TIRS 29

CHAPTER 29:

 It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore .

I was taken aback by the tiny number.

“No way!”

Of course, lowering someone’s faith by just 1 wasn’t nearly enough to break their hypnosis.

While I stood there, stunned and staring at the system alert window, the janitors continued their assault.

“Aaaaah!”

I quickly dodged and opened my inventory.

Item: <Cult Leader’s Bible (499/500)>

A bible devoted to a suspicious religion. Reading its verses lowers the faith of those in the same area.

Seeing that 499 verses still remained, I began to read them aloud.

“The God of Light, Luth, and the God of Darkness, Nox, ruled the world together!”

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (499/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

“Banished from the divine realm due to Luth’s schemes, Nox lost their divinity and became the dragon of the earth!”

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (498/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

“From then on, Luth became the sole deity ruling the world!”

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (497/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

I kept diligently reading one verse at a time, but each only decreased people’s faith by a mere 1 point.

“At this rate, when am I supposed to finish?!”

Barely dodging another attack, I screamed at the remaining 496 verses in frustration.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Cedric scoffed at my struggle with a mocking smile.

[Player! Please activate ‘Auto Use Item’!]

“Auto use… item?”

I repeated the words from the system window.

[SYSTEM] Please state the item to activate Auto Use.

“<Cult Leader’s Bible>…?”

Saying it half in doubt, the bible in my hands began to glow.

[SYSTEM] Auto Use activated for <Cult Leader’s Bible>.

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (496/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (495/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

Even without me reading, the bible’s pages turned automatically, and the system alerts chimed one after another.

“Damn it…!”

Cedric’s face twisted in a mix of panic and rage as he glared at the system window.

“I’ll deal with that first.”

He threw a golden shuriken at the system window, but I deflected it with my sword.

“Ugh…”

Cedric groaned, staring at my sword, the Azester greatsword glowing with golden aura.

At his signal, the system janitors charged at me again.

But now, I calmly blocked them.

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (494/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (493/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

Even in the middle of combat, the people’s faith steadily dropped.

But Cedric couldn’t do anything.

He was Orent’s aide—high intelligence, low combat stats.

His face grew paler by the second.

I never figured out the exact number at which someone becomes a janitor, but the people of Azester didn’t have particularly high faith to begin with—probably because the Empress disliked the Grand Temple.

As I continued lowering their faith, those who fell below a certain threshold slowly snapped out of their hypnosis.

Thud.
Thud.

The people awakened from their trance and collapsed to the ground.

“Elizabeth!”

[She’s just asleep to recover mentally. Don’t worry too much, Player.]

The system window, now firmly on my side, offered reassurance.

And before I knew it, the final page of the <Cult Leader’s Bible> had turned.

[SYSTEM] Using <Cult Leader’s Bible (1/500)>
[SYSTEM] Faith of those in the area decreases by 1.

[SYSTEM] All pages of <Cult Leader’s Bible> have been used.
[SYSTEM] Auto Use Item has been deactivated.

The item vanished from my inventory, and auto-use deactivated.

“Damn it… damn it all…!”

Cedric cursed viciously at the sight of all the janitors collapsed on the floor.

Recalling Ancelot’s wicked grin from before, I curved my lips into the closest thing I could manage to his expression.

Cedric flinched and stepped back.

I didn’t need any fancy skills or support items.

Basic attacks were more than enough to deal with Cedric.

“W-w-wait, Princess! Can we just talk for a sec—”

Ignoring his desperate plea, I raised my sword.

Unlike the bald Kraken, Cedric still looked like a human, so I hesitated to strike.

“Don’t hesitate, Ruibell.”

I told myself and swung my sword at Cedric.

“N-nooooo!”

Cedric didn’t even try to run—he just stood frozen, pale, and took the hit head-on.

Just as I thought my blade would pierce flesh—

Zzzzzzt—

Cedric’s body flickered like a hologram, then vanished without a trace.

“It’s over…”

I muttered blankly at the empty spot where Cedric had stood.

