How to Replace Dad
In the darkness like a black fog, a man appeared.
His hair was a dark blue-black like the night sky.
His eyes sparkled with a transparent purple light.
His skin was pale white.
I couldn't guess his age.
He seemed closer to a boy than a man, but the aura and presence he emitted were more intense than any adult male.
What was clear, however, was that he had an incredibly beautiful appearance.
And I knew that man.
‘Lord, Abel.’
He was a monster who had defeated a thousand soldiers single-handedly.
‘He wasn't outside.’
Everyone had been fooled.
He had been lurking in the basement of this castle all along.
Abel's languid gaze reached every corner of the laboratory.
A goblin-like man rushed over to him hurriedly.
"Ma-master, it's not my fault. The lab being discovered was because of that woman who tore it apart!"
The goblin-like man pointed at Carmen, who was groaning in pain, while shaking his hands.
And he clung to Abel.
"Th-the intruders are them. That woman is the saint! I'll capture her and turn her into food! P-please, forgive me, forgive me..."
"..."
"I, I haven't been doing well. I've been preparing food all this time because I brought humans here."
The goblin-like man laughed viciously with a grating sound.
"Wh-what kind of ingredient do you like? A newborn? H-hehe, I, I like young ones, their screams—."
The goblin-like man who was prancing about stopped abruptly.
"Ah...?"
It was at that moment when blood gushed from the goblin-like man's eyes.
The bleeding started then, and blood flowed from every hole in his body.
Abel said in a flat voice.
"I hate talkative people."
"Ma-master... ma-master...! Kyaah—!"
With a chilling scream, his body twisted.
The goblin-like man slumped without even closing his eyes.
Abel looked at me.
"...Saint?"
It wasn't me who answered.
It was Antonio.
"The young lady."
"The young lady is the saint, right?"
"What for?"
"If necessary, I'll take her."
"Talk."
A fierce aura emanated from Antonio's body.
The languid purple eyes met the black eyes of a beast.
It was then that the waves collided.
Antonio leaped straight into Abel.
Abel's barrier blocked Antonio.
Antonio threw a punch.
Thud! Thud! Thud—!
Cracks appeared in the barrier.
'Cracks from a punch with bare hands?'
Even though I was tense, I couldn't help but be surprised.
Now I understood why Antonio was called the strongest in close combat.
He was incredibly powerful and sharp without any weapon.
With a crackling sound, the barrier partially broke.
He shattered Abel's enormous barrier that could even defend against physical attacks like breaking glass.
Antonio stuck his arm in and grabbed Abel's throat.
"Let's play nicely. No more hiding."
It was the moment he tried to pull Abel's body.
Crack—!
The barrier broke.
Not because of Antonio.
Abel had removed the barrier himself.
Antonio had no place to stand.
"Antonio!"
If he falls, it's over.
At the moment of falling, a gap will form due to the shock.
Abel would aim for that gap to strike Antonio directly.
I immediately gathered mana.
'Heal immediately upon attack.'
It was the time I was about to intervene.
Antonio changed his posture in mid-air.
It wasn't easy.
It required tremendous strength.
Antonio, who landed on the ground, moved without a gap.
He immediately dove into Abel.
"Annoying."
Abel clicked his tongue, and a small barrier appeared where Antonio's fist landed.
Thanks to that, Antonio's fist never touched Abel.
Antonio's attacks were completely ineffective.
"You fox."
Antonio said, crushing it.
'Disadvantageous.'
In terms of matchup, he was losing to Abel, and Antonio had no suitable weapon.
Above all, the black mist surrounding Abel seemed to have some strange power.
'Antonio's aura isn't manifesting properly.'
But that's strange.
I hadn't seen Abel using such mist in the game before.
'Is it because of this space?'
Just in case, I activated purification.
If it was due to geum-sul, I could purify it.
But there was no change in the mist.
'Then what? Where did this mist come from...'
Wait a second.
Abel said he was having dinner.
Was there a setting that he eats people?
'No, there wasn't.'
Suddenly, the words of the goblin-like man came to mind.
"Wh-what kind of ingredient do you like? A newborn? H-hehe, I, I like young ones, their screams—."
'Screams.'
He's eating fear!
I had definitely heard it when I was hiding at the entrance of the laboratory.
The tremendous screams that were bursting out.
