Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Village of Fear (4)

#20

Igra the Silent Dancer.

Objectively looking she is not a very high-ranking god.

Just looking at the seat in the pantheon being a shaded corner one could tell.

‘Honestly until I came to this village I didn’t even know such a god existed.’

Still since she is a god she held a small number of believers in various places on the continent.

What she demands is not silence.

It is the scream of the sacrifice that rings out in the silence.

Those kidnapped by peddlers lured by warm light and believers become the sacrifices.

Most of the kidnapped sacrifices are children.

After learning that setting, Bran had never left this cultist village alone.

“Y-you···?!”

Leodorn’s eyes widened.

Bran was a person who should not be here.

Losing words and gaping, he shouted at the top of his voice.

“What are you doing! Run away right now!”

“As expected you were alive. I’ll save you soon uncle.”

“Saving my ass, I said run away quickly!”

It was despairing. He had been inwardly relieved that they were not captured together.

What kind of bizarre act is returning on his own feet when he can’t even run away?

“······.”

The residents were only quietly watching him.

From the serious faces not a shred of sense of crisis could be found.

The two escorts burst into soundless laughter.

“Heh.”

“······Huh.”

It was clear mockery.

Even though the leader elder had died there was no sign of agitation.

One escort pulled out the dagger embedded in the elder’s forehead.

Then peeling off the sack, a miserably smashed face was revealed.

“Uuk, chew.”

Leodorn retched.

Brain fluid was flowing from the hole in the forehead that was pierced open.

Putting the blood-soaked sack on his head the escort finally opened his mouth.

“What did you say kid. No one can return alive?”

It was recycling that was thrifty to the point of disgusting.

It seemed he could only speak while wearing that sack.

Like a hijab? There are all sorts of funny doctrines.

“I’ll rate that guts highly. But how can a guy like you?”

“A guy about to die is curious about all sorts of things.”

“Impudent··· well I didn’t like you from the time you interfered in the swamp. Just ruining the board I had carefully laid.”

The escort growled.

As expected the wagon of Leodorn being stuck in the swamp was the work of those two guys.

They must have scared the mules or tampered with the wheels.

From the time they were hired they had intended to make him a sacrifice.

Leodorn was aghast.

“Damn it, as expected it was your guys’ doing! I thought the price was strangely cheap!”

“It was the old man who contracted saying it was good. I’ll kill you after taking care of that kid so wait quietly.”

Clang. The escorts drew their longswords.

The blades that reflected the torch scattered crimson light.

Perhaps because they had experience eating sword rice the posture was quite good.

At the mouths of the residents··· no, the cultist group a smile full of mockery had risen.

‘Very leisurely.’

It did not seem simply because Bran’s action was ridiculous.

He understands. In the chapel there was a reliance besides those escort riffraff.

For a moment, Bran’s hair stood on end.

“Mm···!”

It was killing intent. It was the moment Bran retreated.

A shadow that fell from the ceiling drove down on the place Bran had been.

The ground was dug and dust scattered, but strangely no sound was made.

Leodorn had a fit.

“Hueuk! Th-that is?!”

A shadow that seemed 3m slowly raised its body.

The two arms embedded in the ground were bent like a mantis’s scythe.

The outline of the body resembled a tall woman, but it was an existence far from human.

“······.”

There are no facial features. It does not make a voice either.

Darkness boiling like lava was composing the entire body of the monster.

Bran raised an eyebrow.

‘Seeing it in reality it’s even more unpleasant.’

Seeing it directly is the first time since entering this world.

A low-ranking dark spirit that low-ranking evil gods often use.

An existence usually given as a gift to believers with deep faith.

“A guy with good luck once. To dodge that.”

The escort clicked his tongue.

It was the look that he did not know he would dodge the spirit’s surprise attack.

Bran did not answer, but honestly he agreed.

‘It was good I didn’t loosen my guard.’

No presence was felt from the spirit at all.

It was thanks to receiving the blessing of silence, Igra’s authority.

The reason no sound was made in the previous surprise attack was also because of that.

Hoooooo···.

The same murky energy flowing from the divine statue was wrapping the spirit’s body.

“But there will be no second fluke. Servant of Igra, bestow eternal silence upon that unbeliever!”

At the same time as the escort’s shout the spirit charged.

The arms that had been waving elongated like whips. Two scythes rushed toward Bran.

An attack made of mana that splits a person’s body like tofu.

However Bran did not retreat.

『The light of morning enhances Smash!』

Rather he charged toward the spirit.

It was the moment the club accelerated by Smash collided with the dark scythe.

Boooom!

A bright flash exploded and swallowed the spirit.

“Wh-what?!”

The escort was astonished.

Soon the light subsided.

Saaaaaaa···!

