Chapter 147: Divine Name, Witch of the Moon
The minor commotion naturally came to an end as the meat finished cooking.
As if on cue, we all stopped talking, gathered closely around the campfire, and started tearing into the cooked meat. I was no exception.
Growwwlll—
My stomach roared its hunger.
With my appetite heightened after gaining the Heart, I pushed all other thoughts aside and ravenously devoured the meat.
I ate, and ate, and ate again.
It didn’t take long for an entire deer to disappear.
The bones were already showing.
And yet, I was still hungry.
How long had it been since I last ate?
[It has been two days and 13 hours since you lost consciousness.]
“How do you even calculate things like that?”
[I can tell by the rhythm of your heartbeat.]
“The aftereffects weren’t as severe as I expected. Is there a reason for that?”
[That witch helped you. You briefly lost your sense of taste, but it isn’t a significant issue.]
“…Sense of taste?”
I tilted my head in confusion and tasted the remaining meat.
My sense of taste seemed fine.
But that wasn’t the important part.
Why was Lily here?
It was already strange for her to show up on the battlefield, but why was she staying by our side now?
“Can you assess your surroundings even when I’m unconscious?”
[Has my Heart ever stopped before? I’m synchronized with you. That’s an obvious question.]
“Tell me briefly what happened while I was unconscious. What conversations took place?”
As I murmured to myself, Karl gave me a strange look.
“Are you sick or something? Acting weird all of a sudden. It’s creeping me out.”
“It’s nothing. Do we have anything else to eat?”
“You didn’t use to eat this much, did you? You used to nibble at your food.”
“There wasn’t much food in the experimental prison.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Karl made a disgusted face as he glanced at the pile of bones in front of me.
Up until now, we always had leftover meat, but with me around, there wasn’t enough anymore.
And not just a little short—a lot.
“Hold on. We’re near the river, so I’ll catch something quickly.”
Karl picked up a dagger and disappeared into the forest. Shortly after, he returned, carrying a small boar slung over his shoulder.
As a former assassin accustomed to camping, he skillfully cleaned the boar and set it over the campfire to cook.
Swallowing my saliva, I waited for the meat to cook to a golden brown, but I suddenly felt a sharp gaze at the back of my head.
When I turned, a black dog stood with its fur bristling, baring its teeth and growling at me.
Beside it, Lily, who had been quietly nibbling, shook her head as she stared at the pile of bones in front of me.
“Greedy.”
…Did I eat too much?
Realizing my mistake, I scratched my head awkwardly.
Karl, noticing the tension, tore off one of the boar’s hind legs and held it out to Keros, the black dog.
Blood dripped from the meat.
Keros wagged its tail and approached Karl.
“Well, look at you. Are you really the same mutt that bit my ass earlier?”
“Woof!”
“This is your last chance, got it? You’re only forgiven because you’re cute.”
“Woof!”
And with that single hind leg, the two dramatically reconciled.
Lily murmured softly, translating Keros’s intentions.
“‘Shut up and hand it over, human.’ ‘I’ll spare you for your sincerity.’”
Karl and Lochter, who had been present on the battlefield, seemed oblivious to the fact that the massive beast they had seen earlier was the same as the little dog in front of them now.
Well, to be fair, the visual difference was significant.
While I slowly ate the fully cooked meat, Lochter asked a question.
“How’s your body holding up?”
“It’s fine. No major issues, it seems.”
“That’s a relief. Just a moment ago, a grayish energy emanated from your body. I thought something went wrong, so I woke you up.”
“…Grayish energy?”
Lochter described how, moments earlier, a grayish light had flickered in the air before seeping into my body.
It wasn’t golden light, and I had never heard of gray energy before.
Since I had been unconscious, I couldn’t begin to guess what it was.
But then, as Lily finished her meal and stood up, she dropped a shocking revelation.
“It was Divine Punishment.”
“…Divine Punishment?”
Divine Punishment—a penalty that befalls the owner of a Divine Name.
But why would I be subject to Divine Punishment?
What wrong had I committed…?
“Ah!”
The contract of the Divine Hunter.
I had declared my intent to hunt Lochter Felice without giving it much thought.
It had been a false declaration meant to trigger my awakening, never meant to be fulfilled.
But…
Failure.
