Chapter 26: Vorvadoss

The low chanting made the atmosphere oppressive and silent, as if it were the eve of an execution.

Jeanne thoughtfully lifted her elbow from his head and straightened up. She lowered her gaze to Salser. The fire crackled, and she took two steps back, feeling the heat from the fireplace intensify, or rather—the flames of the fireplace moving towards the Dark wizard.

The Dark wizard's bearded face showed a solemn expression as he slowly raised his hands, ethereal red runes appeared on his skin, etching intricate curved lines like those of a mythical labyrinth. These tattoos, composed of runes, extended over his entire body, collectively forming a picture scroll of countless bizarre symbols, making his face resemble an ancient text.

He breathed gently for a while, sounding like a burning bellow, then continued to recite the prayer in a clear voice:

—Expectant animi molemque futuram,

—Suspiciunt: fluat eas; vox erit: Ecce Deus!

The prayer continued to be chanted. Then suddenly, under the living red light and runes, a series of glowing sparks began to circle around him, moving slowly like a halo; the runes on his body glowed faintly, trembling as they rose from his skin, forming a mesmerizing incandescent aura.

The Dark wizard's unmoving eyes were like two burning coals, his demonic pupils narrowing to the size of a needle. His voice was like a whisper in one's sleep , seemingly making the place grow quieter and more terrifying. In this eerie atmosphere, Jeanne almost felt she could hear her own heartbeat.

The Inquisitor listened silently, not quite understanding Salser's prayer, only catching fragments of words.

"...Ecce homo..."

He clasped his arms, and the last few words sounded like a dead man's whisper, passing by her ear like a ghost crying, emitting an infinitely absurd sigh. The sound spread out, hoarse to the point of dizziness, yet filled with incredible breadth, solemnity, and grandeur.

"...Misericordia..."

Jeanne took a deep breath. She felt as if she were enveloped in a dizzying mist, a dullness brought on by witnessing the inconceivable—a place where the power of the gods could not be easily contacted. Her soul was heavily struck, as she tried to suppress the chaos in her mind...

Low echoes seemed to vibrate through her eardrums, directly affecting her entire nervous system.

The flames curled into fireballs that rose into the air like fairies, but Jeanne couldn't tear her eyes away. In the fireplace, in the seemingly eternal flames, a hazy face appeared. It was a human face, yet not quite human, more like the underlying layer of a false mask. She saw those eyes open—so nimble, so strange—driven by something that made the flames exhibit such concise elegance. Jeanne watched as the flames spread towards the Dark wizard, getting closer and closer—she licked her lips, she understood clearly, it was a manifestation, a manifestation of an Evil god that the Dark wizard had actively contacted...

The blood-red light of the flames flickered incessantly, illuminating three faces with different expressions. The red fire seemed to come alive, crackling as they leaped like snakes, licking at the ring of sparks surrounding Salser like tongues. The pupil-less eyes of the human face moved as if they were sizing up the summoner and the two unrelated outsiders next to him, casting three huge shadows in the room.

"...Misericordia."

The mysterious face cast one last glance at Salser, then dissolved into the rising flames like a cloud dissolving in the glow of dawn—vanishing, merging into the Dark wizard's body.

Oh Lord...

Jeanne, who had witnessed the entire process, gasped in a hoarse voice.

It was fear, Jeanne thought, she felt fear.

But why? Because of something inexplicable?

Salser suddenly stood up, but the flames had not yet subsided while the runes covering his body had not faded. Before Jeanne could take a closer look, he grabbed her arm, lifted the sleeve of her suit, revealing her freshly washed, fair wrist.

"Dark wizard, what do you want to do?" Jeanne asked instinctively. Salser's hand was hot, making her wrist sting, "Is your ritual over? If not—what else do you want to do?"

Salser paused for a moment, his sharp, lizard-like pupils staring at her. "I need some cover," he said, "something that allows me to openly use a small portion of magic—without being seen as a dark wizard. Although I can believe in your God after I go out, I can't do it now. And the last moment of this ritual—is also the time when I can use the least cost to cover up some of my magic."

Jeanne was still puzzled, her skin tingling under his hot fingers. She could barely dispell the oppressive feeling brought by the projection of the Evil god, she frowned, then asked him, "Be more specific."

"Give me some of the power you gain when you believe in your god."

This statement made her face show obvious disgust, she glared at the Dark wizard for a while, then sullenly withdrew her gaze.

"So... what do I need to do?" As she said this, Jeanne had a reluctant, sullen face.

"When I draw energy from the oath of allegiance I made to you with this body—when that energy is transferred through the point of contact on our skin, do not resist." His voice was steady and devoid of emotion.

"So you do know that was your oath of allegiance to me?" Jeanne quickly recovered from the shock of witnessing the projection of an Evil god, and the barbs in her words began to show, "I'll only ask you once, are you sure your purpose is just to—borrow my power to cover up your evil magic?"

"You're really stubborn." Salser raised his eyebrows, his indifferent tone seemed to ask her: What else do you want?

"I usually say that to fools sitting on nail chair, just tell me yes or no," Jeanne said with a cold smile, "If I don't confirm—how do I know if you, the evil dark wizard, are planning to commit some atrocities or not? Remember, you can't lie about this."

"Hmm, yes," the Dark wizard's beard parted with a malicious smile. "It's going to be quite painful," he said casually, "nothing more than that."

"...That's fine."

Jeanne nodded, reluctantly signaling him to continue.

She might not have realized what the Dark wizard meant by 'quite'.

It had nothing to do with courage, purely a deviation in understanding and a different view of certain adjectives due to different perspectives.

Salser tightened his grip on her wrist and casually recited an incantation.

The pain hit instantly.

Pain that was enough to almost make her kneel, to make her muscles spasm.

Concentrated beams of light branched, danced, and penetrated under her skin, the sensation was like another person's veins being stuffed into hers, squeezing and wriggling outward.

"Do you want to... urgh...!!"

"Seek death?" The Dark wizard casually finished the sentence. He watched Jeanne's cheek twitch as she bent over, and with his other hand, he patted her shoulder nonchalantly, saying, "I think it will be fine if you get used to this, um, probably."

"Who could get used to this!?" Jeanne's eyes widened, she looked up through the pain, gritted her teeth, and glared at him, "Do you want to get used to being burned alive?!"

"After my ritual is complete, I can let you experience what it's like to be burned alive."

They started cursing at each other again, without repeating a single curse.

Viola sat aside and stared at the two of them in a daze, her gaze was somewhat blank. For a moment, she felt that her future and prospects were bleak.

Translator's note:

Vorvadoss: another outer gods from Cthulhu mythos 

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