NoveLight ™
Hieronymus and Joanna have returned.
Judging by Hyungkeshni’s confident demeanor and Hieronymus’s response, they must have discussed in advance about assigning her to "care" for me.
Hmm?
You could call it surveillance if you like. I’ve been under observation from the start, and I’ve done nothing incriminating.
Considering she’s a witch, is she trying to study me? If so, I have no intention of being an easy subject.
After all, letting my guard down in situations like this could lead to me being sealed away. While I don’t know if sealing magic exists here, in a world where magic is real, it seems more likely than not.
When faced with something incomprehensible, people often seal it away and push the problem into the future.
The results are rarely good.
Anyway, Hieronymus spoke to me.
He’s prepared a source of warmth.
Finally!
I’m so excited!
He said a few other things, but they didn’t seem important. All that matters is the warmth!
Hieronymus said he would come fetch me after lunch, then left with Hyungkeshni in tow.
Joanna and I were left alone.
Back to daily life.
Having arrived at my new room, I rose from my seat and took a look around. It was smaller than the previous room, but the many windows gave it a much more open feel.
What stood out most was the clean, clear glass of the windows.
Wasn’t glass a relatively late invention? Or was stained glass an exception, dating back to the Middle Ages?
I’m not sure.
At the very least, it’s clear this world has developed in its own way.
Through the memories I’ve absorbed, I know bits and pieces about this world, but not in detail.
From what I’ve seen, it’s a patchwork of medieval and early modern landscapes. Infrastructure is interwoven with tools powered by magic.
Magic is a fairly universal technology. Rebecca Rolf’s home had plenty of magical items, and Joanna’s memories from her younger years and early marriage include regular encounters with magical tools.
Of course, as a pauper, Joanna rarely saw magic anymore—except for the occasional magical streetlights.
As I was pondering the technological level of this world while gazing at the glass, Joanna approached and opened a window.
Did she think I didn’t know how to open it? Since it was open, I looked outside.
Most of the land was barren wilderness. There were patches of grass here and there, but it was mostly rock and sand. Even the trees resembled cacti, as though they’d evolved to survive in harsh conditions.
This region certainly didn’t seem suitable for human habitation.
In other words, it was a place difficult for outsiders to approach. A perfect environment for a large cult like the Future Hope Sect.
Religious groups often seek out isolated locations.
It’s hard to get in, and it’s hard to get out.
An ideal setting for a cult to thrive.
Even if someone escapes, most nearby villages are under the cult’s control, leaving no allies.
Such cults are paranoid about apostates, often capturing and publicly executing them. Fear keeps their followers bound.
In short, escaping this cult would be a monumental task.
Or perhaps I need to ensure there’s no reason to escape in the first place.
I mimicked Joanna’s actions, closing the window as she had. Then I sat on the bed.
There was no oppressive energy in this room.
Well, not inside the room. Outside, however, was a different story. While less intense than the underground, the oppressive aura was five times as abundant.
Am I really that frightening to them?
I wish they’d let their guard down a bit more.
After all, I currently appear as a small girl. Though, given the noticeable chest size, I might not seem so childlike—but my short stature might still work in my favor.
A young girl shouldn’t be a figure of caution, right?
As I rested in the room, much like in the underground, Joanna resumed her routine. She cleaned the space, then left to prepare food when the time came.
Unlike in the underground, her trips were much shorter.
There’s a kitchen nearby.
The Future Hope Sect, with its numerous followers, has a massive communal kitchen.
But Joanna doesn’t use it. This building has several smaller kitchens reserved for higher-ranking members, equipped with fresh, high-quality ingredients instead of cheap bulk supplies.
A separate space for the elite, under the guise of religion. Honestly, it’s laughable.
Joanna brought back the food, which I ate before returning the dishes to her. She took them back to clean and store.
While she was still at the kitchen, Hieronymus appeared.
“I have prepared the location for your blessing. Please come with me.”
Finally, I’d get my warmth!
I eagerly followed Hieronymus.
Interestingly, he didn’t seem to care that Joanna wasn’t present.
Is it because she’s just another follower to him?
That’s disappointing. If Hieronymus valued her, he might keep her close, and I’d get more opportunities to observe him—whether as an ally or an adversary.
I shouldn’t dwell on what isn’t there.
I followed him through the halls.
Instead of heading outside, he took me underground.
After walking for a while, I realized where we were going.
The altar.
The place where I had first been summoned.
I arrived there once again.
