CHAPTER 54
The assassin was dead.
An assassin whose name I didn't know, only that she was a No-Named.
According to the Radiance Faith Bishop, she belonged to Black Dawn.
I frowned as I watched her die.
Her death raised many questions.
"......Aranseol, what do you think that was? The way the assassin fought like a monster?"
The scene of the battle between the Radiance Faith Bishop and the assassin.
To be honest, that spectacle was beyond the realm of mortals.
That instinctive, unsettling aura emanating from both of them.
It wasn't an Ability, nor was it mana.
The Radiance Faith Bishop used power granted by a Transcendent.
Then what in the world was the power the assassin used?
I asked Aranseol, hoping she might know, but she just narrowed her eyes, unable to answer.
"At the very least, it wasn't magic," Babiyen added.
It didn't seem like she knew for sure, either.
A Modified Body.
That's what the man from the Radiance Faith had called her.
"Let's see which of our Transcendents' will is greater."
What the Radiance Faith Bishop said implied that the assassin also received power from a Transcendent.
Does that mean the assassin worships a Transcendent, just like the Radiance Faith?
But he had also spat out the word 'blasphemy.' Blasphemy is the act of a human overstepping into the domain of a god.
'Whose Transcendent.' 'Blasphemy.'
The two phrases circled in my mind.
Perhaps a 'Modified Body' is...
An artificially created Transcendent.
Which leads to the conclusion that Black Dawn is creating a Transcendent.
The moment I thought that, I clamped a hand over my mouth.
Creating a god.
I still couldn't fully grasp what that meant.
Above all, this was just a guess based on their conversation.
But if this guess is true, and they really are creating a Transcendent, what on earth are they planning for this world?
I swallowed dryly.
A storm was coming.
A storm so massive it could shake the world was slowly opening its maw.
Whether I could survive being swept up in that storm depended on what I did now.
"M-Maybe that man, M-Mr. Bulldog, knows something more?" Horizon asked cautiously.
I hadn't revived Bulldog yet.
Bulldog's death.
The Radiance Faith would eventually confirm it.
If that happened, the Radiance Faith would no longer have any use for Bulldog or his wife.
They would stop paying attention to his wife's body.
Not only would Bulldog be able to leave the Radiance Faith, but it would also become easier to retrieve his wife's corpse.
That was the core of this plan.
Resurrection magic.
It was the only plan with a high chance of success that I could come up with.
"Yeah, we'll just have to hope Mr. Bulldog knows something more."
I had overheard their conversation from within the corpse spider, but there was too much I didn't understand.
It seemed I would have to figure this out step by step.
But there was a strange, nagging feeling.
The No-Named assassin had changed her form at the end.
That was in the realm of an Ability.
I had guessed her Ability was invisibility.
But she hadn't used invisibility once during the fight.
Her Ability wasn't invisibility, but a transformation-type.
Just like an octopus activates camouflage to match the texture and color of its surroundings, her Ability was surely one that allowed her to perfectly blend in with her environment.
And that also meant she could change her appearance at will.
So, was the form she died in at the end really her true form?
The Radiance Faith Bishop had repeatedly denied her appearance.
He had called her a decoy.
Then perhaps she was fulfilling her role as a decoy until the very, very end.
I reached out and pressed the assassin's face.
The texture of the skin felt real, not fake.
A decoy who had performed her duty to the point of giving her own life.
There was a possibility that even her death was part of Black Dawn's plan.
In the darkness of the Moss Flower Cave, I quietly raised my head.
I don't know what Black Dawn's objective is.
And I don't know what will happen in this world.
But I was certain that if I ignored it, my peaceful life would be brutally shattered.
This is something I absolutely must intervene in.
And I have a key to intervene in this matter.
I needed someone I could trust more than ever.
Someone with power and authority.

I had to find such a person.
And I knew one.
My eyes fell on Aranseol.
"Aranseol."
Aranseol looked back at me.
I knew very well whose disciple she was.
"I think I need to meet Lord Soun."
The Sword Lord, Soun.
I had to meet him.

