Chapter 47
The two Apostles silently exchanged looks for a moment.
Only one priest in the entire temple was capable of speaking.
Yohan had already identified him.
Even so, he tilted his head as if trying to remember something.
Then he said,
“That voice… Pickman.”
“……”
“Still faithfully serving as an Apostle? Unexpected.”
“Enough. Let’s go outside first. There is no way He would be pleased to know you are here.”
Yohan had no reason to refuse.
He quietly followed Pickman out of the temple.
Even from the plaza around one hundred meters from the temple, most of the city could be seen below.
Priests moved busily among the faint lights scattered throughout the city.
Yohan knew exactly what such a scene meant.
He touched his lips and asked,
“Looks like someone broke the laws of the city. A serious law, at that.”
“…I did not realize you cared about the laws of Zul-Bha-Sair.”
“I still don’t. But if you visit more than a hundred times, you naturally remember things.”
Pickman waved one hand as if surrendering.
Then he explained the blasphemous incident that had occurred inside the temple.
Three dark mages had stolen the body of a woman who had died only recently and were escaping from the city.
“…So we are currently pursuing them. They’ll be caught soon enough. The desert is our territory. Dark mage or not, ordinary humans cannot escape us ghouls.”
“Naturally.”
Pickman looked suspiciously at Yohan’s relaxed response.
“Surely… you were not cooperating with those dark mages? If you were, even you would not escape punishment. Stealing a corpse offered to the temple is a serious crime.”
“If I were working with them, I wouldn’t have used such a clumsy method to steal the corpse.”
“…That is true. You would probably have deceived us priests using some cowardly and clever method.”
It was an honest assessment and an admission.
Yet his tone sounded strangely hostile.
Still, nothing Yohan had said was wrong.
Pickman could not question him further.
“Well, if you were offering to capture those criminals for us, that would be different… but I assume that is not why you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t refuse if we made a deal, but you don’t seem to need any help.”
“Correct. We don’t. Stop having unnecessary thoughts and descend to the next floor already. Your continued presence here is practically a disaster for us.”
“Calling me a disaster hurts my feelings.”
Yohan said it without meaning a word.
Instead of sighing, Pickman released a long howl toward the sky.
Then he crossed his arms.
“Enough small talk. Why did you come to the temple at this hour?”
“I have a proposal.”
Yohan continued with a faint smile.
“I want to form an alliance with two groups, you ghouls and the Nightgaunts.”
“An alliance…”
Even Pickman, who had experienced countless incidents as the guardian of the city, found the proposal extremely strange.
Not temporarily borrowing strength.
An actual alliance?
Yohan Blake had never been the kind of man who cared about faction politics.
Pickman rubbed his broad shoulder and asked,
“You are making that proposal while fully aware that we are creatures who enjoy human flesh?”
“There are countless creatures like that in this world.”
He was not wrong.
Considering the familiars, creations, and servants existing in this world, ghouls were actually rather moderate.
They occasionally kidnapped humans or transformed them into their own kind.
But it did not happen often.
And ghouls offered at least a small amount of mercy to the humans who died during such events.
The ghouls who called themselves priests on the twelfth floor were even gentler than ordinary ghouls.
They never attacked someone merely because of blasphemous behavior, insults, or words filled with contempt.
As long as that person did not break the laws.
The laws were somewhat stricter for outsiders than for residents.
Even so, there were simply too many monsters in this world that tormented intelligent beings for no reason at all.
Of course, this was partly because Zul-Bha-Sair provided its ghouls with a steady supply of humans in the form of corpses.
Still, the ghouls here could be considered quite merciful.
But even then,
the absolute difference between their positions and those of outsiders could not be ignored.
“…Mordiggian has little interest in struggles over influence, but that does not change what you outsiders fundamentally are.”
Pickman exposed his sharp teeth and stepped directly in front of Yohan.
A yellow hostility slowly appeared within his round, dark gray pupils.
“The home of those who came from outside is the Dark Lands. Our home, after being summoned here by Them, is the Dungeon. You outsiders destroy the Dungeon under the name of liberation and point your blades toward the gods who are our masters. Hundreds of deities have lost their influence and fallen asleep because of that process. You were deeply involved as well.”
“……”
“And above all… the One We Originally Serve, the One Who Spits the Black Flame, would never accept this. He is also one of the beings you intend to clear. If He learned that I even received a proposal like this, I might die simply for hearing it. That is how serious this matter is.”
“That was in the past. Either way, the god you currently serve is not Him. It’s the God Who Never Sleeps.”
“Even so, I cannot accept it.”
“…I see.”
When Yohan fell silent, Pickman attempted to end the conversation firmly.
“Considering the countless corpses you have offered to Zul-Bha-Sair in the past, I will keep this matter to myself. Now leave.”
Pickman tried to push him away.
Yohan brushed off his hand and changed the subject.
“Then how about this?”
“What ridiculous proposal are you planning now…”
