Chapter Fifteen: Fire Cluster
Smack, smack… gurgle…
In the brightly lit cellar, it was eerily quiet, with only the sound of me chewing and swallowing food echoing off the walls.
I was really starving.
Maybe my body had grown accustomed to this gnawing emptiness during its long nap, or perhaps it was still recovering from whatever weirdness had befallen it. I mean, who knows if my stomach started moving again just before I woke up? And did everything I ate actually make it into my belly?
Anyway, while I was diligently studying my notes earlier, I had managed to forget my hunger—for a moment—until I took that first big bite of meat. The warmth hit my belly and, while chatting with the little girl, my insides suddenly flared up. I became hungrier than a dragon at an all-you-can-eat buffet, like every cell in my body was screaming for food.
I zoned out, focusing solely on my feast, shoving food into my mouth with reckless abandon. I hadn’t even swallowed one bite before another morsel was jammed in. I was devouring like there was no tomorrow, wearing meat juice on my face like a badge of honor. The plate was soon empty, and yet my stomach still felt like a void—more hungry than ever!
I smacked my lips and, without thinking, my gaze drifted back to the plate. There, immersed in the broth, were a few creepy-crawly bugs. I tentatively reached for one—but then suddenly froze.
Bugs…
Am I really going to eat this?
No way…
I’ve never eaten bugs!
Eww…
But fear couldn’t compete with my hunger! After two agonizing seconds of hesitation, I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. I grabbed one and held it up before my face, scrutinizing it.
A bright red beetle. Very flashy…
Maybe it was because I had tiny hands, but this beetle was almost as big as my palm! It looked like it had been grilled, with a slightly squished abdomen, while its head and shiny back remained a brilliant red. Six legs that could practically double as knives, and long, curved horns on top, resembling a unicorn beetle just a bit…
So, how do I eat this thing?
Do I peel it, or start from the belly?
Oh boy, what a dilemma…
I frowned, squishing the massive bug in my hands, poking at its hard horns and legs. The thought of it was giving me the heebie-jeebies. How could I be so hungry yet be unable to simply open my mouth?
…Maybe I should just skip this?
After all, that little girl will be back with more meat soon…
But that could take ages…
I couldn’t hold back; I just wanted to keep eating…
But ants in my pants, bugs in my soup—it was all a bit too quirky…
But wait! The little girl said these were delicious.
The townsfolk usually save these delicacies for their honored guests, right? So, it can’t be all bad…
How about…
I just take a tiny bite and see?
Sniff…
I brought the bug to my nose for a whiff—nothing weird, just the smell of meat broth, somewhat tasty.
Gurgle.
Can’t help but swallow…
Alright, then!
When in doubt, try a bite!
“Ah—”
With resolve, I opened my mouth wide, revealing a tiny fang sparkling in the candlelight, and bit down on the bug’s belly with determination.
“Ugh…”
Surprisingly chewy! I couldn’t obliterate the whole belly in one go. Panicking, I grabbed the bug’s head and yanked hard. With a loud pop, I ripped it apart. The entire bug belly lodged in my mouth, cheeks bulging, I grimaced and chewed tightly.
I chewed… I bit… Eww… it felt like chewing gum… Oh gosh, oh gosh!
It BURST!!!
The juices exploded in my mouth, like a confetti cannon of gooeyness! The opaque, milky substance dribbled out of the corners of my mouth, splattering on the tabletop.
“Ugh! Ugh—”
I couldn’t suppress a gag reflex, quickly sealing my lips, as an unusual flavor overwhelmed my senses—not at all what I expected from a bug, but also not entirely bad. Still, the rich, oily taste combined with eating bug meat was a twisted experience that made my stomach churn. I could feel a wave of nausea building up.
Oh no, I can’t handle this!
“Blegh!”
I spewed the bug-juice explosion all over the table, the milky substance mixed with who-knows-what chunks plopping down and dripping off the edge. With another “blegh!” I turned my head to the side and “pfft pfft pfft” spat out what was left in my mouth, staring at the remaining half of the bug’s shell in my hand. I shuddered and tossed it back onto the plate with a clang.
Eating bugs?!
I don’t care how hungry I am—I’m just a normal girl! Oh, wait, scratch that—just a normal dude! How could I possibly choke that down?
GROSS!
I instinctively reached for my cloth napkin to wipe my mouth, only to remember that I’d given it to Ryan. All my stuff was gone, even that black box was still with Angel…
That box had important things! I needed to get it back…
I shook the grease off my hands, scanning the room for something to wipe on. Stuck with the decision, I wiped my hands on my pants—whatever, they weren’t mine anyway. I could just ask the townsfolk for new clothes later, along with some shoes…
And I’m still barefoot!
Leaning my head toward the door, it dawned on me that the little girl might take a while to come back. I rubbed my belly and frowned, trying to distract myself, I picked up that notebook again, casually flipping through the pages.
Speaking of which…
I hope I don’t look too weird compared to before!
I mean, I had checked myself out briefly earlier.
There were no angel wings sprouting from my back, and no horns on my head. Under the candlelight, I could faintly see my hair at the temples, still as inky black as ever.
