The Serpent Church (15)
The Serpent Church (15)
Vagueness.
A monster also known as the Snow Demon.
It had been alive for thousands of years. A creature that ate anything and digested anything.
But even a creature like this had preferences. Simple terrain and structures were poor fuel. Sometimes digesting them took more effort than they were worth.
What yielded the most energy from the smallest amount?
Meat. And among meats, it liked human flesh best of all.
Trudge, trudge.
Footsteps echoed. I lit every corner of the dark space with Sacred Flame.
The inquisitor asked uneasily.
"Um... Brother... what could there possibly be inside the body of a monster like this? Wouldn't it be better to just wait where we were and leave..."
"I don't know. I don't think so."
There was only cooling flesh and the dried-out traces of parasites everywhere.
But there was definitely something more inside. Beyond this esophagus and the blood vessels, something definite existed.
The stomach.
A place that was practically the entirety of Vagueness's body.
Think about it. It was the Snow Demon. A creature that had lived for thousands of years and periodically devoured everything it could see. A creature that only went back to sleep once its belly was full. How many humans had it devoured over all that time?
It was a thorn in humanity's side. To humans, it must have been no different from a natural disaster. But Vagueness and a natural disaster differed in one crucial way.
It could be seen.
Being able to see it meant there was at least a chance. If the thing that had devoured friends, comrades, and even benefactors had merely been a calamity, people could only swallow their grief.
But if it was visible? If it was a being that, however huge, could be killed?
They would surely charge in to kill it. And those charging would be the renowned knights who had made names for themselves in that era.
Vagueness. The Snow Demon.
This creature had as many enemies as it had accumulated infamy. And among them...
There had been plenty of hero-class figures too.
"...Ugh."
"What is this..."
"Shit... fucking awful..."
The inquisitors grumbled. Before our eyes, gastric acid was gradually draining away. The acid that had been constantly churning like lava was slowly seeping out of the body, carrying with it half-dissolved corpses and terrain.
A foul stench rose—the smell of rotting meat and terrain slowly being digested. A frozen tree sunk deep inside was melting away completely from the roots.
It was Vagueness's gastric acid, capable of dissolving anything. Only a handful of objects could withstand it.
I crouched down. It was an enormous volume. Left like this, it would take a long time just to drain.
"Radatok."
"Yes."
"Would you punch a hole for me? Down below the surface."
"Why would you..."
"You'll see once you do it."
Radatok's face was full of doubt. But his hands moved immediately.
BOOM!!
The surface erupted as if a bomb had gone off. The gastric acid began draining rapidly. Watching the swirling acid, I let out a yawn.
I was sleepy. I wanted to sleep. But I couldn't sleep. This was the most important part.
I had to collect everything that could be collected.
"W-wait."
"What is that?"
"There's something... that doesn't dissolve in that digestive acid?"
The inquisitors stirred. I stepped down onto the spot where the gastric acid had drained away. The soles of my boots melted slightly.
But only slightly. They didn't melt entirely. I lifted my feet and walked toward the treasure buried below.
The heroes who had died by Vagueness's hand had all been swallowed. Those who had made brilliant names for themselves in that era.
Naturally, the weapons and gear they had carried were all famous artifacts of that age. Most had melted away, but some of the real treasures still survived, buried inside.
This was the heroes' grave.
The true treasure obtainable after killing Vagueness!
"Hmm. This fragrant smell."
"That scent. I think I know what you mean."
Radatok stood beside me. He let out a small groan at the weapons embedded in the wall of flesh before us.
"How in the world... did you know about this?"
"The Snow Demon was famous in the records for devouring countless heroes. So I figured their weapons and gear would still be here."
The blades had been corroded by the digestive acid. But even so, they had not lost their light.
The Golden Age. A story from hundreds of years before the current Empire was founded.
And some of the most beautiful weapons and gear of that age were embedded throughout Vagueness's stomach.
