I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 23: Mr. Eldritch (2)

Upon cautiously observing, it became evident that Eldritch was actively avoiding me. His actions, such as confirming my location and abruptly changing direction, were conspicuously blatant.

‘Is it magic…?’

It was either that he possessed a high-level magic that could see through my transformation potion or he had an enchanted item related to it. There was no other reason for him to avoid me so meticulously, unless he had figured out my identity.

“Would you like me to tell you more about Mr. Eldritch?”

The man I had captured suddenly spoke up.

“In exchange for telling you what kind of person he is…”

“… I’ll select a good item for you.”

The man nodded at my proposition. Truth be told, the information he provided was mostly useless. He merely provided superficial observations which could easily be misleading.

‘He can’t seem to read people well…’

That was the only piece of useful information I could extract. I recommended an item from the display that was crafted for dealing with miracles by the followers of an Outer God.

“The seller claims it’s a bracelet containing the miracle of the Outer God?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. It’s merely a bracelet made from the hide of a species that worships an Outer God, and thus carries their aura.”

The effect of the bracelet was to enhance physical strength and negate fatigue. Although it allowed the wearer to go without sleep for several days without feeling tired, it posed the risk of death from overwork without the person realizing it.

“Still, why are all the items so mediocre? There’s not even a scripture.”

While pondering this, my gaze fell upon a luxurious door guarded by two knights.

“…What’s that?”

“That’s the entrance to the auction house.”

Ah, so the truly valuable items must be auctioned off there.

“Wait… I could use this.”

Having continuously observed Eldritch, I had formed a hypothesis about him. If my hypothesis was correct, Eldritch would inevitably fall into the trap I set.

“Is it still possible to enter something in the auction?”

“Unless it’s something exceptional, it’s quite difficult. Do you have something worthwhile?”

I used the tendrils of my cloak instead of my hands to pull out a scroll from my pocket, causing the man to flinch. After writing on the scroll, I handed it to him.

“Just enter this in the auction.”

“It’s rather late for that…”

“Then make it happen. Don’t forget that you are obliged to serve me.”

The man, perhaps recalling the spiders, bowed his head deeply and took a steadying breath. As he proceeded to enter the item into the auction as instructed, I kept my eye on Eldritch. Intent on maintaining a distance from me, he remained oblivious to my actions.

“A good assortment of items at the auction would be nice, too.”

I waited leisurely for the auction to begin, and about 30 minutes later, the doors opened for us to enter.

“Good evening. I will be conducting today’s auction…”

The auction proceeded swiftly. Although none of the items piqued my interest, it became clear that some rather dangerous objects were being circulated.

“It would be wise to attend frequently. Today wasn’t great, but we might be able to catch something significant in the future.”

As various items were auctioned off, the item I submitted finally made its appearance.

“The next item is submitted by Mr. Paul Pearson.”

So that man’s name was Paul Pearson. I deliberately avoided asking his name to maintain my guise as an isolated priest; now that I knew it, I decided to forget it.

“Paul Pearson? How could that rich idiot possibly…”

“Even Mr. Eldritch hasn’t seen this yet. He’s puzzled.”

Oh… So Paul wasn’t a highly respected person. But that wasn’t important. He was someone I wouldn’t see again anyway.

“This scroll contains…a previously unseen miracle. The Black Goat-”

“Hold on a second!”

Anyone well-versed in Outer Gods would inevitably react to the keyword ‘Black Goat’.

“Among the Outer Gods, there are those of a different class. It’s a keyword from one of the distant Gods.”

Eldritch could never ignore such greatness and danger.

My expectation was spot on.

“This miracle could be extremely dangerous. I need to verify it!”

Eldritch, shouting urgently in a cracked voice, rushed over clumsily to check the contents of the parchment scroll.

“…This?!”

Eldritch gasped as he read the text.

“What’s this all about?”

“Black Goat… Is there such an Outer God? It doesn’t seem strong.”

Indeed, the people gathered at this auction had money but were not devout followers of Outer Gods. Most were here hoping to acquire powerful items that were generally unattainable. Hence, they did not understand the value of the scripture.

“This scripture is extremely dangerous.”

Eldritch, having calmed his mind, began to explain.

“Such an item should never fall into the hands of an unprepared person.”

At his words, people started to murmur.

“Therefore, I will personally bid on this document, conduct research, and store it.”

Eldritch told the shocked crowd calmly. Seeing the unexpected situation and probably recognizing the potential danger of the Outer God, the people agreed to let Eldritch be the bidder without much complaint.

‘This seems to happen from time to time.’

After speaking with Eldritch about the transaction, Paul moved to a seat away from me. The auction proceeded as usual, and in the end, I bought nothing.

“Hey, I did everything as you asked. But what is this miracle about?”

