The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: The meat dishes are delicious (it’s terrible)

The base utilized the natural cave terrain, which had been expanded in places by human hands.

While being invited to the deeper parts by Whip and the others, I heard that there is no human breeding facility in the northeast branch.

The northeast branch is strictly an aggressive and strategic base, not allocating resources to anything other than espionage and warfare.

In the original work, it was possible to explore the inside of the northeast branch, but the conditions for that were only perfectly met during the fall into darkness & Aaros route.

In the canonical route, detailed exploration was impossible, so the northeast branch had an impact, but it left an impression of ‘it was smaller compared to other places.’

It’s not that I don’t remember the map from that time.

It’s just that, perhaps because the period is different, the structure in my memory and the structure I’m looking at now don’t quite match.

“Everyone, this way, this way~”

The sparkling-eyed beauty, Whip Fanitusk, is guiding us to the cafeteria area.

I just remembered a moment ago, but Whip had appeared in the original work as a minor character.

I didn’t recognize her at first because she appeared in the original work under the name ‘Mary Henderland’.

Since her appearance was in the lands of the Orthodox faction, looking back now, she must have been using a pseudonym—

In a word, she’s trash.

Despite having a seemingly kind face, she was a spy who infiltrated the city and went on a killing spree of important figures.

Honey traps, false names, disguises—wearing the robe of Kenneth Orthodox might be a remnant of that.

Whip used every trick in the book to stir up trouble on the Orthodox side.

In the end, she meets her demise at the hands of the protagonist who noticed the unrest… But the number of important Orthodox figures she killed is countless.

Considering she even killed a candidate for the Orthodox Executive, it’s understandable that her contributions are highly valued, given her abilities.

As for how strong she is, as Stella evaluated, she’s ‘strongest among commoners’ class.

According to the passionate fans on internet forums, she has enough skill to rank in the original work’s strongest character rankings, even though she’s not an Executive.

I’m part of the faction that’s skeptical about these ‘strongest’ debates, but anyway, it’s certain that Whip’s abilities are extraordinary, far beyond those of ordinary people.

The fact that such a talented individual is being used up in a minor role shows a glimpse of the depth of the Heretic side.

(If things go as expected, I would succeed Joanne, and Whip would succeed Stella, right? It’s unthinkable that the Executives would die though…)

As we continue through the northeast branch, which is more like a secret base with its inefficient structure, we come across a long table and benches meticulously arranged on the bare rock.

Men from the northeast branch begin to take their seats one after another.

As we sit down in an open corner, Whip steps forward and cheerfully shouts, “Attention!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, today we have the pleasure of welcoming wonderful comrades from the holy land of Metashim! Let’s give them a round of applause!”

Whip, showing her white teeth and clapping her hands cheerfully.

The men of the northeast branch send a rough cheer mixed with smiles.

Stella also joined in, lightly clapping her hands together.

Continuing on, freshly made dishes steaming hot are brought to the table.

It feels like I’ve been invited to a party that’s out of place. I’m being left behind by their unusual atmosphere.

However, Alex to my left and Joanne to my right are captivated by the food without being overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the Northeast branch.

“Whoa! Looks delicious!”

Alex drools as if he can’t wait any longer.

Joanne glances at me while shyly rubbing her stomach that let out a small growl.

“—Joanne-sama”

“What is it?”

“…No, just thinking you’re full of gaps.”

“Shut up…”

In an instant, an impulse akin to carnal desire surged behind my eyes.

It was a desire originating from her, a longing to press my ear against her groin, beneath her protruding ribs, to the pit of her stomach, to listen to the sounds of her digestive organs.

No matter how long, it keeps pursuing me. No matter how much I resist, my worn-down heart will never recover.

She had been shyly averting her eyes, but her eyes widened upon sensing the scent of me being overwhelmed by her.

A devilish smile spilled out.

I, whose lust was so intense it threatened to break my consciousness, suppressed it with deep breaths and focused my attention on the dish before me.

I can still bear it, but this agonizing state of being half-killed is unbearably painful. I need to kill them all quickly.

The preparation is taking too long, and my irritation is piling up.

“This is our way of welcoming you, so everyone who’s come from other branches, please enjoy the cooking cooked by people trained by Stella-sama!”

While averting my eyes from Joanne’s malice, I listen to the voice of Whip.

Trained by Stella—such an easy prediction can be made.

“…This isn’t human flesh cuisine, right? I can’t help but wonder if Stella’s subordinates have also developed a taste for cannibalism…”

In this world, meat is scarce.

Due to the convenience of long-term preservation methods like salting and smoking, the dream of sinking one’s teeth into a juicy piece of meat on the bone and savoring its flavor is just like a dream for most people.

Proper meat dishes are so rare that I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had them.

However, we of the Aaros Temple Order have the means to provide ‘fresh flesh,’ and the foundation has been laid for us to enjoy such meat without qualms.

Alex might be oblivious, but I wonder if Joanne has realized what the ingredients of this dish are.

She’s the type who might say, “Who cares as long as it tastes good,” after all…

“Then, everyone! A toast to new encounters~!”

Glasses were raised in unison, and the sound of clinking echoed all around.

Whip, who had initiated the toast, came directly in front of me and gulped down the dark red liquid in her cup.

With a lavish feast before her, Whip’s cheeks were softening, and she leaned in close to my face to speak.

