I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 47: Investigation (1)

A few days later, Lilybell expressed her gratitude and brought me an invitation.

I wondered why she was thanking me, but it seemed she mistook Arian’s brief absence for reporting as some sort of favor I did her.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter much to me anyway.’

And I was oddly gaining favor among the students.

“Professor! Can’t you let it slide just this once?”

“Student, no matter how much you ask, it’s difficult.”

“Just this once, please…”.

There were even students who came to see me personally.

I wondered if it was because of the blessing I gained from the Awakening Ritual.

“Tako doesn’t like it.”

Seeing that they were more interested in Eldritch than me… I wasn’t sure.

‘I thought they’d be more cautious.’

On reflection, no one in this world had more curiosity than mages. Despite its unusual appearance, Eldritch had a rather cute impression, drawing significant interest from the students.

Eldritch even earned the honorable nickname “Softy”.

“Please, just let me touch Softy once!”

During break times, students came to me, eager to touch Eldritch, curious about its texture.

“I told you, it’s Tako. Tako doesn’t really like being touched, so please refrain.”

Once the students left, Eldritch let out a long sigh.

“How did someone from a race serving the Great One end up like this…”

“Isn’t it better than being feared?”

“Maybe I should revert to my original size to show my true majesty!”

Honestly… it probably wouldn’t work.

Thinking about how Eldritch would be treated as a giant plushie, I tried to soothe it.

“Don’t worry about it; it’s just a cover for now. Besides, this life isn’t so bad, right?”

There might not have been the freshest seafood typical of port cities, but the cafeteria at the Academia was quite good.

The bedding was definitely better than that at inns, and unlike port cities, the nights and early mornings were dead silent, providing good rest.

“I was leading quite a decent life before meeting Lord Ethnos.”

“Let’s not go into the details.”

Feeling awkward, I averted my gaze.

Though Eldritch looked displeased, he didn’t voice any major complaints.

“Speaking of which, contrary to your concerns, you seemed quite comfortable dealing with the students.”

“I was surprised too.”

At first, I was anxious about dealing with students, considering my lack of qualifications as a mage professor.

‘I never knew when I’d be exposed and become suspicious.’

But since they were just first-year students, it was more manageable than expected.

Sharing the knowledge and experiences I gained from the game as interesting stories, the students found them quite amusing, which in turn was quite healing for me.

Certainly, the life at Academia, where I wasn’t always fearful of sudden attacks, was better, and this slowly normalized my intake of sedatives.

“If only I were a real mage…”

I turned my gaze to the table.

Although I was playing the role of a professor, my actual task was to investigate the five student suspects.

‘Caelo showed some suspicious signs during the first class.’

He pretended the interruption magic worked by stopping his own casting when it had actually failed.

However, there hadn’t been anything noteworthy since then.

His attitude during classes wasn’t particularly bad.

‘Lilybell… her messed-up school life could be the unique thing about her.’

There were three classes so far… she skipped the first one without permission and was late to the other two.

“Sigh…”

“What’s the matter?”

“Investigating others has always been tough. Every time I did, it ended with the same conclusion.”

Lack of information and lack of evidence.

We couldn’t reveal to others that Caello had purposely endured the interruption.

I couldn’t talk or explain about the dice either.

“It’s only been a short while since we started investigating, so there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Who knows what that fellow Sharl might be plotting again.”

It was clear that he would be a significant threat to me in the future.

Priests of the Outer Gods mostly self-destructed, unable to withstand their madness, yet they often caused large-scale damage. Even within ≪Orders≫, they frequently got entangled in the clandestine rituals that the priests of the Outer Gods prepared in secret.

“That mask item also bothers me quite a bit.”

“We’re just bait anyway, aren’t we? There’s no need to overwork yourself. It’s because you’re overly concerned with every little thing that you end up taking sedatives.”

Hmm, he hit the nail on the head.

“While we do have to be wary of Sharl, this time we aren’t the direct targets, are we? It’s not the same as with Albeka. You should take it easier this time.”

“Take it easy… you say.”

Remembering the excessive hard work I did in preparation for the Albeka battle, Eldritch’s concern was not without reason.

‘I had exhausted my mental faculties quite a bit.’

If I didn’t take sedatives, my mental state could drop to a dangerous level.

Honestly, considering I could maintain this much even after going through that turmoil, I thought my mental resilience was indeed extraordinary.

“I can’t let my guard down, but as you said, I need to relax a bit.”

“That’s what I’m saying. It wouldn’t be good if Lord Ethnos fell into madness or died prematurely.”

“Hmm? Were you planning to take my brain and occupy my position if I died?”

“What? What do you think of me, exactly?!”

“I was joking.”