Axes. Spears. Greatswords. Arrows. Bows. And so on.
I smelled money. They weren't usable right away, but with a craftsman's touch, they would all become useful!
And the real prize was beyond these! These were just a passing step compared to that!
"What are you doing?"
The inquisitors turned to look at me. I grinned.
"We should collect the spoils. Brothers?"
People can't be moved by faith alone. You have to put something in their hands to make them more loyal to me.
Besides, these had lost their original color. Even if repaired, they could never regain their former brilliance.
Since I was going to sell them anyway, I might as well earn some goodwill!
"A-are we really allowed to take these?"
"It's the result of all of you fighting hard and winning. And these..."
I tapped a sword lightly.
"Wouldn't it be a waste to just offer them to the church? Archbishop Dwayne would just collect them as he pleased and hand them out to his followers, wouldn't he?"
"......."
One of the inquisitors picked up the sword I had offered. He looked at the lightless blade, then carefully wrapped it in Sacred Flame.
The sword flared to life. Its high mana conductivity confirmed that Sacred Power flowed through it well too. All rivers return to the sea. A well-made weapon was a good weapon for everyone, after all.
"This is insane! It's a famous sword!"
"Th-this axe is no joke either!"
"Even after losing its light, it's this good... if it were properly repaired..."
"Ahh... treasure... all of it treasure..."
The inquisitors prostrated themselves before me.
"Brother! We swear our loyalty!!!"
I spoke humbly.
"It is all Ra's will."
"Ahh! Under Ra, all shall be one!"
On top of popularity, I had stamped my seal completely. They were now convinced that following me brought rewards, so there was no need to worry about betrayal.
Radatok whispered furtively beside me.
"Brother. May I take one as well?"
"If Radatok, our biggest contributor, doesn't take one, who will? Take two if you like. Go ahead."
"Thank you!"
Life returned to Radatok's eyes.
The inquisitors were all warriors too. To a warrior, a weapon was like an inseparable lover.
I slipped away from the people making a fuss and looting the stomach, descending deeper. What I was after wasn't the weapons here. The faded ones, I planned to turn all of them into money.
The precious thing that couldn't be turned into money was below. The deepest part of the stomach. A hero who had remained alive for decades while dissolving in the digestive acid.
"...Ah."
There it was.
A figure sitting there, still maintaining its original form.
"......"
Armor. And inside it.
The area around it alone bore no trace of gastric acid. The surroundings of the skeleton were bone-dry. A great war hero who had held a grudge against Vagueness. A paladin of the Sun God Church once called the Sun That Never Sets.
The greatest Saintess among the legendary Day Priestesses.
Beatrice's corpse.
"......"
She was, how to put it. A Saintess.
In terms of the setting... no. This was a world where these things had actually happened, so since all of it had existed, I couldn't speak of it as mere setting.
She had lived as a Saintess, died as a Saintess, and as a Saintess had left records in here.
Altruistic. Self-sacrificing. A path filled with purity and truth.
I picked up the diary lying before her corpse. I flipped through it quickly. The contents were exactly the same as what I had seen in the game, not a single difference.
She was not EX-rank, but she had wielded an SS-rank weapon, one of only a handful even in the Golden Age. I grabbed the spear held in the corpse's hand.
[The Comet That Never Sets.]
[There is no end to teaching.]
[All light shall pierce the darkness through Ra.]
[You have discovered the remains of "Saintess Beatrice."]
[You have acquired "Spear of Light Brionac."]
[You have acquired "Beatrice's Diary."]
[You have acquired "Distorted Holy Grail."]
I stuffed all the relics of the Saintess who had served Ra into my clothes. I tapped the spear lightly twice.
Brionac immediately transformed into a small bracelet. One of the reasons I had wanted to obtain this first was that it was extremely easy to carry around.
And it was a Sacred Relic—one of the foremost Sacred Relics even in the Church of Ra. Getting this alone would have made defeating Vagueness worthwhile...
