Chapter : 03
The Oracle was the word of God proclaimed throughout the world.
Its message could not be falsified.
It could not be monopolized.
And it could not be questioned.
Which meant that the absurd blessing I had received had already become known everywhere.
A Resurrected One chosen by God.
The temple that recovered my corpse would naturally claim authority over me.
The Roam family that abandoned me, as well as the Imperial Family, would undoubtedly attempt to bring me back under their control somehow.
Even foreign nations, guessing how thoroughly disgusted I must be with all of this, would likely try to approach me behind the scenes.
The future was painfully obvious.
The gods had declared that evil was spreading and that a Resurrected One had been sent to oppose it.
But in reality, the existence of the Resurrected One would only invite even greater evil.
“Which is exactly why I need to run away.”
There was only one conclusion.
I didn’t care whether this world survived or collapsed.
And even if evil truly was spreading, I had no power to fight it.
I had never even held the hilt of a sword in my life.
How was I supposed to battle monsters or villains?
Nor had I awakened any magical or divine powers.
All I possessed was monstrous regeneration and somewhat enhanced senses.
A Resurrected One?
It sounded impressive.
But wasn’t I basically just an undead creature?
Hadn’t I simply returned as a monster?
And I certainly wasn’t noble enough to sacrifice myself protecting the world after becoming one.
“Sorry, but you’ve chosen the wrong person.”
Muttering words that would never receive an answer, I searched for a way out.
Everyone working in the temple was clergy.
Their ranks differed, but they all swore obedience to God and ultimately answered to the High Priest.
If I revealed any intention of escaping, I would only lose what little freedom I currently had.
Gods, if you were going to resurrect me, you could at least have given me something useful.
If I’d awakened magic, I could have smashed through these walls and left already.
[Huh? What are you?]
That was when I met the squirrel.
[My acorns! My acorns are gone!]
Whether out of concern for my emotional well-being or some other reason, the temple had assigned me a luxurious room on the first floor connected to a small garden terrace.
There weren’t any large trees sturdy enough to hang oneself from.
Just modest flowerbeds carefully arranged to look pretty.
The squirrel appeared there.
“What are you? Who sent you?”
At first, I assumed it was some kind of magic.
I thought someone from outside was trying to contact me.
But after listening for a while, I realized the squirrel talked about nothing except acorns.
[You stole my acorns! Give them back right now!]
The squirrel attacked me in the most pitiful way imaginable.
Instead of running away with its nimble little body, it kept lingering around me and demanding the return of its acorns.
After exchanging words with it a few times, I finally realized:
Ah.
This thing is actually just an animal.
I can really talk to animals.
That was the first truly supernatural ability I discovered after my resurrection.
“Is there anywhere I can get help?”
Every ally I had made so far had been an animal.
There had been arguments and failures along the way, but they were still much easier to deal with than people.
The squirrel, in particular, had performed extraordinary service while helping me steal treasures from the temple.
After I located its hidden acorn stash, it repaid me by stuffing small treasures into its mouth and bringing them back.
[When is that mean eagle coming back?]
The eagle the squirrel mentioned was another creature I had met at the temple.
It had originally come to hunt the squirrel.
I discovered it and quickly persuaded it to work with me instead.
Because of that eagle, I had to invent all kinds of excuses to obtain raw meat from the priests.
Still, it wasn’t a wasted effort.
The eagle caused enough trouble around the temple to create an opening, allowing me to escape.
“I wonder.”
When I told the eagle I planned to leave the city, it claimed to know a powerful acquaintance and flew off somewhere.
Perhaps it expected fresh raw meat as payment if it helped again.
If it did assist me, I fully intended to provide all the premium raw meat it wanted.
While sitting by the window and peering through the curtains, I suddenly froze.
“What theāwho’s that?”
How had he found this place so quickly?
[Anelli?]
I immediately stepped away from the window and looked at the squirrel.
“Hide for now. I’ll get you more acorns later.”
[Okay!]
The squirrel instantly scampered beneath the bed.
After confirming it was hidden, I absentmindedly touched the ring on my finger.
Set with a rough black gemstone, it was a spatial-storage artifact.
I had worn it ever since leaving House Roam.
Its only drawback was that it could store precious metals and gemstones, but not ordinary items.
Still, money solved most problems.
So I had stuffed it full of the wealth given to me by the temple without hesitation.
In other words, it contained my entire fortune.
Could the money I stole have been marked with tracking magic?
