The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Angel’s Heart

On the night of the full moon, Stella Belmont was sitting by the window, biting her nails.

Crunch- crunch- crunch- The sound dominated the room, like a rodent gnawing on seeds of grain.

In her line of sight, a man and a woman—Oakley Mercury and Joanne Sagamix were sitting close together on a bench, looking very intimate.

“Joanne-sama, it’s hard to move when you’re this close.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s not a ‘hmm’ matter.”

Crunch- crunch- crunch-

Every time Joanne touched him, Oakley clutched at the center of his chest as if in pain.

In an atmosphere where it seemed the distance between them would shrink to zero if she looked away, Stella did not miss Oakley’s suspicious behavior.

―Snap.

(…Joanne, what have you done to Oakley’s body?… He’s acting strange… You’ve definitely done something…)

After biting off her little finger, Stella twitched her small nose, picking up on a faint scent imperceptible to ordinary people.

The unmistakable aroma became clear with concentration, a scent that could not be fully concealed.

It was hidden beneath the smell of Celestia’s exposed body, a scent she had failed to notice before.

Truly, something outrageous had been done.

(…After the Daskell incident, Oakley remained unconscious for several days… During that time, his body was in the torture chamber… It would have been possible to exchange his organs at any moment of inattention…)

The scent of Oakley inside Joanne that she feels.

The scent of Joanne inside Oakley that she feels.

—They’re doing it.

Probably an important organ exchange—more specifically, a heart transplant.

It’s a rich aroma that wouldn’t make sense with a mere exchange of fingers.

Oakley might not realize it, but it’s definitely happening. The reason he often feels discomfort in his chest is because of that.

(…Not content with a ring finger, she has moved on to a heart transplant… What a deplorable woman…)

While inwardly scorning, Stella was nearly driven mad with jealousy.

Oakley Mercury is not yet ripe.

He is still green. But soon, he will ripen to a bright red.

She had intended to observe him patiently until then―

An uncontrollable irritation piles up against Joanne, who has tainted the unripe fruit through an exchange of flesh.

“…sigh”

Stella’s sky-blue eyes take on a flame of indignation.

It is slightly too early to ‘harvest’ him. Joanne does not understand that.

It is only a little later that it will be alright to consume him.

Isn’t it after learning healing magic so that he can be harvested over and over again?

Until she became an Executive of the Aaros Temple Order, interfering with his body and remaking its composition was absolutely impermissible by her aesthetics.

(…No good, I must be patient… still, more, I have to wait for him to ripen to a bright red… Joanne is getting in the way too much…)

Observation. Patience. Preparation for the release of pleasure.

I really want to reach out, but this love that can only be satisfied by eating is too heavy for Oakley right now.

It’s wonderful that it can only be eaten once, but I’m greedy and want to eat him over and over again.

However, once he becomes an Executive, it will be perfectly fine to bite into that nape as many times as I want, so much so that my body trembles with anticipation.

The time to harvest is when Oakley is ripe enough to withstand even Stella’s full-force love without his life wavering.

That’s what I thought as I continued to watch over Oakley, but then someone who would spoil the fun appeared.

No, more accurately, she was already there, so perhaps it’s more fitting to call her a parasite.

(…That damn Joanne, that psychopath… And Oakley too, what’s so good about that woman?)

Targeted by a lower-ranking Executive named Joanne, the fruit Oakley was almost withered to the brink.

(…It’s clearer than fire that Stella is the better woman… I wonder, is it ultimately all about breast size for men?)

Stella looked down at her gothic lolita outfit, dominated by black.

Even if heaven and earth were turned upside down, the girl’s chest was very modest, nowhere near the size that could compete with Joanne’s bombs.

For the first time in her life, Stella found herself concerned about the size of her breasts, tormented by an indescribable sense of defeat and irritation. Such unnecessary thoughts only served to further aggravate her annoyance.

(…If Oakley continues to be manipulated by Joanne, he will surely break… I must stop Joanne before that happens, or my enjoyment will be taken away too… I have to pry Oakley away from Joanne)

Stella had high hopes for Oakley.

What kind of ideas would he come up with after the mobile fortress plan?

Perhaps he would come up with an even more incredible plan that would torment the Orthodox Church.

Only a truly genuine person like him could pursue such a wicked and utterly villainous path of domination.

(…Hurry up and climb up… and then, let me indulge in the all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-harvest dream)

Stella had a certain fondness for Oakley.

She wanted to devour him just as he was.

But taking advantage of someone when they are vulnerable is not something a lady should do.

Remaking his body or spirit is utterly out of the question.

It is only when one harvests at the most delectable moment that one truly becomes a lady.

Oakley, suspecting something amiss with his own health, clutched at his chest and dodged Joanne’s invitation, moving away into the distance.

Seizing the opportunity, Stella approached Joanne.

“…Joanne, I have something to discuss.”

“What is it? I’m not in the best of moods since this guy keeps slipping away from me.”

Despite her words, Joanne was the picture of composure.

She placed her hand over her chest on top of her dress shirt, caressing it as if she were admiring the body that carried her own child.

Seeing this gesture, Stella became certain about the heart transplant matter.

