The Outer God Needs Warmth

What should I do?

A man barged into the room and screamed.

I could hear the sound of people running from outside. The clinking of metal suggested that heavily armed individuals would soon be entering as well.

Hyungkeshni, with a lifeless expression, watched the man trembling on the floor, his scream still echoing. Well, Hyungkeshni was reacting to being threatened.@@novelbin@@

But is this sight so horrifying that it warrants such a reaction?

Couldn’t it just look like a parade of people with purple spheres on their heads?

Then again, he likely hasn’t had many chances to see something like this.

Back when I was still human, I might have danced to a legendary pop artist’s song in a similar situation. But here, such antics would probably get me stabbed.
Even if their heads are covered in dark purple spheres, they’re still half-zombie-like, so the shock value would be enough. Still, it’s a bit disappointing.

Now is the time to understand the Sphere Humans.

Because understanding them might be the key to escaping this place.

Hyungkeshni has to be left alone. If she realizes I can’t escape this situation, she’d have every right to stab me.

It’s not as if I’m bound by some magical contract where something terrible will happen if Hyungkeshni doesn’t write the book.

It’s just a contract between two people.

There’s always a risk of being cheated, but it’s still a matter of trust.

Of course, in reality, trust is written with the iron rod of law, and if that rod doesn’t hurt, the contract holds no value.

I substitute that rod with the illusion of my power.

In other words, from Hyungkeshni’s perspective, she’s entered a dangerous contract where failing to comply with the Outer God could cost her life.

I intentionally led her to that misunderstanding.

So, I can’t rely on her. I need another method, but I can’t trust my ability to speak persuasively.

I’m not eloquent enough to enchant someone in an instant, so I’ve resorted to feigning the strength of an Outer God to intimidate her into compliance.

Sure, it’s persuasion in the form of stomping someone’s head into the dirt, but persuasion is persuasion. Yes.

Currently, the only resource I have at my disposal is the Sphere Humans.

Speaking of which, strictly speaking, have they ever truly followed me?

If I were to describe it metaphorically, it’s less like them following me and more like flipping a cup upside down into the ocean.

I grabbed one of the nearby Sphere Humans—preferably one of similar height to make contact with the light easier—and gently pushed myself inside, just like when I’ve bestowed blessings before.

Dark purple smoke emerged. In Rebecca’s body, the cracks in my arms would leak this dark purple mist. But now, my entire arm simply turned into smoke.

Ah, so that’s why I could shove my hand into Hyungkeshni’s chest earlier without any resistance.

The dark purple mist flowed inside effortlessly. Within, there was a faintly purple-tinged black light.

Hmm.

Mmmmmm.

Oh!

I went inside easily.

In fact, more of me went in than usual.

Swoosh.

The dark purple sphere gradually shrank. From within, a girl’s face emerged. One of Tis-ha’s granddaughters.

As I watched, she opened her eyes.

“Where’s Grandpa?”

Ah. Damn. A child. Considering she’s the same height as Rebecca Rolfe, it’s obvious she’s far from being an adult. If she screams, the situation will spiral out of control.

A child’s scream causes chaos.

I tried to make her close her eyes, but my hands were currently made of mist.

For a moment, the thought this is bad flashed through my mind, but then the girl closed her eyes on her own.

Huh?

I don’t feel like I’m controlling her. It’s just the same sensation as observing her from within.

“Step away from her, you witch!”

At that moment, an armored figure charged at me with a sword. The blade sliced through my neck.

Thunk.

My head rolled to the floor.

How many times is my head going to get cut off today?

Of course, in the next moment, my severed head blurred like low-resolution video, then disappeared. My head regenerated immediately after.

The armored man now held the girl in his arms, pointing his sword at me and preparing to swing again. I grabbed him with a Sphere Human before he could attack.

“Ugh! Let go! What are you all doing? Protect this one at all costs!”

At his shout, the others at the entrance began to move. At this rate, the Sphere Humans will all be killed, and I’ll be in danger too.

In desperation, I shoved my hand into the chest of the nearest Sphere Human.

Because my hand was now a dark purple mist, there was no blood or flesh—it simply sank in. Upon touching the darkened light within, the man’s purple sphere began to shrink.

Then, his face emerged.

“What’s going on here?”

Oh no. He’s still conscious.

