Chpter 04 …
He drew in a sharp breath.
The face that suddenly loomed close was pale and soft, like it had never seen sunlight nor endured hardship.
Strangely white eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Between barely curved eyelids, immaculate gray irises gleamed without a single stain.
If he stripped away the fear—like draining blood from meat—and forced himself to think calmly…
This man had been smiling from the very moment they met.
And that smiling face was chilling.
A dark mountain path at night.
In the lantern light—was this a demon, or a god?
Had this being arrived as a savior to rescue him? Or a devil whispering sweet lies just to drag him into hell?
After wrestling with a conclusion he could not reach, what finally came out of his mouth was a pathetic sentence.
“You… you’re asking if I believe…?”
Unlike his own dazed voice, the voice of the man before him was smooth, like a snake gliding across silk.
“Yes. Do you believe in me… or do you not? Depending on that answer, I can either help you—or not.”
Still smiling, unshaken, as if tightening a noose around his throat…
“I’ll ask again, brother. Do you believe in me?”
At those words, his head filled with the image of his daughter.
Every child they tried to have ended in miscarriage. And then his wife died giving birth to the last one.
That child had just barely passed her ninth year.
No one knew the cause. She’d lain in bed like a corpse for more than a full year now.
If he didn’t turn her body regularly, bedsores would fester and ooze.
Now the pitiful girl couldn’t even swallow water.
His nine-year-old daughter, who looked as though a single breath could snuff her out, was his only hope—his only reason for living.
He wandered the empire every day to collect rare medicinal herbs, solely for her sake.
Desperate, he clutched at the man’s robe.
“Y-yes…! I believe! Brother… please, save my child!”
If saying “I believe” could save her, he would say it hundreds of times without hesitation.
The man gently took his calloused, cracked hand and removed it from his robe.
Unlike his own rough, darkened skin—hard with labor and scars—the stranger’s hand was soft as silk, unmarked.
“Do not worry. You have me, do you not? From now on, there will be no suffering, no anxiety, no hardship for you.”
“Thank you…”
“Then, brother—can we reach Astraopolis quickly? It is necessary if we are to save your child.”
“Of course.”
If all it took was escorting him to Astraopolis to cure his child, there was nothing more to ask for.
Even if it were a lie, it wouldn’t cost him much.
He’d secured a carriage to Astraopolis!
Of course, if the child wasn’t cured, all of this would be pointless.
But it wasn’t a lie: in Astraopolis, there really was a holy relic in the form of a necklace that granted the miracle of purification to its wearer.
If her illness could be cured through purification, she would be up from her sickbed in no time. And if not, well… he already had a backup lie prepared.
Hmm. But the system window looked strange.
[system: If the number of believers remains ‘0’ after the next 3 hours, bodily collapse will begin in stages.]
[Believers: 0]
[Temporary Believers: 1]
[00:37]
A new status appeared: “Temporary Believers.”
Did that mean the driver wasn’t counted as a real believer yet?
Well, it would’ve been weirder if someone believed him just because he ran his mouth a bit.
This country was merciless toward heresy, and its native religions were deeply rooted.
The driver, who lied and said he believed, would be forgiven… for now.
If he pushed further, the man might panic and flee, leaving him alone in this dark forest… which would end extremely badly.
Since the believer was only temporary, the timer kept ticking down. It wasn’t slowing or stopping.
“Stage-by-stage bodily collapse” probably didn’t mean immediate death.
If he reached Astraopolis and got the relic—and acted as the self-proclaimed founder of a religion—maybe the penalty would only cause minor physical damage.
If he thought as optimistically as possible… maybe he’d only lose a bit of hair or a few nails?
Since the penalty was staged, it shouldn’t be too severe at the beginning.
It wasn’t like his body would melt or his limbs would fall off…
Terrifying stuff like that would only happen if the penalties piled up.
Threatening the driver wouldn’t help either—it seemed only genuine faith counted.
So he decided to sit quietly and wait until they arrived.
Time passed quickly. Nothing seemed to change in his body.
Was he getting motion-sick?
