Chapter 84: Surprisingly Inconvenient
Chapter 84: Surprisingly Inconvenient
Originally, the hidden rewards of [Sanctuary of Restful Purification] were two.
Continuous free treatment from the Saint.
And an identity badge proving one’s status as an honorary member of the Harmony Church.
Naturally, the precious Mysteries contained within Arteine’s mark were never meant to be granted merely for clearing a C-rank labyrinth.
But I received them from both of them….
As I stared at the two white shield-shaped marks engraved close together on my chest—each with subtly different hues—Truth, who had been lazily slacking off for a moment, slowly displayed the information before my eyes.
《Arteine’s Priest Mystery — Tier 8: Radiant Protection》
《Greatly reduces all forms of mental suffering.》
《Arteine’s Holy Knight Mystery — Tier 8: Luminous Protection》
《Greatly reduces all forms of physical suffering.》
《Both Mysteries are misaligned with the user’s class and Soul Rank, so they currently only function at a minimal level sufficient for daily activity. To perform such an outrageous act… how vast must that divine power be!》
Granting Mysteries without matching the class or level.
Not only did it require an enormous amount of faith, it was an extremely rare event that normally could not even be attempted without proper causality.
Throughout history, cases where a god granted Mysteries to a cultist who was not even their own follower could be counted on one hand.
After all, why would a higher celestial being bother with something so inefficient and meaningless?
What exactly will happen from now on?
A cultist bearing the marks of two different incarnations of Arteine.
That alone was enough to become a major incident capable of provoking fierce conflict among the three sects.
Naturally, I could not predict what kinds of events and troubles would arise as I became entangled with the Harmony Church.
Which was precisely why I had to continue down this path.
“Thank you. It seems I will be involved in many significant incidents and accidents for a long time.”
A future shrouded in unpredictable fog?
Conflicts among the three sects surrounding me?
How could anyone resist making such a stimulating decision?
《The aura of that disgusting hypocritical goddess is unbearable! The Wise One is scowling in disgust!》
Crackle, crackle!
Twitch!
All the Evil Gods reacted sensitively at once.
From their current perspective, Arteine, who had performed a miracle that even fifty years of faith accumulation could not achieve for them, had effectively seized nearly twenty percent of Kar Corporation’s shares. Their anxiety was only natural.
“Please do not worry so much. It is merely a Mystery granted so that she may observe my future activities more easily.”
At present, Arteine had simply subscribed to the most expensive plan of Karflix.
No matter how wealthy in faith she was, she could not forcibly convert someone whose soul was already engraved with the Cultist class.
Of course, the situation would change if the person themselves declared apostasy….
“I will remain your adorable cultist servant forever.”
I gazed briefly into empty air before continuing.
“However, I am still an ignorant intelligent being. If I am treated coldly, my heart might change.”
As if waiting for that moment, a pure aura gently flowed from the grayish shield mark.
— You are always welcome.
A clear will accompanied the message, proving the enormous amount of faith behind it.
Compared to the rough and blunt intentions of the Evil Gods—which required a certain level of interpretation—the difference was like heaven and earth. It was almost indistinguishable from a divine oracle.
《Death to that hypocritical goddess!!》
Crackle!
The commotion erupted again.
In truth, Arteine had not shown any desire to claim me—only mild curiosity—but I deliberately kept that fact to myself.
After all, the anxiety of potentially losing a capable cultist would surely serve as great motivation for the growth of those mighty deities.
“Ah, Arteine’s will is so warm. So this is what a good god feels like…?”
Placing my right hand on the shield mark, I closed my eyes.
It was as if I were gently embraced within the arms of the one who protects all people.
Naturally, when two stunning twin second male leads suddenly embraced the beautiful heroine Kar, the Evil Gods erupted in furious rage.
Saaaa—
At that moment, a will flowed through the shield mark.
From both incarnations of Arteine simultaneously.
— The antics of those Evil Gods are utterly ridiculous! I’m glad I ‘subscribed’ to you.
