Chapter 63
Killing a Constellation isn't easy.
After all, they held the position of gods; they couldn't just die so easily.
At least not without imparting some sort of trial, a lesson to the players.
The developers wouldn't allow their deaths.
The ‘Visitor’ was a particularly nasty one.
An unexpected event that triggered when the Progress reached its peak.
To check the player Constellation, the Constellations rooted in this land joined forces and summoned an Outer God.
They would come to deeply regret this foolish act, realizing its consequences in the ensuing hell.
Back to the present.
-Swish! Wag!
Watching the vigorously wagging ash-gray tail, I turned my gaze back to Fenrion.
The wolf beast-kin, eyes half-closed, was smiling, seemingly enjoying my touch.
Pure affection, devoid of any killing intent or the uneasiness of one plotting a scheme.
‘Was she unknowingly contaminated?’
When a follower was mentally contaminated, they received stat debuffs and became hostile towards the Constellation of their Religious Order.
In other words, if I left things as they were, there was a high probability that Fenrion would become hostile towards me.
“Anything strange happen lately?”
“Strange… you mean? Nothing like that happened!”
A lie?
I considered the possibility that she was lying even to me, her Lord God, but dismissed the suspicion for the moment, based on her personality.
“Hmm, I see. Did you talk to Bella?”
“Yes! She was still gloomy and edgy. I’m much better suited for the Divine One, right?”
Honesty was one of the beast-kin's virtues.
They expressed their emotions without reservation and would dedicate their lives to those they favored.
“You should still get along.”
“If that’s what the Divine One wishes, I will!”
“Fenrion is a good girl.”
Responding to her honest reaction with an equally honest compliment—
“Heehee.”
Fenrion made a melting expression and nuzzled her head against my palm.
“I… I firmly believed the Divine One would return. I continued to protect the Sanctuary even when Lisia and Belladys left the Religious Order!”
This was consistent with the Constellation placement I had made in ‘Ragnarok’ before I was isekai'd.
I would take followers I was more attached to, like ‘Lisia’ and ‘Belladys’, on holy wars and dungeon explorations.
And I had stationed Fenrion as the Sanctuary’s protector.
‘This makes me feel bad.’
「Black Sun's Incarnation: Why?」
‘She kept waiting here while I was gone.’
Although she wasn’t bound by a leash like a country dog, a much heavier sense of responsibility must have weighed down on Fenrion.
“Thank you.”
“Because that’s the meaning of my life.”
A wave of emotion washed over me.
The endless love of a follower always inspired me.
「Black Sun's Incarnation: But earlier…」
‘That’s a separate issue.’
The Black Sun sharply picked up on the mental contamination issue.
It was indeed a problem that needed to be addressed.
I understood her unwavering love for me, so I needed to carefully analyze what was causing us discomfort.
That bastard.
Called the Visitor, a name that triggered ancient PTSD.
He was a Constellation from another world, possessing power beyond comparison to the Constellations rooted in this world.
With just one of his followers, he could wreak havoc on an entire Religious Order.
「Child of the Lost Star: It is said that the Visitor is completely sealed because of your Religious Order.」
‘Sealed, my ass.’
He was practically half-dead.
I had taken extensive measures to ensure he could never escape.
“Hmm.”
But it seemed a crack had appeared during that hateful ‘Void period’.
After all, it was my Divine Power that maintained his seal.
「Child of the Lost Star: Even considering the Void period, that Constellation, the Visitor, is quite formidable.」
The Star Child, detached from worldly affairs, made that assessment.
‘Right. He’s fucking strong.’
I had recklessly waged holy wars and fought for the world’s survival in the game…
…but I didn’t want to antagonize the Visitor in this reality.
I wasn’t confident I could handle him while also managing the surrounding situation.
「Child of the Lost Star: Oh? Even the Absolute Being says so?」
「Black Sun's Incarnation: …Hey, don’t you get it yet? The Absolute Being must have enjoyed it back then.」
‘Whoa. How did he know?’
It would be a lie to say the battle with the Visitor wasn’t fun.
I had been so engrossed in the game that I stayed up all night strategizing against him.
Ignoring the strangely perceptive Black Sun, I withdrew my hand from Fenrion.
