Reading the description of the ability, Seth heaved another sigh of relief.
Another thing that Seth was glad about was the anti-tracking ability of [Null Presence]!
Although he was a bit unsure of how exactly it worked, Seth vaguely felt that he could easily conceal his own footprints, suppress his smell, and even seamlessly blend into crowds without being noticed!
'Hm. I can only hope he doesn't have sort of special abilities that allowed him to notice my use of powers…'
His gaze then drifted down to the other notification that had popped up, the one that had appeared the moment he felt the witch's compelling pressure.
[Authority of The Meaningless (1st Stage)] Experiencing first-hand the abilities of other Sin users grants knowledge about their Sin's properties and limitations.
Below this was another notification.
[Sin of Arrogance, First Circle Ability]
[Decree : Their spoken words can force obedience and demand to those they want to command.]
During the time the witch had questioned Seth, he vaguely felt that a very compelling need to obey the witch's orders was constantly controlling him!
This was most likely due to the influence of the witch's powers!
Hence, after first-handedly experiencing the man's ability, he gained knowledge of it!
A wry, almost hysterical thought crossed his mind.
'Hm.. do I have to be a masochist to use my ability's full potential? I have to be their personal punching bag to learn their secrets?'
His lips twitched at the image of him willingly walking up to powerful witches and goading them into using their abilities on him... which was both absurd and terrifying.
It was a high-risk, high-reward strategy that sent a jolt of fear through him.
Although useful… he had to first-handedly experience the power that was inflicted upon him to gain knowledge of it!
He then pondered the name of his ability again.
'It's quite contradictory, isn't it? The "Authority of the Meaningless." It sounds like it should be a power that makes things unimportant or voids things out....'
'But instead, it's used to find meaning and understanding in the powers of others. To gain concrete information...
He wondered what other Authorities existed out there and what kind of terrifying abilities they granted.
Seth silently read the notification as he took note of the man's abilities…
Every piece of information was crucial in a world like this.
It felt as though the longer he stayed here, the more he'd continue to discover things he would not have dreamt of in his past life…
Hence, despite his innate laziness, he could not afford to slack off...
After all, it was becoming painfully clear that this wasn't going to be a wholesome type of transmigration where he could befriend demons and witches over a cup of tea.
His gaze settled on Phoebe as they walked, the sound of their footsteps could barely be heard due to the noise of their surroundings.
The encounter with the witch had left a chill in the air that the afternoon sun couldn't quite dispel.
He needed to understand the rules of this new world, and she was his only guide so far...
Of course, he did not fully trust her, but Seth did not have many options in seeking out information about this world.
"Can I ask what witches are?"
He paused, letting a look of genuine confusion—which wasn't entirely fake—cross his face before adding.
"I don't really recall anything about them, and it seemed like a big deal back there when people saw one."
He said, relying on the excuse of "amnesia" to freely seek answers out from Phoebe.
Phoebe didn't seem suspicious.
Instead, she hummed softly, her eyes drifting upward to the sky as if searching the clouds for the right way to explain something so fundamental.
She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully.
"It's a reasonable question..."
She started, her voice taking on a patient, almost scholarly tone.
"To understand witches, you first have to understand sin. Every person who lives a life… we all make mistakes, we hurt others, we act out of greed or pride."
"Those actions, those sins, they do not disappear and instead cling to us. They accumulate in our souls, a kind of… spiritual debt. And that debt is what prevents a soul from passing on to heaven after death."
As Seth processed this, his mind immediately began cross-referencing it with the teachings from his old world.
'The concept of heaven, sins, and judgement seems to be a universal experience huh...'
He quietly joked to himself.
Almost as if Phoebe heard him, she continued to explain.
"Witches… they are the answer to that problem. They are unique beings who have consciously surrendered their own chance to ever enter heaven."
"They took on a different fate. Their purpose is to serve the mortal world by cleansing the souls of others."
She finally looked at him, her expression unreadable.
"The common people… well, you saw how they acted back there. Most fear witches. It's their power, I suppose. It's unnatural, and people fear what they don't understand. But in the grand scheme of things, you could argue they are our saviors. They perform a service no one else can."
Seth studied her face, trying to pierce through her neutral demeanor.
Was this what she truly believed, or was she just reciting doctrine?
He decided to press a little.
"You say 'you could argue.' as if you think otherwise. Do you consider them as saviors as well?"
He said, his tone evoking a sense of curiosity.
He was quite immersed in playing the role of a "curious amnesiac"!
Instead of a direct answer, a faint, almost sad smile touched her lips, and she gave a noncommittal shrug.
"I don't really think my consideration is important."
She deflected, turning her attention back to the path ahead.
"It's about what they do. When a person dies, if a witch comes and… consumes… the sins festering within the body, it purifies the soul. It ensures that person can find peace in the heavens. They are supernatural beings who have traded their own eternal peace for the sake of everyone else's."
Hearing this, Seth was under a state of confusion for a second.
'Consume sin? They eat it?'
The clinical, almost visceral terminology was jarring.
'Beings who consume sin to let humans enter heaven…?'
This was completely, fundamentally alien to Seth's understanding.
In his world, witches were figures of darkness, accused of consorting with demons and spreading malice.
They were hunted, tortured, and burned.
Here, they were framed as self-sacrificing guardians, spiritual janitors cleaning up the mess of humanity....
The difference between the views of witches between his past world and current world was staggering...
"That must be... a heavy burden for them to carry."
He struggled to find the correct words of his confusion.
"It is."
Phoebe agreed quietly.
The logical next question formed in his mind, spurred by the earlier commotion in the market.
"What happens if a witch doesn't come? If the sins aren't… consumed?"
"Oh, and what about demons?"
He asked, his voice a bit more urgent now.
"Can you explain those as well? The woman at the market, she was afraid of her daughter becoming one."
Phoebe nodded, seeming to have expected this line of questioning.
In fact, she seemed to relax into it, enjoying the role of the explainer.
"That's the other side of the coin."
She said, her tone sobering.
"If a body full of sin is left alone for too long or if no witch comes to cleanse it—the sin does not just vanish out of nowhere, instead it twists the body and the soul it's attached to."
"The body and soul will start to mutate and change into something monstrous. That something is what we call a demon."
She wrapped her arms around herself slightly, as if warding off a chill.
"Once a person turns into a demon, it's said their soul is lost forever. The path to heaven is closed to them. Most of the time they turn into mindless beasts that are consumed by a deep, violent rage."
"They have an overpowering urge to attack living humans, and they feed on them. Some say it's to try and feel the life they've lost, others that it's to spread their own corruption."
Seth quietly listened.
Deep inside his heart, he was a bit frightened.
He definitely wanted to go back to his original world...
As cool as it was to have powers, at least demons and ghosts did not exist there and were only legends!
Phew.
He forced himself to calm down as he continued to listen.
"The common belief is that sin in itself is a corrosive, evil force."
Phoebe explained.
"If it is left to fester without a vessel to contain it, that evil lashes out at everything in its environment. It hates life because it is a perversion of it."
"So, a demon is, in a way, is but a pure and concentrated sin given a monstrous form."