I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

When Lyla undid the seal, the arrow embedded in my tattered arm, exuding an otherworldly energy, revealed itself.

“Ugh… How could just one arrow be so lethal?”

“It’s the energy of a particularly dangerous being among the Outer Gods.”

I hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with this being any further. Even relatively benign beings like the “Slumberer in the Abyss” had nearly driven me insane; a more dangerous one would be even worse.

“Still, those two seem considerably weakened.”

“Don’t let your guard down. Even weakened, they are still dangerous.”

They might discover us and act out again.

“I’m prepared. But I need to mention…”

Lyla glanced at the bowl containing my blood.

“If you add that, it’s likely…”

“That’s the plan.”

“Is that so? Well, it’s better than being greedy.”

When I nodded, Lyla began chanting a spell. 〈Melt Down〉.

It was the spell that initiated the enchantment by melting the ingredients. The special solution made from the melted gold turned a bright golden color, moving according to Lyla’s will, and poured towards the arrow and my arm.

“Ugh… Who do you think you’re trying to corrupt? Suppress! 〈Pressurize〉!”

The Outer God’s energy resisted, refusing to melt and attempting to alter the golden solution while also affecting the surrounding magic and mana.

“Now!”

At Lyla’s signal, I threw my blood from the bowl into the solution. The golden solution quickly formed into a spherical shape. My blood spread across the surface of the golden sphere like plant roots, soaking inward.

“It’s weakening!”

In the creation of enchanted items, “weakening” was not typically a positive sign. However, in this case, it was what I intended.

‘Success.’

Originally, mixing blood into an enchanted item was to make the item bonded to the blood’s owner. But, there was another effect – the owner’s power could strengthen the item.

‘In my case, it weakens.’

Unfortunately, I was weaker than the energy of the two otherworldly beings. Thus, mixing my blood actually weakened the effect. An item that was just strong and threatening was meaningless.

‘It should be easy to control.’

For an item imbued with otherworldly power, controllability was my top priority.

“Hmm… This isn’t a trait you’d imbue in a weapon. Doesn’t suit metallic properties…”

Lyla murmured as she scrutinized the golden sphere. The sphere itself wasn’t an item yet. It had to be infused into an object to become an item.

‘I’ve never used these kinds of materials either.’

Different traits emerged depending on the materials used. For instance, using materials from eternal snow would make it more suitable for imbuing ice magic, but unsuitable for fire magic. Lyla possessed the ability to assess which items were appropriate.

“It could be applied to armor. Something more flexible rather than sturdy…”

Lyla examined the prepared items but clicked her tongue in frustration. Despite the pre-prepared weapons and other items, none were suitable to hold the enchantment’s effect.

“Darn, this is such a waste… But given the situation, I’ll have to charge extra!”

Was she trying to pull a trick again? I stared at Lyla, but it didn’t seem like one. She appeared too conflicted for this decision to be insincere, suggesting that it was truly a significant loss for her.

“What do you want?”

“Around three errands for my master. I’ve recently borrowed money and promised something; you will do it instead of me.”

“Are you sure it’s okay to send someone involved with Outer Gods to your master?”

Besides, a mage’s errands were typically challenging and bothersome.

“You don’t seem like a dangerous person, although suspicious as hell… Nevertheless, you wouldn’t break a deal with a mage, right?”

Lyla thought hard and reached a conclusion.

“My master isn’t easily fooled. Are you going to accept this condition or not?”

“What’s your plan?”

“I’m going to use the most expensive enchanted item in this room. I didn’t plan on doing this, but it’s our only choice to securely store those materials.”

Sacrificing the most expensive enchanted item?

What kind of item is it?

“It’s my robe. It has dimensional magic cast on it, making it incredibly expensive with a storage function.”

“A robe…?”

When I showed my curiosity, Lyla took off her white coat, revealing a separate red robe underneath.

‘An interdimensional storage spell… That is ridiculously expensive.’

I understood why Lyla flaunted it.

“Alright, I’ll accept it.”

“Then, bring me more of my damn jewels…”

Lyla said in a slightly gloomy tone. The jewels I received were now only about a quarter of what I had initially.

“This is all an investment, an investment for my future. I’ll be compensated for it all…”

Muttering with determination, Lyla threw the jewels and then took off the robe to place it inside the golden sphere.

“〈Enchant〉!”

I felt Lyla channeling her mana into the golden sphere. The sphere, which had been glowing golden, began to shine more brilliantly. Within that light, something fell to the floor.

“Did it succeed?”

“Hmm… I’m sure it did. It’s a success.”

I looked at the object on the floor and then back at Lyla.

“Are you sure it succeeded?”

“Probably…? Even if it looks like that.”

That thing was supposed to be a success?

The item that fell to the floor looked like tattered rags.

“It’s moving.”

“Indeed, it is.”

Moreover, it wriggled disgustingly. Watching the black rag squirm on the floor gave me a very strange feeling, as if I were observing an insect I’d never seen before.

“Its specs are quite decent, after all.”

“Really?”

