It took quite a bit of time to bury them.
To ensure no smell or traces escaped, I had to dig fairly deep. Plus, I didn’t even have a shovel.
Who would have thought that such a situation would arise? It would be weirder to think, 'Oh, I might need to bury someone today; better grab a shovel.'
As a result, I had to use the orange-haired girl’s round shield to dig into the ground.
Damn it, I shouldn't have been making holes in the shield.
No matter how I used the shield to dig, dirt still seeped through the hole in the center, making it quite inconvenient.
'Curse you, past me.'
I cursed my past self while working. Today, I found myself missing my neighbor, Mr. Owl-Bear. If only that gluttonous friend were here, I wouldn’t have to dig at all.
Still, after about two hours of work, I was able to finish.
“Phew...”
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I glanced around to see that night had fallen and the forest was darkening. Naturally, Chae-rin had already returned to the city.
The expression she wore when we parted was quite peculiar. It was like a common citizen trying to pretend they hadn’t seen a crime scene.
... Yeah, this was my first time burying a person, so it was indeed a bit fascinating. I hadn’t expected to do something like this.
‘... Am I okay with this?’
I questioned my humanity for a moment. Perhaps having lived here for 23 years was making me gradually forget my modern sensibilities.
But I didn’t feel a sharp pain in my chest or break out in a cold sweat. My humanity seemed to be telling me that I was still okay. ... Or maybe it was already dead and couldn’t speak.
In any case, I had completed everything that needed to be done. Yet, there was still an uncomfortable feeling lingering in my heart.
The mere fact that these guys had come here was problematic in itself.
They weren’t here to see me, nor had they run away from something outside.
They belonged to the group ‘Lemegeton’ and had come looking for me, attempting to take me down.
Because of that, I had to labor for two hours digging in the ground.
And now, I needed to clean up the blood I had shed back at home.
“Damn those little bastards.”
Suddenly furious, I spat on the ground where the girl was buried.
If I could, I would’ve loved to urinate all over that spot, but unfortunately, I didn’t need to go right now, so I had to hold it in.
Given that my humanity wasn’t reacting, I was sure that he would allow it.
It was quite a shame, really.
Anyway, it was time to lay low.
The ‘Lemegeton’ would likely come to this forest several more times in the future.
As Chae-rin said, they were currently hell-bent on finding the 'Hood NPC.'
So, they had searched the city, and when that yielded no results, they had widened their search radius to this forest.
‘This is going to be bothersome for a while...’
I felt a headache coming on. I just hoped they wouldn’t find my hideout.
At least I had taken some measures to conceal myself. It was a disguise that they could notice if they got close, but it was better than nothing.
If I could remain hidden for a while, maybe they wouldn’t find me and would eventually leave.
With that thought, I returned to the cave to clean up the blood I had spilled.
And it was just a week later that those comfortable thoughts were shattered.
“Finally, we meet. It’s a pleasure.”
While exploring the forest, I encountered a woman.
She had long white hair cascading down to her waist and a cold demeanor.
As she looked at me, she slowly performed a deep bow, as if in prayer. There was a sense of an unknown etiquette in her gesture.
After raising her head, she began to introduce herself.
“I am Sephir, the second faction leader.”
“... Huh.”
I let out a long sigh.
It seemed that a rather bothersome person had appeared.
What kind of hierarchy does the Lemegeton have?
Even though it was a suddenly emerging cult, their power could not be ignored.
Worshipping demons was already problematic, and individuals capable of tearing apart imperial knights were emerging consistently.
Given the size of their organization, it was only natural they would have some structure.
Though there was a lack of information regarding this secretive group, surprisingly, the hierarchy was easy to find.
After all, several users who had joined the Lemegeton had revealed some details about the hierarchy.
The Lemegeton operated with a strict vertical structure.
At the top is the Grand Councilor, followed by the faction leaders, district leaders, team leaders, and laypeople.
How typical of a cult to have such a fundamentally weak structure.
However, one could not simply dismiss the role of ‘team leader.’
It was said that some individuals became team leaders for specific purposes.
In some cases, individuals of the faction leader level could also become team leaders... at least that’s what Chae-rin had told me.
It was a long explanation, but the conclusion was straightforward.
Right now, the second-in-command of the cult was standing before me. An executive of the highest rank after the Grand Councilor.
I had never seen how powerful a faction leader was, but there were some hints regarding this otherworlder from the Lemegeton.
[That doesn’t make sense; they’re not human.]
Of course, this was what Chae-rin had conveyed to me.
As a result, I had no choice but to raise my guard.
While I had never seen their skill firsthand, the mere fact that someone of faction leader caliber had come here was already problematic.
I decided to question her.
“... What’s going on?”
“I’ll be direct. Please join our cult. Manifestation bearer.”
As soon as we faced each other, she confidently referred to me as a manifestation bearer.
