After returning to the viscount's territory, David Frank became surprisingly low-key.
This made commoners with unmarried daughters at home feel uneasy, afraid that terrifying young master was plotting some sinister scheme...
And those noble playboys who'd been friends with David Frank were also puzzled. Young Master David had declined all banquet invitations, even refusing his once-favorite program—grabbing commoner girls to "perform" on stage.
The playboys all wondered—what was wrong with demon king Young Master David? Was he sick?
David Frank wasn't sick. He'd just died.
Right now, the new David appeared in a place he'd never have gone before—the small church on the hill.
When the church's clergy nervously welcomed David's arrival, they were still worried he might just order the church torn down...
Naturally, David wouldn't do that. On the contrary, he appeared very devout, like a pilgrim coming to worship—though a rather domineering one.
He drove all the other people out of the church and knelt alone beneath the goddess statue in the church's depths, beginning to pray devoutly.
The Goliath Empire's state religion worshipped the Sun and Moon Twin Gods. Three hundred years ago, the Moon God fell, leaving only the Sun Goddess to still bless humanity. The state religion thus changed its name to the Church of Light.
Right now, before David was the Sun Goddess's statue.
The reason he was so devout was because he'd discovered that this world's "gods" might be the real deal...
From the moment he entered the church, the evil spirits on him seemed suppressed. All the curses, all the torment, all the whispers—everything had lessened!
Merciful Sun Goddess...
David lay at the statue's feet with tears in his eyes. If the goddess herself were truly standing before him, he'd definitely take the initiative to kiss her feet!
Unfortunately, that warm feeling eventually faded... Perhaps the goddess sensed his blasphemous thoughts, or perhaps the evil spirits realized it was just an empty stone statue. Their torment came tangling back.
David left the church disappointed.
God might really be able to save him, but obviously, the "god" in this small church couldn't do it.
This was just an attempt while passing by. David's real purpose was actually the cemetery behind the church.
In the days since returning to the viscount's territory, he'd been searching for those cultists he'd contacted. Though the guys he'd brought into the valley had all died, these lunatics who worshipped the "Blood God" definitely weren't limited to just those few.
Underground in the viscount's territory, they still had considerable forces lurking, and these forces all relied on funding support from certain noble lords. The former David Frank had been one of them.
The reason they provided funding was simple—nobles needed these cultists to do some unsavory things.
For example, David Frank—that ritual he'd spent big money on was actually to secretly gain some supernatural power to kill his father, Hein Frank...
David didn't care about the viscount family's boring affairs. He only focused on the cult.
Finding these people actually wasn't simple, but David's nose was very sharp. Through some cash flows and connections he controlled in the "underground world," he quickly pinpointed the location of this cult gathering.
Right beneath the cemetery behind the church.
As one of the Blood God Cult's financial backers, the uninvited David wasn't driven away by the cultists. After confirming he was alone, they very cautiously brought him underground and sent him to meet the esteemed "High Priest."
The underground tomb held many bound ordinary people. Some had already fallen into deep sleep, completely unaware of what nightmare they'd face next. Others kept wailing, but that only became beautiful "singing" in the cultists' ears.
This kind of cult gathering was bound to include bloody sacrifice rituals. Right now the sun hadn't set and the Sun Goddess's radiance still illuminated the world, so the sacrifice hadn't begun... but it would soon.
David withdrew his gaze from those poor folks—whether slaves or commoners—and quietly followed the black-robed figures into the tomb's depths.
"Esteemed guest, Lord David Frank, a pleasure to see you."
Draped in a thick black robe with a hood, the Blood God Cult's high priest was a white-bearded old man who looked quite kindly. Just looking at his appearance, no one would know he was a cannibal lunatic.
"High Priest..."
David nodded in acknowledgment. After the other cultists left, he and the High Priest sat facing each other across a wooden table with an oil lamp.
"I'm here to see you about the last ritual." David got straight to the point.
