I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 51: Interrogation (2)

An unexpected name was heard.

Lilybell Ospryng.

That sloppy and chaotic student had been secretly researching an Outer God?

“Lilybell must be sharing a room with Luminaries’s conduct officer, right? If there was something suspicious, she would have noticed immediately.”

“I don’t know the details either. What I do know is… she was desperately trying to lift the curse on her family.”

Sinia’s words were somewhat surprising.

It had seemed like she wasn’t making any effort at all.

“But after finding information about an Outer God, her mind definitely became unstable. She secretly confided her worries to me, her close friend.”

“Did she not listen even if you tried to stop her?”

“No. And it seems Caelo also noticed and used his connections to get some special sedatives for Lilybell.”

“Wait a moment. Special sedatives?”

Sinia quietly nodded.

“Apart from the fact that they were more effective than normal sedatives, I don’t know much else.”

Things other than regular sedatives were generally not very trustworthy. If there were no side effects, they would have been sold officially long ago.

‘But since it was effective, it’s hard not to be interested.’

More detailed information needed to be obtained regarding this.

“Understood. It’s an urgent matter… I need to go right away.”

I hurriedly put on my outerwear and stepped outside, and Sinia bowed her head in greeting before returning to her room.

‘I’ll never underestimate you as being just capable again.’

After arriving at Lilybell’s dorm room, I knocked on the door.

“Lilybell? Are you in there?”

As I kept knocking on the door, the female students from the neighboring rooms began to gather and whisper.

“Is Lilybell not in there?”

“I don’t think I heard her leaving. Is she absent again?”

“Well… something like that.”

I kept knocking on the door, and eventually, it slowly opened.

Lilybell, appearing groggy as if she had just woken up, peered out with half-open eyes.

“Professor Magus…?”

“I’m going to need to come in for a bit.”

“What? Oh, okay?”

“Right now.”

Lilybell, still dazed, seemed lost in thought. It was hard to tell if she was awake or not.

“Oh… uh, come in?”

She awkwardly opened the door wider, and I stepped inside. While it belatedly concerned me that I had entered a female student’s room without forethought, this was no time to worry about such manners.

“The materials related to an Outer God. Where are they?”

“What?! How did you… Professor, how did you…?”

“Just tell me everything. Don’t even think about hiding anything like you did with Arian.”

“O-okay, calm down.”

Hesitant, Lilybell eventually took something out from a drawer. It was a crystal-like sphere and some strands of hair.

“What is this?”

“Materials…”

Lilybell held the crystal sphere near the hair strands. The hairs were magnified several times, revealing tiny, intricate writings etched onto them.

‘This is insane… no wonder Arian couldn’t find them.’

Who would even imagine that someone would write something on a strand of hair?

I cautiously read through its contents, keeping an eye on Lilybell’s actions.

「Since coming back from the old temple, the investigation team has suffered unprecedented symptoms of frailty. Even after drinking water, we experienced endless thirst, eventually crumbling to dust like ash…」

「It emerged from the swamp. It was half human, half mud. My mother and I knelt, devoutly offering sacrifices and praying, but it scoffed, declaring it was no such entity…」

“These… These are records about diseases or curses. Related to an Outer God.”

“Yes… that’s right.”

“And the original documents?”

“I… tore them up into tiny pieces and swallowed them with water.”

“The writing on the hair, did you do it yourself, Lilybell?”

“Yes, I’m good at delicate tasks…”

Lilybell shrugged, but I was speechless.

“Investigating incidents related to an Outer God and perusing those records is a deed that can never be praised. No matter if it’s for your family’s sake.”

“I understand what you are saying, Professor. But-”

“But nothing! Even with all the unrest caused by Outer God incidents, what the hell were you doing?”

Still reacting emotionally, I could not shake the suspicion that this might be a ploy by Sharl.

“It’s good to research to lift your family’s curse. But recklessly investigating an Outer God without permission? Who told you to do such a crazy thing?”

Even though I was only temporarily acting in the professor’s role, anger surged within me quite seriously.

“You know we even dispatched to the Luminaries because of an Outer God incident, right?”

“I know! From the moment you arrived, and that Luminaries started forcing us to share the same room, I knew everything was because of it. I also know how dangerous what I’m doing is. I know it all too well!”

Lilybell bit her lip, suddenly venting her pent-up emotions.

“Half of my family died from frailty. I’m getting weaker too. Do you know what it feels like when your mana amounts keep decreasing, and life essence drains away?”

I remained silent for a moment.

“Out of sheer exhaustion, I’ve even tried Lumineweed. Do you know what that is? It’s a drug used to make slaves work all night. It makes you nauseous…”

“…and, with dizziness, the piled-up fatigue hits sharply later. Yes, I know what it is,”

A substance with effects not unlike those of a reality-altering drug.

