"Your people took our sacrificial offerings and are performing the ritual, offering to... uh..."
The Outer God believer who had escaped was filled with hope. He had thought he was certainly going to die, but then he witnessed the two leaders of the Bountiful Church erupt into conflict, fighting so desperately, and the one who won seemed to be a follower of Pluto as well.
If he could let the scarecrows guarding the entrance know about this, perhaps he still had a chance to survive. At the very least, if the situation became more chaotic, he could escape more easily.
But before he could finish speaking, he was pierced by spears. He watched helplessly as multiple spears turned him into a human pincushion, unable to utter another word.
"The Master Mentor said that any Outer God believers who escape are to be killed without exception. Don't listen to a single word they say."
The scarecrows pulled out their spears, chanting incantations as they did so. The Outer God believer's corpse sank into the soil, and immediately afterward, wild grass began growing wildly from where the body had been.
Everyone continued waiting quietly in place, awaiting Loren and the others' emergence.
There were certainly more exits than just this one. After all, Loren's goal was simply to obtain the Tarot Card: The High Priestess and Pluto's Mouth. Having them guard here was just an excuse - as long as the key figures didn't escape, that was sufficient.
"The Master Mentor has emerged!"
"Most of the Outer God believers are dead, but Knight Valentina and other scarecrows also fell below. Fortunately, we successfully stopped the ritual. The treasures originally intended as sacrificial offerings are all down there. I took a quick look at the magical materials inside - these Outer God believers were truly extravagant."
"For now, take me home first. Then you can inventory the treasures below and deliver them to my residence."
"Yes, Master Mentor!"
Hearing Loren's instructions, the remaining scarecrows felt a surge of excitement. Loren's meaning was clear - he knew the quantity of magical materials, so those couldn't be touched. But he didn't know the exact amount of treasure, so as long as it wasn't too obvious, they could take whatever they wanted.
Therefore, these scarecrows didn't question why Loren wanted items that should have been delivered to the church sent to his home instead.
Loren didn't care about money, but he wanted those materials - these weren't things you could simply buy with money. After they delivered everything to his home, Loren planned to sort through them himself, using the remainder to keep others quiet.
With only one arm left, Loren couldn't ride a horse and had to take a carriage instead.
The scarecrow responsible for escorting Loren home didn't feel particularly upset either. Since this scarecrow knew about these matters, the others would need to give him a share to keep him quiet too.
"Master Mentor, we've arrived."
By the time Loren reached home, it was already early morning. The blood-red moonlight hung directly in the center of the sky, but Loren could see light coming from the windows, indicating they were still awake, most likely waiting for him.
"Thank you for your hard work. You can return and regroup with the others now."
Loren patted the scarecrow's shoulder and walked toward his home door.
There were still quite a few scarecrows stationed around Loren's residence, also at his instruction. His actions this time were bound to provoke the Outer God believers, so having some people protecting Naclis and the others was just right.
Standing before the familiar door, just as Loren inserted the key, he heard rustling sounds from the other side, along with what sounded like someone falling.
When he pushed the door open, he happened to see Anna lying on the floor, wearing an awkward smile as she looked toward Loren. But when she saw Loren's severed arm, her smile instantly froze.
"Master Mentor..."
Naclis also rushed anxiously to Loren's side. She looked at his severed arm, then at her own hands, feeling completely at a loss. There was nothing she could do to help Loren, only shed useless tears.
"Enough, I'm fine. This was also part of my plan."
Using his remaining arm, Loren helped Anna up, then wiped Naclis's tears before continuing:
"Where's Mirrorheart?"
This time, Mirrorheart surprisingly hadn't come to greet him. Normally, she would kneel at the door for hours fantasizing about being ignored.
"She's in your bedroom..."
"You two go to sleep first. Don't worry about me. The ring in Mirrorheart's possession can heal severed limbs..."
Since Loren said so, Naclis couldn't very well continue clinging to him. Anna immediately returned to her usual unserious self and began rummaging through the kitchen for food.
"Aren't you worried about the Master Mentor?"
After something like this happened, Naclis certainly wouldn't be able to sleep for a while. Only after seeing Loren's injuries completely healed would she feel at ease.
"Whatever the Master Mentor says is never wrong. If he says he's fine, then he's definitely fine."
That's what she said, but Anna's eating speed had noticeably slowed, and her eyes kept occasionally glancing toward the direction of Loren's bedroom.
...
"Master..."
Mirrorheart's voice, usually devoid of tone, was filled with weakness this time.
Logically, wearing the Weeping Blood Wedding Ring for one day shouldn't cause problems, unless one actively sought death - like Mirrorheart was doing now. She lay on the bed, the entire double bed soaked with blood. Mirrorheart lay collapsed in the pool of blood, stretching her hand toward Loren with all her remaining strength.
The Weeping Blood Wedding Ring sat on the bedside table. As Loren picked up the ring, Mirrorheart regained her regenerative abilities within seconds and returned to normal. She rose expressionlessly, straightening her blood-stained maid uniform.
Simultaneously, Loren felt his body relax - the pain from his injuries vanished, and even his severed arm began to itch, indicating limb regeneration.
"What happened?"
"I was amusing myself in your room as usual, but forgot I was still under the curse. And the underwear I wore today was a bit rougher than usual... so this happened."
Loren's face grew increasingly dark. No wonder his bedroom occasionally had a seafood smell - he had thought Anna was sneaking food in here...
"Don't worry, I always kept my clothes on. My first time is still reserved for..."
"You'd better shut up..."
Loren promptly covered Mirrorheart's mouth, preventing her from saying anything that might get the book banned.
After obtaining the ring, Loren wasn't in a hurry to wear it. While accessories had designated slots, they didn't necessarily need to be worn in corresponding positions. A ring still occupied a ring slot even if stuffed in a pants pocket.
Everyone had limits on how many accessories they could carry - for example, five rings maximum, one necklace. Otherwise, wearing a bunch of cheap rings that each added +1 strength could allow someone to punch an angel to death.
After fighting all night, Loren was tired. But his room was clearly unsuitable for staying in now, so he could only wait for Mirrorheart to clean it up.
"Forget it, I'll squeeze in with Naclis for tonight..."