Chapter 148: Underground Temple Part 3

"Prove your friendship to me."

Barbason whispered those words while revealing the sharp fangs hidden behind his smile.

-Squirm!

Then something wriggled inside Heines' stomach. It was moving as if it had a will of its own. Barbason who started humming a tune as if enjoying himself reached into Heines' stomach. His hand naturally sliced through Heines' belly.

"Ugh…!"

-Wriggle! Wriggle!

-Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

As the wriggling inside Heines' stomach grew more intense, a squeaking noise began to emerge, as if his insides were filled with rats. Barbason licked his lips and rummaged around inside Heines' belly before eventually grabbing the fattest rat. It was so large that he could barely hold it with one hand and it struggled vigorously. Without hesitation, Barbason gripped the rat and pulled it out.

– Heines…!

At that moment, Heines heard a voice calling to him from beyond his fading consciousness. It was his mother's voice. His frail and beautiful mother who always longed for the glory of the past.

– Heines, you are of noble blood.

– Yes, Mother.

– The glorious golden blood flows through your veins.

– Yes, Mother.

– Never forget, and always remember, that you are the proud descendant of Ansgar.

– Yes, Mother.

Having lost his father early and becoming a lord at a young age, the only place Heines could seek comfort was in his mother's embrace. She would always tell him stories of old Ansgar and teach him how noble his roots were. Though he now only ruled over Dihid, she assured him that he was destined to become the true lord of Ansgar.

Heines' mother had been a woman who witnessed the glory of old Ansgar with her own eyes. She had walked the golden paths of Ansgar before the land was cursed and before the palace became ruined. But after the gods' curse and the kingdom's fall, they wandered from place to place before they were eventually pushed to the outskirts of Dihid, a place they would have once dismissed as insignificant. They became a victim of a tragic fate.

– Heines.

– Yes, Mother.

– Even if I die without seeing Ansgar again, please, at least you must…

– Yes, Mother.

– Please…

– Mother?

– ....

Heines was the one who had inherited the pride and frustration that his mother had carried in her heart all her life. For the mother who longed for Ansgar even as she lay dying, Heines swore he would do anything.

I will reclaim Ansgar.

Was it in response to that vow?

Enough time had passed for him to forget the vow. Heines was now a middle-aged man, and he spent more days tending to Dihid than reminiscing about old Ansgar and his mother. Just when caring for Dihid and its people was about to become his entire life,

– Heines.

The "calling" began again.

One deep night, when Heines was reviewing documents late into the night, a voice he had forgotten echoed in his ears.

– M-Mother?

But what emerged from the veil of darkness was a person drenched in blood. Their face was so covered in blood that it was impossible to tell if it was indeed his "Mother". Heines approached to confirm whether the person was his mother. Squish, squelch. The hunched-over, blood-soaked figure muttered Heines' name. Squelch, squish, squish. Heines looked into the bloodied face. Squeal, squish, squeal!

– …I am, Barbason.

– Barva…son?

– Your mother's old friend.

– Mother…?

– The one who will fulfill your long-held wish.

– ...

– The one who will restore Ansgar's former glory.

– ...

– The guardian of a new Ansgar.

– ...

– And, your friend.

Despite being covered in blood, Heines could tell that Barbason was smiling.

– Shraaak!!!!

– Squish, squelch, squish!!!

"Ah, you've grown quite plump."

Barbason grasped the rat he had pulled from Heines' stomach with a look of eager anticipation spreading across his face. Heines who was still lost in a dreamlike state gasped for breath; it seemed like he was unaware of what was happening. Barbason sized up the rat, which was as large as his forearm, then opened his mouth wide. His jaw extended grotesquely and his long saliva-dripping tongue licked the rat as if savoring it before tightly wrapping around it and bringing it to his mouth.

– Squeal!!!!

– Crunch, crunch, crack! Crunch!!

Even while hearing the sound of flesh being torn and bones breaking, Heines did not come to his senses. No, rather, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a calm face like someone having a good dream.

– Crunch! Gulp!

After devouring the rat—or rather, the "piece" of Heines—Barbason felt a deep sense of satisfaction and gazed at Heines with a satisfied expression.

"This time was delicious too, Heines."

"Ugh…"

"As expected, you're a good friend."

"Ugh…"

"Well, I should be going now."