— Do not use me like a handsome man hired merely to provoke the jealousy of a lover….
Clearly the same deity, yet their tones differed noticeably.
For the sake of preserving the honor of the one who protects all people, I decided not to examine the reason too deeply.
Some secrets in the world were better left buried.
《I did not expect the hypocritical goddess manifested inside the labyrinth to communicate with you. Even the Wise One finds this part interesting.》
It was possible only because she had engraved the highest-grade mark upon me.
Perhaps it was similar to how subscribing to a channel made it easier to find videos that happened to appear in one’s algorithm.
In a similar way, if one’s Charm stat was high enough, powerful obsessive characters inside labyrinths might become attached as well. But even that would be an entertaining experience.
I absentmindedly rested my hand on my chest and stared at the ceiling before speaking.
“O Protector of All People of the present era. Perhaps….”
After carefully choosing my words and expressions, I continued.
“Was it you who brought me to Pletika?”
The deity who had dragged me into this world when I had once been nothing more than a player of Nightmare Dungeon.
As a devout believer, I intended to continue believing—regardless of truth—that Lidni had guided me here.
But for now, I wanted to know the actual cause.
Only then could I reconstruct the facts into a narrative more fitting for my setting.
— …….
For some reason, Arteine remained silent for a long moment before finally sending her will.
— I understand what you mean. But it was not me. It was likely a deity very close to me.
Close to Arteine?
Two names immediately came to mind—deities ranked second and third among the good-god faction.
However, Metherd, who ranked third, would never summon an elf-blooded cultist to this world….
Talendros?
The god of fortune gained through conquest and precious rewards.
The plunderer of magnificent treasures.
A deity governing luck and wealth, worshipped by countless explorers—Talendros.
If it were that wealthy god of faith, performing a miracle to summon someone from another world would not be surprising.
《I do not understand why you ask such a question.》
While I was thinking, a sentence filled with confusion appeared before my eyes.
《You clearly devoted yourself to the Forerunner of the Twisted Truth and entered Pletika by your own will. Was there ever any room in that process for another deity’s intention besides the Wise One?》
“…….”
It felt as if a narrow passage had suddenly opened wide.
Suddenly I remembered something Marlin had once said.
“Honestly, back then Kar was really scary. Quietly scary. You kept giving off a terrifying aura without saying anything, staring at Abel and me with gloomy eyes… and you were a worshipper of an Evil God.”
The moment I began acting as Cultist Kar was right after entering the tutorial labyrinth [E-Rank Labyrinth — Nest of the Sneaking Ghoul Pack].
But Marlin had clearly witnessed my appearance and atmosphere before that point.
Could it be….
One of the main settings of the cultist player was amnesia.
All memories before the tutorial were lost, and only later would the unpleasant past gradually resurface.
Back when I first experienced this world merely as a source of dopamine and entertainment, I had never thought deeply about it.
Now that was no longer possible.
《The cause of your lost memories is presumed to be related to events within ‘that cult.’ They were completely sealed before, but now that your tier has risen, I can vaguely perceive them!》
Eye That Perceives Truth, which never referred to falsehoods, confirmed it.
There was something wrong with my memories.
If that were the case—
Perhaps it was not merely a setting.
I might truly have lost my past.
“…Hah.”
The hallucinated boy and girl who had appeared inside the giant golem and acted familiar toward me.
Had they actually been close to me in the past?
Perhaps they had been as important to me as Yunji, someone deeply engraved in my mind.
I did not know yet.
But there was something I could confirm.
So I was truly an orphan squared.
Apparently I had really been abandoned by my parents in this world as well.
Still, being a half-elf was a perfectly reasonable reason for child abandonment, so strangely enough I felt at ease.
At least my parents had not thrown away children simply because they became troublesome to raise.
Compared to those kinds of parents, perhaps mine were only half disqualified.
