Ah, I really don’t want to go in. sigh
As I descended to the basement, such thoughts crossed my mind.
The basement of this building was much deeper than it appeared, and from a certain point, there was an unsettling lack of light. While I couldn’t guess what kind of magic was at play here, I could tell that it was quite powerful. I attempted to resolve it with Holy Power, but without knowing the source of the magic, it was of no use.
In the end, my Holy Power was being used solely to illuminate the path ahead. Well, light is light. If another priest had seen me, they would have been horrified at such waste, but… well, that’s not a concern for me.
Thanks to the light sphere, which shone with the brightness of an average villa corridor’s sensor light, the darkness wasn’t an issue.
The accumulated dust? Well, it wasn’t as serious as I had feared. At least it was better than the storage room of the company I worked at before coming here—where I literally suffocated after not being cleaned for over a decade. There were only some footprints from the two ahead of me. One must be Rina, and the other was probably Andrea, since that’s what the Paladins in front of the building had said.
The reason I didn’t want to go in wasn’t because of the mess in the corridor or the fact that no light was coming down from above—
“Ugh.”
But because of the smell.
A stench so terrible it made me want to throw up.
It smelled like dozens of different perfumes and fabric softeners were dumped into a water tank and mixed together. It was definitely not a natural smell! I would have preferred the scent of rotting waste over this. My body, crafted directly by the Goddess, was incredibly sensitive to sensations, and I had no resistance to such a foul odor.
I had thought up until now that it was just that food would taste better, but I never realized it was because my sense of smell had heightened.
It wasn’t a natural smell, and considering the sheer amount of dust piled up over the rubbish, it was probably a foul odor due to a magical reason. I had no clue what could cause such a stench.
Well, it must have been the work of a Demon or a Witch, so there’s no way I could come to understand their reasoning anyway.
For now, I pinched my nose with my hand and tried to breathe using my mouth while huffing and puffing. Phew, much better. The feeling of that unpleasant air entering my mouth was absolutely horrible, but if given the choice between continuing to smell this or that, I’d rather pick this side.
With my left hand still pinching my nose, I thrust the morning star I was holding in my right hand forward. Thankfully, the doorknob was long and protruded sideways, allowing me to push it down with the long object without needing to grab it with my hand.
“Do we really not have to go in first?”
One of the Paladins standing beside me asked, but I shook my head in refusal.
“If it’s a Demon we’re facing, it’s best if I go in first.”
I sounded stuffy due to my pinched nose, yet neither of the two Paladins laughed. Truly professional.
I turned back. The pure white light radiating from the sphere illuminated the faces of my companions—Aurora, Linea, Jian, Selena, Satsuki, all were wearing determined expressions. It reminded me of the time they jumped up when I said I was going to the battlefield. They looked a bit pale because of the white light, but maybe that was due to the horrid smell wafting from here as well.
This time they weren’t wearing such expressions because of me, but because of Rina.
“Okay, I’ll count to three before we enter.”
When I said this, both Paladins and my friends all nodded in agreement. After I nodded along, I forcefully slammed down the morning star resting against the doorknob.
With a loud bang, the door swung open—
*
The Witch of Jealousy’s worst weakness is that she has no ‘characteristics.’
Other Witches—those of ‘Doubt, Desire, Lust, Hate, and Resentment’—each had their own strong personalities.
‘Desire’ demanded to have everything. Due to her greedy nature, she constantly trained herself to obtain all that the world had to offer. She sought after what she desired and systematically conquered her targets to secure her desires. Many followers were drawn to her intense charisma.
‘Lust’ was similar yet different from Desire. However, what she wanted were all things related to her sexual desires, and nothing else seemed to matter much. She devoted everything to seeking out more sexual outlets and producing her own vassals. In the past, Lust was avoided because she undermined the community, but ironically, she was building her own community with that very lust.
‘Hatred’ and ‘Resentment,’ while appearing to overlap, existed separately because they harbored extreme dislike for one another. Like twins, they constantly repulsed and kept each other in check. Always prepared to project their emotions onto others, they were contrasts, clashing against stronger foes.
‘Resentment’ always blamed the Elves who had sacrificed themselves. She sharpened her blade of vengeance, dedicating her whole being to the plan to exterminate those who had forsaken her. Countless people who were drawn into her relentless ‘revenge’ returned to their Deities. Rumors circulated that she was even seeking a way to annihilate souls to prevent any those once allowed from returning.
It was unclear who would succeed in the race for loyalty, but if possible, Resentment was likely to be the first to succeed.
