Surviving without God

Gunther guided the horse toward Audrey House. Spurring it forward once more, he tried to untangle the knot of thoughts crowding his mind.

If this was not merely an illusion, but a truly existing “past”... then several questions arose, questions that absolutely had to be answered.

First of all: how had something like this become possible?

“According to the message... this is the result of the interaction between the Tablet, my traits, and the power Remesia embedded into it.”

As he calmly turned it over in his mind, he began to vaguely grasp the structure of what was happening.

First, the Tablet. The Tablet was a kind of key. A key that opened locked time, a door leading into the past.

“The Tablet I possess showed me Dominic’s past.”

Which meant he had been transferred to a place deeply tied to Dominic’s fate. He had arrived in the past of Audrey House.

He could also make a guess about his own “traits.” Most likely, it was Return After Death. That bizarre ability to rewind time must have played its part as well.

Why he had entered a priest named Raymond specifically, Gunther still did not know. For now, he could only assume that would become clear as he progressed through the stage.

“Of course, all of this is only speculation for now... But one thing is certain.”

There was one undeniable fact.

“It said that ‘rewriting’ is possible.”

To interfere in a past from many years ago, and as a result completely alter reality.

Even for Gunther, with his razor-sharp mind, it was difficult to predict the consequences. Wasn’t this the classic cliché of time-loop stories? Tales where trying to fix the past to suit your tastes only forced you to pay with an even more horrific future.

And yet... sweet possibilities kept insistently surfacing in his mind.

What if he saved Dominic here? More than that, what if he freed all the other Hierarchs as well? And if the opportunity arose, killed Masiu?

No matter what, “reality” would tilt in a direction profoundly disadvantageous to Luthien. Perhaps the very threat of Valloren’s kingdom being swallowed up would simply disappear.

“And Seril... and my brainwashing — all of it can be turned back.”

[Dreaming costs nothing. Your greed has no limits.]

[Mmm, perhaps I should help? I think I might be able to lend a hand.]

[Drooling over the divine domain? How filthy.]

On top of that, the owners of the voices that kept sounding the moment he forgot about them... Gunther was beginning to guess who they really were. At first he had assumed they were simply Evil Gods observing him out of curiosity, but if this was truly the past, the matter changed entirely. An ordinary Evil God could not casually cross time with him and accept the fact as though it were natural.

But his thoughts were interrupted.

What he was about to face now was not unrealized possibilities, nor the “Evil Gods” that could not yet affect him. ...This was a crisis far more tangible and immediate.

Clop-clop —

Gunther passed through the main gates of Audrey House once again. The sound of the gates ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) closing behind him echoed with heavy finality. And then he came face to face with the child who had been waiting for him.

In the darkness. Hidden in the building’s shadow, the girl clutched the hem of her thin clothing tightly. Her shoulders trembled in small shivers from cold and tension with every breath.

It was Yuria. The Child of the Month of Repose.

“T-teacher...”

The voice was timid. She was not sure whether she was allowed to approach, whether she was even allowed to call out to him. Yet deep in her eyes there was a desperate longing for warmth.

“I, I just... wanted to make sure you came back.”

Gunther froze as he looked at Yuria. Just a few hours ago, he had believed all of this was an illusion. But this was the past. Which meant that if he left everything as it was, soon he would have to “personally” offer this girl as a sacrifice to an Evil God.

“Yuria.”

As he spoke her name, he thought.

What happened to this child in the original story? Did Raymond save Yuria? Was he able to lead the Hierarchs out of Audrey House?

With a grim expression, he once again summoned the answer he already knew.

The answer was already known.

No. Raymond had failed. Despite his meticulous preparations and the aid of Night Raven. Which meant he could not walk the same path. He had to find the cause of the failure, analyze it, and succeed.

“It’s already late. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Gunther spoke and carefully placed a hand on Yuria’s head. The child’s shoulders jerked visibly. Her fingers loosened their tight grip on her clothes. As if that one gesture alone was enough, Yuria gave the faintest nod.

“Y-yes! Good night!”

And behind this scene —

On the very top floor of Audrey House, from the director’s office, through a narrow slit in the curtains, an old nun watched from above. A completely expressionless face. Her gaze was fixed precisely on the child and Gunther. Then the curtains quietly closed.

***

After returning to his room, Gunther immediately began drafting a plan for clearing this stage.

“What do I need to do?”

But soon he corrected the question.

“No. What can I do right now?”

Gunther stripped to the waist and stood before the mirror. He met the gaze of an unfamiliar face that seemed to be studying him in return.

Black hair, black eyes. In contrast to the pale skin, the body was trained to the absolute limit. Between the dense knots of muscle on the shoulders, abdomen, and arms, horrifying scars could be seen. Far too many marks for the body of an ordinary priest.

Most striking of all was the Stigma burned into the area over his heart. The mark of the healing god Seren Mayra. A design resembling layered rings and a chalice, with a faint light glowing at its center. But when he looked closer, Gunther noticed something strange.

“A strange feeling... as if it’s faded.”

These were likely traces of how Grand Crow’s abilities had concealed “Raymond” from the Evil God’s sight. After all, among the authorities of the One-Eyed King there was definitely Concealment.

[Currently unable to view the target’s status window.]

Because of that influence, Raymond’s status window would not open. Gunther did not let it bother him and instead began reexamining the stack of letters left behind.

