The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: A Descent into Darkness, A Rule Where Exposure Increases Drastically

As I waited near the entrance of the torture chamber located underground, Celestia, who must have been thoroughly interrogated for information, came up the stairs.

Celestia, whose eyes met mine—an encounter that could not be ignored paused in place, her silver hair swaying.

After being brainwashed, there were some changes to her appearance.

Her glossy silver long hair remained unchanged, but her purple eyes lacked the highlights they once had, and her expression seemed more vacant compared to before.

The nun’s robe that had concealed her skin was now color-inverted, and for some reason, the skin around her chest and waist was exposed.

The deep slit running up the side of her leg was more shocking than a cheongsam, clearly screaming, ‘Sorry, I’ve fallen to the dark side’.

I was at a loss for what to say to her. When we were enemies, it was natural to address her without any honorifics, but now she was in the delicate position of being a puppet of the heretic cult and the eighth Executive.

Moreover, Celestia had killed hundreds of Heretics in the past and had tormented other cult Executives like Joanne.

While Aaros and the others, who were quite indifferent to such emotions, might have been one thing, the average Heretic seemed to be struggling to decide how to treat Celestia—and I was one of those Heretics who couldn’t decide on an attitude either.

(I could keep addressing her informally as before, but technically Celestia’s title is that of a superior to me. I kind of feel like using honorifics…)

An enemy Executive had suddenly been placed in a position as an Executive and superior within our own organization, making it even more difficult to interact with her than when we first met.

I didn’t want to believe she had truly fallen to darkness, and I felt like turning away and running.

“…Do you remember me, Celestia-sama?”

With that, I began speaking in my usual polite tone. Celestia awkwardly scratched her cheek.

It seems she still retains her memories from before the brainwashing, tormented by various recollections of our battle.

“Of course, Oakley. I have caused you a great deal of trouble, but… let’s work hard together as comrades of the temple order from now on.”

As comrades… The moment I heard those words, I was struck by an intense feeling of discomfort and dizziness.

Celestia is treated as the eighth heretical Executive because she possesses the power of an Executive, but in reality, she belongs to the rightful seventh rank of the Orthodox Executive.

I had always wanted to fight alongside Celestia and Saren.

However, I never wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them like this.

Suppressing the urge to shake myself back to ‘sanity’ and scream, I maintained a calm facade.

“I look forward to working with you, Celestia-sama… If you prefer formal language, I will continue in this manner…”

“Ufufu, you don’t have to be so formal. When we first met, you used to call me by my name without any honorifics, didn’t you? That must be more comfortable for you, right?”

Celestia smiled softly.

When her eyes, now devoid of their highlights, narrowed, the expression that appeared was no different from that of the Celestia I knew before.

During the original gameplay, when I entered Celestia’s route, the peaceful everyday life and memories we shared came back to me, filling me with a sense of nostalgia.

Celestia was the first heroine I ever captured in the game.

I still love all the canonical heroines, but there’s something special about my first heroine.

I reached out to touch Celestia’s face but stopped myself, clenching my fist so tightly that my nails almost dug into my palm.

My emotions are a mess. Where should I direct these feelings?

Seeing my state, Celestia, perhaps mistaking it for the fear left from battle, suggested, ‘Shall we go somewhere calming?’ and began walking through the streets of Metashim.

“The city of Metashim has really recovered, hasn’t it? There was a time when I wondered what would become of it…”

“It’s because the town is the holy land of the Aaros Temple Order. Aaros-sama has been working tirelessly for the town’s reconstruction and development.”

In the end, Celestia’s pseudo-marker operation was an impulsive act of unilateral decision-making.

The collapse of Daskell, caused by their failure to capture me, inflicted severe damage on Celestia’s mentality, rendering rational thought impossible.

The ‘transfer’ operation, hastily executed to fill the gap of failure, also ended in failure due to Aaros’s cunning strategy.

After all, the transfer range for anyone other than Joanne was at most a mere kilometer.

Even if she had managed to escape Aaros’s restraint, I couldn’t imagine evading the six heretic Executives present at the scene.

To launch an operation against a cult well-versed in the marker was, to put it bluntly, a poorly conceived plan.

And Celestia, in her agitation, was even unable to take her own life.

I think there was still a possibility of escape if she had transferred to her internal organs just before being devoured by Stella, but her judgment must have been stolen by the despair that filled her heart.

A multitude of factors accumulated, resulting in the Daskell surprise attack causing the worst possible damage imaginable.

Guided by Celestia, I climb the clock tower, the tallest structure in the town.

The building, which was once a symbolic presence in Metashim as well, seems to have survived the flames of that day’s battle.

The scenic hilltop, though cracked here and there, maintained enough strength that it would not collapse unless one went on a rampage on the outside.

“…It’s a strange sensation.”

Celestia murmured as she looked down upon the city that was crumbling and trying to regenerate.

The wind that caressed the nape of her neck lifted her silky hair into the air.

