The Outer God Needs Warmth

The Witch of Joy was taken straight to the headquarters of the Outer God Church.

If there was anyone among those who had lost family to Hyungkeshni, they might have objected to taking her to the Outer God Church, but no one opposed Dakota’s decision.

That was because everyone knew exactly what Dakota’s question meant.

More than half of the people present knew Dakota’s past. They knew when and how her family had died.

This was because, when Dakota persuaded those who had lost loved ones to Hyungkeshni, she told them her own story.

And the witch, who had just spoken without knowing what she was saying, begged for treatment, claiming she would die from sepsis if left in this condition.

The people in the room glanced at Dakota.

Dakota, noticing the looks, smiled and instructed them to perform the surgery.

The followers who understood her instructions took Hyungkeshni to a room. They sedated her with medicine, and then they proceeded with the surgical procedure.

Her neatly severed arm was disinfected, and the wound was sealed with medicine to stop the bleeding, while her crushed right hand was surgically severed near the forearm and treated.

After such procedures were done on her limbs, a precautionary magic was drawn along her spine.

Of course, for the legs, only the cuts and puncture wounds needed treatment, but everything was done surgically.

Though one could not say there was no personal interest, no one in the room voiced such a concern.

However, since she was kept alive, it was certainly a happy outcome for everyone.

The next day, after a full day had passed.

In the carriage heading to the Outer God Church headquarters.

Hyungkeshni, waking up from the medicine, screamed.

She had awoken to find her limbs gone.

The surprise and scream were answered by someone standing in front of her, as if to remind her that she was still human.

“We treated you as requested, Witch of Joy.”

“What kind of treatment is this! My arms! My legs! Where are they! How can so-called priests do such a thing!”

As soon as she thought of herself as the victim, Hyungkeshni’s attitude grew hostile. Her outburst seemed pitiable to anyone watching who didn’t know her situation.

Dakota?

She was smiling.@@novelbin@@

And instead of cursing, she responded calmly.

“Receive the blessing.”

The blessing.

Hyungkeshni knew. If she received it, all wounds would heal. But it came with the price of giving up something important.

No one knew what that important thing was.

Hyungkeshni knew what would happen to a human who lost what the Outer God called warmth.

They would lose their human form and become a monster wandering in search of the same warmth. She had once helped Yasle’s approval to steal away a person who had turned into a monster.

But she couldn’t keep the monster locked away.

All her magic failed, and if locked in a cage, it would gnaw at the bars. So, before the situation could escalate, she disposed of the monster and immediately took the warmth away from the sacrificial offering to prevent further experimentation.

But she couldn’t speak of the Outer God as an evil monster.

No matter how much Hyungkeshni knew, she understood that speaking carelessly here would result in her death.

No one in the Outer God Church would tolerate hearing their god described as a monster.

Instead, she muttered in frustration.

“Are you really going to let someone like me receive the blessing?”

The one to smile in response was, of course, Dakota.

“Of course. Witch of Joy, you must receive the blessing.”

Hyungkeshni thought of Dakota as a woman who had lost her mind enough to be called a saint. But after hearing the reality, it was clear that her mind had indeed snapped in a different way.

Because Dakota was thinking about what would come after the blessing.

No one receives the blessing twice.

Once someone is blessed, unless they gain special abilities, they cannot easily heal from further physical damage.

First, they would receive the blessing, then they would be made to endure the same condition again.

Dakota thought this way.

She had no intention of letting Hyungkeshni die easily. No matter how sinister it seemed, she could take any actions that suited her current position. She could throw away everything she had built up until now.

Because finally, she could get her revenge.

That day.

When her parents were killed before her eyes and the witch stabbed her in the chest with a skull-tipped staff, Dakota remembered the coldness and despair as she was left in that moment.

She wouldn’t let Hyungkeshni die easily.

While their thoughts were different, they soon arrived at the capital of Anselus Kingdom, where the headquarters of the Outer God Church and the Holy Land were located.

And straight to the Outer God Church headquarters.

The headquarters wasn’t a grand temple.

In fact, it was very humble for what one might expect from a religious headquarters.

The Outer God Church had originally bought and renovated a few buildings in the plaza to use.

But this showed the true essence of the Outer God Church, a religion for the marginalized, and that’s why they had used the building for over ten years.

After hearing from Dakota, Hyungkeshni was dragged to a room in the basement, where she saw someone very strange.

“Outer God? Impossible! You— you shouldn’t be here!”

The moment Hyungkeshni saw her, she froze in shock and shouted. But when she saw the blonde hair, she quickly realized who she was.

“No, is that you, Rebecca? Rebecca Rolf? After nearly a century, you’re still alive? Looking like that?”

After nearly 90 years, they finally met again, and Hyungkeshni was stunned. Rebecca looked exactly as she remembered.

