Thud!
I stabbed the carving dagger into Ianâs heart.
Heart reset.
The basic principle is similar to that of a defibrillator. It stops a malfunctioning heart once, then makes it beat again to return it to normal.
Itâs like turning a computer off and on, a brain melted by gacha games coming to its senses after seeing an empty wallet, barely meeting a deadline after awakening to find the manuscript gone despite having it backed up on the cloud, and so on.
Arenât there many similar instances? Itâs the same in this case.
If thereâs a problem with the blood flow, simply stop the heart that causes the flow once and then restart it.
A distorted blessing will weaken as the heart breaks down, and wounds can be treated before death. This is a temple, so it shouldnât be difficult.
âŠHowever, it seems this simple conclusion was hard for others to understand.
âOh, Goddess! Bestow your mercy upon the injured!â
âJonah, have you lost your mind?!â
Panicking, Karen conjured a divine healing spell while Lydia forced a potion into Ianâs mouth with a scream-like shout.
Thanks to their perfect response, Ian quickly recovered, butâŠ
âNo, how can you heal him before the blessing is even lifted? Please prepare to do it again.â
âWhat do you mean âdo it againâ!?â
ââŠExplanation! At least give us a detailed explanation before doing it!â
They looked at me as if they were seeing a madman. Thatâs harsh. It was the best I could do.
Shrugging my shoulders, I began to speak.
âIâm eliminating the cause of the problem. If you heal Inspector Ian before he dies, heâll be fine.â
âWhat kind of nonsenseâŠhmm? Wait a moment. No, whyâŠcould it be?â
Although Karen was prepared to question with determination, being the most knowledgeable about divine power or blessings here, it seemed she quickly caught on to what I meant.
After muttering something to herself for a moment, she soon nodded.
ââŠI understand. Blessings scatter with death, so if the heart stops, the distorted blessing that resided within would also disappear.â
âItâs similar but a bit different. That refers to complete death, not when the heart stops and the brain ceases, but the moment the soul leaves the body.â
ââŠWhen the heart stops and the brain ceases, a person dies,â Karen countered with a serious face. It seemed there was a bit of a difference in common sense here.
âNo, itâs not immediate death. Thereâs a slight grace period. If you recover quickly during that time, itâs okay.â
âReally?â
âReally. So, Inquisitor Ian doesnât come back from the dead, but rather, his heart just stops for a moment. This distorted blessing is closely related to the heart, so if the vessel breaks, it will naturally scatter in all directions. âŠThough a bit will remain.â
âYou said some remains? Then it canât be completely resolved.â
âIf Inquisitor Ian isnât actually dying and resurrecting, then yes. But donât worry. Thereâs also a way for that.â
âOh Goddess⊠it seems you had a plan for everything.â
âItâs not the goddessâs plan, itâs mine⊠Anyway, now weâre going to tear his heart apart again, but count exactly five seconds, no more, no less, and then you must start the healing prayer. Miss Lydia, please prepare the next potion.â
âUnderstood.â
ââŠYes.â
It wasnât that I was crazy; the two of them prepared divine power and potions once again. Only after confirming this did I twist the sword I hadnât yet fully drawn out half a turn.
Eujeuk!
The sensation of flesh being crushed at the tip of the sword was palpable.
Ian, whose heart was shattered once more, shivered even in his unconscious state. Karen flinched at his intense reaction, butâŠ
âNot yet! Just wait a little longer!â
âKeut!â
I counted down five seconds in my head before I finally pulled the dagger from Ianâs heart.
Pusuuut!!
Blood spurted out vigorously like a fountain. I shouted as some of the blood, which I couldnât fully dodge, splashed onto my face.
âNow!â
âOh, Goddess! Here lies a wounded lamb! Please bestow your mercy!â
ââŠJonah, letâs talk later.â
Karen clasped her hands together and recited a prayer while Lydia, glaring sharply at me, applied a new potion.
Lydiaâs reaction was a bit concerning, but the priority right now was Ian.
Whoosh!
Ian was enveloped in a light pink light when, almost instantly, a dark purple mist began to rise from the wound on his chest.
The moment Karenâs concentration wavered, I shouted in a firm tone.
âDonât mind it and continue!â
ââŠâŠ!â
Karen, gritting her teeth, summoned her divine power once again. It goes without saying, but the purple energy, essentially the same divine power albeit tainted, was unaffected.
It scattered in all directions, only to be absorbed by meâŠ
âEh?â
If it had scattered, it should have gracefully disappeared. So why was it gathering towards me?
I tried to slip away, but the persistent energy followed me. It didnât seem harmful, but it was definitely unsettling.
I attempted to find a spot where Karen couldnât easily see me, butâŠ
âAh.â
Perhaps it was more concerning than I thought because as I locked eyes with Karen, her face was dotted with sweat; Lydia also noticed it.
