After returning to the room.
Hieronymus left, and, as expected, Hyungkesuni took off her gloves and scrutinized my hands.
She then bent down and examined my knees. Huh, did something happen here, too?
Good thing I decided to reverse my whole body.
Letting my guard down can be dangerous like this.
Two months is a short time to open one’s heart.
If we weren’t already close, I wouldn’t mind, but especially if it’s a dangerous beast…
You know how accidents happen when you let your guard down, right? In that sense, Hyungkesuni’s actions are quite excellent. She’s doing well.
Though from my perspective, it’s quite exhausting.
It must be because she’s the kind of person who has managed to survive until now.
Since I learned that Yeongyang Church Nation is connected to Hieronymus, I tried to recall the memories of those related to it.
I found the name “Witch of Delight” popping up here and there.
I only have vague records, so I’m not sure of the details, but it’s been mentioned since at least 100 years ago.
But how could someone who was a target of Yeongyang Church Nation from that time be with a high-ranking person from Yeongyang Church Nation?
I still lack information.
It seems Hieronymus has let his guard down, but judging by his position, that may not be the case. He’s probably much more adept at deceiving people than someone like me.
What good is reading emotions from expressions?
I can’t even read the really important information.
So, I’ll just behave quietly. I’ll remain still as if I know nothing.
Of course, I don’t know everything.
Just a little. I know things others don’t.
For example, a little while ago, Tisah was fighting a soldier from the Cogni Kingdom with members of Future Hope Church, and got hit by an arrow and fell off a cliff. He failed his mission.
But it was all part of Tisah’s plan.
He was laughing when he fell from the cliff, you see.
It’s a height that would usually kill an ordinary person, but Tisah survived even when both of his legs were crushed.
And his legs healed immediately.
I told you, right?
Tisah has incredible regeneration powers. He’s been experimenting with them little by little without anyone noticing.
He did all this to escape Future Hope Church. It seems he planned to visit an obvious spot to lead the church members and let them think he died falling down.
After being carried away by the current for quite a while, he finally made it to shore.
He pulled out the arrow embedded in him, scanned the surroundings, and began to walk without hesitation.
He will be a threat to Future Hope Church.
Because he possesses a wealth of information.
First, about this place, which is presumed to be the center of Future Hope Church. Then, about those receiving blessings. About me, the one granting blessings. And he himself has powerful abilities.
Regeneration.
Regeneration is often underrated, but in reality, it’s an incredibly powerful force. It means he can always be in a healthy state.
No matter how much he gets hurt, even if he suffers lethal injuries several times.
Ultimately, the ability to start again is amazing.
Imagine trying to fight and losing an arm. You’d have to give up fighting after that.
But he can try again.
Isn’t that incredible?
It’s like a rich person who fails but manages to succeed through effort. If you’re broke, it’s tough to recover from failure.
One person can fall, get up, and brush off the sand, while another rolls down to the very bottom.
And gets chained by the debt on their limbs.
Yes. That’s right.
Tisah has an incredible asset: the opportunity to restart. The only thing more precious than this is the ability to turn back time.
As long as he avoids instant death, he can manage somehow.
So, it means that someone with a very powerful blessing has escaped from Future Hope Church.
Hehe.
I have no idea what he’ll do next, but hang in there, Tisah.
I hope you bring more warmth.
Thinking along those lines, I prepared to go outside.
Shouldn’t I get some exercise now?
*
It’s been eight days since Tisah escaped from Future Hope Church.
I’ve been running with Joanna. This world has no weekends or holidays, so every day feels the same.
So after giving blessings, I return to my room, change clothes, and go for a run.
Though it’s just running for an hour.
And someone has started observing me. Of course, I’m not talking about the two warriors caught in Joanna’s sight.
I mean, onlooker believers have increased, watching me from quite a distance.
Yes.
When I run outside, more people watch me. My sweaty running makes me feel so human that I worried it wouldn’t fit the image of a deity.
But Hieronymus not imposing any restrictions shows it must be fine.
I can feel a faint sense of contempt from them, which makes me feel good.
Yes, I hope they remain so complacent.
That way, it’ll be easier to learn how to summon me. Of course, it’s more likely that I’m too dense to reveal it, but I can’t only gather information by learning.
There’s another someone.
Hyungkesuni.
