The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Dark Girls’ Talk☆

While a bloody, visceral, brainwashing battle unfolded in Oakley’s room, Celestia sought to learn more about the Aaros Temple Order and, with Juanquiro’s help, was allowed to tour a certain facility.

“I see… So this is the factory where humans are produced.”

“Right, right. You shouldn’t touch them too much, you know, because they’ll start going wild. Ahaha!”

A vast space spreads out beneath the stronghold’s underground area.

Lined up in formation are the womb bags, crafted from the material of human females.

They no longer possess self-awareness or personality, instead being immersed in pleasure formed through medication.

They are treated as even more inferior than livestock kept within fences. The womb bags, transformed into distorted spherical bodies, are managed while being soaked in a pool of chemicals about the height of a human knee.

These facilities are also planned to be constructed beneath Metashim, and sufficient data on the womb bag materials and ground surveys have already been gathered.

Since construction can begin as long as there is time, a tour was requested at this time.

Celestia looks around with interest. The ceiling, walls, floor, womb bags, the pools of chemicals they are placed in, and the Believers working for management.

It seems that many women and children are employed here.

“May I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“No… When I was in the orthodox church, I believed that all women within the Aaros Temple Order were to become pregnant. However, there are female Executives like Juanquiro, Joanne, and Pork, right? What is the difference between women who become pregnant and those who do not?”

Celestia’s question was about the difference between women who are made to bear children and those who work.

It also subtly inquired about the mystery of the few women who appear among the Heretics and how individuals like Juanquiro managed to rise to the position of Executive.

Celestia had speculated that these women might be infertile or something of that sort, but the reality was much more brutal.

“Basically, our fate is determined by whether we are capable or not. Women who do not meet a certain standard of ability are made into womb bags without question. Well, it’s a difference in how one contributes to the church or to Aaros-sama. Some even volunteer for it.”

Additionally, enemies such as spies or women who are kidnapped are generally brought here.

The reality is a choice between being a puppet of Pork or this, but it seems most people prefer to live in any form rather than die and become zombies, choosing the path of becoming womb bags.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Incredibly capable individuals are scouted by Executives, brainwashed, and reborn as ordinary Heretics. “I see, that’s quite rational,” Celestia muttered.

Even in the case of men, if they do not prove a certain level of ability, their fate is grim. They are killed for the reason that it is easier to use them as puppets controlled by Pork.

Since this gender is not given a choice in incompetence, Oakley at that time desperately proved his ability.

“So Juanquiro and the others have proven their abilities to be in their current positions, haven’t they?”

“That’s right. We are elites on par with Kenneth Orthodox’s Executives.”

The expansion of the organization through revolutionary human production mechanisms and brainwashing education, and the ultimate Spartan selection of personnel.

The organizational strength of the Aaros Temple Order supporting it from behind and the pure combat power of the Executives. This is the driving force of the cult.

It is a pyramid far more severe than the orthodox system. Celestia understood that there was a high enthusiasm for human modification, starting with special drugs.

“Oh…?”

“Celestia, is something wrong?

“No, I just saw a face I saw a long time ago.”

What Celestia had witnessed was a woman who had once been a spy sent by the Orthodox Church.

She lay there, happily closing her eyes, simply repeating her breaths slowly.

Flesh only responds lazily to stimuli from the outside, taking in a viscous liquid through her mouth to fulfill her role.

That liquid was, in fact, their food.

It seemed that the Believer in charge noticed the hunger of the womb bag and scooped up the food from a large bucket to feed them.

If there were no humans to manage them, they wouldn’t even be able to eat. Just like baby birds.

After glancing emotionlessly at her former comrade, Celestia asked about the true nature of the liquid diet out of pure curiosity.

She had some guesses, but…

“Juanquiro. What’s that gooey raw material?”

“Just the usual mix of grains, vegetables, water, and meat.”

“What kind of meat?”

“Meat from animals, you know?”

“…Is it tasty?”

“…”

“Ah… I see…”

“They use good meat, but it tastes bad because the seasoning is only salt and chemicals. I think the Aaros Temple Order should also learn the importance of meal content and seasoning.”

“You’ve eaten it before?”

“Of course, I have. I wanted to know various things. Will Celestia eat too?”

“I’ll take you up on that offer and try just a bite…”

Juanquiro clicked her high heels as she approached a Heretic.

The girl being addressed repeatedly bowed her head to the Executive’s words while directing over a bucket filled with a milky, semi-solid and liquid mixture.

Juanquiro tried to lift it with her slender arms, but upon realizing the weight of the container, she quickly gave up on the idea of carrying it back to Celestia.

Beckoned by Juanquiro, Celestia, seeing her lift a large spoon, tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I’ll eat it”

When she was in the Orthodox Church, a decent meal meant something warm and soft.

Although there were times when she ate hard bread, her understanding was that such a runny soup naturally required one to blow on it to avoid burning the tongue, this notion was deeply ingrained in Celestia—

As the liquid food was poured from the large spoon to her lips, the silver-haired sister retracted her tongue from the unpleasant coldness.

Her bent-over posture straightened up, and unable to bring herself to swallow the mushy contents, she ended up storing it in her cheeks.

“You react just like I do. This is interesting data!”

Juanquiro burst out laughing.

Celestia almost spat out everything in her mouth in response, but she composed herself and began to analyze the texture and taste.

(…It’s not good at all. The deliciousness of the food is an overwhelming victory for Kenneth Orthodox. And what kind of meat is this, anyway? It’s got to be human flesh or something, right…)

Withered vegetables, grains that couldn’t be distinguished as liquid or solid, and the worst of all, mystery meat that tasted like rubber.

