Greg’s heart sank, a wave of coldness washing over him.
He had pulled the title of the Goddess of Night completely out of thin air based on his memories of the game from his past life!
How could he have known that a Goddess of Night actually existed in this world, let alone that she had a Messenger?!
He was about to be exposed!
Victoria glanced at him, her tone leaving no room for argument. “You heard her. Come over here and take the test.”
Greg gritted his teeth, attempting one final struggle. “M-My devotion to the Goddess comes from the heart! Why must it be proven through external rituals? That is a sacrilege to my faith!”
Victoria said, “I’m counting to three...”
“Alright, fine! No need to get so aggressive.”
Greg walked over with the grim resignation of a man marching to his execution. His brain worked in overdrive, desperately trying to cook up an excuse for when the test failed.
Running away was out of the question. Even if he fled now, he wouldn't survive long on his own.
Given his current strength, while he could survive here, he was nowhere near capable of clearing the dungeon's first layer alone in a short time. He still needed their help.
As for eliminating them to keep them quiet here forever—that was even more impossible. After all, saving the world depended on these two.
Silvia motioned for Greg to stand still. Forcing herself to sit upright, she joined her hands before her chest and softly chanted an ancient, convoluted prayer.
A faint golden light emerged from her palms, gradually enveloping Greg’s entire body.
Greg closed his eyes, bracing himself for the wrath of divine judgment for impersonating a holy messenger.
However, the expected rebuke or attack never came.
The moment the warm golden light enveloping him touched his body, it seemed to encounter something born of the same origin yet fundamentally different. Its color began to undergo a bizarre transformation.
The gold receded like a tide, replaced by a darkness so profound it seemed capable of swallowing all existence.
The pitch-black light gently wrapped around Greg. Far from feeling sinister or dark, it exuded an indescribable ancient mystery.
Silvia abruptly stopped her incantation and gasped, covering her mouth as her gray-blue eyes widened in complete shock.
“The Divine Favor of Night... it’s so pure...”
She looked at Victoria in utter disbelief. “H-He really is... the Messenger of the Goddess of Night!”
Greg: “...???”
The Messenger of the Goddess of Night? Me?!
He stared dumbfounded at the unfamiliar, gentle black aura surrounding him, his mind going completely blank.
What on earth is going on?! I made that up on the spot! Why is there an actual reaction?!
Victoria stared at the black divine light that had yet to dissipate completely. After a long moment of silence, she finally looked away, the bone-chilling coldness in her voice softening just a fraction.
“...It seems you aren’t entirely rotten to the core. At least you didn’t lie to us about this.”
Although Greg was thoroughly confused about the situation, he quickly played along: “I'm glad you understand. So, please don't look at me like I'm trash from now on. I'm... not actually a bad person at heart.”
Silvia let out a gentle sigh of relief, a hint of comfort appearing on her pale face. She clasped her hands before her chest and whispered, “Thank goodness... Since Senior Greg is the Messenger of the Goddess of Night, he... he definitely wouldn't dare do... that kind of thing to me.”
Greg: “Huh?”
Silvia blinked, looking at him in confusion. “Why do you look so confused, Senior Greg? Could it be... as the Messenger, you don't know about it?”
Snapping out of it, Greg quickly chimed in, “Ah! Right... You mean that matter! Of course I know about that! It's just...”
He put on a perfectly timed expression of embarrassed hesitation. “The lineage of the Goddess of Night has been lost for so long... I'm not entirely clear on the details of certain ancient taboos and divine punishments. Silvia, if you know, could you... explain it to me?”
“M-Me?! Explain it?!”
Silvia’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye. She lowered her head, nervously wringing the hem of her clothes. “Actually, it’s... it’s about...”
Greg pressed on from the side, “What's wrong, Miss Silvia? Is it inconvenient to say? I'm truly just curious about this rule as a Messenger of the Goddess of Night.”
Silvia: “It's about your...”
Greg: “Did you say something after that? I couldn't quite hear you.”
Under his persistent prompting, even the tips of Silvia’s ears turned completely red.
Finally, as if giving up all resistance, she squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out at top speed, her voice almost tearful:
“It means your... your lower half will be enveloped in holy light! You won't be able to use it for a whole year, and after a year, it will vanish completely!”
