Chapter 4 – Joy

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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It was a place that was always dark.

The sky, the ground, and the hearts of the people were all dreary without exception. However, for this moment at least, everyone was bubbling over with excitement and could not stop smiling.

The person with the loudest voice among them was none other than Ad. It was not surprising. He had shown the disposition of a storyteller ever since he was putting up a bluff after receiving the illegitimate procedure.

“At that time, the Angel just, right? Just! He appeared, and then….”

“I saw it too, punk. Stop pretending like you were the only one who saw it.”

“Tsk. A person is trying to tell a story. You just have to ruin the mood like that.”

“Why do you not tell the story of how you almost died and came back to life instead. Right? How about the time you screamed when your palm was being scraped buuuh-buck with a knife.”

“Sssss! Shush! Ahem!”

It was quite amusing seeing the people who managed to keep their lives sitting huddled together and boasting. It had also been a very long time since I heard the sound of people laughing.

In the first place, Last Comet was a game where half-formed monsters ceaselessly lunged at you amidst a dreary atmosphere. Let alone beautiful people, it was common for only hordes of beggars dripping with grime to gather.

A person who laughed in this kind of situation was top-tier among the top-tier.

Anyway, the angel’s appearance had brought smiles to their faces even in this situation.

That was how much of a tremendous impact an existence like an angel possessed.

Even before this, the Bell Tower shelter’s influence had been strong. But as if ringing the bell every time the Black Sun rose was not enough, an angel had even appeared. The people who had safely settled in other shelters would probably pack their bags and come here in a hurry as well.

Perhaps it might become the one and only survivor group. When considering the monsters that would endlessly swarm in and the people trembling in fear, the angel’s appearance was undoubtedly a welcome sight.

However, I could not purely rejoice.

Instead of standing beside the people who continuously praised the angel’s achievements, asking questions was all I could do.

“Do you happen to know where Priest Bartol is?”

“The Priest? Ah, he went up the Bell Tower.”

“The Bell Tower?”

“Yeah. He is an elderly person, after all. He said that even if he works as the bell ringer, it would be better to be put inside after the sun sets.”

“Thank you.”

The moment I left, they quickly returned to their stories about the angel.

It was only natural. The word angel was being heard from every direction. The only place where it could not be heard was the stairway heading up toward the top of the Bell Tower. Passing the guards dozing off, their heads nodding, I stepped on the steps again and again.

Every time I went up a floor, wind blew in through the haphazardly nailed wooden planks. Eventually, when I arrived at the top where the bell was, it was so dry that my lips even dried out slightly.

Bartol was using a fist-sized box as a chair while gazing at the distance beyond.

“Priest.”

“Hmm? Oh, young man. What brings you here? The lower floor seemed to be quite boisterous because of the Angel.”

Bartol woke up from his thoughts as I called out to him.

And before my mouth could open, he desperately spouted out words as if trying to avoid something.

“You were surprised too, right? When the Angel spread his wings, the Corpse Demons instantly cowered away. Even in a situation where an old man like me stepped forward holding a weapon. He struck away dozens of Corpse Demons with a single gesture.”

“I was surprised in a different sense.”

“Is there another part to be surprised about….”

“The angel’s recovery speed.”

Bartol, who had been pouring out words like rapid fire, shut his mouth.

Even if one had lost their divine power, the life they lived as a priest remained. Unlike me who knew it as game knowledge, Bartol had gained his knowledge through a lifetime of dedication.

Bartol and I.

The two of us knew how the miracle of a sickly angel raising its body was possible.

“You said you luckily obtained livestock. Livestock that had not been butchered even in this chaos.”

“If that were not it, is there any other reason why the Angel recovered his power.”

“Priest… You know it too.”

“…..”

Having heard even these words, Bartol tightly closed both of his eyes.

There were largely two ways for a heavenly existence to recover its power.