As though foreseeing the possibility that one day someone else might enter this body — unlikely as that seemed — the letters contained scattered fragments of information about “Raymond’s” identity. Gunther gathered those shards together, organizing the facts in his head.

Raymond Pilgrim. Age thirty-three.

In short, this was a priest whose record could hardly be described as anything less than brilliant.

“Heh, no wonder both Masiu and Audrey were so favorable toward him. And it makes sense he was chosen as the Guide.”

An elite who had graduated top of his class from the Holy Capital’s theological academy. After graduation he had been assigned to Pendrox, where he served in support of the Society of Holy Flame. In Badland, within the sphere of the Cult of Healing, he had tirelessly patrolled those endless lands. A genuine top 1% fanatic. And Gunther had entered the body of such an exceptional man.

“...Just how strong is he?”

Naturally, he could not use the Evil God’s authorities. Those were engraved into Raymond’s soul.

Most of the abilities originally possessed by “Gunther” were dormant as well. Most likely, it was because of the time period. This was the past, before the awakening of the powers of the three gods. A time before Gunther himself had entered this world.

But that did not matter much. Gunther slowly moved, testing the body.

“How did they torment him like this?”

The body was... excessively trained. A physical condition where even the real Gunther would not be confident of victory.

It was likely because of the nature of the Cult of Healing. Since they could heal any wound, they never hesitated before training methods that broke a person. Tear, break, then mend again. By repeating that process, they pushed the boundaries of what was possible.

“And there must have been monstrous talent behind it.”

Suddenly he remembered Nine. That talented man who had reached the 3rd hierarchy without the help of gods. If he had received every possible support and forced himself into extreme conditions, his body would probably have become exactly like this.

Gunther stared at his reflection in the mirror a little longer, then quietly exhaled and returned to the bed.

“A man who, in essence, lived his entire life for the glory of Luthien... why would someone like that rebel against the Theocracy?”

On top of that, this was a powerhouse who under normal circumstances would not have failed a single mission. So why had such a man failed to save the Hierarchs?

Because Audrey House was open only to trusted individuals, its security was not as strict as one might imagine. Of course, monsters like Masiu were present, but if he waited for the right timing, there should have been plenty of opportunities.

“Ha... I don’t get it.”

Gunther temporarily suppressed the flood of questions. Soon enough, he would obtain a clue anyway.

“It’s time... time to meet him.”

Today was Raymond’s first day in Audrey House. A moment this important could never simply pass without consequence.

The moment he lay down in bed, sleep quickly overtook him. His consciousness blurred, his vision softened. Gunther closed his eyes.

.

.

.

“Raymond.”

A familiar voice woke Gunther.

“Raymond Pilgrim.”

The space was filled with soft light. A strange brightness — not harsh on the eyes, yet somehow deeply unsettling. There, within that light, an old man in a crow mask was looking at him.

“Long time no see.”

Grand Crow added in a low, gentle voice, as though addressing a member of his own organization:

“So, do you still intend to save them and lead them out, instead of simply killing them?”

***

Rustle —

Deep in the archives, Grand Crow stopped arranging the books. The old man’s eyes trembled for the briefest moment when they landed on a dust-covered spine.

“Audrey House.” Because that old memory had suddenly resurfaced.

Still, thinking of it now was only natural.

That operation. That choice made on that day. If things had gone even slightly differently, a good half of his current problems would already have been solved.

“Raymond... what a fool you were.”

Grand Crow pulled out a single book and settled into his chair. His old, wrinkled eyes narrowed as they sank into the report disguised as a book.

“Yes, that did happen.”

Of course, he understood everything. The Hierarchs were unfortunate children who had never even known the concept of choice while growing up. Grand Crow could not help but understand Raymond’s feelings, his determination to bring them out alive no matter what.

But Audrey House... was not a place that forgave such softness.

Terrifying traps woven into the very space itself. A crushing time limit, with betrayal on the verge of being exposed. And above all, the unpredictability of the Hierarchs themselves.

“...Idiot.”

In the end, Raymond died without saving anyone.

From the standpoint of efficiency, the answer had always been obvious. The best option would have been for Raymond to eliminate as many defenseless Hierarchs as possible on his own and... Dominic. To take out only that one child, the one now called the candidate for the Hierarch of Light.

Grand Crow followed that thought to its conclusion and quietly exhaled. It was a long, heavy sigh.

“Though...”

If he had been the kind of man capable of making such a choice, he would never have broken free of Luthien’s brainwashing and come here in the first place.

“Inefficiency...”

Suddenly one face rose before him. The newcomer who had gotten into trouble in the kingdom of Valloren while fighting a Hierarch... No, now he was already someone whose presence had become too significant to still call a newcomer.

If that man had been in Audrey House, would anything have changed?

“Ha.”

Grand Crow let out a short laugh, realizing how pointless the thought was. Like a child’s fantasy. This was no time for such things. He occupied a position where losses had to be calculated.

To live inefficiently was a luxury available only to those without responsibility. In a position where the burden of too many lives and decisions rested on your shoulders, you could not make choices based solely on what felt “right.” An organization could not be sustained on kindness alone.

Grand Crow was a man who strove toward good. That was precisely why he understood better than anyone that there were moments when, to protect that good, one had to become merciless.

He picked up the letter from the desk. And after a brief hesitation, signed it in neat handwriting. The order had been completed before the ink was even dry.

Eliminate Gunther. Squad members are to return immediately upon completion of the elimination mission.

...For the sake of a greater number of people.

Grand Crow closed his eyes.