Umm.
Am I in trouble?
Just knowing this method of healing could already cast a lot of suspicion on me.
I hoped Karen would see me as something akin to a divine apostle and Lydia, given her previous experiences with me, would react calmly to most things. So, I went for it.
After all, I was just saving a life. I thought there wouldnât be any real threat, even if suspicions arose.
âŠUntil I absorbed the distorted divine power unique to One Who Devours the Twilight.
This is nuts. What do I do now?
As Ianâs complexion brightened, mine darkened.
I reached into my shirt and gripped the statue of the goddess. Maybe if things went south, I could just lift this and praise the Goddess of Love, and somehow, everything would work out, right?
Wait. The followers of One Who Devours the Twilight also believe in the goddess, right? The problem is that theyâre heretics.
Maybe itâs better to bring out One Who Devours the Twilight, Fatherfucking Bastard, Season 2 hereâŠ
Argh! This is why I didnât want to come to the temple! I had a feeling Iâd get caught up in some annoying trouble! Though I didnât know it would be this kind of problem!
As I fretted and grumbled to myself, sweating profusely, the divine power that had been emanating from Karen finally subsided, indicating the healing was complete.
Ian was completely healed, sleeping with a peaceful expression distinctly different from before.
âŠWell, at least it ended without any major issues.
I quickly pulled out the statue of the goddess after calming myself.
Holding it above my head with both hands, like an otter displaying its young, I exclaimed,
âLong live the Goddess of Love! One Who Devours the Twilight are fatherfucking bastards!â
ââŠâŠâ
Karen, unresponsive to my sudden outburst, simply stared at me with a blank expression.
Lydia, having witnessed the scene as well, did not question my actions. Instead, she positioned herself protectively in front of me with an urgent expression.
In the midst of this subtle standoff, tears began to stream down Karenâs cheeks again.
âIndeed. I was not mistaken,â she murmured.
ââŠWhat?â I asked, puzzled.
âTo accept such turbid divine power and purify it so purely. Brother Jonah, you are surely favored by the goddess.â
ââŠâŠâ
Lydia turned her head sharply to look at me upon hearing Karenâs words. But could the quality of divine power be discerned just by a glance from an aura user? Perhaps, if it was manifested.
I focused my mind inward and felt a warm energy spreading throughout my body, in patches here and there.
This energy, similar yet distinct from the tiny mana located near my heart, felt more familiar.
Since I had only absorbed the remnants, there wasnât much of it, and I didnât know how to use it, but possessing divine power was beneficial in itself.
It was definitely advantageous for me. But stillâŠ
âCouldnât you have said something?â I asked, unsure of what exactly had transpired but certain that the Goddess of Love must have intervened somehow.
I looked resentfully at the skyâor, more precisely, at the statue of the goddess raised highâbut nothing changed.
Karen and Lydia, following my gaze to the statue, were simply in awe of the beauty of the 3-star sculpture.
I was about to sigh in relief inwardly when I suddenly raised my head.
âRight! Thereâs still one more thing left to do! Inquisitor Karen, could you please open Inquisitor Ianâs mouth?â
âYes. Like this?â
Without a word, Karen stood up and pried open Ianâs mouth. Standing in front of him, I drew my dagger again. This time, it was a unicorn dagger, not the one for carving.
Lydia looked at me with a doubtful expression while Karen opened his mouth without a hint of suspicion.
âMay I ask what you are intending to do?â
âTo completely drive out the remaining remnants of the curse.â
âWhat should I do?â
âJust keep his mouth open wide.â
âYes.â
Karen nodded. I braced myself and then gripped the unicorn dagger tightly in my opposite hand.
âUgh!â
The cold blade dug into my palm. A beat later, I felt the pain surge as I drew the dagger across.
Swoosh.
As blood welled up from the deep cut in my palm, the unicorn dagger emitted a faint light and began to heal the wound.
Before it completely healed, I pressed my fist against Ianâs lips and clenched it tightly.
Drip, drip, drip.
A few drops of blood, squeezed out by the pressure, passed through Ianâs lips and down his throat. And thenâŠ
Flash!
Ianâs body shone again, emitting a slight purple auraâŠAll of which was absorbed by me, however.
And now, Karen began to kneel before me entirely.
âAh, aahâŠ! For the children who shed tears, the goddess bleeds!â
âI donât know what that is, but itâs not that.â
âThe compassion to wipe away someone elseâs tears with your own blood!â
âItâs not like thatâŠ.â
I felt like crying a little too.
Isnât it somewhat cool to solve a problem that started with blood by feeding it blood? It was a setting introduced with the same light-hearted intention!
Stop paying attention!