I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 72: Maid (2)

Dowol.

He had definitely said Dowol.

“Did you just say you met Dowol?!”

“Lord Ethnos, why are you reacting like this? Please calm down!”

The sound of Eldritch trying to hold him back didn’t reach his ears. He grabbed the maid by the shoulders. She felt like a boneless or muscleless creature, but he was too distracted to care about such details.

“Quickly tell me! Where is he? Did he tell you to deliver something? Is there a way back? What is going on here?!”

The maid began to respond slowly with imprecise pronunciation. “Impossible. Locate. He is traveling. Continually.”

“Are you saying you don’t know where he is?”

“I have it. His message. Requested. Deliver.”

“What is it, then? Hurry and tell me!”

The maid’s expression slightly crumpled.

“So frustrating…”

Who was she to say that? When Ethnos looked at the maid in disbelief, for some reason, she extended her hand.

“Desire. Tool. To write.”

Writing seemed somewhat feasible. He retrieved parchment and a quill pen from the space within his cloak and handed them over.

The maid didn’t so much write as she printed the contents, drawing them out line by line. As soon as the content was fully produced, Ethnos snatched the parchment and began to read.

Despite the chaotic language skills being unchanged, reading the text made it much easier to comprehend. He worked hard to piece together and reorganize the information in his mind.

***

Though all life is fragile at birth, a Shoggoth was not. Being an artificially created life form, it was already fully developed when it was born.

Even its knowledge was appropriately infused, so the Shoggoth was aware of the interventions concerning its birth.

“Damn… If everything was crafted according to the blueprint, it should be right. But it’s just bubbling, how am I supposed to know if it’s alive?”

A man with a young tone of voice was complaining. Of course, the Shoggoth was already activated and alive, but the man couldn’t grasp that.

As the Shoggoth pondered what to do with this man involved in its creation, it concluded that absorbing him as nutrients seemed most appropriate.

It compressed a part of its black liquid body into a sharp, pointed spike. Transformed secretly from the inside, he wouldn’t notice. If it targeted the vital points precisely…

“What are you doing? Trying to attack a person right after being born.”

The man had sensed the attack. The Shoggoth was puzzled. It seemed there was nothing to notice, so was he a being of high rank? If so, would it work if he lured the man into complacency and attempted a surprise attack?

“Stop it already. What are you planning to do to your creator?”

The Shoggoth, born with sharper instincts than most beasts, couldn’t detect the next move. The man shifted positions instantly, and there was a significant disparity in speed.

Finally conceding, the Shoggoth spoke. It insisted he was not its creator, merely an interfering saboteur. Unfortunately, the man had difficulty understanding.

“Tekeli-li. Reason. You. Sabotage.”

“Did something go wrong with the language learning module? It’s tricky, as it’s impossible to check in advance every time…”

The man scratched his head, troubled, and then sighed.

“Sigh, I kind of hoped you’d call me Dad.”

The Shoggoth inquired what he hoped to accomplish by creating him through such interference. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been a typical monster.

But the man before him employed alien technology and knowledge, birthing it as a Shoggoth—this discrepancy was paradoxical.

Shoggoths were creatures originally created by the species known as ‘Elder Things’. But the Elder Things did not exist in this world.

“Though it’s strange to think of being a father when I didn’t entirely create you. But someone is meant to be your master.”

The Shoggoth quickly objected. It had no intention of serving a master and dismissed the man.

“No, you have to serve your master. That way, my friend can have it a bit easier.”

The man had said that he was not the master, but rather, his friend was.

“He’s going to go through all sorts of terrible things here, and it’d be great if he had a Monmuse maid like you.”

The shoggoth couldn’t understand this concept.

* * *

I paused my reading for a moment and rubbed my forehead with my hand.

‘I’m not into someone like this, you lunatic…’

If he wanted to help, he could have made a portal that led home.

“Is something the matter, Lord Ethnos?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

“Really? Well, you seem quite amused. What does it say?”

Amused? It was then that I realized the corners of my mouth had turned up. Whatever the content was, it pleased me. It was the trace of my friend from the world I used to inhabit. I smiled as I continued reading.

* * *

The shoggoth was extremely angered by being defined in such a way and insisted against it. But the man was sincere.

“I think his life will be a mess. Considering the times, he might struggle with laundry, and I wonder if he can manage meals properly.”

The shoggoth argued there was no reason to take care of such things. Why did this man have such expectations of a being like him?

“You see, you’re under the misconception that you’re indebted to him to some degree and have to cling to him for support.”

The shoggoth pointed out that in this world, there were few humans capable of threatening him, and even monsters were not abundant. Moreover, the shoggoth could become even stronger and could even increase its number through asexual reproduction. But the man scoffed.

