Chapter 138 – The assassin abducts a shrine maiden
Chapter 138 - The assassin abducts a shrine maiden
Translator: VALIANT
I infiltrated the cathedral.
It seemed there was no barrier inside it.
I kept my Tuatha Dé eyes activated to detect any magic traps, and at the same time, I relied on my observant assassin eye to watch out for physical traps.
From this point on, a single moment of carelessness could prove fatal.
On the way, I saw my reflection in a mirror, and smiled sarcastically.
I know I had no choice, but I still can’t believe I went with this disguise.
I was dressed as a woman when I came here.
The section where the Alam Karla was located was only accessible to nuns.
Luckily, the Alamist clothing worn by nuns had a loose skirt, so I could walk with my knees slightly bent to appear shorter.
Also, it conveniently came with a hat with a thin veil.
If I hid my face with it, it would make it hard for others to tell that I was a man, and even if they considered me a stranger, I wouldn’t seem too out of place.
I headed for my destination while following the blueprint of the cathedral I obtained from Nevan.
My goal was the great bathroom.
This was the only time Alam Karla would be alone.
I stopped, stood by the wall, and bowed in the typical Alamist fashion.
This area was supposed to be off-limits to men, yet I saw a man here. Judging by his outfit, he was probably a high-ranking priest, but he was short, fat, and seemingly vulgar.
Instead of passing by, he stopped and came my way.
Did he notice that I’m an intruder?
[You, the nun. Raise your head.] (Fat priest)
When I did as he asked, he removed my veil.
[Mm-hmm. A real beauty, but I prefer them younger… Never mind. Take your leave.] (Fat priest)
[Understood.] (Lugh)
Looks like even Alamism has been tainted by the mundanities of the world.
That’s what I understood after I saw his lust-filled eyes.
He came here on a daily basis to toy with the nuns.
This must’ve been due to a demon becoming the Pope… or not. Religion was a place where money and power gathered. Both of them corrupted people, and attracted even more corrupted people.
As far as I knew, no matter how remarkable the religions were, this was what happened to all of them once they grew large enough.
I had seen it happen many times in my past life, and I had been tasked to eliminate those who had succumbed to their own greed just as many times.
I sure am glad I was so thorough with my disguise.
I didn’t really need to disguise my face since I was supposed to hide it under a veil, but I was glad I took that precaution anyway.
…Although, if my facial disguise had actually matched his tastes, he would’ve taken me to his room, giving me a different kind of trouble.
I’m almost there.
Better move on without losing focus till the end.
I was hidden in the ceiling of the great bathroom.
And waiting for the Alam Karla to come in. I used a spell to synchronize my vision with the wind and check out the situation below.
I felt guilty since I was basically acting like a voyeur, but this was the one and only time she was on her own.
It was almost time for her bath, according to Nevan’s intel.
I heard footsteps, then the person I was waiting for appeared.
A woman with white hair, white skin, white everything. She was dressed in a thin, skin-tight garment. I was already surprised when I first met her, but she really reminded me of that goddess.
I suppressed my breath and hid my presence.
Then, without making a sound, I climbed down from a secret trap door I had built in the ceiling while I was waiting for her, approached her from her blind spot, wrapped my arms around her from behind, and covered her mouth with my right hand.
[Hmm-?! Hmmmmm…!] (Alam Karla)
The Alam Karla panicked and struggled, but she couldn’t move much. I was restraining her with the skill of a professional.
If I had suddenly appeared in front of her in the bathroom, she would’ve obviously screamed and caused a scene.
So I had to go about it the rough way.
I whispered into her ear.
[I am Lugh Tuatha Dé. I’ve come to your rescue per request of Princess Farina.] (Lugh)
Hearing this, the Alam Karla turned quiet.
The reason I mentioned Farina’s name instead of Nevan was because the latter was acting as the former’s body double when she came in contact with her.
[I’m going to unhand you now, but be careful not to talk too loud or make too much noise so that the attendants outside won’t notice.] (Lugh)
She nodded.
Once I was sure that she had calmed down enough, I released her.
[Thank you very much for coming to my rescue.] (Alam Karla)
She thanked me in a whisper.
For some reason, she had brought along her own makeup set. And her lipstick too, which was convenient.
It would seem more natural to use her personal items than the ones I brought along myself.
[You can thank me later, we need to get out of here first. But before we do, I want you to write a note with your lipstick and leave it on the wall.] (Lugh)
[Um, why?] (Alam Karla)
[We don’t have much time. I’ll explain later. Here’s what you’ll write: “The great goddess has invited me to her realm. Please do not worry, I shall return some time later.”] (Lugh)
The Alam Karla gave me a puzzled look, but did as I said anyway.
