Abellus had summoned the officials of Enrakakyo in advance to prepare for the ritual, but he told Kaisar to come to the temple a few days later.
He added that Kaisar should bring Laika and all the Villains belonging to the Company.
A brief silence followed over the handphone. He thought he heard the sound of teeth grinding.
After a moment, the answer came back, “Understood,” and Abellus swallowed a dry laugh before making an additional demand.
“I would appreciate it if you used honorifics from now on.”
“…Honorifics?”
“Yes. Do you dislike the idea? Considering the grace of the support you’ve received, I shall continue to use honorifics with you, Director. How does that sound?”
“…Fine. We’ll see about that then.”
The call ended with a sharp click. Thinking about Director Kaisar kneeling before him in a few days while gnashing his teeth sent a thrilling sensation through his entire body.
The thought of seeing Laika’s distorted face as well caused a smirk to leak through his lips.
‘How should I use this guy Laika? Hiring him as a janitor here would be perfect. Director Kaisar… maybe a gatekeeper?’
Abellus rubbed his chin, a satisfied smile playing on his face. It was a truly delightful future. That One watched him with a lukewarm expression before speaking.
“You look quite pleased. But don’t let your guard down until the ritual is over.”
“If you had told me sooner, I wouldn’t have let my guard down in the first place,” Abellus retorted with his arms crossed.
Crossing his legs and tapping his foot, he looked at the transparent case containing the Relics and thought of Iris, who was likely trapped in the dungeon.
She had rushed in to save the Old Man faster than expected, so she hadn’t been affected by the curse.
That One had stripped the unconscious Iris of her power and then withdrawn the power of the curse.
It was because they couldn’t afford to waste power before the ritual, and they believed Iris could no longer resist.
Afterward, the Old Man and Iris were locked in separate cells.
‘I wonder when she’ll wake up.’
He wanted to see her one more time before she lost her sanity.
While he would be able to possess her completely after the ritual, he wanted to see her just once before then.
If he spoke to her from outside the bars, would Iris look at him with eyes full of contempt?
Or would she act as if she had feelings for him, trying to coax him into helping her escape?
Any version of her would be cute. The imagination brought a smile to his lips.
‘Hmm, I’d prefer the latter. Having sex in a prison cell… that’s incredibly stimulating.’
Imagining a heated moment with Iris in the dungeon made his core flare with heat.
He idly scratched his chin and asked That One.
“When will the Vessel wake up?”
“I told you. Don’t go near the Vessel until the ritual is performed.”
That One, having read Abellus’s thoughts, frowned and answered immediately.
Abellus, embarrassed that his intentions had been read so easily, tapped the armrest of his throne.
“What’s the problem? We’ve already taken all her power. We’ve collected every single Relic that serves as the source of that power.”
“Even so, you never know. The Goddess wouldn’t have chosen that woman for nothing…”
“Hasn’t the Goddess been reduced to nothing?”
“Even if the Goddess has disappeared, her will must be wandering somewhere. The proof is that she attempted to reclaim the completed power of the Relics by awakening the Vessel.”
Abellus’s expression turned strange at the mention of the Goddess’s will being somewhere.
If the Goddess had intended for Iris’s awakening, why was she silent now?
Then, That One tilted its head and continued.
“But seeing how things are going, it seems the Goddess can’t use much power. If her power were strong, the Vessel wouldn’t have ended up in that state.”
“That’s fortunate for us.”
“Yes. If we had delayed any longer, the Vessel would have grown in strength by the time of the next Total Solar Eclipse, and it would have been the Vessel, not us, gathering the power of the Relics.”
That One shuddered as if the mere thought was horrifying. Then, it tilted its head while looking at the Relics in the transparent case.
“About the Relics. They’re all fine, but that one is really strange.”
“You mean that? The, the… Chastity Belt.”
Abellus stammered, unlike his usual self.
That One had collected all the Relics without even touching the unconscious Iris’s body, thanks to the Fragment of Evil it had planted in ancient times.
Because That One’s energy was faintly imbued within the Relics, it had even been able to retrieve the Chastity Belt that wouldn’t fall off Iris’s body.
