I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 102. Rescue Operation (6)

I sat in the captain’s cabin, waiting for the captain to arrive.

He had told me to wait, assuring me he would bring the spoils of our recent battle.

‘Spoils, huh… I’m glad we could gather them.’

The Inquisitor had acknowledged that, as the hero of this battle, the rights to the spoils belonged to me.

The crew didn’t object, so the distribution of spoils went quite smoothly. However…

‘It’s taking longer than expected.’

Originally, we should have rushed to rescue Lyla as soon as possible, not wasting time on retrieving items from the corpses of the Kraken and Leviathan.

Fortunately, the ship halted for a day for repair, allowing us the luxury to gather the spoils.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

The returning captain sounded more delighted than I did at the prospect of receiving the spoils.

‘Oh, so these are it.’

The spoils retrieved from the colossal bodies of the two sea creatures were unexpectedly small.

“First, we have the vitreous body of the Kraken!”

A large barrel was placed on the table.

“It’s a liquid extracted from its eye. Next to the heart, it’s the best spoil!”

Since I had destroyed the heart, there was no helping it.

‘The vitreous body is good as an offering to the ancient sea Gods and serves as a premium potion ingredient.’

The immediate use was unclear, but it was something worth having.

“It’s famously good for vitality when mixed with alcohol.”

The captain mumbled, his genuine desire subtly apparent.

‘Stuff like this is the same everywhere.’

I chuckled softly and turned my gaze to the next item on the table.

“Heh… I was really impressed when I saw this. Even the weary crew insisted on dismantling the Leviathan to see it.”

The other item was wrapped in a large cloth. About the size of a watermelon, I was curious to see what it could be.

“Is it that good of an item?”

“Absolutely! It’s the very treasure said to have been taken by the hero Servan after slaying the Leviathan!”

Servan, huh. He’s been mentioned several times in ≪Orders≫, but I’m not familiar with him. I only remember being scammed by something sold as Servan’s relic.

“Seeing it in person confirms its existence… It feels like witnessing a legend come to life!”

The captain unveiled a massive jewel when he opened the cloth. Despite its rough shape, the flawless sky-blue jewel looked as if it had been meticulously crafted.

“It’s the famous heart stone of the Leviathan!”

The captain couldn’t stop raving about the heart stone, thoroughly excited.

“This is a truly phenomenal achievement. Bards everywhere are bound to sing songs about you, Ahab!”

‘That would be a bit much…’

Imagining Delion singing about Ahab, I smiled awkwardly.

“It was a combined effort, wasn’t it? Everyone should be praised, not just me.”

“Oh, indeed!”

“Take care of my share of blood, bones, and oil for now. I need to get some rest in my cabin.”

These spoils were useful, but we were still in the midst of harvesting them.

“Yes! I’ll ensure no one disturbs you!”

After returning to my cabin with the large barrel and jewel, I called upon Eldritch.

“How is it? Have you assessed it?”

『No problem at all.』

Eldritch emerged, touching various parts of the wall.

『I believe I can fully seize control.』

“Good. Proceed swiftly while the mages are resting.”

Eldritch began meddling with the magic enveloping the ship. Cernun had personally taught Eldritch all about the ship’s magical structure.

Moreover, a few clever weaknesses were deliberately left to make any magical alterations easier.

‘I’m not sure what will happen next, but we need to be ready.’

By taking control of the ship’s magic, we could change the course as we desired.

Although they’d notice right away, there wouldn’t be anything they could do if we stopped moving.

This way, I could delay the Inquisitors and separately check on Lyla first.

‘If needed, I could even teleport back to the castle.’

I lay down on the hammock. While it wasn’t particularly comfortable, my eyes naturally closed from the accumulated fatigue.

‘The Inquisitors… They were surprisingly reasonable. And the Saintess had quite a pleasant personality too, right?’

It made me wonder if negotiations regarding Lyla’s treatment might be possible.

Even the mages of this world believed in Gods, and Lyla was a follower of Hayat, to begin with. Maybe she would be treated more leniently than anticipated?

“Kyaaaah!”

As I was falling asleep with those thoughts, a scream startled me awake.

“What’s going on? An enemy attack already?”

『It doesn’t seem like it. I didn’t detect anything in the ship’s magic.』

“Hmm… You stay here; keep doing what you were.”

Armed with my spear, I headed outside. The source of the scream was the crew’s quarters. As I pushed through the open door, a disturbing scene unfolded before my eyes.

“What on earth are you doing?”

Though I could guess, I asked the question anyway. One crew member hung upside down, bleeding profusely.

His legs were twisted in the wrong direction, and the floor was a mess of blood, teeth, and nails.

“As an Inquisitor, I’m executing a sentence. Please don’t interrupt.”

The Inquisitor torturing the sailor didn’t even turn around to respond. Left with no choice, I drew my spear.

“Is he a follower of an Outer God or something? Explain the situation.”

“This man possessed a symbol of the Ancient God.”