"….."

"Now that I'm full, it's time to check on the rats in the underground temple."

"….."

"Oh, no, not the rats… the new people of Ansgar, I mean."

"….."

"For us!"

"….."

"After all, I am your loyal servant and true friend."

Barbason wiped the drool dripping from Heines' slack mouth, tidied his clothes, and then stood up. Soon, the sound of rats scurrying noisily around could be heard again.

Barbason was in a good mood; his belly was full thanks to Heines. Now, perhaps he would take a short nap in the underground temple. As he left the castle while humming a tune, a crow flew in from somewhere and landed on his shoulder. After checking the message tied to the crow's single ankle, Barbason ripped the ankle right off.

"Just when I thought things were going well…"

-Crunch!

"How dare a 'Saint' set foot in the temple of the great demon Barbason?"

With a vicious snarl and a grinding of his teeth, Barbason threw the crow aside and left the castle with a grim expression on his face.

***

We passed the prison area and kept walking through the desolate underground cells. The only sound was the occasional ominous drip of water; there was no sign of other people or monsters.

"W-What happens now…?"

Whether it was the silence or the fear that was too much to bear, Connie finally managed to squeeze out a question in a trembling voice. I looked at him silently before glancing at El behind him.

"He says there's a plan."

El who had understood perfectly chuckled softly in response. This made Connie look at me with an even more anxious expression.

"S-So, what's the plan?"

"It wouldn't be fun if I told you beforehand."

"Sir Theodore!"

It seemed that just a bit more teasing would make him cry. El was already struggling to hold back her laughter. I smiled lightly and patted Connie on the shoulder.

"I'm just joking. I said that to help you relax. If you're too tense, things won't go well."

"S-Sorry, but this is my first time doing something like this…"

I shrugged and took a long look around. Connie followed my lead and he also started scanning our surroundings.

"Whatever they're up to, it seems they haven't finished preparing yet."

"I-I see…"

"If they were fully prepared, those people would already be perfect chimeras. They wouldn't even be trapped like that in the first place."

Connie shook his head as if the thought was too horrifying to imagine.

"Connie, you're a priest, so you know that doing something like this in the temple of the god Donar is blasphemous and it's an act deserving of divine punishment. This isn't just an insult. If anything, it's like declaring war…"

"..."

"No mere human could do something like this. Humans instinctively fear the gods. So, what kind of being would dare to do this?"

"That is…"

"Those who mock the gods, those who oppose the gods, those who seek to kill the gods."

"...!"

"There must be a demon involved in this."

I realized it far too late. I should have noticed sooner. Of course, even if I had realized it earlier, there wouldn't have been much I could do… Damn it, at least I would've been mentally prepared!

There had been plenty of hints. No matter how cursed this place is, it's still the underground temple of Donar. The reason Demarcushel could move around as if it were his own domain wasn't because he had fully "recovered". It was likely because someone of his "kind" had already prepared the ground for him.

There were those who summoned Porlasis even in Rabata, too.

The widespread summoning of demons across the entire continent would become a reality in the future. However, it had already happened in Rabata, and now even in Dihid. Demons were starting to reveal themselves far sooner than expected…

…Things I don't know are happening in places I don't know.

It was certainly not a positive development.

In this world, it was better for "unknowns" not to exist. That way, it would be easier for me to survive.

However.

The existence of "me" was the greatest "unknown" in this world.

The only "unknown" in a world where all destinies were already determined.

In that case…

I had no choice but to present chaos to them as an "unknown" myself.

"Connie."

I grabbed Connie's arm firmly.

"There's something you need to do."

"Y-Yes?"

"Trust me, there's something you absolutely must do."

"...….!"

The person with the strongest divine power in this city was neither the high priest nor the senior priests of the Donar Temple. Those people had already become corrupted. Ironically, the most faithful person in Dihid right now was the apprentice priest Connie, who had fled from the Donar Temple.

"You trust me, right?"

Connie nodded with a naive and bewildered expression on his face. I tried my best to put on a reassuring smile.

"What we need right now is bait."

Just as even the smallest candle stands out in pitch-black darkness, a young priest would surely be noticed in a demon's lair. I planned to use that very fact to our advantage.

Before Connie could respond, I pushed him into the darkness.

"Trust me, Connie."