“That makes two. The other three are probably in that cave called the Myriad Bones Wasteland.”

After tying two men who were wearing nothing but their underwear and had red ropes wrapped all over them to a tree, I searched their clothes and robes.

“Emmmm, why do they only have a few copper coins… jerky… Where’s the money? Not even a single silver coin? They’re so poor…”

Why would anyone take a job in a profession that’s both weak and terrible for making money? What’s the point?

I don’t get it.

“Eileen? Which way is the Myriad Bones Wasteland?” I called to the girl without even looking up, but she didn’t respond.

“Eileen?”

I called her again, only to find her clutching her staff tightly and staring at the men tied to the tree with a complicated expression. Her body trembled slightly.

I walked over and patted her on the head.

“M-meow! Mr. Ojer?”

“Do you hate them?”

The girl lowered her head and thought for a moment, then gently shook it. Her silky hair swayed behind her.

“No… Even though they treated me badly, at least they gave me food… I’m already quite satisfied…”

“I see.”

She looked a little forlorn, so I sighed.

“They’ll be handed over to the judicial authorities next. I don’t know what passes for a judicial authority in this city, but if there’s anything you want to say to them, say it while they’re unconscious. We’re going after the rest of their gang now.”

“Okay…”

The girl nodded. I went a little way off to put on my armor, giving her some privacy.

[Paper-chan]

【This system is online.】

As I put on my armor, I spoke to the artificial idiot in my head.

[Why’s my level so low right now? And what do you know about Necromancers? I’m going down that path too, right?]

【Your level is closer to a straightforward system level. It doesn’t directly reflect your combat ability. As for Necromancers, this system has very little information about them. All it knows is that necromancy was removed from the spell systems by the major academies and churches a long time ago. Unable to obtain official research materials—that is, corpses—Necromancers had no choice but to take up grave robbing. As a result, their reputation plummeted.】

[Oh… No wonder they attacked the village. They just wanted more corpses…]

Tsk. So they’re basically terrorists—or warlords in some of the more chaotic parts of the Middle East.

But Necromancers are much weaker than them, at least when it comes to physical strength.

[Oh, right. What’s a church? And by academy, do you mean a university?]

【No. You must understand that true gods exist in this world. The many gods dwell hidden among the stars and bestow divine blessings, while mortals stand upon the earth and offer their prayers.】

【The religious organizations established by the followers of a god are called churches. Nearly every god worshiped by mortals has a church of some size, because mortal prayers and faith are an important source that keeps them from collapsing as beings.】

I propped up my chin and thought for a while with my skull.

It actually seems like a pretty reasonable system…

[So, what churches are there right now? Or, which ones are we likely to run into?]

As soon as I said that, several religious-looking images appeared in my field of vision, like promotional logos.

First came a rising sun, along with a group of Paladins clad in white-and-gold armor.

【The Sun God, who governs tomorrow, and the Church of Light under its command. It’s the most powerful religious force on the Western Continent.】

Next came the clear light of the moon and girls riding white tigers, each with a sickle in hand. What surprised me was that their ears were just as long and pointed as Eileen’s.

Are they elves?

【The Moon God, who governs Silvermoon, and the Silver Moon Church under its command. It’s the second most powerful force on the Western Continent, and most of its followers are women.】

【These two churches are the best-known and longest-established of the Eight Divine Pantheons. Their power and reserves are immeasurable.】

【Don’t pick a fight with them, Ojer. It would put us at a severe disadvantage.】

[Oh, okay…]

I hurriedly nodded and glanced at the sun overhead.

So gods govern the sun, moon, and stars in this world… That’s amazing…

[Oh, right. I saw two moons in the sky at night—a red one and a blue one. Are they both governed by the Moon God?]

【Unknown.】

“……”

【This system’s database is very limited. In fact, it was because there are so many things it doesn’t understand that it chose you as an executor to explore and interact with this world. That’s also one of the reasons you’re meant to become a god.】

【The height and vision of a god are beyond anything a mortal can imagine.】

Ohhh…

So they expect me to explore this place from scratch!!

“Mr. Ojer? I’m ready.”

Just as I was about to ask something else, Eileen ran over with her staff in her arms. She tugged at the corner of my armor and gave me a faint smile.

“Do you want me to be a spy again?”

She seemed to kind of like this sort of work…

I patted her little head and gazed into the distance.

“Ah, there are still three more. We’ll stick to the plan. I’ll be following you, so don’t worry.”

“Okay! As long as I can help you, Mr. Ojer!”

She looked up at me with a smile, but I couldn’t tell how she really felt.

It was a somewhat fake smile.

【Ojer.】

[Yeah?]

“Then let’s go, Mr. Ojer!”

As she spoke, she slipped behind me, as if she wanted me to take the lead.

【She has a dagger hidden in her sleeve. She probably took it from that Necromancer.】

[I know.]

I didn’t look back at her, but I could sense the wariness and fear radiating from the petite girl behind me.

[I left it there on purpose. Maybe it’ll help her feel a little better.]

She was only traveling with me because she had nowhere else to go.

She still didn’t trust me.

But it didn’t matter.

……

…

I’d always been alone anyway.

“This is the Myriad Bones Wasteland.”

“……”

I looked at the shabby wooden door set up at the mouth of a cave and tilted my head.

“I thought a place with such a cool name as the ‘Myriad Bones Wasteland’ would have a huge entrance, with icy winds blowing out of it and all kinds of terrifying screams and wolf howls echoing around.”

“Why on earth would you think that…?”

Eileen gave a wry smile.