The spirit’s body was scattering while torn to shreds like dandelion seeds.

The morning light wrapping the club was wavering even more fiercely.

It was a disappearance so trivial it drained energy but a natural result.

『You drove out darkness with the power of morning.』

『Proficiency in handling light increases slightly.』

『The Morning Goddess Rawiena has recognized your existence.』

Because Rawiena was a goddess of incomparably higher rank than Igra or anything.

The leisure disappeared from the faces of the escort and the cultist group.

“Th-the servant Lady Igra bestowed···!”

“Sorry but.”

Bran shook off the blood on the club.

Exactly the difficulty he expected. This is why the first button is important.

Compared to the hardship experienced in Blackstone Fortress this was nothing.

“The previous workplace was quite hard.”

“Damn! Right now that kid···”

It was right before the man ended the words.

Bran who ran out while kicking the ground swung the club horizontally.

Creak.

The shining club dug into the side of the escort wearing the sack.

“Guk.”

The sound of the spine breaking was heard. The man’s eyeballs bulged out.

The moment Bran put strength into his waist, the body folded in half flew toward the cultist group.

Twaaaang-!

The people who collided with the man were bounced like bowling pins.

Desperate screams burst out from various places.

“Kyaaaak!”

“M-my arm!”

The silence broke.

People with broken limbs were rolling on the ground. At least five seemed to have become disabled.

The corpse of the escort folded in half was convulsing while foaming at the mouth.

“Oh··· ooooh···!”

Leodorn’s mouth opened wide.

Bran looked like a completely different person from when he pulled the wagon out of the swamp.

The remaining escort shouted in a terrified voice.

“E-everyone kill! Cover him at once!”

“Offer the wicked unbeliever to Lady Igra!”

The cultists charged.

The rule of silence had been broken long ago.

Among them were included the man who opened the gate, and the women who poured drinks.

Although they had spent a briefly pleasant time, not a speck of hesitation or sympathy arose.

“The point that I can really kill the ones who should be killed is good.”

Because those were already not humans.

Stab!

When Bran swung the club the head of the escort right next to him exploded.

Gripping the club with both hands again, Bran jumped into the wave of cultists.

****

It did not take a long time for silence to find again.

“Huu.”

Bran dropped the club soaked in blood.

As soon as it left the hand the light subsided.

The surface was cracked as if it would break if swung a few more times.

Ptui. Looking around, Bran spat.

“All fall to hell.”

True silence arrived.

One hundred and three cultists had all turned into corpses.

The liquid that flowed from the broken heads was wetting the remains of the victims.

He hoped this would resolve the grudges.

『You achieved victory in the fight with the cultist group. Weed’s Tenacity activates!』

『The growth speed of Strength and Agility increased slightly.』

『Due to repeated skill use the destructive power of Smash increases slightly!』

He also achieved some growth.

Perhaps because they were not strong enemies the reward was more modest than expected.

Still he was satisfied. Because what Bran was really aiming for was not this.

Sweeping up the bangs stuck with blood water, Bran approached Leodorn.

“Uncle. Are you okay?”

“······.”

“Uncle Leodorn.”

“···Huff!”

Leodorn hunched his shoulders.

He had been spacing out for a moment so he did not hear Bran’s voice.

“Y-yes··· I’m fine. Sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry for. Fortunately you’re safe.”

Twaak! Bran tore the rope that bound him with his bare hands.

The merciless slaughterer had returned to a kind boy again.

Staggering and standing up, Leodorn barely opened his mouth.

“···Bran. What on earth is your identity?”

“Just an ordinary mercenary. I told you.”

“No··· this is far from ordinary. With this skill··· maybe···.”

Leodorn muttered something.

It seemed he was organizing words to say separately.

Anyway it seems there are no injured places so fortunate.

Confirming the safety, Bran brought his hand to his mouth and shouted.

“Kale! You can come in now!”

It was a size that could be heard sufficiently beyond the door.

He had made Kale wait outside the chapel.

Even if it was the work of cleaning up trash that was not even human, the mental shock given by massacre would be something difficult for a kid of that age to bear.

But the answer returned from a closer place than expected.

“U-uung. I was waiting.”

“Eh?”

Bran turned his head.

Kale was standing next to the altar.

The thin legs were trembling.

The complexion was pale as if he would faint at any moment, but only the eyes were alive intelligently.

“What. Surely you saw everything from beginning to end?”

“···Yes.”

“Why did you do that? I clearly said to wait outside. I said it doesn’t matter as long as you pray well.”

“H-how could I do that.”

Suddenly Kale shook his head.

“What?”

“W-we decided to save the world together. While Bran is working so hard, how can I sneak out alone?”

Kale answered in a shrinking voice.

It seemed he had been inside the chapel from before the massacre began.