“Even that Lumineweed no longer worked. There’s no time… yet I can’t get permission to access the information. I wasn’t even trying to read the specific scriptures of an Outer God! But my family and I… we’re all dying..!”

Lilybell burst into tears.

Her sorrowful cry was tinged with fear of the approaching death and helplessness.

“What were you planning to do if you found a solution related to an Outer God?”

“Of course, I planned to use it..!”

“Even if it meant sacrificing people? Offering live sacrifices, doing acts that would shatter your identity as a human?”

Lilybell remained silent for a while at my words. Her lips quivered, but she seemed unable to find a proper response.

“If you look hard enough, you might find a method. The miracles of an Outer God are bizarre and extraordinary. But do you think the result will be normal?”

Eldritch, also agreeing, closed his eyes quietly.

“When you’ve turned into a beast craving flesh and blood, can you say you’ve been healed? Can you still claim it was worth surviving after killing dozens?”

“That… that wasn’t what I was hoping for. But… are you telling us to abandon all hope?”

Lilybell lowered her head even further.

Tears fell to the floor.

“In the past, many came: the priests of the Church of Hayat, mages, peddlers… even priests of the Ancient God. But now no one comes. They say there’s no hope.”

So naturally, she started thinking about things related to an Outer God.

“Now, besides this, there is no hope for me or my family.”

“Before we discuss hope, let me ask. Are you related to the last murder incident, Lilybell?”

“No. I never even obtained anything like the ritual in the first place.”

“The special sedative that helped you. Did it come from Caelo?”

“… Yes, it was from Caelo.”

Though my suspicion about Caelo increased, it was not yet substantial evidence.

‘I’m also uneasy about the sedative she got without knowing its origin…’

Lilybell was the one who had directly gathered information on an Outer God.

Admittedly, there were only myths and records at best, but it was inevitable that Lilybell would become more suspicious simply because she collected and researched such materials.

Even if it became clear that Sharl was unrelated, Luminaries wouldn’t let them off since they committed a forbidden act.

“But where is that special sedative?”

It was a suspicious item, so verification was necessary.

If it was effective, it might be something I needed.

“We used it all up… Ah! There was someone who took a bit for research.”

“Who is that?”

“Lia. Lia Ephyr.”

That sickly student?

“Then, does Miss Lia also know a lot about this matter?”

“No… that’s not it, but Lia is also ill, right? So, there was a time when we struggled together trying to find a way to cure curses and diseases.”

Lilybell said she received the Luminastone from Lia back then.

“She doesn’t know I researched an Outer God.”

“Understood. I will visit Miss Lia and hear her out separately. And Lilybell, you should turn yourself in.”

“Turn myself in…”

“Of course, if you go right away, you might be executed…”

I requested paper and pen and began writing a letter.

It was a request stating that I planned to research and resolve the curse on the Ospryng family myself, and that Lilybell was necessary for this research, asking for leniency.

After affixing the ring-shaped seal from the Academia, I handed it over to Lilybell.

“Please take this with you.”

“Professor… what is this?”

“I have accumulated a lot of knowledge from traveling here and there. While I can’t guarantee a solution, I will do my best to help.”

“… Thank you.”

Lilybell, with teary eyes, thanked me, gathered her hair and crystal ball, and left.

If she was to be punished regardless, there was nothing I could do.

‘If not punishment, she’d be busy undergoing an investigation for a while.’

I quickly hastened my steps.

Lia’s room was a little away, and whether because of her illness or noble privileges, she had a special private room.

“Miss Lia, are you insi-”

Before I could finish my sentence, the door swung open.

Lia, with her cold and sharp demeanor combined with a fatigued face, revealed herself.

“What brings you here, Professor? I have no lectures today, nor was I expecting any visitors?”

Her reaction was quite sharp.

It could be due to her illness.

Her pallor suggested serious discomfort as she coughed painfully right after speaking.

“I need to verify the special sedative that Miss Lia supposedly took. And regarding Caelo and Lilybell as well.”

“… It would have been proper to formally request an interview. No matter the circumstances, it is inappropriate to abruptly visit a lady’s room like this.”

She had a fair point.

Moreover, Lia was dressed in comfortable sleepwear.

“Consider this an urgent situation.”

“What urgent situation would that be?”

“A situation in which Lilybell avoids execution, and Miss Lia avoids suspicion.”

“… Excuse me?”

Lia, with her usual calmness disrupted, became even more delicate in her tone.

“Lilybell might not just be expelled but possibly executed immediately… And why would I be suspected?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Recalling her earlier reasonable point and sharp reaction, I spoke.

It was something I had felt every time I saw her in class, and now I was certain.

“Wouldn’t it be suspicious to anyone if a student was hiding their rank?”

Lia’s expression became even sharper.