“That’s how it is in novels! Isn’t it?!”

“I don’t think so… Though I’ve never read those knight novels the nobles like…”

All right, so there’s a noble class too. I guess the landlord’s idiot son can’t be far behind.

【Ojer, someone’s coming out the entrance.】

[!!]

Eileen was just about to say something when I hurriedly crouched down, grabbed her by the shoulders, and spoke in a serious, urgent voice.

“Eileen, they’re coming out. Remember to blend in with them. I’ll follow behind you and step in if things look bad.”

The girl froze for a moment, then nodded, looking a little scared.

“If I come running out in my armor, get behind me right away. If I come out without anything on, say I’m a skeleton soldier you found. Understand?”

“Okay…”

I patted her head, then ran to a nearby bush and hid.

Before long, the old wooden door opened from the inside. Three grimy figures in black robes came out with several skeleton soldiers. The one in front was the same man who’d beaten Eileen before.

“Ah… H-hello…”

“Hm?”

As soon as Eileen saw the leader’s face, her petite body trembled slightly. Her expression looked on the verge of tears.

“Y-you? You’re still alive?”

“Y-yes…”

He looked around, then asked Eileen in a vicious tone,

“Where are Karl and the others?”

Eileen took a small step back and hurriedly shook her head.

“I… I don’t know… When I got here… nobody was around…”

“Tch. They ran off? Damn useless trash.”

The man cursed and glanced at Eileen.

“Whatever. You’ll do on your own. Get over here!!”

“Ah! I’ll walk… Ouch!”

The middle-aged Necromancer held a staff in one hand and grabbed Eileen by the arm with the other, dragging her along. Her slender arm was twisted at a completely unnatural angle, as if it might snap at any moment.

“It hurts! I can walk by myself! Stop!”

“Shut up!!”

The girl cried out, but the other two Necromancers acted as if they hadn’t heard her. They went on controlling five or six skeleton soldiers.

I quietly circled around in front of them, took off all my armor, and jumped out of the bushes.

“Hm? Where’d that skeleton soldier come from?!”

“Ah!!”

A flash of delight crossed Eileen’s eyes, and she shouted,

“I found it! I found this skeleton soldier!”

“You…?”

The man looked at me, then at the tiny Eileen. He let go of her arm and walked straight toward me.

“O Gonaer, the cold God of Death…”

Then he cast [Corpse Manipulation] on me.

【Ding-dong.】

【Current status: under control.】

【Activate [Steadfast Will]?】

[Not yet. Let’s see what they’re planning first.]

【All right.】

With the heavy sensation of shackles locking around my mind, I did my best to look back at Eileen.

“Ah…”

She seemed to understand. She stood up, brushed off her skirt, and quietly walked along with her head lowered, saying nothing more.

And so we walked through the woods for a while…

We came to an even larger cave.

……

…

A foul wind blew past, like the wailing of the dead, adding a trace of terror to the dim cave.

The daylight was swallowed by darkness as soon as we stepped inside. Not a ray could reach the depths.

As the flames flickered, one tall shadow and one slender one seemed to turn into monsters in a mural, stirring restlessly across the cave walls.

[What the hell is this place? It stinks…]

The stench of rotting corpses drifted in on the wind, making everyone in our group feel a little sick.

After walking for fifteen minutes like that,

we reached an open area.

“What… is this… place…?”

Mangled bodies. Severed limbs.

Filthy blood covered the ground. Guts spilled from wide-open stomachs.

The stench of decay assaulted our noses, while the faint scuttling of insects flickered through the dark corners.

Dozens of mutilated human corpses lay there. Some had already begun to rot and stink.

“This…”

Eileen instinctively took a step back and covered her mouth. The overpowering stench was testing the limits of her endurance.

[...I think we’ve stumbled into something serious…] I thought with a wry smile.

【It would seem so.】

“Good! We can finally replenish our supply this time! At last, our long-held wish will come true!!”

“Gonaer, the cold God of Death! Hear our sincere prayers! Grant us your power…”

With that, the Necromancers began chanting in a language we couldn’t understand. A huge green magic circle appeared on the ground, centered on the corpses, and Eileen hurriedly ran out of its bounds.

“Huh…? Huhhh…?!!”

Meanwhile, I was being controlled and made to walk toward that pile of flesh with the other skeleton soldiers!!

“What the hell!! You pervert!! Stop controlling me!”

Activate [Steadfast Will]!!

“Huh?”

In an instant, my body relaxed. But the Necromancer at the head of the group stared at me in disbelief, his mouth moving over and over as if he wanted to say something.

“How…”

“I-I can’t control it!! Something’s come loose!!”

“Huh!?”

The other two Necromancers stared at the magic circle in the center in terror, purple and green light shifting across the staffs in their hands.

“You idiots! What did you do?!”

“I-I don’t know! The magic circle suddenly went out of control!! The ritual failed!”

They started arguing. Taking advantage of the chaos, I ran over to Eileen and patted her body.

“Hehe! Eileen! Eileen, do you know what they’re doing!?”

The girl’s teeth chattered as she shook her head, shrinking back in fear.

“No good! It’s out of control! Run!! Run—”

Splat!!

Before anyone could react, a giant fist came hurtling past

and smashed one of the Necromancers into a bloody pulp.

“Eeeeeeeeeek!!”

Terrified by the sight, Eileen fell to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

But the next instant.

“Oh…..Jesus……”

A five-meter-tall, human-shaped mass of flesh, standing before us in the astonished gaze of Eileen and me

blocked our way.