The Gaze of the Evil God VI

Rough hands bound Seraphina.

They were burly, muscular men covered in scars. Seraphina instantly recognized what they were.

'Hunters!'

Specialists who hunted monsters without using mana, adapting to the dimensional gates and the beasts' force fields.

Golden dog tags gleamed around the men's necks.

It was the proof of an A-rank hunter, distributed by the Continent's Hunter Association—and proof of a level of violence a defenseless girl could never hope to oppose.

"Mmph... mmgh...!"

She tried to open her mouth to resist, but the man's calloused hand stifled even her screams.

The men bound Seraphina with the ropes they had brought, casually exchanging words.

"Hmm. This feels a bit off. I heard she was a priestess from a convent. Aren't we going to get on the Order's bad side?"

"Pfft, Boss. Didn't you hear what the Cardinal just said? He said she's a traitor who worships a heretical god. Though I have no idea what kind of god she thought she was choosing in a ruined world like this."

"...Heheh, she's stupid. A dummy... like me!"

"Seniors, she's all tied up!"

In an instant, Seraphina's limbs were bound tight. The men dragged the helpless girl over to the Cardinal. The old man stood staring blankly up at the sky. They threw Seraphina down a few paces away from him.

Forced onto her knees, Seraphina glared up at the old man. His wounds already healed, the old man looked down at her. Renatus's dark eyes stared back at her intently.

'Again, that look...'

Seraphina knew that look of the Cardinal's all too well.

How could she ever forget? Back when she was in the convent, the look her godfather gave the novice nuns was exactly like this.

Once, she had mistaken it for benevolence, even seeking the image of her lost father in the title of "godfather"...

But now that she knew the truth of the old man, those pupils felt more repulsive to Seraphina than those of any monster.

"Child. I shall make you one final offer. Abandon your heretical faith and return to the embrace of Order. If you undergo sufficient atonement, you may become a priestess once more."

"..."

"Nay, what am I saying? A mere priestess? With your talent, you could even ascend to the rank of Saintess—a position the Order has never yet bestowed. Your talent warrants nothing less! You can find all the freedom you desire within the embrace of the Order!"

For that very reason, Seraphina did not deign to answer Renatus's proposal with words. Glaring at Renatus as he shouted with feigned pity, she parted her lips.

"Ptooey!"

A glob of saliva mixed with blood struck Renatus square in the face. The viscous fluid trickled down the old man's deep wrinkles.

It was a more than sufficient expression of her intent.

"...Sigh. Very well. If that is your choice. What a tragic waste. To think the grace bestowed by Order should extinguish in a place like this..."

Renatus didn't even bother to wipe away the spit as he turned his back. With a posture that seemed somehow diminished, he slowly walked away from the girl.

Soon, the old man muttered, steeped in regret.

"...I should have refused the moment Ods uncharacteristically offered to teach. That apostate planted vain hopes in the mind of an innocent lamb."

Renatus's final words were different from the sermons he had been spouting.

It was a mutter to himself, a lamentation.

He hadn't said it to persuade Seraphina. It was merely a sigh over a fate that had gone awry.

The characteristic regret of the long-lived had simply escaped his lungs.

But.

The short sentence Renatus had whispered in passing—

"W-Wait! What did you just say?!"

—struck Seraphina's ears dozens of times harder than any of the old Cardinal's previous words.

Naturally. Everything Renatus had said up to this point was nothing but a tedious review to her.

A pathetic overtime match regarding matters she had already rejected in the Order's underground disciplinary chambers. Her mind was made up, so she remained unshaken.

But what of those words just now?

Ods.

The 7th Cardinal of the Holy Order of Order, who had often taught at the convent and had been like a mother to Seraphina, treating her with exceptional kindness.

And the mentor who had rescued Seraphina as she was losing her mind in the depths of the disciplinary chambers.

"D-Did you just call Cardinal Ods an apostate? How dare you!"

Now that her mentor's name had been uttered, Seraphina could no longer remain silent.

Her vow to ignore the hypocrite's words shattered. Seraphina screamed in desperation.

At this, the departing Renatus glanced back. He looked down at the girl with pity and replied.

"Ah, yes. I suppose you wouldn't know. A trial was held for her interference in your discipline. Due to the strong insistence of the Council, she was ultimately declared an apostate. Ods made a truly foolish choice..."

"T-Then... where is Master now?!"

"Who knows. I heard she was captured just as I was departing... By now, her execution has likely already been carried out."

The old man's casual words brought the girl's world crashing down.

'Master was declared an apostate?!'