Maybe it was just the carriage. He felt worse than before.
When the timer reached 5 minutes, the nausea grew worse.
“Sir, the horses are exhausted… and they need water. Shall we rest a bit?”
At that moment, the tarp separating the driver’s bench and cargo area was lifted.
Rest… that sounded great. He was getting horribly sick.
[WARNING!]
Yeah, yeah, I know. But what am I supposed to do without people? Damn system…
It gives a deadline and demands believers, but offers no way to get them. What sort of rude nonsense was that?
He forced himself to smile kindly.
“Yes, that would be—”
But the words never formed.
“Ugh…”
He covered his mouth.
A wave of nausea surged up.
His stomach churned.
Not as bad as a hangover, but…
He gagged—felt like he would vomit.
A heavy hangover feeling…
“Uuugh…”
If he was going to vomit, it had to be outside!
He’d be living in this cargo space for two days!
Holding his mouth, he staggered.
His throat felt like phlegm was stuck inside.
Not vomit—more like choking on something. His throat felt raw, irritated.
He coughed violently by reflex.
“—ghk…! cough, cough!”
He didn’t need to see the driver’s face to know he was freaking out.
“Sir, s-sir…!?”
He lifted his hand.
It was smeared with bright red blood, and something like coagulated clots.
So… this was bodily collapse?
He’d expected hair, nails… something mild.
This was… much more dramatic.
Blood poured from his mouth, yet he felt no real pain. Reality felt distant.
Just like a severe bout of motion sickness or a hangover passing by.
His throat tingled a little. Enough blood to indicate his stomach might be damaged.
[WARNING!]
[system: If believers remain ‘0’ after the next 3 hours, bodily collapse will begin.]
[02:59]
Well, what could he expect from a fantasy “game”? Who knew if it modeled medical knowledge correctly.
In games, the beam of a holy priest erased all illness anyway.
One blessing, and vomiting blood would be gone.
“…Haa…”
He panted heavily. His stamina dropped sharply, like he’d just swum until exhaustion.
He leaned his head against the wall.
The driver was fussing nervously beside him. To calm him, he spoke with a smile.
“Ahem… Brother. I am fine…”
To the driver, this must be terrifying. Vomiting blood out of nowhere. Hopefully he wouldn’t assume some plague.
“If it is not bothersome… may I have a drink of water?”
The driver hurriedly brought it.
He rinsed his throat. The bitter iron taste lingered.
Only then did reality feel solid again.
No pain had made it hard to believe, but the slick feeling of blood on his hand and metal taste in his mouth told him—this was real.
And the next thought hit him powerfully:
Ah… I really need to get an actual believer.
Vomiting blood every 3 hours was a bit much.
Earlier, he had half-doubted. “Bodily collapse” sounded absurd.
But now it wasn’t absurd.
This body—he would be using it for a long time. Maybe forever.
A debuff like that was unacceptable.
“Sigh…”
“A-are you truly alright…?”
“Yes… It is nothing. My faith was merely insufficient to pay the proper price.”
He gave the driver a subtle hint: You’re only a temporary believer, and that’s why this is happening to me.
Whether the driver understood or not, his face stiffened as he asked:
“Price of faith…?”
“Belief, I suppose.”
Even after coughing blood, he kept smiling.
The driver wasn’t a real believer yet—but he was the best possible candidate.
He wasn’t dumb enough to treat a future customer poorly just because he hadn’t paid yet.
“Do not worry about me, brother. Please—let us go quickly to Astraopolis. We must save your child.”
The driver seemed slightly moved.
Or maybe not. His expression wasn’t great—maybe the blood disgusted him.
“Understood, sir.”
At least he didn’t panic or accuse him of carrying a plague. That was lucky.
From early evening until dawn, they traveled.
They crossed mountain paths, got blocked by bandits and had to detour. It took longer than expected.
In the game, he could climb mountains or swim across rivers. But with a carriage, it was slow.
Aside from vomiting blood twice, no monsters or bandits appeared. Thank goodness.
He guided the driver.
The carriage left the main road and slowly entered the forest. B—
