Kevin wanted to close his eyes and knock himself out. He thinks if he will die here, he would like it to happen while he has no consciousness. At least that way he will have no idea of pain and whatever torture he will be in in the name of whatever scared ritual they are doing.
Obviously the king of this place does not want him to not watch the ritual. The not-young girl motioned the nearest guard to him to make sure he sees everything in the best view below her throne. Kevin does not understand the words, but he damned knows that the other was amused by his reaction.
His jaw was held by the rough hand of the guard, head held in place as it was angled on the big fire in the center of the hall. With no choice, he watches the priest and their cronies chant and perform some sort of dance just before the flame. If he wasn't in pain with the hand on his jaw and the uncomfortable position of his neck, perhaps he will see the beauty of the whole thing.
The chants were plain in his ears, but with the religious group doing it all at the same time, it was beautiful as any carefully arranged music with accompaniment. The dance(?) were also fascinating to watch. The rhythmatic clanging of their accessories and their feet on the ground provided a sense of solemnity. Not to mention their moves were complex and at the same time simple. He cannot fully express what exotic beauty the whole ritual has.
Idly as he was relaxing his muscles to press less pressure on his neck, he remembered some random things he overheard from the history enthusiast in their class back then. In every ritual or at least most rituals of ancient times begins in all sorts of worship. It was characterized with praises in their chants and songs, at some religions it might even involve some dubious practices such as being dead drunk and large scale orgies.
It was a random memory that came to mind. But the disturbing thing about it was that it was almost impossible for a ritual not to shed some blood for their gods or deity. Ideally from what he heard, it was often children or virgin girls as sacrifices. But he does not fit in any of those categories.
He is a damned man. And he is not a virgin now. Therefore he is not the best choice for a sacrifice here.
"Hey system." Kevin addressed. "Is it possible that it was because of my presence here that this kingdom went bye bye?"
[Impossible]
[Although this is the past, it does not really affect the real situation when it still existed]
[Why did you ask?]
"Well if this ritual here is dedicated to the gods this king here is related to, me being sacrificed for them might be the reason why the whole kingdom died down." Kevin simply said as he was relaxed that it has no effect on the real past. "You've read things about humans right? I remembered that for most rituals they require living sacrifices under strict rules, such as a child of a specific age or of this one place. I think I don't fulfill most of the criteria for qualified sacrifice as we speak. Therefore a legit reason for the patron deity of this place to get angry at the unsatisfactory sacrifice and forever erasing everything about here to be forgotten in history"
[You have a point]
[First of all you're not a female. Males are usually no sacrifice under no special condition]
[Second even if the special condition was fulfilled, you soul is not to be own by any creature of the game worlds]
"What do you mean they cannot own my soul?" Kevin quickly reacted to his system's words. "If I die here you get to have my soul then if it doesn't get utilized by whatever intent it was supposed to be used?"
[...]
[You don't have enough authority to know this now.]
Kevin was silent about the answer of his system and did not ask for more. Though it did answer most of his curiosity about the gameworlds he was pondering about after he began to internalize his new routines. Theories after theories came to mind, but in the end he voiced none of them. Thinking that in the future he will know everything he wants to know.
In the quick exchange Kevin and his system has, Kevin did not notice the eyes of the not-young girl on him the whole time. Her eyes were trained on him as her lips were upturned. Once in a while, she calls the nearest servant to order them to do something.
All of her actions were subtle. And when Kevin finally placed his mind on what the girl behind him was doing, the whole performance below came to a halt. Solemn silence shrouded the whole palace that if a pin were to fall into the ground would echo the walls.
At the same time, Kevin was finally released from the brute hands that held him. The first thing he did was to lighty massage his neck. It hurts like hell and he wanted to elevate the pain in the not so reliable way he knew.
The king then opened her mouth and said a series of words which Kevin lightly understood as he often heard it in his imprisonment. If he comprehended it well, it was related to him as she mentioned his address to him. As for the specific understanding of everything that was said, he does not have any idea of what it was.
The crowd cheered at his words and the flame even reacted to her words. Next thing he knew that he was hauled to the center of the hall. Instinctively he struggled to get away. But strangely he cannot do what he wants. It was similar to the moments Kathrine have sex with him whenever he does not want to cooperate with her.
At the center of the hall he was laid straight. He cannot move his body other than his head and neck. Moving the needed great efforts from him too. But he wanted to see what this is all about and he is already thankful to at least see what is happening. Quite contrary to what he claimed to not want to see or experience if he dies.
The priest came to him and chanted some words that had made him dizzy yet strangely rational. Then there were girls who he had not seen before being brought over next to the priest. They were numb looking and soulless in his opinion. Like puppets they kneeled on the side like this is the whole purpose of their existence.
The religious cronies took out ceremonial daggers from the small altar Kevin just noticed before the fire. It was small and delicately made from what he saw in his weird state. Absent-mindedly he even thought it was pretty with all the precious gems embedded in their hilt.
If he was in his normal state, he might have started screaming and panicking at the next things that happened. Sadly he was not and he was like a bystander who was only a spectator of the bloody scenes that were happening.
The girls willingly bear their nexts to the religious men as the cold metals of the daggers drew blood from them. From the close up view Kevin had, the girls did not die immediately and were even assisting the whole process by pressing themselves on the weapon. One by one they fell on the floor where their blood was pooling.
The fire that was brightly burning at this time finally did something other than being there. It expanded until it shrouded the whole hall. Strangely it only burned the bodies of the bleeding girls.
The ashes produced by the bodies then condensed into a blood red ruby that flew to the hands of the not-young king. With a bright smile she stepped down from her throne as she walked to the blood stained floor that circled Kevin. Everyone is moving to make way for her and going silent as they watch her every move.
When she was already upon him, Kevin suddenly sees the snake from before unto the king's arms. It was staring at him aloofly. And when the girl reaches out her hand to his neck, the snake bit him squarely.