If he panics, things will spiral out of control. Hopefully, like the girl, he’ll just close his mouth and eyes.

Huh?

He closed his mouth and eyes.

Is he following my commands? Or am I controlling him directly? It feels more like he’s obeying. I don’t know how this works, but the phenomenon is what it is. I’ll analyze it later.

I need to act quickly.

What should I do?

At the very least, I need to restore appearances and maintain control. That’s the only way to salvage this situation.

I began converting the remaining Sphere Humans back into people while clenching the arm of the knight holding the sword.

During this process, I realized something.

This transformation process usually requires a phrase:
"I offer myself to you. In return, when all is done, I will claim everything you hold. What do you say?"

The verbal contract ensures no resistance during the transformation.

Yet these people don’t resist. Is it because their warmth has already been taken? In previous cases, monsters created by losing warmth became hostile to me, even though they were connected to me.

I concluded there’s a rule: losing warmth turns them into such monsters.

It feels like the contract was already made long ago.

These people have purple hair. Tis-ha’s original hair was brown.

Does this mean the contracts are automatically inherited by descendants of the blessed? Like a lease contract that silently renews unless explicitly terminated?

Then why can’t I share their vision?

Ah, could it be—
The contract transferred, but they don’t fully submit to me? The contract remains unfulfilled, stuck in limbo?

I benefit from having more blessed individuals. That’s always a good thing.

For now, I increase their numbers.

I moved through the room, converting the remaining Sphere Humans into blessed individuals.

Glancing at the soldiers standing at the entrance, I saw they were too terrified to enter, clutching their weapons as they aimed into the room.

Even the man who had screamed earlier now clung to the doorway, unable to move.

Scanning their faces, I saw no priests from the Holy Spirit Church among them.

No one here seemed to fully understand my identity. Even if someone did, they weren’t present in this room.

Assuming they don’t, I act accordingly.

I still have some time before the dozens of people in this room are fully restored.

Until then, I must think.

Hyungkeshni?

As I increase the number of blessed, her face twists into an uneasy smile.

She’s scared. She smiles out of fear.

Does she see me as a monster growing its army?

But she’s already agreed to write the book. I’m not going to let her off now. Once I have the summoning method, I’ll get what I want.

Books are efficient.

They’re far quicker and more compact than transferring Yasle’s fragmented memories piece by piece.

While organizing the present and future plans, I noticed the Sphere Humans were dwindling.

Time is running out.

I must decide my stance going forward.

I can’t pretend to be an ordinary person anymore. They’ve already seen my head regenerate after being severed. So, any act of being a righteous savior is out.

I could betray Hyungkeshni, force her to write the book, and kill her afterward. But judging by the memories of the people here, she won’t immediately be thrown into prison as a witch.

I’ve told you before, haven’t I?

Tis-ha was a good king.

He spread righteous influence consistently. The Ansellus Kingdom is currently enjoying its brightest era of prosperity.

Trials are still fair—for now.

They’ll cross-check Hyungkeshni’s claims before making a judgment. So, I must keep her under my control, ensuring she remains useful to me.

If she escapes, I’ll have no way to catch her.

What should I do?

How can I justify my actions in this place?

No—perhaps I should just accept that I might not survive. When you have nothing, wishing for too much is delusion.

At the very least, I must ensure Hyungkeshni survives long enough to write the book.

No blessed individuals created here should die. Conversely, Hyungkeshni cannot be executed for high treason.

Until the book is written.

Yes.

I determine my course.
And I brace myself.

After all, Hyungkeshni gave me this role. If things go wrong, I’ll pin the blame entirely on her.

I converted the last Sphere Human back into a person, then moved to Tis-ha’s corpse, sitting by his head.

While there, I examined the cracks in his upper body. As expected, I couldn’t make sense of them.

I called out to the group, awakening the descendants of Tis-ha present in the room—his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Facing them, I spoke the truth.

"I am the being humans call the Outer God. I’ve come to claim what was promised under the contracts made with those I blessed. Does your so-called Holy Spirit have a law to prevent the execution of contracts? Isn’t it also your law that those who make agreements must fulfill them first? Answer me, humanity."

Strike first to win. If you object, come argue with me—or send your Holy Spirit.

I poured my soul into my performance as the Outer God.