I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Saintess Scramble （1）

“Old man, you know you can’t take back what you said, right?”

Rake turned to look at the Pope with a grim face.

The Pope’s eyes flickered slightly at her killing intent, but he quickly regained his composure and put on a serene expression. It was an expression that said he was harmless and had no ill intentions.

I guess a Pope can resist the killing intent of a demigod.

━ It’s alright. Go on.

You didn’t say that just to insult me, did you? There’s no reason to come all the way here for that.

Let’s hear it first.

“I understand that a living being born with powerful spiritual abilities ascends and gains divinity, they are called Loa.”

Well, that’s about right. Jin Malak became a dragon from an Imugi that way.

Maybe guys like Tuga and Rakan were also crab and wolf spiritual beings who became Loa after being worshipped by Barbarians.

━ So?

“Demons are also such beings. They were beings worshipped in the world they originally belonged to. Ah, I’m not talking about lower or mid-ranking demons. The ones that came through the dimensional gate are high-ranking demons.”

The Pope, adding that lower or mid-ranking demons are like minions or offspring controlled by high-ranking demons, continued.

“That world was on the path to ruin due to the long reign and conflict of the gods, now called demons. In the end, they couldn’t hold on any longer and perished. The gods lost their divinity and became mortal beings.”

Did they lose their divinity because they couldn’t find their worshippers after the world was destroyed?

Then does that mean I’ll become a mortal if I lose all my followers? This is dangerous.

━ Did they become mortal because they lost all their followers?

I also made the excuse that I lost a lot of my memories when I descended to Earth.

Even I think I look like a god who doesn’t know much.

“That’s not true. If a god has no followers, it becomes difficult to exert influence on Earth, but they don’t lose their divinity. I don’t know for sure, but maybe they did something to diminish their own divinity.”

I see. That’s a relief.

The picture is becoming clearer. The demons must have been plotting to invade other worlds to regain their divinity.

And the leaders of the Empire, unaware of that, invited them in to push out the Goddess Ishtania.

“Even though they have become mortal beings, their power and abilities have not disappeared. Because they can now directly exert influence on Earth. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they have become even more threatening beings.”

Demons are beings who have fallen from the heavens with power comparable to gods. They may not be immortal, but they still wield transcendental power.

The high-ranking demons I’ve seen in person are Dark Cloud, Shadow, and the Stingray that Karon was riding. None of them were beings that the inhabitants of this world could handle.

Even Princess Dina, a Level 8 Paladin, didn’t solo a high-ranking demon. I’m not sure about Close-Range Spy. But he never said he took one down alone.

It was clear that high-ranking demons were in a realm that even superhumans couldn’t easily encroach upon. Unless you were an outlier like Karon, me, or a max-level Paladin, it would be difficult to deal with them.

━ Where did you hear that information?

“The Saint is someone who has received the Goddess’ divine possession with her whole body. She can see what ordinary mortals cannot.”

So you heard it from the Saint. I have one more reason to save her.

She would be a great help in completely finishing off the demons. She might even be able to handle Karon and other Loa, who are as dangerous as the demons.

As for dealing with the Goddess Ishtania who possessed me into this world… I’ll think about that later.

“Ah, this is the right place. I’m sure of it.”

Our group arrived at the location where the Saint’s hideout was supposed to be.

“There’s a hidden space under that house. It’s there… Th-This is!”

Acrid smoke was billowing out of the house the Pope pointed to.

Ah, damn it. Are we too late?

━ Let’s go quickly.

Let’s check it out first. It hasn’t been confirmed that the Evolutionist School guys took the Saint.

Everyone got off Tteunteuni’s back and entered the house, not forgetting to be wary of their surroundings.

Rake found a secret space well hidden by the wall and went inside. A severely damaged lock caught her eye.

“I don’t sense any presence.”

━ …I see.

It seems clear that enemies attacked the Saint’s hideout.

“I smell corpses.”

Rake said flatly.

In a large space that could accommodate several people, the bodies of people wearing religious garments were piled up.

It seemed like a space equipped with some infrastructure, but now it was just blood, dust, and smashed furniture. It was clear that a very fierce battle had taken place.

