Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 559: Offer Up Your Heart

Voices overlapped in my ears. It wasn’t just my hearing acting up—there really were two distinct voices. One was what ‘Mouth’ meant to say, and the other was what she actually said. They both reached my ears separately.

In other words, ‘Mouth’s’ mouth was moving independently of her own will. Like a puppet controlled by a black magician.

“O Offering God, speak through my mouth.”

The only difference between her and a puppet was that ‘Mouth’ still had her own consciousness. And yet, she was letting her mouth be used by a being that wasn’t even here.

Rash raised his right arm toward the priestess of the Offering God and bowed his head hastily.

“O Offering God. I shall hear ‘Mouth’s’ words through the right arm granted to me by you.”

““O right arm. My strength, my craft, my most refined limb. Last time, when the right arm sought knowledge beyond the steppe—I permitted all of it.””

Now that I think about it, Rash was a foreign exchange student from the Military State, wasn’t he? If the ‘right arm’ holds that much «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» significance, he probably needed permission just to leave.

““Since Mu-hu’s time, outsiders from beyond the steppe have arrived on this land with mysterious power. The right arm’s mate was brought from beyond the steppe. I have approved the union of the right arm and its mate.””

I skimmed through ‘Mouth’s’ memories, but nothing had changed. Just as reading a puppet’s memories doesn’t get you access to the puppeteer’s, reading ‘Mouth’s’ mind gave me no real insight into what this Offering God even was.

Still, by watching how the puppet moved, you could get a vague idea of the puppeteer’s emotions. I tried to piece together what the Offering God wanted by observing ‘Mouth’s’ memories.

“The wedding will take place soon.”

““This is My will. Let no limb oppose it.””

So the Offering God... seems to want Rash and Callis to be joined. The Undying didn’t seem to like Callis much, but they weren’t actively opposing the marriage either. That must’ve been the Offering God’s influence. Hmm. Makes sense.

...and now, I think I’m starting to get a clearer picture of what this Offering God really is.

“O Offering God. My will is one with yours, so I proclaim before my right arm that it will indeed come to pass.”

As Rash thumped his chest, ‘Mouth’ smiled with satisfaction and continued speaking.

““Now I shall speak of the wish extended by the right arm’s mate—the one who said they would set fire to My forest.””

“Gah.”

Even the Offering God seemed a bit unsettled by that, judging by the harsher tone. I couldn’t read its mind, but I could sense the subtle emotional shift.

““I shall have My right arm point to the place to be burned. Without deviation, fire must be set only there. Not a single ash may stray beyond that boundary.””

“Oh! If that’s all, then—!”

““It is not yet over.””

‘Mouth’ cut Rash off coldly, then spoke toward the tent.

““Offer ten sacrifices to Me.””

That declaration shocked even Rash. He stammered at the unexpected demand.

“T-Ten sacrifices, you say?”

““If My limbs are to increase, I must blow life into them. Ten. Select ten and offer them to Me.””

With that, ‘Mouth’ abruptly closed her lips. As if there was nothing more to say. Sensing the connection to the Offering God had ended, she pulled out a veil and covered her mouth.

“This is the will of the Offering God. The right arm must step forward and obey.”

“I, the Offering God’s right arm, shall carry out that will.”

Despite his confusion, Rash raised his right arm and bowed his head. ‘Mouth’ smiled again, seemingly pleased, and slowly withdrew.

Watching Rash sit motionless, I asked him,

“Ten sacrifices? Are you saying we’re supposed to offer the people we just saved from the black magician? Like he did?”

“No. Offerings to the Offering God aren’t the same as sacrifices. This isn’t about surrendering life—it’s about being granted eternal life.”

“Granted?”

“Yes. When one offers their body to the Offering God, they gain immortality—like us.”

Hmm. I see. Makes sense that a being called the Offering God would deal in something other than standard black magic sacrifices. Maybe a god needs to at least be capable of something like that.

Maybe... the line between a god and a black magician isn’t about status or origin—but just sheer ability?

“So by immortality, you mean the kind of undying body you have?”

“Correct. One must offer up their flesh and become one with a great spirit—but if they can endure that, they’ll become Undying, just like us.”

“Sacrificing part of your body to gain immortality? That’s a huge bargain. The refugees, all weak and frail, would probably welcome it.”

Especially those who are just waiting to die. We’ve got about ten of them. The number’s a perfect match.

“To be honest, from an outsider’s perspective, the Offering God’s intent is a bit suspect.”

“The Offering God is not an evil god. Quite the opposite. She is a great will who gifted our tribe with strength and mighty life. How could she be evil?”

“True. Whatever the intent, it’s only natural to feel joy when something good happens.”

They approved the slash-and-burn farming, and now they’re planning to accept the refugees. Things are looking up.

“Hmm? My right arm is twitching...! Must be pointing out where to burn!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Rash clutched his writhing right arm and scrambled to his feet. His right arm—the Offering God. Normally his loyal limb, but sometimes, it moves independently of its owner. Right now, it was guiding him in accordance with the Offering God’s will.

"Rash. Come with me. We’ll need to measure the exact area your arm pointed to."

"Good idea! Follow me!"

Callis followed after Rash. And of course, Rash—ever the husband—casually wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked. Disgusting. They say they're going to measure the land, but they might end up measuring each other instead.

