Chapter 750 – When Offering Burnt Offerings

000

After Lila’s story from beyond the barrier was over, Cleon, Lilim, and Amelia looked at each other for a moment.

This is because the method of removing the stigma of the sacrifice that Laila delivered was a little different from what her party had imagined.

She thought that some kind of method would be needed, such as using special magic, giving medicine, or somehow dealing with the branded demon.

The answer she came with is, in a way, more like an interpretation than a dream.

It is a part that only the devils can notice, taking advantage of a loophole in a technique called sacrificial branding, which is like a kind of saliva application that the devils engrave.

＂… That’s right, Lillim. “Can I do it?”

Therefore, as if he needed some confirmation, Cleon asks Lillim, a ‘former demon’, whether the method Lila brought will really work.

Then, Lilim thought for a moment, then nodded her head and looked back at Cleon.

It was the first time she had ever looked so seriously worried, and she was barely within the scope of Lilim’s knowledge.

“It’s a bit of a sophistry, but if it’s the answer she obtained after going all the way to the hell dimension, it wouldn’t be a lie. Because the devil does not lie to humans with whom he has made a contract or deal.”

Cleon nodded at Lilim’s words, but Amelia was so embarrassed that she didn’t know what to do.

“Um, will this method really work? If you make a mistake… Her condition could get worse than it is now…”

“… Let’s trust Laila. If she thought her methods were ridiculous, she would have shot her idea down when she heard it before she told us.”

After Cleon said that, he got up from where he was sitting and looked around at her children.

“… But before that, if she doesn’t send her children outside.”

＂I see. Then, ask Lila…”

As Amelia said that, she saw Lilim approach the barrier and when she tried to ask him to open the barrier for her children like before, Shitaka raised her voice and grabbed Cleon’s wrist. Br〉

“Oh, we’ll wait here until Da Capo gets better!”

At Shitaka’s words, Cleon looked troubled as he saw the other children nodding their heads, saying ‘Yes, yes!’

＂It’s not that I don’t understand her concern for her, but… It’s dangerous here. The demons may notice that we are trying to escape and attack us again.”

The reason they were able to kill the twin demons earlier was because of Cleon’s surprise attack, and it was also possible that they were caught off guard.

If demons appeared from the beginning with the purpose of dealing with Cleon, it was quite possible that they would have the upper hand in a situation where they had to fight while protecting the children.

＂Well, but… Sister Da Capo always never left our side whenever we were in danger… ＂

Shitaka said that she did not want to leave Dakapo’s side when they, too, were in danger.

Even when you encounter a devil in a place where Tentacle is not around, or when you are on the brink of death after eating a poisonous plant or mushroom.

Da Capo was always by her side, barely sleeping, for her own sake.

Now that Da Capo is struggling with her death, wouldn’t she be betraying what Da Capo has done for them by leaving her?

Shitaka and her children seemed to be thinking about that.

Of course, I have no choice but to admit that that heart- the sisterhood that thinks of each other is beautiful.

In this hell-like place, the children have supported each other until now.

In a way, looking at the children who could be called a miracle, Cleon understood their feelings, so he could not force them to go outside.

However, she grabbed both of Shitaka’s hands and grabbed them herself.

“… Don’t worry. Dacapo will make sure we get out of the barrier safely. So, please wait in a safe place. Surely, if she had come to her senses, she would have told you so. Right? “

So, she wants us to take on the role of standing by her side for a while.

That’s what Cleon said.

Shtaka’s eyes were shaken by Cleon’s words, rolling back and forth for a moment, and then she closed both eyes tightly and looked at Dacapo lying on the ground for a moment.

Amelia’s magic that healed the damage to her internal organs only prevented it from worsening, but the pain from there was still there and her wounds still remained.

Shitaka knew the appearance of those who died after having their abdomen crushed in this way – and because she had seen the end up close, she could not easily leave the scene.

Soon, she remembered what she had heard from Da Capo.

[If something happens to me… Then Shitaka will have to protect her children as everyone’s older sister.]

At that time, she had no concrete idea of ​​what would happen to Da Capo, so she just thought it was an exaggeration that Da Capo always told.

But isn’t now the very moment when something happens?

“Wow, we can fight the devil too!”

When one of the boys pulled out a small knife from her hiding place, Cleon was startled and tried to take her knife from the boy.

But before that, Shitaka turned around and spoke to the children.

“Well, let’s wait outside!”

She suddenly expresses a different opinion from the children, causing the other children to voice their disbelief.

＂What is it, Shitaka! Are you saying that too?”

“Are you scared by demons?”

“Well, I’m not scared! But…”

Shitaka clenches his fists as if he is angry at the children’s jeers, but speaks while receiving their gaze with his whole body.

“It’s true that we can’t fight the devil… That’s why Dacapo-san was hurt like that while trying to protect us…”

They are powerless.