Struggling to keep her tone from becoming harsh, Stella took a seat where Oakley had been sitting.

“…Joanne, put Oakley’s heart back where it belongs.”

She got straight to the point.

Joanne revealed a sinister smile as if to say, ‘So you knew’, but it was clear she had no intention of listening to Stella.

While gazing at the dazzling full moon, Stella wove her words, attempting to draw Joanne into a dialogue.

“…Joanne, you might have developed a taste for body swapping from your previous experiments, but this frivolous organ exchange is putting a strain on his body and mind… Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed Oakley frequently clutching his chest.”

Joanne smiled, a knowing smile that seemed to say even his suffering was somehow adorable.

“…The short-term experiment was a success, but the long-term effects of body swapping are still an unknown… Give it back to him right now.”

The heart, the most delicate part, should be nurtured within its owner’s body.

Hiding her true intentions, Stella lined up plausible words.

What Stella was attempting was quite mad, but in this situation, she had the upper hand, maintaining appearances.

Oakley is a Believer said to be an Executive candidate, but after all, he is just currently an ordinary Believer who is merely a candidate for Executive.

Unlike an Executive who can be resurrected from mere pieces of flesh, his bodily tissues are extremely precious and unique.

If lost, they will never regrow, and if his heart is destroyed, he will die without waiting for healing.

If Oakley’s heart is destroyed along with Joanne’s body, Oakley’s heart will never return.

Joanne, for her own survival, must retrieve her heart from Oakley, and Oakley, having lost the blood-pumping heart, will fail to circulate blood throughout his body and will die.

It was unbearable to think that his heart was inside Joanne, but what worried her even more was the risk of having his heart inside an Executive who would engage in a lot numbers of battles.

Stella spoke her reasons calmly, but they seemed to have no effect on the rampaging Joanne.

Stella felt indignant inside, wondering why she was being so stubborn, but she knew that a person’s predispositions are not so easily changed.

….

Unbeknownst to them, a memory transfer was occurring within Oakley’s body due to Joanne.

Memory transfer is a phenomenon where parts of the organ donor’s memories are transferred to the recipient during an organ transplant.

In other words, fragments of Joanne’s tastes, inclinations, personality, and her sense of belonging to the Aaros Temple Order were beginning to transfer to Oakley.

The changes in his feelings towards Joanne and the slight wavering of his determination to exterminate the Heretics could be considered side effects of the heart transplant.

Of course, this was something not even Joanne had anticipated—but as a result of the deeply ingrained memories of the Heretic Joanne taking root in Oakley’s subconscious, his already complex and multifaceted mental state was beginning to fracture even further.

A personality determined to surpass despair and try to eradicate the Heretics who were bringing calamity to this nation.

The personality that rejects Joanne.

The personality that is beginning to be attracted to Joanne.

The personality that wants to be an ally of the Orthodox Believer.

The personality that unconsciously tries to become an exemplary Heretic.

―From an outsider’s perspective, no matter how you look at it, his inner state, which seemed like a dual personality, began to show further distortion following this heart transplant.

Oakley’s psyche had already deviated from a simple structure that could be corrected by pointing it out, and the boundary between sanity and madness had become blurred.

What pierced through his core was the fierce determination he had made on the day of the Metashim collapse.

Only the afterglow of that determination was driving him, but because it had fused with Joanne’s wicked memories, it was uncertain when the sanity within him would run out of batteries.

…….

“The woman trying to eat Oakley sure talks big.”

“…Our mission is to serve Aaros-sama… Refrain from toying with capable Believers more than necessary, Joanne.”

It’s one’s own prerogative to get lost in love, but one must not forget their mission as a Believer of the Aaros Temple Order.

For Stella, consuming Oakley’s body is merely a bonus granted on the side of accomplishing her mission.

What is central to her is the fulfillment of Guru Aaros’s cherished wish.

However, there was an aspect of Joanne that couldn’t help but seem too crazed with love. She was too infatuated with Oakley.

Coerced by Stella’s words, Joanne waved her hand with an extremely reluctant expression.

“Got it, got it, I’ll restore him heart to its original state eventually.”

“…set a specific date and time… by when will you do it?”

“Ah, It’s on―….?”

――The phenomenon of ‘memory transfer’ is mentioned earlier as an example.

Naturally, this should also occur in Joanne, who had her heart exchanged――

At this moment, while talking with Stella, a change occurred in Joanne’s heart.

(Hmm…? What’s this―a warm sensation is flowing into my chest――?)

Joanne gently embraced the new emotion that began to throb within her, holding it tight and melting it into her heart as it was.

With an innocent girl’s smile on her face, Joanne felt a strange fondness for the impulse that should contradict her mission as a Heretic.

(What is this feeling? What is this…?)

The madness of Oakley’s mind, mingling with hers, was shaping a new facet within Joanne.

“…”

“…Wait… I just want to hear an answer.”

“I’ve decided to quit it, after all. I prefer to stay just as I am.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m going to sleep. That’s it.”

“…Wait a minute―”

Stella tried to stop Joanne, but the moment she saw her profile, she was at a loss for words.

“…What’s with that, seriously… When you make that kind of face all of a sudden, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…”

Stella shook her head as if she couldn’t understand the situation.