Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

"How are the perimeters?" I quietly asked Verina.

"It is clear." Her eyes were still darting at the black-haired maid knight. "Looking at the flow of psychic presence, the Ordeal seems to be planning to hibernate for an hour or two," Verina concisely reported.

"Finally, a well-timed rest as a reward!" Lupina exclaimed.

"Pfft, you didn't even do anything," Kuzunoha quipped.

As the two Sisters of Aegis paused to survey our bastion, Theresa's gaze lingered on the various crosses and other symbols I'd hurriedly crafted earlier.

Her face lit up with delight. "Such a holy and devout stronghold you've built here!" She exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. "To think, in the darkest heart of Carcosa, we'd find such dedication to the sanctified symbols."

Verina snorted softly beside me, hiding her amusement. I raised an eyebrow, turning to Theresa with her signature deadpan. "And here I was wondering if you'd go full Inquisition on us, given the sudden appearance of so many… holy artifacts."

"You took the words out of me, Verina," I wryly chuckled. "I thought that we will have to arm our weapon again in case that this leads to a misunderstanding."

Theresa laughed, her armor jingling with the motion. "No, no, Lady Narcissus! These symbols are not foreign to us, nor malicious. I can sense that they were made with pure intentions—a deep desire for survival, which in itself is a true testament to the Will of Humanity."

"The Will of Humanity?" I repeated the phrase both familiar and foreign, but most definitely on the foreign side as the info dumps I got had nothing to do with how the Anthropocentric Order was related to it.

Per usual, I darted my eyes toward my reliable secretary, hinting for her help for my current predicament.

A certain smirk crept onto Kuzunoha's face as she stepped forward, clearly relishing the opportunity to dive into a lengthy explanation.

"Ah, the Will of Humanity, it seems that I haven't taught this to my beloved fae leader yet~," she began, the words rolling off her tongue with ease, as if they were a lecture she'd delivered a hundred times. "It is the religion or belief that is zealously preached and performed everyday by the devouts of the Anthropocentric Order—an eccentric belief, one could say~

"Imagine a faith, or rather, a collective, run not by any god or supreme figure but solely by humanity." Kuzunoha eyed the two knights who were attentively listening to her explanation "The object of devotion here isn't some deity, nor is it abstract in the way you might think of traditional religions. No, it's both paradoxically concrete and ethereal:

"Humanity's own essence, its spirit, as if every act of hope and faith is building some invisible engine driving it forward~"

Lubaris folded her arms and listened, her eyes narrowing with intrigue. "Quite the insight, Dame Kuzunoha," she murmured, her voice almost reverent.

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Kuzunoha's smirk widened, clearly enjoying herself. "Unlike any religion with comprehensive pantheon or figure or worship, the Will of Humanity thrives on the actions and beliefs of each individual human—a self-fulfilling religion, if you want to call it.

"No gods, no saints preside over it, no idols or avatars to fear or exalt. Instead, it's a collective faith, one that humans have nurtured, expanded, and unknowingly kept alive, even while barely understanding it!

"This isn't just some fantasy, though; it's the literal wellspring from which their so-called holy power emerges." Kuzunoha remarked on the holy power that we witnessed being used by Theresa back then. "It is a miracle brought by a miracle that is the miraculous unknown gears churning that are unknown to their very own believers~

"It is a religion made by humanity, powered by humanity, and utilized for the betterment of humanity~"

"Indeed," Theresa added, her expression growing solemn. "To follow the Will of Humanity is to trust in humanity's own power to overcome—to protect each other, to preserve language, and to carry forward the legacy of every human who has lived before. It's about the faith we have in ourselves."

Kuzunoha gave an exaggerated bow, her voice filled with a mock-serious tone. "A marvel, truly—it is the purest, most oxymoronic design I've ever seen~! A religion that is, paradoxically, both faithless and faith-driven, with its holy power flowing from the exact individuals it benefits. Quite a charming idea, I must say, to make belief in humanity itself into a religion."

Theresa didn't miss a beat, smiling warmly in response. "Your words honor us more than you know. Few outside our ranks would take such time to understand it, let alone articulate it so… precisely." Her gaze was as steady as her voice, carrying not even a hint of offense.

Even though—Kuzunoha was outright hostile to them despite no notable offense that was brought by the belief that they were carrying.

Still, a faithless and faith-driven religion powered by humanity, that allowed its followers to utilize something akin to a holy power.

Kuzunoha was right, this whole religion was definitely paradoxical to some extent.

I allowed myself a grin while trying to harness all of the information given to me. "I'm impressed," I said to Kuzunoha. "Didn't know you were a budding theologian."

