Mob MC 275.2

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Chapter 275.2. The Declining Cult

-???'s POV-

"Yes, right away." 

The attendant ran off to fetch the alcohol, clearly flustered.

That's beer, of all things. I sighed again as I examined the shards of the wine bottle, worth hundreds of thousands, from the previous bottle. 

No wonder they only served fish dishes as snacks for alcohol; these people were unbelievable.

"I've brought it." 

The attendant returned with three bottles of beer and a plate of snacks.

"What's this?" 

I glared at the plate's contents, causing the attendant to shrink back and stammer. "

These are blessed Holy Rice Crackers from our High Priest. We've only started making them recently..."

"Recently, huh..." 

I picked up one of the so-called Holy Rice Crackers. It looked like a hard biscuit or cookie, unappetizingly rigid in appearance. 

It would have been better if they had put the cult's symbol on it, I thought as I bit into it.

"Tastes like nothing. No hint of wheat either."

"These are a sacred offering from Yggdrasil, meant to be cherished..."

"Don't serve something like this as a snack with alcohol."

"The High Priest wishes for everyone to feel closer to her and has instructed us to consume these regularly. We're distributing them all over now."

According to the attendant, she even loaded these Holy Rice Crackers onto the important ferry shipments to the mainland. She argued they didn't take much space, but it felt questionable.

Essentially, it seemed she was trying to boost donations because they were running low. That's probably why she resorted to making such cheap stuff.

"Alright, alright, you can go now. I want to enjoy my drink in peace."

I dismissed the attendants and started sipping the beer. While munching on the Holy Rice Crackers, I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

"It seems like it's about time. That so-called Sacred Artifact for summoning the Demon God doesn't seem like much more than a regular magical item."

I glanced at the rusty crown hanging in the corner of the room. 

Over the years, despite pumping mana into it, it only emitted a faint glow, indicating it didn't contain much mana at all.

"Skadi, you fraud. What kind of Sacred Artifact for sealing a Demon God is this? It's nothing more than a shiny toy."

After finishing the beer and reaching for the next one, I contemplated the future.

"I hope the secret accounts are secure... The magic items to take with me, a hiding place. I might need a new identity too."

This island was falling apart. Even if the enemy launched a full-scale attack, we wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.

After all, the fact that supplies weren't coming in meant that I couldn't maintain my magic armor. The siege of the past few years had been quite effective.

There was a knock on the door as I pondered where to align myself next.

"Who is it? I'm relaxing right now. If you're here to disturb me, you better have a damn good reason."

I feigned irritation and adopted a prickly tone as I addressed the door, but my visitor seemed unperturbed and entered without hesitation.

"I have a very good reason for being here."

"What, Ymir's lackey? So, what's this so-called good reason? If it's a stupid one, I'll kill you."

The person who entered was a woman. Her name was Eri, if I remember correctly, a mercenary. She had a rugged appearance, with a disheveled bird's nest of hair and a leather jacket over jeans, showing no concern for her appearance.

"The boss wants to recruit you. I suppose you plan to run from here, don't you?"

"They want to recruit me?"

I raised an eyebrow and focused my gaze on Eri.

"Yeah, we can use a top-notch magician. We can even arrange the identity you're concerned about."

"So, it's dwindling on your side too?"

"Yeah, we've approached a few others as well."

The mercenary group had lost nearly 20 percent of its members over the past few years. If mercenaries valued money and life, they were free to run, but it seemed like they had managed to keep it under control.

"...So, you guys plan to escape as well..."

I was interested in the identity and the base. If things got too troublesome, I could just run away.

"Can I assume that you'll consider our offer favorably? If so, we'd like to ask for your help once you've escaped."

Eri placed a bundle of papers on the table. I picked it up, wondering what it was, and she grinned.

"Well, I suppose that's fine. I'll give you a hand if I can get out of here."

She smiled menacingly and placed the bundle of papers down roughly.

"By the way, I was thinking I should give my thanks to the person who made me grab the fake item."

The bundle of papers had a photo attached with the words "Assassination Target".

"Eliminate the entire Aburage Viscounty."

Seeing the familiar name, Hrungnir took a sip of his beer with an amused expression.