Human Sacrifice

Lynch was stunned. He looked from Miss Valente to the white-haired ghoul, unable to process her words for a moment.

“Forget it. This isn't the place for an explanation. Let's go to the front room to talk in detail.”

Miss Valente sighed. Just as she tried to stand, she winced and clutched her shoulder, giving Lynch a sharp, dissatisfied glare.

You almost gave me a face lift with a shotgun, what are you glaring at?

Though he thought as much, Lynch smiled a bit awkwardly.

When they were hostiles, both had pulled out all the stops to fight to the death. But stopping so abruptly to sit across from each other in peace—and remembering how he had just pinned an attractive lady to the floor and grappled with her—made it hard for Lynch not to feel a bit embarrassed. He extended a hand to help Miss Valente to her feet.

Miss Valente didn't shy away, using Lynch's hand to pull herself up. She wiggled her arm, wrinkling her nose and playfully shaking a small fist at Lynch when he wasn't looking directly at her face, before nodding to the old ghoul. She then led Lynch out of the barn and back toward the farmhouse.

“It's truly astonishing that you were able to walk straight in.”

Miss Valente glanced at the black stone in the courtyard but paid it no further attention. Leading Lynch into the room, she sat across from him at the dining table, let out a sigh, and began her explanation.

“Since Elder Bru and the others have already revealed most of the truth to you, there's no need for me to keep hiding things on behalf of their kind. In truth, most of what Elder Bru said was factual. He merely lied about a few details, which completely altered the nature of the whole affair. I will tell you everything, and you can judge for yourself.”

Lynch nodded thoughtfully.

“There is one point Bru lied about: the hillmen tribe are not followers of Mordiggian, but watchers. They abandoned their faith in Mordiggian long ago and converted to Gaia, the Lord of the Earth. They have been stationed deep in Bester Mountain year after year specifically to guard Zur Baha Sahr, preventing Mordiggian from descending into this world through the soul fragment. If Mordiggian were to descend, half the living beings across Middle Earth would be assimilated by him.”

Lynch pressed further. “So Reporter Maya's condition wasn't caused by Elder Nikolai and his people either?”

“No, it was them—and me. That's why I said I'm not innocent,” Miss Valente replied with a bitter smile, hiding nothing. “I didn't lie to you yesterday; I merely withheld certain details. According to the records of Nikolai's tribe, the soul fragment in Zur Baha Sahr remains constantly active. Even if left unexcavated, it could attract Mordiggian's descent into the mortal world at any moment. To keep the soul fragment dormant, the hillmen tribe, as watchers, conduct a sacrifice every twenty years, sending thirteen living beings into dormant Zur Baha Sahr to appease Mordiggian's soul fragment in exchange for twenty years of safety.”

Lynch frowned. “Human sacrifice?”

“Yes. Ever since the ancestor of the Valente family was granted Bester Mountain nine hundred and thirty-four years ago, we have maintained deep ties with the hillmen tribe. We have secretly supported the Nikolai tribe's sacrifices to maintain peace in the region. Now, another twenty-year cycle has arrived, and a new sacrifice is about to begin. Reporter Maya is the tool for this sacrifice. Every ritual requires someone like her. Just as Elder Bru said, once Maya completes her final transformation, her dreams will directly connect to Zur Baha Sahr. Sending twelve more living beings inside after that will successfully complete the sacrifice.”

“And you think this is reasonable?” Lynch asked, displeasure evident in his voice. “Is that fair to the people being sacrificed?”

“It isn't fair. But this world has never been truly fair,” Miss Valente retorted. “Besides, do you have a better solution? It is indeed terrible for the thirteen sacrifices. But what about the countless people spared because of their sacrifice? What about the rulers of this territory? What about the entire nation?”

Lynch opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless. Thinking about it carefully, this was a classic trolley problem with no right answer. To the thirteen sacrifices, the hillmen and the Valente family were cold-blooded murderers. But to everyone else, they were unsung heroes.

“We don't want to do this either, but someone has to shoulder these dirty deeds,” Miss Valente said bitterly. “Every few decades, one or two direct line members of our family end up committing suicide. They were all the ones who presided over the sacrifices. No one knows whether they were affected by the ritual's aftermath or simply broke under the weight of their own conscience.”

Lynch's expression flickered uncertainly. Ultimately, all he could do was let out a sigh and shift the topic. “So this sacrifice is the reason the hillmen oppose digging the tunnel?”

“Yes.” Miss Valente regained her composure. “Once Zur Baha Sahr is brought into the open world, it will be impossible to appease the soul fragment through sacrifice.”

“And if the sacrifice isn't completed and the soul fragment isn't appeased, what happens then? The two outcomes you mentioned yesterday?”

“Yes. If a top-tier expert fights to the death to destroy the fragment, driving it back to its main body in the Dreamlands, or if several thousand or tens of thousands of fresh souls are sacrificed to it, the fragment will return to its main body. The mortal world would only suffer minor interference—at most, slightly less than half of the Kingdom of Lande would be destroyed. But if no one destroys the fragment, Mordiggian will descend into the mortal world.”

“Is that why the sewer ghouls support digging the tunnel?”

“I'm not sure either, which is why I've been investigating their collusion over the past few days.” Miss Valente sighed. “From the looks of it now, their goal is to sabotage this sacrifice, preventing us from appeasing Mordiggian. That would force us to cooperate and excavate Zur Baha Sahr, driving us to find a way to crush Mordiggian's soul fragment head-on. As for their ultimate motive, I haven't uncovered it yet. If we can't figure that out, even if this sacrifice succeeds, they will still insist on digging open Zur Baha Sahr, letting things spiral out of control.”