While I felt a stir of anxiety within, I maintained a poker face.
“... Manifestation bearer? What the hell does that mean?”
“Oh dear, you don’t need to play coy. I’ve already come fully informed.”
“... What do you mean?”
“The person who severed the left arm of our lord Seere a few months ago. That’s you, isn’t it?”
I flinched at her words.
While I managed to keep my poker face, controlling my physical reactions was another matter.
While I was caught off guard, the woman in front of me began to draw upon her mana, enveloping herself in it.
Like a blanket of snow descending, her once-white hair was soon tainted a murky brown.
“Well done using your head. ‘Illusion’ magic. While it has its difficulties to learn, nothing beats it for concealing your identity. Thanks to this, we were also caught off guard until recently.”
I smacked my forehead.
So they had figured it out.
Well, ‘Illusion’ isn’t some ancient mystical art that you wouldn’t be able to deduce.
However, I was still left with questions.
How, then, had they figured out I was in this forest?
As if reading my thoughts, she continued to explain.
“Our cult has many talented individuals. Among them, the second faction leader is quite adept at communication and tracking.”
When she mentioned ‘communication,’ I recalled a memory.
The figure I had encountered when I killed Rian, who was communicating through a blood-painted magic circle.
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‘No way...’
“And a few weeks ago, when we sent our followers here, we set up a safety mechanism. It’s nothing grand, really. Just a simple life-death confirmation function.”
However, the followers had lost contact here.
“It’s quite strange. They weren’t just any ordinary individuals. While they may have had bad personalities, they shouldn’t have been weak enough to fall to monsters. One of them was a district leader-level talent.”
This left only one answer. They had been killed by a human, not a monster.
But who could have done it?
Someone powerful enough to kill a district leader who could even use sword aura and was wandering in this forest.
The cult was currently searching this area for the 'Hood NPC.' They assumed that a manifestation bearer would not be living normally in the city.
Naturally, my thoughts turned in one direction.
The manifestation bearer they were looking for was in this forest.
“I didn’t expect that the person we were looking for would turn out to be such an exceptional man...”
For a moment, her gaze fell on me. A strange look passed over her face as her eyes swept from my face to my body.
Although her expression remained stoic.
Regardless, I sighed deeply.
“Phew...”
There was no one else around, and I thought I had covered my tracks completely.
But the moment one of their cult members set foot in this forest, the problem began.
In other words, I was caught in a trap.
Chaos ensued in my mind.
What should I do now? Can I hide? Is it time to deal with a faction leader?
“Ah, and please don’t get any silly ideas. I’ve already shared your information with the upper echelons of the cult. No matter what you do to me here, the truth won’t remain hidden.”
It seemed that this woman had a talent for reading minds.
“Then I’ll ask once more. Please join our cult. Individuals like you will be warmly welcomed by all.”
I spoke to her, Sephir.
“Fuck no.”
“... Why?”
“I don’t want to be devoured by Seere.”
“... Your language is quite crude for a gentleman.”
Sephir nodded.
“Well, if that’s the case. I understand.”
“Huh? You’re agreeing surprisingly quickly.”
“There’s no point in recruiting someone against their will, is there? I don’t know what the others think, but... I, Sephir the faction leader, respect the wishes of others.”
I tilted my head.
“That’s surprising. I thought Seere had been looking for me to devour me all this time.”
“Devour... Huh, don’t worry about Seere. While we worship demons, we aren’t simply dragged along.”
She continued speaking.
The next statement was somewhat shocking to me.
“And to be honest... Seere doesn’t have much time left. The King of Warriors has set out. He’ll have a hard time dealing with him without his left arm.”
“...! Finally! That disgusting gay bastard is going to die!?”
“... Please mind your language. I ask you kindly.”
It was quite a strange situation.
Even though they attempted to recruit me, they were revealing this information to an outsider like me.
Normally, such matters would be kept secret within the cult.
“But is it really okay to share such sensitive details with me?”
“Consider it a sign of trust. It means the cult desires you.”
She bowed again.
So, Sephir was far too polite for an evil organization’s executive.
“Then I’ll take my leave for now. Oh, don’t worry about the information spreading about a manifestation bearer. In our Lemegeton, manifestation bearers are highly valued. There’s no reason to let them be killed by knights.”
That was somewhat reassuring to hear. Of course, the situation was still quite bad.
“Then I’ll come again next week. Oh, someone else besides me might come next time, so be careful.”
Please don’t come, for the love of all that’s good.
With that, she gracefully departed the forest. I briefly considered capturing her, but it was futile.
Crash-!
Ice crystals enveloped her, and then they shattered, disappearing completely.
Was that some form of magic? It was an ability I had never seen before.
Left alone in a daze, I rubbed my temples.
It seemed that a pretty big problem had arisen...