The Hunted Regressor: My Heretic Saint System-Chapter 102: Now What?

A Goddess unfamiliar with emotions beyond anger and possessiveness, and a Runebearer who was too practical... Or rather, a Runebearer who was too emotionally restricted to have thoughts that wandered beyond the expected, made for quite a comedic duo.

Though it sure as Hell didn’t feel like comedy for the two of them.

Anyhow, with her safety confirmed, Ignotus entered the local Parish.

Once he passed the reception, a clerk behind the counter froze the instant she saw him.

It was the same woman as before, the one who’d witnessed him slap a Hierophant for seemingly no reason at all.

Her hands trembled as she tried to look professional.

"Y-You..."

"Hey there."

Ignotus approached cheerfully.

"Sorry about last time. I wasn’t planning to traumatize you, and oh, did you go to that Hierophant’s funeral? The poor man was mauled to death by some dogs before my eyes."

He looked down solemnly.

"Ah... he defended us till his last breath. How brave he was."

She blinked rapidly, trying her best to ignore every word that he said.

"What... what do you want this time?"

He leaned casually on the counter.

"I’m here to establish a House."

Her brow furrowed.

"You can’t just—you need documentation, authorization, and verification from the—"

Before she could finish, Ignotus slammed the sealed slip onto the counter, the wax cracking audibly.

"A guarantee for the land and manor from my father. Go ahead."

She froze for a few moments before slowly unsealing it to read its contents.

After a bit of time had passed, she looked back up, all confused.

"Um... it checks out. But—I thought your father abandoned you?"

Ignotus chuckled, finding it funny just how unprofessional she was being right now, and, rather, where did her fear go? Was the power of gossip that strong?

"He did, but he’s not very emotional."

She blinked.

"That’s... not very familial."

His father didn’t care whether or not he was his son; he only cared for results, and since Ignotus brought that, he was more than willing to indulge him.

"I didn’t ask for familial."

The woman hesitated before nodding.

"Alright then... Which God?"

His grin widened.

"House Eris."

As did her eyes.

"...of Calamity? Are you insane? No, you are insane!"

Eris giggled in his head.

’See? That’s the normal reaction.’

Ignotus laughed at both the clerk’s and Eris’s reactions.

"Thanks for the compliment. Now go do your job."

She gulped, nodded, and quickly collected her tools.

Just as she turned, he stopped her again.

"Oh, actually, before you go, I’d like to officially become an Acolyte."

This time, she didn’t seem all that surprised, perhaps because she had heard about his abilities in the Colosseum Trial or perhaps even had witnessed it herself.

"From Disciple to Acolyte."

Either way, she would "do her job."

"Alright."

Retrieving the same Divine Relic as last time, which was a stamp shaped like a clock face with no hands and a single green root winding from its center toward the first hour mark, she took his outstretched hand and pushed it down beneath the lamp.

Hovering the Divine Relic above it, that single root split into three, extending toward the third hour mark before she quickly pressed it into the back of his hand.

A faint pulse of golden light flared and sank into his skin, leaving three glowing roots that dimmed in seconds before completely sinking in and disappearing. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Ignotus flexed his hand.

Now, he was officially an Acolyte.

And soon, he’d be the head of a House.

Legally, he would no longer be of House Plant.

"You are now an Acolyte of Calamity."

The clerk revealed four fingers while reading from a massive book on her desk.

"Only four are under Goddess Eris, making you quite a small House, yet I don’t recommend you search for them. The first of those four is a low-class crook hiding from Death."

Indeed, and this "low-class crook" was dead.

Though Ignotus didn’t reveal much about how he knew him, it was obvious that he had heard of the man in his past life. At least his Rune, and he’d remembered him the moment he heard his name.

"The second is off the grid as well, likely working in underground channels."

Hm... perhaps he was the one who sent those assassins.

"The third is completely unknown, and the fourth works directly under House Death. He is the only one I can recommend you visit; his reputation seems ideal."

Ignotus didn’t know about the third either, but he sure did know about the fourth... unlike the others that likely died with the Third Stratum’s fall, that man grew in renown in the Second Stratum, one of Death’s strongest hounds.

And now, he knew him to be extremely dangerous from her words alone.

If someone did the insane things he did and was known to have an "ideal" reputation, then damnation, Ignotus was never to let his guard down!

’Be careful of those two; we can’t kill them yet.’

And Eris seemed to agree.

Ignotus liked how She always said ’we’ in situations like this, ensuring that he never felt alone.

’I will, and thanks.’

Though She didn’t know what he was thanking Her for, She didn’t continue the conversation, allowing Ignotus to get this over with.

Ting!

That was the sound of him flinging over a bronze coin.

"I appreciate the info; this is for your trouble."

Deadpan, the clerk stared at the bronze coin.

’Hehehe~ahaha!’

Eris would’ve palmed Her forehead if She wasn’t so busy laughing.

Clerks in the Parish were paid very well, so this was the equivalent of giving a Great House Lord stale bread and thinking they’d be grateful.

Ignoring it, the clerk cleared her throat and donned her professional demeanor once more.

"Well then, Acolyte Ignotus, son of Genus, of House Calamity, we will proceed with the paperwork now. Once we receive word of your land and manor, we shall send over an officer with a sealed slip announcing the process completion."

With that, she turned and left.

"Hey, you forgot your tip!"

Ignotus called out to her, but she only quickened her pace.

’Hm, maybe tipping is considered dishonorable here?’

He glanced at the bronze coin.

’Well, if she isn’t going to take it...’

Quickly swiping it off the counter, he put it back in his inventory and walked away.

’Ahahahahahaha!’

Meanwhile, Eris was having the time of Her life, cackling while turning back and forth on the couch.

Ignotus, of course, knew that the bronze coin was nothing to that clerk, but seeing Eris enjoy his comedy act so much made him want to prolong it a little; he enjoyed seeing Her so happy.

Anyhow, he stepped back into the street.

The sky above was darkening, painted orange and violet.

He looked up at it for a while, his hands behind his back.

’Alright... done with that, but...’

A beat passed.

’Now what?’