Chapter 17 — Offering Recipe
Chapter 17 — Offering Recipe
“Place him neatly there.”
Abel hoisted the Black Sword Guild leader onto the altar prepared at the far end of the basement.
He was tall, and his feet stuck out awkwardly, so I bent his knees slightly until the pose looked more pleasing.
“Mmgh… mm…”
Perhaps he realized what was about to happen.
The battered thief began writhing weakly.
That would not do.
“Please keep quiet. An offering should not be this noisy.”
“Mmgh!”
“Abel.”
“Yes.”
Thud!
Quick-witted Abel punched the guild leader in the stomach.
The blow carried power comparable to that of an adult.
Under normal circumstances the man could have endured it easily, but after Rosalia’s beating he rolled his eyes from a single hit.
Thud!
“There is no need to hit him again. He is already quiet.”
“I know.”
Abel added one more punch to the chest before stepping back in satisfaction.
“Kar, should I cut him up?”
Marlin asked cautiously while drawing the ritual dagger I had given her.
“Today we do not need to remove the head. This offering is not for Lidni.”
《Lidni trembles with rage!》
《I, the Eye That Perceives Truth, also formally declare disappointment.》
I had even spent time practicing proper devotion in the library beforehand, yet they still sulked.
Unfortunate, but there was no need to explain.
Thanks to the Blind Devotee trait, unless I openly betrayed them to serve a good god, they would forgive almost anything.
“I will offer a proper feast next time, so please calm down.”
After appeasing them roughly, I placed a hand on Abel’s shoulder before he could punch the guild leader again.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. I found new supplies in the mansion.”
Abel took out a notebook and pen.
On the cover he had written neatly according to my instructions.
[Offering Recipes for Evil Gods]
“Record the cooking process in detail as usual.”
Evil Gods had extremely picky tastes.
Even after their decline, they remained sensitive to the quantity and quality of offerings, giving cultists endless headaches.
So I planned to compile a cookbook of offering recipes detailing the preferred ingredients and preparation methods of each deity.
If completed, it might improve the treatment of cultists considerably.
“Marlin, cut the ropes first.”
“Won’t he go wild?”
“The assassin already prepared him well. He has no strength left.”
“…It’s fine this time since he’s a guild leader, but please stop treating people like ingredients.”
Marlin approached the altar and cut the ropes binding Maken.
When the gag was removed, the thief glared calmly at the siblings.
“Marlin, Abel. Surely you haven’t forgotten. Without me, you would have starved on the streets.”
“….”
Their faces darkened.
“I taught you the skills needed to survive and even accepted you into my guild. I treated you like younger siblings. And yet, as always, you disappoint me.”
A perfect example of textbook gaslighting.
He had probably used such manipulative words countless times.
I almost tore out his tongue but stopped.
The siblings’ eyes were gradually regaining clarity.
“My guild members will already be searching for me. Return to my side before it is too late.”
Marlin and Abel exchanged glances.
Then they answered simultaneously.
“Get lost.”
“No.”
Their voices were firm.
“Good.”
I patted their shoulders and crouched before Maken.
He glared at me and ground his teeth.
“You bastard. Release me immediately. Do you know which guilds I am connected with?”
“Red Star Guild, Hyena Guild, Thousand Gold Flower Guild, Lamb Guild, Blood Castle Guild. Any others?”
“….”
All infamous underworld guilds.
But none of them intimidated me.
“Do you know something?”
I wiped the blood from his forehead and smiled slowly.
“Black Sword Guild Leader Maken. The assassin who beat you and brought you here belongs to the Brites family. She is even the personal aide of the youngest master.”
“…!”
He finally understood.
“Congratulations. The Black Sword Guild you founded will soon become one of the most powerful thief guilds in Pletika.”
Without you.
“…Damn it!”
“How dare you curse?”
With a small gesture, Abel punched Maken in the solar plexus.
He lost consciousness instantly.
“Marlin.”
It was time to prepare the ingredients.
“Strip him first.”
“…What?”
Marlin stared at me strangely.
“Why?”
“Because the Honored One must appreciate the view.”
Maken possessed looks that contrasted with his rotten personality.