Abellus was quite shocked by the fact that Iris had been wearing a Chastity Belt.
She certainly hadn’t been wearing anything like that on that night, so he wondered if she only put it on when exercising her superpower.
Even so, for the source of her power to be a Chastity Belt… Since Iris wasn’t here, he could say it, but really…
“…It’s hideous. It seems like that hideous Skill I saw earlier came from that Relic…”
“Mmm… This is the first I’ve heard of the Enraka Goddess having such a Relic. The Enraka Goddess is also the goddess of love. But for a Chastity Belt—an object that blocks love—to be one of the Relics… It is a strange thing.”
“Did the Goddess make the Relics?”
“That is what I understand.”
“Ahem…”
Abellus groaned and massaged his temples. How could he know the Goddess’s intentions?
She might have just made it for fun. Deciding to stop talking about the Chastity Belt that made his head spin just looking at it, Abellus asked That One what he was curious about.
“I have a question. Is the demon who fought the Enraka Goddess by any chance you?”
“Yes. It’s not in the legend, but the Goddess wasn’t the only one who vanished into nothingness. My soul was also torn into 10,000 pieces after a fierce battle. However, thanks to the abundance of evil in Gyodam City recently, my scattered soul gathered, and I was able to open my eyes again. Right here, in this place where the Goddess’s Crown is kept.”
“Ah.”
“Knowing the Goddess had vanished, I tried to gather the Relics first, but I couldn’t leave this place, so I couldn’t achieve my goal. Furthermore, the Relics cannot be worn by an evil spirit like me. That’s why I was looking for a Vessel to complete the power of the Relics. Among them, I judged that you, who had an additional Awakening through the Goddess’s Necklace, were worthy of being the Vessel. Iris, the one the Goddess chose? You may lack more talent than that Hero, but you can become perfect once the Ritual is performed.”
Listening to That One’s explanation, Abellus’s expression became much more relaxed.
He had been worried that That One might stab him in the back during the ritual, but if those words were true, there was no need for such concern.
In fact, That One had been unable to leave the basement where the Goddess’s Crown was located and couldn’t even touch the Relics.
The comment about him lacking more talent than Iris was slightly grating, but since it was true, he had no way to refute it.
If he became perfect through the Ritual during the Total Solar Eclipse, he would possess power 1,000 times stronger than the power of the Relic he had briefly tasted.
“So it means I’ll be fulfilling your wish instead?”
“Yes. It is my wish, and it is your wish as well. Gyodam City being stained with evil. Once the power of the completed Relics falls into the hands of a wicked person, I can become an Evil God. Then, I will gain a name. After that, Enrakakyo will serve a new god. Not a Goddess, but a newly born Evil God. Haha!”
“Ha… Haha!”
That One laughed loudly.
Despite its warning not to let his guard down, That One’s laughter seemed equally unguarded, so Abellus opened his mouth and smiled, eventually laughing out loud.
It was a situation where it was fine to have a victory drink in advance.
Now that they had collected all the Relics, there was nothing Iris could do.
She had lost her power and had no one to help her, and even if someone did, what could they do as long as That One and he were standing?
Besides, the Total Solar Eclipse was not far off, so he felt the tide of victory had completely turned in their favor.
Abellus, who finally calmed down after laughing with That One, spoke with a pleased expression.
“There’s a reason the Leader of the Enlaka Cult and the officials are coming tomorrow.”
“Yes. Shouldn’t they show loyalty to the new god they will welcome?”
“But will they show loyalty immediately? They’re bad guys just like us, but they were people who served the Goddess.”
“The moment they see the transformed Temple, they will start watching our every move. It’s obviously no ordinary ability, is it? It’s only right to stand on the side of an Evil God with powerful strength rather than an Enraka Goddess whose very existence is questionable.”
“I see…”
It was a valid point. While Abellus nodded, That One continued.
“It also fits with their ambition to swallow Gyodam City. Besides, it’s much easier to gather the fear of people than to gather love according to the Enrakakyo doctrine. Don’t you agree?”