Chapter 208: Brainwashed
Proofread by FlawFinder
Proofreader’s Note: There’s a new translator, so the vibe, names, and job names may change a little.
“Foolish servants. After waiting for such a long time, we have finally welcomed the Savior in this temple.”
“Savior…”
Everyone is bowing their heads all the way down. There was even a guy who dropped tears from being moved, which was a little creepy to be honest. Since their loyalty proved to be useful and it didn’t really matter, I still decided that it would be best to follow the crowd. It was a little difficult to get friendly with people from whom I had nothing to gain, encouraging them was still a part of my job.
“You will get what you desire at the end”
I felt like blushing after repeating what I have already said before, but it didn’t matter since the efficacy of this phrase was tremendous. Baek Ahyeon especially, lost strength in her legs and plopped down, clenching her two hands together as if she were so touched.
“Ah….dear Savior.”
I was of course taken back by how I felt even more popular than a celebrity. Since I was their deity, it was understandable, but seeing the ability of Baek Ahyeon who changed the normal crowd into such a religious one seemed very impressive.
The problem was that she could not logically understand how she caused this effect to happen. I felt that I should personally go into the investigation of the matter.
“Let’s go, Baek Ahyeon.”
“Yes…Yes, my Savior.”
At my words, Baek Ahyeon hurriedly got out of the worship room, and even after a while, we could still hear the crowd calling the Savior.
Since most religions have doctrines, I again looked at Baek Ahyeon and started to make conversation. Of course, since it would not make sense that the founder of the religion would not know of one’s own religious doctrine, I was cautious as I spoke to Baek Ahyeon.
I guessed that the phrase that I had used earlier (you will get what you desire at the end) was the main selling point. It was natural to become curious since they seemed to be interpreting my words in their own way.
“Ahyeon Baek, how are you understanding the phrase: ‘you will get what you desire at the end?’”
I decided to only ask a simple question because a more complex question would surface some overly complicated concepts.
From the sudden question, Baek Ahyeon seemed incredibly surprised but also displayed a nervous expression. Although she had slept with a god, she still was uncomfortable with me, and the way that she opened her eyes wide showed her fear of whether her answer would be correct or not.
“I…I apologize, but the end would signify the end of the Earth or death.. and what one wants would be to enter the world of eternal peace?”
“Hmmm…”
I did not even imagine that the words I used to say that I would help her get her revenge at the end of the dungeon would be interpreted in such a way.
I did not know exactly what the world of eternal peace was, but when I thought of the possibility that it might be the heavenly place my people always talk about, I had to admit that this pagan had established the foundation of religion surprisingly well.
It seemed that this psychology was also rooted in the way they freely sacrifice their bodies and turn them into bombs. The end is to give the gift of rest.
When I looked over at Baek Ahyeon, she was still watching me nervously.
“Per…perhaps my interpretation is wrong?”
It was pretty adorable seeing her look for my response playing with her fingers. I responded right away looking at Baek Ahyeon.
“Your words are correct.”
“I… I knew it!”
“However, you will only find eternal peace when you are with me.”
It was a phrase I made while thinking of Baek Ahyeon, who would always be ready to throw herself away as a sacrifice for me. Baek Ahyeon’s entire body shook, as if she were touched by my words. She would agree as well. Baek Ahyeon gains the greatest peace when she is next to me.
If I were to rephrase my words, it was practically telling her to not die, which would in her perspective be very touching.
“I will make sure of it, my Savior.”
“ That’s that and now I would like to go to the interrogation room in the base floors. “
“ Ah…they are people who are not yet ready to be your followers. Will you be okay? “
“ It does not matter. “
It had to be ones who were not yet ready, to be honest. Despite this fact, Baek Ahyeon was asking me quite a lot of things as she seemed to be worried. It was clear that she was concerned that there would be an ungodly man.
“As..I have told you already, ones who are poor and suffering are quick to accept the greatness of Savior, but sometimes…there..there are ones who do not. “
The one in the prior state would have been pretty easy to handle. The more the person is going through, the more they look for someone to lean on. In particular, it is not unreasonable to fall into the religion more easily if you think about the bond between members of the same religion.
The bond forms stronger with scars that these believers possess such as poverty, heartbreak, pain, abuse, and they come to believe that it is a great relief to be a part of a community. It is very dangerous, but also meaningless, to interfere with an existing religion.
It is not an exaggeration to say that almost everyone, except for devout believers, abandons their existing religion from the moment they fall here.
This is because, unlike the state on Earth, the gods here directly grant power to people. The miracle of healing wounds and reviving those close to death was a sight that many high-level people could see, but probably gained the envy of those who did not have a chance to see a priest. The problem is that the priests of the temple seemingly have heavy buttocks. Unlike those unable to get out of their chairs to help, Baek Ahyeon was very close by.
To make a confession, I had believed in the existence of gods before seeing the case of Baek Ahyeon. This is a funny story, but back in the days of Kim Taesung, I once even donated to the temple even when I didn’t have enough money to eat.
Of course, it was after a while that I realized that all those things I did were bullshit, but compared to that time, I started to have more doubts about the gods here.
This is because Baek Ahyeon’s use of divine power is questionable.
Those who are not priests cannot use divine power. There are healing spells of shamans, but other than that, there are no healing spells other than a few unique abilities.
