Chapter 12.2

“Haa… Priest, how much farther?”

“We’re almost there.”

The priest walked far ahead of her, deliberately keeping his distance. If she tried to get closer, he’d jump away, widening the gap.

‘Is it because he serves God that he avoids women?’

It was a bit unpleasant, but since she didn’t know this world, she didn’t bother saying anything.

They kept circling and descending for a long time. Even after descending for what felt like ages, the underground sealing chamber was nowhere in sight. With no ventilation, the air was damp, and green moss clung between the ancient stone walls. Syria, who had been touching the wall as she went down, finally withdrew her hand from the clammy sensation.

‘Why does a temple have a basement, anyway?’

“We’re here.”

Fortunately, just before she started complaining, a space appeared ahead, and with a refreshing breeze, the lights on both sides automatically turned on.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes. Please place the stones on that platform.”

“Just like this? Ah…!”

As Syria placed the stones on the smooth marble platform, one stone rolled right to the edge, about to fall off.

Just as it was about to hit the floor, Syria squeezed her eyes shut.

‘It’s going to break.’

But the expected sound of shattering didn’t come. When she opened her eyes, the stone was safely in the priest’s outstretched hand.

“What the—! Priest?!”

She shouted, but it was already too late.

“…?”

But the priest, who should have collapsed screaming, looked as calm as ever. He seemed completely unaffected by the black magic stone.

“Oh my, you’ve caught me.”

Black magic surged into the air as Isaac smiled radiantly.

“A-are you alright?”

She’d heard that anyone except her who touched the stone would immediately suffer mental collapse and lose consciousness… Even the priest had agreed with that.

‘So why is he so fine?’

The priest, who even flashed a bright smile, seemed perfectly normal. He even radiated a holy light, enough to make one think a god had descended.

‘Divine power? Maybe the priest has divine power, so he’s unaffected?’

And ‘caught’? She couldn’t guess what he meant. As she tried to check on him, the smiling priest flinched and retreated, glaring at her as if she were contagious.

“Stay back… Stay right there…”

The priest, who had spoken formally until just now, suddenly dropped his tone.

“Whew… I never thought you’d come here… Well, at least I found this, so that’s fortunate.”

Isaac spoke calmly, placing the black magic stone on the platform. He showed no sign of fear. Syria was the one left baffled by his composure.

“The Lady of Dronia was originally a devout believer whom I cherished…”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Not you, I mean the original Syria.”

“…?”

At the priest’s next words, Syria froze.

‘The original Syria?’

That meant she wasn’t the real one. How did he know? Syria went pale, her lower lip trembling. The priest knew the soul in this body wasn’t the real heroine.

“How did you know?”

Seeing her reaction, Isaac clicked his tongue.

“Syria was the female lead of this book, perfectly fitting the title ‘Virtue of Chastity,’ but you’re not. You’re incredibly promiscuous.”

“…Th-that…”

The next words were even more shocking. He knew this world was actually inside a book.

Seeing her expression, Isaac deliberately closed the distance, just a little, and continued.

“You possessed Syria’s body, didn’t you?”

No doubt, it was a confirmation shot.

* * *

Isaac Grandios.

The one true God of this world, endowed with omnipotent power, one day had a thunderous realization. The world he lived in was actually a world inside a book, created by someone’s pen.

He wasn’t sure how he found out, but he vaguely realized it was the author’s whim.

‘No way… My world…’

It was as if the sky had fallen, and he was so shocked he lost the will to live. But what was even more shocking was that, despite being the protagonist and omnipotent God of the world, his name didn’t even appear in the book.

“I must meet the author immediately.”

He used all his divine power to travel to the world where the author lived. But just because he crossed over didn’t mean everything was solved.

Isaac tried to find the author many times but never succeeded. In despair, he wandered the streets until a friendly-looking man pulled him into a place. The problem was, the place was a club.

“First time here? Have a drink. Are you a foreigner?”

Seeing Isaac’s waist-length white hair and young, handsome face, the bartender asked. Sitting at the bar, Isaac looked around and shouted to the bartender who called him.

“What?”

Thud! Thud!

Thunderous vibrations and bizarre sounds that could hardly be called music, and in the middle, people dressed in revealing clothes clung to each other. It was a place where men and women rubbed against each other like animals.

“Haa… What a filthy, dirty place.”

He downed the small shot glass of yellow liquid the bartender handed him in one gulp. The burning heat in his throat snapped him awake. It felt like fire in his mouth.

The drink was Bacardi 151 Proof. With an alcohol content over 70%, it had been discontinued but was kept for unsuspecting customers.

“It’s Bacardi. Gets you drunk fast.”

The bartender refilled his glass, grinning. With his striking looks, he was the kind of guy bartenders joked could attract women just by sitting at the bar.

“Does the author really live in a place like this? What a crazy world.”

Face flushed from the strong Bacardi, Isaac muttered. His head spun, but he felt oddly elated, as if floating above the clouds.

As he took another drink in his haze, he suddenly felt pain and turned around.

“Ah… What a pretty b*tt. Such a pretty b*tt.”

A young woman had suddenly slapped his behind. The woman who dared strike a God’s gluteus maximus had long black hair and black eyes, and her sparkling gaze gave Isaac chills for the first time.

“Y-you… What are you?”

Slap!

“Wow, even the sound is pretty.”

The woman squatted in front of the bar, grabbed Isaac’s b*tt with both hands, and giggled. The scent was similar to the yellow liquid he’d just drunk—Sara, extremely drunk.

“L-let go…! How dare a mere human touch me!”

Even in another world, Isaac was a God. He wasn’t someone to be harassed by a human woman. He tried to push her away, but the woman looked up at him with a pout.

“Why~~ Can’t I just love you a little?”

Her whining and pleas for permission made people around them giggle. Even the bartenders snickered, wondering if this was a new trick.

Just as Isaac pushed her away and stepped back, a group of people approached the crying woman.

“Oh my, Deputy, what are you doing here? Ah, you smell like alcohol.”

“This Deputy must be really drunk. Time to go.”

“Huh? But who’s that?”

Her coworkers had come to the club for a company party, drank, and danced, but when Sara suddenly disappeared, they found her at the bar. Seeing the exotic, handsome man beside her, they were surprised.

“Wow. She must’ve picked him up.”

“He’s so handsome.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have come for her. Should we just leave her?”

At that, Isaac frantically waved his hands, urging them to take her away. The women, blushing at Isaac’s looks, reluctantly dragged Sara away, who insisted she wouldn’t leave.

“How dare you touch this sacred body…”

If her coworkers hadn’t shown up, he might have destroyed the club with his divine power. At that moment, a black energy slithered out of him like a snake.

“Hm? Someone’s found the black magic stone? No matter how many times I collect them, there’s always more.”

Black magic stone. Every time someone tried to use its power, Isaac had to respond. No doubt, someone was up to evil, trying to take a life. As he tried to return to his world, he paused at a different incantation.

‘This isn’t a curse spell…’

He didn’t know who, but instead of the usual curse to kill, someone was chanting a spell to swap souls between the target and a third party. Of course, who the swap was with wasn’t specified.

‘The target… It’s Syria?’

Syria Dronia, the book’s female lead and Isaac’s most devout follower. Reluctantly, Isaac remembered the face of the woman who had just grabbed his b*tt like a toy and pursed his lips.