Kuzunoha shrugged, her smirk deepening. "Just a bit of knowledge I picked up from a certain acquaintance, one who happened to have a particular zeal for matters of theology and philosophy." Her gaze of mockery was on the pair of Sisters of Aegis once again. "They had quite the way with words, and I happened to have quite the patience."

Lubaris tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Fascinating. One might almost think you were a former scholar of the Order, Kuzunoha. Few outside the Anthropocentric ranks understand our ways quite so well.

"Especially for one whose head was so dense and exultant such as you," the maid knight said while maintaining her smile. "It is a miracle in itself for you to even be willing to listen to the slightest sermon, let alone understanding the theology of our faith."

Kuzunoha laughed lightly, eyes glinting. "Let's just say I'm well-read. I prefer knowledge for knowledge's sake. That way, I can make use of it in whichever way I choose." Her smirk turned pointed, as if daring Lubaris to dig deeper. "Unlike a stuck-up individual who compromised their existence into a single faith."

Theresa, ever unshaken by the hostility at play, nodded approvingly. "That wisdom of yours has a divine spark, I believe! Anyone who seeks understanding is walking a holy path, even if they do so in their own, unconventional way."

"Oh, I do enjoy divine praise, Dame Theresa," Kuzunoha said, voice smooth as silk. "Though I'm sure the divine would also approve of a bit of healthy irreverence, now and again."

Theresa's eyes sparkled with amusement, her gentle nature unyielding. "Mayhaps, though we can disagree on which god would approve of irreverence, dear Kuzunoha."

With the context that the Anthropocentric Order were keen enough to hold an inquisition to any legends or myths where there were gods within it, their banter makes quite a lot of sense.

But I wonder why the Anthropocentric Order were so against the existence of gods or divine beings?

"I think your humble advisor is trying to make our benefactor into our enemy," Lupina wryly chuckled to me and Verina. "As the head of counsel, I firmly believe that our political stance with the Anthropocentric Order will go awry."

I couldn't help but let out a hearty laughter. "Don't worry, we won't be an enemy of humanity anywhere in the future."

I noticed that despite their hostile banters, their favorability with one another didn't change much.

In fact, Theresa' favorability for Kuzunoha was smoothly rising for some reason.

Yep, we won't be the enemy of the Anthropocentric Order anytime soon.

Likewise, their further exchange was a mixture of veiled barbs and mutual respect, Kuzunoha's sharp wit meeting Theresa's unfaltering kindness and Lubaris' obvious disdain toward our friendly neighbor fox lady.

Just as I thought the conversation was winding down, Theresa's eyes drifted to one of the crosses I'd made—a particularly large one fashioned from bone and adorned with intricate carvings of passages from the Christian bible back in my world.

She clasped her hands together in something like reverence. "Lady Narcissus," she said earnestly, "Might I have one of these finely crafted holy crosses? This one is especially fine!

"It would be a token of both your goodwill and strength, a reminder of our alliance here. I would cherish it, and I promise I'll repay this goodwill tenfold!"

Without a second thought, I smiled and nodded, lifting the cross from where it hung and offering it to her. After all, who wouldn't want the goodwill of the perfect incarnation of a holy paladin? One that could easily smite evil and banish reality-bending monsters back to where they belong~!

Theresa's face lit up as she accepted it, her reverence for the object both touching and amusing.

"Out of curiosity, though," I asked, "Is it fine for the devotee of the Anthropocentric Order to take a holy object made from a different faith? One that is made from the bone of an animal, at that."

Theresa shook her head, holding the cross with both hands. "Not at all! A cross holds unique significance in the Order. It is a symbol of sacrifice, resilience, and the everlasting strength of human spirit. And whether it is carved from bone, wood, or metal, its meaning remains unaltered! The source and intention of its creation matters little as long as it was created with reverence and hope!"

I raised an eyebrow, amused by the spirited optimism that this tall knight exuded. "May I know why you fancied that cross in particular?"

She ran a gloved hand over the textured surface, a soft smile crossing her lips. "It is… tactile. I enjoy the look and feel of it—a reminder that there is strength in all of creation, even in what is supposed to have already returned to nature."

The way she held it, carefully and with profound respect, made me realize that perhaps, these two were indeed as deeply devout as they claimed.

As unusual as they were, the Sisters of Aegis brought something into the bastion that I hadn't anticipated—a lightness and optimism that, amidst the constant struggle for survival, was oddly refreshing.

"Well then, I expect to see that bone cross tenfold repaid," I said with a grin. "In any form that suits your Order's fancy."

Theresa gave a delighted laugh, holding the cross close. "Lady Narcissus, with all the faith that this cross represents, I assure you, that promise will be fulfilled."

Meanwhile, in the background, Kuzunoha and Lubaris were still fighting one another with words—Verina could be seen cheering for her arcane teacher to win, while the surrounding bastioneers keenly wondered what was actually happening in this bastion.