After returning to the room.
Hieronymus left and Hyunkeshuni, as expected, took off my gloves and examined my hands.
And she bent down to check my knees as well. Oh. Did she perhaps do something there too?
It’s good that I restored my whole body.
It’s dangerous if I let my guard down like this.
Two months is too short a time to open one’s heart.
If it’s not any kind of relationship, it might be different, but especially if it’s a dangerous beast.
Usually accidents happen when you let your guard down, right? In that sense, Hyunkeshuni’s actions are very excellent. She’s doing well.
It’s very tough from my position of being on the receiving end.
But it’s probably because she’s that kind of person that she’s been able to survive until now.
Since I realized that the Luminous Theocratic State is related to Hieronymus, I recalled the memories of related people as a whole again.
The name Witch of Joy appeared sporadically there.
I only skimmed through the records, so I don’t know in detail. But it was there sporadically at least from 100 years ago.
But is a figure who was a target of subjugation by the Luminous Theocratic State from that time now working together with a high-ranking figure of the Luminous Theocratic State?
There’s still not enough information.
Hieronymus seems to be letting his guard down now, but looking at his position, that might not necessarily be the case. He’s probably much more skilled at deceiving people than someone like me.
What’s the use of reading emotions from expressions?
I can’t read the really important information.
So I behave obediently. I’ll stay still as if I don’t know anything.
Of course, I don’t know everything.
Just a little. I only know what others don’t know.
For example, a little while ago, Tis was fighting with Future Hope Church members against soldiers of the Kingdom of Kogni in the Kingdom of Kogni, when he was hit by an arrow and fell off a cliff. He failed the mission.
But it was all Tis’s plan.
Because Tis was smiling when he fell off the cliff.
It’s a height where a normal person would die instantly, but Tis survived even with both legs suffering comminuted fractures.
And his legs healed immediately.
I told you, didn’t I?
Tis has excellent regenerative power. He’s been experimenting with it little by little until now, without being caught by anyone.
He did all that to escape from this Future Hope Church. Looking at how he led the church members to an easy-to-understand position and got hit and fell, it seems he intended to let the Future Hope Church know he died.
He floated downstream in the current for a while before coming ashore.
And after pulling out the arrow stuck in his body and looking around, he started walking without hesitation.
He will become a threat to the Future Hope Church.
Because he has a lot of information.
First, about this place presumed to be the center of the Future Hope Church. About the people receiving blessings. About me giving blessings. And he himself has powerful strength too.
Regeneration power.
Regeneration power tends to be underestimated, but in reality, it’s an incredibly powerful ability. It means you can always be in a healthy state.
No matter how much you get injured, no matter how many times you suffer fatal injuries.
Above all, it’s amazing that you can do it again.
For example, think about sword fighting. If your arm gets cut off while fighting, you have to give up the fight.
But he can do it again.
Isn’t this amazing?
It’s like rich people saying they succeeded through effort even after failing. If you don’t have money, it’s hard to get up again when you fail.
While one person can put their hands down, get up, dust off the sand, and move if they fall, another person rolls down to the underground bottom if they fall.
And chains of debt are attached to their arms and legs.
Yes, that’s right.
Tis has an enormous asset of the opportunity to start again. The only thing more expensive than this is the ability to regress.
As long as he avoids instant death, he can do anything somehow.
In other words, it means a person with an incredibly powerful blessing has escaped from the Future Hope Church.
Hehe.
I don’t know what you’ll do now, but good luck, Tis.
I’m praying that you bring more warmth.
Thinking like that, I prepared to go outside.
Now I should exercise, right?
* * *
8 days since Tis escaped from the Future Hope Church.
I’m running with Joanna. This world has no weekends or holidays. Such things don’t exist at all, so we spend the same day every day.
So after giving blessings, I return to my room, change clothes, and go exercise.
Even though I say exercise, I just run for an hour.
And people have appeared who observe me doing this. Of course, I don’t mean the two warriors caught in Joanna’s gaze.
It means that the number of believers watching me from quite far away has increased.
Yes.
If I run around outside, the number of people seeing me increases. I was worried that the image of sweating and running might be too human and not fit the image-making of an apostle.
But seeing that Hieronymus doesn’t control it separately, it seems to be okay.
I feel good because I faintly sense him looking down on me there.
Yes, I hope he lets his guard down like that.
That makes it easier for me to obtain the method to summon me. Of course, there’s a higher possibility that he won’t tell me because I’m too stupid, but I can’t acquire information only through learning methods.
And there’s one more person.
Hyunkeshuni.
