I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 64. Going Forward (3)

I gazed at my trembling mother’s remains for a long while before turning away.

“…… I’m leaving.”

There was neither sorrow nor resentment. Just a dry sentiment, like sand in a desert devoid of water.

*Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…*

Listening to the loud ticking of the clock that always filled the house, I opened my eyes in that way.

* * *

“Ah, it’s hot.”

Something warm touched my cheek. Startled, I turned and found Sevika placing something on my cheek.

“On nights when you have nightmares, there’s nothing better than milk with honey.”

Warm milk steamed from a dark cup.

“…… Thank you.”

Thanks to this, the tangle of emotions inside me seemed to slowly unravel. However, it didn’t quite taste like milk, nor did I detect the sweetness of the honey.

“When you visit another world, never consume the food indiscriminately. It’s an important rule of thumb.”

“…….”

“Of course, right now it’s alright. But be careful next time.”

That was unsettling. I glanced around.

A garden still adorned with ominous black roses. The door to the mirror room was nowhere in sight.

“Did I pass the trial successfully?”

“Yes. Delving into the façade one wishes to sink into and witnessing the truth. Recognizing a dream for what it is. You executed it excellently.”

So it was such a trial. I sighed in relief at hearing I had succeeded.

“I have one question.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“In the dream, my father appeared, but I have no recollection of ever seeing him. Even though I recognized the distortion, it couldn’t be corrected… Why is that?”

“…… Pardon?”

For once, Sevika appeared flustered. Then, after a brief moment of contemplation, she came up with an unexpected response.

“Do you remember your first Awakening Ritual?”

“Awakening Ritual of ■■, indeed. It was a ritual ■■■ I had to ■■…”

Wait, what ■? Why is my ■ clouded? ■■ couldn’t ■!

“…… It was the Awakening Ritual of Somnambulism, wasn’t it?”

A ritual cleaner in condition than others, selected because it did not demand human sacrifice. Was I to undergo the same ritual again?

“The Awakening Ritual of Somnambulism…”

“Yes, you taught it to me directly.”

Sevika fell silent for a moment. Why she was like this was beyond me.

“So, that’s how you remember it. It seems this time, due to my imprudence… there might be a bit of a grudge.”

A grudge…?

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Hmm… There might be a small issue.”

After managing to finish everything, hearing there was an issue was frustrating, but I couldn’t quite grasp the details, leaving me exasperated.

“Unfortunately, it seems unsafe for me to guide the Awakening directly this time. However, I don’t wish to become a woman who breaks even one promise…”

Sevika retrieved something, and instantly, I quietly stepped back.

Inside the glass jar, there was something wriggling like a dark heart.

“… What is that?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to eat it. As you can see… It’s a heart.”

The heart pulsated, secreting and reabsorbing a strange fluid. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a plain black color.

“Enough. Don’t look at it for too long.”

“Ah…”

I blinked and shook off the brief daze that clouded my mind.

“This is called the ‘Heart of Hue’. It’s a heart of colors never before encountered by humanity.”

Sevika retrieved a black cloth and, with skillful hands, wrapped the glass jar elegantly before handing it to me.

“It’s a rather rare item. If you offer it to the right entity, it can fulfill the conditions of the Awakening Ritual.”

“Can the Awakening Ritual really be circumvented like that?”

Sevika smiled at my question.

“It’s generally not possible, but considering so many entities have taken an interest in you… Additionally, this is an offering I prepared personally, so they will likely overlook it.”

I reluctantly accepted the glass jar, feeling uneasy at the irregular throbbing from within.

“And you should take your gift as well!”

Sevika suddenly raised her voice, as if to draw attention.

“Normally, I would have let you choose, but may I recommend something you need now?”

“Yes, that would be fine.”

Sevika’s behavior was clearly unusual. She approached and played with my hair, asking me to wait briefly. Her figure had grown to be larger than usual, enough to fully obscure my view.

“Please don’t respond; just listen with one ear and let it pass through,” she said, threading something through my hair.

I realized it was one of the Divine Relics she had shown me before, a long, jade-embedded needle.

“You shouldn’t come here for a while. It’s my fault. My actions might have felt disruptive, like an out-of-place cog.”

Sevika pretended to pull away slightly, then whispered in my ear,

“I have no doubt you’ll always make the right choice. But this time, the situation might change a little….”

Her voice grew gravely serious, as if delivering a stern warning.

“If your ■■■ finds ■■■, don’t hesitate, no matter what it takes, kill yourself.”

* * *

Upon waking from the dream, I was drenched in a cold sweat. I had never experienced anything like that before… perhaps due to that trial?

‘And the last words Sevika left me.’

—If your ■■■ finds ■■■, don’t hesitate, no matter what it takes, kill yourself.

‘It seemed like I understood them perfectly at the time…’

Yet now, the details were so blurry that I couldn’t recall what exactly warranted the drastic advice to end my own life.