As the door to the altar opened, the room was already packed with followers.
It was even more crowded than when I was first summoned. Clearly, more people had gathered since then.
I didn’t know what they intended, but I followed quietly.
Hieronymus and I ascended the stairs of the stepped pyramid leading to the altar.
When we reached the stone seat at the top, Hieronymus gestured for me to sit. Then, like the leader of any cult, he began his sermon.
His ornate speech could be boiled down to a few key points:
It all boiled down to the yearning for salvation—someone to deliver them from their suffering.
He introduced me as the apostle of the god they worship, claiming that I was about to perform a miracle.
He explained that if they offered a sacrifice, I would bestow blessings.
So, they truly believe I need warmth to grant blessings.
That explains why it took them so long.
It’s partially my fault for not correcting them. But I have no intention of doing so.
If they ever question me later about whether a sacrifice was necessary, I’ll simply reply, "You never asked."
There were hints, after all. I didn’t receive a sacrifice when I blessed Joanna.
So it’s Hieronymus’s oversight, not mine.
I waited on the stone seat as Hieronymus finished his sermon and called forth two individuals.
A man and a woman.
No—wait.
As they approached, I saw each of them holding an infant in their arms.
Hieronymus explained that they were a married couple, and the infants were their twins.
Addressing the couple in a respectful tone, Hieronymus told them they had been chosen. To receive blessings, they must offer a sacrifice.
Overjoyed and without a shred of doubt, the couple eagerly presented their infants to me.
I glanced at the twins’ lights. They shone steadily, but their warmth was faint compared to their light. By contrast, the parents, though their lights were slightly smaller, had far more warmth.
The twins were indeed newborns.
Their tiny, wrinkled forms with barely opened eyes were unmistakably that of days-old infants.
A faded memory within me screamed. Would you really steal their warmth? Would you truly degrade yourself to less than human?
Well.
It’s not as though I want the infants’ warmth. I’d much prefer the parents—they have far more to offer.
But that’s not what Hieronymus wants, is it?
Hmm.
At the very least, I could leave a scar.
Seated on the stone chair, I pointed at the infants.
“Their warmth is too little. I want more.”
Then I rose from my seat.
“But since Hieronymus desires it, I will take their warmth.”
Yes. Whatever happens from now on is entirely your doing, Hieronymus. The entire system of offering infants as sacrifices for blessings—this is your creation.
I pressed more of myself into Rebecca Rolf’s body.
Cracks formed across my skin, and dark purple mist seeped through the gaps.
I stepped down from the altar and approached the couple. Looking at them, I spoke.
“I will grant you my blessings. But in return, once you have achieved everything, I will take all that you have. Do you understand?”
Hearing my familiar line, the couple’s faces lit up with joy as they replied with a resounding "Yes."
I turned my gaze to the infants, dark mist streaming from my body and slowly reaching toward them.
Two faint sources of warmth.
The infants’ skin turned blue as their tiny bodies twisted. With grotesque cracking sounds, their features deformed. Eye sockets bulged, and multiple eyes sprouted. Sharp horns and spikes erupted from their bodies, their skin splitting to reveal protruding muscles.
The once-infants howled.
The mist extended past them, reaching the couple. I pushed myself into them.
The parents’ skin turned stark white, their hair and eyes deepened into vibrant violet. The man grew taller and more muscular, while the woman’s face became strikingly beautiful, her figure reshaped into an idealized form.
Both transformations completed simultaneously.
The monstrous twins lunged at their parents.
But the man raised a hand, slicing the creature attacking him cleanly in half. The woman extended tendrils from her arms, piercing the other.
They inspected their altered bodies with fascination, marveling at their new forms.
Beaming with wide, almost unnatural grins, they knelt before me.
Once, they had been ordinary people. The man was a victim of fraud, ruined by a close friend, while the woman had been ostracized by her village’s women.
They fled and found refuge in the Future Hope Sect, where they met and fell in love. But love didn’t heal their broken hearts. Instead, they found solace in the cult’s promises and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to its doctrines.
This is the result.
They were blessed and happy. Sacrificing their children seemed trivial compared to the “happiness” bestowed by the Future Hope Sect.
Standing before them, Hieronymus declared,
“This is the blessing of our god!”
The cultists erupted into frenzied cheers, filling the altar with their exultation.
In the gray haze of a distant memory, a man’s voice whispered accusations, but...
Does that matter more than the pursuit of warmth?
I want warmth.
I’ll do anything for it.
Anything.