Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Thus Spoke the Great Being
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The Great Being had spoken.
Two choices popped into my head.
He'd spared my life, sure, but in the process, this bald guy had seen me use my power.
Should I kill him? I hate dealing with hassles.
But this wasn't that other world. What stood before me wasn't an anomaly—it was a human.
Still.
Come to think of it, this place wasn't my world anyway.
I had no home here.
Nothing at all. So, did I really need to hold back?
"O-ohhh!"
Right then.
The bald man, who'd been trembling like a leaf, suddenly dropped to his knees and threw his arms up high.
"M-most exalted one! You've saved this wretched, lowly life of mine!"
Then he started babbling on in some theatrical tone.
What the hell was this guy doing?
I was momentarily speechless, just staring at him. That only egged him on further.
"P-please! Grant me the chance to repay you! I will serve you with all I have, O exalted one!"
I could understand wanting to repay the favor for saving him.
But calling me "exalted one"? What was that about?
Normally, if an ordinary person saw a scene like that, they'd scream "monster!" or convince themselves it was a hallucination.
This guy... he was surprised, sure, but not as shocked as you'd expect.
"Hm."
Something about it piqued my curiosity.
And that realization surprised me even more.
Everything had felt so utterly meaningless that I'd just sprawled out here.
Did I still have some curiosity left in me?
Apparently so.
"Maybe."
So I answered on impulse.
I was curious, after all.
"Yes! Please! I shall offer you anything you desire!"
"Fine."
I nodded.
The bald man's face lit up with joy. He sprang to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Over here! Right here!"
"Cult Leader!"
Not long after he called out, a bunch of men in equally bizarre outfits came rushing over.
"Ahem. This way, if you please."
The bald man, now addressed as the Cult Leader, spoke in a far more refined tone than when it had just been the two of us.
I got up and followed him. As we made our way out of the alley, I spotted ogres slumped here and there.
Looked like the ones I'd taken out earlier weren't all of them.
Soon enough, we emerged from the alley, and the Cult Leader guided me to a parked car.
We climbed in, and it sped off toward somewhere.
I rested my chin in my hand, watching it all unfold.
A smile was probably playing on my lips.
The car finally pulled up at a large building halfway up a mountain.
A sign above the entrance read "Hundred Names Meditation Hall."
"This way, please."
The Cult Leader led me inside.
I followed without a word. We arrived at a room that felt surprisingly lavish.
"If you'd like, we can decorate it even more extravagantly."
He said it tentatively, gauging my reaction.
I just shook my head.
This was plenty luxurious.
Back in that other world, a place with a roof was a rare luxury.
Besides, I didn't really need a body that required a home anyway.
And honestly, everything was starting to feel like a chore again. I was about to tell him to leave.
Grrrowl—
But then my stomach rumbled.
The Cult Leader's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sh-should I prepare some food?"
"Yeah."
"Is there... anything in particular you prefer? We'll get you whatever you want."
Hm. I was about to ask for some fried chicken. Beer would be nice too.
"Cake. And black tea."
"Ah, cake and black tea it is."
...?
Hold on.
"No. Cake and black tea."
"Pardon? Oh, right—cake and black tea. Yes?"
What the hell?
I'd definitely thought chicken and beer. That's what I meant to say.
But my mouth kept moving on its own.
Wait.
Now that I thought about it, my speech patterns felt off too.
I'd been speaking normally—or so I thought—but hadn't it come out a bit strangely? My laughs and exclamations: "huhu," "hmph," stuff like that.
"Is... something wrong?"
I fell silent for a moment, and the Cult Leader started sweating bullets, his bald head gleaming.
"No. Just bring it quick."
"Right away!"
I sent him off like that.
About twenty minutes later, he returned with someone else.
The other guy carried a massive cake and a steaming, ornate teapot.
"H-here you are."
The man looked pale as a ghost, like he was terrified.
Had the Cult Leader said something to him?
Who knows.
Either way, he carefully set everything on the side table and backed away.
"If you need anything else, just say the word."
"I'm good."
"Very well. Have a pleasant evening."
I waved them off dismissively, and they bowed deeply before retreating.
The moment they were gone, I headed straight for the table.
I was starving.
If I'd gotten any hungrier, I might not have been able to hold back.
"Cake..."
Cake, though?
Why not chicken?
I'd been craving some ice-cold beer and crispy chicken.
The frustrating part? This cake looked delicious.
Slurp.
I snapped to and realized drool was about to drip from my mouth.
I grabbed a fork and shoveled in a big bite.
"Whoa!"
I froze in shock.
"Why... why is this so good...?"
It was delicious.
Insanely delicious. Culture shock levels of good.
Was cake always this amazing?
I'd never been big on it before. When I did eat it, I preferred stuff like sweet potato or mugwort cake.
Cream cakes like this always got too cloying midway through.
But now? This cake was perfection!
"Nom!"
I lost myself in it, devouring the whole thing.
I washed it down with black tea when my throat got clogged, and damn, it paired perfectly.
I usually reached for coffee over tea, but right now? Coffee wasn't even on my mind.
"Too... tasty..."
The entire cake vanished in no time.
Regretfully, I scraped every last bit from the plate.
"Should I ask for more...?"
I pondered it briefly.
Nah. Too much hassle. The hunger had mostly subsided anyway.
So I flopped onto the bed. My dirty clothes would soil it, but whatever.
It's not like I'd be doing the laundry.
Still, lying down didn't mean sleep came easy.
My body had changed a ton, but insomnia was the same as ever.
Not that sleep brought anything but nightmares anyway.
"Hmmm."
In the end, I decided to satisfy my curiosity.
What was this Cult Leader guy's angle?
What was this place?
Figuring it out was simple.
Snap.
I lightly clicked my fingers, and my vision shifted.
Back when I'd first agreed to follow the Cult Leader, I'd slipped fragments of myself into him and the others' shadows.
Even lying here, I could see exactly what they were up to.
Soon, the Cult Leader's viewpoint came into focus.
The Cult Leader was passionately shouting to a gathered crowd.
His voice was so loud, it hurt my ears.
But I endured, listening in.
Bit by bit, the picture came together.
The bald guy was a cult leader.
But not your average one.
"Anomalies."
He knew what anomalies were.
He called them "demons," but it wasn't hard to guess they meant the same thing.
And surprisingly, the others didn't seem puzzled by it at all.
"They were around when he was being chased too."
Now that I thought about it, the others had been nearby then as well.
Hm.
Was it because this was a different world?
"A world where anomalies and ghost stories are closer to reality?"
In that other world, anomalies and urban legends were just stories.
I'd never believed in them myself until crossing the gate.
But this world felt different. Even a lowlife cult leader was convinced of their existence.
'Or maybe they're the weird ones.'
Anyway.
I quickly pieced together why he'd brought me here.
He saw me as a girl with strange powers. Or maybe an anomaly herself.
Of course, he didn't say it outright.
He called me the "daughter of the exalted one," not a demon.
But it was obvious what he really meant.
"He wants to use me."
He knew I was dangerous, but he'd dragged me here anyway—to exploit me.
Because I could communicate.
He probably figured there was no resisting if I decided to kill him.
Might as well make a pitch before dying, right?
And his gamble had paid off. He was buzzing with thrill.
Though his anxiety was just as palpable.
"Heh."
Watching it all was honestly amusing.
His attitude. His thoughts. The "secret" lurking in this place.
Something was filling the void inside my empty shell.
Ahh—
I had no home here anyway.
No place to return to. No one waiting.
So then.
"Maybe I'll play along. For a little while."
I probably wouldn't stick around long.
This place harbored a bomb that could go off any moment.