The Priest of Corruption

“What will you do?”

When the demon asked, Mother, in her arms, looked at me with trembling eyes.

'Kill....?'

She asked, 'You won't do it, right...?' It was certainly an attractive offer that was comfortable and even easy. But the two eyes of Writhing Curiosity watching me were filled with a deep sense of playfulness. As if she was having fun watching me troubled.

I replied with a smile.

“Enough joking around. It's already hard enough.''

The demon chuckled. Brushing off the cigarette ash, she put it in her mouth again and answered me.

“Was that obvious?''

“You must have a reason for sending me to the underground arena. Why is that?''

“It has something to do with you and your Mother.''

Writhing Curiosity held Mother in her arms, and Mother struggled as she was buried in the demon's chest. Writhing Curiosity had a really big heart.

'Kill!!!'

I

I momentarily turned away from Mother's struggles, a paradoxical choice for her sake, but I knew she would understand.

“Please, provide more details.”

'Kill!!!'

Mother bit her hand, causing her to playfully exclaim, 'Ouch!', before responding to me.

“Consider this, Son of Corruption. Why would I stake the relic I've protected all this time as the prize for winning this underground arena?”

Could it be that someone was tormenting the demon, coveting the holy relic, to the point where she had no choice but to offer it as a prize for victory? The only possible tormentors of the demon were clear.

“I presume the evil god worshippers have emerged.”

She responded with a broad smile.

“Correct! You've hit the nail on the head! It's refreshing to have someone catch on so quickly. They were such a nuisance that I tossed it into the underground arena as a prize, hoping they would take it themselves. However, the situation has now changed.”

She pointed the cigarette stick towards my face.

“I did this not because I favored the irritating evil god worshippers, but because I hadn't found anyone deserving of it. Are you suggesting I should eliminate the evil god worshippers in the underground arena?”

“Why not just covertly hand me the Holy Relic? It would take a mere second to restore the divinity.”

“If you restore the divinity, the evil god worshippers will instantly become aware. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to participate in the underground arena and eliminate the evil god worshippers.”

She extended two fingers, then began to explain, slowly folding them one by one.

“Firstly, you'll need to retrieve the relic from Liberatio yourself someday. Oh, are you familiar with Liberatio?”

I nodded, and she chuckled before continuing.

“That's good. You should seize the opportunity to reduce the number of enemies. It will be beneficial when you eventually confront Liberatio. Remember, this is the capital of a kingdom. Do you understand what I'm implying?”

I grasped the demon's meaning. This was the capital, where priests resided unlike in other places. Even evil god worshippers couldn't easily use their powers here, especially during times of heightened vigilance against them. Moreover, I was immune to attacks that lacked divinity. It was the perfect condition for stalking the evil god worshippers.

The demon's eyes curved softly, her mole adding a vulgar touch.

“I see you understand.”

What should I do? After pondering, I met her gaze.

“I have no intention of killing indiscriminately just because I'm an evil god worshipper.”

“Really? That's surprising. I thought you killed quite a few on your way here.”

“Each had its own reason.”

They had committed genocide against the innocent, right in front of me.

The demon slowly licked her lips.

“You're living in a complicated way. Well, I like that even more. Hang on a minute.”

Writhing Curiosity rose from the bed. Freed from the demon's grasp, Mother quickly ran into my arms.

I patted Mother's back, watching the demon. She retrieved something from a closet in the corner of the vast bedroom.

They were living human eyes. The demon looked at me.

“So, if I give you the 'reasons', you would kill them?”

The eyeballs in the demon's hand burst, but instead of flesh and body fluids, white powder spread and seeped towards me.

It was a memory.

Screams. Pleas for life. Ruthless slaughter. Torturous pain. More screams. Endless screams. Unfathomable cries.

'KILL!'

A firm voice jolted me awake. Regaining my senses, I saw Mother baring her teeth and growling at the demon.

Writhing Curiosity looked at me and smiled quietly.

“Do you think you have a good reason now?”

The memories that had briefly permeated began to fade gradually, as if they never intended to linger. Only the vague impression left by the memories remained.

“What... is this?”

“Well, you must have guessed? Those are the memories of the evil god worshippers who participated in my underground arena. What do you think? Is this enough 'reason'? The 'reason' that you can kill them without guilt.”

After a brief silence, I responded.

“Is it all true?”

The demon smirked before replying curtly.

“Unfortunately?”

***

As soon as I exited the demon's bedroom, Dachia drew a deep breath.

“Ugh, that was truly unsettling. Priest Marnak, didn't you feel anything? The moment I stepped into the room, I felt short of breath, almost choked. That's why I couldn't speak freely.”

The Writhing Curiosity must have done something to prevent Dachia from intervening in the conversation.