One was from the stars and heavens, their origin, and the other was through offerings. However, offering tainted souls and bodies would only cause harm. Angels did not consume just anything like those existences of hell.

It was just that it was less known because it was a heretical method that the gods strictly did not permit.

Human sacrifice.

A ritual where a person who had resolved to sacrifice themselves offered their spirit and flesh to the angel. If it was not this, the abnormal recovery speed could not be explained. Furthermore, judging by how the situation was turning out, it was difficult to lightly gloss over.

“And I checked before coming up earlier.”

“Checked what, are you saying.”

“The children. I cannot see the children.”

It was because there was a horrifying possibility.

It was a question that would sound extremely unpleasant.

However, Toddle answered by bursting into a hollow laugh and waving his hand dismissively.

“I wondered what you were worrying about.”

The phrase ‘does it look like something not to worry about’ rose right up to my throat, but I held it back.

Seeing him reply without changing a single expression, he was a person who could absolutely not be interrogated without solid evidence. Still, unable to withdraw my suspicion, I continued to stare at him, and Bartol, who came with me, asked instead.

“Then, where on earth did the children who were here go?”

“To think even you are like this, Priest. Oh well, it was a matter to be discussed anyway, so it might be good to tell you now.”

“You were intending to tell me?”

Toddle rubbed his arm along with a good-natured smile and nodded. All without his eyes wavering even once.

“Actually, lately the Corpse Demons and the dead have started targeting the Bell Tower.”

“Is it not simply because the number of shelters has decreased?”

There were nine shelters around the time when I opened my eyes.

Now that only three were left, including the Bell Tower, it was natural for the monster hordes that had been scattered to gather. However, what Toddle was trying to say was more serious than this.

He had pointed out a difference by recalling his memories of leading the Bell Tower for a long time.

“We exchange simple signals with the other shelters using fire. It is roughly asking how the previous night was. But for the past few cycles, the hospital and the mansion, the shelters around here, were safe, and the Bell Tower was the only place that was attacked.”

“That is….”

I stopped myself from speaking.

I was itching to speak. Because I realized why the attacks were directed toward the Bell Tower. What was the reason I was hiding the fact that I was a god? It was because of that damn divine power.

The monsters were tracking the divine power used by heavenly existences.

Since the dying angel somehow managed to begin using power, it was obvious they had noticed the signs.

“Hence, out of concern for the children, we temporarily divided them among the other shelters and evacuated them. It is dangerous, but because it would be safer than this place that gets attacked every time the sun rises.”

“Mmmm.”

“Since we lack both time and people, we have not even been able to check the broken glass of the chapel yet. We cannot leave the children in a place like this.”

“I suppose so… Hmm.”

Toddle’s explanation was flawless.

Everything fit perfectly front and back, and he even informed us of facts we did not know together with it.

The majority of people would have nodded in relief.

However, I, who possessed game knowledge, and Bartol who had accumulated knowledge his whole life, could not discard the feeling of unease. Because no matter how much we thought about it, human sacrifice was the only way for the angel to recover his power.

It was at this time that Toddle, noticing our hesitation, dropped a casual remark.

“Phew, I even sent my own son to the hospital anyway. A father is prone to forget while being chased by all sorts of work, yet it is truly a blessed thing that you two, the Priest and the young man, care for them like this.”

At those words, Bartol’s gaze changed.

It seemed he had built a relationship with Toddle’s son before being exiled from the Bell Tower. Recalling the child who had never lost his smile even in this chaos, Bartol displayed a bright smile.

“Oh! Ted… Right? That one who went around smiling bravely!”

“You really are something, Priest, remembering him again. That little guy kept singing that he wanted to take after you, Priest, to the point where I scolded him a few times asking if he meant to not let his father see any grandchildren.”

“Tsk. I told you it was a vow of celibacy taken out of exhaustion after my divorce.”

“I am sure it was. Hahaha!”

The atmosphere, which had been stiff with suspicion just moments before, softened surprisingly.

