It’s been 44 days since I moved to the room with a great view.
sfx: Ahh~
Every day has been filled with warmth from three people.
Of course, the warmth each person possesses varies. Some days, even with three people’s warmth, it feels less than just one person’s warmth.
But you know how in a cafeteria, sometimes the food is just unappetizing for a day or two?
This can be overlooked.
Having even a little warmth is better than none at all.
If you’ve never felt the cold, you wouldn’t understand. The chill seeps into your skin and bones, and then it digs even deeper.
Just a bit of warmth makes me so happy.
So right now, I’m living in satisfaction.
Of course, I’m stuck in this room. Except when I go out to bestow blessings, sitting quietly is my job.
But it’s not boring.
I get to observe just over a hundred people.
It’s been more than 40 days, and I bless three people daily. So why isn’t it 120 people?
They died.
Some died fighting among the blessed, while others were killed during raids on nearby towns.
Isn’t it a loss if those who received blessings end up dead fighting each other?
Nope.
Even if they kill each other, the warmth comes to me. It doesn’t weaken my power.
So I gain warmth every day, plus a little extra. For instance, Wide and Isla are out there slaying people on the front lines.
They send a lot of warmth my way. I love it.
With the increase in people, I could gather information about my surroundings.
Currently, Future Hope Church is located in a place called Skard Rock Desert, right at the center of three nations.
To the west of Skard Rock Desert is the Lasbay Kingdom, to the northeast is the Cognis Kingdom, and to the southeast is the Ansellus Kingdom. So, these are the three nations.
There are other smaller nations, but these three are currently the most influential in the area, and Future Hope Church is actively operating in these countries.
Each person comes to Future Hope Church with their own grudges. And those grudges ferment and seek a place to explode.
So, it’s the three nations.
The ones with the most accumulated grudges.
Perhaps that’s why, during not even 50 days, the missions of those who receive blessings and venture outside have changed.
At first, they moved with the intention of evangelizing or persuading.
But gradually, people started to bathe in blood.
What was the trigger?
I don’t know for sure, but could it be because the momentum of Future Hope Church grew, leading to countermeasures? Or did they finally have the strength to avoid bowing their heads in response to such measures?
It started with self-defense.
Then it became about protecting someone from Future Hope Church.
It’s easy to wield a weapon to protect.
Once you swing to protect someone, it becomes a method you can use.
Those blessed people raid the territory of some tyrant attacking Future Hope Church.
And when they liberate people, those freed are overjoyed to join Future Hope Church. Of course, not everyone is thrilled.
But it’s really the only way.
Because those who survive there have already experienced making a better world by rebelling against the tyrant. Who would welcome someone with such experience into their territory?
To others, they’re enemies.
Enemies with bad ideologies.
So, even the wise have no choice but to submit to Future Hope Church.
Famous novels feature similar groups to Future Hope Church.
The Yellow Turbans.
Yes. They too revolted, starting as a cult. Tired from tyranny and looting, people joined in. However, instead of creating a great world, they merely became more locally tolerant looters.
It’s just that the entities receiving money changed from the government to gangsters. Could it be like Mexico, where gangs reign?
But the current atmosphere is hopeful.
The people who once tormented them are dead, and Future Hope Church has provided them with so much. If you dislike Future Hope Church, you create an odd environment.
Those labeled as cultists or heretics gradually fall silent. Because believing in the original religion doesn’t directly bring you food and safety.
Religion has a huge spiritual connection.
Thus, those who don’t fall into their fold show fierce rejection.
If it were merely a material connection, people would cease deep relationships when interests don’t align.
But religion is different.
If deep relationships do not form, you become an apostate. You could have just stayed out from the start, but conditions have to align for that. If you can’t survive without joining Future Hope Church, can you really choose not to join?
Their power is slowly growing.
That’s the sight I’ve witnessed.
It’s particularly interesting that they’ve started killing more people to expand their power. Before long, Future Hope Church will grow to be as large as the Yellow Turbans, and chaos will begin.
More deaths and carnage.
More fields to harvest warmth.
Then, the harvesting season will come. And those desiring power will seek me, asking for strength.
More harvesting seasons!
Harvesters are already battling people who appear as soldiers or generals. Many possess superhuman physical abilities and unique powers.
