Under the Gaze of the Evil God
"Hmm... Wilson. What do you think? No matter how hard I look, I don't think they can see me."
Beyond the monitor of the observation device.
I watch five men walking briskly.
A strange group consisting of an old man in priestly robes and four well-built young men.
Their eyes are fixed straight ahead. Their movements are those of professionals executing a clearly defined objective.
No hesitation or doubt can be seen in them.
...A reaction that would be utterly impossible if they felt someone watching them from the heavens.
A stark contrast to a certain girl who kept stealing glances to meet my eyes, even outside her moments of prayer.
Just in case, I ran a few more experiments, but the results remained the same.
"Tsk. Well, I suppose. It's not like something like that happens every day."
Forget the four young men—even the old man in the priest's robes doesn't notice my gaze.
Since they came out of the same gate wearing similar clothes, I had high hopes. But as expected, perceiving my gaze seems to be a unique ability belonging solely to the girl.
"Now then... what should I do?"
This only deepens my dilemma.
A girl with whom I can communicate, albeit in a limited capacity. And a suspicious group hot on her heels.
I have no idea what the purpose of their pursuit is. They talk to each other quite a bit, but it's not a language I can understand.
But regardless of their reasons for chasing her...
...it bodes no good for me.
The girl crossed the gate alone without any proper preparation. She even refused to go back, choosing to sleep rough instead.
There must be some extraordinary story behind it.
I can't imagine any good coming of it if they manage to catch her.
'But no matter how well I guide her, running forever is impossible.'
The playing field isn't level. Unlike the girl, who has to scavenge for daily necessities, their preparations are thorough. Judging by their heavy packs, they aren't going to give up any time soon.
In the first place, their travel speeds aren't even comparable.
It's only a matter of time before they catch up to her. So, what should I do?
No, what can I do?
I can't directly attack the old man and his group, nor can I call for backup.
What can I possibly achieve when my only means of interaction is signaling with my gaze?
"Hmm...!"
I think. I force my brain, which has spent far too long instinctively chasing cheap dopamine, back into gear. I need to devise a way to get this girl at least minimally 'prepared.'
'Ah, come to think of it. Wasn't "that" nearby? The Ruined City.'
Fortunately, my brain hasn't completely rotted from disuse. It doesn't take long for me to come up with a pretty decent plan.
*Squeak—*
Right on cue, Wilson's head rolls to the floor as if in agreement. Gaining a bit more confidence, I pan the observation device's camera back to the girl.
"So... please, just do as I say. I'm doing this to keep you alive."
Praying that she would move exactly as I intended, I begin frantically rolling my eyes and spinning the zoom dial on the observation device.
Seraphina did her best to control her expression. However, she could not stop her teeth from clenching or her brow from furrowing.
Yes. She had always known a day like this would come.
Was this not the will of the god who had created this hideous world? It would be arrogant to think she alone could escape his malice.
And so, she had made a vow. When the time came, if the god's playful malice were to descend upon her—
She would steel her resolve and obey. She would endure any malice and cling to life, no matter how wretchedly. For living her life to the absolute fullest was the only way to repay her mentor's grace.
She had repeated this resolve to herself countless times, yet now that the moment was right before her eyes, her spirit felt on the verge of breaking.
"...Ah..."
On the seventh day since crossing the gate, Seraphina had walked under the guidance of the Evil God, just as she always did.
And at the end of that path, she confronted the massive corpse of a beast.
A corrupted manticore. A beast from another world, its face—the only human feature it was permitted—distorted and overgrown with coarse fur.
Its unclosed eyes, resembling dull glass marbles, cast an eerie yellow glow.
Its snout was blunt and protruding, with long whiskers sprouting from the tip. Between the lips directly beneath its nose, heavily rusted molars gleamed like shards of broken glass.
How had they modified a magical beast that once possessed a human face, however wretched, to distort it into such a grotesque shape?
Though it was merely the face of a cold corpse, Seraphina's heart pounded wildly just looking at it. She wanted to turn around and flee this very instant.