Doubt constantly created suspicion toward others, and that nature made “Doubt” capable of penetrating deeply through another’s weakest points.
The issue was that she had encountered a colossal opponent that surpassed the size of her suspicions.
‘Doubt,’ who constantly suspected other Witches, had suppressed any proper transfer of information until the moment of her death. She feared that someone would seize her territory. Although she made an attempt at the very last moment, once her death struck, all she could do was ‘make an attempt’. No information reached the other Witches besides that.
However, ‘Jealousy’ felt that was good enough.
Ah, yes, the Witch of Jealousy. She always believed that she lacked what she had.
Unfairly enough, her potential for growth existed because of her own inadequacies. Therefore, she could never reach them.
Feeling nothing but ‘Jealousy’ by always realizing her inferiority compared to the power of ‘Desire,’ the beauty of ‘Lust,’ the progressiveness of ‘Hatred’ and ‘Resentment,’ and the wisdom of ‘Doubt’—this itself was the reason she thought she had no characteristics.
Thus—
When ‘Doubt’ died, Jealousy leaped with joy. The dead could no longer grow. Perhaps Jealousy could surpass Doubt.
All Witches had their own pride and didn’t wish to rely on the help of others. Even ‘Desire’ had refrained from coveting the heritage of the Witch of Doubt. Yet Jealousy was different. She greedily devoured everything that Doubt had left behind and felt ecstatic that she was behaving in a manner more deserving than Desire.
And after completely consuming all Doubt had left behind—even though her physical body was securely held within the Church—Jealousy felt a rare sense of satisfaction, and she executed plans that Doubt had been unable to complete.
Jealousy even fortified her plans based on the information Doubt had left behind! She had figured out a way to handle the Saintess and that mad-level Holy Knight. Not only was she not just doubting like Doubt, but she used her powers of Jealousy to obtain plausible information!
Could it be that I could combine and take the place of Doubt?
When such thoughts crossed her mind, joy filled her heart. Perhaps she could become the strongest Witch among all Witches. What would the Demons say if she brought the head of a Witch who killed other Witches!?
Ah, for now, let’s calm down.
Jealousy looked at the prey that had unwittingly walked into the nest she had painstakingly crafted—well, to be precise, it was an origination that began with Doubt but was completed by her—and gazed at them with greedy eyes.
Alright, let’s kick things off with what Doubt had prepared.
I created a situation for the Holy Maiden that would make her “doubt.” The already set up Magic Points began vibrating quickly, drawing the Holy Maiden into the trap of Doubt.
Those beside her disappeared, leaving her to only recognize herself within a Barrier.
Inside, what the Holy Maiden would face was the sight of the Goddess who abandoned her.
An occurrence she feared most as a priest, yet always imagined could happen, was set to shatter her hopes.
And using the corpse of the Saintess, the leader of the group, fallen first, to destroy what was left.
That was Jealousy’s plan, layered atop Doubt’s blueprint.
Finally, in front of the Holy Maiden who had unwittingly stepped into the barrier, the figure of the Goddess appeared—
The Holy Maiden was plunged into despair—
And just like that, I smashed the head of that fake Goddess with my morning star.
“…What the hell!?”
*
“Clara, you no longer have to do anything.”
A very beautiful blonde woman before me said this. Her eyes were a blue like the sea, her skin white as a sheet, yet smooth enough to not look corpse-like.
With that stunning face, she glared at me with cold eyes, dressed in a flowing white garment reminiscent of something from Greek mythology.
And I—
Was perplexed about what the hell that expressed.
It was the first time I had seen this face.
Well, fine. I admit that this situation had been beautifully crafted using incredibly high-level magic. It’s unlikely that Human Society could create such a space. The door I came through was clearly one, yet all those who entered had split apart and became unrecognizable in the Barrier—I had neither heard nor seen such a setting before.
She likely planned to show me something inside to shatter my mental state—
I sincerely felt pity for the one who seriously crafted this barrier, but I truly had no idea what this situation implied.
“You have insulted me.”
I wasn’t guilty of that. Ah, sure, her venomous expression is lovely, but I’d appreciate clarification on why.
“How dare you forgive a Demon when you are a believer of the God.”
…Is she not a Demon? Given that controlling the Demons would be unpleasant, could this person be a high-ranking member of the Church who has realized Rina’s identity? Thus, secretly trying to eliminate me since a Saintess can’t be friends with a Demon?
I shook my head. That was an unreasonable assumption. After all, thinking back to what initially made us “come here,” the chain of events didn’t fit.