“I see. So that's why you considered collaborating with me yesterday—you wanted my help to figure out their goal?”

Lynch nodded thoughtfully. Most of his questions were answered now. It was just that both sides had such intricate, tangled motivations that he found it hard to say who was right and who was wrong.

“Mhm. Your performance satisfied me greatly. I hope to enlist your help to complete this sacrifice, uncover their objective, and neutralize their lingering scheme.”

Miss Valente said flatly:

“However, for a long-term partnership, I don't want you to feel as though I am leveraging Maya's safety to threaten you. That is why we held today's ritual—its purpose was to transfer Maya's condition to myself, making me the zero sacrifice for this cycle. Unfortunately, you interrupted it. Bru and his faction likely misunderstood, believing we were performing the final transformation ritual and wanting to sabotage it, which is why they egged you on to stop us. But it's fine; at most, we'll just prepare another ritual. And you, Mr. Levive, now know everything and no longer need to worry about the female reporter's safety. I sincerely ask you now: help us complete this sacrifice, and after I die, stop the conspiracy concocted by Bru and Grant. Er, of course, doing so before I die would be even better, though I fear time won't allow for it.”

So that was really it. Lynch's expression stiffened slightly, his eyes filled with mixed emotions as he asked, “Why replace her with yourself?”

“Is a reason really necessary?” Miss Valente lowered her head. After a moment of silence, she offered a reserved smile. “Didn't you think such a fate was unfair to the sacrifices? We in the Valente family aren't made of stone. We feel guilt too, and we know we carry sins on our backs. Among our family, I am neither the first nor the last to want to wash away those sins with my own life. Why would I need a reason beyond that?”

“It's not the same. Committing suicide out of guilt and offering yourself up in someone else's place—especially as the most crucial sacrifice—are two completely different things. Elder Nikolai's attitude made it clear that they opposed your decision as well. You didn't need to replace Maya with yourself just to appease me. Don't forget that I'm a detective. I can tell when an excuse is paper-thin. I want to hear the truth.”

“This is the responsibility of a member of the Valente family. Compared to a random innocent person, a descendant of the Valente family is far more obligated to bear this misfortune in the reporter's place.” Miss Valente sat up straight without hesitation. “And don't forget, I am a believer in Fiona, the Lord of Suffering. Sacrificing ourselves for the innocent is an honor.”

Lynch gave a noncommittal smile and let out a sigh. “Can we be honest with each other, Miss Valente? It's just you and me here. I won't repeat today's conversation to anyone. I want to know your real attitude—why you are making yourself the sacrifice. This will determine whether I accept your commission.”

Miss Valente lowered her eyes, falling into a long silence. Lynch didn't rush her, simply gazing quietly at her refined face.

Gradually, her rigid posture softened, and her body began to tremble slightly. Her teeth bit down hard on her lip—almost to the point of drawing blood—as her eyes slowly turned red and her breathing grew ragged.

“I just... can't accept it.”

“Hmm?” Lynch raised an eyebrow.

“I've never believed my family was wrong. It is the safest choice. But... no matter how noble the reason, buying peace with the lives and souls of my own kind is something I can never accept!” Miss Valente slammed her fist onto the dining table, her voice breaking into sobbed cries. “I have my duties—for my family, for Lande! The ritual of sacrifice must go on; I cannot bear the sin of awakening an evil god! But I hate that damned city! I hate that bastard of an evil god! I may only be a weak rank two soul manifestation soul severer, but at least I am human! I want to fight back in my own way! Before I die, I want to see with my own eyes what that damned city really is! Ideally, I want to blast that bastard god right in the face myself—then my death would be worth it!”

Pressing her fist tight against her mouth, Miss Valente broke into uncontrollable whimpers before she could even finish her sentence. The overwhelming guilt she had carried for so long suddenly burst through its dam, destroying any composure expected of a noble lady. She sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

“Phew. I understand.” Lynch didn't laugh. Instead, he gently patted Miss Valente's trembling hand. Leaning back against his chair, he pondered for a long time before speaking softly. “I once heard a story. One person and five people are tied to two separate tracks. You control the switch for the steam locomotive, choosing whether to run over the one person or the five people. Which would you choose?”

“Isn't that the exact situation we face now?” Miss Valente replied, her voice still choked with tears. “No matter how many times I had to choose, I could only ever choose the single person.”

“Mhm. As expected. But I'm different from you.”

“Hmm?” Miss Valente leaned forward, staring at Lynch's face. “You would choose the five people? Why?”

“No. Perhaps Grant and his people would choose the five. But as I see it, only children choose between bad options; adults take it all. I've decided to just blow up the train entirely. Wouldn't that solve everything?”

“Huh?” Miss Valente blinked her reddened eyes, staring blankly at Lynch. “How could that ever be possible?”

“If you don't try, how do you know it's impossible? To be honest, whether it's helping you complete the sacrifice or stopping Bru and Grant's next sabotage, I don't really care about either.” Ignoring the disappointment on Miss Valente's face, Lynch leaned forward across the table, whispering near her ear, “However, I'm glad to hear that you want to do that other thing. I'm very interested in that. What do you say—want to take a gamble with me?”

“Gamble... on what?”

“Blow that piece-of-shit train right off the tracks and beat him so hard even his main body won't recognize him?”

Miss Valente stared into Lynch's eyes. Her breathing gradually grew heavier, and a bright spark flared in her eyes.