Chapter 273: You Are Like Sand (14)

At the very least, Duke Biblio did not intend to kill me outright.

What does he want?

I watched while weighing the question.

Duke Biblio split his mouth wide and said to me, "You are strong. Exceptional. Especially... crow...! I smell the stench of that filthy crow on you."

He must have sensed Malphas' brand, or the mark Isaac inscribed when he expanded the Lurium circuit.

Duke Biblio narrowed his yellow eyes. It made sense. If even Purson's followers could discern it, then Botis' first priest certainly would not be ignorant. There was no point in denying it.

I admitted it. "The crow? I suppose you're right."

At my admission, the duke's expression almost turned into pity, smug in his certainty.

"Yet, you received no blessing at all, did you?"

Malphas' grace had vanished with my past life. He was correct. I gave a slight nod.

Duke Biblio looked quite pleased. "How pitiful you are! Botis is no fraud like that one. Botis is different. Entirely different." He stroked one scaled forelimb with another. "Do not let the swindlers deceive you. Come to me. I would raise someone like you up without question."

I hadn't expected that. Since I bore Malphas' brand but none of his power, the misunderstanding had twisted into a strange kind of generosity.

If I were a promising talent discarded by one master, then why not claim me for himself?

That was a pragmatic view, and not without reason.

"Is that so? I've never thought of myself as particularly outstanding," I simply stated.

Instead of open defiance, I feigned interest, stringing his words along. If I couldn't win, then at least I could pry some knowledge from the Necron Society.

"I have wondered, though... Botis doesn't seem to grant followers any real power."

I recalled the serpent tattoos crawling across the Necron cultists' throats. If they spoke of a secret, they were executed instantly. Yet, not a single one could wield the authority of the Demon King.

What profit is there in such chains?

Duke Biblio held his head high. "You know a bit... And you are right. Botis does not share their strength with rabble. Slaves remain slaves. Botis' grace is reserved only for those chosen. For one such as you... you've already proven your worthiness."

A hiss, pleased and sibilant, threaded his words. His yellow eyes flickered, scanning me up and down.

"..."

A lie?

I was already caught in his web.

What reason does he have to deceive me now?

Contracts and blessings faded with death anyway. The important thing was this: an opening into the Empire's secrets.

"That's a generous offer."

I forced a thoughtful aura, glancing slowly about the chamber. If I accepted too quickly, suspicion would only grow.

I slowly said, "These things... How did you make them? They look... unbearably pained."

"

Heh, heh, heh...

"

The first priest of Botis split his mouth further, delighted by my interest. A man's hobby was his kingdom.

Show curiosity, and one will always be welcomed

.

This was his dominion in the most literal sense.

Biblio's human face shone with satisfaction. If a status window appeared, it might have shown his Affection rising by five points. He straightened up and preached his doctrine with solemn poise.

"Their purpose is pain. I merely perfect it for them."

He was utterly earnest. I had no care for the rotten logic beneath it, but after listening to him, I learned that was how to win his favor. The act was necessary.

"Pain... is the reason for humanity?"

In that instant, fleshy tendrils lashed out and coiled around me.

Crunch!

My ribs shattered. The system flooded with warnings as my Health plummeted. Another tendril snapped forward, pulverizing my wrist bones. These were not playful taps. This was true violence. Unless I invoked Lord of Bones or spent a long time in recovery, the damage would not heal.

Biblio's eyes were fixed upon me.

I asked him, "What are you doing?"

"It bothers you, doesn't it?"

I forced a nod. "Of course it does..."

Biblio's crimson tongue unfurled, his smile dripping bloodlike amusement.

"Yes. That sense of wrongness, that alone is enough."

Gurgle...

The floor beneath me convulsed. A long, sticky red mass surged upward.

"Behold."

Shlak!

The red lump rose, only to be ripped apart sideways. The ground around me shuddered, writhing in sickening spasms.

"This is..."

"They are suffering. Useless sensations beyond survival, cries that never end. Agony, that is humanity's purpose."

"So that's why you founded the Necron Society? To spread this horror?" I answered loosely while examining his monstrous form.

His vast serpent form bore clear marks of human flesh woven into its growth. Elongated limbs sprouted from it, more lizardlike than snake, built for leaping.

How high could he vault if he tried?

Above, thin, web-like strands dangled from the ceiling. They didn't look like weaknesses. They looked like tools, threads to control every corner of this plaza.