She hadn’t aged at all, almost like a witch. But there was no trace of witch-like malice. Still uncertain, she asked.

“It’s been a long time. But shouldn’t I be the one asking how you’re still alive?”

Rebecca, looking at the fallen Hyungkeshni on the cold floor, simply nodded. Her tone was ordinary, as if speaking to someone she knew.

Rebecca didn’t seem to particularly dislike Hyungkeshni. She simply disliked people in general.

So, even though she met Hyungkeshni, she didn’t react much. Hyungkeshni, assuming she wasn’t hostile, lifted her severed arm.

“Let me go. You made me like this. I even wrote the book to summon the Outer God! I’m not a bad person!”

Hyungkeshni desperately pleaded for her life. No matter how much Hyungkeshni tried to justify herself, she knew very well why she was brought here— it wasn’t for a good reason.

She had enough awareness of the situation.

Although it was too late.

So, she defended herself to the Outer God Church, claiming she wasn’t a bad person. In reality, she had written a book that could summon the Outer God.

“Oh, is this the one?”

With a thud, Rebecca threw a thick book in front of her. The book fell to the floor and opened, its pages easily recognizable.

It was the book Hyungkeshni had written.

“Yes, I wrote this! What do you think? Summoning the Outer God? Isn’t that what you wanted? I can help!”

However, Rebecca, looking down at her, showed no particular reaction. Hyungkeshni’s heart sank.

As a smile filled Hyungkeshni’s face, Rebecca let out a soft laugh.

“A confession? How wonderful. After summoning something, you wrote down a summoning trap that turns it into a hard stone.”

She understood.

Despair rushed over Hyungkeshni’s mind. She knew now that she would definitely be killed. Hyungkeshni had missed the most important part.

So, she continued with her desperate excuses.

“Well, anyone can summon a god, but if you can’t interpret it, you can’t summon the god, right? Huh? Wouldn’t you feel bad if your god was summoned to a strange place? I’ll help you do it right.”

Hyungkeshni swallowed her next words. She knew if she begged for her life, it could be the end.

Because Hyungkeshni had killed many people who begged for their lives, she knew very well how it would end.

Rebecca chuckled.

It was an eerie laugh, and something about it made Hyungkeshni involuntarily snicker.

When Dakota moved to intervene, Rebecca raised her hand to stop her. Then, pointing at Hyungkeshni, she spoke.

“This witch has the habit of laughing when she’s scared.”

An old secret of Hyungkeshni’s slipped out. Hyungkeshni tried to figure out how she knew this, but soon recalled how the Outer God had seen through her mask.

“You, you’ve been watching everything beyond the Outer God?”

Rebecca paused thoughtfully, then smiled at Dakota, who seemed to have realized something, before looking back at Hyungkeshni.

“That’s right. Hyungkeshni. And I’ve seen more than that. I saw who the Outer God once was, and how he became the Outer God.”

But she didn’t mention that she hadn’t seen everything. After all, if she had kept watching, she would’ve gone mad herself.

And that’s why she knew.

People should fear the Outer God. If killing someone could relieve even a little of that coldness, they would do anything.

Hyungkeshni, who couldn’t even understand how she had endured so far, now fully realized the pain of the coldness she had caused.

Rebecca approached Hyungkeshni, who was sitting on the floor, and looked into her eyes.

Hyungkeshni’s pupils widened.

She wasn’t a fool— she knew what lay behind those eyes.

“You. Could it be…”

Without thinking, Hyungkeshni extended her right arm. Though severed just below her shoulder, she pointed with her finger.

“Looking at your state, I don’t think you’ll be able to stop the Outer God from coming.”

She got up.

“Dakota. Don’t enjoy this alone. Share it with those who have grudges. I’ll leave now.”

Waving her hand to Dakota, Rebecca left the room. Hyungkeshni couldn’t speak— she had no words.

Dakota’s expression as she walked out behind Rebecca was one Hyungkeshni knew all too well.

“The day the Outer God died. There was a girl whose parents were killed before her eyes, and she died after being stabbed in the chest.”

The woman, wearing the saint’s mask, spoke softly. Hyungkeshni didn’t understand what she was saying, but she knew her life was in danger.

And now, she knew that no matter what she said, she couldn’t escape.

“The Outer God spared me. After that, I lived only to kill witches.”

Her tone shifted in the middle. Then, the sticky hatred that Dakota had hidden so far seeped out. Only then did Hyungkeshni realize where she had gone wrong.

And she understood where it all went wrong.

Barely.

Or perhaps too late.

“We’ll be together for a long time. I’ve gathered those who hate you.”

Clink.

With a heavy sound, the door shut.

The fact that this space was thoroughly isolated echoed in Hyungkeshni’s mind.

Her screams wouldn’t reach anywhere.