The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Firm Upbringing Policy

“Oakley-kun was a madman?”

Upon receiving the report from Juanquiro and Pork, Aaros tilted his head at the incomprehensibility of its contents.

After receiving a detailed report and grasping the situation, he finally settled down his previously raised hips.

“―His statements were nonsensical and beyond our comprehension. However, considering his actions up to this point, it seems his loyalty to Aaros-sama is genuine.”

“Oh, is that so? How great.”

Aaros seemed pleased, while Juanquiro and Pork had indescribable expressions on their faces, as they sought opinions on how to deal with Oakley.

“We can’t just talk about this. He attacked my corpse. Just because he’s a madman doesn’t mean we can let him off without any punishment, or it will cause discord.”

“Pork is right… Aaros-sama, how shall we deal with him?”

“Well, in addition to the good fortune of surviving the battle with the Executive, he has combat abilities above the average class. It would be a waste to just throw away such talent, wouldn’t it?”

“In that case, it seems we are looking at either a transfer or re-education…”

Aaros pondered. It was rare for a Believer to capture his interest to this extent.

He wondered how best to handle the situation.

Re-education crushes individuality and levels personalities… It’s a last resort.

This is just his intuition, but Oakley has a unique charm that cannot be put into words.

Rather than crushing his current personality and making him indistinguishable from the masses, it would be far more appealing to let him grow uncorrected with all his flaws and strengths, even if it leads to a more distorted Believer.

If it doesn’t work out, we can always reeducate him or have him ‘eaten’ by the fourth in the hierarchy.

If we’re going to impose a transfer as a disciplinary measure, I want it to be like a lion pushing its cub into a valley, hoping that the cub will climb back up from the harsh environment and transform into a full-fledged Believer.

With a clap of his hands, Aaros decided to prepare an environment where the excellent Believer, Oakley, could grow freely.

Of course, what’s ‘freely’ for him is undoubtedly hell for the ordinary person like Oakley… But the words of the cult leader are absolute.

“We’ll have him help with the aftermath and reconstruction of Metashim first. Once he’s ready, we’ll have him work at the ‘Northeast Branch.’ No re-education.”

“Th-The Northeast Branch?”

Upon hearing the words’ Northeast Branch’, Juanquiro and Pork begin to show signs of agitation.

“Oh, if you have any opinions, please speak up. I’ll take them into consideration.”

With that, Aaros gently inquired, trying not to intimidate the women.

He is very tolerant towards his direct subordinates, but both Pork and Juanquiro hesitate to speak up because they have a bad impression of the Northeast Branch.

Amidst this, Pork mustered the courage to advise the leader.

“The environment at the Northeast Branch is too harsh for him. Isn’t it too specialized there, with most Believers being crushed and having to undergo re-education?”

If the old castle and its surrounding area are to serve as the headquarters of the cult, then the Northeast Branch is situated in a cave in the far northern lands.

It is a harsh branch that is mainly in charge of guerrilla raids on Orthodox strongholds and towns and is an important branch that played a role in the shadows during the recent Battle of Metashim.

As can be inferred from this outline, the Northeast Branch is the most radical and severe branch within the cult.

The elements that make up the Northeast Branch include the frigid lands, the combative executives and branch leaders, and the believers who immerse themselves in constant battle—only strong young people or former soldiers from other countries can adapt to such an environment.

It’s fair to say that the Northeast Branch exists for bloodthirsty Believers to indulge in combat.

However, even the Believers of the Northeast Branch are not so formidable as to defeat the orthodox Executives.

They are only superior on an individual basis compared to other branches, and they are no match for the superhumans like the chosen seven, which is always the case.

Putting that aside, Aaros thought that it was precisely this extreme environment that could contribute to Oakley’s growth.

Only by overcoming the harsh winter and the battles to the death could one truly shed their skin and become a full-fledged Believer.

For the sake of strengthening and expanding the cult, it was crucial to nurture Believers like him.

Both Pork and Juanquiro understood his intentions well.

That’s why they opposed Aaros.

Pork, whose impression of Oakley was still not fixed, and even Juanquiro, who did not have a good impression of him, went so far as to try and prevent Oakley’s transfer to the northeast branch.

Indeed, the man named Oakley, who attracted the leader’s attention, was not to their liking, but it was also true that he seemed likely to become an important force.

Therefore, Juanquiro advised that a more careful nurturing policy should be taken.