'He's here. Definitely somewhere here...!'
I hurriedly looked around.
An iron door came into view.
'Is it over there.'
I ran quickly towards the iron door.
The door was extremely heavy.
I desperately pulled the door.
Then...
"Aaah!"
"Ah, I don't want to... I don't want to..."
"Saint. Saint, please protect me. Ah, saint..."
"Aaah!"
A desperate cry flowed out.
The mist surrounding Abel grew thicker.
'This is it.'
A vast room.
People were praying in the empty air as if they were intoxicated with medicine.
I looked at the center of the room.
In the center was a stone that glowed with multicolored light.
An orb made of solidified gemstone of the nightmare of horror. It shows terrifying illusions. The pain felt from it is no different from reality. If you want to feel a more brutal pain than being cut with a single sword, this orb would be the most appropriate choice.
It was a cruel item.
The people's states were not intact.
Those who scratched their entire bodies bloody with nails.
Those who tore out parts of their own bodies.
Those whose eyes were rolled back and foaming at the mouth.
"P-please... Saint, please save me..."
A small, hunched old woman was rubbing her wrinkled hands.
I immediately jumped into the room.
And grabbed the nightmare stone.
My hand burned as if touching acid.
The skin from the contact point with the nightmare stone melted.
But I threw the nightmare stone away without hesitation.
Boom—!
The nightmare stone shattered.
At that moment, the light returned to the people's eyes.
"Eh..."
"Ah... eh..."
They came to their senses, but their bodies trembled with fear.
It would remind them of the pain that was deeply imprinted just by being in this space.
'This isn't enough.'
I shouted.
"The saint is here! I'll save you!"
And desperately squeezed mana to heal my melted skin.
'Mana is too insufficient.'
I had already used purification once to get information as peacefully as possible from Carmen.
I wanted to make her aware of my existence and break her will to counterattack.
'It would have been good if I had a Botella.'
With this level of healing, they might not believe it.
There are priests who can do light healing even if not the saint.
I could have healed everyone and made them believe in one go that I was the saint.
Then, the fear would have gone away since they were followers of the saint.
That's what I was thinking.
"Saint..."
The small old woman crawled to me.
She was desperate even though she couldn't walk because of lack of strength.
"You came to save us after all..."
Other people also looked at me with dazed faces.
"Ah, saint..."
"I believe... I believe..."
I tilted my head.
'...Do they believe right away with this much healing?'
Why?
As I was thinking that, I saw the clothes they were wearing and realized.
'Ah, they were fake cultists.'
Belief is easy.
It was fortunate that they were easygoing... no, innocent people.
'No, this isn't the problem.'
"Get up. We have to go quickly."
"Yes, yes!"
"I'm going!"
"I believe, I believe!"
I led the people who were supporting the sky with both hands and chanting faith prayers out the door.
Just as I was about to block the door.
Crack—!
A beautiful sound of bones colliding.
As the fear faded, the cult's black mist receded, and Antonio's attack was effective.
Looking at Abel being pushed against the wall, Antonio's lips curled up.
"Your face is more beautiful when it breaks."
"..."
A fierce killing intent swirled in Abel's eyes.
Antonio raised his fist again.
I shouted.
"Retreat!"
"Already? Now it's getting interesting."
I pulled Antonio.
"From here, it's Phase 2."
"Ph-ph... what?"
"Go berserk."
Abel has a world-weary face, but in fact, he really hates losing.
"Grandma, no. Hurry."
I entrusted the old woman who couldn't run properly because she was old to Antonio.
When Antonio picked up the old woman like a princess, the old woman smiled broadly.
"Thank you, young man. Your biceps are amazing."
"Grandma, open your mouth or you'll bite your tongue."
And we made them escape like that.
And I ran to the end and said to the cult leader.
"This side is also accessible."
"..."
Abel's eyebrows twitched.
I waved my hand.
"See you again."
* * *
We exited the warehouse.
Outside the door, the members were blocking the priests who had rushed in upon hearing the abnormal signal from the laboratory.
Antonio shouted at me.
"How do we get out?"
"Guys, that's the other side."
It wasn't me who said it.
It was the old woman who said it with a big smile.
"The other side?"
"There is a secret passage over there."
"How do you know?"