“H-How could this happen? This is a place only a handful of people know about.”

━ Is the Saint here? You’re the only one who knows her face. Get a grip.

I scolded the Pope, who was deeply distraught. I feel uneasy too.

But we have to do what we have to do. We need to keep our heads cool, especially in times like this.

“…I’m sorry. I lost my composure.”

The Pope, regaining his composure, examined the bodies.

“Lydia, Lucia, Darius… even Maria. May you all go to a better place…”

The back of the Pope, sighing and examining the faces of his followers, seemed somehow pathetic. Losing someone you know must be something you can never get used to.

“The Saint is not here.”

It seems that killing the Saint and taking her power was not the goal of Karon and the Evolutionist School.

Did they kidnap her to use for experiments or something?

We can’t let our guard down yet. They might have taken her somewhere else to kill her.

“The Saint is special. Even though she can’t exert superhuman strength, she can use abilities that even superhumans can’t.”

The Pope took a deep breath, composed himself, and spoke.

“She’s not someone who would be captured quietly without resistance. She must have left some kind of trace.”

━ Search the room.

“Yes!”

Rake, Paya, and the Pope moved busily. I kept racking my brains.

What should I do if the Saint has already been taken to Karon? Can I defeat him in a fight without even obtaining Manifestation?

He’s a guy who was riding a high-ranking demon a few months ago. If I caught him once, it should be easy the second time. But Karon’s zombie army will be constantly growing, so there’s a high chance he’s several times stronger than the last time I saw him.

I have to pray that the guys who captured the Saint haven’t gone far.

No, what am I praying for? I’m a god, who am I praying to? Ha.

As I was calming down the anger that suddenly surged up, the fabric the Pope touched sparkled.

“Oh, my!”

As the fabric sparkled, the Pope’s eyes were dyed with a pure white light. It was a bizarre sight, but for some reason, I felt piety and a sacred aura.

“…!”

━ It’s alright. It’s Ishtania’s power.

“I-Is that so?”

Rake drew her Meteor Sword and approached the Pope, so I stopped her. This girl tries to solve everything with violence.

Well, it’s true that if you have enough power, you can solve most things with violence. There’s even a saying that if you don’t have power, your brain has to work harder.

Anyway, that’s not important right now.

━ Pope Holland. Can you hear my voice?

“M-Malak-nim. Yes, I can hear your voice.”

It seems his consciousness is fine.

━ Can you explain to me what’s going on?

Old man, I can’t tell what’s happening if you just keep fiddling with the fabric and your eyes are sparkling.

“It seems the Saint embedded her consciousness here before she was taken by them. She made it so that it would react immediately when a follower of the Goddess Religion touched it.

I can’t see it, but I can feel what happened at that time. I can hear the soldiers of the Evolutionist School… mercilessly slaughtering the followers. I can even feel the sensation of blood splattering.”

To put it in modern terms, it seems she recorded it on the fabric and then set up a recognition sensor so that only the Goddess Religion could see it.

Looking at it this way, it’s just a recorded file with a password. Why does fantasy seem so trivial when interpreted in the 21st century?

━ Keep talking about what you’re seeing.

The Pope, nodding his head, started the video relay.

“The Saint naturally touched the soldier’s body. Ah, not a soldier… the Team Leader who commands Team 7. His thoughts and memories flow into the Saint. Ah, I can see because I’m seeing through this man’s eyes. This man has no intention of killing the Saint. He was just ordered to bring her.

By the way, to read memories and thoughts… I didn’t know the Saint had this ability. This is quite fascinating. Hahaha…”

This is totally stream of consciousness.

“He seems a bit simple-minded.”

Paya leaned towards Totem No. 3 and whispered quietly. I agree.

“I can see where the Team Leader departed from. Hmm. Hmm. This is the headquarters of the Evolutionist School.”

The Pope had somehow obtained important information.

Superpowers and magic are always amazing to see.

“It’s protected by powerful magic. It’s a magic that distorts space, so it seems impossible to break through by force. At least, this man called the Team Leader thinks so. To enter, you need the help of a powerful mage or a badge that only the Team Leader carries.”

We need to go back to the Cathedral and check if the Reptilian captain we killed had a badge.