This was a small step, but it was more convenient for us to attribute her disappearance to a miracle of the goddess than to let others assume that someone had kidnapped her.
We didn’t want anyone to look for her and her abductor, and if they thought Alam Karla was kidnapped by some thugs, her name would be tarnished.
I arranged for the news that she had disappeared due to a miracle of the goddess to be spread by the nuns in the form of a rumor inside and outside the cathedral.
[Okay, let’s go. Hold on tight.] (Lugh)
I held the Alam Karla in my arms and let the wind carry me back to the ceiling. At that moment, her white hair instantly fell out. …No actually, it was a wig. A wig that was concealing her red hair.
Don’t tell me I picked a body double? …No, she’s the real one. I know, because somehow, she has the scent of that goddess on her, like I do.
Alam Karla desperately held her wig down on her head. And there was something else that didn’t feel right. My clothes were stained white from touching her skin. The color of her skin was fake, as was her hair.
It made me curious, but that would have to wait.
I climbed up to the ceiling through the secret door I used to come down, sealed it tight, and we came out through the ventilation opening on the roof.
And then, using the route I had found beforehand and confirmed to be safe, we headed for the shelter.
I had prepared a house in the Holy Land.
It was a safehouse I had found with the help of the Orna Trading Company. I bought it in the name of a fictional character, and I had one in every major city of the kingdom.
I brewed her some relaxing herbal tea to calm her down.
[We’ve got a lot to talk about. Where should we start?] (Lugh)
[…Wouldn’t you like to ask me about my hair and skin?] (Alam Karla)
[Let’s start with that, then.] (Lugh)
This girl was the Alam Karla. And now, she took off her wig and removed white paint from her skin.
Her real appearance was that of a girl with red hair and pale skin, but only at the limit of what was humanly possible, and not like the goddess’s inhumanly white complexion.
[As the great goddess’s spokesperson, the Alam Karla is required to look white, just like her. All the Alam Karlas who preceded me were also compelled to paint their entire body white. …Only a handful of people, including the Pope, are aware of that.] (Alam Karla)
[I see. That’s why the great bathroom is the only place where you’re alone.] (Lugh)
People of high standing would often bring a retainer with them to the baths so they would take care of them.
And when you were a super VIP like the Alam Karla, you’d want to have someone by your side at all times to protect you.
[Yes. It’s the only place where I can go back to being not the Alam Karla, but just Liane.] (Alam Karla)
[Looks like you’ve got your own hardships.] (Lugh)
[I was ready for them. All I had to do was listen to the goddess’s words and share them with others, then I was assured a good livelihood.] (Alam Karla)
Judging by her words and attitude, she didn’t originate from a household of high standing. She was a girl who was given this position because of her ability to hear the voice of the Goddess.
She was here simply because she was compatible with the Goddess.
When I first met her, she seemed mystical, but the girl I had in front of me was all too normal.
[I see. …And that’s why you asked for help, even if it meant quitting your job.] (Lugh)
[Yes! Because otherwise, I’d be killed. Along with you.] (Alam Karla)
[Me too? I’d like to know how you came to learn about that. I heard from Princess Farina that the head of the Church has been replaced by a demon, but how did you realize that?] (Lugh)
That was the biggest question I had.
If she had the ability to identify demons disguised as humans, there’d be nothing else to address, but that was probably not the case.
Though imperfectly, that demon managed to keep his true identity hidden by posing as the head of Alamism, the religion that gathered the highest-ranking clergy in the world. His ability to conceal himself was a cut above the rest, so if it were that easy to see through his disguise, he would’ve never opted to replace the Pope to begin with.
And she didn’t seem to have any information-gathering skills either. I understood this much after talking to her. She was just a woman who could hear the voice of the Goddess.
[Well… The Goddess borrowed my body to speak with the Pope- I mean, the demon. And I was still conscious all the while, so I remember what the two of them talked about.] (Alam Karla)
I was stunned.
That goddess talked to the demon in person?
I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
Is she in cahoots with him?
That’s… actually not impossible.
The Goddess’s goal was to preserve this world, so if all the information I had gathered so far was correct, demons and monsters were the enemies of humankind, but not the enemies of the world.
It was even possible that the Goddess would join hands with the demons.
[Please tell me what they were discussing.] (Lugh)
Whatever the case, I had to hear her out first.
Depending on how you looked at it, this was a stroke of luck. Because I would gain crucial information from a conversation between the Goddess and a demon at this stage of the game.