Did failure come with a penalty?
Until now, I’d never experienced any side effects…
“Can you tell me exactly what this Divine Punishment entails?”
“Hmm, I’m not entirely sure, but…”
“It’s fine. Please, go ahead.”
“Then, grant me a wish.”
“A wish…?”
“My grandmother always said to ask for a wish when granting a human’s request.”
Her grandmother…
That had to be Elder Medeia.
Damn hag.
No, I should be thankful she wasn’t here.
If that old woman were around, Lily wouldn’t be lingering in a place like this.
This situation was a significant opportunity for me.
“What’s your wish?”
“I haven’t thought of it yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”
“Alright. As long as it doesn’t harm me or those connected to me, I’ll grant your wish to the best of my ability.”
“Good.”
Lily nodded with a pleased smile and handed me a small handheld mirror.
My face was reflected in it.
I looked like a total wreck.
“Now, promise me in the mirror.”
I thought she was naive, but she was more meticulous than I expected.
For her to pull out a witch’s mirror…
It seemed I had no choice but to grant at least one wish.
When I made my promise in the mirror, she smiled contentedly and spoke.
“The gray letters in your Divine Name list have become clearer.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“At first, the letters were completely transparent, but now they’re becoming clearer. These, and these.”
She pointed to various spots in the mirror, but I couldn’t see anything.
It seemed that there were letters visible only to her. Judging from her words, it appeared she could read my Divine Name list.
One thing was certain.
She could read my Divine Name list.
And…
“Shit…”
I might have figured out what the penalty was.
The veil surrounding my Divine Name list—the one even Nella, the Priestess, couldn’t fully interpret—had started to lift.
Nella had once said that my Divine Name list was shrouded in mystery, unable to be deciphered even by the most skilled interpreters. Now, it seemed that the penalty of Divine Punishment was tied to exposing parts of that list to others.
If Lily could see some of it, who else might have access to this information?
And worse, would this lead to Arcane, the Astrologer of Fate, uncovering my secrets?
I placed the piece of meat I had been holding back down. My appetite was completely gone.
The Mad Butcher, Kamel Blazer, still hadn’t acted recklessly because of the identity I had created: “That” figure.
Thus far, I had been able to confirm that Kamel hadn’t realized that I and "That" were the same person.
This had been possible because even Arcane hadn’t deciphered my Divine Name list completely.
But now?
The situation might have changed with the penalty.
If my Divine Name list were fully exposed, others might deduce my connection to “That.”
“Ultimately, it all comes down to my Divine Name list.”
The conclusion was simple.
I needed to know everything about my list.
I cautiously approached Lily, who was idly scratching Keros’s head.
From her attitude, I could sense that she wasn’t openly hostile toward us. If I played my cards right, I might be able to glean some critical information.
“Can you tell me what my Divine Name is?”
“Usually, revealing that requires forfeiting a portion of your lifespan. But in your case… it’s impossible.”
“…Why?”
“Because no ordinary lifespan would be enough.”
Lily tilted her head and gave me a half-curious, half-serious glance.
“I’d guess it’d take about 100 years… maybe even more.”
She said it so casually, but her words weren’t surprising.
It was as I suspected.
Among witches, Lily Base was the only one capable of bypassing the curse tied to revealing a Divine Name by sacrificing a lifespan.
Even so, 100 years was an immense amount of time for an ordinary human.
If I had been an average person, I would have dropped dead the moment I agreed to the cost.
But I wasn’t ordinary.
“100 years, huh…”
I nodded without hesitation.
“I’ll give you 100 years. Even 200 years, if you’d like. Take as much as you need.”
“…What?”
Her brows furrowed in disbelief.
“It doesn’t matter how much you take.”
“It might not matter to you, but it does to me!”
Her voice rose slightly as if she thought I was mocking her.
“I can assure you, I won’t die in the middle of the process, and you won’t suffer any harm because of me.”
“...Are you serious?”
I met her sharp gaze without flinching.
I had no reason to fear the cost of years—100, 200, or even 1,000.
Why?
Because the one paying the price wouldn’t be me.
“Reto, is this possible?”
[It doesn’t matter.]
The calm voice of Retonicalus, the Heart of the Immortal, echoed in my mind.
An immortal being incapable of dying, no matter how much it desired death.