Leaving behind Eldritch, who was grumbling about not being taken seriously lately, I shifted my gaze back to the notes I’d organized on the students.

‘Sinia Purcell…’

Although there was nothing particularly suspicious about this child, there was something different compared to other students…

*Knock, knock.*

“Excuse me, professor. May I come in?”

She visited me too frequently.

“Yes, please come in.”

Sinia Purcell was the typical model student type. She asked a lot of questions in class and even visited after class to inquire about various things.

‘… And that’s why I don’t like it.’

Ordinary students were fine, but diligent model students were too smart, making them burdensome. I hadn’t specifically suspected her yet, but…

“Regarding the method of reversing the magic circle to summon an entity of the opposite nature by inducing a mana flow reversal that causes spatial interference, I want to know more.”

“Hmm… This is closely related to dimensional magic. Summoning magic and dimensional magic are intimately connected. You can get a better explanation if you go to the professor specializing in dimensions.”

I solved it by giving a plausible answer and passing the buck.

“Aha, thank you. Then, about this catalyst to summon the magical creature…”

It was truly troublesome.

Sinia Purcell was one of the five suspects. Even though she hadn’t shown any significant oddities yet, I couldn’t afford to slack off on the investigation.

‘She shows an unusual amount of interest in my class, which seems a bit suspicious…’

According to records, Sinia Purcell often showed interest in various types of magic, but her interest never lasted long. She would ask a lot of questions during the first class and then lose interest in the subject altogether. But with me, she visited frequently and showed continuous interest.

‘Moreover, she’s taken summoning magic under another professor before.’

Sinia Purcell had a calm and precise demeanor. Her good enunciation and pronunciation made a favorable impression, but knowing that she could be Sharl made me uneasy.

“By the way, I heard that Miss Purcell had learned summoning magic before and then shifted to another field because it didn’t suit you. What made you take such an active interest now?”

Sinia blinked her eyes lightly and then remained silent, as if collecting her thoughts.

“Your lectures have a knack for being really engaging.”

There was no way I possessed such a talent.

“I find myself focusing intensely. It also sticks well in my memory.”

“I was worried about how my lectures would be received, but I’m glad to hear such positive feedback.”

Sinia shyly smiled at my words.

“Other students also say your lectures are easy to follow, so I don’t think you need to worry.”

‘Other students as well?’

If what she said was true, the reason wasn’t likely due to some hidden talent or exceptional speaking skills I possessed.

‘… Could it be because of the blessing?’

The blessing itself didn’t have such an effect. However, given it was a blessing that attracted favor, perhaps it made people more inclined to listen to me.

“And I want to meet a special familiar too.”

“Ah, my familiar is indeed quite special.”

“Yes! I want to contract with a mysterious being that no one has seen before, or a high-ranking demon, and have them as my familiar!”

Her ambitions were quite extraordinary. Even Eldritch seemed surprised.

“Demons must possess vast magical knowledge, right? Like demonic swords or dark elemental magic…”

“Is there such a thing as dark elemental magic? And what’s with demonic swords?”

From what I knew, magic purely relied on spells; why would one need a sword?

“Oh… I just meant I want to explore such special fields!”

Sinia, flustered, answered hastily. She indeed had some peculiar sides.

“Excuse me, Professor! Regarding attendance… Oh! I’m, I’m sorry!”

Just then, another voice intruded.

“Lilybell? What’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing! I see you’re busy, so I’ll come back later!”

‘What in the world… something about attendance.’

In her rush, Lilybell almost tripped as she exited. Once again, she appeared disheveled and untidy. Unlike yesterday, Arian wasn’t with her, so why did she look like that?

‘Aren’t girls her age typically concerned about their appearance? Well, I didn’t exactly dress up either, but… Still, I didn’t go around in wrinkled clothes or with messy hair.’

It puzzled me how someone like her managed to stay in Academia. Moreover, there was something else odd about Lilybell.

“By the way, Sinia, I heard you were invited to Caelo’s party.”

“Oh, yes! Do you need a recommendation, Professor?”

“No, I already received one, thank you. I was just curious about something.”

“Curious about what?”

Sinia blinked her eyes.

“I heard it’s a party for somewhat skilled individuals, with many nobles attending. How did someone like Lilybell get invited to such an event…?”

“Ah… that.”

“To be honest, since taking over the lectures, she’s been absent once and late twice. Not to mention her demeanor and grades aren’t impressive… It’s curious how such a student got an invitation.”

Sinia looked quite uneasy.

“I guess the professor doesn’t know yet…”

“Know what?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s really not that significant, honestly.”

Why was she avoiding the question? Just as I wondered, Sinia stood up.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave! See you in the next class!”

It seemed there was indeed something these students knew that I didn’t.