The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: An executive-approved couple?

That night, I, who had been sitting shoulder to shoulder with Joanne just a moment ago, was haunted by a strange emotion swirling within me.

For just an instant, when her eyes returned to sanity, I found myself thinking Joanne was cute.

I was disappointed in myself for possibly having been tainted by the heretical thoughts, but more than that, I was almost captivated by Joanne’s straightforward and intense affection.

(Men are simple creatures.. .The moment they recognize that a girl likes them, they can’t help but unconditionally like her back, pitiful beings that they are…)

In my previous life, I would have been utterly repelled by the yandere traits, but when you live a life as a Heretic with death lurking around every corner, you become numb to various things.

The fear that Joanne instills in me has started to numb, and as a result, my body has adapted to become more sensitive to her affection.

Snap out of it, me. Be sure to keep your mind up.

…No, it might already be too late. My values have become more distorted than when I was in Japan, and I’ve lost the luxury of being concerned about my own well-being.

Being able to practice the philosophy of ‘better alive than dead’ might make me lean more towards madness.

(No, that can’t be right. I’m certainly prepared for what’s to come, but it’s not like my goals have drastically changed…)

My goals remain unchanged: ‘to survive’ and ‘to annihilate the Heretics.’

These have been my objectives since I realized this world is a spitting image of a game world.

I’m safe, I’m safe. There’s no doubt I’ve been poisoned, but I’m still within the realm of sanity.

I shook my head vigorously. Perhaps I should consider regularly questioning myself as a sanity check. Let’s consider it.

Glancing to my side, I suddenly realized Joanne was missing, which puzzled me.

Oh right, Joanne had temporarily returned to propose the fortification plan at the Executive meeting.

I had grown so accustomed to her constant presence that her absence felt strangely unsettling.

…It seems my sanity check is already on the verge of failure.

(Really, her appearance is… It’s troublesome how cute she is.)

With such thoughts weighing on my mind, I clenched my fist and struck myself.

This is bad. My mental state is being eroded at an alarming level. I need to destroy the Heretic quickly.

A zombie, startled by my bizarre behavior, jolted, but I tried my best to ignore it.

Returning to the topic at hand, it seems Joanne will come back to the Metashim region after reporting her plan at the Executive meeting.

It looks like Joanne has been assigned to monitor my mental checks, and she’ll be coming by for a while to see how I’m doing until my mind stabilizes.

Considering the transfer to the northeast branch and the issue with Pork’s zombies, she’s probably also serving as a surveillance agent.

Unfortunately, human experimentation will have to wait until her return. Though it’s possible that after she comes back, the experiments might involve multiple people, including other Executives.

While entertaining various thoughts, I slipped into the sleeping quarters meant for a living Heretic. Despite showing signs of fatigue, the others had faces brimming with motivation.

Aaros’s goal is to destroy the Orthodox Believers and take control of the Holy Nation Geluid.

The Believers who sympathize with this objective are excited, seeing the invasion of Metashim as the first step in the fall of Holy Nation Geluid.

They are unaware that they are being used as pawns.

“…”

I can’t help but think of Steve for a moment. In the end, he was just a puppet controlled by Pork, and by the time he met me, he was already dead.

I haven’t seen him during the reconstruction efforts in Metashim. Perhaps he was discarded after serving his purpose.

Well, having too many puppets would be a hassle for Pork, so the possibility is high.

I was only involved with Steve for a few days. We didn’t have many conversations during that time, but it felt like the first time I had ever really spoken to another human being.

Not all of his personality could have been shaped by Pork. Most likely, he truly thought there was something wrong with the Aaros Temple Order, and one day he probably tried to escape from their base and ended up dying in the process.

Outside the base, Pork’s thorns were installed and spread out to encircle the area.

If you tried to escape by going beyond the fence and off the path, the thorns hidden in the dim underbrush would inevitably pierce some part of your body.

Poisoned by these thorns, Steve’s body was overrun by a deadly toxin, which ultimately claimed his life.

At first, Steve’s body was in such pristine condition that it was hard to recognize it as a corpse.

Assuming he were to die without any external injuries or damage, the only plausible explanation would be slow poisoning.

I might have died unnoticed just like Steve. The difference between him and me is probably the knowledge of a previous life.

An ordinary Believer is not informed about the intricate details of the Executives’ magic, and naturally, they wouldn’t know where Pork’s thorns are placed.

It’s not hard for me to guess that there are many Believers who attempt to escape and end up zombified.

The same can be said for the reconstructed city of Metashim.

First of all, there’s no escape since it’s surrounded by outer walls on all sides.

In addition, the spaces other than the entrances are dominated by poisonous thorns like a spider’s web.

This makes it more of a prison than a holy land.

Well, no matter the religion, ‘holy lands’ hold significant meaning.

Originally, Metashim was Aaros’s hometown, and it is said to be the place where he performed the miracle of resurrection.