His face was handsome, his body lean and well-built.
Crackle.
The black lightning mark on my collarbone reacted.
Meaning he was a suitable offering.
“First, strip him…”
Unlike his sister, Abel calmly recorded the step.
Marlin eventually tore off Maken’s clothes.
The unconscious guild leader became an unwilling nude model.
“…Kar, is that enough?”
Marlin asked while averting her eyes.
“Not yet. Pull him down.”
They placed him on the floor while we filled the altar with Magic Stones from the Fire Ant Nest.
Selling them would bring money, but the Hidden Piece reward would arrive soon anyway.
“Done.”
“Put him back.”
We placed the offering on the altar.
I stepped back to check the composition.
Then adjusted his pose myself.
He now lay on his stomach, chin resting on his hands.
Like a mythical figure from a medieval painting.
“Is it finished?”
“Not yet… scratch the back of my hand.”
A drop of my blood fell between the Magic Stones and the offering.
Just enough to balance the flavor.
“Done.”
The offering was complete.
The recipe was called Stone of the Handsome Vinegar.
A custom offering for the Lord of the Polluted Sky, who enjoyed consuming handsome men raw.
Magic Stones beneath the body would burst with mana when bitten, preventing the flavor from becoming dull.
Since Sue’je loved both sexes equally, I intentionally used gender-neutral terminology.
“Abel, did you record everything?”
“Yes. Including possible improvements.”
“Excellent.”
“…Is this really excellent?”
“Marlin, take Abel and step back.”
I placed my hand on Maken’s waist.
“The meal prepared for the One who twists the earth with black lightning and grants dark authority is ready.”
Normally the prayer would continue much longer.
But I skipped to the end.
“Sue’je, the meal is ready.”
Black lightning erupted from the tattoo on my collarbone.
It crawled like a living creature and flowed into the offering.
Crackle!
Maken and the Magic Stones were swallowed instantly.
Lightning devoured the offering piece by piece.
For safety, I pushed the siblings further back.
My body tingled.
【Hahaha! Pretty one, thank you!】
Sue’je’s voice was delighted.
Thanks to that, I was being reborn as a roasted cultist.
Using the Mystery Black Lightning Bloom, I absorbed the lightning and barely endured.
“Sue’je, this is rather intense.”
【Sorry! I got too excited!】
Eventually the lightning calmed and returned to the tattoo.
The altar was completely clean.
【Ah! Such a satisfying offering! Are you really a new cultist? You aren’t a spy priest from the Harmony Church, are you?】
“No. I am simply a genius cultist.”
【You adorable thing!】
“I am glad you enjoyed the meal. I will prepare another next time. Was there anything lacking?”
【He was handsome enough, but next time bring someone even more stylish!】
“Understood. I will find a more refined sacrifice.”
Behind me, Abel nodded while writing everything down.
【What do you want, pretty one? No, I will give you everything!】
If I accepted immediately, I might literally become lightning.
Which could make me a monster subject to extermination.
Sue’je meant it as kindness, so refusal required tact.
“My body is small and precious, but still too weak to receive your full grace.”
【Your physique is pleasing, but your training level is pitiful.】
Unlike certain knowledge-obsessed Evil Gods, Sue’je was surprisingly reasonable.
【Then what do you want? A portrait of my magnificent smile? Or a Mystery?】
“Would it be possible to receive a Second-Tier Mystery?”
Normally Mysteries granted through offerings were limited by the cultist’s level.
But there was an exception.
“Wouldn’t that offering qualify as a special meal?”
A special meal.
If an offering perfectly satisfied an Evil God’s taste, they might grant a Mystery above the cultist’s level.
For gods with few believers, granting Mysteries consumed precious faith.
But when satisfied, they could be generous.
【Yes, that was certainly delicious! Very well, pretty one. I will grant a Second-Tier Mystery. Do you have one in mind?】
“Yes.”
I lifted my shirt.
A seed protruded from my solar plexus.
It had already sprouted.
《Fertilizer Sprout》
《A curse given by the God of Nature to long-eared races who serve Evil Gods. It greatly weakens the host’s physical abilities.》
“I wish for a Mystery that can solve this.”