Chapter 782: Ghost Journey (8)

Boom!!

The body of the Calf-headed Apostle lay in a gruesome state, not even its original form remaining.

Within it, Camlodal’s tentacles, which had been controlling the mad Apostle, were no longer visible.

The Shrine Maiden, watching Lennok immediately climb onto the fallen Apostle’s corpse, murmured as if dumbfounded.

“…How peculiar.”

Was all that fighting just to crush Camlodal’s parasitic entity, head and all, inside the Apostle?

It was only after Lennok shattered the Apostle’s head with a Subspace Bullet that the Shrine Maiden realized his true intention.

“[Camlodal’s Apostle spellcraft is a masterpiece, ranking among the top three in terms of completeness and sophistication within the cult. How could it be…]

“Because this Apostle was already broken, having lost to the Alliance in a war,” Lennok retorted indifferently, kicking the Apostle’s head before turning away.

“He was merely forcing a corpse that had no hope of recovery to move. Manipulating something like this made it easy to break it down further.”

Even before Camlodal took control, it was a monster whose brain was so damaged that normal thought was impossible.

Lennok didn’t know what kind of sorcerer the Alliance’s Conjoining Sorcerer was, but they were probably an individual capable of manipulating all kinds of body parts, including internal organs.

Since they had so skillfully broken the Apostle to the point where even it couldn’t endure, Camlodal must have had difficulty controlling it as well.

Such problems were merely well-hidden by Camlodal’s technique and persuasive abilities.

“Seeing how he cut off extremities like fingers and observed the reactions, it was clear he wasn’t manipulating the entire body perfectly. It was a battle that would end by merely burning out the central nervous system.”

During the fight, Lennok opened the Apostle’s head and cut off its extremities to observe the reactions, all to figure out how perfectly Camlodal was manipulating the Apostle’s body.

As soon as he confirmed that the manipulation wasn’t as complete as expected, Lennok conjured a spell, jammed it into the skull, and completely burned out the Apostle’s nervous system, killing it.

“[…]

The Shrine Maiden, who had been listening to Lennok, finally came to her senses and murmured.

“[A-amazing. Warriors this skilled are extremely rare, even within the cult.]”

“There should be a few others among the Apostles capable of similar feats.”

“[Yes. I haven’t seen them directly myself, but among the Tenth Apostle and those who participated in the Holy War before becoming Apostles—um.]”

Did she think she had revealed too much about the cult’s internal affairs?

The Shrine Maiden fell silent, but Lennok already guessed what she had been about to say.

Indeed, the Tenth Apostle, Amrita Fraubel, whom Lennok had subdued at the cult’s Far Eastern branch, was one of the most outstanding warriors he had ever faced.

Amrita Fraubel, the Tenth Apostle.

She was said to have been a devotee who participated in the Holy War as an Inquisitor before becoming an Apostle.

He had no interest in her past, but her skill and artistry were so exceptional that Lennok still remembered her.

As the Shrine Maiden said, it must be true that there were outstanding warriors among those who participated in the Holy War.

And it wouldn’t be strange if more of them, like Amrita, had become Apostles.

“Hmm, there aren’t as many useful parts to salvage as I thought…”

Lennok quickly checked various parts of the Apostle’s body and pondered.

He had made good use of Walter Martinez’s carapace fragment before, so he had hoped for a meaningful harvest this time, but there was almost nothing to salvage.

Most of the body parts were covered in stitches, and even those were full of organs that didn’t function properly.

“All of its internal organs are completely destroyed. It would be hard to do this even on purpose.”

It was a grotesque trace, as if someone had not only performed a full body dissection on a living Apostle but had also stitched it back together and restored it.

It was probably the work of the so-called Conjoining Sorcerer, who had tampered with this body before Lennok.

A specialized spellcraft of a different lineage than Lennok’s, belonging to a master of conjoining magic that manipulates living bodies.

He had heard rumors that the Alliance had unusually anomalous sorcerers, but he never expected to confirm their authenticity in such a way.

“There was a reason the Conjoining Sorcerer and Camlodal used it twice and then discarded it. There won’t be any room for use after I extract its hooves and heart.”

