## Chapter 108 – Cultists of the Underground Waterway
I volunteered to lead the explanation on behalf of our group.
Claudie remained silent, with Meria and Copson adding interjections here and there. I described what I had felt and seen as accurately as possible, without any embellishment. I conveyed the truth itself, devoid of any fabrication or distortion, for the sake of peace in this world.
“…So, they were incredibly evil. Black smoke, black gargoyles, black eyes! As soon as they saw us, they let out screams that didn’t seem of this world, chanted spells, and attacked. Those fiends wielded wicked magic, and every time they swung their wands, the darkness that enveloped the air was terrifying! They seemed to believe that if they did so, the world would be plunged into darkness… That darkness! The darkness constricted our hearts, Copson! Copsooon!!”
Recalling that shocking memory, I tore at my hair and cried out Copson’s name. Copson then looked down at his palm with a desperate gaze, as if all the evil of this world was contained in his grasp, and said,
“That’s right…! They were the very essence of evil in this world…! Reverend, do you feel it? This primal sin! Demons! They were demons! There was an altar! There was an altar, and the path to reach it felt like walking through a terrifying maze, no different from the corridors of the Palace of Subjugated Demons, which is said to connect Abyssus, Pandemonium, Hell, and Infernal beyond this world! That altar burning with flickering flames of darkness…! Ah, hell! Altar of evil!!!!!!”
He, too, tore at his hair and fainted.
“Aaaah! Too horrible! I don’t want to imagine it anymore! That head! That altar!”
Meria’s exclamation was the final touch. The senior priest, witnessing our horrifying state, began to tremble. Even his steadfast faith couldn’t suppress his fear. He, too, ended up screaming.
“Ugh, uaaah!!! Verde! Please watch over these little beings!!!”
He clutched his rosary tightly, banged his head on the desk, and cried out to God. We glanced at each other and exchanged triumphant smiles.
For an impromptu, exaggerated performance, we were surprisingly well-coordinated. I didn’t know Copson could talk so well. He, too, was born with the qualities of a natural con artist.
White teeth gleamed in the darkness. We mocked the trembling priest.
As expected of a religious man, his imagination regarding demonic things was rich. All sorts of nightmarish beings must be swirling in his mind right now.
“Hoo… Hoo… So, where did you find them?”
The senior priest, barely regaining his composure, calmed his trembling body and spoke. At that signal, we once again convulsed in terror, clutching our hearts.
“Underground waterway! Where the darkness swirls!”
“A terrible, terrible place! A place where desperate screams rage!”
“Demons are sleeping there! The most powerful demons!”
As the priest tried to tear at his head (bald as it was) again, Claudie calmly explained.
“Um… the fourth level of the underground waterway. They were there. There were also symbols, so it would be good to check those out too.”
“Yes. That’s exactly what we wanted to say.”
It was time to get to the point. We had added enough seasoning. After listening to Claudie’s monotonous but accurate explanation, the priest summarized what he had heard and asked us again.
“So, you’re saying that you found these evil beings, gargoyles, and an altar, along with the same kind of terrible symbols as the tattoos on their faces, on the fourth level of the underground waterway?”
“Aha, you understand perfectly. That’s exactly it.”
“Hmm… This is a serious matter. To think that such beings have infiltrated the city…! It’s fortunate that we discovered them early. Very well. May the blessings of Verde be with you for helping to adjust the scales.”
With a serious expression, he held up his rosary and made a bizarre sign of the cross.
His hand was still trembling, and his movements were imbued with trained restraint. Seeing him genuinely terrified made me start to feel sorry.
The reality was that we had just gone in and smashed everything without question.
It wasn’t a particularly righteous act, and it was more like a miserable robbery that we could be rightfully criticized for.
“I will consult with Lord Isvant in the near future to investigate the waterway. No, I should go talk to him as soon as the sun rises. Zermeia, are you there?”
“Yes.”
The senior priest, changing his tone, called out the name of the priest who had just left. The priest, who had answered immediately, opened the door and came back in.
“Give them that. There are four of them, so take out the right number.”
“Understood.”
“Saints. Please wait a moment while I prepare a reward for your efforts.”
At those words, I suppressed the urge to grin and looked at my companions’ faces.
“…Heh.”
“Heh heh…”
They had similar expressions. It felt like laughter was about to burst out. A reward, a reward! After acting so serious, what kind of reward was he planning to give us!
Trying to hold back my laughter, the crushed greed inside my mouth began to ooze out. Perhaps it was our hearts that were truly evil.
Anyway, it seemed we had done something big. I turned to Claudie’s face with a confident expression. “I can’t stop you,” she said quietly. Ah, damn, I love it. Ah, really ah. It was so good that my heart was bouncing, so I heard a warning, “Don’t make such a stupid face. It’s good, but… restrain yourself.”
“I’ve brought it.”
The priest Zermeia, holding a luxurious-looking box, came in again.
It was a golden box with an impressive ruby embedded in it, with colors that seemed to burn the world… Surely he wouldn’t give us that, he must be planning to give us what’s inside.
“Here, please accept this. It’s something our church has put special care into making. I believe it will be a reward for your efforts.”
The priest said, and opened the box.
What was inside wasㅡ.
“Oh my!”
“I can’t believe it!”
The two idiots burst into joy.
What on earth could it be? I was so excited, and also afraid and scared, that I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes. It felt like waiting to watch the lottery broadcast on the day I had confidently declared, “No lie, this time I’m 100 percent going to win.”