So then... my job now is to pick the ten who will become Undying? I’m not exactly the leader of the refugees, but there's no one else here to choose them. Work creates more work. Right now, I was the Offering God's handpicked apostle for selecting immortals.

"Excuse me, sir. We overheard what was said earlier... about becoming Undying..."

The refugees who had been eavesdropping on ‘Mouth’ approached me. Their eyes glistened with desire—to become Undying.

It’s funny. The same people who were about to be sacrificed by a black magician were now volunteering to become offerings themselves. If we offered up the ones in critical condition, it could save their lives. But the desire for immortality was strong enough to override any rational thought.

Amused by their barely-contained hunger, I asked,

"Alright. Who here doesn't want to die?"

***

"Phew. I didn’t stay here just to do grunt work..."

"Woof, woof-woof."

Between one task and another, both the regressor and Azzy looked exhausted.

It wasn’t physical exhaustion. The regressor and Azzy wouldn’t complain over just a few days of overwork. What wore them down wasn’t the body—it was the mind.

"Setting fire to the forest is easy, but keeping it from spreading takes focus. And we have to make sure no one gets hurt in the process. Everything about this is just annoying."

"Too much talk! I busy!"

The regressor cast a barrier to keep the flames contained as they burned the forest. It wasn’t a difficult task with Tianying’s power, but it was a draining one. Even with magical fire, embers still linger silently beneath the ashes. Ensuring there were no remaining sparks took an entire day of relentless effort.

Meanwhile, Azzy, eager to help, played hunting dog—bringing back birds and wild boars. She may be the King of Beasts, but a dog’s still a dog. She brought back one animal at a time, and the meat vanished like melting snow. Every time that happened, she’d stare at me like I was some kind of meat-devouring monster, then head off for another hunt.

Fiou Village thrived thanks to the efforts of the regressor and Azzy—though it left both of them drained.

"There’s barely a single able-bodied person in the village, so the work just keeps piling up. How long are we going to keep this up?"

Azzy, sensitive to people’s emotions, and the regressor, a normal human, were both affected by their surroundings. Being among the injured and sick wore them down without them realizing it.

'Meiel’s blessing is supposed to guide me to do the right thing... is this it? Helping the village seems like the most natural course, but still.'

Normally, the regressor wasn’t the type to work himself to the bone—but he believed in the saintess’ blessing. And so, for now, he served without protest.

Maybe what makes the Celestials great isn’t their prophecies—it’s that they can get a regressor to actually do something.

"Anyway, are we done with our mission? Has the saintess sent any word?"

"Yeah, I’ve been wondering the same. For something they called an 'ancient evil,' it wrapped up surprisingly easily. And the lack of any divine message is suspicious too."

"Do they think we’re their lackeys or something? Are we just supposed to wait around forever because they said so? Let’s go give them a piece of our minds."

As I got up to storm off, the regressor stopped me.

"Let’s stay a bit longer. There’s still something left to do."

"Something left? Like what?"

"Their wedding. That’s still coming up."

"Oh. That."

You can’t start slash-and-burn farming the moment the fire’s out. The ashes need time to settle, and the land has to be tilled and left fallow. And now that the Offering God has granted permission, it was time for Rash and Callis to finally have their postponed wedding.

Callis, a Military State woman through and through, decided to proceed with both projects simultaneously—efficiently, of course.

"She plans to bury herself while the land lies fallow. Figures. So Military State it hurts."

"Military or not, it is efficient. And they asked me to dig the tunnel for them, too. You knew about that, right?"

"Of course. It was my idea."

The plan was to manage the fallow field intermittently while buried underground—making optimal use of their time. Yeah, it was my idea. Damn, I’m ruthless.

"No wonder. The idea had that stingy edge that didn’t quite match their usual vibe."

"Excuse me?"

"Yaaawn... Well, I guess I’ll hang around a bit longer... Dig some tunnels... Maybe grab a nap."

The regressor let out a long yawn and stepped out of the tent. Azzy had already claimed the best spot and was dozing off with her head bobbing.

Everything was wrapping up nicely. Which meant it was time for me to get moving too.

I stood up, stretched, glanced around the tent, and stepped outside quietly. A faint whiff of smoke tingled my nose.

Around the burned forest, the people of Fiou Village were celebrating. They roasted potatoes in the embers, washed with water boiled in lye, and painted their faces with ash. Where the forest once stood, only humans remained.

Still, slash-and-burn farming is, by nature, destruction. Burning trees and grass, then using their corpses to grow crops—sure, it yields results for a few years, but once the nutrients are spent, the land becomes barren. That’s fine for people planning to move on, but it’s a bitter prospect for those who plan to stay.

Amid the strange tension, I approached the group of barbarian refugees awkwardly gathered in one corner. They didn’t belong here or there. They were waiting just for me. Nervously wiping their hands on leaves, they brightened up when they saw me.

"Is it time?"

"Yes. With everyone’s eyes turned to the burning forest, now’s our chance."

These were the ones who volunteered to offer their bodies to become Undying. Sacrifices for the Offering God.

A handful of refugees had overheard ‘Mouth’s’ offer and kept it secret from the others to hoard the opportunity. Their excuse was that sharing the information would only cause chaos. It was a transparent lie, but I respected their resolve enough to bring them before the Offering God. It didn’t matter who it was anyway.

Smiling like a co-conspirator, I said to the grinning fools,

"Let’s go. Time to offer ourselves to the Offering God."