“Looking at this city, I feel a mix of sadness and despair… and an overwhelming joy that bubbles up.”

“It must be muddled with the memories from when you were with the Orthodoxy.”

“Yes, I understand. Even though I say I have no more attachment to the Orthodoxy, the passion I felt at that time seems unforgettable.”

Approaching the fence that encircled the edge of the high ground, Celestia surveyed the town, still scarred by the great calamity.

At the site that had been the garrison of the Orthodox soldiers—where Joanne had launched the preemptive strike—giant rocks still jutted out, and the rotten thorns and brambles remained unremoved, left as they were.

Closing my eyes, I could recall the tense atmosphere just before the outbreak of war.

The moment of high tension when Joanne lifted the rock, Pork wrapped it with poisonous thorns, and the poison-laden rock struck the garrison.

Those days when my heart was constantly on the verge of madness, pounding erratically.

Everything had changed beyond the point of regret.

I glanced sideways at Celestia. Her eyes, looking down upon Metashim, were still clouded. It didn’t seem like she was torn between heretical and orthodox beliefs but rather purely astonished by the difference between the emotions in her memories and her current sentiments.

“Oakley, do you know a girl named Marietta?”

“Yeah, sort of…”

Suddenly, a familiar name popped up, and I was taken aback.

“Marietta Valliere… the only girl who managed to escape from the city of Metashim with red eyes and brown hair. If you encounter Marietta, do not hesitate to end her life.”

“Ah…”

I was frozen by Celestia’s statement.

Why must Marietta be killed?

She is a kind-hearted girl who wouldn’t even harm a fly.

Since she was able to survive Metashim, shouldn’t we just leave her alone?

While I thought this, I couldn’t bring myself to speak up, and Celestia continued to weave her words indifferently.

“On the day she was the sole survivor of the Metashim collapse, she kept muttering ‘I’ll kill them…’ After we took care of her for a while, she seemed to regain her composure… But one night, I witnessed Marietta in front of the mirror, continuing to say ‘I’ll kill them..’ towards her own reflection.”

“That’s…”

“Her spirit, having survived hell, has reached its zenith… After speaking with Marietta for a bit, I understood that her resentment is quite profound. Eventually, she may climb to the seat of Kenneth Orthodox Executive and bare her fangs against us.”

Marietta, who survived in place of Alfie.

Indeed, she might have been a kind-hearted girl, but having experienced that hell, her state of mind has drastically changed—perhaps she has determined herself just like the original Alfie.

But, when she talked to me, she seemed like nothing more than an ordinary girl, right?

Could it be that she was skillfully disguising her true feelings?

(…No, think about it carefully. She’s about the age of a junior high school student. Back when I was that age, I was preoccupied with games and tests, not even contemplating ‘death.’ Imagine experiencing hell at that age… A normal person’s mental screws would be blown away.)

Having survived Metashim, she was left completely alone in the world.

She must have been cast down into the depths of despair, having lost family and friends.

Then, as if to deliver a final blow, five Heretics attacked her new town.

—It’s impossible to remain sane in such a situation.

She’s still not an adult, just a girl about the age of a junior high school student.

It’s understandable that her intense emotions, having come full circle from the brink of madness, have led her to a mental state where she can calmly observe the situation.

At that time, Marietta was speaking normally… which was also precisely why it was strange…

(If that’s the case, does it mean that Marietta fits into Alfie’s role… and the mantle of the world’s savior has been passed on? Considering the state of the world, it’s a welcome miscalculation for me, but when I think about the lives of Alfie and Marietta, it’s the worst. Neither Alfie nor Marietta should have to bear the burden of being the world’s savior. Shit, I can’t take this…)

Being called the world’s savior might sound good, but in reality, it’s a tragic hero who has to spit blood, shorten their lifespan, and continue killing people.

Because of their proficiency in healing magic, they can’t die easily, and filling one of the limited seven slots of the Executives comes with an enormous responsibility.

Living an ordinary life in a place unrelated to battle is a million times better.

Determination and madness are separated by a thin line. It’s far better not to make such a sorrowful determination.

“What’s truly terrifying is a human who was fully determined, Oakley.”

That’s something I’ve come to understand deeply through fighting with the Executives.

I fully understood the reason Celestia declared she had to kill Marietta.

After sorting through the rapidly changing situation and information, I descended the stairs of the clock tower in search of a drug to break Celestia’s brainwashing.

“Thank you, Celestia. I’ll take my leave now.”

As I said this, Celestia called out to me from behind with a slightly different tone.

“There’s one last thing I want to confirm…”

While holding down her silver hair that fluttered in the wind, she gave a smile that seemed to see right through to the depths of my eyes—

“At that time… you told me, didn’t you? That you were an ally of the Orthodox Church. That was, of course… a lie to deceive me… right…?”

The moment I blinked, Celestia’s figure had vanished.

There, only the wind that carried remnants of her lingered, blowing fiercely.