NOVEL FROG Chapter 32
Hyungkesuni hasn’t entered his space since yesterday until tonight.
Look, look!
Joanna’s gaze is piercing.
Ouch!
I do think I provoked him too much in the end.
Oops!
But at least we both know something happened, right?
Because as soon as Hyungkesuni’s black curtain disappeared, Joanna woke up hearing our voices.
Boo!
But it’s also true that Hyungkesuni is overly cautious.
Yikes!
Hieronymus hardly cares about me anymore.
Whatever!
Now, it seems he thinks of me following him and taking warmth from offerings as just a task.
Cha-ching!
Surely, Hyungkesuni must have warned him about me, but the possibility is high that he isn’t listening. Or maybe he thinks he just has to hold out until the Ansellus Kingdom falls, no matter what happens to Future Hope Church.
Tick-tock!
Almost half a year.
Time flies!
The seasons have changed twice.
Woo!
I’ve figured out a lot in between.
Ta-da!
For example, about Hieronymus, who called me.
Ring, ring!
His real name is Yasle. He held a significantly high position in Yeongyang Church Nation.
Bow down!
Yeongyang Church Nation was the name of a country that fell about 15 years ago. A theocratic society that was in the Arim Jungle, north of where I am now.
Woosh!
But it fell due to a religious war. Many countries in the east believe in a religion called Seongsin Church, and Yeongyang Church Nation does not believe in that god. So, particularly devout Ansellus Kingdom led soldiers into war against them.
Clash!
Like during the Crusades, they completely obliterated Yeongyang Church Nation after passing through the Cognia Kingdom.
Kaboom!
And Yasle is a survivor of that.
Survivor!
A survivor filled with the obsession of taking revenge on Ansellus Kingdom.
Vroom!
After that, he built a primitive religion for the poor and failures, naming it after the god and creating its precepts.
Bing!
He did it at an astonishing speed. Some of those who voluntarily became offerings had been there even before Future Hope Church had a name.
Ding!
To them, becoming an offering was their salvation.
Hallelujah!
No, of course, it’s not really salvation, right? Strictly speaking, it’s correct to say they were killed by religion. But at least they believed that until the moment they died.
Yay!
Their lives were always unhappy, so at the end, sacrificing their lives for the god was a plus for them.
Woohoo!
So I’ve checked how Yasle created Future Hope Church from multiple angles.
Peek-a-boo!
Among them, a person named Andrew joined relatively late. He, too, had already formed a massive cult.
Oh my!
But something made Andrew bow his head and join Yasle. I don’t know what he was thinking at that time.
Hmm…
But didn’t I mention?
Ding-a-ling!
There’s someone among those who receive blessings from me who is Andrew’s subordinate.
Surprise!
Yes.
Ta-da!
Andrew intends to remove Yasle and absorb this Future Hope Church. He secretly explained this to his supporters.
Shh!
So that’s how I know.
Clue found!
I don’t know if Yasle knows about it or not.
Hmm…
But I know he’s not taking action.
Ominous!
He is just pushing those who received blessings further into Ansellus Kingdom.
Creep!
Huh? Aren’t they pushing too many in one spot?
Whaaat?
One more place. Was there somewhere that needed the blessed?
Thinking cap on!
The Razbe-Cognia frontlines are hardly fighting now. They’ve set up bases quite far from the borders, searching the villages around for Future Hope Church.
Sneaky sneaky!
That’s because a blessed person who was waiting in a nearby village got captured and killed. Several times, actually.
Yikes!
Considering that, they should be pushing more people to the frontlines, but no one’s heading north since winter came.
Cold vibes!
Instead, Future Hope Church is becoming a public enemy. So Witga is coming down with his favored subordinate.
Rumble!
By the way, that subordinate is someone I blessed. None other than Isla. She’s young but has completely transformed into an adult, right? She’s learning well while following Witga.
Learning mode!
Additionally, Wide leads many blessed individuals from Ansellus Kingdom.
Charge!
He wants to gather the blessed here and create a completely separate society.
Revolution!
Being blessed enhances people’s overall physical abilities. And if they’re lucky, they develop special abilities.
Supercharge!
In easy terms, it’s like Human 2.0.
Upgrade!
It’s not strange for a newly upgraded human to aim for a higher place. Future Hope Church is moving towards that too.
Climbing higher!
So as the blessed become commanders who can perform various abilities rather than just soldiers who can use brute strength, the range of what I know gradually widens.
More knowledge!
So, there’s something visible.
Lights!
I can hear Future Hope Church creaking as it becomes more dysfunctional.
Creak, creak!
Each of their desires spreads chaotically, and Yasle has no intention of strongly controlling that.
Free for all!
Because he likely thinks that as long as he can destroy Ansellus Kingdom, the rest doesn’t matter.
Who cares?
The lifespan of a disposable tool is coming to an end.
Ding ding!
Of course, destroying Ansellus Kingdom seems pretty tough.
Challenge!
Because Ansellus Kingdom has Tisah.
Uh-oh!
Initially, Ansellus Kingdom left dangerous turncoats alone.
Danger zone!
But Tisah’s holiness shone bright.
Sparkle!
Not only does he do what needs to be done, but he can also act for the unfortunate. Good people shine clearly in this terrible era of war.
Shiny!
And above all, he converted to Seongsin Church.
Faithful!
From a dangerous turncoat to a citizen of Ansellus Kingdom, and gradually, he has grown into a hero.
Hero time!
In just under half a year.
Time flies!
But as Yasle’s offensive has intensified, he’s had many fights.
Battle cries!
And while he’s lost many people, he’s also saved many.
