The Ritual

Adam took the various materials and lit a fire, arranging the corpses of several beasts in a circle to symbolize the death of the herd in the light.

First, he took out a portion of holy water and called Adel over. He mixed the holy water with Adel's tears, instructing him to hold it himself.

Adam glanced at the gathered onlookers, then began to mutter some indistinct incantations. In reality, he was merely reciting a passage from the "Divine Words" backward, using a garbled tone and a rapid pace.

The Tears of God ritual primarily harnesses divine power, making its threshold rather low—in fact, almost non-existent. As long as one understands the necessary materials and steps, most people with theological knowledge can perform the ritual. However, most non-human beings avoid the church and have neither the time nor the energy to delve into theology. Even Adel, who is proficient in worship, lacks this knowledge.

"For example, the arrangement of the beasts' corpses around the fire isn't random; even the placement of each type of beast is significant," Adam noted, dividing the holy water into two unequal parts and pouring them into the soil from the highest and lowest places.

The non-human beings watched intently, and Adam was sure they would try the ritual themselves later. When they failed, they would place their hopes entirely on him.

The soil from the highest point symbolizes the most prosperous place during the Age of Enlightenment. Back then, the church was not visible, so the holy water should not cover the soil completely. The soil from the lowest point, when combined with holy water, symbolizes the lake formed by the Tears of God, so the holy water must cover the soil completely.

After handling the two bottles of soil, Adam said to Adel, "Drink half of the water and pour the rest on yourself, then jump into the fire!"

Adel hesitated for a moment but followed Adam's instructions. He drank the mixture of holy water and his own tears, causing his body to convulse uncontrollably. This pain was even more intense than worship, but Adel completed the remaining steps, pouring the rest of the water on himself and leaping into the fire.

The church's fondness for burning at the stake is intertwined with the disasters that befell the herd during the barbaric era. In most churches, light is a blessing, but when too strong, it transforms into fire—a punishment.

The flames wrapped around Adel's body, scorching his skin, and he exhaled large amounts of black smoke. Adam nodded, noting that despite Adel's many flaws, he had a high tolerance for pain. Contact with holy water would have burned through his throat and stomach if he hadn't taken a magic potion earlier.

Interestingly, the combined internal and external pain felt even worse to Adel. The two types of pain didn't merely add up; they multiplied, intensifying the agony exponentially. Even with his eyes closed, Adel felt as if he were glimpsing both hell and heaven.

Adam was in no hurry; this pain was essential for passing the church leader's test of holy power. He took the bottle of soil from the highest point, poured it out, and began drawing a circle around the fire, incorporating various bits of knowledge.

The first stage of the ritual is associated with the sun god, so Adam needed to calculate the position of the ancient prosperous place and the current position of the sun, adjusting the circle accordingly. Though it looked like just a circle, it was far more intricate. The other steps might be guessed, but drawing this circle correctly was beyond the capabilities of these non-human beings.

Watching Adel thrash like a fish out of water in the fire, Adam calmly said, "Don't step out of the circle, or all your suffering will be in vain."

After completing the circle, Adam took the other bottle of soil in one hand and grabbed some monkshood in the other. Muttering unrelated phrases, he crushed the monkshood in his palm, feeling a rush of excitement. He threw the monkshood into the fire, causing it to release a lot of black smoke.

Adam didn't hesitate, pouring out the remaining soil from the lowest point. Though there wasn't much water, it strangely extinguished the fire.

After finishing everything, Adam had another brief moment of disorientation but quickly recovered.

"Rub the soil on Adel's body, then dress him in the coat," Adam instructed a nearby non-human being, then slowly walked away.

"I'll return tonight. Don't cause a commotion; if you draw Shaya's attention, it will be hard to clean up," Adam said as he left.

The non-human beings watched Adam leave, swallowing nervously, then looked at the motionless Adel in the extinguished fire.

"Who's Shaya?" one asked.

"Shaya is the church leader of the southern district," another replied, looking in the direction Adam had gone, feeling shaken.

Mentioning the church leader silenced them. They quickly followed Adam's instructions, applying the soil to Adel's body. Despite their trembling hands, they noticed Adel seemed relieved. Once dressed in the human coat, all traces of his non-human nature vanished.

The non-human beings helped Adel into the hut to rest, then gathered to discuss.

"I collected extra materials. Should we try the ritual ourselves?" one suggested.

They all hesitated, recalling Adel's agony, and decided against it.

Meanwhile, seeing the fire extinguish, Adam knew the ritual was a success. Tonight, these five would become his most loyal followers.

Adam was now more concerned about his two moments of disorientation during the ritual.

The first occurred when he touched the monkshood, feeling his blood become more active.

"Monkshood is related to lycanthrope blood. This could be a research avenue," Adam noted.

The second happened after completing the ritual when he sensed divine power.

In that moment, Adam entered a heightened state of awareness, perceiving a presence. If he prayed sincerely, he could draw on this power and become a cleric.

"And then burn myself to death?" Adam chuckled silently. If he had discovered this power right after his escape, he might have embraced it, hoping to pass through Rhea as a cleric.

The person who taught him the Tears of God ritual didn't expect him to re-enter the church and fill in his gaps in knowledge. Hence, Adam avoided the trap.

"The Tears of God ritual can protect non-humans, but only superficially. If they seek divine power, it will burn them from within."

Adam completely dismissed the idea of seeking divine power. Knowing this was essential to resisting the temptation. Given his theological knowledge, becoming a cleric would have been straightforward, and no one would suspect a cleric of being non-human. But that path was closed from the start.

"Even the knowledge I learned must be used cautiously," Adam thought, removing his mask and rubbing his scar.

"Again with the memories," he sighed, suppressing his thoughts. Ensuring he wasn't followed, he buried his disguise and returned to the Bock family's home.