The Inquisitor indicated a smashed wooden object, which, on closer inspection, resembled a small cart wheel.

“Fortuna?”

I recalled that the wheel symbolized the Goddess of Fortune.

“Sailors typically carry around symbols of luck.”

“He was in the middle of praying to it.”

“Think about what we went through today. Anyone might pray to the Goddess of Fortune.”

“No exceptions can be made.”

Crunch.

With the sound of a bone breaking, the tortured sailor’s body went limp.

“Please stop for a moment.”

When I was about to intervene, a voice interjected. Turning around, I saw Iris, whom I hadn’t noticed arriving.

“Yes, you spoke well. Please stop the tor—”

“I was asking Ahab to stop.”

With an unusually subdued tone, Iris clarified as I turned back to face her.

“See, whatever the case, this isn’t right. The crew’s morale will plummet. Torturing over something so trivial?”

“It was a revelation from Hayat.”

Iris spoke calmly.

“… A revelation?”

“That man offered prayers to the Ancient God night after night. While enjoying all the prosperity and benefits of the land Hayat had cultivated and blessed.”

Iris’s voice carried a tinge of anger.

“Moreover, he attributed any luck to Fortuna, offering sacrifices from Hayat’s land. He even engaged in proselytizing.”

“It’s true… Please, just kill me now…”

The sailor pleaded hoarsely, but Iris shook her head.

“I can’t. You must endure the punishment until you near death.”

The torture continued. Even without looking, it was easy to imagine the horrific acts being committed.

“Saintess Iris, did you say it was a revelation?”

“Yes, Ahab.”

“Let me ask just one thing. Did Hayat offer any revelations regarding me?”

Referring to an Outer God priest.

“Yes, of course!”

“And what did he say?”

“‘Assist him.’ A most remarkable revelation!”

I replied with a bitter smile.

“Indeed, a remarkable revelation.”

In the end, they were simply zealots. Realizing there was no room for negotiation, I returned to my cabin to prepare my plan.

* * *

Four days later, we finally neared Lyla’s location. Within a few hours, we would surely meet her. However…

『Lord Ethnos, I’ve successfully taken control.』

The ship, now under Eldritch’s manipulation, no longer moved towards where Lyla was.

“Captain, there’s a big problem!”

The crew quickly sensed the anomaly.

“What’s wrong with the ship?!”

“Is it an enemy attack?”

“I don’t know. It suddenly started moving in an odd direction.”

“It might be their trickery.”

Before any detailed reports could be made, I interjected.

“Prepare for battle. Whatever they’re up to, preventing us from reaching Lyla must be their aim… I’ll handle it from here.”

“Ahab? What do you mean by you’ll handle it?”

Iris asked, puzzled, as I displayed the “Underwater Breathing Necklace!”

I’d prepared for show.

“I can cross the sea alone and reach Lyla. I’ll assess the situation and attempt the rescue.”

“But what if it’s a trap?”

I nodded to Iris.

“Yes, it could be a trap. But I’m confident in managing this body, so don’t worry.”

Having proven my prowess by defeating the Kraken and Leviathan, they entrusted the task of securing Lyla to me, even providing a life-saving item.

“Well, I’m off then.”

Leaping off the ship, I morphed my body and crossed through the water. Using 〈Wind Blade’s Footstep〉 to increase my speed, I soon spotted a small vessel in the distance. I leaped aboard.

“Lyla!”

Lyla didn’t look well. She was pale, and dark veins stood out across her body.

“Tch… As expected, the seal wasn’t enough. Let me take this with me.”

I stored the burlap-wrapped remains in subspace.

“Wh… Who…”

Lyla weakly questioned.

“It’s Ethnos. I came at your mentor’s request—”

Lyla grasped my arm and handed me something. It was a tattered piece of parchment, scrawled with messy writing.

“He gave me… this.”

“A greeting to you. From Cahon Tiburon”

I quickly realized what that greeting entailed.

“… So the Kraken and Leviathan weren’t enough.”

Lyla also looked towards the sea, sighing in despair.

“It’s hard to believe… Is this really the end?”

Lyla wept.

“Stay calm. It’s just a greeting. So…”

I stood firm, facing the oncoming gigantic wave.

“We should greet them back. Close your eyes.”

Lyla closed her eyes tightly, and I focused, invoking 〈Transcendence〉.

“Great entity that bridges realms with threads, transcending space.”

Ten meters away.

“Let that feat briefly manifest here, I implore.”

Five meters away.

“Divide the universe and connect spaces with threads, summon chaos.”

As the wave eclipsed the sun and the Dwellers of the Abyss were about to overtake us.

“〈Dimensional Rift〉.”

Creak!

The wave split into dozens of fragments. The space divided like a spider web through a shattered window.

The wave lost its force, collapsing, as the Dwellers shattered and sunk back into the depths they came from.

“Let’s go back, Lyla.”

That was a truly arduous reunion.