Hmm.
I tilted my head and looked at the woman glaring at me. Where did this woman—
…Wait a second. I think I know that face.
I mean, of course, I’ve never actually met her. Rather, I’d say I’ve ‘seen’ this face before.
Primarily from within the Cathedral, inside the Central Church.
Among the many representations of the Goddess from this world.
Yes, that face, one I had seen depicted in churches or illustrated in picture books as a ‘Goddess.’
“…”
Do you know, there’s a high chance that the face we know of Jesus isn’t what he actually looked like? Historically, it’s likely that Jesus—a Middle Eastern dweller— had a close resemblance to a Caucasian. However, images depicted after Jesus’ death show him with varied hairstyles and facial features, making it impossible to accurately identify him based purely on his image.
I mean, if you asked modern people to go back to year 30 and find Jesus based only on his face, they’d probably search forever until the day he was crucified with no luck.
The face of the Goddess is similar.
Of course, Ariel is a different case than Jesus.
Over the course of 500 years, numerous distinguished saints have seen Ariel’s face in their dreams, so many people have described ‘how Ariel looked.’ As a result, a common trait does indeed exist—’a blonde beauty with striking features and slightly drooping blue eyes.’
This consistency has been unwavering since the mental form of Ariel appeared before the first Saint.
However, not every saint could translate Ariel’s face into art accurately.
After all, no one could literally take photos in their heads, nor did all Saints possess exceptional artistic skills.
Naturally, as the Goddess did exist, the artistic representations of her would vary drastically.
Thus, what stood before me was probably a fake crafted by someone who “sought to emulate the Goddess.”
Even so, based on the memory I think I have, it looks like they stuck closely to the “statue.”
…
Hey, Ariel. What do you think about that?
[Well, they’ve put in considerable effort.]
Ariel replied in a voice laced with amusement.
How was this stone-faced mimicry supposed to express such confidence?
If they had instead said that their face shone or was obscured by a halo, it might have been more convincing.
There are reasons religious texts advise against idol worship. It leads both the believer and the observer into confusion. It seems like the stories of mythical Gods caution, “don’t mistake them for my true likeness when you see an idol crafted in my image,” reflect some form of personal experience.
I walked up to the Goddess imitation and swung my morning star.
Instead of a crunch, it felt more like a squelch, as if swinging a heavy blunt object on top of a giant jelly.
“Ugh.”
The feeble squelching felt utterly off-putting. The upper body was crushed with a thud, yet what remained beneath was grotesquely intact.
And—
Ah, there it is.
Between the severed halves of the upper body, a tiny Magic Point floated.
So it’s also used like this.
I had just set it up as something significantly powerful, but upon reflection, in terms of its ‘powerful magic,’ its utility might just rival modern-day electricity. Anyway, since it was magical, it should easily serve as a core to continuously channel magic to something more complex.
I’ll keep it in mind; I need to be more cautious in the future. It’s unpredictable what kind of ingenious inventions may emerge.
I infused the Magic Point with Holy Power through my opposing hand. Apparently smaller and weaker than the point generating demons and beasts, it immediately sizzled and shattered.
If I say “Pakin-,” would that sound too much like an otaku reference?
The clean, bright interior starkly contrasted with the filthy rubbish and dust piled outside. Not just clean, but it looked like a temple, with several marble columns standing beneath a high ceiling.
This must depict a Temple of Gods, right?
At least I could wrap my head around this. It’s reasonable to think that only those who passed away would see the Temple of Gods. That applies to me too. After dying, I came here; I guess the only chance I’ll have to see it again is when I die once more.
Anyway— that pristine space began to crack little by little, then it began to crumble.
There was no sound of breaking or collapsing. Just like a muted game, it collapsed and slid to the ground without a sound, as if there was a glitch.
And what was revealed was far cleaner than I had anticipated.
Or rather, was it clean?
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, the awful stench invaded my nostrils again, making me gag. It seems this appearance might indeed be the truth. I pinched my nose with one hand and gazed around.
First of all, I called this place ‘clean’ because it was fairly well maintained without a single speck of dust. Someone likely cherished this place a great deal. Personal thoughts: it resembled a well-kept display room of an avid collector.
The problem was that the collection items were utterly chaotic.
From statues of beautiful ladies to weapons, dressers, taxidermy, books, perfumes, dolls… an assortment of clutter lay haphazardly stacked. The paintings strewn across the walls blended so well with the color of the walls that instead of being dazzling, it appeared just a cacophony of colors, mentally jarring.