"All I did was gather those who delight in inflicting pain. There are more of them in this world than you'd ever imagine."

"Where did you find all these humans?"

"Enough."

Botis's vessel coiled tighter around me, lifting me high. "Now speak. Why did you follow me here?"

His yellow eyes flashed, sharp as blades. Only then did my mind clear. The reason he had spoken so freely until now was an exception, or a courtesy. This was the serpent who branded his own followers' necks to strangle them the moment a single word slipped. No matter how much I had piqued his interest, he would never share dangerous truths with someone who had not yet made a contract with Botis.

If I wanted more, or even scraps, I would have to remain by his side.

This is the turning point.

Against a creature like this, consistency was everything. My first answer now would decide all that followed.

I let my thoughts race, then settled on my response. "I wandered the human world in search of power. And in doing so... I discovered the Empire's collusion with the Demon King's forces."

It was obvious enough. For humans to vanish in the very heart of the capital, the imperial family had to be looking the other way or even supplying them. I glanced at the manacles scattered across the chamber. Rotting prisoners in imperial dungeons, perhaps delivered here as offerings. In my life thus far, every clue confirmed the suspicion.

"The world belongs to humans. To rule it completely, one must understand them deeply," I concluded.

"Well spoken." The duke's face shone with approval. "The more one studies, the richer the flavors. Pain, sorrow, desire, and joy all deepen the taste. That is why I hold you in such esteem."

Esteem...

That word made something click. If he could mimic the very agents of T&T, then of course his influence reached within. He must already know I had asked them to help Rubia. He had said nothing, but if I strayed, he might make her just another hunk of flesh in this chamber, alive.

"Then it's only natural I sought you out. A man whose reach extends wider than any other in the Empire, and colluding with the throne, no less. How could I not be curious?"

I had added another layer.

"As you guessed, I was once betrayed by a priest of Malphas. That's why I had to know what kind of man you were. That is why I shadowed you."

A flicker of guilt passed at the mention of Isaac, but it was true enough.

I fixed my eyes on the lizard-like body braced on four legs against the slimy ground. "If you are Botis' high priest... then if I could receive the Demon King's power through you. It would be everything I've sought."

"Good..."

The monster's next words chilled me.

"And this Rubia you showed interest in, I will aid her as well."

A shiver ran through me. Botis's vessel knew about Rubia. If I had refused him here, resisted to the end... I did not want to imagine her fate.

Perhaps he did not know what I had done in Erast. But that I had asked T&T to protect her, that had clearly leaked.

"Do you dislike it?"

His immense body writhed.

"No. Not at all."

I waved my hand. Now that the conversation had reached this point, refusing him outright would never end well.

I sank into thought. The Empire's hidden hand, the first priest of Botis, was offering to stand on Rubia's side. No matter the cost elsewhere... For Rubia to become lord of Erast, could there be a more perfect and effortless path?

With his support, her scenario could reach a stable conclusion. The past might even fix itself in her favor. She would reappear from the start as a lord already enthroned. And when the regressions began again, all ties to the Demon King would be severed anyway.

In no case did I stand to lose. Besides, with a contract, I could finally glimpse what Botis's blessing truly was. Even if I opposed them later, it would give me a far stronger position.

I made my decision. I met Duke Biblio's gaze.

"Very well. Through you, I will make a contract with Botis."

"

Heh heh heh...

A wise choice. But to treat you as a comrade rather than a slave, there must be a trial..."

"A trial?"

"To receive great power through the contract... a great sacrifice must be offered."

"What sacrifice?"

"Leandro von Batyenne! That man would make a worthy offering to seal you as a contractor."

I was struck speechless.

He promised all manner of benefits, yet demands I slay a swordmaster in return? Typical Necron.

"If I were capable of killing a swordmaster alone, I wouldn't need your help in the first place..."

Then he interrupted.

"Not by your own hand. I will grant you strength first, through a temporary contract..."

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Shiiiiiik...

The plaza heaved, forming a massive circle.

Gurgle.

Between its twin outer rings, letters rose, shaped from writhing human flesh, glowing red.

"He who none would dare to wake, who hides his shame, who exhales his breath in secret... he whose nature may never be revealed, who slithers through sticky, dark, foul tunnels, who laps despair from shattered souls to quench his thirst, who devours forbidden hunger in secret, stealing what he must, who embraces rotten desires and lives bound to them eternally... Come to me, all."

The plaza unfolded like the petals of a lotus.