Chapter: 129
“Hmm, you gave two silver to one person, huh…?”
Inside the small but lavish Temple, a Middle-Aged Woman murmured with a sly grin. The Old Man sitting beside her smiled benevolently and replied.
“Those poor little lambs have come this far in search of light.”
But beneath his benevolent expression, there was a simmering greed in the old man’s eyes. The Captain of the Guards across from them stroked his long beard and said,
“They look like they struck it rich, lucky country bumpkins… What do you say we grant them mercy and let them settle here?”
“Yeah, great idea.”
“Hoo ho ho! Who else will help them if we don’t? We’ll take care of them with utmost devotion, thinking of it as part of God’s will.”
The colorful light streaming through the stained glass illuminated the sacred Temple floor, but the conversation going on there was dirty and slimy.
A statue made of poor human likeness gazed down at them with a blank, lifeless stare. They should have feared divine retribution, but they weren’t scared at all.
Because they didn’t think what they were doing was a crime.
The Captain of the Guards taking money from the powerless was necessary violence since a part of that cash was used to maintain the Temple.
The Middle-Aged Priestess abducting virgin girls to shower in their blood every night wasn’t out of selfish desire for youth; it was merely suffering inflicted to keep the Temple running for a long time.
The old Substitute Priest who sent the orphanage children to the temple under the pretense of feeding them would take them to his basement for a meal. He didn’t enjoy human flesh; he claimed it was an act of mercy so the orphans wouldn’t suffer from hunger and could return to the divine embrace.
They believed that their lack of punishment was proof that their deeds weren’t sins and that even the tiniest bit of divine power left in them was evidence they were bound for heaven.
“Oh, is this the Temple?”
That’s when someone sent by God arrived among them.
With white hair, sparkling golden eyes brimming with curiosity, porcelain-like smooth skin as pale as moonlight, beautifully curved eyes, and a gentle smile, he looked like a fairy tale “Saint” come to life, marked with the Mark of God on the back of his hand.
‘This statue better not move…’
Considering the abilities he possessed, he would be more fittingly described as a “divine harbinger of retribution” or “executioner sent by God,” but there was no one here who knew that.
“Well, I’m going to head inside…”
“Oh, my?!”
The three individuals who had been engaging in fruitful conversation turned to see Lian as he stepped inside.
The Captain, captivated by Lian’s stunning looks, thought, “He’ll fetch a high price,” while the Middle-Aged Woman twisted her body, her face flushed with excitement.
The Substitute Priest merely chuckled, thinking, “From that face, he’ll certainly spread his seeds,” continuing with horrific thoughts like, “The more children, the better… Tender and all…”
But all anyone could see was the friendly facade of the old grandfather.
“Ah, hello!”
Thanks to the atmosphere in the Temple, Lian naturally assumed the three were ‘good people.’ Each, for their own reasons, was drawn to Lian as they exchanged smiles and light conversations.
“Well, I’ll be off first then.”
After some trivial chit-chat, the Captain of the Guards exited to extort money from merchants and head back to the Temple. At this moment, the Middle-Aged Woman spoke in a sweet, syrupy voice.
“While you’re here, let me show you around the Temple.”
“Ah… um, it’s alright. I was just a bit curious…”
For some reason, Lian sensed the unmistakable odor of a cross-dressing pervert emanating from the Middle-Aged Woman before him. He couldn’t explain why, but it sent a shiver down his spine.
This Middle-Aged Woman was trying overly hard to maintain her youth through unspeakable acts, her age was beyond what one could imagine—older than the old man beside her.
Men in the world of gags instinctively felt repulsed towards women who hid their age with makeup or male cross-dressers who had no intention of hiding their identities at all.
This was the force of the genes left by ancestors who had seen terrible things, irrespective of the laws of the gag world.
For that reason, Lian began to subtly avoid the Middle-Aged Woman.
“Come on now, take a look around.”
As the Middle-Aged Woman clung to Lian’s arm with a smarmy tone like a bug with a severed tongue, Lian’s face turned pale, as if a cockroach had just landed on his arm.
“Brother!”
“…! Uh! Iris, I’ll be right there! I’m so sorry, but my party is waiting! So I’ll just—”
Lian quickly shook off the woman and dashed over to Iris, who was standing at the Temple entrance.
“What were you doing here?”
“Ah, I was just fascinated by the Temple and sightseeing.”
The Middle-Aged Woman, affected by the gag filter, stood frozen in an awkward pose, clutching at the air before finally composing herself, her face flushed.
She seemed eager to emphasize her femininity, tossing her hair over her ear as she attempted to approach Lian and Iris, just as Lian’s cold, lifeless gaze turned toward her.
“…!”
The Middle-Aged Woman instinctively froze under Iris’s murderous glare as she awkwardly looked at the two.
The intensity of Iris’s gaze was so menacing that the woman unknowingly lowered her eyes, trembling slightly.
“Brother, what were you doing with that… Aunty?”
“…..!?”
A-a-aunty?!
For a woman willing to gouge the skin off a child for her appearance, the term “Aunty” was practically taboo.
When Iris, born stunningly beautiful and at the prime age to be in her prime, uttered that word, the woman’s insecurities erupted.
‘That little bitch!’
But she couldn’t curse back. Iris exuded too much intimidation. Instead, she secretly scanned Iris from head to toe, licking her lips.
‘She’s clearly a virgin. With her striking beauty, I could easily regain a decade of youth!’
Imagining Iris using her pretty face to dirty her tears and snot sent a shiver of satisfaction down the Middle-Aged Woman’s spine. Had Iris caught her in that moment, her disgust would have prompted a punch.
Iris, trying to wiggle her brother away from the creepy Aunty’s gaze, quickly exited the Temple, leaving the Middle-Aged Woman’s ghastly smile lingering for a minute longer.
The Old Man walked past the smirking Middle-Aged Woman crouched near the entrance of the Temple.
He spotted a group of children he had never seen in the village, giggling as they walked with snacks in hand. The Old Man couldn’t help but lick his lips.
‘There seems to be quite a few, so I could take one for a taste.’
While it might not go noticed if one child went missing, a child’s disappearance would create quite the stir. This meant this group would likely stay for a few more days.
To keep that group tied down, taking one child to the dinner table was ultimately a necessary deed.
‘Tsk, tsk, how hard must they have had it?’
Watching the gleeful children, the old man felt a surge of excitement. The taste of fresh blood and tender meat danced on his tongue.
‘As long as you’re with me, chosen by God, you will all be able to go to heaven, so don’t worry.’
If he became one with their flesh and blood, surely those children would also be able to go to heaven!
When the old man had purchased his position as a Substitute Priest with gold, he at least had some awareness of his sins, but now he had none left. He firmly believed his choices were for the sake of the children.
Lian’s goal was to protect his precious group. This means those three who sought the village children, the virgins, and valuable slaves were perceived as Lian’s “enemies.”
The moment they were viewed as foes, their fates were all but sealed.
*
‘Looks like there are more pretty things than I expected. I should take one or two for myself, heh…’
The Captain of the Guards grinned stupidly as he peeked out the window at the group of people wandering by, his gaze lingering on Lily.
“…!”
Sharp-eyed Nero quickly scanned the surroundings, sensing the predatory intent of the Captain snaking its way over his woman, but the Captain had swiftly averted his gaze, leaving Nero none the wiser.
‘Looks like there’s a formidable one among them. Better be careful.’
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