《Perhaps you should sleep now. Your ‘Stamina’ stat has increased considerably, but you are not yet at the level where rest is unnecessary!》
Had I fallen too deeply into thought?
Since my mind was already on the verge of overload, I quickly closed my eyes.
And soon drifted into sleep.
After enjoying a refreshing nap for the first time in a while, I woke up—
And froze the moment I opened my eyes.
“…….”
The tiger beastman siblings were sitting quietly beside my bed.
I met their gaze, but Marlin said nothing.
Abel simply stared at me silently.
Having trained hard since childhood to become properly socialized, I could easily guess what they were thinking.
Hmm. They’re angry.
《You are in serious trouble now.》
I know.
After staring at me for a long time, Abel finally spoke.
“Didn’t we clearly ask you not to fight so recklessly?”
Cold.
His voice was so cold it felt like my ears might freeze.
“Well, that is….”
I hurriedly tried to explain that the situation had been unavoidable—but then I noticed tears welling up in Marlin’s eyes.
That was when I realized something.
This was not a moment for excuses.
“I’m sorry. It turned out like this.”
When you did something wrong, you apologized.
One of the most important life principles I had learned through fists and kicks from the other children in the orphanage.
“…At least you know you should apologize.”
Wiping her eyes, Marlin glared at me and poked my waist with her fingernail.
Poke. Poke. Poke.
“Do you know how much our hearts dropped?”
“I don’t know.”
“…It felt like our hearts were breaking. The man from the slums who treated us well died once, and he looked exactly like you did.”
Marlin, who had been poking my side, lightly punched my thigh.
It hurt.
My body flinched instinctively.
“Kar.”
“…What is it?”
“I won’t tell you to change your fighting style. That would be too presumptuous. But don’t ever fight until you end up looking this horrible again.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Fortunately, the siblings had grown enough to consider my position.
“So if I nearly die when I’m alone, recover safely, and then appear in front of you afterward, would that be acceptable?”
“…….”
Thud!
Another punch landed on my thigh.
Being scolded by the children under my guardianship certainly woke me up.
Usually the situation was the opposite, wasn’t it?
“Even if we tried to stop you, you’d still throw your entire body into danger again. So do whatever you want. Just make sure your life isn’t in danger.”
“…I will understand as long as you are not excessively reckless.”
In the end, I obtained the siblings’ approval.
I tried to ruffle both their heads at once—
But stopped.
Having only one arm was more inconvenient than I had expected.
“Hmm. Until the prosthetic arm is finished, I’ll have to do it one at a time. Or I could do forehead bumps and a warm smile like sunlight. Which would you prefer?”
“…No thanks!”
“I’ll pass as well.”
The siblings rejected both options at the same time, then suddenly smiled and hugged me.
Even though I had just been scolded.
Strangely enough, my heart felt clearer than before.
I could not be completely certain yet, but I cautiously said,
“Now it finally feels like we are becoming a family.”
People who worried about each other’s safety.
People who felt uneasy when someone was hurt.
Before I knew it, the siblings and I had become that kind of existence for one another.
“Kids, did you pass the test?”
Once the anger had faded, I casually asked.
Marlin and Abel immediately smiled brightly.
“Of course! The butler said we were perfect! We’ve successfully learned all the Mysteries of the Brites family!”
“…My master also acknowledged my ability. I plan to steadily continue learning the Mysteries of the Cook class.”
“As expected.”
I had known they would pass.
After all, they were children I had personally raised.
There was no way they would fail to achieve a passing mark.
“Kids. Now that you’ve officially become proper explorers, would you like to go on vacation to District Five?”
Our journey as a ‘family’ had only just begun.
To fill the holes in their hearts, we needed to create many more memories.
“A vacation?! Ah….”
Abel lifted his head in excitement at the word vacation, but soon smiled awkwardly.
Marlin nudged my side with her elbow.
“The vacation destination will be inside a labyrinth, right?”
I could only smile while lightly tapping the top of her head with the end of my left arm.
“…You really understand me too well now.”