If he were to dissect the Apostle’s body thoroughly, he wouldn’t gain nothing, but that wasn’t what he needed to confirm right now.

“First, let’s confirm what you mentioned earlier. Is it true that your destination was Yorta?”

Lennok, snapping out of his thoughts, gazed at the Shrine Maiden with cold eyes.

“Why were you heading to Yorta in a dead body?”

“[…I suppose I must explain this clearly.]”

The Shrine Maiden sighed softly, then nodded, as if giving up. She must have decided there was nothing more to hide after her long conversation with Camlodal about it.

“[As you already know, I met my death at the hands of the Ascendant Jinwa.]”

“…”

“[However, due to the Spell-Word she left behind, I’ve been left in this world, unable to properly die.]”

The Ascendant Jinwa, who had established Paradise Lost on the outskirts of the Central Front. Did she mean that she was directly condemned to death by an Ascendant who had already fallen and was engrossed in creating her own followers?

Lennok had already seen Jinwa’s Spell-Word Stone once, so he knew how terribly insane she was.

But to think she could condemn a being of the Shrine Maiden’s stature to death and inflict suffering by imbuing her spirit and body with that Spell-Word.

That was already beyond the concept of a Spell-Word; it was closer to a curse.

“…A curse.”

Only after thinking that far did Lennok understand why the cult was taking the dead Shrine Maiden to Yorta.

“[Yes, that’s correct.]”

The Shrine Maiden also read Lennok’s reaction and nodded.

“[If it’s Yorta, which observes the flow of all curses in this world, then it should be able to discern the true nature of the Spell-Word imbued in my spirit and body.]”

“…”

“[As I told you, the death of the body is nothing. As Camlodal said, my vacant position will simply be taken over by a future Shrine Maiden. There are always children prepared to replace me in case of such misfortune.]”

The Shrine Maiden spoke calmly.

“[Just as with the Apostles, the existence of a Shrine Maiden is merely a cog for the cult… it’s impossible not to be willing, even if one fears the moment of replacement.]”

Well, Lennok already knew of the previous Shrine Maiden who had refused death and tried to become a new Apostle.

Shrine Maiden Isel Naydree, who tried to seize Amrita’s body to become an Apostle, but instead had her abilities and even her existence taken away.

Could the next Shrine Maiden, Seina Naydree, truly be said to be different from her?

Seina continued speaking, unaware of Lennok’s thoughts.

“[But I still have a task given to me by that person. Unless I resolve it, or at least leave its meaning behind, I cannot yet disappear.]”

“I’m not particularly interested in your circumstances,” Lennok replied indifferently.

“Just tell me exactly what you want. It seems resolving that will allow me to break the ring’s bond.”

“[Please take me to the Memorial Tower, located in the center and highest floor of Yorta.]”

The Shrine Maiden nodded firmly.

“[Even in this state, the power of revelation bestowed upon me by that person is still alive. Once inside the Memorial Tower, finding a specific curse or spirit won’t be difficult.]”

“Hmm.”

“[If you also wish to find a specific curse or spirit within the Memorial Tower, I will assist you with that as well.]”

He had thought he’d be stuck with an annoying problem related to the cult, but she might turn out to be a more useful helper than expected.

If the Shrine Maiden also had business at Yorta’s Memorial Tower, Lennok could actively borrow her talents in the process.

Regardless of whether he agreed with the cult’s doctrines and their faith, the power of revelation based on the Outer God’s strength was truly formidable.

In some ways, it could even peer into a wider domain than Antares’s or Icavon’s foresight.

He still remembered how powerfully the Tenth Apostle Amrita had utilized the Shrine Maiden’s revelation when she fought.

’The Shrine Maiden herself seems to call that revelation ability by the name of ‘Divine Artifact,’ but…’

Regardless of the name, the mere fact that he could borrow that ability in Yorta might make it worthwhile.

“For now, let’s journey together to the Memorial Tower in Yorta.”

Lennok, having made his decision, slowly pulled up his fallen robe and turned around.

“As for what happens next, I’ll decide once I see that ‘flow of curses’ inside the Memorial Tower.”

