Let’s play together at the haunted mansion

Enemies are on a single-log bridge….Not a bridge?

Episode 10

I need to leave this city quickly again.

Why do you say that?

“It’s nothing. Just look ahead.”

– Yes.

Thus, we successfully escaped before the temple side could catch up.

* * *

“Cough! Cough!”

Brent, who suddenly regained consciousness, coughed softly.

A metallic sound erupted from his parched throat.

“Why am I here?”

Turning his head, he saw the alley of a slum illuminated by dawn.

The sky gradually brightened to a bluish hue. The humid air filled with the morning mist, mixed with the distinct smell of slums.

And in the middle of it all, they were huddled together.

“Ah? Ah?! Ahhh!!”

Only then did Brent’s memories from the previous night awaken, and as he stood up abruptly, he fell over again.

“Yikes! Yikes!!”

Brent trembled, curled up as if trying to protect himself, unable to regain his composure from the fear that something unknown might pounce on him at any moment.

With time, this fear and PTSD might fade, allowing him to live normally again… but it was still too soon for that.

Thus, he remained unaware.

“……”

Behind Brent, someone in a gray robe was watching the empty ruins where they and the mansion had existed.

“Finally caught up.”

Muttering softly, the hem of his robe fluttered gently in the wind along the alley.

The golden sword hanging at his waist glimmered in the dawn light that began to illuminate the alley before disappearing back into the robe.

I want to go outside.

Looking back now, my ghostly life was simple.

When I arrived at a place where people gathered, I would draw in about 8 to 9 people over 2 to 3 rounds, give them a chilling experience, and make them faint.

After that, when I felt it was enough, I would pack my things and run. The important thing at that moment was to never be greedy.

Among the religions of my past life, the most famous exorcist religion was undoubtedly Christianity. However, Christianity was more of a group that sought to maintain power under the guise of “true faith” rather than genuinely seeking it.

Of course, Christianity likely valued faith highly in its early days. But as time passed and its power grew, losing the original intent is something that no group is exempt from. Christianity is no exception.

Is that not the case? Sure. It might not be. But didn’t Christianity commit a significant blunder to maintain its power?

The witch hunts.

To continue gaining support from the lower classes and prevent the nobility from disregarding them, they labeled innocent people and their political enemies as witches and massacred them.

And while it may not be as extreme as during the witch hunts, historically, Christian forces have a history of labeling their political enemies as demons and killing them. A prime example would be Joan of Arc, who led the Hundred Years’ War to victory but was burned at the stake on charges of witchcraft.

In reality, Christianity, Protestantism, and Islam… might be a stretch.

In any case, one reason for the divisions was the corruption of religion, which is quite an unsettling thought. Considering that they abandoned true faith yet became the most prosperous religion on Earth in my past life is ironically amusing.

Some might argue otherwise… but that’s how I see it.

I digress, but anyway, Christianity in my past life was a religion known for exorcists but wasn’t exactly about “hunting down and exorcising demons or evil spirits.”

To be precise, they had a stronger image of being “dispatchers” who send exorcists upon request from wealthy families willing to donate large sums.

Is that not true? If you disagree, that’s fine.
Chapter 7 haunted
But the religions in this fantasy world are different.

The most prosperous religion in this world is the Solar Cult, which worships the Sun God Bratas. And there’s actual evidence that gods exist in this world.

There are oracles and holy relics, but among them, the special abilities used by priests and paladins stand out. This is known as divine power.

Divine power is charged by praying to the respective god, and one can increase their maximum capacity through various actions that spread the god’s will and fulfill it.

In other words, in this world, one can judge how faithful a priest is based on the total amount of divine power they possess.

I looked for any way to escape, but I had to retreat quietly because I almost got caught by the shining divine power radar of the priest.

The second reason.

Beep beep beep~! Clang.

“Ugh. That little guy is having a hard time.”

“Thank you!”

I greeted the man in front of me who placed coins in the wooden bowl.

Ah, I can’t resist donations.

Ahem! Anyway, the second reason is the false identity I used to enter this city.

In this barbaric fantasy world, it’s difficult for a 14- to 15-year-old loli with big breasts to survive alone. Usually, they get kidnapped and sold as sex slaves or become a meal for monsters.

But a loli with big breasts is wandering around alone in this world? That can only mean two things: they are either fearless or have something they trust enough to be alone.

In the former case, annoying pests would swarm around them, and in the latter case, suspicious gazes would follow.

As I mentioned before, this barbaric fantasy world is steeped in a patriarchal ideology. It’s not as extreme as the late Joseon period or pre-French Revolution France, but at least the roles of men and women are distinctly defined in terms of profession.

In such a world, a girl wandering alone? Especially a small one and not muscular? There must be something going on. Either they have a powerful backing or are hiding their abilities.

Generally, those who seem to be hiding their abilities are perceived as suspicious. So, I disguised my identity.

“I’ve never seen that token before… What church is it from?”

“It’s from the Traveler’s God, Palette. Would you believe in our deity?”

“Huh? Hahaha! The protector of travelers?”

“Yes! Our god is truly amazing!”

“Alright, alright. Good luck.”

The man quickly disappeared into the crowd after my words. It seems that avoiding religious proselytizers is a universal rule, whether in a past life or this one.

That’s right. I’m currently disguised as an ‘apprentice priest.’

You might wonder why I chose to disguise myself as an apprentice priest when I could become a ghost if caught by exorcist priests, but surprisingly, the priest role is quite easy to disguise.

This world is polytheistic. There are many gods.

Of course, aside from the sun god,  there are several other gods. The problem is that their recognition is all below that of the sun god.