This person also has a high possibility of knowing the technique that summoned me. She’s lived for over 100 years, is related to the Luminous Theocratic State, and has the name of a witch, so there’s less possibility that she doesn’t know.
But her wariness is too strong, so I’m pushing her aside a little. It feels like I might get caught if I always look at her like that.
And on the 8th day.
My efforts of exercising outside have paid off.
Because one person came to me.
A man with blonde hair and blue eyes, of average build. I’ve met him once. And he gave me a great help.
He was the person who gave the opportunity to move from the basement to a room on the first floor.
He introduced himself as Andrew.
“It’s been a long time, Miss Rebecca.”
Around the time when the exercise ended. He’s standing in a place with many stone pillars rising on the path I always run. A place where it’s difficult for people watching me from other places to find.
“Hello, Andrew.”
“I’m really glad you remembered my name. Are you enjoying your outdoor life?”
He’s smiling amiably, but I know this is a fake expression. But surprisingly, he’s not very tense?
Seeing that he mentions outdoor life as soon as we meet, he’s saying to think that I was able to come out because of him.
And there’s a hidden intention to be grateful for that.
So I did as he wished.
“Yes. I like it.”
Then Andrew smiles with satisfaction. I stared at him, wanting to hear what he would say next.
“I’m glad you say so. Then are there no other inconveniences? Aren’t you running on this dusty road? If it’s something you’re being forced to do, I’ll take measures.”
Oh?
Ah, I see.
If you see someone who’s not a warrior running like this, it seems to reflect that there’s some intention? So I shook my head left and right.
“A human body weakens if it doesn’t run. I need to run to maintain this body.”
At my words, as if he realized something, a sharp killing intent briefly appeared in his eyes and then disappeared. What is he thinking? For example, something like whether he can kill me?
“Is it bad if your body weakens?”
“Doesn’t a human body die if it weakens?”
It seemed like he was about to ask if it’s dangerous if I weaken, so I twisted it a bit more extremely and returned it.
This person was also there when I was summoned to this world. So he should know that I’m a beast wearing the disguise of a human.
“I see.”
A brief silence.
I can die like a human. How do you take that?
“I came to see you because I was worried that you might be living uncomfortably. Are there any particular inconveniences?”
He changed the subject.
Since I’m deliberately giving rather childish answers in succession, I hope you would explain in an easy-to-understand way, matching the speaker.
Please speak straight without turning your intentions ambiguously.
That’s how I’ll know your desires.
For example, whether you’re on Hieronymus’s side or not?
I think there’s an 80% chance that he’s an enemy of Hieronymus, but since they could be on the same side behind the scenes, I intend to act cautiously here.
Thinking that this Future Hope Church itself is moving completely with one thought is necessary to prevent any possible mistakes.
Therefore, I only give facts for now.
If he makes a plan, the information I gave will be helpful. If not, there won’t be any problem because I only passed on facts.
So I watch while sowing seeds slowly.
“No.”
When I stared at him and answered, he covers his expression of finding it trivial with a smile.
“It seems Miss Rebecca doesn’t have many desires. It’s a shame that I can’t do more for you even if I want to.”
Hehe.
Yes. This is bait. The bait that fished me up from the cold sea before.
I know. I know.
I fully understand that this bait is very dangerous if handled wrongly. But I don’t need to hold back.
Because I don’t think about anything, I can simply explain properly what I want.
“If you’re going to do something for me, I want warmth. I need more than now. The 3 people given every day are too few. If it was the same warmth every day it would be fine, but some days even all 3 combined don’t exceed one person from the previous day. If there’s no warmth, I get cold. So if possible, please give me more warmth.”
I purely explained my desire. To make sure he doesn’t misunderstand the word warmth, I explained that I need sacrifices.
3 people every day.
At least someone in this position should know that 3 people are disappearing even on days when blessings are received through devotion rather than sacrifice.
Now then.
I bit the bait. How will you answer, Andrew?
And Andrew asked me like this.
“If you can get more warmth, can you give more blessings?”
Did he pull the fishing rod?
“Until now it was 3 people, but if I try a little harder, I think I can do 4. Instead, I want to have more warmth. Not just one, but more.”
I said that while it’s been a 1:1 ratio so far, I want to receive more if possible. It’s a pure desire. A desire with nothing to interject.
“Yes. I understand. Thank you for answering, Miss Rebecca.”
Andrew bowed his head. And when he raised his head again, he had an expression of desire flowing out.
Hehe.
Yes. He bit the bait.
Now I’m looking forward to how things will change.