Reto’s lifespan was infinite, practically eternal.
Even if a portion of its lifespan was sacrificed, it would be no more than a single grain of sand in a vast desert.
‘Who would have thought I’d end up discussing Divine Names in this way?’
I recalled a past conversation with Reto about the curse of Divine Names.
The question had been simple: if I revealed a Divine Name using the Eyes of Awakening, would I suffer from the curse?
The answer had been equally simple: No.
Unlike others, I didn’t serve any deity.
I wasn’t receiving information about Divine Names through divine artifacts or blessings; instead, my Eyes of Awakening, a power born entirely of my own nature, allowed me to perceive them directly.
This unique characteristic exempted me from the curse.
And with Reto as my trump card, I didn’t have to hesitate to pay any cost.
Lily, still clutching her hand mirror, murmured incantations under her breath.
As the spell progressed, her expression gradually shifted. Her eyes widened slightly, as if in disbelief.
“…Are you… some kind of zombie?” she finally asked.
“I’m not a zombie. It’s just one of my abilities.”
“I see… so that’s how it works.”
She nodded to herself while staring into the mirror, seemingly piecing together her thoughts.
I was dying to know what she saw.
“So… are you going to tell me?”
“Not for free.”
“Another wish?”
“Yep. One wish for each thing I reveal.”
At this rate, who knew how many wishes she would rack up?
What exactly was she hoping to gain from me? Or was she simply following Elder Medeia’s teaching, asking for wishes out of habit?
But this time, I didn’t need to give in.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“A deal? I don’t need anything from you.”
“Your Divine Name.”
The playful smile vanished from her face.
Even Keros, who had been gnawing on a bone, froze and turned to look at me.
The little black dog moved slowly to stand in front of Lily, staring up at me with piercing eyes.
For such a small creature, the intensity of its gaze was terrifying.
“How do you know about me?”
Lily’s voice was sharp now, her demeanor entirely changed.
“You’re the Witch of Ordor Forest, Lily Base.”
I gestured toward Keros.
“And the beast, Keros.”
A tense silence fell over the camp.
Behind me, Karl, who had been casually sharing meat with Keros earlier, was now frozen like a statue.
Lochter, sensing the shift in atmosphere, rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“How do you know who I am?”
“Because I’m similar to you. I can see things.”
“…Wait. Don’t tell me—you know my Divine Name list? What’s my Divine Name? Huh? Tell me!”
Lily’s rigid expression began to thaw, replaced by a strange excitement.
Her childlike curiosity was almost endearing, though unsettling given the situation.
It was then I felt a wave of relief.
‘It seems no witch has properly interpreted her Divine Name list yet.’
I wasn’t the only one with a veiled Divine Name list.
The Witch of the Moon, Lily Base, was just like me.
Even now, I couldn’t read her list because I wasn’t currently in Divine Hunter mode.
But there was one night—when the Moonlight of the Full Moon shone—that I had seen her Divine Name in its entirety.
“Are you under a curse too? Is that why you can’t tell me? But wait, if you pay the cost with your lifespan, you’ll get wrinkles, and that’s no good. What do we do, Keros!?”
Lily muttered frantically, holding Keros’s face in her hands as if seeking its advice.
Despite her childlike innocence, I couldn’t ignore her potential.
She wasn’t fully aware of the weight of her power yet.
Watching her, a thought crossed my mind.
I stepped closer to her, deliberately slowing my movements.
“Divine Name: Witch of the Moon.”
“Ah…!”
Her eyes widened in shock.
Even Keros froze.
I had just revealed her Divine Name, one known only to a select few witches.
How could I possibly know such a thing?
Taking another step closer, I began to speak again.
“The Talent of the Full Moon, the Curse of Sloth, The Friend of Cerberus…”
I stopped directly in front of her and whispered the final name.
“…Seed of Calamity.”
[Lily Base – Witch of the Moon (Lunar Radiance)]
[Talent of the Full Moon]
[Curse of the Full Moon – Sloth]
[The Friend of Cerberus]
[Great Witch’s Seed (Calamity)]
The reason Lily had come to find me was still unclear.
But with Ordor Forest safe for now, I could alter her future.
Her story didn’t have to flow toward disaster.
Vuuung—!
A low hum of power began to resonate.