『Oh my goodness.』

As I sat up, Eldritch let out a breathless gasp.

『That thing in your hair… could it be what I think it is?!』

Curious about the fuss, I touched my head and found the needle Sevika had placed there. It resembled a hairpin, a long needle with no decoration, appearing like a spike.

“… Come to think of it, Sevika didn’t explain this relic to me.”

『Lord Ethnos, you should be cautious about casually referring to the priest favored by the ‘Witch of Dreams’. Every time I hear it, it sends a shiver down my spine.』

“I don’t know why you’re so afraid, but what exactly is this?”

Eldritch collected himself and calmed his breathing momentarily.

『It’s called the ‘Enlightenment of the Prophet’. Using it grants you immense knowledge and transcendental senses. But only while you’re using it.』

“Hmm? I’m not sure how great that sounds.”

“Isn’t imparting knowledge related to an Outer God akin to suicide?”

Transcendental senses may sound intriguing, but if a human were to experience such things, it would likely drive them insane.

『I understand what you’re contemplating, but it’s quite different from what you think.』

“How is it different?”

『It’s not about injecting new knowledge. During its use, the knowledge feels as if you already knew it. Therefore, even if one encounters forbidden knowledge, there are no issues.』

‘It feels like external storage. It’s as though you’re directly reading the data without transferring it to the main body.’

A tool to handle knowledge without the risk of mental collapse. By nature, humans cannot endure the Outer Gods. Merely seeing a statue depicting an Outer God could crumble one’s sanity, and engaging with related knowledge was even more hazardous. Most who touched the Scripture of the Outer Gods ended up self-destructing before long. However, for a believer, encountering their God was crucial.

『This artifact prevents believers from dying when meeting with an Outer God.』

It was a useful tool to counteract mental degradation.

“An artifact like this has to have its drawbacks, doesn’t it?”

『It’s practically unusable without a high level of recovery ability.』

“Huh? Why is that?”

『You affix it to your brain.』

I quietly put the needle back into Gluttony, having stared at it for a moment.

『And prolonged use isn’t possible either. If used for too long, your brain will be absorbed by the needle, leaving your mind literally emptied. Since your brain gets transformed into data and then recorded into the needle, even recovery powers can’t help.』

The words gave a rough idea of how the Enlightenment of the Prophet accumulated knowledge.

“Well… fine. There’s actually something I can try it on.”

『You have something to use it for?』

I nodded as I took a bottle out from my pocket. As soon as I retrieved the bottle wrapped neatly in black cloth, an unsettling heartbeat thrummed through my hand.

“I heard offering this Heart of Hue might substitute as a condition for the Awakening Ritual of an Outer God.”

『Ah, that does seem possible.』

“What is this exactly?”

『It’s literally the Heart of Hue. Ah, Ethnos doesn’t know what Hue is, does he?』

According to Eldritch’s subsequent explanation, Hue was a living organism. It was described as a living shade, navigating the cosmos like a galaxy yet able to compact into a single mass at will.

By dyeing its surroundings, it caused calamities, tainting flora and fauna while polluting water and land.

‘From the description, it sounds like some sort of radiation.’

『It disguises itself as a meteorite, but apart from its distinct odor, it’s tough to discern. Once contamination starts, it’s hard to reverse, and given its nature as Hue, it’s difficult to stop.』

Even destroying it during its meteorite form wouldn’t kill it, only scatter it.

『They are exceedingly rare beings, so observing them is challenging. Harvesting a heart is almost impossible. Some believers even view obtaining the Heart of Hue as a sort of pilgrimage—a nearly unattainable one.』

It seemed incredibly difficult to acquire. Since it was a pilgrimage, it looked like even the Outer Gods acknowledged its value to some extent.

『How you came by such items is beyond comprehension… Are you, by chance, descended from Sevika in dreams?』

“You know, what you just said sounds more dangerous than your usual nickname for Sevika.”

Eldritch became stiff and silent, evidently realizing the slip and genuinely frightened.

“In any case, I’ll achieve the second Awakening with this. The Awakening for the Witch of Dreams was said to be dangerous, so…”

I was left with two choices. One was Awakening with the Weaver of Destruction Thread and the other with the Slumberer of the Abyss. For me, the Weaver of Destruction Thread, who wasn’t trying to devour me, seemed like the more preferred option. Of course…

『Determining the Awakening Ritual for another Outer God is sheer insanity—a usually unforgiven grave sin.』

As Eldritch mentioned, it was an insane act. No God favored apostasy. The Witch of Dreams might become enraged, and the two others could express fury at being substitutes.

‘However, since Sevika directly proposed it, the Witch of Dreams should be fine with it…’

The question was which of the two remaining Gods to choose. Closing my eyes, I pondered deeply, arriving at a decision as Eldritch poked me with concern.

“Though it’s not exactly appealing…”

I took out the Scripture of Defilement.