Surviving without God

The Prayer of Repose. It was one of the regular duties that the Guide and the Child of the Month of Repose had to perform before the arrival of the “Day of Repose.” Naturally, ordinary children only vaguely suspected the existence of this ritual, but had no idea what it actually entailed.

Shrrk—

Gunther and Yuria walked through the underground passageway. Ahead of them, a vast circular hall opened up. From its center, seven paths spread out radially, each adorned with light and symbols of different colors.

Abundance, Healing, Repose, Protection, Light, Justice, Trust.

The teachers passing by greeted Yuria and Gunther warmly one after another.

“Oh, Mr. Raymond. You came to conduct the Prayer of Repose?”

“By the way, have you decided when to hold the welcome party yet? Everyone’s really looking forward to it.”

Of course, those cheerful greetings were meant only for Gunther. Yuria, who had seemed to be in good spirits just moments ago, cautiously stepped back and hid behind his back. Apparently, it was impossible to grow used to being completely ignored by the friendly teachers. Gunther brushed them off with short replies as he headed toward the empty chapel of the Cult of Healing.

...Behind them, someone’s voice echoed low.

“So what? He doesn’t look strange.”

“Rem, we’ve been watching them for barely ten minutes.”

Remesia and Dominic slowly emerged from the shadows. Remesia glanced around anxiously and continued:

“No, but if he’s suspicious, why don’t we just tell the teachers or Headmistress Audrey? Why are we getting involved ourselves?”

“And what if we’re wrong?” Dominic replied calmly. “We go around spreading that ‘Teacher Raymond is kind of shady,’ and it turns out to be nothing? What if it reaches his ears? Looks like he’ll be staying here as the Guide for a long time. No reason to ruin our relationship with him.”

“......”

“We’ll just follow them. Come on.”

Remesia still looked at Dominic distrustfully. She had only come with him because he promised it would be a way to earn favor with Masiu.

But spying on the new teacher, Raymond, felt like the kind of thing the “good children” of Audrey House were never supposed to do. Dominic carefully watched the changes in her expression and added in a coaxing tone:

“But if we happen to find something truly serious...”

“Then what?”

“Wouldn’t that become the greatest achievement any child has accomplished since the orphanage was founded?”

There was a strange, unexplainable persuasiveness in his words. As if he were already certain they would find something.

“Mr. Masiu, who cares so deeply about the peace of the orphanage, would surely praise you greatly. I’m just giving you the chance.”

“Kh-h... Maybe, but still...”

Dominic lightly tugged at Remesia’s hand.

“Besides, we won’t get caught. You know what I’m capable of, right?”

That was true. Dominic was incredibly gifted in many things. If he said everything would be fine, then it would be.

And honestly, even if they were caught, nothing terrible would happen. Dominic had already been marked as a candidate for the highest hierarchy of Light, and Remesia as well. With the succession of the Hierarch of Repose approaching, Remesia was practically irreplaceable. She stepped forward as if reluctantly giving in.

“...Honestly, I’m curious too about what the Prayer of Repose actually is.”

“What?”

“Well, what else? What could be so important that they hide it from us this carefully...”

“Dominic! What’s wrong with you today?”

Remesia called him by name instead of “big brother.” That was the sign she was genuinely angry. Dominic hurriedly raised his hands. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“Alright, alright.”

“Are you crazy? Do you want to break the rules?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. But if you keep shouting like that, we’ll break them whether we want to or not.”

“A-ah... shut up!”

Dominic let out a teasing grin, turned away, and remembered the words Raymond had once said:

“Remesia is very curious.”

“...Really? I never noticed.”

“Not everyone lives with themselves laid bare.”

Dominic couldn’t explain it even now, but he had solid reason to think so. His future double, Rem. Her personality clearly began with Remesia herself.

Constant questions. Doubting everything. An inability to accept what she did not understand. In the future Remesia, those traits had merely been erased beneath deeper indoctrination. But a person’s essence did not change so easily.

“...I did as you asked.”

Dominic looked toward where Raymond and Yuria had gone. He knew Remesia was looking there too.

Of course she was. Yuria was her dearest... sworn sister. And though the rules demanded she treat her like empty space, Dominic knew Remesia always tried to remain somewhere nearby.

The die had been cast. Time to see the result. He turned to Remesia.

“So... should we head back? Or watch a little longer? Your choice.”

...Remesia bit her lip.

***

“Yuria.”

“Yes!”

“Should we eat some cookies after this is over?”

“...Hehe, it’s okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“So that means you won’t?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Holding tightly to the hand of the girl who had begun to joke little by little again, Gunther crossed the space that from the outside looked like the height of sanctity and peace.

Ding—

[Skill Activated: Vision of the Heavenly Mechanism (Lv. 2)]

At that same moment, his vision transformed. The entire space was wrapped in a web of interwoven currents of power. Vortices of energy twisted together, strengthened one another, and resonated as they spread throughout the building.

“I knew it...”

Gunther instinctively felt that his suspicion had been correct. The infrastructure of Audrey House was filled with hidden traps and mechanisms. And most of the energy powering all of it came from here, from the underground.