ㅡHwaaaaa!
I squinted my eyes open, and a dazzling radiance struck my eyes!
Could it be jewels! Jewels! Ah, information jewels! Giant! An unknown excitement soared, and my eyes snapped open! What was in front of me was!
“Our church’s pride, High-Grade Holy Water.”
No, holy water, you son of a bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Son of aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, you, you son of a bitch, this is holy water, you bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What unfolded before my eyes was holy water in a small glass bottle the size of cosmetics. The sky-blue light it possessed was truly the color of skin lotion. Hey, you son of a bitch. Ah, damn it, really ah.
You son of a bitch!
I couldn’t bring myself to utter the rising curses and swallowed them inside. Then my insides instantly began to rot. It was a natural result, having swallowed such great anger inside.
“H, High-Grade Holy Water!”
Copson blankly accepted the glass bottle. It seemed like joyful greed was streaming from his eyes.
“Oh my, oh my! It’s holy water, holy water!”
Unlike me, who was going crazy and about to jump up and down in frustration, Meria and Copson were gaping and drooling. They seemed to be incredibly happy.
From long experience, I knew very well that holy water was simply water that had become shitty, limited to ghosts. It wasn’t long ago that I had been backstabbed by mid-grade holy water.
However, my two friends were otherworldly beings who disregarded such practical aspects and were masters of superstition, so they were overjoyed just by hearing the words “High-Grade Holy Water.”
“High-Grade Holy Water contains the power to melt evil creatures in an instant. It even has the power to prevent evil spirits from approaching, simply by possessing it… though there is a time limit. I hope you will accept it with joy.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Thank you so much!”
The idiots expressed their fervent gratitude. That wasn’t an extension of the play we had been performing about the evil altar earlier. Clearly, the actors who had been acting until just now were now transcending acting and expressing genuine emotions. It was a sacred sight in a way, but I didn’t feel particularly good.
Because holy water was bullshit.
“Barbarian, let’s go back now!”
“Yeah, yeah! Let’s get out of here quickly!”
They grabbed my hands and pulled me. I was in a state of shock, having become something similar to a soft-bodied animal. Claudie accepted me in that state, and she whispered softly in my ear.
“Heh heh, an uncontrollable impulse? Aren’t you going to do that this time?”
“Jee… sus…”
We came outside, escorted by the priest.
Yeah, damn it… it’s okay since I received this much…
“Barbarian, what are you going to do with that dagger now?”
“Ah, the dagger? This shit, I need to sell it quickly, but I don’t know if I can sell it with the time like this.”
“Hmm, do you have a specific place to sell it? It’s a dagger that looks special, so I don’t think you’ll get its true value if you just take it to a blacksmith. Shouldn’t you take it to the Magic Tower or the Alchemist’s Guild?”
Meria pointed out a fairly important point. But to think of selling it to the Alchemist’s Guild, she’s still short-sighted. As I always say, they were truly heinous swindlers. Copson, who had a history of selling a staff for a pittance, nodded.
“Well, there is a good place. But I don’t know if they’re open now… No, isn’t it rude to visit at this hour in the first place?”
“Are you talking about the witch’s shop we went to together last time? It’s scary, but it looks like a dagger used for altar rituals, so it would be best to sell it in a place like that.”
“Witch’s shop? What’s that?”
Copson told Meria about how much I had sold the staff I found in the dungeon at the witch’s black magic shop. Then Meria covered her mouth with both hands and jumped up.
“Th, that can’t be… Then should we go there first?”
“If we wake her up by pushing the dagger in her face when it’s time to sleep, won’t she get angry?”
“No, witches usually operate at this hour, don’t they?”
“Is that so?”
Convinced by those words, we decided to go to Risha’s shop for now.
Claudie frowned, wondering if we were going to that unpleasant place again, but I wrapped my arm around her waist and comforted her a little, and she seemed to calm down and said it was okay.
And so, we rummaged through the back alleys of the slums again.
It was so dark that we had to turn on the lantern and move around even here. As we walked, vagrants with ominous glares began to stare at us from the alleys. Probably half of them were robbers. Some grumbled that the lantern light was blinding, and others muttered about why outsiders were coming in at this hour.
“What are you looking at, you bastards. Go to sleep.”
When I spat those words at them, they quickly quieted down and left.
“Go to bed early.”
We finally arrived. I had been there so many times that I had completely memorized the way. It was Meria who brought it up, but she, too, seemed to be frightened by the eerie appearance of the building, along with Copson.
Claudie remained silent and leaned against the corner.
“Hey, Meria. Let’s go in together.”
“C, could Katt go alone?”
“Why? You’re Ozaemae.”
“No, that’s…”
“You cowardly shit. You’re just like Copson, just like him.”
“I’m not afraid at all.”
“Then let’s go in together.”
“Actually, I’m scared.”
Anyway, I ended up going in alone again this time.
But when I stood in front of the door, I became a little hesitant to go in. No, think about it logically. Isn’t it dawn right now? Knocking on the door at this hour is bound to be unwelcome, no matter what the intention. Who would welcome it?
…But she told me to come again, so maybe it’ll be okay.
I hesitated for a long time whether to knock on the door or not. When I turned around, Copson shouted quietly for me to go in quickly. That son of a bitch, really.
I was worrying like that when.
ㅡCreak.
The door, which I hadn’t even touched, opened automatically. For a moment, my heart fell to the floor, and I bent down to pick it up for a moment. A cold voice reached my ear.
ㅡCome in.