She likely knows how to summon me too. Having lived for more than a century, being related to Yeongyang Church Nation, and having the name of a witch means it’s less likely she doesn’t know.
But she’s too wary, so I’m just pushing her slightly aside. If she keeps looking at me like that, I might get caught.
And now, on the eighth day.
The time I started exercising outside has paid off.
Someone came to see me.
A man with blonde hair and blue eyes, with an ordinary build. I’ve met him only once, and he helped me immensely.
He’s the one who gave me the opportunity to move from the basement to a room on the first floor.
He introduced himself as Andrew.
“It’s been a while, Rebecca.”
It was around the time my workout was finishing. He stood in a place full of stone pillars on my usual running path, hard to spot if others were watching from elsewhere.
“Hello, Andrew.”
“I’m really glad to hear you remember my name. Do you like life outside?”
He wore a gentle smile, but I could tell it was a fake expression. Yet, surprisingly, he didn’t seem overly tense?
The moment he mentioned life outside, it felt like he wanted me to think I could only come out thanks to him.
And there’s a hidden intention to express gratitude for that.
So I did as he wished.
“Yes, I like it.”
Andrew smiled in satisfaction. I stared at him, eager to hear what he would say next.
“I’m glad to hear that. Then, do you have any other inconveniences? Aren’t you running on this dusty road? If it’s something you were forced to do, I can take measures.”
Huh?
Oh, so that’s it.
If he sees me running like this and I’m not even a warrior, he must think there’s some kind of intention behind it? So I shook my head.
“Human bodies weaken if they don’t run. I need to run to maintain this body.”
Upon my words, he seemed to realize something, and a sharp glint flickered in his eyes before disappearing. What could he be thinking? Something like whether he could kill me?
“Is it bad to weaken your body?”
“Doesn’t a person die if their body weakens?”
As if I seemed to be asking whether it’s dangerous if I weaken, I twisted that a bit more dramatically and returned the question.
This person was present when I was summoned into this world. He should understand that I’m a beast in human disguise.
“Is that so?”
A short silence.
If I can die like a human, how do you take that?
“I came to see you because I was worried you might be inconvenienced. Do you have any particular discomfort?”
He changed the subject.
Since he’s deliberately answered with quite childish responses, I wish he’d simplify his words to fit his role.
Stop being cunning and just speak plainly.
That way, I’ll know your desires.
Like whether you’re on Hieronymus’s side or not.
I’m 80% thinking of him as an enemy, but he could be an ally in the background, so I plan to act carefully here.
I have to consider that Future Hope Church itself is likely operating as a whole. This way, I can prevent any potential mistakes.
So for now, just pass along the facts.
If I plan something, the information I give might help. If not, then since I only passed the facts, there wouldn’t be any issues.
So I’ll just quietly plant the seeds and observe.
“No.”
As I stared at him and responded, he masked his disappointment with a smile.
“It seems Rebecca doesn’t have many desires. It’s a pity that I can’t give you anything more.”
Hehe.
Yes. This is bait. The bait that once pulled me up from the cold sea.
I know. I understand.
I’m fully aware that this bait can be incredibly dangerous if mishandled. But I don’t need to hold back.
Because I have no thoughts at all; I can simply articulate what I want.
“If you can do something for me, I desire warmth. I need more than I currently have. Three individuals provided daily is too few. Even if they are the same amount every day, the sum of those three sometimes doesn’t exceed a single individual from the previous day. Without warmth, I feel cold. So if possible, please give me more warmth.”
I plainly explained my desire. To avoid any misunderstandings regarding the word “warmth,” I clarified that I needed offerings.
Three people every day.
At least someone in a position here should know that even on days when blessings were given, three individuals had already disappeared, rather than being offerings provided by devotion.
Self-awareness.
I bit the bait. How will you respond, Andrew?
And Andrew asked me this:
“If you could receive more warmth, could you provide more blessings?”
The fishing rod has been reeled in?
“Until now, it’s been three, but I believe with a little more effort, I could increase it to four. But I want even more warmth. Not just one, but more.”
I expressed that although the ratio had been 1:1 until now, I wish to receive more. It’s a pure desire. A craving that has no interruptions.
“Yes, understood. Thank you for your answer, Rebecca.”
Andrew bowed his head. When he looked up again, the expression on his face trickled with desire.
Hehe.
Yes. I’ve bitten the bait.
Now I’m excited to see how things will change.