“It’s knowledge far too advanced and dangerous for you to know.”

“… Tsk.”

Leaving the inquisitive Paul behind, I headed to the transaction place ahead of Eldritch.

“…Room by the Coast?”

It seemed like a unique name, but as soon as I opened the door with that name on it, I understood. Instead of another part of the black market building, a shoreline with crashing waves appeared.

‘It’s not a real beach—it’s a space recreated to resemble one as closely as possible. What kind of magic is this?’

I stepped into the room, layered with high-grade techniques unknown even to me.

“Sigh…”

Focusing my mind, I began to recite various prayers. I needed to be fully prepared before Eldritch arrived.

‘Thoroughly. Eldritch won’t know what kind of miracle I can perform, so I must use that to my advantage.’

The unknown was my greatest strength. Eldritch seemed to possess considerable knowledge about Outer Gods, but there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to identify the miracle I would use. Especially since this time, the miracle came from a well-known scripture copy. He would likely recognize it.

‘After all, it was Eldritch who recommended that scripture to Paul.’

However, he didn’t know about my attributes or how I specialized in the priestly role. Using the disparity in information between us could work to my advantage.

‘Even so, there’s a chance I might still lose…’

Based on the information I had gathered, Eldritch likely wasn’t exceptionally powerful. If he were incredibly strong, he wouldn’t be acting as an expert in a place like this.

‘There’s even less reason for him to avoid me on purpose.’

Now was the time to focus on preparation rather than meaningless worries. Like a spider carefully weaving a trap, I prepared the miracle.

Not long after, the door opened, and Eldritch appeared. He flinched when he saw me but didn’t panic significantly.

“As expected… it’s you.”

“Yes.”

I dissolved my disguise, revealing my true self with red hair.

“I am Ethnos. You’ve been diligently avoiding me, Mr. Eldritch.”

“Why are you doing this even though you know it? Enticing me with such a precious miracle.”

Eldritch asked warily. A precious miracle, indeed…

“First, I should apologize. That miracle is fake.”

“… What?”

Eldritch froze and stared at me. As expected, something felt awkward.

“It was worth the effort of writing and inventing the origin to make it sound convincing.”

“That… That can’t be!”

“The name of the miracle is real, but I made up the content.”

Eldritch unrolled the parchment, glancing repeatedly between me and the scroll. It seemed he was more shocked than I had anticipated.

“What is all this nonsense! Why are you making things so troublesome—”

“A person?”

I raised the corners of my mouth, speaking in a mocking tone.

“Mr. Eldritch, I figured out long ago that you are not a person.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s almost impossible for a human to have such extensive knowledge about the supernatural.”

Even I, who was born with the greatest qualities as a priest of extraterrestrial Gods, had to rely on sedatives.

“Moreover, you lack movements that come naturally to a person, such as blinking or Adam’s apple movements.”

These were oddities I had observed while watching Eldritch. All of these pointed to Eldritch being some other entity pretending to be human.

“… Damn it, Alice. What do you want from me?”

The mention of Alice confirmed that this creature was indeed related to supernatural beings.

“I am curious about your intentions behind these actions. And I also want information about the master of this black market.”

Eldritch scoffed and glared at me.

“Is that all? And you don’t know about that lady… You are more insignificant than I thought.”

A lady…? Was the master of the black market a young woman?

“It seems you do know the master.”

“Master? You are quite mistaken. Well, fine. First, for deceiving me…”

Eldritch took off his hat and began to unbutton his clothes.

“… Let’s settle that score first. I will correct your behavior firmly.”

Eldritch smiled gleefully, which made me tense up and step back.

“I am no fool either.”

Eldritch’s appearance started to change. His skin shimmered, turning into a glossy green. His facial features collapsed, and his body, which once resembled a human, began to swell and transform like a mass of foaming bubbles.

“I chose this place because I suspected it could be a trap.”

His form inflated beyond my imagination, growing larger than a tree.

“This place is spacious enough for me to transform into my true self, and although the sea is fake, it’s here.”

A pair of large, round eyes appeared from the bubbling form and stared intently at me.

“This… This…”

Facing such a thing was unimaginable. It had writhing tentacles, a green body, and enormous, red eyes with sharp vertical pupils reminiscent of a demon.

『I am the descendant and servant of a great being. Although born as a strange mutant and cast out from my kin…』

A low voice echoed through the space.

『… Behold! The Dreamer in the Citadel of the Abyss! A ‘Great Star’s progeny’! That is me, Eldritch!』

The enormous body composed of mysterious green material, writhing tentacles, and peculiar organs moving atop its head reminded me of a deep-sea creature. I was momentarily speechless.

“… A jelly octopus?”

It was a giant green jelly octopus.

TL’s Corner:
Black Goat, such a familiar name.