From easy-to-understand elements like fire, water, ice, and electricity to mental skills like brainwashing and sleep—there’s a vast variety.
They all share a purplish hue.
While there are slight individual differences, generally, it’s all purple.
They send warmth to me.
It would be great to increase harvesters here, but I don’t plan to accept more than three a day just yet.
Scarcity is important.
If it were before, I wouldn’t have imagined it, but now there are people among those who receive blessings in relatively high positions.
Especially when an old man received blessings and transformed into a young man, it happened more frequently.
snickers
Everyone desires youth.
But I’m not sure how long they really can live. The light has turned dark.
I still don’t know what it means for the light to turn dark.
No matter how trashy a life one has lived, light always shines white.
Even acts of filicide, cannibalism, or mass murder cannot taint the light a different color.
The light that fell into the cold sea transmitted warmth to me before vanishing. The sea is me. So when the light fell, if I licked it, I was able to gain warmth and memories.
Below the surface, it was just me.
There was no bottom, only the top.
The light always shone.
One day, I’ll need to realize this, but it seems that day is not today.
So I turned my gaze from where I was observing many people and concentrated on Rebecca Rolfe.
Even when I’m focused on Rebecca Rolfe, I can still watch what others are doing.
But depending on how focused I am, I might miss some details.
I stood up from my seat.
Maybe because I hadn’t walked in a while, I felt Rebecca Rolfe’s body subtly weakens. She spent most of her time seated on a chair or bed, except when briefly moving to bestow blessings.
“What’s up? Where are you going?”
Hyungkesuni, who had made their space on the sofa, looked up, raising her head. A long sofa, a table, and a small bookshelf.
At first, Joanna despised it, but once Hyungkesuni started giving Joanna various things, she soon became quite friendly with her.
Is Hyungkesuni clever, or is Joanna just broad-minded?
Either way, I pointed at my body.
“If a person doesn’t move, their body weakens.”
So as always, I spoke as if I were a non-human talking from a humankind’s perspective. Just stating the facts.
And now everyone seems to accept that.
“Yeah. If a person sits still, they gain weight and weaken. If you’re going to walk, are you planning to look around?”
“Yes.”
Then Hyungkesuni glanced around. Joanna wasn’t there. Earlier, she had gone out with the blanket and covers to do laundry.
Then she scratched her almost gray-white hair and got up from her spot.
“What do I do about clothes? Where did Joanna put them?”
Hyungkesuni approached my wardrobe in the corner of the room.
“Can’t I wear this outfit?”
The outfit I’m wearing is pretty much pajamas. Naturally, I knew it wouldn’t do, but I asked anyway.
Concepts are important, right?
“Nope. Rebecca, you’re a vital apostle of Future Hope Church, right? A person’s clothing is half of who they are. Attire is so important that it indicates a person’s position, so I too wear this rag. If you step out in something like that, they’d think a heretic just escaped.”
Heretic.
It encompasses all religions other than Future Hope Church.
From the perspective of other religions, this would look like heresy.
Hyungkesuni explained her reasoning in a way I could somewhat understand.
So I fashioned a white dress, recalling one I had worn before, shaping the dark purple mist that flowed from my body. Though I made the hem a little shorter.
It’s easier to move that way.
“I’ve changed.”
“You could do that?”
She asked calmly. But contrary to her words, her lips wore a faint smile, showing she still fears me a bit.
During our time living in this room, I’d been like a pet, keeping still. At first, she reacted vigorously to even slight movements, but after just two weeks, that demeanor faded.
Now, after a little over four weeks, I thought she’d stop being cautious, but not yet.
She’s tricky.
If I could, I’d like to bestow blessings to gain her knowledge.
But time is plentiful. If I’m too hasty, I might mess things up. So I plan to take it slow and let her hope for my blessings.
“Surprised?”
“If clothes change suddenly, it’s surprising! Did you do that? How did you do it?”
I pondered how to answer Hyungkesuni as she asked whimsically. Explaining it would hand the initiative to her. So I decided to cut it short.
“Can’t you do that?”
No more need to elaborate.
Hyungkesuni’s expression slightly frowned at my question.
Ah, got her. Hehe.
“Ordinary people can’t do that.”
“I’m not an ordinary person.”
I swallowed the added statement of “I used to be human” and opened the door to step outside.
This is my first outing by my own will.
