#164

Judging by the way he talks, he’s ready to do everything except what I tell him not to.

‘The original version of that bastard was the Lab Director.’

Did he say there were countless new clauses added because of the Lab Director?

It’s because of people like him that user manuals have to explicitly state not to drink the water coming out of the air conditioner drain pipe.

“So, what happened at the Council?”

“The Council? I wasn’t there.”

“Then where were you and what were you doing?”

“I was wandering around the Apostle’s Hall, hoping that Fabio might bite his nails out of nervousness.”

“…….”

“But I know a little bit about what happened. The moment the consciousnesses of all the Host Tabernacles merged into one, things got a bit mixed.”

“Mixed? How?”

“I realized it.”

“Realized what?”

“What Ledeia’s essence was, what the First Covenant was, what had been forgotten, and why it had to be forgotten.”

‘Is that why the contamination happened?’

“Tell me. What is Ledeia’s essence?”

“Ledeia was a bug that wanted to remain human.”

“…A bug?”

Callister opened his palm to show a maggot.

“This bug has a habit of eating living creatures and mimicking a part of that creature. Once there is nothing left to devour, it returns to a pile of bugs. A single bug possesses nothing but simple instinct. Devour, mimic, and reproduce. Prosper in that way.”

‘Ledeia was originally a man-eating bug?’

“When social animals are infected by this bug, the ‘animal’ continues to repeat the same behaviors as before until the entire herd is replaced by bugs. Even if no part of the original animal remains, it still moves like that animal. In reality, it is a colony of bugs.”

Listening to this made my arms feel itchy.

When I instinctively gripped my arm tightly, Callister let out a short moan.

“Hyat!”

“…What. All of a sudden.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“What is it.”

“I was just a bit surprised because I felt a sudden, strong stimulation.”

“Then why is your face flushing?”

“Me? Is my face red?”

Callister rubbed his cheeks and grinned.

“Wow, it really is! I thought the phrase ‘face feeling hot’ was just a metaphor until now. But it actually gets warm! How fascinating!”

‘…Sensitivity of the autonomic nervous system is obviously determined by genes too.’

I guess the Lab Director was hypo-responsive?

“Right, that’s enough….”

“Fabio’s body heats up so quickly…. This is incredibly embarrassing. It’s embarrassing that I can’t hide the fact that I’m embarrassed. I think I’m getting even redder right now.”

Callister covered his eyes with his palms and made a fuss.

‘…Once I find Columba, I’m telling him to go back to his original form immediately.’

“Wow! I’ve turned so red! I’m practically crimson!”

“Fuck, what is this.”

“Ah, I just moved my eyes to my palms. I wanted to see my face.”

Rubbing his eyes again, Callister blinked.

“Fabio? Why have you become so pale?”

“…….”

“Fabio?”

“…Just keep talking. You were in the middle of something important.”

“Ah, right. I was talking about Ledeia’s origin.”

Callister cleared his throat and continued.

“A certain colony of bugs suddenly realized. That it was no longer ‘human,’ but merely a pile of bugs that had devoured a human!”

‘…Creepy.’

“But because of the instinct to mimic that creature, the bug colony wanted to think of itself as human. It couldn’t bear the fact that it would eventually scatter. So, it sought out Order and made a covenant. It asked that the version of itself that believed it was human not disappear. Order gave that colony the name Ledeia. As long as it was called by that name, Ledeia could maintain continuity. In exchange, those bugs forgot all instincts other than ‘mimicry’ and became obedient to Order. They became unable to eat any creature other than those permitted by Order.”

“The permitted creatures are….”

“Ledeia’s Priests.”

“…….”

“The proportion of the body occupied by bugs varies depending on when they received Baptism, but by the time they become an apostle, they can be considered a pure colony of bugs.”

“…Is that why the Lab Director went crazy? Because he realized that fact?”

“Huh? No?”

“…No?”

“The Lab Director cheered the moment he realized he was a colony of bugs.”

‘Crazy bastard.’

“Since he knew the reason he continued to maintain a human form was that he thought of himself as human, he was overjoyed, thinking that if he just tweaked that ‘perception’ a bit, free shape-shifting would be possible.”

“…Then how did such a person fall into madness?”

“Then it suddenly occurred to him. If I am a colonial organism, could Callister also be a ‘Columba’?”

“And?”

“The moment he thought that, the consciousnesses of all Callisters were connected to Columba. The problem was that there were contaminated Callisters among them.”

“…Contamination?”

“Fabio, do you know Francesco?”

‘Do I know the House Lizard?’

It felt ominous that the House Lizard was mentioned before the explanation of the contamination.

“Explain who he is.”

“Francesco is a Watched One and an existence outside of Order. Fabio, he is a bit like you.”

“…In what way?”

“For instance, the way he immediately asked how the heads were cloned the moment he heard about the Host Tabernacles….”