Being weak is not a sin for them at a young age, but admitting it was difficult even for adults.

“… Let’s admit it. Even if we stayed here now, we would only be a burden to everyone.”

When Shitaka, who usually took the lead and caused trouble for Da Capo by charging recklessly, said that, the children kept their mouths shut and looked at each other.

“… You are not a burden.”

At that time, when Amelia said that to her children, Shitaka looked back at Amelia with a surprised expression.

“People who can muster courage for someone else are never like a ‘burden.’ However, that courage shines when you have the skills to match it. I, too, have thought many times that I lack the strength, but even if I can’t do it now, I believe that someday I will be able to overcome my current self.”

When Amelia says that and turns her gaze to Cleon, Cleon also nods his head.

After listening to Amelia’s story, Shitaka looked back at her children and opened her mouth.

“Everyone heard the story about Amelia, right? The best decision we can make right now is to give Da Capo as little to worry about as possible! Because that would be helping Da Capo! Let’s do something that matches our current skills!”

As she said that, she raised her finger and pointed to the outside of the barrier, and the children who had decided to stay inside also turned their gaze in that direction.

“Oh, I’ll confiscate this.”

And, he succeeded in safely recovering the boy’s knife.

When Lilim went outside the barrier alone and asked Lila to open part of the barrier, after a while, part of the barrier melted with the magic of a hot ray, opening the way for the children to go outside.

Looking at the green meadows and blue sky that stretched out beyond – the first time they had seen it – the children exclaimed in admiration as if they were fascinated by the sight, and one by one, they safely walked outside the barrier.

And finally, just before Shitaka leaves.

She raised her voice while looking back.

＂… Please, brother! Absolutely, please save Sister Da Capo! Because I will believe it!”

“Ah. Of course.”

Cleon reassured her, declaring that he would honor her trust.

001

After all the children safely escaped the barrier, the opened space closed again, leaving Cleon, Amelia, and Lilim back in the desolate and dark magic-filled territory of the Old Empire.

And one more person, Da Capo, who is still feeling the pain of his wounds and is unconscious.

Her abdomen was bruised, and she looked so sick that she didn’t really want to imagine what was going on inside her.

Thinking that just having withstood the devil’s strength with his body might be something great, Cleon looked around for a moment to implement the method guided by Lila and guaranteed by Lilim.

“… Then shall we begin? Can you help me? Amelia, Lillim.”

＂Oh, of course!＂

When she says that, Cleon calls Galatea, who was hanging on his belt, and Caliburn, whom he had left in Amelia’s care for a while, and changes them into her human form as well.

＂Haam… Is this really physical labor?＂

In this place, Caliburn took on human form but looked as sleepy as ever, and Galatea took a deep breath and her big eyes twinkled.

“It’s easy to breathe here!”

“Ah, it’s a place overflowing with dark magic…”

When Cleon nods his head while looking at Galatea, who seems to be in high tension, he thinks that Galatea is closer to a devil than a human.

“Anyway, I’m glad the kids got out. This kid named Shitaka seems to have leadership skills as well.”

When Cleon said that and looked back at the spot where the children fell through, Lilim nodded her head.

“Well, to be honest, even if they stayed here, it would have been a bit of a shocking sight for those kids.”

“So it’s not like I asked you to leave.”

When Cleon answers Lilim’s words and rolls up the sleeves of his arms, his arms with thick, rugged muscles are revealed.

“Then. Let’s collect it. Stones and branches.”

When Cleon said that, the surrounding others also started picking up rocks lying around in the surrounding wilderness, one by one.

However, the tree branches were a bit difficult to find, so Lillim had to fly around a bit and then collect enough branches to start a bonfire.

Amelia, along with the others, chooses one that is as straight and as evenly shaped as possible from the stones lying around and takes it to Cleon.

Cleon was making something using materials collected by the other party members.

＂Cleon, what do you think of this stone? It’s flat and big… I think it’s safe to lay down on it.”

＂Uhm. It’s not bad, then put this on top…”

“Wait, this is better than that?”

“I’m sorry Galatea. The size is different from the one I am making this time, so I cannot refer to it.”

In this way, if Cleon takes the lead in reviewing the material brought back by his colleagues, it will be done step by step in front of him. The structure is slowly being completed.

Finally, the overall appearance was revealed: firewood neatly placed on top of the stone base.

Often, it looked like an altar being built for burnt offerings.

What on earth do we put on this primitive altar, and to what god do we pray? It is natural that questions about the same unexpected situation will arise, but please wait.

That’s because the method Lila brought was ‘a method of deceiving the brand of a sacrifice into thinking that it had already been offered as a sacrifice.’

The method is simple, offering a ‘fake’ sacrifice to an object with the sacrificial brand on it.

Even if it is an offering that has no one to receive, it is said that once the ritual of offering the offering is completed, the stigma of the offering disappears by itself as it is judged to have fulfilled its role.

