All that remained where the child had been were horrific splatters of blood and pieces of flesh.
I sighed deeply at the cruelty of the church. I couldn't understand the minds of those who used children and arbitrarily abandoned them, nor did I want to.
"Are you okay?" I asked Verita.
"Yes." Verita nodded, but she didn't look too good. Her right arm was in terrible condition, as if it had melted. It was because she had extended that arm to block the explosion.
"You don't look good at all. Does it hurt?"
"If you ask me if I am in pain, then of course it hurts. However, simple physical pain can't break me."
By the time she spoke those words, Verita's arm was already growing new flesh. She had monstrous regenerative abilities. She could even regenerate an eyeball that was pulled out in an instant. So a mere arm meant little. Still, this didn't change the fact that I was indebted to her.
"Pain isn't something that should be ignored or endured. I think you should learn to complain a bit," I remarked.
"Huh?"
"In any case, I am indebted to you. I didn't think he would self-destruct."
"The minions of the Golden Horn are radical. They don't know what moderation is. They will set countless traps, but if that doesn't work, they resort to things like this."
"Yes."
Judging by her tone, Verita had already suspected or had a strong feeling that the boy was a believer.
I wanted to talk to her a bit more, but before I could, a loud crash came from outside. Then the door opened and Ramon rushed in.
"What was that just now... Gasp! "
Ramon's jaw dropped when he saw the tragic sight. The room where the little boy had been cared for was now bloody and foul-smelling. I would've reacted the same way.
"W-what is this?"
"The little boy was a church member."
"Huh? That kid?"
"I think he was possessed or something."
"Ah."
Ramon was probably familiar with the behavior of the church members. Even though he specialized in administrative work, he was still a hero.
"I see." He sighed as he quickly grasped the situation. Then he said, "I will clean this up."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. Lanfero just returned from the basement, so you can go down and talk about the stone door first."
"Then please."
We parted ways with Ramon and descended to the first floor. Then I spotted Lanfero seated at a table. He was staring intently at a piece of paper in front of him. He was so deeply focused that he didn't even notice my approach.
"Boss?"
"Yes. Sit down."
At the order of our superior, Verita and I sat side by side in front of him.
Lanfero said while still reading the paper, "It was noisy. What was the trouble?"
"The kid I saved was a church member. The moment I found out his identity, he self-destructed."
"That kid?" Lanfero frowned as if he'd heard something unpleasant. "A corpse explosion, huh. It is a tactic often used by the Golden Horn. Did you leave the cleaning up to Ramon?"
"Yes."
"Well done. The flesh or blood might be poisonous."
After speaking, Lanfero showed me the paper he was reading. It showed a pentagram with an ominous design. Inside it were all sorts of uncomfortable shapes.
"This is the magic circle that was underground," I said.
"Yes. I was just interpreting it," Lanfero said in a slightly embarrassed voice. "The magic circle has five functions: communication, corruption, preservation, linkage and movement."
I looked at him in confusion. Even if he said that, I didn't know what those functions meant.
Verita explained, "Communication enables contact with distant fellow believers. Corruption erodes all minds within the circle's radius, turning them into church members. In this case, it likely started with the village chief's house and gradually expanded to cover the entire village. Preservation prevents the sacrificial corpses from decaying. Linkage allows the offerings made here to be used in rituals occurring elsewhere."
"Aha. Then what about movement?"
"I'm sorry. I don't know."
"The space beyond the stone door is a different place," Lanfero answered instead. His red eyes, even darker in the daylight, turned toward me. "Luan, you said you went through the stone door, right? Was there anything unusual?"
I answered, "The cave inside was huge. If there was such a space under this village, it wouldn't be strange if it had collapsed long ago."
"Then maybe you were moved to a completely different space."
It made sense. If that was true, the space could be explained.
Still, it is a bit surprising.
Unlike Ramon, whom I had some understanding of, Lanfero Nosferatu was still a mystery to me. He didn't seem like a bad person, but it was hard to deny that he was deliberately hiding things about himself.
Yet at this moment, he'd let some of it show. Moreover, his knowledge was exceptional. At least, I had never seen someone so knowledgeable about black magic other than the Dark Fairy.
I asked, "But based on the way you spoke, it seems like the magic circle has more hidden functions?"
"Exactly. There is at least one more feature I haven't uncovered, but honestly, I'm not sure what it is."
"I see." I took the paper and said, "I have someone in mind I can ask."
"Who? I'm not doubting you or anything, but even a fairly skilled black mage would have a hard time interpreting this."
"The librarian of my family's underground library."
"Librarian?"
"Yes. Between dark magic, necromancy, and demonology, she is someone with a tremendous amount of knowledge in the dark arts. I was indebted to her during the academy incident."
Lanfero thought for a moment before saying, "A librarian of the Badnikers who is skilled in black magic... Is it Lise Ladygoth, the Black Sky Mage?"
"Do you know her?"
"I've heard the name. She is a famous person."
I wondered about that. Lise was a figure from at least hundreds of years ago, so it was unusual that Lanfero had heard her name. Moreover, his expression was so calm that it was impossible to tell if he had really heard the name or if he was lying.
