The Outer God Needs Warmth

Chapter 30

Hmm.

I’ve returned to my room and am sifting through the memories I’ve gathered so far.

Recently, half of the sacrifices have come from the Ansellus Kingdom, while the other half are believers. Perhaps because of this, it’s exceedingly rare to find anyone who knows anything about the Yongrang Theocracy.

A few decades ago, the Ansellus Kingdom destroyed Yongrang. I thought many of the sacrifices brought from Ansellus would know something about the Yongrang Theocracy.

However, when I examined their memories, the average person knew nothing. At most, they remembered it as “some strange religion.”

It’s akin to how some Americans don’t even know certain countries exist.

I want to learn more, but luck doesn’t always deliver every piece of information.

Currently, half of the blessed individuals are stationed on the Cogni-Lasve Kingdom front, under Witga’s command. The other half are directly following Hieronymus’s orders in the Ansellus Kingdom.

On both fronts, things aren’t progressing exactly as planned.

The Cogni-Lasve front, led by Witga, seems to be moving toward a truce. Witga is trying everything he can to disrupt and prevent this reconciliation.

The same applies to Hieronymus’s side.

It seems they’ve been moving in a direction that’s too covert and murky. Some of the blessed have been captured and executed. While most of them managed to escape thanks to their abilities, the unblessed have suffered heavy casualties.

Day by day, the situation worsens.

Of course, this is partly because the Ansellus Kingdom has been handling things effectively, but there’s another reason.

Tis-ha.

Yes. That boy who once escaped.

The one who set out for the Ansellus Kingdom, seeking revenge.

But he couldn’t abandon his nature. Along the way, he kept saving people, getting misunderstood, or encountering trouble, forcing him to flee repeatedly.

This cycle repeated many times.

The good deeds he’s done so far may have helped others, but they’ve never benefited him.

At least, not at the time.

However, those seemingly useless good deeds accumulated, eventually providing him with a foundation of trust within the Ansellus Kingdom.

He’s now recognized as an ally in Ansellus. Though he’s still under surveillance, it’s enough for Tis-ha to freely share information about the Future Hope Sect.

This includes details about Hieronymus and even me.

Yes.

The Future Hope Sect’s so-called Apostle of God—a girl who bestows blessings.

He’s explained that receiving my blessing causes one’s hair to turn purple and grants them special abilities.

Since that revelation, the Ansellus Kingdom has started capturing Future Hope Sect members with purple hair and dragging them straight to laboratories.

There, they undergo experiments bordering on torture until death.

I see all of it—the pain, despair, and screams.

Yet all I feel is the anticipation that warmth will soon arrive.

When they die, their warmth comes to me anyway. Though I regret not being able to reap it more efficiently, it feels satisfying when it does come.

I’ve also been able to assess the blessed through these experiments—how much they can endure and how their abilities differ from person to person.

Additionally, the researchers dissecting the blessed often converse, allowing me to glean much.

For example, about magic.

I’ve licked several people who could use magic. Their lights were no different from ordinary humans’, and their warmth varied just as it did with others—some had more, some had less.

The issue is, I can’t perceive mana at all.

When a mage uses magic, I can recall their memories of wielding it. Their perception of mana differs slightly—some feel it keenly, others more faintly—but overall, it’s similar.

However, no matter what I do, I can’t produce magic.

I tried reciting spells while running outside, but I couldn’t sense mana at all. Even mimicking the moment they first learned magic yielded nothing.

It’s as though such a power doesn’t exist for me.

Does this body lack the talent for mana entirely?

Or am I so full that I can’t sense it?

I don’t know.

However, I’ve discovered something.

I’ve added this experiment to my secondary objectives.

What kind of experiment?

One where I implant information.

The starting point—let’s keep it simple.

First, I’ll introduce the title “Outsider.” Only Hyungkeshni calls me that right now. I’ll try to expand its usage.

While bestowing blessings, I’ll insert specific information.

Will it succeed?

No, I must ensure it does.

Because only then can I create a happier future.

“Hello, Hyungkeshni.”

So, I greeted Hyungkeshni as she returned to the room. She now takes my greetings as a matter of course.

“Yeah, Rebecca. Ugh, what’s Yasle thinking? If he’s going for revenge, he should at least take better care of himself.”

As she entered, she veered left.

That’s where Hyungkeshni’s personal space is. She threw the cloth she had draped over herself onto the sofa, placed her skull staff beside it, and sank into her seat.

“Joanna. The usual, please.”

“Yes, Lady Hyungkeshni.”

Slouching in her chair, she ordered a drink from Joanna.

This means she’s feeling comfortable.

But something she said caught my attention.

“Who is Yasle?”

Still slumped in her chair, Hyungkeshni lazily waved her hand and replied in a languid tone.

“Hieronymus’s real name. Idiot. Even after surviving, he chose revenge. So, he built this place and is overworking himself to death before he can even enact it.”

Ah.

So that’s his real name?

Yasle.

Yes, I’ve memorized it. I’ll need to comb through someone’s memories again. Will I uncover anything new? Still, I can’t afford to slip up here.

Feign ignorance.

Act like I don’t care about the name, even if I know it.

“Are you having a hard time too, Hyungkeshni? Would you like a blessing?”

With faint hope, I posed a question to distract her.

“No need. No matter what happens, I’ll never accept help from something like you.”

Yes, I know. Even though Hyungkeshni’s guard has significantly lowered, it hasn’t disappeared.

She’s indifferent to others but obsessively cautious about herself.

So...

“Understood, Rebecca. I’ll never make a contract with something like you again.”

Sitting there, she glared at me as she spoke.

A witch who’s lived over a hundred years—Hyungkeshni.

Is it because she made a contract with someone? In other words, is Hyungkeshni someone else’s pawn?

But if it’s for warmth, I can take even someone else’s pawn. Time is limited, but there’s still enough. So I say this:

“If things get tough, call me, Hyungkeshni. I’ll come to you.”

Because if you hold the knowledge that summoned me to this world, I won’t let you slip away.

“Keep dreaming.”

At my words, Hyungkeshni grimaced and answered curtly before throwing herself onto the sofa.

Heh.

See? The mention of “Yasle” has flown to the back of her mind.