I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 73. Red Castle (1)

In the castle’s underground.

I sat cross-legged in a damp and dark room.

Before me lay the ‘Chalice of the Red Ceremony,’ and I extended my hand over it.

“Hoo…”

Suppressing the reluctance from the impending pain, I selected a suitable dagger from among the spoils, the owner of which I no longer knew.

And I plunged it into the back of my hand.

“Ugh!”

Pain surged through me. Normally, when a miracle or blessing for recovery is applied, the wound heals before the pain sets in. This is why minor injuries during battle can usually be ignored.

However, when something truly embeds itself into the body and recovery becomes problematic, the pain cannot be avoided.

“Ooh… Blood is… pouring into the goblet.”

Eldritch was staring intently at the scene. Despite the blood streaming into the goblet, it refused to fill up, as if there were holes in it. There weren’t any holes; it was simply insufficient quantity.

“Even though it doesn’t seem that big, it requires the blood of four or five people to reach the brim…”

I felt a strange aversion as I looked at the goblet, which showed no signs of filling.

“But Lord Ethnos, could you not use the corpses stored for feeding that cloak?”

Reluctantly acknowledging the reality, I knew my Gluttony’s subspace contained several corpses. They were kept for when providing food to Gluttony was difficult.

Once inside, they were absorbed on their own without decay. Of course, the unsettling feeling couldn’t be helped.

“Using the blood of the living is more efficient. Moreover, since I might have to stay here for some time, I need to reserve feed for Gluttony.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Eldritch looked at the Chalice of the Red Ceremony with keen interest. In reality, Eldritch’s gaze didn’t bother me much. But Mary’s gaze…

“Do you really have to stare at me like that?”

A sigh escaped me. Pairs of eyes, green and black, clustered like bunches of grapes, stared at me from the cracks in the walls.

“I perceive a feeling. Curiosity. I am able to. Watch. Inside and outside. Simultaneously.”

I had asked Mary to keep watch. More specifically, I requested that she monitor to prevent anyone from approaching the castle.

Mary, however, could observe both inside and outside the castle simultaneously, wedging her divided body into various crevices, leaving only her eyes visible.

‘Judging by her talk of curiosity, it seems she was watching out of curiosity.’

Did she really have to watch like that?

“What a waste. What a waste…”

“What’s a waste?”

“You squander. Blood. Great amount.”

“It doesn’t matter since it will heal anyway.”

Thanks to the blessings, it quickly healed, requiring continuous bleeding by leaving the dagger in place… but at least it’s something. As long as the bleeding kept within what the recovery could handle, I could fill the goblet without worrying about anemia or excessive blood loss.

“Report if there’s anything unusual.”

“There is. Unusual.”

Something unusual?

“There is not. Animals and monsters. None around.”

“Oh… that’s because of me.”

Wondering what it could be… I sighed in relief when it turned out to be a trivial matter.

In response to my answer, Mary continued to gaze at me with her countless eyes, but deciphering their meaning was impossible.

‘Now it’s time to offer some flesh.’

Contributing blood was already unsettling, but now it was time to offer my flesh. I sighed and invoked a miracle.

“Bless me with the path to the darkest depths. 〈Forbidden Transformation〉.”

Upon activating the miracle, Mary’s pupils expanded even more, becoming grotesque. The bleeding ceased, and with the dagger still embedded, the wound closed up.

This was precisely why I had not used this miracle beforehand.

“Ugh…”

I gritted my teeth and began to carve into my own flesh with a dagger.

Occasionally, the sensation of the blade scraping against bone blurred my mind with pain, but once I cut it away, I recovered quickly and the pain vanished.

Splash.

Chunks of my flesh were devoured by the cup.

“Oh… The cup is truly full now.”

At those words, I stopped cutting himself. The cup was almost overflowing, signaling that the preparations were complete.

“I offer my blood and flesh, bestow upon me the Sanctuary’s Blessing.”

The cup emptied in an instant. There wasn’t even a trace of blood; instead, veins emerged from underneath the cup. As if covering the floor, the veins spread out, turning the ground and walls a crimson Hue.

“Now, it looks right.”

Gradually, the run-down castle began transforming into a sanctuary. Although it lacked a dedicated altar, it might just fit the name of a sanctuary after all.

“The castle changes. To red. This is difficult. To cleanse it.”

“No, no need to cleanse it.”

It wasn’t just the interior turning red. The entire castle was likely being painted a vivid shade of crimson. Inside, parts began resembling the flesh and veins of a living being.

“Both of you, drop a bit of your blood into the cup.”

Eldritch let a green fluid and Mary added a substance of various unnatural colors, reminiscent of corruption, into the cup. They both reacted in surprise.

“Oh, an immense flow of mana and vitality! This sanctuary was initially specialized in recovery.”

“If you stay within this sanctuary, you’ll recover immediately. Originally, it even healed wounds, but you both possess recovery traits that make it hard to actually notice.”

Watching the wounds he bled vanishing instantly suggested that Eldritch had quite a high recovery capability. Well, being a cephalopod, he could probably regrow limbs.