Greg: “?”
Having shouted it out, Silvia immediately turned her burning face away, her voice filled with shame and annoyance. “Senior Greg really is terrible... You haven’t done anything, yet you forced me to say something so... so embarrassing... Really!”
Greg went dead silent for three whole seconds.
“Haha, excuse me... I need to go to the bathroom.”
He turned around and walked with stiff steps toward a massive boulder nearby that was large enough to block their view.
Once he confirmed no one was around, he took a deep breath, harbored an absurd premonition, and slowly pulled down his waistband.
FUCKING HELL!!!!
It was ACTUALLY enveloped in holy light!!
A soft yet remarkably dense halo of milky-white light, radiating a faint sacred aura, was tightly wrapping around a certain key area—as if sealing it with a pure, sacred seal equipped with its own epic choir BGM.
“...Though,” Greg muttered, staring down at it for a few seconds. He rubbed his chin, a complex look on his face. “Why does it actually look... kind of cool? It’s got the vibe of a piece of epic gear...”
A moment later, he walked back to the campfire with heavy steps, a look of subtle sorrow and worldly fatigue on his face, as if he had seen through the vanity of mortal life.
“I don't mean anything by this,” he said in a floating, distant tone. “I'm just... asking for a friend.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
Greg continued in a deep, story-laden voice: “If... I'm saying if someone were unfortunate enough to suffer this condition... is there really... no way to change it?”
Victoria let out a cold sneer, her gray eyes filled with unreserved contempt. “If it’s a friend of yours, they must be an irredeemable scumbag as well. Wouldn't the eradication of such a scumbag be a service to the world?”
“It isn't like that!”
Greg suddenly grew agitated, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with urgency and anguish as he defended his friend.
“That friend... he's different from me! He's really... really a pure and kind-hearted person! I'm sure he was framed by some despicable villain to suffer such a malevolent curse!”
His performance was so heartfelt and sincere that the corners of his eyes even reddened slightly.
Silvia was clearly moved by this deep friendship.
Thinking of the equally unbreakable bond between herself and Victoria, a warm feeling surged in her heart, and her gaze toward Greg softened considerably.
“I didn't expect... there to be other believers of the Goddess of Night in this world besides you...” she murmured softly, before offering a comforting smile. “But please rest assured, this curse... can be broken!”
“As long as a Saintess of the Holy Church of Light performs a specific Purification Divine Art, she can dispel the Holy Light Seal.”
At this point, Silvia’s tone suddenly turned heavy.
“However, as far as I know... the current Saintess, like most high-ranking officials in the Church, harbors a deep aversion toward the order of the Goddess of Night, which once rivaled the Church of Light in history. So, she likely won't help your friend.”
But soon, her voice brightened again. “However, it doesn't matter! If... if your friend can wait a while longer...”
She puffed out her chest slightly. Though still weak, her eyes were bright and firm. “Once I officially become the Saintess, I can perform the Purification Divine Art to lift the curse for him!”
Greg: “...”
If you perform the purification, you'll probably purify my very existence along with it.
His brain uncontrollably began to simulate a future scenario:
Inside a grand cathedral, Silvia, dressed in the sacred robes of a Saintess, stood solemn and holy.
He, Greg Sass, mustered up his courage, walked up, and whispered:
“Silvia... actually, back in the underground river, I was the one who kissed you. But please believe me, it was really just to save you! Also... that friend I mentioned before was actually me. So now, could you please help me break the curse? Ehe~”
Then, the holy smile on Silvia’s face would freeze instantly, morphing into furious rage at having been utterly betrayed and defiled, her eyes blazing with intense holy flames:
“Even though... even though I had already decided to give my everything to Victoria... You... you degenerate! Pervert! Die—!!!”
In the next second, he would be pierced by countless light arrows infused with divine rage, unlocking the CG achievement: "Purified on the Spot for Indecent Assault on the Day of the Saintess's Coronation."
“...”
Greg silently wiped his face.
It seemed relying on the future Saintess was out of the question—that would be suicidal.
Thus, the only path left before him was a thorny one.
He had to find a way to get the troublesome current Saintess to personally dispel this damned curse... before she was ousted from power in Act Six of the original story.
Rate on N.U.