As it was chewed, it crumbled like dry liver, spreading an indescribable taste across the tongue.

The combination of cold yet crunchy texture was the worst.

The raw fishiness, saltiness, and spices repelled each other exquisitely, rejecting the chance to be savored on the tongue.

Celestia felt a spasm in her throat and, with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, she swallowed the mushy food in one gulp.

“It was very delicious. Juanquiro, let’s head to the next room.”

“You don’t have to lie…”

The two of them moved from the breeding space to another room. The next room was for managing the newly born children.

Standing in rows in a larger space than before were armies of huge incubation tanks.

They were the crystallization of technology born from the pursuit of efficiency.

“This is… the culture tank that promotes growth, isn’t it?”

“Yes. No matter how many Believers are killed, we won’t have trouble with numbers thanks to this culture tank. Lately, the supply has been sufficient, and it’s even starting to resolve the manpower shortages at the site.”

“I see…”

Celestia touched the thick glass of the culture tank.

Beyond the cold sensation transmitted to her palm, she could observe the vulnerable children being soaked in chemicals.

Infants immersed from head to toe in a special chemical that accelerates physical growth are made to develop until their bodily age reaches ten years old in just a matter of days.

Since their mental and brain development cannot keep up, the physically enlarged children are transferred to a different container and undergo medication for several months.

During those months, a self-identity that is obedient to the Executive is formed, and finally, the children are shipped out.

“If we completely disregard humanitarian perspectives, it’s possible to produce soldiers with extreme efficiency, isn’t it?”

While gazing at the children sleeping in a solution filled with chemicals, Celestia realized why they had been unable to completely crush the Aaros Temple Order.

They have no sense of decorum. There’s a complete lack of interest in maintaining appearances, and they are far too headstrong in their goals of annihilating Kenneth Orthodox and taking over the Holy Nation Geluid.

While carrying out precise attacks against their enemies and sending spies to sow confusion, they continued to refine inhumane technologies to bolster their forces—Guru Aaros’s obsession with winning the war at any cost was clearly visible.

In contrast, Kenneth Orthodox, being a religious group that supports the nation, hesitated to engage in inhumane acts.

It’s not that they didn’t engage in them at all.

“Since Kenneth Orthodox has a reputation to uphold, they can’t implement such thorough control. From their perspective, it must be quite enviable.”

“Kenneth Orthodox is a massive organization that supports the nation, after all. If their inhumane acts were to be exposed, they’d be inundated with criticism from other countries. Well, I think we’re already being heavily criticized because of the havoc we’ve been wreaking…”

In fact, Kenneth Orthodox was becoming a target of criticism for not being able to stop the rise of a certain cult.

However, outsiders who were informed in detail about the Aaros Temple Order would immediately fall silent due to its abnormality.

There’s a sentiment that it’s better to be founded by a cult than… and there was indeed a certain reality to the notion that a degree of harsh measures was permissible within the orthodoxy.

“Is Kenneth Orthodox doing anything like this?”

“There were using drugs for soldiers to enhance their mood during combat… but as far as I know, that’s about it.”

“Hmm. It sounds like they might be up to a variety of other things, almost as much as us…”

Celestia was unaware of the darker aspects of Kenneth Orthodox to the extent that she didn’t know much about the use of drugs.

She could be considered the most pure Executive within Kenneth Orthodox.

Continuing, Celestia inquired about the source of funds that supported this vast facility.

“There’s something I’m curious about. What is the source of the cult’s funds? In addition to the manufacture of drugs, the maintenance of the base and the provision of equipment and food for the regular soldiers require a tremendous amount of money. Where does it all come from? It far exceeds the scale that could be covered by plundering from villages and towns—”

If it were just a cult, the total assets of a few dozen ordinary people would be enough to operate on that scale.

However, the scale of the Aaros Temple Order has inflated to an abnormal extent for a mere cult.

It was clear that without some sort of financial backing, their activities would quickly run out of steam.

Naturally, Juanquiro had the answer. Juanquiro and Pork managed the finances, and none other than her gave instructions regarding financial matters.

The girl narrowed her golden eyes and, with perfect timing, snatched the head of a child released from the cultivation tank.

“….When you go around the world seeking money, you find that quite a lot of people desire obedient boys and girls to employ. They are used for various purposes… soldiers for wars, servants, slaves, among other things… Everyone seems to want children of about this age, which really is a problem, truly…”

“…I see. I apologize for asking such a question.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Celestia was secretly shuddering.

A sense of camaraderie had already been instilled, but she couldn’t completely hide her fear upon realizing just how merciless their policy was.

Those produced in the customer-specific lanes are made for that purpose, so they are built differently from types like Oakley… but that’s a different story.

Juanquiro wiped away her vulgar smile and adopted the expression of a demure young girl.

She released the child she had been gripping and began walking towards the next facility, intending to lead Celestia there.

Celestia was concerned about the child left standing like a statue and began to suspect that children from the womb bag might have a different structure from normal humans.

“Do humans born from a womb bag not suffer from health effects? For example, do they have a shorter lifespan than normal people… or reduced cognitive abilities…”

“At the very least, their lifespan would be incredibly short. If a normal human can live up to eighty years, those born from a womb bag might only live up to thirty years at most. Ah, of course, I’m talking about physical age.”

Juanquiro laughed heartily.

“Well, we make sure even the dead bodies are put to good use for the cult. That’s what you’d call sustainable.”

Celestia thought to herself that humans born from a womb bag seemed a little pitiful, as if it were someone else’s problem.