“That doesn’t mean a thing. Without him, nothing will work out. And although there aren’t many strong beings now, this world will rapidly change…”

The man suddenly grimaced and coughed up a handful of blood.

“Ugh, I can barely speak. Anyway, helping that boy would be for the best. Otherwise… your existence might not even matter.”

With those words, the man conveyed one last piece of information, though it was unrecordable and unmentionable.

The shoggoth distrusted this information but was intrigued. If it was true, he might be willing to cooperate with this man who harbored such incomprehensible tastes.

“When you eventually meet him, he’s definitely going to ask you all sorts of questions. But there’s not much you can communicate through yourself, right? So just make sure to relay this one thing.”

* * *

‘I’m doing my utmost to help you, so never give up.’

Reading the final sentence, I gently closed my eyes. Whatever it entailed, Dowol seemed intent on helping me. Yet, many questions arose.

‘How did Dowol know I would end up in this world? And how did he know I would come to this castle?’

These things would only make sense if Dowol had concocted this entire narrative. It was as if, like before, he had prepared the story and trials for me as a game master and was guiding me to clear them.

‘There have been several hints suggesting Dowol had prepared measures here and there. But…’

Should I blindly follow them? If all this was Dowol’s crafted narrative, wouldn’t I merely be a puppet dancing to the tune of his story?

‘… No, that’s not it.’

Suppose this world was Dowol’s storytelling with various preparations. Some parts are beneficial to me, while others might endanger me.

‘But ultimately, it’s my choice to make.’

Depending on my decisions, the narrative crafted by Dowol as the game master would be influenced. Is this situation I am facing now not just another part of that?

“I judged and acted. This would not change.”

Even though it was a story created by Dowol, the one ultimately writing it was… ‘me’.

“Did your questions… get answered?”

The maid tilted her head as she asked.

“Yes. Although more questions arose, you’re thinking of cooperating with me, right?”

“I agree. However, I have a request.”

“A request?”

The maid, with her large eyes, pointed at me.

“Blood.”

“Blood, you say?”

“Tasting it. A little. It’s harmless. To the human body.”

I considered whether I should restrict her to written communication from now on. At her request for a taste of blood, I glanced at Eldritch .

“Well… it should be alright. There’s not much you can do with a small amount of blood.”

Nodding in agreement with Eldritch’s opinion, I still knew that shoggoths weren’t a species that did anything with human blood. I lightly pricked my finger with Gluttony, extending it to the maid.

Although she claimed she would taste it, she abruptly grasped my finger with her hand.

“Well… it only looks like a hand; it’s entirely an illusion.”

While it seemed a bit more blood was being drained than one might consider minimal, she released my hand and shook her head, appearing dissatisfied.

“Impossible. Confirmed. That man… lied? Credit lost. Pathetic.”

“It feels like she’s cursing Dowol.”

The maid seemed to deliberate, rotating her head 360 degrees… then even further before stopping, as if processing something.

“However, I am satisfied… with my current life. Therefore, the long wait… is possible.”

She seemed to reach a conclusion and stood before me, placing her hands respectfully over her stomach and bowing her head. Even without being lifted, the portion imitating a skirt moved upward, somewhat misinterpreting etiquette.

“I am ‘Mary’. That is my name.”

Observing the maid named Mary, I pondered and asked.

“What is your rank?”

“Third rank. Warrior.”

“And any God you serve?”

“I do not serve any God.”

A third-rank pure warrior? That was unexpected.

“Usually, species related to an Outer God include a priest, but not this time.”

This aspect was quite appealing to me.

“Great. For now, I’d like you to guide me around the castle. Especially to any central locations, such as a basement.”

Mary nodded and began walking down the corridor. As I followed her, Eldritch spoke up.

“Lord Ethnos, what are you planning to do?”

“There was an issue using the miracle. Staying here seems best until it’s resolved.”

To reach the island with the scripture, we would need a ship and crew.

As long as the miracle of illusions remained unstable, navigating to Wave Reach and securing a ship would only result in further incidents, making it inevitable to put the plan on hold.

“We needed a base like this anyway. Since we’ve come this far, let’s make the most of it.”

“What does that have to do with the basement… Ah! Perhaps?”

Catching on to my thoughts, Eldritch’s eyes sparkled with expectation.

“Yes. I plan to use one of the blessings from the Chalice of the Red Ceremony, the ‘Sanctuary’s Blessing’. From now on, this place will be…”

I grinned while surveying the castle.

“Our fortress.”

TL’s Corner:
Monmuse – reference to “Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou” (Everyday Life with Monster Girls). It’s an anime for cultured men.