Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Eight: The First Truth
Maybe ten days ago, this ugly, inconspicuous little pill, which had an aroma that hinted at a fishy smell if you sniffed closely, was the kind of thing that wouldn’t even catch my eye—it looked like something you definitely should not eat.
But during those ten days of slumber, I recovered my old memories.
This little pill had appeared more than once in the scenes of my memory, seeping into my mind along with every painful, sleepless night and the bitter taste in my mouth, forever etched in my consciousness.
“Whoo—whoo—”
My breathing began to quicken, and my hands, laid flat on the table, instinctively clenched into fists. My heart pounded violently in my chest, and my eyes were glued to Angel, too afraid to glance another moment at the pill in the box—even though I knew well that the person sitting in front of me was not Romani Doctor and that I had long since left that cave.
No one could force me to take it again; I was fully aware of that.
But the panic I felt was like a swarm of ants burrowing deep within my bones, creeping from my heart to the tips of my fingers. No matter how hard I tried to steady myself, I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling slightly.
The vast top chamber suddenly fell silent.
Angel, sitting opposite me, squinted his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, remaining silent for a long moment. The smile on his face gradually faded, growing unfathomable as he stared at me with an odd expression, something flickering in his eyes that I couldn’t understand.
Is he… observing my reaction?
Slowly, I snuck my hand beneath the table, straightened my back, thought about it, then placed my hands behind me. I shifted my little behind around until I found a comfortable position before lowering my head, glancing at the pie that had fallen to the ground. After a moment’s hesitation… I left it there.
“Angel…”
My voice quivered a bit…
“Cough—”
I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, then looked up, locking eyes with him: “That… thing in the box, how did you get it?”
Did I manage to act calm enough?
Not so sure about that…
But I didn’t want Angel to catch onto anything or think I was scared. So I did my utmost to relax my tightly wound body, twisting my fingers together behind my back, fussing around.
However, upon hearing my question, Angel furrowed his brows slightly.
“Ah…”
He fell silent for a moment before sighing, irritably rubbing his face with his hands, tapping a few times on the table, pondering for several seconds before flashing me a smile that was, at least, pleasing to the eye.
“Little Black Charcoal, have you remembered something…? If possible, could you tell me?”
Tell you?
“I…”
Why would I tell you?
That mysterious and creepy experimental organization was currently shrouded in mystery; what I could be sure of was that behind them lay a massive and organized force as their support, otherwise, they wouldn’t have developed to such a scale. Not just the Valen Empire, but even Silgaya had their “clinics.” These were merely the ones I knew about—there might be many more I didn’t. I had no idea who my enemies truly were, so it was best not to expose too much information.
Better to first hear what Angel has to say…
“You first tell me, where did you get that…?”
At my words, Angel paused, the smile in his eyes deepened as he pointed a finger at my nose: “Well, well, Little Black Charcoal, are you trying to play games with me?!”
“What of it?!”
I deliberately widened my eyes and stuck my neck out at him.
This man seemed nonchalant about everything, but he was actually clever… Anyone who could become a Pope couldn’t be just an ordinary person, no matter how scruffy they appeared. My little ruse probably didn’t even register on his radar. So I decided to lay it all out directly, hiding nothing, making my attitude clear… After all, with my looks, speaking assertively often won the favor of most people, especially men… I had figured that much out.
And when a man takes a liking to you, there’s a good chance he might change some of his previously held beliefs… I guessed it was probably the same for women, too.
In the end, they were all just little thoughts.
But as long as they were effective, that was all that mattered.
Sure enough, Angel stared at me for quite a while before finally shaking his head in resignation: “Sigh… Little Black Charcoal, you have no idea how long I’ve considered what to say to you… I hesitated over whether to tell you, worried you’d be upset after hearing it… I really wrestled with it for a long time! I care about you a lot, and you’re always on my mind… but you just don’t believe me, and here you are making me play mind games… it’s heartbreaking…”
The man still spoke in that unreliable tone, as if he were vaguely flirting with me.
Yet I sensed the information hidden in his words.
“Why… would I be upset?”
“Don’t know, just worried.” Angel shrugged, returning to his lax self as he yawned, “Because the truth is often unsatisfactory… I was planning on telling you this, but… are you sure you want to hear it?”
I nodded.
What was there to hesitate about?
“Alright…”
Angel rubbed his temples, raised the wine bottle from the edge of the table, then realized it was empty, grumbling with annoyance as he stood up. While heading to the liquor cabinet on the left, he asked me, “You know what that thing is, right?”
“Uh-huh…”
I nodded first, then immediately shook my head: “No idea.”
I only knew it was used to validate something. Those people at the cliff forced “patients” to swallow it; many couldn’t handle it, their bodies started rotting, and they died. Only Iliush and I remained unaffected, ultimately surviving.
But honestly, I wasn’t clear on its specific effects.
“Then what have you remembered so far, it’s like…”
Angel returned from the liquor cabinet with a bottle of wine, sat back down, and to my surprise, with a flick of his thumb, he popped the cork with a satisfying ‘pop’, and the rich aroma wafted into my nose.
