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While those who had been killed were beyond help, those who were injured could be treated with magic and potions. Lucella swiftly dispatched any attacking monsters, and once the area had quieted down, she and Ivar provided first aid to the wounded.

“«Divine Blessing: High Healing»”

The temple chief followed suit. His staff, when wielded, had the power to heal the wounded villagers.

“Temple Chief, so you can use holy magic too, huh,” Lucella noted.
“Of course, they only prepare the ritual space. They don’t use curse magic themselves. That way they will remain pure enough to use holy magic. It’s a common practice among priests who want to conceal their true faith. That’s why the temple warns, ‘Do not serve God with two masters in heart,’” Ivar responded.
“Ugh…”

The villagers, including the temple chief, were silent. It wasn’t just that their faith had been exposed, but more that they were baffled and in a state of panic, unable to comprehend what had occurred.

“Let’s return to the village. It’s not safe here.”

Guided by Lucella’s flames in the darkness, the villagers followed like a procession of zombies. These villagers had served an evil god that lorded over monsters, which was what allowed them to make a midnight excursion into the forest – an act that would typically be suicidal. However, those same monsters had just attacked the believers. Their sense of safety was already gone.

“Oh damn…”

The village was no different. Leaving the gate wide open without any guards was a recipe for disaster, and the inevitable had happened.

As Lucella reached the village, she was met with the smell of blood. Right inside the open gate, three Legion Wolves lay dead, and the village’s watchman, Dovelo, sat beside them, clutching a blood-stained battle-axe and panting heavily.

“What happened here?”
“Monsters came in force. I managed to protect myself, but…”

Dovelo accepted a healing potion from Lucella and drank it, and the potion’s restorative effects quickly mended the deep, gnarled wounds on his leg, producing white vapor as they healed.

“If you’re both unharmed, that’s good, but where were you? The villagers too…”
“Let’s discuss that later. What’s the extent of the damage to the village?”
“I don’t know… I was so focused on fighting here… I did see at least ten monsters enter the village, carrying children and babies in their mouths as they fled. I didn’t know which houses the children belonged to, but I heard their screams fading into the distance…”

Dovelo’s words left not just Lucella but everyone else in shock.

“What did you say?!”

The temple chief, his face ashen, trembled with a quivering voice.

Before dawn, a reinforcement guard unit arrived from the nearby city of Gartbera. However, the investigation into the cult worship itself would have to wait for the arrival of inquisitors, and for now, the guard unit’s task was to assess and report the extent of the damage, as well as investigate the incident where the two adventurers were poisoned.

The villagers were placed under a curfew, and the village was shrouded in tense silence during the daytime.

“It’s mostly the children, babies, and women who came from other villages… And also the elderly folks who couldn’t move well. So basically those who couldn’t take part in the ritual. Are you saying they were the ones attacked?”
“The adults were devoured, leaving behind their corpses. All the children have disappeared.”

In the makeshift investigation headquarters at the inn, which now doubled as a tavern, the guard unit received a situation report from Ivar and Dovelo.

“What’s going on, Temple Chief?”

The temple chief was also present, wearing a mask and handcuffs and bound with ropes. He wore a bitter expression and shook his head.

“This is… unimaginable. Well, it is, but not expected to happen now…”
“Save the riddles. Spit it out. If you’re truly honest, maybe you’ll be taken to the guillotine instead of being burned on a stake,” Ivar said sternly, causing the temple chief to tremble. The guards didn’t seem to object to Ivar’s attitude; they might have found it convenient.

“What are those creatures?”
“When our lifespans come to an end, Lord Hapshal, through his messengers, calls us. Then we obtain the next cycle.”
“The next cycle? Is that different from the ‘Unified Myth’ and its concept of reincarnation?”

The temple chief shook his head in response to Lucella’s question. His demeanor seemed to carry a sense of lament. Was he lamenting the world, the people, or himself?

“In the ‘Unified Myth,’ past lives have no value. You’re born as someone else and all the achievements from your previous life are taken away. Can that truly be called reincarnation? It’s just reusing the soul, making it into someone else. Lord Hapshal is different… By His divine hand, He elevates us, granting us eternity. After death has purged the impurities of this world, we are reborn as pure, powerful infants.”

His tone was almost like a plea, and there was no indication that he saw this belief as evil. Lucella refrained from passing judgment. The Lucella of her past, when she was ■■■■■■, had been indifferent to her own life and death, and now as a dragon’s daughter with no heaven or hell, she assumed she would simply return to this world when she died. Such beliefs didn’t require her to refute him.

“We are all born in this village, die here, and are born again… By practicing, we can recall our past lives and turn them into power. Even I am the same. I’ve been temple chief three times. Each time, I’ve prayed and accumulated power.”

Lucella, the guards, and the others were all left in astonishment by this unbelievable story. He was a skilled mage, as Lucella had sensed from his healing magic the previous day. His magical abilities were on par with high-level adventurers, almost wasted as a simple village temple chief. If he had undergone multiple lifetimes of training and discipline, such abilities were indeed plausible, but it was still hard to fathom…

“The more I hear, the stranger it sounds. This Lord Hapshal seems to be doing as he pleases. Especially if children and young people decrease, a small village like this could disappear at any time,” Ivar pointed out.

The temple chief lowered his head in response. “Sometimes, Lord Hapshal seeks sacrifices. We do not shy away from that. It only accelerates the cycle. However… I cannot fathom Lord Hapshal’s true intentions this time. It’s as if…” The temple chief hesitated and ultimately left his thoughts unspoken. But his intentions were clear. It seemed as though he might be deliberately allowing the few valuable believers to be destroyed.

“What about the children? Why were they abducted? Are they being devoured by monsters somewhere?” Ivar pressed.
“…Children are supposed to be still alive,” the temple chief replied.

If children had been taken away under the influence of the cult, it would become a matter for the guards to address. When the guards questioned further, the temple chief answered.

“Lord Hapshal only seeks their lives during the most special and unique ceremonies. The abducted children will remain alive until that time. They are probably now…” Suddenly, it happened. The ground shook as if propelled upwards, and the windows rattled.

Fear began to well up from the ground, surging up onto Lucella’s back. Not only Lucella but everyone present lifted their hips and stared at the ground. The malevolence was so palpable that everyone noticed it. Simultaneously, Lucella sensed the odor of burnt chemicals rising.

“It stinks!”
“Hey! Something’s really wrong!”

Suddenly, something emerged. Like a rain leak seeping through, a black substance surged up from the gaps in the floorboards. It split into two like a snake’s head, forming upper and lower jaws.

“Ah!? Aaaaagh! No, please! Please forgive m–”

And then swallowed the temple chief and vanished.