"When I was young, I worked as a maid in this castle. Young man, your biceps are amazing."
Wow.
Unexpected luck.
I told the members.
"Make way."
"Yes, young lady."
"Yes."
The members dealt with the priests, and we followed the old woman's guidance.
"That's the other side, young man."
"Right, young man. Turn the clock. At 9:30."
"Young man, we came the wrong way. We have to go back."
Because the old woman knew the geography of the castle extremely well, we were able to move without a hitch even as the priests and soldiers swelled from both directions.
But it didn't last long.
Soon, disciples appeared from both sides.
But at that moment.
Beep—!
A horn sound came from somewhere.
It wasn't once.
Beep, beep—!
Three times, and then drums sounded.
The disciples, startled, were bewildered.
Then, one of the disciples shouted.
"It's Rene!"
And hurriedly scattered.
Me and the Irregulars were confused about what this was.
The old woman said.
"That sound. It's an emergency signal to gather and resist to the death since the army has entered the holy land."
"The army has entered? There's no way."
Then Antonio asked with a confused expression.
"Why? Maybe sent from Kuarion."
"Earlier, Carmen used the sacrifice geum-sul. That's a geum-sul that opens barriers. It was incredibly powerful because it was mediated by my life."
It would take time to dismantle.
At least 2-3 days until the barrier is lifted.
Then, the old woman muttered as if she realized something. "Oh dear."
"Is it Rene?"
"Rene?"
"The horn is blown by her. Probably, she sent a fake signal to help because she thought the saint was in danger."
"..."
"Rene is a good kid, right?"
"..."
Hearing that, I groaned.
"Au..."
"Why?"
Antonio asked.
I sighed.
"I wanted to do it slowly and safely, but it seems I have to resolve it in a hurry now."
If I knew that Rene sent the signal, I would be caught.
Probably not used as garbage.
Then, I can't keep her long.
"Let's go."
"Right, we have to get out quickly."
"No. We're going back."
"What?"
"Plan change."
The Irregulars looked at me as if asking what that meant.
I raised my eyebrow.
Eye for an eye.
"Fakes are fakes."
We also preach.
To the real 'Saint Cult'.
* * *
The high priest asked urgently.
"Did we miss it?"
The high priests prostrated themselves with regretful expressions.
The high priest swept the things on the desk and shouted.
"You fools! How did the saint get to intrude—!"
The cult leader said.
The one who intruded was the saint, and the one who fought with him was Antonio, the saint's bodyguard.
Although the cult leader is lazy about everything, he doesn't lie.
No, he doesn't lie because he's lazy.
He thinks there's no need to use his head for something simple like killing.
"Do the disciples know the news?"
"No. The disciples don't know. They just gathered because of the alarm bell that happened in the laboratory and thought it was an inspection, so they were trying to capture them."
"The girl who sent the fake emergency signal."
"Immediately captured and thrown into the laboratory. But since the nightmare stone was destroyed..."
"What? Did you forget how much the nightmare stone costs!"
"S-sorry. I'll look into immediate repair. The girl will be made into 'food' by being raised to the gods, so please dispose of her."
Bang!
The high priest slammed the desk.
Then turned his head.
"Cult leader."
Abel, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, didn't answer.
The high priest quickly approached him.
"Perform a miracle. Hurry and capture the saint. If the saint leads the army, we will all die...!"
Abel just closed his eyes with a tired face.
'Damn it.'
Who made me the cult leader.
Who was it that stopped the rampage every time.
Although the Dawn Cult was created 10 years ago, if we include the period of preparation to create the Dawn Cult, it's over 20 years.
During that time, we bought kids and repeatedly experimented to create a perfect cult leader.
It was just an experimental subject.
But now I have to bow my head to such a lowly experimental subject.
Whenever I wanted to do something, I had to gather a lot of things that the monster liked and beg.
A ruthless coldness flowed in the high priest's eyes.
"As long as you want to keep eating snacks."
Don't forget that if I don't take care of you, you'll rampage and won't be able to enjoy any human joy.
But at that moment.
Knock knock.
A knock sounded.
"Hello. It's the saint."
What?
All eyes turned to the door at once.
From outside, another voice was heard.
"I've come to deliver good news to the cult leader. I even baked a cake as a gift."
Cake?
The half-closed eyes of the cult leader slowly opened.