Chapter: 135
[ So it seems this style is trending among humans. No need to hide it. I respect… taste. ]
The voice of the Magic Sword trembled aimlessly. It took Lian about three seconds to realize he was being treated similarly to that cross-dressing man from the laboratory. Panicking, he exclaimed.
“Th-that’s not it! It’s just that… my clothes got ruined from wandering around places like dungeons!”
[ A dungeon…? You went to such a fun place all by yourself! ]
The dazzling energy emanating from the Magic Sword faded. Lian’s escapade to a fun location had shocked the sword.
After struggling to promise to provide even more blood than usual, Lian finally managed to calm the sword down. Looking down at the flashy uniform he was wearing, he thought,
‘Thank goodness it’s night. If I were wandering around like this during the day, I would’ve stood out way too much.’
With that thought in mind, he started moving back towards the village. It wasn’t difficult to reach it, as there were sporadic signs of footsteps.
Rustle.
As he pushed through the bushes to enter the village, the first thing he noticed was the Temple situated at the highest point.
‘We’re back to that place… Ah, wait. I definitely came here looking for something — Aaah! Pia!’
Suddenly realizing he had gotten distracted by the dungeon after coming here in search of the missing children and Pia, he caught a glimpse of something he hadn’t noticed before entering the dungeon.
‘Huh!? There’s light coming from inside the temple…’
The prayer room of the temple, which had been nothing but dark before descending underground, was now softly illuminated. Without hesitation, Lian headed towards the temple.
Pushing the half-open door, he entered to find familiar faces gathered inside. Relieved to see the people he had been searching for all in one place, he smiled brightly and quickly walked towards Pia.
“…!”
As he got closer, the scene he hadn’t seen earlier and a gruesome smell hit his nostrils.
“Ugh, ah…”
“Mommy… Mommy!”
One child was sprawled on the ground, covered in blood, surrounded by three other children and Pia.
With a tear-stained face, Pia was praying with her hands clasped. A child with a face Lian had never seen before held the cold hand of the fallen child tightly, endlessly shedding tears.
Children raised in a cruel land didn’t cry. With lips pressed so tightly they bled, they prayed along with Pia, knowing that it was the only way to save the dying child.
By the standards of this dark fantasy world, that child had a 99% chance of dying. The remaining 1% was the slim probability of surviving as a chimera at the hands of a Dark Sorcerer… so effectively, the child’s chance of survival was 100%.
With the medical standards of dark fantasy, healing a body pierced by blades and crushed organs was impossible. The only thing they could do was clasp their hands together, begging for mercy from their deity.
But that was only in terms of the dark fantasy world’s standards.
‘Uh-oh? If this goes on, the child will die!’
Lian observed the soul escaping from the child’s body. Based on how much was already out, it seemed like death was imminent. The grim atmosphere made it clear this wasn’t being left to chance. Without even a moment to greet them, Lian rushed over and reached out into the air.
“Wh-who…?”
“Gah..! Lian, bro!”
The village child, who had been crying while holding onto his friend’s hand, looked up at Lian with a blank expression.
One of the kids praying suddenly choked on their breath and froze, while the other child called out desperately to Lian.
Pia, deeply focused on her prayer, didn’t realize Lian had come closer, mumbling her prayers instead. The divine power flowing from Pia naturally connected with Lian’s body, causing the back of his hand to emit a soft glow.
[ Ah… I don’t feel pain anymore — Eh? ]
As Lian snatched the child’s soul, the child’s eyes widened in surprise.
What came into view was snowy white hair and striking golden eyes that didn’t appear human. Wearing a flashy uniform like a prince from a fairy tale, the child’s blank stare was captivated by Lian’s sparkling appearance.
Swish.
Without saying a word, Lian smoothly pushed the child’s soul back into their body. Then, in one swift motion, he pulled the knife embedded in their stomach. Miraculously, the wound disappeared in an instant. The usual rule in the Comedy World was that once a soul returns to its rightful body, wounds wash away as if they never existed.
“Hah.”
The child opened their eyes wide, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Uh… huh?”
“Ah…?”
“Ah… oh…”
The rapid miracle left the children stuttering like broken machines. After five seconds of silence.
“I’m… alive?”
“Waaaah! You idiot!”
“Wha-?! Really, I’m alive!”
“Sister! Sister! We are alive! We are alive!”
Enthralled by excitement, relief, and joy, the children erupted into animated reactions. The Nest organization child shook Pia roughly while yelling, jolting her out of her prayer, and her eyes snapped open.
“What… Hah, L-Lian…?!”
Pia looked up at Lian, standing there like a painting, with her mouth agape. The sacred temple and the echo of the children’s cheers felt surreal.
“Look, there’s light over there!”
“Tente! Are you here?”
“Tente!”
“Aniel!”
Voices murmuring from outside the temple approached alongside an orange glow.
‘Whoa! The villagers have come to find the kids! W-what do I do?’
Even having performed an undeniable miracle akin to a deity, Lian still appeared as a suspiciously attractive man holding a ghastly Magic Sword. If he were to call the sword back now, he would be thought a pervert, and hiding just the sword wouldn’t work since the uniform was way too flashy.
‘F-first, let’s get out of here!’
Like a mouse caught with a cat on its tail, Lian quickly scanned the surroundings.
‘Ah! There!’
His gaze darted towards the door leading to the elder’s room. Without even looking back, he dashed towards the door behind the altar.
“L-Lian?! Where are you going—”
“Tente!”
“Kyaaaaa!”
Just as Lian bolted away, the villagers stepped into the temple. They had come sprinting upon seeing the silhouettes of the children, but upon noticing the floor and the kids drenched in blood, they screamed.
“Mo—mommy!”
“Waaaaah!”
Two village kids burst into tears and ran to their parents. The parents and other villagers naturally became wary of Pia, casting fierce looks her way.
“What on earth happened here?!”
“Could it be… that woman is a witch?!”
“Oh my goodness… was she trying to sacrifice the kids?!”
With unfamiliar outsiders and bloodied children, misunderstandings understandably piled up.
If typical dark fantasy rules applied, the kids were so young and had been affected so severely that they might not have helped Pia, resulting in her being unjustly accused of witchcraft and burned alive.
Fortunately, Pia was a believer serving the Comedy Residents, and one child had just come back to life thanks to the Comedy Filter. Thanks to the lingering energy from the Comedy Filter, the two children could act more courageously than usual.
“No!”
“My sister is not… she’s not a bad person!”
The two children broke free from their parents’ hold and stood in front of Pia, defusing the tension that had threatened to escalate into an attack with shovels and skewers.
“What the heck… what happened, Tente…?”
In the properly formed atmosphere of the Comedy World where past memories could be vividly recounted, the villagers were engrossed in listening to the explanation from the child as if possessed.
They gasped in horror upon hearing the news that the Substitute Priest had already killed another child and had intended to kill them too, and they became panicked upon hearing that he had chased them with a sword. When it was revealed that Pia had urged the children to run for their lives, they looked upon her with concerned expressions.
“Could it be the injuries from back then…?”
“Those bloodstains don’t belong to the kids, but—”
“Oh my goodness…”
Just as their misunderstandings were about to deepen, Pia immediately shook her head. Tente, who had been narrating, raised his hand to speak.
“This blood is mine. That monster grandpa suddenly collapsed, and his sword flew at me… and it stabbed my belly.”
“W-what? Where?!”
The parents’ faces went pale as they started checking their child’s body. Then the child pushed their parents away and declared.
“I’m okay now! Lian saved me!”
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