"...What's this?"
I turned the Distorted Holy Grail over in my hands. This was an item I had never seen before. What was it used for? I tucked it into my clothes for now. There would be a use for it somewhere.
I had collected everything I wanted. I tapped Beatrice's corpse lightly.
The armor collapsed. Along with the skeleton, it crumbled to ash and slumped down. It was a somewhat hollow end for Beatrice, the war hero.
Well, since it wasn't her true end, it probably didn't matter.
I stared at the bracelet. At the end of the golden bracelet, a spear-shaped ornament dangled and swayed.
"Brother. Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Ah. Radatok."
I grinned.
"I don't know. I don't think I need anything."
"If you don't mind, I've set aside something separately. Would you like to take a look?"
"If Radatok recommends it, I'll take a look. I happened to lose the sword I was carrying too."
"Good. I'll guide you."
. . .
Divine Judge Dimona stamped her feet. A portal had suddenly appeared in midair. She hurriedly led her forces forward, but the Serpent Church was there too.
A hair-trigger situation. As everyone gripped their weapons, the center of the portal rippled. Immediately, as if vomiting people out, shadows began leaping forth.
Dimona's expression crumbled. The Serpent Church.
Then the inquisitors, could they possibly...
"...You're back."
"Estelle?! Why are you here?!"
"I was waiting."
A woman with a barcode tattoo under her eye met Dimona's gaze. Dimona felt a chill run down her spine.
A powerhouse. And a woman famous within the Serpent Church at that.
Estelle.
One of Naga's apostles.
"...Let's go back."
Fortunately, no war broke out. Supporting Isabella, she immediately turned away. It was a slightly puzzling choice for the Serpent Church, infamous for its ruthlessness.
Dimona looked into the portal. The paladins she had brought stirred.
"Judge! Can we really just let the Serpent Church bastards go like this?!"
"We should pursue them right now...!"
"Shut up."
Dimona hated heresy. But there might be someone more important than that before her eyes.
"Don't forget our duty. We came here to rescue the inquisitors."
"But...!"
"They're already inside that...!"
"Did anyone see it with their own eyes?"
A cold wind scattered Dimona's hair. Dimona stepped toward the portal.
"Everyone wait here. I'll go see for myself."
"You can't!"
"Stop her right now!"
"Who knows what's inside there!"
"Let go of me! I said let go! Hey!"
Dimona and the paladins tussled.
"Act rationally!"
"I've already acted rationally enough!"
"That's where the Serpent Church bastards came leaping out of! Most of them were drenched in blood! No matter what's inside, you absolutely must not enter!"
"Then you want me to just stand here?!"
"Judge, you are far more important than a few inquisitors!"
"They surely all followed God's will!"
"Judge Dimona! Please calm down!"
"Let go! I said let go!"
"Bring something to bind her!"
"Right now!"
The paladins swarmed in and bound her hands. They pinned her thrashing body to the ground and pressed down hard.
"Let go! I said let go!"
"Grrh...!"
"What a monster...!"
"Hold her! Don't let go no matter what!"
After struggling for a long while, Dimona shed tears. Her disheveled platinum-blonde hair grew damp in the snow.
"...Let... let go of me..."
When the normally playful, energetic Divine Judge burst into tears, every paladin fell silent. They restrained the judge as she began to crumble and let out deep sighs.
"Radatok... Radatok..."
Amid the wretched sobbing, the portal rippled.
"...Divine Judge Dimona?"
The blood-soaked inquisitors emerged through the portal. The paladins flinched at the sight of them carrying multiple weapons each as large as their own bodies.
The battered inquisitors beamed. Then their expressions hardened.
Divine Judge Dimona lay bound and face-down on the floor, with several paladins piled on top of her.
Radatok's eyes turned chilling. The weapons he had been holding clattered to the ground.
"What... exactly... are you doing?"