I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 55. The Party (1)

Eldritch had chosen quite an elegant and sophisticated outfit for me.

However, the downside was that it was more uncomfortable to wear than I had anticipated.

“Do I really have to dress up this much? I’m a magic professor, not a nobleman.”

Eldritch, who was checking my attire in human form for the first time in a while, showed a dissatisfied expression.

“Lord Ethnos, men should always have dignity. Whether noble or not, they must possess golden-like majesty. Appearance is crucial.”

“Why are you being so serious…”

Although it felt bothersome, Eldritch was right.

Since I would use this identity multiple times anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to show a good appearance.

“Then let’s go, Lord Ethnos. Do you remember all the etiquette I taught you?”

“Yes… I remember. Stop nagging.”

Eldritch reverted to his original form and hovered around me.

“If you make a mistake, I’ll nag again.”

“Just focus on finding Sharl!”

I grumbled as I stepped outside.

‘First, I had to meet Arian and get on the carriage.’

It was rare for a paladin like Luminaries to attend a social gathering.

Perhaps that was why the students came out to sneak a peek.

‘There are notably more male students…’

Feeling curious, I headed toward the carriage, where Arian was waiting in a dress.

“……”

Seeing Arian, even Eldritch and I were at a loss for words.

‘When she goes all out dressing up, it’s no joke.’

She looked like a painting.

Had it been someone other than Arian, my heart might have skipped a beat.

“Have you arrived, Professor Magus?”

Arian even greeted me like a lady, lifting the hem of her dress in a soft, gentle voice.

“Oh…”

*Thud, thud.*

Eldritch nudged me, his eyes suggesting I had thrown away the etiquette he taught me.

“Good evening, Lady Arian.”

I escorted Arian into the carriage as I was taught and finally managed to ask my question.

“What on earth happened?!”

The reason for my astonishment wasn’t just Arian’s beauty.

“What happened to your armament?”

There might be Sharl in there. Where did all the armament go?

“They were forbidden. After lengthy discussions, the higher-ups commanded us to go unarmed.”

Arian, evidently displeased, noted this was against the rules.

“Despite that, it’s alright! They said a considerable number of the ‘Pale Guards’ would be present at the venue! Also, I can fight adequately even unarmed!”

The Pale Guards—the guardians of Magneria—specialized in anti-magic combat.

Their pale skin and teal armor were notable, known as the second most powerful guard division after the Royal Guard.

‘If the adversaries are mages, they indeed seem reliable. Sharl’s major techniques probably count as magic for now…’

Besides, as Arian mentioned, her combat ability remained profoundly high even when unarmed.

She shouldn’t have much trouble guarding me.

“There are also guards employed by the attending nobles, reputed to be strong warriors of the third rank.”

“Wait a moment. Couldn’t Miss Arian have attended as a guard?”

“I wished to do so! But they cited absurd reasons to block that. Getting permission to attend itself was a challenge.”

To have gone to such lengths to block Arian’s attendance…

“Perhaps they want to keep the Luminaries’ presence at the party a secret?”

“That possibility is high. With suspicions falling on Caelo Belacre, having Luminaries appear at the party wouldn’t seem ideal.”

Typically, Luminaries didn’t attend regular social events.

It was also extremely rare for her to take on personal security duties, attracting quite a bit of attention.

‘You’d still notice it’s Luminaries anyway…’

Her appearance drew nearly constant attention at a spotlight level; it was doubtful people wouldn’t notice her just because she lacked armor and sword.

“This is troubling. How many infractions have occurred here already, I wonder?”

“And speaking of which, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

I quietly stared at Arian.

This was the question I had always wanted to ask since the game.

“Why are you so fixated on regulations? Other Luminaries do not seem to be as strict… it’s quite puzzling.”

“That’s a question I’ve been asked many times. I don’t regret it though.”

As I looked at her curiously, Arian calmly explained.

“Professor, the regulations of Luminaries and Hayat are sacred. It’s not just my personal view; it’s actually so. These rules are established under the permission of Hayat.”

“Is that really so?”

“If the regulations were different from Hayat’s will, they would have already been changed with his guidance. Hence, following the current regulations is adhering to Hayat’s divine will.”

I found it somewhat convincing.

Unlike the world I originally lived in, here Gods actually intervened.

If divine will was distorted, divine punishment would befall, and blessings were directly bestowed by the Gods.

So, there was less chance of misinterpreting that will.

‘Even if it doesn’t sit right with me…’

There was no need to express that sentiment.

* * *

“Welcome, Simon Magus, and Arian Elata.”

After a while, the carriage stopped, and a servant opened the carriage door and welcomed us.

Several carriages had already arrived at the rather large manor of the baron.

“Right this way, please.”

The servant of the Belacre family guided us to a non-carpeted entrance, avoiding the red carpet. It seemed only high-ranking nobles or truly esteemed guests were allowed to tread on the red carpet.

“Quite grand, isn’t it?”

Arian observed the surroundings and commented.

I also looked around, but my attention was more on the attendees than the party venue itself.

‘Pale Guard… Seeing them in person, they really do look like corpses.’

Pale Guard had a rather unsettling appearance.

They looked almost like walking corpses, with lifeless eyes and overly pale skin.

“Tense, I need to visit the restroom for a moment.”