Victory!
It’s quite the standard.
Classic move!
What Yasle has done is right there.
Boop!
They say karma will hit back, right?
Dham!
And beyond merely fending off Yasle’s offensives, here.
Pay attention!
There’s a plan to assault the underground temple in Skad Stone Desert. Strangely enough, the main target isn’t the leader Yasle.
Plot twist!
It’s me.
Surprise!
Because the cost-effectiveness of the blessed is simply too good. Just offering one sacrifice can randomly generate a superhuman capable of facing anywhere from ten to a thousand opponents.
Stacks on stacks!
Anyone would want to destroy that production factory.
Bust it up!
Especially if they don’t know the identity of the being.
Who am I?
I might die, but thinking about the devices Yasle prepared to face me, it’s hard to believe that only he has that technology.
Gizmo!
There may be devices capable of killing me.
Watch out!
Of course, I’ve thought about crossing over, but given the point I’ve received offerings until now, I’m likely out.
Bye-bye!
When religion gets tangled, people become more conservative.
Stuck in the past!
Otherwise, if too much changes, it becomes dangerous. Just like how too many mutations quickly diverge from the original species.
Eek!
If too conservative, they can’t cope with changes and could vanish if they meet the wrong era.
Gone!
Maintaining a large and powerful religion suggests a degree of conservatism. Moreover, in a world where gods exist, one hears the words of the gods.
Godly talk!
Yes.
Certainly!
In fact, there are several who remember hearing the words of the god from the Seongsin Church priest I received as a sacrifice.
Holy whispers!
These weren’t people in a trance from drugs or special actions. They used an unknown power called divine force.
Magical!
At first, I thought it was about using magic power. But after a lot of licking both mages and priests, the difference became clear.
Light bulb!
For example, when doing something with their hands, the mage has something flowing out from their heart and going towards their hands. But the priest has something that suddenly emerges from their head and escapes through their hands.
Eject!
The mechanisms of the abilities at least are different.
Mind-blowing!
That means there is a god.
Whoa!
And that’s likely to make them look poorly upon me.
Dreadful!
A monster that stains light black and steals warmth.
Grr!
That’s me.
Boo!
While I’m called an outsider, compared to those who appear in works with outsiders, I’m just a simple monster.
Human?
So, surely it seems difficult to survive by being attached to Seongsin Church.
Not a chance!
But I’m really looking forward to Tisah leading Ansellus Kingdom over here.
Bring it on!
A lot of people will die.
Yikes!
In other words, I’ll gain a tremendous amount of warmth.
Warm fuzzies!
Hehe.
Snicker!
Based on the timing, many people will gather around this underground temple in Skad Stone Desert at almost the same moment.
Buzzing!
Of course, there’s a possibility that they’ll destroy Ansellus Kingdom and march to invade other kingdoms, but given the circumstances, that seems difficult.
Fingers crossed!
Above all, there are too few people.
Where is everyone?
There are surely many worshippers of Future Hope Church. But among them, fanatical people are very rare. Rather, it’s because of that environment that they believe. Moreover, most of those who have recently increased say they believe in Future Hope Church outwardly but dislike it inside.
Double life!
Because they extort many things from that village.
So greedy!
They say they’re liberating from the lord’s harsh rule, but they take even more for themselves. Some villages had lords who were genuinely good people.
Good vibes?
But the warriors of Future Hope Church killed them all and “liberated” them.
Time’s up!
Yes. Hatred is rising. You can’t solve everything with ignorant violence. In most cases, the situation worsens.
Yikes!
Basically, the blessed individuals are those who are loyal to Future Hope Church. So, while I can’t see it, if Ansellus Kingdom comes, there will probably be many who surrender.
Hands up!
And there will likely be quite a few who will aim their spears as well.
Pointing fingers!
Alright, now that it’s time for bed, I’ll summarize this quickly.
Bedtime!
First, Future Hope Church. The villages around the underground temple are in their prime. They live seeing blessings manifest as psychic powers in action. But once you step outside of that, conditions are worsening.
Trouble ahead!
The Razbe Kingdom and the Cognia Kingdom.
Watch out!
They’ve turned their direction towards first ceasing hostilities with each other and then catching and killing Future Hope Church’s offshoots. Of course, there haven’t been any official letters exchanged due to Witga’s maneuvering. Unless the letters came through routes Witga wasn’t aware of.
Undercover ops!
In any case, the north is gradually being closed.
Closing in!
So, Witga is coming to the Skad Stone Desert to request support troops.
Help me!
Ansellus Kingdom.
Charge!
Currently, the main battlefield has been winning continuously for Future Hope Church. The blessed led by Wide are extremely powerful. It’s like a psychic warrior rampaging on the medieval battlefield.
Rampage!
But elsewhere, Future Hope Church is losing their limbs. Tactically they win, but strategically, they are losing.
Big oops!
Above all, they’re preparing one hammer blow with Tisah as the core.
Crack!
To assault this point in Skad Stone Desert.
Brace yourselves!
Traps are tightening from all sides.
Trap trap!
What choice will Yasle make?
Choices, choices!
What will Hyungkesuni do?
Will he obey?
What move will Andrew make in this situation?
Thinking cap is back on!
I’m curious.
Drumroll!
Everything will be resolved with time. So, we just have to wait.
Patience is a virtue!
“Joanna. Good night.”
Sleep tight!
“Yes, Lady Rebecca. Sweet dreams.”
Dreamland!
I lay down quietly on the bed.
Snore!
Of course, instead of dreaming, I’ll be watching various people in real-time!
Watch out world!