The High Priest smiled slightly. He looked at David's cold eyes, inexplicably feeling that gaze was somewhat frightening, as if it could see right through a person... But he still maintained his composure, keeping up the air of a mysterious expert.
"My lord, as I understand it, that ritual failed..."
"Correct."
"Because of the monster attack?"
"Correct... But I don't plan to pursue all that anymore."
The High Priest's mouth twitched. "You don't plan to pursue it? We lost so many people, and I'd like to pursue it myself!"
Of course, the High Priest didn't dare say this out loud. He had to give this young master plenty of face. With him around, the Blood God Cult could continue quietly developing in the viscount's territory.
"Then... Lord David, do you need..."
"I came here to ask you some questions," David interrupted the old man, saying coldly: "About that arm used as a sacrifice and those twin slave women you captured. Can you tell me more information?"
"This..." The old man hesitated. "Actually, I'm not too clear on their origins either. Those all flowed out from black markets in the north. You know..."
"I want the truth." David's tone grew heavier.
The High Priest suddenly felt pressure. Even the oil lamp on the table seemed to dim slightly.
"My lord, I haven't lied to you, and I have no need to lie to you. Things that can serve as sacrifice items in Blood God rituals are all carefully selected by us. Though that arm's origins are unclear, it contains genuine mysterious power—excellent core material for rituals..."
"Fine."
David shook his head. Perhaps the other party really didn't know more.
"I have another question. About Hunter Videns, about the Evil God's Flame—what do you know?"
This was his other purpose. Videns's flames left a deep impression on him. He knew that kind of power definitely didn't belong to ordinary Church Hunters. Videns must have had contact with other things from the dark world.
The High Priest smiled. He seemed able to answer this question.
"Church Hunter Videns was an experienced veteran hunter. Unfortunately, he could never complete the second-tier advancement ritual in the Church. Perhaps because he realized how false his faith was?
But our great Dark Lord accepted him, made him a servant of the Evil God Scott, and successfully completed the advancement ritual..."
"What's an advancement ritual?" David asked.
"Oh~ Just like the ritual you were preparing to sacrifice to the Blood God. You accept the Blood God's power and gain an apostle granted by the Blood God, sharing psychic power from it. And advancement gives you even more massive psychic energy and lets you gain more powerful abilities from the apostle..."
After listening to the High Priest's enthusiastic explanation, David nodded inwardly. So to increase psychic energy, he needed to continue performing deeper rituals. No wonder he'd only ever had a pitiful 100 points of psychic energy.
Those hunters' psychic energy values were probably much higher than his...
But he didn't seem to need these. Life energy could substitute anyway. As for holding rituals to strengthen those evil spirits?
Did he think he wasn't being tortured enough already?
"Lord David, we can prepare another sacrifice ritual for you anytime. Rest assured, this time I'll personally preside over it. I guarantee you'll successfully enter the great Blood God's embrace!" the High Priest said with a face full of temptation.
"Ritual?" David glanced at him and slowly stood up. "I don't need those anymore."
"Eh?" The High Priest paused. "My lord, do you hope to gain power like Videns's? That's not impossible, just..."
"No, I don't need your laughable power..." David grinned and said softly: "I'm invincible."
Boom!
A suddenly appearing dark green monster claw tore through the wooden table between them. Five claw blades simultaneously pierced the High Priest's chest.
The old man's eyes went wide, looking in disbelief at that Hand of Monster piercing through him.
Then another pale arm resembling a human limb materialized from David's back. It had six slender fingers with ominous black nails.
The bizarre large hand pressed down on the High Priest's shocked, despairing gaze and touched his forehead...
Heretic's Arm, Touch of Folly.
The last trace of resistance in the High Priest's mind was instantly snuffed out. His entire being fell into a muddled, near-death state.
"Let me ask you..." David bent down, leaning close to his ear. "Who paid for Videns's ritual?"