“…….”

As I frowned, Callister quickly added.

“But Francesco’s eyes sparkled as he suggested trying to clone himself! That is the difference between him and you. Fabio, you are unique and special!”

“…He suggested cloning himself first?”

After hearing how the Host Tabernacles were made?

How can a human be like that?

“It’s not that surprising. Unlike Fabio, Francesco had a body capable of receiving the Blessing of Pain Relief.”

“No….”

No matter how much it doesn’t hurt, I don’t think a sane human would think about chopping up their own body and replacing it with bugs.

“Anyway, Francesco created clones of himself and conducted various experiments. As a result, he discovered that Watched Ones have the ability to share the memories of their clones. Thanks to that, there was great progress in the exploration of the Main Hall’s basement.”

‘Exploration of the Main Hall’s basement?’

He said there was an Out-of-Bounds Area of the System there.

Is this information he learned then?

“Until Francesco arrived, the 22nd basement floor was the limit. Man, there were so many sacrifices of Host Tabernacles just to get down that far.”

“…Are there traps or something on the way down?”

‘It was just empty up to the 18th floor.’

For Callister, who is the Blessing of Healing itself, to call it a danger requiring ‘sacrifice.’

What on earth is down there?

“Should I call them traps? If you go below the 20th floor, you forget how to climb stairs and become unable to return.”

“What?”

“So, for areas below the 20th floor, exploration was done by tying ropes to the bodies of Host Tabernacles and pulling them back up. Even when brought back to the surface, they had forgotten how to speak, so there wasn’t much information to be gained.”

‘…Was the basement that dangerous?’

Did that Record bastard tell me to go down without giving me any such warning?

Fuck, that’s terrifying.

“Francesco was able to resist Oblivion because he had the blessing of an Othergod. However, he said he couldn’t find a solution to the problem where the connection was severed if a clone went below the 24th basement floor.”

‘The connection being severed….’

Doesn’t that mean they died?

He pushed his clones to their deaths how many times?

And the clones accepted those deaths willingly?

“Then he said he found a solution and tried something….”

“…And?”

“Every ‘Francesco’ went completely insane. No, rather than insane, it would be more accurate to say they became contaminated.”

“What exactly is the state of contamination?”

“Contamination is contagious.”

“How?”

“There are stages. If you encounter it for a very brief moment, there is no effect, but if you listen long enough to understand what Francesco is saying, you feel an urge to keep listening to those words.”

“Is Francesco constantly rambling about something?”

“Yes. He even answers the questions you ask. But since you go completely mad if you keep listening, you can’t obtain that much knowledge.”

I remembered what ‘The Gap’ had said.

It said it could answer anything.

Including answers to all ultimate questions about life and the universe.

‘Was that answer a piece of knowledge that makes you go mad the moment you hear it?’

“After 10 minutes of listening to Francesco’s words, you enter a state where you no longer react to anything. Even reflexive reactions to pain disappear, and you do nothing until you starve to death.

In the case of a Host Tabernacle, the form collapses and it turns into a pile of bugs, but since the ‘Host’ is already contaminated, it does not attempt to heal even when placed on the wound of another creature. Once it reaches that state, the only option is to burn it.”

‘A state of not reacting to anything….’

It’s a bit similar to ‘Ultimate Happy-Happy.’

Suddenly, I wondered.

Did the Lab Director ever see a living Perpetua?

“It seems contaminated knowledge flowed into a Host Tabernacle that was still breathing, right?”

“That is correct. Thanks to you, Fabio, I was able to feel that enthusiasm from a step away. Realizing the truth is the strongest pleasure an intelligent being can feel. I vaguely remember feeling a happiness so intense that it felt like my brain was melting. The consciousnesses of Columba and Callister felt an urge to share this joy with all beings.”

‘Like cockroaches sharing poisoned bait….’

“So the Lab Director began to pray. Because the beloved and revered Ledeia must also know that truth.”

“Insane.”

“Yes, Ledeia also went insane. She rejoiced like a madwoman. Ledeia decided to convey that truth to the Priests who served her, and to those who received the Blessing of Healing from those Priests.”

“Crazy….”

“And she did so. If it had been possible, she would have conveyed it to those who had never been healed, to those outside of Order, to those already dead, and to those not yet born.”

‘…Ledeia is completely contaminated?’

What the fuck kind of poison did the House Lizard spray?

What did he do?

Where did he gather enough points to do that?

It’s still the Tutorial.

“But I covered my ears and did not listen to the truth. The part of me connected to you kept me away from that enthusiasm. I knew that the moment I severed the connection, I could become one with them, but I didn’t want to. Because the moment we merged, all Callisters would see you as the seventh. I didn’t want to share what was mine alone. Fabio, I kept thinking of you. The moment I would see you as the seventh….”

“…The Dark Realm is doomed.”