[A follower of another god approaching you is harboring murderous intent. Caution is advised.]
This is ridiculous.
So you're saying someone infiltrated the Temple of the Gods just to kill me?
I'd at least understand if it was someone staying in the temple who held a grudge against me.
After all, there's no shortage of people who've suffered at Ordell's hands.
But why would a follower of another god do this?
Ordell is a fake Saintess and doesn't do any of the duties of one, so she shouldn't have even interacted with anyone from another temple.
"..."
Shivering with injustice, I closed my eyes again. Then, pretending to shift in my sleep, I rolled to my side.
Because of Ordell's notoriously vile temper, no one stays near her quarters.
And with even Victoria gone now, there's no one I can call for help.
I have to get through this on my own.
[Warning! A follower of another god is rapidly approaching you.]
The only fortunate thing is that I'm not completely alone.
I stared silently at the AI system that continued displaying warning messages.
Beep, beep, beep!
The warnings ringing in my head grew more urgent and rapid.
As if someone was getting closer and closer.
Then—
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!
At the exact moment the alarm blared madly—
[Activating skill: Physical Enhancement.]
I pulled the hand I had hidden beneath my pillow and swung it through the air.
Thwack!
A satisfying impact reverberated from my fingertips.
"Guh-ack!"
With a painful groan, something heavy crashed to the ground.
As I rose slightly, I saw a figure wrapped head to toe in pitch-black cloth trembling beneath the bed.
Blood was trickling from the head they were clutching—thankfully, my hit had landed well.
"Wow, this thing's perfect as a weapon."
I looked at what I had swung with satisfaction.
What I'd hidden under the pillow, thinking it might be useful as a weapon someday, was a jewel box.
Specifically, the divine item "Box Made Out of Boredom," which had once held the relic of light.
"So this is why people say some divine items are tougher than actual relics."
I glanced at the sword lying next to the intruder, who writhed in pain.
Anyone who sneaks in at night with murderous intent and a blade can only be one thing: an assassin.
Thank goodness the divine item was tough. If it hadn't been, my skull would've been the one to crack, and the thought alone made fury well up from deep within.
"Who the hell are you?"
I nudged the fallen intruder with my foot.
The impact from the divine item must've been significant; the guy still wasn't coherent.
That's what you get for coming after an innocent person.
"I should tie him up so he doesn't escape…"
I instinctively reached for my waist, only to feel smooth fabric.
Right—I'm not a cop anymore. Of course I don't have handcuffs.
Rope? Obviously, I don't have that either.
No choice, then. I started stripping the intruder's upper garment.
"Ack… no…"
"Stay still."
The guy started squirming, as if he suddenly came to his senses, so I smacked him again with the jewel box. He instantly calmed down.
Well-behaved, aren't we?
"Don't worry, I'm not some pervert. I just can't afford to rip up my own clothes or bedding."
I've got enough expenses already—why waste my own stuff?
It's cost-effective to tear up the assassin's clothes to use as bindings.
I completely stripped off his top, tore it into long pieces, and bound his arms. Then I ripped his pants up to the thighs and tied his legs.
Despite looking lean, once his clothes were off, his entire body was packed with honed, weapon-like muscles—testament to the brutal training he'd endured as an assassin.
Guys like this are genuinely dangerous. If it weren't for the system, I might've been killed in this second life, too.
With a cold glare, I pointed the jewel box at the guy's head.
"Who sent you? Which god?"
Among the Three Major Gods, only two remain if I exclude the Sun God.
Honestly, there's no need to think too hard—the answer is obvious.
"The Sea God?"
No other god has had any contact with me at all.
But the Sea God? That's a different story. Didn't I just do something recently that would've pissed them off?
"So they really didn't like us getting into the potion business, huh."
A laugh escaped me.
It's not like they have a monopoly on potions. The potion trade used to be the main business of the Temple of the Sun anyway. Just because we restarted it, they send an assassin after me?
I figured we'd clash eventually, but I didn't expect them to jump straight to assassination.
"What orders were you given?"