I’d heard stories of wealthy people enchanting individual gold coins to prevent theft.
Even if that were true, I had no way of determining which coins were enchanted.
And I couldn’t exactly abandon all my money either.
I had already discarded the entire bag I brought from my previous lodging.
Without the money, I’d lose my means of escape entirely.
Or perhaps I was the one under a tracking spell?
But I hadn’t interacted with a single mage since my resurrection.
While I wrestled with these thoughts, footsteps sounded outside my room.
Heavy footsteps.
There was weight behind them.
I could even hear the faint scrape of armor chains.
Maybe they weren’t coming here after allā
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound of knocking immediately followed.
My breath caught.
I remained silent, staring at the closed door.
The knocking came again.
I still refused to answer.
“I know you’re in there.”
The calm voice was familiar.
It belonged to the black-haired Holy Knight I had encountered earlier in the street.
The same man I had just seen from the window.
“I heard you’ve been very confused since awakening. The temple understands your confusion. We only hope that this wandering does not place you in danger.”
He wasn’t probing.
He wasn’t guessing.
He was absolutely certain that the Resurrected One was in this room.
Which meant the question I needed answered was simple:
How had he found me?
After a moment’s consideration, I walked to the door.
If he intended to arrest me, he would have broken in already.
At least I knew he wasn’t planning to drag me away by force.
“If you require more time to gather your thoughts, take it. However, for your safety, I earnestly request that you allow me to serve as your escort.”
I threw the door open.
The Holy Knight stood there exactly as expected.
I stared directly into his ash-gray eyes.
“And who exactly are you?”
Despite the sudden opening of the door, he showed no sign of surprise.
He must have already known I was standing there.
This man was different from the other Holy Knights.
Far more capable.
He was probably the one who had found me at my previous lodging as well.
“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Samuel, a servant of God.”
Samuel.
The name sounded familiar.
Samuel Bent.
The second son of House Bent.
After awakening powerful divine power at a young age, he had dedicated his life to the temple.
“That Samuel of House Bent…”
“I have belonged to the temple for many years.”
His tone was flat.
“You may simply call me Sir Samuel.”
He seemed strangely displeased by the mention of his family name.
Then he quietly studied me.
When we’d met on the street, I had been too busy fleeing to examine him closely.
Now that I looked properly, he was at least a head taller than me.
His massive frame nearly filled the doorway.
It wasn’t just the armor.
He was naturally large and broad-shouldered.
Perhaps because he stood above me, looking down, the shadows across his face made him appear cold and arrogant.
His features were sharp and well-defined.
His tightly closed lips hinted at a stubborn personality.
In short, he looked exactly like the sort of inflexible Holy Knight who had never compromised on anything in his life.
“So you’re that famous Samuel Bent?”
“…Clergy do not use the surnames of the secular world.”
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
Apparently he disliked hearing “Bent” attached to his name.
“Did I state your birth incorrectly?”
“You stated it correctly.”
“Then I don’t understand why you dislike it so much.”
“A clergyman’s birthplace is irrelevant. You seem unfamiliar with temple customs, so I merely corrected you.”
“What use would I have for learning temple customs?”
“I heard you had very little interaction with others after your resurrection in the Grand Temple. I understand why the customs feel unfamiliar when no one has helped you adapt.”
He completely missed my point.
Or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring it.
“…Fine, Sir Samuel. Regardless, you’re the famous Holy Knight with the incredible tracking abilities, aren’t you?”
Samuel Bent was renowned throughout the temple.
The Holy Knight who never lost his quarry.
The man capable of tracking anyone.
I’d heard he had recently been away hunting a necromancer who escaped from a temple prison.
Apparently they had summoned him back just to find me.
“It’s fascinating to meet such a famous figure from the temple.”
I smiled casually.
“But what should we do? I don’t think I’m the person you’re looking for.”
“You cannot deceive me with appearances.”
My attempt at denial was crushed immediately.
Samuel spoke with absolute certainty.
At the very least, he had recognized that the woman standing before him now looked different from the one he’d encountered earlier.
Which meant the disguise artifact was functioning properly.
“…How are you so certain of my identity?”
“I cannot fail to recognize the one chosen by God.”
No.
That’s not it.
There was something else.
Something I hadn’t considered.
I had made a mistake somewhere and left behind a clue.
I stared intently at Samuel’s face, hoping to uncover some hint.
But his expression remained as immovable as stone.
Calm.
Unreadable.
Impossible to decipher.