Lennok moved away from the now-finished battleground in the swamp and hid the container holding the Shrine Maiden’s corpse underground.

Perhaps because it had been decided before facing Camlodal, the Shrine Maiden didn’t seem to mind Lennok’s decision much.

“[You wouldn’t be able to carry a body covered by Jinwa’s Spell-Word anyway. It’s better to bury it properly and later submit a report to the Papal Palace.]”

Even though she had shed her body and her soul now resided only within the ring, she seemed utterly unconcerned with her own death.

Was it true that the Shrine Maiden herself had no particular feelings about her death or fate?

But more than that, Lennok felt his interest pique regarding Jinwa’s Spell-Word, which the Shrine Maiden seemed so wary of.

“A Shrine Maiden of the cult should have resistance to various mental attacks, having performed all sorts of rituals.”

Whoosh…!!

Lennok, boosting his Mana Sense to locate the Headrain River, glanced back at the Shrine Maiden.

“Especially since you serve your gods, your mental fortitude against going mad must be considerable.”

“[You know an awful lot about the cult’s rituals and ceremonies.]”

The Shrine Maiden replied with a troubled expression.

“[That’s not wrong. For a priestess like me, arrangements are made to prevent direct harm from the great myriad gods’ flames.]”

“…”

“[As long as my faith in the doctrine doesn’t waver, only that person’s arrangements can intervene with my will.]”

Such powerful mental resistance that she wouldn’t be swayed by any will-thought other than the Outer God’s and the Pontiff’s. But Lennok considered the Shrine Maiden’s unique mental strength to be somewhat natural.

The Shrine Maiden was not only the principal performer of various cult rituals but also responsible for connecting the Outer God’s will to an incarnate body to birth Apostles.

Contacting the End, which sent its will from beyond the Outer Sea at all hours, surely necessitated such mental fortitude to maintain sanity.

“And yet, you couldn’t escape Jinwa’s Spell-Word?”

A Spell-Word cast by a Spell-Word Sorcerer is not a unilateral projection of a spell.

It’s a powerful projection that activates the moment the caster and the target simultaneously understand and share its meaning, using language as a medium.

Even if it isn’t a spell that directly attacks the mind, it’s a lineage of spellcraft deeply intertwined with the caster’s and target’s minds.

Most priests of the cult might use the same language, but their mental worlds were already alien, far beyond those of ordinary humans.

Naturally, for a being with mental fortitude as strong as a Shrine Maiden’s, any ordinary Spell-Word should never work.

Nevertheless, the Shrine Maiden could not resist Jinwa’s decree, and her spirit and body were invaded, leading to her death.

“[…Jinwa’s Spell-Word was no longer a spell using language as a medium.]”

The Shrine Maiden, who had been silent, replied with difficulty. “[The Spell-Word I felt from her felt like a decree that already existed at that very spot.]”

“…”

Did Jinwa’s use of a Spell-Word manifest its words as a real phenomenon, taking root in reality?

“[The moment she declared my death, I had to decide whether to endure the destruction of my spirit and body and resist, or to accept death.]”

“So, you gave up and accepted it?”

“[If it means conveying this truth to that person, my death is no flaw whatsoever. What could be the problem?] The “Is that so?” Lennok countered.

“Then am I to understand that your Pontiff does not intend to condone Jinwa’s corruption?”

“…”

Suddenly, a cold silence fell between the two.

If the Shrine Maiden was prepared for her death to convey this fact to the Papal Palace…

And if the recipient of that report was, quite literally, the Pontiff himself, who no longer existed in the world…

Didn’t that mean the Pontiff himself intended to directly intervene in Jinwa’s corruption?

As the Shrine Maiden hesitated to answer, Lennok discovered a massive river in the distance through his Mana Sense.

“That must be the upstream of the Headrain River.”

Rumble, rumble…!!

The vast river began where the swamp ended, flowing across a plain and touching the distant, sheer mountain range.

The water itself was remarkably clear and clean, but it glowed with a deep indigo that made it impossible to see the bottom.

“Perhaps because the flood recently ended, the current is stronger than I expected.”

As Lennok murmured that, the Shrine Maiden added, as if reminded of something.