Having found a topic to relieve each other’s tension, the two conversed and laughed for a long time. There was nothing more to gain from this conversation. I had to look elsewhere.

One might consider it paranoia, but it was impossible for an angel to recover easily. At least according to the knowledge I knew.

Now, while Toddle’s attention was entirely focused on Bartol, was the right opportunity.

“Well, the Angel.”

“The Angel’s wings.”

“The Corpse Demons instantly.”

People were still excited by the miracle of the angel and the martial prowess the angel had displayed.

Ad, who had been receiving scoldings, was standing tall in the center of the crowd at some point, blooming with conversation while using hand and foot gestures. Beneath the sky where all the stars had fallen, it was the moment when the bonfire’s light shined the brightest.

However, the place I was heading toward was slightly different.

Even amidst such overflowing joy, it was a place where a gloomy aura still lingered.

I retraced the path I had taken to meet the angel earlier.

The path that had been marked by anxiety and wariness was now polished with earnest prayers and tears. The people who were sitting blankly when we first arrived were now kneeling with their hands clasped together, murmuring in prayer.

“Please embrace the people who have gone to your bosom with your warm wings.”

“O you who have come to save the dying as one who was dying.”

The words were somewhat twisted, but what they meant was clear.

Angel.

The people who had been staring blankly only at the far-off mountains until just before the Black Sun rose, had somehow become fervent believers, paying no mind to whoever passed by. They merely shed tears and continuously bowed their heads.

The destination of these prayers was, as expected, the angel residing at the altar.

The platinum halo shining even more radiantly, as if responding to their faith.

The angel merely stood still with his silver glowing eyes covered by his eyelids. Nevertheless, the best course of action was to avoid arousing suspicion. After kneeling toward the angel and offering a prayer once like the other people, I moved to a place out of the people’s attention.

Still, he was an angel in name at least.

=It appears you did not come seeking answers.=

There was nothing offensive about it.

Rather, it would be strange not to be noticed here.

I naturally extended my hand and pointed to a broken stained glass window in one corner of the chapel. I meant the glass window that was boarded up with planks, but had holes gaping between them.

“I came to acquire a glass knife to use when scraping out corpse poison.”

=Diligence is a virtue.=

The angel’s interest quickly faded.

Thanks to that, I could proceed toward the stained glass without worry.

In that place, there were glass shards that had been broken not long ago, which were left as they were because the unfolding situation was too urgent to handle them. It was exactly as Toddle had said.

Subsequently, the moment I took out the glass knife I used during Ad’s procedure from my inner pocket, my brain as a gamer activated.

Last Comet was a game with heavy randomness.

However, it was a game equipped with a minimum level of conscience, leaving behind clues to cope with the random variables as well. A game that seemed blocked but definitely had a method to break through somewhere….

That was why I played Last Comet like crazy.

Clatter.

I first placed the glass knife I used for the procedure down on the floor. Then, I picked up the large glass shards that had not yet been trampled on, one by one. The next step was simply to piece them together one by one.

Occasionally, there were pieces where the paint had peeled off or pieces with scratched edges.

However, they were sufficient to put together the overall shape.

Clatter.

Every time the broken glass shards were patched together, the shape was being completed. A golden wheel. However, the part that should have formed the spokes of the wheel was vacantly empty.

It was not a miniscule size, but a size large enough to grip with a hand. Even when comparing it with the part still attached to the window frame, or checking if it had perhaps fallen outside, the result was exactly the same.

The empty part that I could not fill was enough to substitute for a sharp dagger.

As soon as I confirmed this fact, I stood up and kicked the glass pieces I had painstakingly assembled to scatter them.

***

I had to aim for the Angel’s next recovery cycle.

It was easy to estimate when that would be.

It would be just before the Black Sun rose, when the purple-black brilliance erupted from the horizon.

It was certain that they would move while everyone’s attention was focused on the Black Sun.