“It absorbs low-level spells or miracles and converts them into mana. It can even withstand intermediate-level spells.”

Lyla, whose eyes glowed blue from the mana surge, watched the rag and spoke.

“It’s an item that reacts to your will. Basic attacks are automatically blocked… but.”

Lyla frowned.

“It indulges in cannibalism. If it doesn’t periodically consume people, it’ll become uncontrollable.”

What kind of effect is that…

“Luckily, it also likes the aura of Outer Gods. Feeding it items related to these gods should somewhat mitigate the issue.”

‘It combines human sacrifice and cannibalistic traits.’

With a continuing unease, I reached out. Gently touching it, it did not react significantly.

“Although it’s a sentient being-like item, it doesn’t have a definite self-awareness. Its intelligence is like that of an insect.”

So it moves on instinct, not an ego item that thinks for itself. Holding it up, I found it quite long. It wriggled, but when it sensed I didn’t want it to, it stopped moving.

“Beware, if someone other than you wears it, they could be devoured. Ah, the storage magic remains intact!”

I draped the robe around my body. It was lighter and thinner than expected. However, rather than feeling like clothing, it felt as if a living creature was clinging to my body.

‘The enhancement to defense capabilities is good. I can’t rely solely on 〈Forbidden Transformation〉.’

Moreover, it retained the incredibly expensive storage magic. Except for the periodic need to consume people, it was a really good item.

‘I’ll have to find a way to get rid of this cannibalistic trait later.’

The robe had no decorations and looked worn out. It reached down to my ankles, but responded to my will and moved on its own, so there seemed to be no issues with tripping or discomfort.

“Lyla, cast a light spell-”

“Heeyah!”

Though I had intended to test my abilities a bit, I did not expect Lyla to suddenly swing a dagger at me.

While I reacted a bit slowly, my cloak autonomously blocked the dagger.

“Wait, that’s an enchanted item.”

“It’s all for testing.”

In the next moment, the dagger was engulfed in flames. However, the cloak did not burn at all.

“Yep, the performance seems decent.”

“Certainly not bad.”

When I tried to slash it with the dagger, it didn’t get scratched. It appeared to be incredibly strong and tough despite being thin.

‘In the end, should I target bad guys like bandits?’

If only it didn’t have that cannibalistic effect.

“I’m going to rest now. It’s been a while since I’ve run out of mana.”

Lyla spoke without hiding her fatigue. She had a longsword to give to Ender, and she had made a few enchanted items as a test, so it was understandable how tired she was.

“So, you two, out now.”

“Come on, you should at least provide a day’s room and board.”

“Well, one day it is.”

Lyla accepted with a grumble. She probably wanted to maintain a good relationship moving forward too.

‘Having taught her combination enchantment, she’ll be swimming in money.’

Hopefully, she would not draw the attention of the Artificer Guild by overdoing it.

“Dinner is a stew made from potatoes and bird meat. It won’t be enough, so I need to bring out some bread and other stuff too.”

Lyla sighed and went upstairs. Talia, likely exhausted from the trip, was asleep at the dining table.

“Hey, you.”

Lyla, using magic to make the kitchen utensils move on their own rather than cooking directly, turned to look at me.

“What exactly are you?”

“I don’t know myself. I don’t have any memories.”

“And you’ve never mentioned wanting to find your memories to a mage? Sounds like an excuse…”

“If you know it’s an excuse, just drop it.”

“It looks like you’ve got quite a complicated situation, huh? So, what’s your plan now?”

Lyla crossed her arms and stared at me.

“You used the miracles of an Outer God without a hitch, and now you’re using items imbued with such miracles. You’re going to keep getting entangled with Outer Gods in the future.”

“Regrettably, yes.”

Lyla might not know it, but my talents also leaned towards that area.

“To be honest, I don’t really know except for planning to investigate in the port city.”

It would be great if I could find any trace of Dowol somewhere, but all I could do was visit one of the cities I remembered.

“You don’t want to break away from the influence of the Outer Gods?”

“It’s probably impossible.”

Lyla nodded in agreement on this matter. Once a person was entangled with an Outer God, it was hard to sever that dangerous connection.

“If we continue to maintain a friendly relationship, I’ll give you a valuable piece of information. Honestly, it fits together so well that it feels rather strange.”

That perfect fit might not just be a feeling. Seeing how things were connected this far, it was reasonable to suspect that Dowol might have intended it.

There were many doubts, but the relatively safe path remained unchanged.

“What is it? I certainly want to maintain a good relationship.”

Lyla looked reluctant before she finally opened her mouth.

“First, my master will be going to the port city. In about two weeks.”

What an amazing coincidence?

“And the reason for going to the port city is related to an Outer God.”

“What? An Outer God in the port city?!”

When I looked at her in surprise, Lyla nodded.

“Did something related to an Outer God or artifact come into the port city?”

“More so than you would think. In the port city…”

Lyla hesitated for a moment. It seemed she was reconsidering whether she should share this information with me.

“…there is an underground market for collectors to buy and sell items related to Outer Gods.”