“[If you go downstream, there will be a pier. Let’s take a boat from there.]”

“If you were planning to head to Yorta, you must know what means are needed to cross the river,” Lennok asked.

“Is there any special preparation needed to take a boat?”

“[The Headrain River is a massive flow of spirits that traverses all of Yorta.]”

The Shrine Maiden explained.

“[Since crossing the river is treated as an act of transcending the material world, it is said to be extremely important to procure a boat at the pier.]”

“It doesn’t seem to matter whether one buys the boat or takes it by force, then.”

“[…Unless it’s currency valid within Yorta, money will be worthless,]” the Shrine Maiden replied with a dumbfounded expression at Lennok’s matter-of-fact question.

“[I believe the standard ritual is to offer valuable tributes or sacrifices in exchange for a boat.]”

“I see. The term ‘sacrifice’ originally meant…”

So, it was a system of exchanging interesting objects or rare treasures for a boat, rather than money.

He hadn’t expected that the need for ritualistic items to pass between both the material and spiritual realms would mean this.

The problem was that he had the Guide’s Ring for crossing into the spiritual realm, but he hadn’t prepared any suitable tribute for acquiring a boat.

Lennok briefly recalled the contents of his inventory, then suddenly turned his gaze behind him.

“Good. Then let’s take that.”

“[What? That?] The Shrine Maiden checked the direction of Lennok’s gaze and retorted with a troubled look.

“[…Anyone can see that won’t yield good results.]”

“We’ll try it first, and if it doesn’t work, then so be it,” Lennok said, immediately reaching for the object behind him.

“Even better, actually. It’ll make for a more interesting picture.”

The pier was a scene of dark river water and chilly winds. As the first rite of passage to Yorta, many people waited at the pier.

“…”

People waited, spaced apart on the wide planks of the pier, for their turn.

Among them were criminals oozing an indescribably ominous mana.

Lunatics cackling to themselves like madmen, and ghostly presences so subtle it was hard to notice they were even there, were common.

The wary glances they exchanged could hardly be called friendly, even at best.

They knew that everyone gathered here for the single purpose of entering Yorta was nothing more than a competitor.

Splash, splash!!

The sound of ripples breaking against the riverbank as waves surged.

No one stepped forward first, yet the silence of the pier was filled with escalating hostility and tension toward one another.

Boom!!

A massive roar, like a hammer striking down, reverberated.

The shock was so immense that even the hidden caretakers, who hadn’t shown their faces, subtly appeared, along with the passengers waiting at the pier.

But everyone who turned their gaze towards the source of the roar momentarily forgot their purpose for being there, their eyes fixated.

Boom, boom, boom!!

The corpse of a Calf-headed Giant, its head completely crushed.

Someone draped in a pitch-black shadow robe, with mana threads tightly bound around it, was walking towards the pier, dragging it.

The monster’s corpse, dragged by the robe, was large enough to easily carry several of the people gathered there.

All eyes focused on its overwhelming size and its ominous body, which exuded an indescribably dense killing intent even in death.

“…A monster hunter?”

“Bringing a monster like that all the way to the pier, he must be out of his mind.”

“Doesn’t he care about the caretakers’ reactions?”

“Either way, he’s disgustingly powerful. Another competitor…”

Among the passengers gathered at the pier, some even showed more interest in the monster’s corpse than in the robed figure itself.

“What an incredible size, and the condensed death aura is quite potent. There was a monster like that in the swamp?”

“What a rare corpse. I’d buy it myself if it had a price.”

Ignoring the gazes from all directions, the robed figure silently walked, dragging the Calf-headed Giant’s corpse.

Only after reaching the end of the pier did the caretakers snap out of their daze and hurriedly blocked his path.

“We have a noisy guest,” an old woman with wrinkled face asked, glaring at him.

“May I ask what you want?”

“I want a boat.”

A grotesquely distorted, modulated voice emanated from the obsidian mask visible within the robe.

“I heard I could get passage here at this pier.”

“…”

Lennok pointed to the monster’s corpse he had dragged and smiled.

“It’s the corpse of a Guido Cult Apostle. Can I exchange this as a tribute for a boat?”