Still stunned, I looked up—

The letters above my head began to squirm.

【Radiant Swordmaster】 Lv.17 Ruibell Azester

“…?”

Startled by the changing text—

System Bug: no.000000000589

Red letters, like the ones I’d seen above Ancelot’s head, stamped themselves above mine.

“…!”

[Ack! A-a bug…!]

The system window screamed in silent panic.

“Guh…!”

A sharp, stabbing pain pierced my chest, and I dropped to my knees.

[Player? Are you okay? Player!!]

[SYSTEM] A sudden bug has triggered system recalibration.
[SYSTEM] A sudden bug has triggered system recalibration.

[N-no! Playe—]

With a crackling noise, the system window vanished.

“Ah… haah…!”

The searing, unfamiliar pain made my heart feel like it was burning.

I collapsed, trying to hold myself up with trembling hands, but tears blurred my vision.

“Khh…!”

I tried to speak, but all that came out were strained groans.

As I writhed in agony—

Clink—

A cool chain touched my skin, and the burning pain slowly receded.

When I managed to lift my head, I saw Ancelot crouching in front of me, calmly watching.

“You’re okay now.”

He gently cupped my cheek. His cool thumb wiped away the hot tears from my eyes.

“An…celot?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, Princess.”

His soft voice felt like a spell—calming the pain.

My ragged breathing slowly quieted.

“Can you stand?”

“…”

When I didn’t answer, he interpreted it his own way and lifted me by both arms.

Just moments ago, my body had been burning in pain. Now, cold chills crept in.

Ancelot draped his uniform over my shivering frame.

I bit my lower lip and clutched the fluttering hem of his coat.

Lowering my gaze, I saw the red pendant hanging from my neck.

That cold metal feeling from earlier—this must have been it.

I looked back at Ancelot.

“That thing just now…”

“The system can’t tolerate things that defy its rules.”

Ancelot, who usually smiled playfully, now wore a serious expression.

“But… you were fine.”

I remembered the moment he revealed he was a bug—he looked completely unaffected.

“Well, I’ve gotten used to it.”

He gave a light laugh.

But I couldn’t laugh with him.

“Gotten used to it? You mean… that pain just now?”

“Don’t take this necklace off.”

He interrupted me, tapping the red gem at my neck.

“It hides you from the system.”

He gestured above my head.

【Radiant Swordmaster】 Lv.17 Ruibell Azester

The title had returned to its normal state.

“What is this necklace?”

“The heart of the Light Dragon.”

He said it like naming a lunch menu.

“Well… technically half of one.”

“…”

I stared silently at the red gem.

‘This… is the Light Dragon’s heart?’

I had a feeling it wasn’t ordinary, but I wasn’t prepared for that answer.

“Due to the schemes of Luth, the God of Light, Nox lost his divinity and became the Light Dragon Helheim.”

“That’s ridiculous. There’s no such thing as a God of Darkness—”

I stopped.

His words… they matched what was written in the cult bible earlier.

Ancelot continued calmly.

“This half-heart contains Helheim’s power—the only force equal to the God of Light. It’s why it can hide you from the system.”

“…”

“And at the same time, this gem is the only weapon that can kill the Light Dragon.”

“That’s absurd. The only weapon to kill a dragon is… its own heart?”

Ancelot met my gaze and smiled.

“If someone possesses the whole heart, they could gain far more power than this.”

“…”

“Maybe even enough to destroy the system… and this world’s order.”

The idea of destroying the system… why did it sound so tempting?

I glanced above my head.

That golden nameplate marking me as a Player still sparkled there.

But the moment I remove this necklace, it’ll change into a cursed red error.

I wanted to escape the life of a player… and now I’ve added a bug’s burden on top.

Maybe Ancelot’s right—maybe defeating the Light Dragon is the only way out.

“But I don’t even know how to use this power. I’m not even sure I can kill the dragon.”

Ancelot leaned in and whispered gently.

“I’ll protect you.”