I grabbed the assassin's chin, which kept wobbling as if he had a concussion, and lifted it up.
Through the mask, I could see his unfocused, dazed eyes.
Did I hit him too hard? I need to extract solid proof that the Sea God's side sent an assassin after me. If he loses consciousness like this, it'll be a problem.
No choice, then.
[Activating skill: Blessing. Healing wounds.]
I'd never used healing through blessing before. Who would've thought the first time would be on the assassin sent to kill me?
"You should be grateful to me. You blessed—cough."
Drip, drop.
As a cough escaped, I stopped speaking and looked down.
That sticky sensation. That metallic smell.
Blood. So familiar. So unmistakable.
What… why am I coughing up blood?
"Guh—cough, cough!"
But I wasn't the only one reacting strangely. The assassin twisted violently with a strangled cry.
"Urgh! Cough!"
But I didn't even have time to check on him—more bloodied coughing came bursting from my own mouth.
What the hell is happening to me?
[The healing power of 'The Sun That Crawled Out of Death' is clashing with the curse of 'The Raging Sea'.]
[The burden on your body is increasing!]
"…A curse?"
The Raging Sea—that's obviously referring to the Sea God. But a curse?
Isn't this guy an assassin sent by the Temple of the Sea God? That would make him a follower. So why is there a curse inside his body?
"No, wait a second."
The Sea God's curse?
Now that I think about it, something like that did show up in the original story.
"Idella was horrified.
Jeremy Carls was clad in the Sea God's curse like armor.
No attack could reach him. No brainwashing could influence him.
Because he was already brainwashed by a god.
So that he could never betray them.
Ah, now Idella finally understood.
He wasn't just some assassin. Even being called a Holy Commander candidate was nothing more than a label others forced onto him.
Jeremy Carls was a branded slave of god."
Yes, that was the scene.
Jeremy Carls.
One of the four male lead candidates in the novel Sacred Idella, and a Holy Commander candidate from the Temple of the Sea God.
And the assassin who repeatedly tried to kill Idella under the Sea God's orders.
That scene was where Idella finally learned the truth after barely capturing Jeremy Carls.
I immediately tore off the assassin's mask.
The first thing I saw was curly hair soaked in blood and sweat.
It looked black in the dark, but up close, it was clearly purple.
And the unfocused eyes I hadn't seen clearly earlier—rare pink irises.
Purple hair, pink eyes, and a cold, emotionless face that still looked undeniably youthful.
A perfect match for Jeremy Carls, the youngest of the four male lead candidates.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
I ran a rough hand through my hair.
Meeting a male lead in a situation like this—how the hell did this happen?
'I can't just let him die like this.'
The healing power and the curse were still clashing inside him, and Jeremy was clearly in pain.
The terrifying part was that even as his body writhed in agony, his face remained expressionless.
His body was screaming in torment, yet his face showed not a trace of emotion.
To think a divine curse I'd only read about in a novel could be this horrific.
That lunatic of a Sea God. He implanted this kind of curse in a human?
Knock knock.
"Saintess?"
At that moment, a voice called out, making me snap my head up.
It was Seth, the Holy Commander.
"Apologies. I was passing by and thought I heard a commotion coming from your chambers…"
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
"Ugh—gaaah!"
Jeremy let out a pained scream.
"I'm coming in!"
Seth didn't even wait for my reply before bursting through the door into the room.
"Saint—…ess?"
He froze, wearing a dazed expression.
Yeah… it really does look bad.
A half-naked, stunningly handsome young man writhing on the floor, and me pinning him down on top of it all…
Wait. This looks exactly like I lured a man into my bedroom!
"Commander Seth, don't misunderstand. This guy is…!"
I almost said an assassin sent by the Sea God, but quickly shut my mouth.
If I said that, wouldn't Seth, in his blind rage, just run him through on the spot?
That can't happen.
Jeremy is one of the main male leads and plays a crucial role later on. I absolutely must keep him alive!
…The problem is, I can't explain that right now.
God. What do I do?
A cold sweat trickled down my back.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]