She had expected some form of punishment, as helping her escape the disciplinary chambers was a violation of the Order's laws.

But Ods was a Cardinal. A high-ranking Cardinal with immense prestige both inside and outside the Order. Seraphina had assumed her punishment would be nothing more than a few days of self-reflection.

But an apostate?

The term "apostate" was not thrown around lightly. One did not receive such a derogatory label simply for changing the constellation they served.

It was reserved for those who directly defied the will of the constellation they served. Those who rebelled against God, becoming a cancer to the Order's very existence. An entity that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to be erased using the full might of the Order.

Therefore, the Order of Order reserved only one punishment for apostates.

'Cardinal Ods was executed? Because of me?'

A truth far too heavy for a newly minted adult to bear crashed down upon her.

Already pushed to her limit by extreme agitation and stress, the girl could not withstand the shock.

Biiiiiiip—

Tinnitus rang in her ears. Her mind went completely blank. Her body felt weightless, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as if floating away from reality.

As everything faded into the distance, only the sensation of the necklace resting against her chest remained vivid.

Slightly cold and hard. The necklace Ods had pressed into Seraphina's hand as she helped her escape.

Ods had told her to sell it to fund her escape. The girl, unable to bring herself to do so, had kept it close to her heart. The necklace she preserved had become her reason to live. It was what kept her dragging herself forward, surviving through every hardship beyond the gate.

But at this moment.

Its meaning transformed. The gift became a relic. The cross became a dagger. The coldness became a chilling frost.

Her will to live...

...became an emotion that defied naming.

Thud.

The girl's body collapsed. Renatus clicked his tongue.

"Tsk. Keep her alive for now. She was a priestess who served a constellation, even if briefly. I must speak to her master to ensure there are no complications later."

"Yes, Cardinal."

The hunters, who had closed in on Seraphina, replied.

Renatus turned and walked away. With a frame that seemed even more diminished than before, he distanced himself from the fallen girl.

Only the dull thud of his footsteps echoed in the silence. Breaking the awkward air, a rat-faced hunter spoke up.

"Then... do you mind if we have a little fun with her in the meantime?"

"S-Senior! She's still a priestess of a constellation—"

"Hey, shut up if you don't know jack. How often do you get a chance to lay a priestess? Besides, the Cardinal will take care of whatever third-rate god from another world she serves!"

Filthy words, plotting to defile a priestess.

Renatus glanced back slightly at the collapsed girl.

The old man's cheek was still wet. Was it because of the fluid the girl had spat? Or was it something else? The hunters felt a sudden chill of foreboding.

The rat-faced hunter who had spoken first shouted belatedly.

"I-If you think about it, coming all this way was a breach of contract anyway! We took a huge risk coming here, so we deserve a fitting reward—"

The old clergyman answered before the hunter could finish. His voice sounded strangely like a sigh.

"...She is a child who strayed from the path of her own volition. The embrace of Order is vast, but it has no room for a cultist."

A roundabout permission, declaring that the law would not protect Seraphina.

Soon, the Cardinal vanished quickly, hiding himself among the countless obstacles of the ruined city.

Now, only the four young men remained by the girl's side. Delighted by their unexpected windfall, they began to speak.

"Alright, first turn obviously goes to the Boss. We just need to decide the order for the rest of us..."

"Me, me! I go! I'll take her!"

"Hey, what the hell! You're last, you bastard! If you go first, you'll break her!"

"...Ugh, aww. Too bad."

"The fat guy is definitely last. So that leaves the second and third spots..."

"..."

"Tsk. Fine. I'll be generous for once. Kid, you go second."

"Huh?! R-Really?"

"Yeah, idiot! It's your first time with a nun, isn't it? Especially one of this caliber. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If you want to survive in this line of work for long, you've got to appreciate these little pleasures."

"T-Thank you, Senior!"

"Hahaha, what a comedy show."

"Enough talk, Boss, hurry up and go first! You always take forever, why are you dragging your feet?"

"Alright, alright. I'll make it quick."

Their banter was jovial, completely jarring with the situation. The hand of the oldest man reached toward the bound Seraphina.

His scarred hands began to untie the ropes. Yet, Seraphina's mind remained hazy.

The news that her mentor, Ods, had been executed.

The old man's single sentence acted as a trigger, unleashing her suppressed emotions.

'It's my fault. Because I had this useless talent. Because I lost my parents and entered the convent. Because I asked Master to help me. I shouldn't have asked for her help. If I hadn't, Master Ods would still be alive...'

