Chapter 19 [Side Teti Harmit] The Person I Wanted To Meet
"Well then, Teti. Come over here."
"Yes."
Prompted by Archbishop Klaus, I stepped onto the altar and lay down sideways.
The moonlight was streaming in through the skylight, creating a rather fantastical scene.
I was told that handling human blood is part of a sacred ritual, but it felt exaggerated for just taking a small amount of blood.
I also couldn't help but notice the metal cup placed next to the altar. It seemed unusually large for a vessel to hold blood.
――Is it really just about taking a small amount of blood?
Such thoughts crossed my mind, but I quickly let go of that doubt.
I felt like someone in my head was telling me not to think about unnecessary things.
"Well then. Let's begin, Teti."
Archbishop Klaus said as he raised the ceremonial dagger.
With that, he would take a small amount of my blood to use as raw material for medicine. This way, everyone in the sick village could be saved.
Yes, that's what I believed――.
――Schlick.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!
Intense pain. From my arm... Why?
Without understanding why, I reflexively turn my face towards the source of the pain.
What I saw was a dagger deeply embedded in my arm and the figure of Archbishop Klaus with a grotesque smile on his face.
My head spins even more at this act, which clearly isn't just to draw a small amount of blood.
"K-Kuku... Ahahahaha!"
"Archbishop, sama...?"
"I've been waiting for this moment! With this... with this, I will obtain the (Droplet of Soma) to offer to her!"
"Droplet of Soma...?"
The words spoken by Archbishop Klaus with a blissful expression were unfamiliar to me.
No, that's not important right now.
I don't understand what's happening, why this is being done to me, but I have to escape.
My instincts tell me to get up, but my body only trembles slightly and doesn't move as I want it to.
"Huh, why..."
"Oh, are you resisting even though I'm pouring magic into the sl*ve collar? How interesting."
"――Slave collar? What are you talking about?"
"It's the collar I put on you. By infusing it with magic, it has the effect of controlling others' minds. Quite remarkable, isn't it?"
"...Huh? I thought it was to slow down the progression of the illness..."
"It's understandable that you, being young, didn't know about the sl*ve collar. I used it to control your thoughts so you wouldn't have unnecessary doubts, Teti."
I don't understand what Archbishop Klaus is saying.
Control thoughts――?
For what purpose――?
To avoid having doubts――?
About what――?
"What, what does this mean? You were supposed to make medicine to save the beastmen using my blood..."
"That's right, Teti. With this, we can make medicine to save humans."
Archbishop Klaus smirked.
It was a face I had never seen before.
"I needed the fresh blood of a newly awakened beastman, a virgin's lifeblood. That was necessary for me to create the medicine I truly desire."
"The medicine you truly desire...?"
"Yes. It's a potion called the 'Droplet of Soma' that can control people's minds at will. You could say it's a mass-produced version of the sl*ve lock I put on you. This will bring salvation to many people."
Something was off. Archbishop Klaus covered his mouth with his hand, letting out a strange laugh.
"You deceived me, didn't you...? Taking advantage of the illness of all the beastmen!"
"Well, it's a bit different. That wasn't an illness, but a 'poison.'"
"A poison...? No way..."
"Yes. The members of the beastman race fell due to the poison I created with my Job ability. Oh my, it was quite a struggle. To think I had to resort to such ridiculous acting just to obtain the blood of a mere young girl. Well, at this point, it's no longer necessary, though."
"Wha――!"
This guy... This guy...
Used everyone in the village to obtain my blood, for the medicine he desires?
Am I going to be killed for this guy?
"Mmm, this taste. Truly exquisite. It's the blood that serves as the raw material for Droplet of Soma. Sweet, so sweet."
"Eek...!"
Archbishop Klaus is running his tongue over the fresh blood overflowing from my arm.
With a deranged expression. A disturbing act.
I try to escape, but my body still won't move.
"Oh dear, I can't do that. I can't hog this precious blood all to myself. I need to collect more blood to present to that person. ...Alright, here we go."
――Splat, splat!
"AH, AAAAAAAAH!!"
Archbishop Klaus stabs my arm again.
A never-before-seen amount of blood flows out, and Archbishop Klaus pours it into a metal cup.
The pain is so intense that I feel like I'm going mad, and I squirm.
"Huh? What's this?"
Suddenly, Archbishop Klaus's hand stops.
A piece of paper had fallen in front of my eyes. It seems to have fallen when I struggled.
Archbishop Klaus picks up the paper with a look of disgust.
It was a meal voucher that I had received from that important person.
"Ah..."
"Really, I don't know who gave this to you, but you don't need it anymore."
"Wait――"
――Rip!
Archbishop Klaus tears it up and throws it away, stomping on it with his foot.
The gentle smile of that person whose name I don't even know flashes through my mind, leaving me with a sensation as if my heart had been torn apart.
――After this is over, let's definitely go see that person. Thanks to his kindness back then, I was able to do my best. Let's go thank him like that.
I felt like I was being told that my wish of seeing them again would never come true.
"Ah, ahh..."
Tears overflowed from my eyes.
Whether it was because I was frustrated, sad, or angry, I couldn't even tell myself.
"I... I don't want this..."
"Oh, Teti, please don't say that. Your sacrifice will fulfill my long-cherished desire. If I offer the magic potion that can control people's minds, surely that person in the royal family will be pleased as well."
Archbishop Klaus said happily, spreading his hands.
I didn't know who that person was, but it didn't matter at that moment.
"What about... What will happen to everyone, to the beastmen?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to deal with livestock in human form. Let them die while still under my poison."
...
......
――Can such... such unreasonable things really happen?
Feeling a swirl of emotions I can't quite understand, I glare at Archbishop Klaus.
But there's nothing I can do.
My body won't move properly.
"Well then, shall we finish this up?"
"...!"
Archbishop Klaus is poised with a dagger on my chest.
Even in my fading consciousness, I understand that he intends to strike at my heart.
"Your struggle to endure pain to save your comrades. Quite a spectacle, Teti. Farewell then."
The dagger is thrust towards me.
It was enough to resign myself.
――Ah, I wish I could have talked to that person once.
With that thought in mind, I close my eyes.
And then――.
――Clank!!
Instead of the expected pain, a high-pitched metallic sound echoed.
"Naah!"
"This darn bishop. I'll never forgive you."
Opening my eyes, there stood that person in black clothes.
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