And the stench. Now I understood the cause of it.
Between every item, various aromas and fragrances were constantly piled up. As I hesitantly approached, each bottle had a pleasant, nicely scented thing, or perhaps an extravagant luxury, but when thousands upon thousands were endlessly scattered, they emitted an unbearable odor.
Thus, despite having no dust, this place was far from clean.
And mingling between all the piled objects, the pathways were severed-shaped chaotically such that I couldn’t see anyone around me anymore.
What on earth is this vile odor?
However, I could somewhat guess what kind of Witch had constructed this room.
Judging from the condition of the students, it was likely the Witch of Jealousy.
Regardless of who the opponent was, she always felt envious, aiming to emulate ‘that person’ as a Witch.
Understanding this made the reason behind the chaotic accumulation of objects clear. It was certainly out of Jealousy—hoarding everything madly to ultimately surpass her rivals, regardless of whether they were luxury items or not, magical or mundane.
Thus, this enormous room was itself a representation of the Witch of Jealousy’s inferiority complex.
Since she couldn’t measure up to abilities, the thought was that at least she would gather items instead.
As much as I had orchestrated an elaborate setup, this scale was somewhat excessive.
“However…”
How do I find the path in such a maze—
Boom!
Just as that thought crossed my mind, an enormous sound erupted from my right side.
“Is that you?”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one entwined in an illusion.
Or, the one caught in the illusion had an extraordinary offensive capability far surpassing the sorceress’ imagination.
In either case, it must be Jian.
Crash! the sound echoed once more.
…It seems he’s indulged in a brute method of simply smashing through the walls to make a path.
Alright, then I’ll follow the sound.
If it’s Jian, he’ll surely know the way! He’s a munchkin for a reason! Although I haven’t actually set up such attributes for him, still!
…He should know, right?
So, that’s why he’s being so destructive in there, right?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, sweat began to bead upon my forehead.
*
What the heck is this!?
What the hell is going on here!?
Certainly, one wouldn’t doubt the Holy Maiden’s unwavering faith! I’ve witnessed my share of many fanatics during my time in the Church—or rather, within the denomination—still, what is that moron doing!?
That was the thought of Jealousy.
The Holy Maiden obliterating the head of the false Goddess without a hint of suspicion could be attributed to how unwavering that Holy Maiden’s faith was, leaving no space for ‘Doubt’ to creep in. However, that figure—an unnoteworthy teen in sight—was the real surprise for her.
Why wasn’t he caught even in the hallucinations?
Young boy, was it Lee Ji-An? Insight on him indeed was present and known. He was an extremely formidable opponent. No one ever witnessed an individual capable of severing a flying cannonball among the myriad that Witches had faced until now.
Yet, despite that, she had put her utmost effort into researching him!
Tracking him down as he searched for his childhood friend whom he thought of like a little sister to him. She assumed he would manipulate the other people to relentlessly probe into that girl—Erica Rose’s consciousness—to extract everything.
Believing he had meticulously arranged this plot to the point of unrecognizability for those involved—
But how on earth, was he able to recognize it before the Magic Points even activated?!
Was this outright cheating?!
Jealousy began to doubt her own illusory perfection to the point she felt each layer might be something she had indeed fallen prey to herself.
Even the Holy Maiden had shown some effect of the illusion. True, it was remarkable she immediately recognized it as an illusion, but if asked if someone thought of her as stupid, she would have retorted just as fiercely.
However, the moment she entered the room, whether noticing she’d been split apart from her friends, she recognized it just before the Magic Point activated and moved—a feat akin to that of a “being not of this world.”
Moreover, as if he already knew of the Witch’s location from the outset, he poured forth his magical energy, unnaturally ballooning, razing through various obstacles as he dashed straight for Jealousy!
“What is happening here!?”
With an inability to grasp the situation, Jealousy began screeching, tearing her own hair out.
Without a doubt, it had been perfect! Let them believe they were assured of success and grow lax— purposefully instilling doubt to collapse their trust to the point they’d end up cutting each other down—
Where did it go wrong!?
The hair grabbing at her crimson head suddenly stilled.
“Whatever, it’s fine now.”
No more options remained.
“Glad I didn’t just kill you outright then.”
That Demon also mentioned the girl as a friend, but whether she’d end up dead was none of her concern—
Well, it was trivial to reinsert the blueprint of the operation Doubt had originally conceived.
“Let’s see if you can still act that confidently, even after I cut down your ‘real friend.’”
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