“Heehee, Divine One.”
Fenrion, just like the follower I knew, was expressing her affection for me.
‘What’s the problem?’
Normally, a mentally contaminated follower wouldn't show such a docile attitude.
Frenzy, seizures, depression, etc.
Numerous mental debuffs would manifest, potentially leading to a severe state of denial of existence and blasphemy.
「Cast ‘Superior Blessing’ on the target?」
I was about to remove Fenrion’s status ailment, but a thought stopped me.
「Black Sun's Incarnation: Shouldn’t you get rid of it right away?」
‘That’s the thing.’
If Fenrion’s condition was a typical mental ailment, the impurity would have spread to other followers as well.
But the Sanctuary was currently peaceful.
It was as if a cherished secret was rotting from the inside.
I pondered for a moment.
Then, I withdrew my Divine Power from my hand.
‘I should leave it be for now.’
「Black Sun's Incarnation: …Are you sure?」
‘That will make them more anxious.’
I would have to keep a closer eye on Fenrion.
If there was ‘something’ rooted in the Sanctuary, starting with her, I would have to act immediately.
“Get along with Bella.”
“If that’s what the Divine One wishes, I will!”
“Yes, yes.”
I looked at the follower with a smile.
The unwavering trust of someone who only cared about me and was willing to jump into a fire pit at my command.
‘Though I don’t think she’ll die.’
The follower’s destructive stats fueled that belief, but I didn’t add fuel to the fire.
“You can go now.”
“Oh…”
But seeing her tail droop when I told her she could leave, even I couldn’t help but feel confused.
#
Fenrion was a beast-kin abandoned by her kind.
Her ash-gray fur and tail were a mark of a curse.
For a race that valued tradition, such a phenomenon led them to abandon the child.
‘It’s alright.’
Beast-kin matured quickly.
But that didn’t extend to mental maturity.
In short, her past was quite rough.
She became violent to protect what was hers, devoid of mercy.
Rumors spread in the back alleys to beware of the ash-gray bitch.
But there was someone notable in the back alleys—
Fenrion, struggling to survive in the nameless back alleys, encountered a follower one day.
-Will you serve the Father God?
‘Are you another one of those damn prayer-mongers?’
-…Divine punishment.
That day, Fenrion experienced an overwhelming sense of defeat.
The memory of her trusted strength being easily broken.
The cause of that phenomenon was a red-haired follower who always spoke of the ‘Father God’.
Fenrion became a priest of the Father God.
Free food and lodging provided.
In exchange, she had to make space in her heart for the Father God.
Liking the terms, Fenrion quickly became one of them and achieved mental maturity there.
“Mmm…”
And so, now…
…Fenrion, having spent another devout day, let out a heavy groan in her bed.
Her consciousness sank into a deep sleep.
A darkness where nothing could be seen.
-Clank.
Within it, one of the countless chains stirred.
Fenrion couldn’t see or feel it, but she strongly believed…
…that the being beyond the darkness resented and hated everything in the world, to the point of not even allowing her existence.
‘Who are you?’
She asked in fear, but there was no reply.
However…
“…!”
The eyes, which had been closed until now, fixed their gaze on Fenrion.
It wasn’t a human gaze.
One, two, three, four… countless…
Numerous eyes watched Fenrion, shaking the very foundation of her insignificant existence.
A transcendental being.
For such beings, infiltrating someone's mind and making them unknowingly carry out their will was child's play.
-Bring me the Absolute Being.
The Visitor whispered to Fenrion.
An unreasonable being who had descended upon the world by sacrificing numerous Constellations, once threatening its very existence.
The Visitor, longing for a reunion, gave the order.
An order given from a world of mere illusions, a world she might not even remember.
But Fenrion, unaware of having had such an experience, woke up from her dream.
“…”
Clutching her aching head, Fenrion got out of bed.
“What was that?”
Having forgotten all the memories of her dream, she left her room to start her day.
#
「Warning! The ‘Visitor’ has recognized your presence.」
「【Visitor】
▶Progress Level: Extremely Dangerous!」
「Warning! The target’s seal has weakened.」
「The ‘Visitor’s’ Divine Power is approaching your follower, ‘Fenrion’.」
「You have unclaimed rewards.」