Taking a deep breath he continued.

“Huu··· it’s fine. I was a bit surprised but.”

“Kale. You.”

“I won’t dislike whatever Bran does. We promised.”

Somehow Morning’s Blessing seemed to last longer than expected.

It was because Kale had narrowed the distance while risking danger.

Bran unconsciously burst into a hollow laugh.

“This impudent bastard.”

And he roughly messed up Kale’s hair.

“Uwaaaa! D-don’t···!”

“Already posing? The sprout is really yellow.”

Of course it was irony.

Admirable guy.

Kale resisted while waving both arms but because he was so short it was useless.

Removing his hand, Bran smiled crookedly.

“Yes. Thank you for understanding.”

“Uung, it’s a natural thing.”

“There will often be things like this in the future. It’s a world where evil spirits that are only people on the outside run rampant.”

The world of Return Road is not much different from reality.

Of course there was the advantage that super physical therapy was possible here.

Anyway, now it was time to achieve the purpose of coming to the cultist village.

“Now it’s your turn Kale.”

“Yes. I’ll try.”

“Earnestness is important. You’ll do well somehow.”

Nodding, Kale walked in front of Igra’s divine statue.

The evil god’s murky energy was now violently surging as if water spray was occurring.

‘It makes sense to be angry. Killing a bunch of believers that were already few.’

It was evidence that Igra was angry.

But the action Kale would do from now would provoke even more anger.

“Lady Rawiena.”

Kale placed a hand on the divine statue.

Hwaaak!

The murky energy that touched the light retreated as if startled.

Originally it was an action that deserved to go crazy or be cursed, but to Kale born with noble blood a low-ranking evil god or anything could not affect him.

“Please clear the darkness. Let the dawn rise in the place where the wicked silence retreated.”

The prayer of purification was recited.

An aggressive prayer that pushes out the influence of another god with the power of a god.

Since it was information Bran had told while rummaging his memory the content of the prayer text had a high possibility of being wrong but it didn’t particularly matter.

What was important in prayer was earnestness and clear demand.

Koooooo!

The murky energy wrapping the divine statue began to fluctuate madly.

[Gam, hi···!]

Suddenly some woman’s voice rang out in the chapel.

A chill swept the entire body. Anger boiling in the voice was tinged.

Rumble!

The entire chapel began to shake.

“She seems quite heated.”

Cold sweat flowed down Bran’s temples.

It must be Igra’s own voice. The pressure given by the divine rank made the limbs tingle.

However it was not to the point of making an excessive fuss.

『Igra’s anger covers you!』

『Morning’s Blessing offsets the evil energy.』

『Mental Power value is high. You are not intimidated!』

This is why he raised Mental Power to endure things like this.

Moreover ordinary gods cannot directly intervene with mortals.

The only one dying is Uncle Leodorn who has no resistance to divine rank.

“Kyaaaak! Delpa!”

“It’s fine so continue, Kale.”

Kale did as Bran said.

The disheveled platinum hair was shining brighter and brighter.

Creak!

Cracks were occurring on Igra’s divine statue.

Fluctuating murky energy. Shaking chapel.

The evil god’s voice turning into incomprehensible muttering.

Just as the unwavering prayer continued.

Boooom-!!!

Igra’s divine statue that had been covered in cracks exploded.

Fragments flew. At the same time part of the chapel ceiling collapsed.

Bran pulled the napes of Kale and Leodorn at the same time.

“Hiiik?!”

“Hueuk!”

The place where the two had been was buried in debris.

It seemed the rain had stopped at some point. Night wind swept the chapel.

Blue moonlight poured down below the hole pierced in the ceiling.

Suddenly, the sensation of warmth rising through the blood vessels wrapped Bran’s body.

『The rank of Morning’s Blessing has risen.』

『The faint Morning’s Blessing evolves into the Tranquil Morning’s Blessing!』

“Aha, as expected.”

Bran’s face brightened.

It meant that Rawiena’s anger toward Kale had subsided a bit.

『The stats obtained from the blessing increase.』

『You obtain additional resistance to dark attribute damage.』

『Damage inflicted on dark attribute enemies increases.』

As expected the performance of the blessing also increased substantially.

Although the modifier “faint” only changed to “tranquil,” the change due to that was quite large.

Precious stats of attribute damage resistance and additional damage.

Since dark attribute is one with many fights it was even better.

“I’ll use it well.”

Bran smiled.

The moment he raised the club high as a sign of thanks, messages announcing the change rose one after another before his eyes.

『You destroyed the sanctuary of the Silent Dancer, Igra!』

『You intervened in the power struggle of the gods for the first time. The pantheon recognizes your existence!』

The message of the content he had truly been waiting for.

『A new stat, Divine Power has been created!』