“But that method works, even though it was created by demons, it is quite sloppy.”

Amelia speaks, looking at her raised altar and moving her arms to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and Lilim answers her quietly.

“The fact that there was no need to engrave such a precise stigma probably also played a role. Each border is blocked by barriers and guards,”

Lillim then used the index fingers and thumbs of both her hands to create a rectangular shape and held it near her eyes to check whether the stone altar she had created was in her proper shape.

In other words, with the simple restriction that there is no possibility of the target being sacrificed running away + that they are killed the moment they run away and somehow escape the border, they build up the growing fear and harvest it at the end.

On top of the altar created to escape from this devilish technique, we piled branches to light a fire.

On top of it, she placed the body of Da Capo in her unconscious state.

When viewed from the side, it appeared to be nothing more than a scene of a primitive tribe performing human sacrifice in a classic ritual.

“Well, doing something like this makes me feel like I’m committing a sin…”

When she went up to her dacapo, Amelia muttered as if she couldn’t shake off her nervous mood, but Cleon looked at her with a bitter smile as if he felt the same way.

“Wait a minute, everyone is talking normally, but are you lighting a fire on top of this?”

At that time, when Galatea pointed out that part, Cleon nodded his head in agreement.

“Of course. Because I’m sure that’s the case. … Ah! Don’t worry. Because I was planning to use magic to protect her body so that I could properly protect her from her flames.”

When Cleon says that, Galatea closes her mouth for a moment, then looks up at her sky, then turns her gaze back to Cleon.

“… If you start a fire in a place like this, other demons will notice right away and come flying…”

Everyone else fell silent for a moment at Galatea’s point.

“… Well, what is it? Surely everyone won’t say they didn’t expect it?”

“Ah, ahaha. That can’t be possible. Right, everyone?”

When Cleon smiled awkwardly and looked around, it seemed like everyone was avoiding their gaze, but Cleon clenched his fist and spoke as if it was okay.

“No matter which side she is, you just have to protect her when her demons come. What she has to do is not that different.”

“Woe, definitely! What Cleon said is right!”

When Amelia responded to Cleon’s belated remarks, Galatea let out her sigh and Caliburn yawned.

And Lillim-

“Let’s light the fire slowly. We cannot delay any longer than this.”

He said this, showing a coolness that seemed not to have been affected by the foolishness of the group.

It seems like she also forgot about the devil for a moment.

At Lilim’s urging, Cleon nodded her head, approached her altar, and cast double and triple her enchantments on Dacapo’s body that would protect her from the heat of her flames.

And- pick up a branch to light the fire and point at the altar-

“I offer this offering for you. ─So…”

Normally, when performing a burnt offering ceremony, the name of the ‘object being offered’ is entered here.

Only then will the recipient of the offering properly recognize it and take the soul of the offering.

This is the difference between burning an animal corpse on a campfire and a proper sacrificial ritual.

Therefore, if someone thought that the name of the person who would accept the sacrifice was needed in order to deceive the stigma of the sacrifice, Amelia spoke quietly.

＂Wouldn’t it is nice to have someone who is related to us and seems to understand our situation…? But, speaking of such a being…”

What flashed through Cleon’s mind for a moment was ‘Nemea’, but since she was a different being from God – a star itself – he had doubts about whether she could accept the offering.

Therefore, it is excluded from the candidates…

“The Ruben that resides in Sasha… No, in this case, what is being called is the real body of Ruben that exists near the village where Sasha’s tribe lives.”

If the beast god Ruben was summoned, there was a risk that she might just swallow the sacrifice, let alone whether she would be friendly to Cleon and his party.

＂… Ah.＂

There, what Cleon thought of – Isn’t there just one being?

A being who has just become a god and who is giving him unconditional favor.

＂… The mother of spiders, spreading the thread of protection. To Anansi.”

When Cleon said that and created a flame at the tip of the branch, the flame instantly spread throughout the altar and enveloped Da Capo.

Then, did Cleon’s voice and her will reach the woman who was far away, who was protecting her people in the cathedral of her royal capital?

I could see that something similar to the magic power of the earth was beginning to gather through the altar.

＂You used your brain a little.＂

Looking at Galatea nudging her elbow towards him, and feeling the surroundings of her tremble due to the concentration of magical power and the generation of her smoke, Cleon gave her Stretching out her hand, she transforms Galatea into the form of her magic sword.

“And Galatea, what you feared has come true.”

When Cleon looked up at the sky, he saw demons – not only lower-level ones, but also so-called mid-level demons flying toward the altar.

＂One, two… Haam…＂

＂Numbers, don’t fall asleep while counting!?＂

When Amelia shouts that, Caliburn also returns to her sword form and flies towards her Cleon, and her group takes up a fighting stance and guards her until the brand of her sacrifice is removed from Dacapo inside her altar. It was to begin the fight for