Yet, the Evil God's gaze was pointing unmistakably at the beast.
The god, who seemed to manipulate her very eyes at will, had highlighted a specific part of the beast with a silver pillar of light—one far thinner and more precise than the one used for guidance.
"Ah, O God...!"
The silver pillar was shining directly between the monster's hind legs.
Seraphina let out a heartfelt lament.
The girl hesitated.
She even harbored a futile hope. 'If I just stand still, won't the god lose interest? If I show clear resistance, won't he offer another alternative?'
It was a foolish thought. She knew it herself, and time had already proven it.
Despite a significant amount of time passing, the Evil God's gaze remained fixed squarely on the beast's crotch.
What on earth did he want her to do with this?
Suddenly, the voices of her peers from the convent echoed in Seraphina's mind.
Her peers at the convent, who were highly interested in sex but had no opportunity to meet men, often gossiped about all sorts of rumors.
Among those rumors were tales of the Continent's various deviants. Those who loved the same gender. Those who loved beastkin. Those who loved actual furry beasts...
Seraphina knew through her own life experiences that such preferences actually existed. She had certainly had that knowledge engraved into her.
But still. No matter what...
'Not this.'
A beast. A monster from another world, no less. And a corpse that had already grown cold.
What could it possibly mean to direct her gaze toward its crotch?
In truth, Seraphina could have deduced the answer in an instant, but her bare minimum of human pride refused to accept the conclusion.
Seraphina desperately tried to deny the thoughts rising in her mind.
'...No. Surely not. There's no way. No matter how much of a Constellation they are, they must have been human once—'
*Thump!*
'—Really? Was that entity ever truly human? An existence that views an entire world with a single eye? Can I really expect human common sense from such a being?'
The more she followed this train of thought, the deeper her despair grew.
Researchers at the Magic Tower experimented with cross-species breeding on insects and small animals. Sometimes for research, sometimes out of pure curiosity.
And the Evil God casting this gaze was a being capable of degrading even humans to the level of insects.
"..."
It took her a long time to steel her resolve. Even then, it was only because of the Evil God's urging; had she been left to her own devices, Seraphina would never have made the choice.
"Haa..."
She shook off her thoughts with a sigh. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. She recalled the warmth of the necklace around her neck. She pictured her master's face.
Yes. Just once. She didn't know what he wanted or how much, nor did she know exactly what she was supposed to do. But she had to start somewhere.
After a long hesitation, Seraphina acted. She moved closer to the silver pillar of light. Reaching out, she felt the body of the beast, which was several times larger than her own.
She lifted its rope-like tail. This revealed the spot illuminated by the silver pillar more clearly.
"...Ah."
Fortunately, the place the Evil God was looking at was not the beast's private parts. It was slightly further back, close to where the tail joined the torso.
A wave of relief washed over her. Then, she felt a profound sense of self-loathing for feeling relieved over something like this.
She even suspected that this self-loathing itself might have been exactly what the Evil God desired.
Of course, regardless of her feelings, it was undeniably easier to act now.
Seraphina slowly reached out. The foul, distinct stench of the beast assaulted her nose, but she endured it. She brought her fingers toward the spot targeted by the silver gaze.
Seraphina's fingers touched the festering skin. It was a bizarre sensation. It felt as though the hide, which must have been incredibly tough in life, had been soaked in water for days.
Goosebumps broke out along her spine. Still, she could not stop. The girl thrust her hand a little deeper.
A moment later, the flesh surrounding her fingertips tingled slightly—
*Splat—!*
The beast's lower body ruptured. The decomposition gases built up inside the corpse erupted violently at her touch.
"Uaaah!!"
Seraphina quickly raised her hands to shield her face.
Too late. She couldn't avoid the chunks of the corpse splattering all over her. Worse, because her mouth had flown open in a startled scream—
"Pah! Ptooey!"
—the girl began to gag and thrash about in a frenzy.
She desperately shook off the bodily fluids splattered across her. Yet,