‘ If the power were to be relative to your belief…? ‘
In the case of other believers, it is still insufficient, but in the case of Baek Aheon, she is already exuding a higher level of divine power. The problem is that we cannot grasp the identity of this cloudy divine power.
Of course, I am not a god. If you tell Ahyeon Baek this truth, she will be very shocked. However, in reality, Ahyeon Baek is believing in only the image of a savior who she has created.
‘ Pagan ’
Pagan is the job she earned. If the power of Baek Ahyeon and other priests truly comes from their pure belief, then this system is all a personal power. Of course, I do not know the truth. I do not mean to get too deep into it, either. However, I still thought that it should be considered.
Baek Ahyeon was still talking to me as I wondered these thoughts.
“ In… in the cases in which their confirmation is not yet finished, they may act rudely. Pl..please understand… “
“ I do not care, my follower. “
When we headed over to the basement, I felt that the atmosphere was different. First and foremost was the fact that there was no light. Elisha, who was next to me, came closer as if she were frightened and Baek Ahyeon once again gave her a glare.
“ To start off, this place is divided into level one, two and three. “
“ Mmm.. ”
This place must have been the first level. As soon as we entered through the doors, we heard screams everywhere.
“ Ahhhhhhh! You will be cursed. You bastards! “
“ Ergh… save.. Save me.. Fuck… fuck…”
When I looked over at Baek Ahyeon with a puzzled expression, she started to slowly open her lips.
“ In the case of these polluted pagans, they receive suffering. “
Pagan is actually the job title of Baek Ahyeon.
“ What type of suffering is it? “
“ It is a suffering that is about whether or not one can live on as the servant of the Savior. The inquisitors on level two are trying to restore them thoroughly to their former pristine condition. “
“ Mmm.. ”
When I peeked inside, there were some pretty gruesome scenes in every cell. They probably cannot even make an extreme choice such as committing suicide. This is because everyone here is a priest. The people here were members of the hunting dog clans, one of the murderer clans, who were transitioned after they had confessed some useful information. Something was very off. The level two inquisitors were not saying a single word.
They did not ask anything regarding the Savior.
“ I see that the level two inquisitors do not speak. ”
“ Yes. That is right. Savior. It is forbidden to have a conversation with the pagans here. We do not ask anything and continue with the purification procedure until their hearts become cleansed. “
They seemed to be using the various torture methods such as setting fire on living beings as a purification process. To be honest, until this moment I had thought that the person who gets caught in the hands of Jung Hayeon who can install a root inside the body which explodes would be pitiful, but these guys here were in worse situations.
“ I… I have been purified! I am! Please! Please! “
“ ……………. ”
“ …………….”
From the person who was shouting that he had been cleansed to the ones who were endlessly cursing, there was a pretty mixture of a group at this level.
“ How do you check that the purification is complete? “
“ You know it by looking into their eyes, Savior. We determine whether or not there is a devil in their eyes. “
Not even I, the god they worship, would know how to determine this.
It seemed as if the second level inquisitors had great powers. When I showed a little interest, Baek Ahyeon seemed extremely excited, and started to open the door of the guy who was shouting to show more thoroughly.
“ Park Jihye “
“F.. founder! And.. And Savior! “
As soon as they saw me, one person bowed down to the ground. Baek Ahyeon must have become the pope or something. I started to look at the person on the floor. She seemed familiar, but I did not know her.
“ She is the survivor of the battle of Somora and is the best second level inquisitor of this place. “
So, what she was saying is that this person, Park Jihye, is from this place.
Her outer appearance seemed pretty okay. To be honest, you could even call her pretty.
“Inquisitor Park Jihye, you shall talk about yourself.”
“Yes. I..I was once a follower who worshipped the lustful, ugly, filthy whore of abundance. Of course now, I have forgotten all about the whore of abundance and only worship you, my Savior.
She seemed to be an ex- follower of the goddess of abundance. I felt a little sorry for the goddess who got a bunch of curse words suddenly, but decided to keep on listening to what she had to say.
“This place allowed me to be reborn completely. I still personally feel only gratitude to Baek Ahyeon for teaching me personally. “
“Inquisitor Park Jihye… “
“Of.. Of course who I feel most thankful for is Savior, who opened up a new world. “
The inquisitor quickly replied as Baek Ahyeon was about to speak again.
“In the beginning, it was very painful and frightening, but after throwing away everything, I could feel that the Savior was coming towards me.
The eyes of Park Jihye who had her hands clasped together seemed to be half mad.
“I still cannot forget that overwhelming feeling in that moment. “
Meanwhile, the guy that Park Jihye was in charge of was still talking as she was talking to us, with scars all over his body.
“Please.. I am cleansed. There is no doubt about it. I..I could see it, too. I saw the Savior. “
Still, Baek Ahyeon and Park Jihye did not seem satisfied.
“Hmph. He still seems to be lying, inquisitor Park Jihye. “
“Yes, Baek Ahyeon. “
I felt pity for the guy, watching her re-wear the oddly shaped mask and taking all the creepy tools over to him, but he kind of asked for it.
“Ahhhhhhh! Fucking…fuckers! You bastard fuckers!!! ”
There ended up being some foul language, which made the eyes of Baek Ahyeon turn a little cold.