I had no clue what that little girl meant by ‘demon’; maybe I wasn’t fully here at the time. I didn’t know how I looked, perhaps I was all messed up and gooey like that bug meat I just spewed… Ugh, better not dwell on that.
Anyway, aside from being a bit awkward and stiff, I felt pretty normal. There shouldn’t be any significant changes. I was still the same height—thank goodness I didn’t grow extra limbs… although, if I could just grow a bit taller…
And what about my chest…
Thinking of that suddenly filled me with a mix of hope and weirdness. When I briefly checked earlier, it felt like… maybe it had gained a little something?
Could it be?
Any changes?!
Hastily, I brushed my hands along my body, wandering toward my little chest, imagining a fluffy, plump mound that I couldn’t quite wrap around. If I had that, then I would—
Hehe.
But nope. No plumpness detected compared to before.
How utterly dull…
Ah, whatever. It can be whatever it wants to be!
I felt a bit deflated, flipping through the notebook aimlessly, but I couldn’t focus; my hunger gnawed at my attention, thoughts becoming a scattered mess. I skimmed through the rest quickly, mostly noting the records revolving around Ailna’s upcoming plans. I had a good grasp of what was to come next, as the success rates for sacrifices had increased with time. Hence, there were now characters like Weithermill running amok.
But of course, Ailna didn’t jot down the specific sacrifice methods.
And Teresa was heading to the Eastern Continent on behalf of the Church. To avoid raising suspicions, she didn’t waste time and hurried back to the Royal City of Ethanbel shortly after the sacrifice. That’s when the series of events at the Kataroma Orphanage unfolded.
I flipped to the back of the notebook, hoping to find more detailed information about the bloody ritual at the orphanage, but alas, Ailna didn’t have any more notes; all she mentioned was the conclusions they had drawn while in the Eastern Continent.
Perhaps they had obtained some insights from the Essence. Ailna was convinced that the entrance to the Land of Dragons was hidden in Woodward Forest. But Teresa seemed just a tad skeptical, thinking it was unlikely the entrance would be easily located, and it probably had already been buried under the Church’s operations throughout history.
Yet it was confirmed that the Deity Body was sealed there—no doubt about that. To unlock the Land of Dragons, Ailna claimed one would need the residual power left behind by the Ancient Deity’s remains.
Ancient Deity.
I remember that was the original deity.
When I devoured the bl**d Pearl in the Land of Dragons, I witnessed a bizarre illusion, heard what felt like a divine decree from the heavens, as well as a lamenting dragon’s roar—those ancient and sorrowful questions directed at the Gidales clan.
[Why must my kin be imprisoned…]
[Why must my kin be slaughtered…]
[Why must my kin be deceived…]
Those petrified dragons were imprisoned in a dark and dreary space due to the lies of some being. They were deceived, slaughtered, becoming mere vessels for the seal. This deceiver, responsible for everything, was that very Ancient Deity.
At least it was the one orchestrating all this.
And Ailna and Teresa had clearly figured out the roots of it way before I even had a clue. They knew far more than I imagined. It was only natural they reached a consensus—one in the Western Continent, the other in the Eastern Continent, conducting covert planning through secret letters, searching for ways to open the Land of Dragons.
[I told Teresa that only the remains of the Ancient Deity possessed the power to break the seal of the Dragon Land. Teresa thought for two seconds and then informed me she had a target in mind. That target was the Divine Reliquary of Boswell in the Royal City. She judged that the source of its power was one of the Ancient Deity’s vertebrae…]
Upon reading that, I was frozen in place for a solid moment.
Boswell…
The egg shell of the Royal City from back then.
I’d seen that dark vertebra! Teresa had moved its medium, transferring and condensing it into the later bl**d Pearl. To get the bl**d Pearl out of the Royal City, she risked her life, diverting all eyes from her.
The Divine Reliquary…
So it wasn’t dragon bone; it was the remains of a deity.
The Holy Church, Angel…
What else have you lied to me about?
You will never deceive me again…
Although many details still felt hazy, the Church had continuously used the deity’s remains—even its flesh—to attain greater power, this so-called power of faith… and my experiences in that clinic were also intricately linked to this.
Those two-faced clerics, always blabbering about gratitude while secretly desecrating the divine. They snatched away divine power for themselves, even imprisoning deities—perhaps for thousands of years—driving them utterly insane, ultimately leading to the Abyss—everything stemmed from that.
This was the truth. I had figured it out.
No wonder some had split from the Church; no wonder Ailna wrote those words; no wonder the Gate of Truth despised the Saints.
Angel…
You’ve imprisoned the Mother God of Abundance beneath the Holy City.
How did you manage that…
That terrifying existence…
Was merely an empty shell, not even a fraction of its power restored, and it was already so despairingly formidable…
The Holy Church…
You truly are…
A bunch of beings more terrifying than deities.
The bright-eyed, beautiful girl sat at the table, her mouth and face smeared with thick gunk and broth. She instinctively licked her lips, resting her chin on her hand, delicate brows furrowed in deep thought, her sparkling eyes reflecting the crimson fire cluster flickering alive.
It wouldn’t extinguish again.