Afterward, we safely exited the Moss Flower Cave.
Before leaving, we returned the assassin's body to where the Radiance Faith members had died.
There was no good that could come from it being known that we killed the assassin.
With the Black Dawn bastards running rampant, there was no telling what they might do to us in retaliation.
So we left the assassin's body behind and went outside.
The air of the 1st World, Astrape, which I hadn't smelled in a while.
With the infinite resource of mana instead of oil, the air felt incredibly fresh.
The Regular Army didn't try to stop us.
It was a bit awkward, but we managed to get back to the Pioneer's Guild branch without any trouble.
When I submitted our return request, an employee immediately registered our completion.
Maybe it was because I'd been on edge the entire time we were chasing the assassin.
I finally felt like I could breathe.
"Everyone, let's get some rest."
"I agree."
"Ugh, I-I want to wash up."
At my words, Babiyen and Horizon both voiced their agreement.
They both went through a lot.
Finally, I looked back at Aranseol, who had a thoughtful expression.
"Aranseol?"
"Ah, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."
I'm a Transferee.
Aranseol, on the other hand, is a native of this world.
She saw everything unfold right alongside me.
Of course her mind would be even more complicated than mine.
"I'll contact my master separately. He seems busy, but there's a high chance he'll come back quickly when he hears this news."
That's a relief.
It seems best to move as quickly as possible.
"Hey, did you hear? That Transferee punk."
"Haha, I saw him come back a complete mess. Looks like he got what was coming to him."
"He was muttering to himself for a long time. You think he lost his mind?"
"Heh, I saw Arshel come back earlier, too. She looked disgusted and left in a hurry."
"For the first time, Arshel's judgment was wrong!"
Listening to their conversation, I realized who they were talking about.
The Japanese Transferee, Cain.
He was chased by the No-Named assassin, but somehow he made it back.
From the sounds of it, it doesn't seem like we'll be seeing him at the Pioneer's Guild anymore.
Can't say that guy's luck in this world is very good.
Of all things to get tangled up with, it had to be the No-Named assassin.
He got a full, hearty taste of this harsh world.
"This girl shall take her leave for now. I must sleep," Babiyen said.
"I'm going to wash up, too," added Horizon.
After that, I parted ways with Babiyen and Horizon.
Aranseol left for a moment to contact Soun.
Thanks to that, I was on my own for the first time in a while.
I headed straight for Bulldog's house.
It didn't look like anyone was home.
I searched my pockets and found the house key.
I had secretly taken it from Bulldog's body.
When I pushed the door open, a cleanly organized room came into view.
A caretaker managed the room regularly.
I sat down in a suitable spot.
Then, I took out a finger I had brought with me.
It was Bulldog's finger.
"Mister."
I didn't know what Bulldog was thinking when he died.
But in his death, there was only one thing he desperately wished for.
To be reunited with his wife.
"I've realized there are all sorts of things in life. A lot of dog-like things, a lot of shit-like things, you know, that kind of stuff."
My hand covered Bulldog's finger.
"But even in a life like this, I've learned one thing."
A pure white light spread from my palm.
The light seeped into the man who was my first connection in this world.
"It seems that good deeds do come back to you."
I learned that thanks to Bulldog.
Uncivilized this-worlders.
I hate the people of this world.
But I know that even among them, there are good people.
I know I can build relationships with them and move forward.
Even if the first button was fastened wrong, the second and third buttons were finding their proper places.
"So, this is the result of the good deeds you've accumulated, Mr. Bulldog."
I smiled faintly.
"Don't grumble later asking for something better in return."

Bulldog's body was complete.
After a moment of silence, his eyes slowly opened.

He looked up at the ceiling.
Then, he slowly turned to look at me.
"Ha... rua?"
He called my name.
"You idiot! Don't tell me you got killed too!"
He had died slowly enough to be aware of his own death.
That's why he remembered it.
"Who said anything about being dead?"
Seeing him express more grief for my death than his own, I stood up.
"Do you remember when I lied and said I didn't have any special Ability?"
I then opened the wardrobe and threw a set of clothes at the naked man.
"This is my Ability."
"What?"
Bulldog, who had been hit by the clothes, had a dumbfounded expression.
Only then did he realize what I meant, his eyes slowly widening.
"Mister, you want to bring your wife back to life, right?"
I pulled out a chair, sat down, and smirked.
"I'll bring her back for you. Let's go get your wife back."
Bulldog stared at me blankly.
Soon, tears began to well up in his eyes.
He shed thick teardrops, clutching the clothes tightly.
His wife's death, which he couldn't even tell his own son about.
As he was drowning deep in the swamp of death, someone finally extended a pole to him.
It was a pole forged from the good deeds he had accumulated over a long time.
"...Thank you. Thank you, Harua."
"Save your thanks. It won't be too late to say them after we've revived your wife."

I'll be collecting them in full then.
He'd better be prepared.