I excused myself and headed to a less-than-pleasant medieval bathroom.

Despite being a baron’s mansion, the security wasn’t as extraordinary as in Academia…

It was time to use a miracle after a long while.

“May your greatness reveal everything. 〈White Hunting Ground〉.”

Invisible threads spread around me. Crawling through the ceiling cracks and hiding in the floor, they permeated every corner of the mansion.

With my elevated rank, the range had expanded and…

“You had a tough journey. Are you feeling alright?”

“Caelo… you’ve been asking that all the way here in the carriage, and you ask again?”

…it even transmitted sound, surpassing just vibration detection.

I heard the voices of Caelo and Lilybell from a corner of the party hall.

‘Although it’s a pity it disconnects easily, its eavesdropping capability is indeed impressive.’

The mana consumption was hefty, but it was worth it to eavesdrop on an entire mansion.

Trying to get used to the various sounds coming through, I stepped out again.

“Apologies for the intrusion.”

“It’s alright! Ah, Lady Ospryng wished to meet you, Professor!”

‘Lady……?’

Looking in the direction Arian pointed to, I saw Lilybell, elegantly dressed, waving as she approached.

“Professor! You look so handsome today!”

“Thank you. You look almost unrecognizable, Lilybell.”

“Hehe… by the way, Professor, I have a question!”

She beckoned me closer and, glancing at Caelo, asked.

“Is it true? That you figured out Caelo wasn’t hit by an interruption because of the timing?”

“It’s true.”

“Unbelievable… Can I touch your Tako?”

Lilybell seemed a bit tipsy, her spirits high.

“No, you cannot. Why are you doing something you normally wouldn’t… you really shouldn’t drink, Lilybell.”

“Just once~.”

Only after Caelo led Lilybell away was I finally free.

“Professor, you have your own struggles, don’t you?”

Lia stood beside me before I even noticed.

“No worries. There must be days for unwinding like this.”

“Isn’t it a bit too much? As for Caelo…”

“No matter what, they won’t cause any trouble here. There are so many people around…”

I was also keeping an eye on things, but at least this party venue seemed safe enough.

“Still, Lilybell trusts Caelo too much. She can’t even accept the possibility that Caelo could be the culprit…”

Imagining that the person she loves could actually be a murderer wasn’t something easy to accept.

“I’m watching over things, so there’s no need to worry. Miss Lia should just enjoy the party with her friends—”

“Professor!”

Seeing us gathered together, Sinia and Dominic approached.

“Professor! You look amazing all dressed up!”

“Ah, Miss Sinia. You look wonderful in that dress.”

“I picked it out for her.”

Lia smiled slightly, looking rather proud.

“Lia even found a partner for Dominic too, right?”

“I really didn’t want to come—”

“Dominic! We went through all this trouble!”

I smiled slightly as I watched the kids.

‘The kids who used to be so distant from each other have gotten closer.’

They had carried their own worries and struggles, but now, they looked suitably excited for their age.

“Professor, I’ll step out for a moment! It seems there’s something I need to be informed about!”

In the direction Arian was looking, a Luminaries was waiting. Arian left to meet the Luminaries, who couldn’t enter the party venue.

‘… What is this?’

A conversation that caught my attention reached my ears.

“That fool! After pouring all those favors onto him that shouldn’t have gone to the second son, just for a dying family’s daughter…”

‘That voice sounded like Caelo’s father.’

It wasn’t something I heard directly with my ears but something I felt through vibrations, so I couldn’t be sure.

“Blinded, utterly blinded. Of all people, he falls for the utterly useless Ospryng daughter!”

“Hold on, father. We’re nearing the end now, aren’t we.”

Was he talking to the eldest son?

“What about the plan?”

A fascinating topic came from the man presumed to be the eldest son.

“Sigh… We are on the verge of achieving our grand enterprise.”

“Is that person still here? I can’t trust him at all, though…”

I concentrated even more on their conversation.

“Sharl, that person is here in disguise.”

“Inside the party venue?”

“Yes, that person won’t need any separate preparations…”

Finally!

It was confirmed that the Belacre family had joined forces with Sharl and that Sharl was disguised as someone. The problem was how to convey this information.

‘Using an enchanted item… No, it would soon be exposed as a lie. Instead, it would be better to say Eldritch overheard it…’

“… Is everything ready? Except for the target, kill them all.”

While I was pondering how to reveal the truth, another bothersome sound reached my ears. It wasn’t from the Belacre father and son.

‘It’s coming from some corner of the mansion…?’

The voices were quite rough. They were uncomfortably jarring voices, multiple ones at that.

“Are we sure it’s Caelo? The one the priest disguised?”

“The Academia is certain. Can’t you tell by the presence of the Luminaries here?”

“So where is this Caelo then?”

“He’s the one wrapped in items and wearing a red robe. The one sticking close to the tall woman.”

Another group targeting Sharl?

Could it be these guys are…?

“The Pale Guard is unusually numerous here.”

“It doesn’t matter. They are only strong against mages. Once preparations are complete, this mansion is merely our hunting ground.”

It had become clear. These weren’t humans.

‘Sharl… you’ve really dragged in some serious trouble.’

“To the great Father of the Abyss!”

“For our Father!”

‘The Dwellers of the Abyss have surfaced.’