Countless self-reproaches surfaced. Everyone she had ruined. Regret over her foolish choices.

Seraphina's own inner voice tore her apart. She wallowed in despair, chewing over her own foolishness.

'I should have just stayed locked in the depths of the Order.'

'Master Ods would have wanted that too...!'

But at some point, a new voice intermingled with the fragile girl's self-reproach.

Soft yet clear, whispering in her ear. A voice she deeply missed.

Wondering where it came from, she turned her mind's eye, and there she found that familiar, mysterious emotion.

An image she had once suppressed with all her will to survive. And in an instant, it had corrupted.

An emotion as crimson as the girl's own eyes asked. Seraphina answered reflexively.

'No. She wasn't that kind of person.'

The missed voice echoed. Shaking the girl's brain like a parasite, it subtly guided her toward the answer.

Only then did Seraphina realize what that crimson emotion signified.

'...Vengeance.'

Ods's final voice was distant and faint. Yet, it pierced the girl's ears with bizarre clarity.

A miracle so strange that even the delirious girl couldn't help but question it.

Even in her daze, Seraphina did not believe this was her mentor's true will. There was no way that crimson urge belonged to her benevolent teacher.

It was a mental illness born of her own devastated mind. An unconscious struggle of a girl who had lost her reason to live.

...Or perhaps, the insidious trickery of an evil god mimicking her mentor's voice.

Surely, it was one of those. But the truth didn't particularly matter to the girl. She decided not to care if the voice echoing in her mind, that deeply missed voice, was truly her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mentor's dying wish or not.

Just, vengeance.

Once conceived, she swallowed the sweet goal that was impossible to reject. She surrendered herself to the surging emotions and focused her mind.

Truth struck like thunder. A single word awakened the girl's stagnant spirit. Her hazy thoughts began to spin rapidly.

'...My wallowing won't bring Master back.'

If she allowed herself to be violated and killed here, it would only tarnish her mentor's legacy.

Then what must she do?

How could she honor her mentor's actions and death, and ultimately achieve her vengeance?

With what power could a newly turned seventeen-year-old girl accomplish this?

Seraphina asked herself.

Her godfather's voice from her memories answered in her stead. Seraphina had her answer.

It took only a fraction of a second. Returning to reality, she felt the man's rough hands tearing at her ropes.

And at the exact moment the binding ropes were completely unraveled by his lustful hands.

The once-despairing girl understood exactly what she could do, and what she had to do.

'...O God.'

Seraphina ignored the man's rough touch. She heard the harsh rip of her cherished priestess robes being torn open, but she didn't even look.

Instead, she looked up at the sky. She gazed at the entity painting the blue sky in silver.

The sole constellation of this other world. The one who surely made this world the way it was.

The Evil God.

She prayed to him with all her heart.

This was different from begging for attention or acting like a clown out of spite. He was not an object of fear or a partner in a transaction. He was a being to be worshipped. She threw herself upon his grand will.

She offered herself. She vowed to do so. She would sacrifice her entire future, her emotions, her senses, her talent, and her destiny.

Just like the priests who served constellations on the Continent. Subordinating her entire being to the high heavens, she prayed.

She desired only one thing.

"I offer you my everything."

So please,

"Give me the power to avenge them."

Seraphina murmured softly.

Scritch.

The moment the girl's prayer ended, an anomaly occurred.

Scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch-scritch-scratch...

A flood of sound erupted from deep underground. The mysterious footsteps she had often heard while walking through the empty city.

What had been a faint noise swelled into a massive vibration. The things crawling beneath the surface reared their heads above ground.

The hunters, who had been laughing as they lowered their trousers, began to scream.

"What the fuck, what is this... Aaaaargh!!"

A yellowish-brown wave.

A swarm of mutated rats swept over the men.

"Whoaaaa!!! Holy shit!!! That was insane!!! She survived that?!"

In the Sea of Tranquility Moon Colony, watching the girl through the astronomical telescope, I let out a roaring cheer.

I jumped up and down in excitement, hugging Wilson tightly, unable to contain my joy.

Because my only hope had just escaped death by the skin of her teeth.

Grinning from ear to ear, I watched the city through the telescope. More precisely, I watched the riot sweeping through the city.

The African multi-breasted rat (Mastomys natalensis).

Originally a native African species known for its explosive reproductive rate and insatiable appetite.

But after World War III, they had mutated into predators that viewed even humans as prey.

The very reason Nairobi had become a ghost town without a single battle, and the reason I had guided the girl to this city.

The ravenous beasts of the animal realm were painting the entire city in a wave of yellow.