“But do you genuinely wish to participate in the underground arena?”

I nodded.

“Yes. Even if I lose, she promised to take care of the relic. I believe it's worth doing what she wants.”

The fleeting memories gave me even more reason to participate.

Dachia studied my face.

“But just before we left the room, the demon whispered something in your ear. What did she say?”

She had suggested that I could secretly visit her in bed whenever I wanted, but if I mentioned that here, Mother would be furious again.

I only shared what the demon added to the proposal.

“She advised me to bet on myself if I'm confident about winning. Since it's an underground arena, I think there's a dividend if you correctly predict the winner.”

'Kill! ! !'

Mother declared that she would bet all our current money on me. It wasn't a bad suggestion. I was quite confident too.

Invest money and retrieve it.

I looked at Dachia and smiled.

“For now, let's return to the dorm. It's getting late.”

***

[I've been searching for you for ages! Where on earth have you been wandering?]

Upon our return to the dorm, we were greeted by none other than Aurelius.

“Why were you looking for us?”

[I've decided to assign a separate case to you guys. And I've brought something for you. Let's go up to my room first.]

We followed him to the largest room in the inn. On a large table in the room, two items were placed.

A plain black mask. And a ring.

[Sit down. I've already given Sajita Carmen's share. Carmen is currently confined, so it will be difficult for me to deliver it to him personally.]

Dachia looked at the ring and the mask.

“Were you waiting for us to give these directly?”

[Of course! Isn't it more satisfying to receive it directly from the giver? Come on, take a look. This ring is my gift to Lady Dachia.]

Ancient words were etched into the brass-colored ring that was almost golden. The ring was a relic. A relic of the ancient empire.

As Dachia accepted the ring, Aurelius began to explain, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

[This ring enhances the finesse of magic handling when worn.]

Dachia's eyes widened as she asked Aurelius.

“Then, isn't this incredibly valuable?”

Aurelius smiled and shook his head.

[It's not as valuable as you think, Lady. Wearing that ring limits the amount of magic you can wield. In other words, it's a tool for practicing how to handle magic effectively. It's exactly what you need to practice magic in full swing.]

Dachia looked at the ring and smiled broadly.

“I'll use it well!”

Aurelius looked at her contentedly and handed me the black plaid mask.

[This is a relic, just like that ring. Take a good look.]

As I put on the mask, it quickly fragmented into hundreds of pieces and transformed into a shape that fit perfectly on my face. Moreover, it constantly changed its form.

[This is a mask that morphs into the shape the wearer desires. It's not very strong, but even if it's broken, it will regenerate itself over time! Don't you get a lot of blood

and gore on your face due to the nature of the Immortalium weapon? If you use this, it'll be a little less.]

Aurelius removed the mask and handed it to me. I carefully accepted the mask and said.

“Still, these are all relics of the ancient empire. Wouldn't it be costly for you to give them away like this?”

[Not at all.]

With a smile, his exposed teeth gleamed with a golden light.

[The cost of my life is on another level compared to these relics. I'm deeply grateful to both of you for saving me from dying in the snow.]

***

As the oil-filled lamps flickered, the host of the underground arena shouted loudly.

“It's coming! It's coming! It's coming without hesitation with those big feet! The name everyone knows! Let's call it out together!!!”

“Bigfoot! Bigfoot! Bigfoot!”

“I bet on you! Bigfoot! Crush it!”

“Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ! !”

Amid the cheers, a man three heads taller than a robust adult emerged, moving his big feet, living up to his nickname.

Thick armor covered his entire body, and a massive iron club hung over his shoulders.

Bigfoot smiled contentedly amidst the crowd's cheers.

“And Bigfoot's opponent is a rookie!!! Welcome him with cheers!!!”

As soon as the host finished speaking, a man in a jacket emerged from the waiting room.

His muscles bulged, reminiscent of a leopard. He wore wide black trousers and a black mask over his face, similar to a modern hockey mask.

As soon as he landed, he jumped off the floor, and using his flexible muscles, made exactly four spins in the air before landing gracefully.

“The opponent of the experienced ‘Bigfoot' is the ‘Human Butcher,' intimidating by name alone!!!”

When his name, ‘Human Butcher,' was announced, Marnak stretched out his hands, strutted around the vast arena as if it were his own room, and incited cheers.

A warm cheer erupted from the audience at his clever action.

“Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Did you see that? Did you just see that? Spinning like a top in the air?”

“That was insane! Insane!!!”

“Don't lose, Bigfoot!!! I bet on you!!!”

Was this the same guy who claimed he didn't know what to do because it was his first time in a place like this? He seemed too engrossed.

Dachia, who was watching the scene from the crowd with her robe hood tightly drawn, spoke in a bewildered voice.

“Is there some kind of history in there...?”