“Aaros-sama, Pork is right. Indeed, there are those who grow by overcoming harsh environments, but it is not certain that he is one of them. Besides, Oakley-kun is already showing signs of mental instability… Why not wait until signs of improvement are seen before transferring him?”

“The one sent to the northeast branch should be sound in both mind and body.”

When Pork added to Juanquiro’s words, Aaros looked down dejectedly.

In terms of a majority vote, it was a defeat of one against two.

Facing opposition from his two subordinates, Aaros reconsidered his thoughts after some deliberation.

Disciplinary action against Oakley is certainly necessary. Otherwise, it would not set an example for the other Believers.

He must be sent far away as a punishment for ‘not being able to work under the guidance of Guru-sama.’

Moreover, the only place where he can expect to grow is the Northeast branch. The quality he most needs to develop is his combat ability.

However, it is too early to send him to a harsh environment, and he needs to be cared for mentally.

Having organized his thoughts, Aaros looked up.

“…Yes, that’s true. It was the right decision to keep Pork and Juanquiro by my side. Thank you for the good advice, both of you. I will postpone Oakley-kun’s transfer for a little while.”

Hearing those words, Juanquiro and Pork felt as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

The future of a young man filled with infinite possibilities must be carefully nurtured by the entire cult. It was good that no hasty decisions had been made.

That’s what they truly believed.

…

Even though I had managed to act like a madman, a mistake was still a mistake.

Attacking Steve, who was Pork’s property, could not go unpunished.

Although my punishment would be somewhat lighter, I thought that it would be appropriate to receive re-education that would destroy my personality.

That’s what I thought as I was about to say goodbye to my ego, but the punishment handed down was a ‘transfer.’

Moreover, they were willing to wait for my mental state to return to normal before transferring me.

So, for the time being, I ended up helping with the reconstruction efforts in the town of Metashim.

Believers who commit clear acts of betrayal and bring disadvantage to the cult are subjected to an interrogation followed by a ‘trip to the stomach’ disposal by Steela Belmont, the fourth-ranked Executive.

In other words, execution, or rather, just plain death penalty.

―Stella Belmont. A girl who holds the fourth rank in the Executive hierarchy, and personally, an Executive I’d rather avoid dealing with as much as, if not more than Joanne.

I remember her appearance being that of a gothic lolita with black drill hair, beautiful like a doll… but after all, being a Heretic and due to her aforementioned cannibalistic tendencies, she’s nothing but an object of fear.

Compared to the Executives of Kenneth Orthodox, those of the Aaros Temple Order seem to have a lot of individuals with twisted expressions of affection, or rather, perverted inclinations.

The female executives over there tend to be somewhat cute, but none are sane here.

Joanne will try to amputate limbs and keep you confined, Juanquiro is a body fluid fetishist who forces you to drink each other’s body fluids, Pork loves to force men into cross-dressing and then commit reverse r*pe, and the fourth-ranked Steela is into cannibalism… It’s a massive traffic jam of disgusting fetishes.

From the perspective of an Eroge, the heretical side would be a bargain sale of bizarre s*xual preferences.

As for Pork, she’s even been rated by the original fans as ‘the only woman in the Temple Order you can get off to in a real scene,’ but that aside, I think Joanne and Steela are just too extreme.

Especially during the actual scene with Stella, I remember the background being bright red throughout.

What’s terrifying is that since it’s being sold as a game, the writer probably had to hold back and omit some descriptions, too.

In other words, the cannibalism of Steela living in this world is not less insane than the original game.

As for the four Executives I’ve unfortunately had to deal with at the headquarters―Joanne, Juanquiro, Pork, and Aaros, there’s a certain inevitability to it, but it would be wise to think now about how to interact with the other Executives as well.

(At least I don’t want to get involved with Stella. I need to seriously try to avoid an encounter… If it can’t be helped, I’ll have to ingratiate myself just enough not to get her interest.)

Unfortunately, Stella is waiting for me at the Northeast branch, where I’m scheduled to transfer.

Of course, an Executive is a busy person—not always inside the branch headquarters, so encounters will probably be left up to luck…

(I’m just filled with anxiety. Joanne fell for me after just a few days… Maybe I have a constitution that attracts yandere girls… I’m seriously screwed if Stella falls for me… How am I supposed to escape from a cannibalistic woman who won’t die even if killed, a woman who won’t die even if her limbs are cut off?)

