-Victoria's P O V-
"Very well... let's begin." Someone spoke. Turning my head slightly, I focused on him.
'Thorn.' My mind whispered his name. He had a striking appearance—dark purple hair that seemed to shimmer with a dark light. He was somewhat muscular, and his face looked like a statue, permanently etched in a passive expression.
Usually, I'd feel that someone like him wasn't anything to worry about. Everything about him gave no reason to trigger any alarms... except for those eyes.
Those eyes... holding everything in contempt, as if everything were beneath him. It's the same as his. An image of a white-haired man with a deranged grin flashed in my mind, and a chill ran through my spine.
"We've learned something a bit alarming." Robert, the bald monk, spoke, breaking me from my thoughts.
He was from the Max House. At its peak, the House had another name and spanned a few star systems before being annexed by the founder of my family centuries ago, forced into becoming a vassal House and having its name changed to reflect the founder's first glory.
"The people here are celebrating something called the Purple Festival, a celebration centered around the appearance of a Purple Moon." Robert finished, and Thorn's eyes narrowed.
"And how is that alarming?" Thorn responded, to which I shook my head.
"The coming of a Purple Moon signifies the end of an era and the dawn of a new one, and it apparently contains great power. We asked around about a Crimson Moon, and the natives have never heard of it. It's very likely that the Crimson Moon is going to be the result of private individuals, meaning there's little we can do to prevent its appearance." I revealed, somewhat tense.
"So, in other words..." Thorn spoke, "the other party has the initiative, and to clear this scenario, we may even have to worry about their interference during the appearance of the Crimson Moon." He finished, and I nodded. Then someone else spoke up.
"That information ties into the knowledge that we have." The person who spoke was Jacob. He had an unassuming appearance, along with brown hair. Seeing him, my database within my neural chip flashed information in my brain.
Jacob, the main disciple of the Butcher, capable of multiplying his strength, speed, intelligence, or defense depending on which Card he draws from his talent... he's dangerous.
"There are three main religions in this region: the Church of the Moon, the Church of the Sun, and the Church of Rebirth. The first two are irrelevant, but the Church of Rebirth has another name widely known in private circles," Jacob continued.
"The Cult of the Heretic. The Church of Rebirth is a public cover for this cult, who worships a figure who existed in the Second Era—known as the Heretic. They possess many strange items and abilities, and their goal is to revive this dead god through any means possible. With Miss Emert's knowledge, it's safe to conclude they may be trying to use some power from the Purple Moon to evoke a Crimson Moon, which will somehow contribute to their god's revival. All of this is further supported by the phrasing from the system."
After hearing this, I mentally called on the system and read the words of the scenario again.
[Details: A world of talents, gods, beasts, monsters, and pursuers of Heaven's Staircase. In this scenario, cultists are planning to weaken dimensional barriers by evoking a Crimson Moon that will lead to horrific bloodshed. Change the fate of this scenario. Twenty percent clear condition. Note: Higher percentages lead to better rewards.]
'Cultists are planning to weaken dimensional barriers by evoking a Crimson Moon that will lead to horrific bloodshed... ' I read while frowning.
'So the Cult of the Heretic needs a Crimson Moon to weaken dimensional barriers. It's possible this may lead to the revival of their god. Does that mean we have to defeat a literal god? That's impossible. This is only a newbie scenario.'
A feeling of confusion enveloped me, and I felt like I was seeing a picture but only grasping parts of it.
"Regardless of what's going to happen in this scenario, we need to find the cultists and kill them before they enact their plans. Since there was only a 24-hour limit on this trial, it's very likely they are already here and could evoke a Crimson Moon at any time."
Thorn said calmly, as if he were completely unaffected by anything going on. Seeing that, I narrowed my eyes.
"You appear so relaxed. Did you find any information related to this?" I asked accusingly. Thorn made eye contact with me and smiled, causing me to shiver.
"The cultists are making use of the power of Heaven's Staircase to birth monsters that, when killed, will contribute to the Crimson Moon. The more people and monsters killed, the stronger the Crimson Moon gets. Our main enemy here is the cultists, and we should do everything in our power to avoid killing monsters and natives."
He revealed this, and for some reason, I felt like he had another goal. It was the same feeling I had when I talked to him.
"What the hell is Heaven's Staircase? And how do you know the deaths of monsters will contribute to the Crimson Moon?"
This time it was Eugene, the blonde-haired man, who spoke up.
"Heaven's Staircase is apparently a legendary treasure in this world, split into several pieces and famously chased after by several factions throughout history. It possesses several powers, and one fragment is currently in the possession of the Church of Rebirth..."
Thorn trailed off, and in an instant, several pieces of the puzzle began forming in my head.
"The Church of Rebirth... which is actually the Cult of the Heretic." I muttered, and Thorn nodded.
"The fragment they possess contains the power of creation, and they used it countless times to create monsters in war. After the deaths of thousands of natives and monsters, their bodies would be absorbed into a form of energy. I suspect this energy is what they may use, along with the Purple Moon, to evoke a Crimson Moon."
Thorn said. After hearing his words, the threat level of the Cult rose in my mind.
"If this is true, we can't waste any time. We have to locate the Cult as soon as possible and put an end to them before they can initiate their plans. In the case that we run across monsters, we must do everything in our power to prevent bloodshed and subdue them without killing them."
Eugene said in a hurried tone, and I nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Thorn smiled, sending another round of chills down my spine.
"So what's the plan?" he asked, that damn smile still on his face. Without my control, the image of a white-haired man faintly overlapped his figure in my mind.
'He absolutely cannot be trusted' I thought, watching as Thorn and Eugene became engrossed in conversation.
'Cousin, this scenario is only the beginning. Soon, your end will come' I thought while looking up at the moon, the image of a white-haired man with blue eyes coming into my mind once more.