“Oakley-chan, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’ve been dying to talk to you~”

“Whip Fanitusk… I know about you too. You’re that crazy person who implants bugs inside their body.”

“For me, these little bugs are like a cute family, you know? They even have names, like this one here is called Milk-chan!”

As Whip said this, she stuck out her tongue in a bashful gesture, and at the same time, the antennae of a bug protruded from the corner of her mouth.

A grating metallic sound, like that of gears rubbing together, could be heard coming from deep within her throat.

A bug’s antenna, as long as an upper arm, emerged in front of us, causing Alex to scream in terror and jump back.

As Alex looked on in astonishment, the twisted antenna, with its orange sheen, retracted back into her mouth.

“Wh-what the heck is that, i-it’s way too big to be a centipede…”

“It’s not a centipede, it’s Milk-chan~”

Alex asked with a wry smile, but Whip responded nonchalantly.

Indeed, this is the factor behind Whip Fanitusk’s extraordinary strength.

By hosting insects within her body and sharing her nerves with them, she gains explosive power, agility, and muscle strength that surpasses ordinary humans.

Moreover, it’s likely that the insect itself has highly acidic bodily fluids, so under the right conditions, it could even dissolve and kill an Executive-class person.

However, the sight of insects emerging from the body of a sparlking-eyed beautiful girl is indescribably unpleasant.

The impact of this memory is probably why I can remember her.

Whip stabs the mysterious meat with the fork she’s holding.

As she pierces the skin, a resilient sound is heard.

“I want to ask you first~… Are Oakley-chan and Joanne-chan really in a relationship?”

“I think it’s mismatched, but we’re in that kind of relationship.”

I glanced briefly at Joanne. She wasn’t surprised by the bug lurking inside of Whip.

Whether she already knew or simply wasn’t interested—regardless, she had a very pleased expression as I publicly acknowledged our relationship.

“Can I ask a question too? …What kind of meat is in this dish?”

“It might be heavily seasoned, but it’s delicious, right?”

“I’m not asking about the taste, I want to know what the ingredient is.”

In the corner of my eye, Stella narrowed her eyes and savored the meat dish.

After a fleeting glance at the gothic lolita girl, Whip tilted her head and smiled.

“It’s human meat, is there a problem with that?”

The moment he heard those words, Alex, who was stuffing his face with meat, burst out laughing.

He had been completely taken aback, but it seemed he had no choice but to vouch for the quality of the ingredients, given how eagerly he was eating and praising the food.

Alex, while gagging, rattled off some random remarks.

“Eh, ehh!? I totally couldn’t tell! Human flesh? It’s pretty good!”

Naturally, Stella reacted to his words.

“Oh, you have quite the taste.”

“Thank you! Well, I mean, if it’s tasty and nutritious, any kind of meat is fine, right?”

Flattered, Alex continued to eat the dish with a stoned smile.

I’m not the type to think that anything is fine as long as it’s delicious or nutritious.

The revulsion I felt was far greater than that of eating insects.

I’m on the verge of awakening to a fetish for body exchange, but that’s a separate issue.

Crossing that line would probably lead to the erosion of one’s original humanity from a different angle.

By gradually removing the psychological barriers to cannibalism and murder, the cult has been nurturing monsters.

This human flesh cuisine is a manifestation of their deranged policy.

What saved me a little was that Joanne also showed some signs of aversion.

It might be the influence of my mentality.

Anyway, if a superior shows reluctance, it gives a subordinate like me a reason to refuse cannibalism.

I was secretly hoping for Joanne’s reaction, but perhaps she misunderstood my gaze—

“Chomp”

As if she had made up her mind, she bit into the meat.

She rolled the meat on her tongue several times and then swallowed everything in her mouth at once.

“Mmm, well, it’s not something I’d refuse to eat without trying. It’s tolerable. But I don’t want to make a habit of eating it.”

The term ‘prejudice against food without trying it’ was the worst possible phrase under these circumstances.

First of all, I can’t help but think, “Don’t force people to eat human flesh.”

Since the Heretics who followed me, other than Alex, were visibly disgusted, my dignity was somehow preserved.

As I moistened my lips with a drink, as if to deceive myself, Whip, who was voraciously eating, raised a finger to her lips, her antennae peeking out.

“The rules of the Northeast Branch, the first: The commands of the supreme seven are absolute. The second: Do not waste valuable resources. Fuel, food, water, building materials, animal hides, manpower, bones, you must not waste any resources, Oakley-chan.”

In the bitterly cold land where resources are scarce, food is an extremely valuable resource.

Given the nature of the Northeast Branch, it’s inevitable that many will die, friend or foe alike, so this must be something that can’t be helped.

Even while being raised inside a womb bag, I was nurtured with unknown chemicals, so perhaps there’s no need to hesitate now.

I raised the corners of my mouth and bit into the meat, making sure that the contact area inside my mouth was as small as possible.

It was fresh meat, and it actually tasted good.

Still, I felt terrible. I saw Stella’s eyes narrow, her lips curving into a smile for the first time.

“Well, it’s meat. That’s all it is.”

“This is definitely meat, Oakley-chan.”

Whip and the men from the Northeast Branch laughed heartily.

Ignoring how sick I was starting to feel, Stella began to wrap things up.

“…From what Stella has heard, back when the cult’s numbers were smaller, they used to gather around the dining table like this… It’s nice that everyone can spend such quality time together…”

What’s so nice about it?

It’s dystopian food.