This was where the hierarchs, candidates, and priest-teachers prayed every day. But it was not only prayer. It was painfully obvious that true sacrifices were also being performed here in secret. Just like this “Prayer of Repose,” which had now become his duty. Gunther engraved the structure of that power into his memory and finally stepped into the chapel of the Goddess of Healing — Seren Mayra.

Pshhhh—

At the center of the altar towered the figure of Seren Mayra, looking infinitely holy. A statue of white marble. A gentle gaze, a gesture promising to heal any wound. From the basket of herbs in her hand seemed to drift a soothing fragrance.

But Gunther could far too easily imagine what lay behind that facade.

An enormous mountain of pus made of rotting, decaying flesh. Something constantly swelling, bursting, and spewing out fresh contagion. An evil deity spreading disease under the guise of healing.

The Goddess of Plague, Seren Mayra. The very one now destroying Nomadis, the land of other races in Badland.

Gunther looked at the altar for a second, then knelt as if nothing were wrong. After hesitating, Yuria climbed onto the raised platform at the center of the altar and knelt as well.

Yuria had said that before Gunther’s arrival, she used to perform the Prayer of Repose together with Masiu.

“T-teacher.”

Gunther silently watched as her small body began trembling in fear. This had to be done. In any case, the Guide could not skip the Prayer of Repose. Otherwise the escape plan would fail before it even began. But despite all its necessity, he could not stop his nails from digging into his palms until they bled.

“S-shall we begin?”

“...Yes.”

Two small pairs of hands joined, and the words of the prayer began to flow. A prayer unknown to the other children — meant only for the Child of the Month of Repose. Gunther held his breath and listened.

To Yuria’s trembling voice. And to the two pairs of footsteps that had crossed the threshold of the barrier he had intentionally left open.

Yuria’s voice rang beneath the chapel vaults:

O Seren Mayra, sovereign of healing. I believe that Your mercy is fulfilled through suffering. Behold, I offer my body — take it without hesitation, cut it apart and use it as much as necessity commands. If someone’s recovery is built upon ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ my destruction, I will gladly accept this pain.

And today use me as Your healing. And today use me as the instrument of Your will. And today consume me without leaving even a trace.

The words sounded solemn, but their meaning was horrifying.

S-s-s-s—

As the prayer continued, Yuria’s body began to change.

First, a red rash spread across her arms and neck. Soon her skin swelled with blisters, from which a liquid like rotten blood began to seep. Yuria’s breathing turned ragged. A groan slipped through her clenched teeth as she suppressed the pain.

“Ghh...”

Soon the rash subsided, but in its place small tumors sprang up. Something moved beneath her skin. Then disappeared again as if nothing had ever been there.

“A-ah... A-a-a-a-a!”

Yuria finally couldn’t endure it and screamed. But nothing stopped.

Diseases were endlessly created, consumed, and created again.

Leaving behind only pure pain.

In response, the force flowing through the space stirred. Seren Mayra’s influence sharply increased, surging somewhere outward.

Haa...

A sigh came from the statue of the goddess. It was no hallucination. But that dreadful sound of satisfaction...

“Yuria...”

...was drowned out by the trembling voice of a girl that rang out from behind.

“Yuria!”

Yuria, writhing in pain, threw her eyes wide open. It was a voice she had believed she would never hear again until the day she died.

...That couldn’t be real. Probably a hallucination from the pain. But Yuria still couldn’t help turning her head.

And there—

“YURIA!!!!”

Years of Audrey House indoctrination and doctrine lost all meaning in a single instant. In their place, memories rushed in.

The nights they slept in the same bed. The laughter beneath the blankets when they hid from everyone. The smell of summer when they lay in the grass together with a book.

All those memories shoved Remesia forward with overwhelming force.

Remesia’s thin arms wrapped around Yuria’s ulcer-covered body. Yuria froze. Remesia herself grabbed the girl’s hands, which flailed in confusion, unable to decide whether to embrace her back.

At that exact moment—

Psh-sh-sh-shht—

[Active Skill Activated: Deicide]

[Divine Summons Detected]

A burst of scarlet flame cut through the air. Along with it, the power of the One-Eyed King hidden within Gunther was unleashed. At that same moment, every gaze that had been fixed on this place... on the two girls, vanished. The space was instantly isolated, as if behind a curtain.

In the silence that followed, Gunther looked at Dominic. Dominic looked at Gunther too.

For the first time, both of them had seen how the Prayer of Repose was truly carried out.

And so the same thing was written in both their eyes.

A vow to wipe this place from the face of the earth.

Resolve raged in their gazes.

***

Neigh!

Masiu’s horse, galloping through the border zone, suddenly staggered and slowed. Not understanding the reason, Dominic pulled on the reins.

“Archbishop? What happened?”

But Masiu had no mind to answer. His face had frozen like that of a man confronted by the unthinkable.

“The indoctrination... why?”

Several years ago, when Audrey House had nearly fallen due to the threat of traitors, Masiu had used every means possible to rip out and rewrite the minds of all hierarchs and candidates. He knew it would reduce their potential, but it had been necessary to avoid “defilement.” That was how he strengthened his power. That influence could not collapse. Much less weaken on its own.

But now. He felt the threads of control stretched toward Remesia suddenly tremble.

This was no coincidence. It was the gravest kind of exception.

Masiu slowly turned toward Dominic.

“...Hierarch. It seems we’ll need to change our destination.”