Undeniably, this place serves as a spiritual pillar for the Believers, and it’s understandable why they are motivated to work on its reconstruction.

…..

Several days passed without any contact from Pork or Joanne.

I occasionally sensed Pork’s corpse staring at me, but the quality of the gaze felt different from before.

(It’s as if I’m being guarded against more than before…)

When I casually spoke to a random zombie, a surprising response came back.

“Pork-sama.”

“…you, aren’t you actually a dangerous guy?”

“Yes?”

To be suddenly called a dangerous guy by another dangerous guy… Based on an objective assessment, Pork is way more dangerous than I am.

“I heard it from Joanne. To come up with such a plan… I think it’s quite clever, but it’s a bit… you know…”

“What is it? Please speak clearly.”

“Show me your ring finger… Wow, you really did exchange it.”

That’s when I realized what the dangerous talk was about.

It seems to be about the exchange of the ring finger and the plan for a mobile fortress.

Indeed, if one only looks at the facts, it would seem to be an extraordinary deviation from the norm. However, I think that the side that originally had us carry out the ‘marker’ is quite something too.

I mean, who thinks it’s normal to carry around a part of someone else’s body?

The zombie controlling Pork cautiously peered at my left hand and, with a shudder, covered its mouth with both hands.

Feeling somewhat annoyed by the reaction, I decided to offer a light rebuttal.

Exchanging the ring finger with Joanne-sama was just a simple whim.

I never expected it to fuse so perfectly.

“It’s strange to actually go through with it, though.”

“Instead of denouncing this act as strange, shouldn’t we focus on the practical benefits it has brought us?”

Thanks to this exchange, markers no longer spoil, so we don’t have to replace them all the time.

Plus, it inspired Joanne to come up with the mobile fortress plan, which I’m sure has been quite a beneficial discovery.

When I pointed this out, Pork seemed embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

“Well, I do understand. I think the mobile fortress plan is a pretty great idea.”

“Did you hear about it from Joanne-sama?”

“Yeah, all the Executives were gathered and told about it.”

All the Executives.

So that means Stella and the other Executives were also aware of Joanne’s plan.

Hearing more about the Executive meeting, it seems the guru Aaros was amazed and then extremely pleased. He said things like, ‘Wonderful. I would have never thought of that, Oakley-kun truly has a rare talent’.

He was full of praise, but I’m not too thrilled about it.

Additionally, the body fluid exchange fetishist Juanquiro clapped his hands saying, ‘So there was a method like this…’ and that crazy cannibalism girl—Stella seemed very intrigued as well.

Apparently, she could barely hide her excitement over the blood-and-flesh-drenched plan, and there were rumors that she was glaring at Joanne’s ring finger with bloodshot eyes.

I might have been targeted by a new yandere…

I’m still at the mercy of Juanquiro, who knows my weakness, and I might be demanded to engage in some intense body fluid exchange.

Or perhaps, I’ll end up being eaten at the northeast branch where Stella is.

Like, for real.

“Aaros-sama said he would consider it positively, but there’s also the matter of physical compatibility. He mentioned that he would observe how Oakley and Joanne interact before making any decisions.”

“I see, thank you very much.”

From the tone of this, it seems that the Oakley Mobile Fortress Plan has already begun.

The original story’s dive into the grand finale route was already in a dubious state, but with the conception of this secret strategy, it feels even more distant now.

…No, if it’s the protagonist Alfie, he’ll surely pull off something even more extraordinary.

That guy is seriously intense. Both his ideas and his courage.

“So Joanne and Oakley will be conducting many experiments from now on.”

As a new zombie approaches, I am handed a paper titled ‘Experiment List.’

Scanning through the mechanically written characters that seem to be in Aaros’s own handwriting—lo and behold, there it is, the Theseus-style Oakley-like experiments I had been planning to do all neatly itemized.

They were conducting bizarre experiments, such as severing body parts that wouldn’t result in instant death and immediately swapping them with Joanne’s body to see if any problems would arise—probably to determine the conditions under which the ownership of magic would transfer.

I suspect that the exchange of heads would be the critical factor, but I must ask to be excused from decapitation and swapping.

It would result in certain death, after all.

“Even so, your madness seems to be ineradicable. From what I’ve heard in Joanne’s reports, it appears to be getting worse.”

“Haha, I am always sane.”

“I don’t know about that. In any case, you’ll be re-trained at the Northeast Branch soon enough.”

“I understand.”

With that, the zombie’s movements froze.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, it seemed to collapse, but then it began to resume its ‘autopilot’ mode, helping with the city’s tasks.

The ability of Pork is truly convenient. If its true nature remains undiscovered, it could be considered one of the strongest.

While I pondered this as if it were someone else’s concern, I continued to immerse myself in my work until late into the night.

……..

It was on a certain day, about two weeks after I had begun working in the city of Metashim, that Joanne arrived wielding a blade about fifty centimeters in length and a pair of hedge shears.

—Accompanied by the infamous Executive.

Stella Belmont.