He poured himself a glass and took a sip, his expression blissfully indulgent.
How is he and Victoria alike? Just a couple of alcoholics…
Wait a second!
Suddenly, my eyes went wide.
He had just asked me what I had remembered… but I’m an Abyss! Why did he say “remembered”?! He couldn’t possibly be aware of that!!!
Unless…
Unless he knew all along!
He must have already known I was actually human, and later turned into an Abyss monster due to some “reason,” losing my memory. He had been aware of this all along and that’s why he asked me like that!
In an instant, my hair stood on end, and goosebumps prickled all over my body. A chill crept into my heart, and I desperately tried not to show any emotions on my face as I scrutinized Angel’s posture.
He held his wine glass, sipping slowly, his gaze still fixed on my face.
Moments later, Angel suddenly thought of something, and his eyebrows shot up: “Wait, do you suspect that thing is mine?!”
…Isn’t it?
I stayed silent, just staring at him.
“Hey, hey, hey… Little Black Charcoal, you can’t play me like this…”
Stare…
Angel seemed quite aggrieved… and a bit angry…
“…Well played, you’ve hurt my heart again…”
He said dramatically, clutching his chest like some tragic hero.
Uh…
Did I misinterpret that?
He shouldn’t be the one, right…?
“Little Black Charcoal, what do you expect me to say… If that d*mn pill were mine, would I show it to you? Use your brain.”
…That makes sense.
If he was the behind-the-scenes controller of that organization, there would indeed be no need to directly present the pill to me… wouldn’t that be giving himself away? No one would be foolish enough to do that…
With that thought, I felt a little more at ease.
Angel’s attitude was very sincere.
But…
“You’ve known some things… for a long time, haven’t you?”
“…That’s right.”
Huh?
He just openly admitted it like that, looking all calm and fearless…
…What to do?
I really want to hit him.
Bam!
“Ouch!”
By the time I registered what I had done, I was already standing up from the table, pulling my fist back.
Meanwhile, Angel was clutching one eye, his drink splattered all over him, the wine glass smashed on the floor as he let out a heart-wrenching wail: “My thirty-year-old vintage Tammaro! Little Black Charcoal, you’ve gone too far—”
“Come on, it’s not that bad.”
“This is the second time you’ve hit me!”
“You asked for it.”
“I’m the Pope of the Holy Church! Watch out or I might enlist someone to take care of you!”
“Darn…”
Better punch him again.
I immediately raised my arm, and upon seeing this, Angel hurriedly waved his hands: “No, no, no! I’m sorry! Please don’t be angry! I’ll confess, and you can hit me afterwards!”
…Well, fine then.
I withdrew my fist, pouting as I sat back down, watching Angel as he rubbed his bruised eye, mumbling that “gentlemen don’t bicker with little girls,” while bending to pick up the wine glass. The look on his face, torn between pain and sympathy, eased the lingering gloom in my heart considerably.
This guy…
Maybe he’s worth trusting.
Suddenly, that thought popped into my mind.
“Alright, Angel. Tell me everything you know.”
“Okay, okay, I’m scared of you now…”
The bruise on his left eye was still swelling, making him look quite painful. Angel rolled his eyes dramatically, sighing in exasperation.
He watched me cautiously, placing his hands protectively over his chest like a timid girl, his face full of wariness.
“I did indeed know some things for a while, but perhaps not as much as you think… Please don’t get mad at me for saying this, and even if you do, you can’t hit me, or I’ll have to scream.”
“Pfft—”
I almost burst out laughing.
What’s going on with this Pope? Is he intentionally trying to make me laugh? …Ah, probably.
You can’t tell at all with his unreliable demeanor…
Seeing that I didn’t respond, Angel seemed a bit uneasy. He hugged his wine glass close, wiped it gently with his sleeve, filled it again, then placed the bottle on the ground beside him before finally beginning to speak.
“In fact, from the moment I saw you… no, from when Carlos told me about your existence, I guessed it. You’re probably one of their… I don’t know how to call it, let’s just say ‘bl**d Therapy Patient.'”
bl**d Therapy Patient…
He really knew about that experiment.
“Who are they?” I furrowed my brows.
But Angel didn’t answer my question directly.
“For many years, the Gate of Truth has been studying the effects of ‘bl**d.’ Not just human bl**d or animal bl**d, but some unknown… I suspect it could be the bl**d of ‘other races.'”
“In their world, bl**d is the best medium for carrying power. And their source of power? The Sin Fire. That kind of overwhelming force, transcending the Power of Order, can burn everything. Tracing it to its roots… Little Black Charcoal, it actually shares the same origin as the power of faith.”
…Same origin?
“What do you mean?”
Could it be…
“The Sin Fire… According to church scriptures, it can incinerate all sins and purify the souls of life, serving as the deity who governs good and evil, and also as the grantor of divine miracles… One of the powers of Diana Augustine. This great being bestowed blessings during a time of crisis for humanity, helping us defeat the mighty other races, leaving an indelible mark in our millennium-long history. That is why later generations revered her as… the Goddess of Sin.”
