Volume 2, Chapter 54 – The Vanished Blazing Eyeworm

“So you pinned false accusations on the Fallen, branding them as demons who betrayed the goddess?”

Daniel lowered his head guiltily, as if aware of the wrongdoing.

“Yes…”

“Lift your head. I have no interest in political matters, nor do I care to meddle in them.”

Yisi sighed. Though she had long suspected that the Fallen were victims persecuted by the Church to consolidate its rule, hearing the truth firsthand still stirred sympathy within her. Silently, she brushed off her black gown.

“Then why did you come to me seeking divine magic to cure the Fallen? Those are just rumors—I never confirmed them.”

Hope—or perhaps excitement—flushed Daniel’s face.

“If we had divine magic to cure the Fallen, the Church could declare it as the goddess’s divine decree, vindicating the Fallen. They would be accepted by society again, spared from further cruelty.” Growing more fervent, Daniel stood up, his expression one only a devout clergyman could wear.

“For you, it would mean the title of Saint, blessed by the goddess’s decree, and the reverence of tens of thousands of Fallen. To them, you would be no different from a savior, delivering them from endless suffering.”

The seemingly perfect proposal gave Yisi pause. She frowned and raised a finger.

“I have two questions. First, how can you guarantee that the Pope won’t seize the divine magic from me and silence me once he learns of it? And how do you ensure that other interested parties won’t send assassins after me once I announce this to the world? I don’t want to live in constant fear.”

Daniel opened his mouth to rebut, but Yisi raised a second finger before he could speak.

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“Second, do you truly believe divine magic is salvation for the Fallen? If you’ve thought this through, you’d realize that after receiving the magic, they’d merely escape one hell only to enter another. Technological advancements are always weaponized first. The Fallen are innate magic casters. They were overlooked before because their abilities were limited. But if they could be ‘cured,’ they’d become cheap, efficient tools of war.”

Caught off guard by the counterargument, Daniel hesitated before replying in a slightly faster tone.

“I can’t deny that some Fallen would be used in war. But as long as more are saved than exploited, you would still be a saint to the world.”

“Sorry, I can’t grant your request, High Priest Daniel.”

Take the current King of Hels, for example. If he gained an army of Fallen with unlimited magic—and the potential for even more—would he continue skirmishing with the vampires of Hyurent, his sworn enemies? Or would he strike decisively?

The answer was obvious. In fact, he wouldn’t even wait for provocation—he’d wage war outright. Earth’s history was proof enough.

Humans are insatiable. With greater power, they’re never content with what they have. Invasion, expansion—that’s the foreseeable future.

Besides, war is never limited to a few. Once nations clash, everyone suffers—royalty, nobles, soldiers, merchants, adventurers, even farmers. While Yisi wished to free the Fallen from their plight, she refused to be the spark that ignited war.

She didn’t explain this to Daniel. It wouldn’t change anything, and forcing him into a corner would only humiliate him. The real decision-maker was the Pope of the Ymir Church.

“Why? Why refuse to save humanity? I know what you’re thinking—you fear the Church using the Fallen to unite the human alliance. But what’s wrong with that?”

Daniel paced anxiously. If not for Yisi’s Holy Revelation Sigil, he might’ve tried forcing her to hand over the magic. It wasn’t for personal gain but frustration as a fellow human.

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“As a human, you must know our shameful history. To this day, we haven’t reclaimed lands stolen by vampires because we’re divided, fighting amongst ourselves despite external threats. If the Church had infinite Fallen, we could unite humanity and finally resist the vampires. This chance lies in your hands! You hold the future of all mankind! This is a duty bestowed by the gods—yet you refuse!”

Faced with Daniel’s near-shouting fervor, Yisi posed a single question.

“What are your thoughts on vampires and humans?”

“How can vile vampires compare to humans?”

“Then we have nothing more to discuss. Unlike you, I’m no racist. I suggest you visit the back alleys of the outer districts. There, you’ll find humans more wicked than vampires and demi-humans far kinder than humans.”

At her core, Yisi was an outsider from another world—perhaps not even the same species as this world’s “humans.” If forced to categorize herself, she was neither vampire nor human but an “Earthling.” Born in a near-utopian era, she held no racial prejudices. She had no desire to help humans conquer vampires—or vice versa.

Of course, cornering Daniel here would only backfire. She wasn’t afraid of his schemes, but Shinku and the others couldn’t defy the Church. Even before founding Margaret, Yisi had never planned to settle in Celtic like Shinku and Fran. This world had much more to explore, and she wasn’t about to miss out.

She shifted her tone.

“However, I’ll consider your proposal. We share one goal: freeing the Fallen from their plight. As for my concerns, I need to see and hear promises from those in power myself.”

“You mean… you’ll seek an audience with His Holiness?” Daniel gaped, pointing at her. “With the Holy Revelation Sigil, you do have the right, but the Pope won’t be as lenient as me. Once he learns of your magic, he’ll force you to hand it over and never let you leave.”

“Oh?” Yisi chuckled, idly smoothing her twin white ponytails before tapping the table. “If the Church has something interesting hidden away, I’d love to see it.”

The Church had stood for over a millennium. Yisi wasn’t naive enough to think she could overpower it. Though this world’s average strength seemed low, who knew what trump cards the Church held? Arrogance was folly—especially when demons and gods existed here. She’d even met one a moment ago.

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She pinched the Holy Revelation Sigil from her inventory.

A golden-haired, purple-eyed girl with angelic wings… Why did she seem familiar?

Yisi thought of Ragnarøk. If something felt familiar, it was likely from there. But just then, a sudden sensation struck her—a severance, as if something had been cut off.

When she checked, she realized it was the Blazing Eyeworms.

One of the four had vanished.

“Impossible.”

Her shocked tone made Daniel ask, “Lady Yisi, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll visit the Pope later. Don’t trouble yourself over it. If you’re uneasy, write me a letter of recommendation.”

“If that’s the case…”

Seeing his hesitation, Yisi raised the sigil.

“I swear upon the Holy Revelation Sigil in the name of Yisi. Is that enough? This is a vow witnessed by the goddess.”

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“Very well. I trust you, Lady Yisi. I’ll prepare it at once.”

“Good. I have matters to attend to, so I won’t see you out.”

After waving Daniel off, Yisi turned her full attention to the Blazing Eyeworm. The first thing she did was check the four screens—now three.

“The grand city in the south, the northern village, and the eastern mountain range are still there. The missing one is… the worm in the lava world?”

The discovery puzzled her.

If the northern one had vanished, she could chalk it up to flying too high and dissipating from lack of fire element—a common occurrence in Ragnarøk. But the lava-dwelling worm’s disappearance only brought confusion and unease.

A Blazing Eyeworm submerged in lava was nearly immortal. Short of freezing the entire volcano with high-tier magic or fishing it out to destroy it, nothing should’ve killed it.

“Wait, death isn’t the only possibility.”

Perhaps a powerful monster had severed their connection. Or maybe the low-intelligence worm had been tamed by someone skilled in mental magic. Both were plausible.

“The best solution is to see for myself. Though that powerful being might still be nearby—maybe even lying in wait—I won’t uncover the truth without taking risks.”

She prayed she wouldn’t encounter anything stronger. For the first time, Yisi felt her life was in danger. After informing Camilla and Mary downstairs, she cast [Advanced Teleportation] repeatedly, racing westward under the guidance of her omniscient map.