‘… Ah, not an octopus, right?’

Still, wouldn’t the legs grow back?

“Eldritch, keep checking your status. Even though your race inherits the blood of an Outer God, lacking the rank might cause side effects.”

For a lower-ranked human, the sanctuary’s healing usually resulted in transforming into a monster.

“And Eldritch, try attacking the wall with magic for an experiment.”

Eldritch showed curiosity and cast 〈Blue Lance〉. The spell slightly dented the wall, but soon the flesh-like texture wriggled and filled the dent.

“It’s well applied.”

“Amazing how many functions it has, isn’t it?”

Seeing Eldritch fascinated by the wall’s recovery, I nodded in agreement.

“The power of the Chalice of the Red Ceremony is fully applied, hence why it has more functions than a typical sanctuary.”

“What other functions are there?”

“Now you can detect lifeform reactions within this castle and freely change its internal structure.”

I could create mazes or prepare necessary spaces, utilizing it in various ways. I could trap an intruder in a room and crush them by shrinking the room.

“A lower-ranked intruder would go mad from mental damage the longer they stay, and… what else was there? Right, by absorbing lifeforms, the sanctuary can grow slightly.”

“The sanctuary grows, you say?”

“Of course, an absurd amount of life needs to be sacrificed. It doesn’t hold much meaning unless a war over the castle breaks out, but it can upkeep or repair minor damages and cracks.”

Reflecting on it, I realized there indeed were numerous functions.

“And there’s a downside, of course.”

“What sort of downside?”

“Well, the sanctuary’s blessing only lasts a week. Means I must perform this ritual weekly. And above all else…”

“…?”

“It’s somewhat unsettling to live here.”

As I remarked about the pulsating walls, Eldritch quietly nodded.

“And from now on, listen closely, both of you. It’s about our course of action.”

To Eldritch, who could morph into a human form, I assigned the task of purchasing necessary items from the village.

Since Mary couldn’t transform perfectly, she was entrusted with maintaining the castle and further learning language and transformation. And…

“You’ll become my sparring partner.”

Previously, whether it was sparring or the trial of a miracle, it had been undertaken with great caution.

The miracles of an Outer God, which consumed mana intensely, could leave one vulnerable to a surprise attack, resulting in a quick defeat due to a lack of mana.

“Now, there’s a sanctuary that rapidly restores mana, and the castle itself serves as a safe haven, so it’s reassuring.”

As soon as the conversation ended, the sparring commenced. I also preferred to fight while the effects of the “Forbidden Transformation” lingered, so I decided to proceed without taking a break. Mary and I stood facing each other in the open area outside the castle.

“Just in case, do you truly understand the concept of sparri-

Whoosh!

Mary launched an attack immediately. She approached in human form and swung her fist swiftly. If I hadn’t defended with Gluttony, my head would have been smashed for sure.

“I understand.”

Then why the sneak attack?

As I pushed Mary away with Gluttony, she suddenly disappeared beneath the ground. A bewildering movement. Knowing Mary’s race was different from typical warriors, yet this was…

“It seems she’s seriously trying to kill me…”

I placed my hand on the ground and began to use a miracle in response.

“The net binds all life, so let it manifest the net that sways at your movements. 〈Wave Net〉.”

A web spread out on the ground. However…

“What?!”

Mary’s transformed body passed through the dense web. Specifically, needle-like limbs protruded and pierced me. My body was already under the effects of the “Forbidden Transformation”!

The dark blood, seeping from my pierced body, morphed into a spear, stabbing the ground below.

“I have found it. Your flaw.”

I was sure she was hiding below ground, but her voice came from far away. Mary’s arms were swelling to the size of an adult male.

“Are you aware?”

Had Mary discovered a flaw in my combat method? With the mention of awareness, a large fist hit me. Gluttony absorbed some of the impact, but blood splurted from my mouth, and I heard my bones crunch.

“Awareness? Unawareness?”

“Ugh… Could you explain instead of just repeating awareness?”

The darkened blood retaliated. It accelerated even faster, and unlike before, took the form of a weapon to strike back, but…

“Did she dodge?”

Mary evaded the attack by slipping underground. The retaliation of the darkened blood struck an entirely different spot, only to have Mary emerge behind me.

“When facing humans, ignorance becomes your weapon.”

I shot tendrils of Gluttony, but Mary, by transforming her body, rendered the attack completely ineffective.

“But your enemy is not merely human.”

Mary’s arm sprouted a mouth full of countless teeth and bit down on Gluttony. Gluttony, seething in pain, reacted wildly beyond my control.

“What’s necessary for you is to learn how to confront beings like me.”

Mary grabbed my body and hurled me. As I floated in mid-air, I attempted to use Gluttony, but it still wouldn’t respond properly. Whatever Mary injected wasn’t just a bite but a toxin, as purple and green foreign substances were oozing from the wounds.

“So I’ll show you what’s necessary for you.”

Thud.

Mary caught my falling body. Then, she threw me roughly onto the ground.

“Again?”

I clicked my tongue and got back to my feet.

“Again.”