.

“Do you know about ‘Academia’, the educational institution in Magna Aria?”

“Yes, of course.”

Academia.

It was significant enough that seven out of ten mages in this world received their training and education here.

“The incident happened at Academia. The bodies of four students were found grotesquely twisted and dried out.”

According to Cernun, a student’s hunting dog familiar had discovered the bodies.

“Though the incident was immediately reported to me, the issue was that Academia has numerous magical safeguards in place to ensure student safety and prevent accidents. Unauthorized large-scale magic could lead to significant accidents.”

Cernun clicked his tongue in frustration.

“It took two days to get the necessary permissions issued. And then another four to prepare the tracking spells. What do you think happened?”

“All traces would be gone by then.”

“Yes, exactly. In fact, because of these strict rules and myriad protective measures, crimes involving magic are inherently difficult to commit in Magna Aria.”

Cernun let out a sigh soaked in complexity.

“This time, not only did we fail to protect the poor helpless students, but it also ended up wasting our time.”

It seemed the suspect, believed to be Sharl, used forbidden magic or miracles of Outer Gods, making him hard to apprehend.

“But how can you be sure the culprit is inside Academia? It could be an external figure, right?”

“A trivial clue was left behind. We were lucky to find it.”

Cernun explained that Academia had enchanted items showing the number of people in each zone, functioning as surveillance to deter misconduct, with these running every hour.

“At the time of the incident, the count briefly dropped by one and then returned. It all happened in the blink of an eye.”

Cernun remarked that it was sheer luck to have caught that moment.

“What it means is that someone masquerading as a student revealed their true self for a split second during the crime.”

“Then why not just track that person down?”

Eldritch asked, puzzled.

“No, we don’t know who it is. The name and location didn’t change, only the count momentarily dropped and went back up.”

“Quite cunning, indeed.”

I wondered what method they used. It would surely be a useful skill for me too.

“Haven’t they already fled?”

“The count didn’t drop. They must still be inside Academia. It would be hard to completely fool and escape the heavily enchanted surveillance items.”

Despite knowing it was an internal act, they couldn’t identify who the culprit was. The professors of Academia and the ‘Pale Guard’ who took care of Magna Aria’s security weren’t ordinary individuals, yet this person had entirely concealed their identity, quite impressive indeed.

“That’s why I brought you. You are an expert familiar with the miracles of Outer Gods and bizarre magic, disciplined enough to be reliable.”

“Understood. I will do my best.”

“Obviously you must. From now on, it’s going to be extremely hectic.”

With that, Cernun handed me a change of clothes. Thinking it was a student uniform of Academia, I received it, only for my face to contort with surprise.

“And congratulations. From being a drunkard dropout mage, you’ve achieved a tremendous promotion to being a magic professor.”