Ah, if only Joanne’s feelings for me were a misunderstanding.

I let out a sigh, along with what felt like the umpteenth regret.

Well, I can’t move forward if I keep regretting it. I do have a plan to use her to my advantage.

Like a host who sweet-talks and swindles money, I’ll suck up only the sweet benefits of being favored by the Executive.

Honestly, I don’t know if host tactics can be applied to Joanne, who’s like an inescapable bomb, and I even thought about how hosts sometimes get stabbed and make the news… But I’ve decided to do it.

There are hosts who don’t get stabbed, and I’ve decided to face my fate of death with all my might.

So I need to be strong. I have to do my best.

As I marched towards the Metashim region, I soon raised my head, wondering if it was about time to arrive.

From the road that overlooked the city back then, I once again looked down upon Alfie’s hometown.

The city of Metashim, fallen into the hands of the heretical cult, had completely transformed.

A dome-shaped barrier of thorns, created by Pork’s magic, extended for several kilometers around, and in addition, Aaros’s magic of perception inhibition was cast so that Orthodox Believers could not easily approach.

Ordinary people became unable to recognize the Metashim region, and even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to get close due to the poison of Pork’s thorns.

Even if the name remained on the map, for some reason, it would slip from people’s consciousness and be forgotten…

I paused for a moment at the sight of the toxic and bizarre scenery, but I quickly moved on and descended into the city of Metashim.

The tasks to be done in the city were the clearing of debris and the reconstruction of the town.

The heretical cult’s Executives were skilled at destroying things but bad at creating things.

Since it was impossible to rebuild the city due to the nature of the magic, this was something that had to rely on manpower.

“Ah, test, can you hear me, Oakley? It’s me, Pork.”

“I can hear you.”

While I was mindlessly clearing debris, a message from Pork came through via a corpse.

I was startled when the burned body suddenly began to speak in Pork’s voice, but I managed to feign calm.

“Once you’re done with that task, please patrol the surrounding area.”

“Patrol… what do you mean?”

“Just as it sounds. If you notice anything odd, like strange people or places, report immediately to a nearby corpse.”

Pork’s corpses were single-mindedly dismantling houses and carrying debris, working vigorously. Living Believers were also engaged in the work, but ironically, it seemed that the corpses were more actively involved.

“Why did you assign me to this task? If you commanded a corpse, you could easily grasp the situation around here at a glance.”

“You’ll be spending some time in the city of Metashim, so I want you to get a real feel for the geography around here.”

“I see, if that’s the case…”

After loading a large pile of rubble onto the truck bed, I began exploring the surroundings as Pork had instructed.

“…”

I return to the place where I fought with Steve.

I haven’t encountered that corpse again. I don’t know what happened to it.

Perhaps it’s charred beyond recognition, to the point where I can’t identify it.

And then, ahead of the path I wanted to take—

The house of Alfie, which had collapsed, once stood there.

(…found it. The original protagonist’s house… Alfie Judgment’s house…)

It was the home where he spent time with his family.

They weren’t wealthy, but it was a family overflowing with love…

Now, there’s nothing left to see.

I passed by his house without stopping. In fact, I didn’t even get close.

From about thirty meters away, I pretended to survey the scenery and let it enter my field of vision for a moment.

This town is a nest of Pork corpses. I should assume that all my actions and words are being watched.

It was under the floorboard of the house that Alfie managed to survive the massacre.

There, he continued to witness his parents being eaten alive by zombies, their internal organs consumed until death, tasting a despair unimaginable to the ordinary person.

From there, he managed to escape the town and somehow succeeded in making it back alive.

Could Alfie have survived?

From the roof of a building that remained unscathed, I stole a glance at the floorboard of Alfie’s house far in the distance.

(I can see it! It’s hard to tell because it’s damaged, but…)

It seems that when the house collapsed, the hatch to the basement was also destroyed, as there is no trace of it left to see.

There were also signs of wear, like someone had escaped through it.

This means that Alfie might have hidden in the basement to avoid the tragedy and survived.

(You’re alive, Alfie… Let’s both keep doing our best.)

Sending my cheers to him, wherever he might be in this world, I looked up at the sky, closed off by poisonous thorns.

It’s heartbreaking that I couldn’t alleviate his suffering, but the fact that he survived gives me a sense of courage.