Lanfero asked, "It is a decent idea, but do you have a way to consult with her from here?"
"This." I took out the key I had received from Lise. "According to her, it is a magic tool with the function of transportation."
"Oho."
"There is just one problem."
"What?"
"Lise is a very noble and proud mage, so she won't help for free. If we want her to interpret this, we have to offer a corresponding price. However, there is no way to obtain it here."
"What does she need? Money? Knowledge? Materials needed for magic or alchemy?"
"Cookies."
Silence briefly filled the room.
Then Lanfero said with a slightly disturbed expression, "Um... I suppose a bit of indulgence is needed when delving into magic. I can understand."
"Yes."
"Cookies. I will think about it a bit more. In any case, we have two options now." Lanfero raised a finger. "The first option is to enter through the stone door and ruin the ceremony that is likely taking place somewhere there. It is very dangerous and we might all die, but we might also catch them off guard."
He had a point. Before self-destructing, the Golden Horn follower had threatened us. It could be an empty bluff, but in the first place, threats like that were often made when someone was cornered.
In other words, the church's current dark ritual had likely reached a critical phase. It was one where the slightest disruption would be catastrophic.
"What about the second one?"
"It is to go to the Frostwolf Tribe's village right now and join with Feed. The commission he received is definitely connected to what happened in this village."
"But that will take a lot of time."
"That's right. If we make a mistake, we might miss the right opportunity and not be able to stop the ritual."
"How far are we from the Frostwolf village?"
The answer came from the second floor. "It would take at least two days."
Ramon was going down the stairs. It had only been around ten minutes. Had he already cleaned up the mess? This goblin definitely wasn't ordinary.
"A round trip would take four days. Considering the weather, it could extend to six."
"So it's unknown."
"That's right."
"Hmm."
I was weighing up the options when Lanfero said, "Either choice could be the right one, or the wrong one. So, I was thinking of leaving the decision to you."
"To me?"
"Yes. You went through the stone gate, right? You must've gotten a sense of the overall atmosphere."
"That is true. Then why don't you go and see for yourself, Boss?"
"I forgot to tell you, but there is a limit to the number of times the stone door can be opened. It is only once every three days. Since you opened it last night, we have to wait until the day after tomorrow to open it again."
"Aha."
The decision was annoyingly ambiguous. If it had been five days instead of three, I would have gone to join Feed's group without hesitation.
I thought back to when I opened the stone door and what lay beyond it. To be honest, I was so overwhelmed at the time that I hadn't properly checked my surroundings. It wasn't a place that felt particularly dangerous.
Thus, I came to the conclusion that there was something at the far end of the cave. Otherwise, there would be no reason for a church member to block the way.
However, it was strange that I hadn't sensed anything even though I carried the blood of a Great Family. More than that, it was bizarre and unnatural.
I said, "I think I need to give it more thought."
"Yes. We still have a day or two to spare." Lanfero stood up and said, "So, I want to try baking."
I didn't know if he was joking or not.
***
I returned to my room. After checking my surroundings, I cleared my throat slightly.
"Excuse me, senior brothers and senior sister?" I called out cautiously like someone knocking on the door of a sleeping person's room.
[The Blind Heavenly Demon is looking at you.]
[The Iron Ascetic appears.]
Two of my senior disciples appeared as if they had been waiting.
"You are both here?" I smiled with a slight sense of relief.
In the end, the method I chose was to consult with someone. Out of everyone I knew, these two were the most knowledgeable. I wasn't overestimating them. It was simply the truth.
Of course, that didn't mean the conversation would be particularly good. The worlds they lived in were too far away from mine, and they likely couldn't fully grasp the situation I was in.
Still, that didn't matter. I wasn't necessarily trying to get answers. Sometimes, it was meaningful just to express what was inside me.
"By the way, what about my third senior brother?"
[Tough Guy Who Skips Breakfast and Plays Hard at Internet Cafes is currently absent.]
"Once again, he isn't here today..." I hadn't expected much, so I wasn't really disappointed.
"The reason I called you this time..." I started to explain my current situation briefly.
[The Blind Heavenly Demon is deep in thought.]
[The Iron Ascetic remains silent.]
Once I finished speaking, both of them were deep in thought.
Well, I hadn't really expected an immediate solution. I had always intended to make the final decision on this matter. I just wanted to hear the opinions of my senior disciples, even if it was their rough thoughts.
I did feel sorry for dragging them into this troublesome business, however.
Once today's conversation ends, perhaps I should ask about the Book of the Birth of Heavenly Evil. If possible, I wanted to know more about the seventy-two evil beings that bothered my senior sister.
I was distracted by such thoughts when I was interrupted.
[I advise you to withdraw.]
A message appeared as if they had finished thinking.
"Huh?"
However, it was an unexpected conclusion. It didn't seem like something my senior sister would say. Her nature leaned more toward destruction. Was it perhaps my fourth senior brother?
[The Colorless Demon King advises you to withdraw.]
"Huh?"
An unexpected person had intervened.