The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Under the guise of training

After clearing the contents of the plate, the dining area naturally began to grow quiet.

Before Whip could slip away somewhere, I called out to stop her.

The reason I came to the Northeast Branch was to hone my skills as a spy to be sent into the Orthodox city.

By making contact with the Orthodox Executive Cress and breaking Celestia’s brainwashing, I would achieve the goal of restoring the balance between the two factions, at least for the time being.

“Whip, can we talk over there?”

“Sure~”

I lure Whip into a corner of the deserted cave.

Stella, who is feasting on human flesh over there, looked our way, but she didn’t chase after us.

Now, I want to ask Whip to teach me spy skills—but will this woman agree?

After making sure there were no people around, I hesitated slightly before broaching the subject.

“…Whip, I have a favor to ask. Would you teach me the techniques of the Northeast Branch?”

“Hmm? What do you mean, out of the blue?”

Whip twisting her neck while taking a cat-like mouth shape, then I said,

“…I’m rumored to be a candidate for the Executive position in the cult. But as I am now, I’m too weak. I lack the skills of a spy, and my pure combat strength is only average… I want to borrow strength to change this situation.”

“Ehh, since you can infiltrate the city of Daskell, isn’t there no need to teach you spy techniques? Also, even I can’t survive three fights with Celestia, so I kind of feel like your request is a bit hard to agree with.”

“…As for infiltration, all I did was burn my face with fire and wrap it in bandages. Besides, it was a city during a period of chaos so I don’t know if you can call it infiltrating. And in the fights with Celestia, Joanne-sama always helped me. Looking back, it seems I’ve only gotten by on luck.”

Whip and the others overestimate me.

It’s just that my quick thinking has worked out well, but I lack the basic skills.

Especially combat strength. I might be able to deceive momentarily by using the environment, but if it comes to a head-on fight one-on-one with a non-Executive powerhouse like Whip, I have no chance of winning. That’s a problem.

To carry out my plans, I must acquire at least the minimum combat strength and skills, or I will inevitably fail.

“I’m asking this with an eye to the future. I want a solid foundation… Aaros-sama must have had the same thought in sending me here. Will you not consider his intentions?”

When the name of Aaros is mentioned, of course, there’s no backing down.

According to the rules of the Northeast Branch, the orders of the Supreme Seven are absolute.

Whip changed her complexion upon hearing the name of the Guru and agreed to grant my request.

“…being sent to the Northeast Branch means you have to bring back substantial results, huh? Alright, alright, I’ll pack you full of everything from spy techniques to combat skills.”

While inwardly celebrating the promise I secured, I immediately requested instruction.

However, I was refused on the reasonable grounds that I must be tired from the long journey.

After a bit of light conversation, I parted ways with Whip Fanitusk.

It wasn’t bad to go back to my assigned room and fall asleep quickly, but there was something I wanted to do before that.

I wanted to find out why Celestia had come to the Northeast Branch.

Of course, there was no chance of getting an answer that would be disadvantageous to me, so ultimately, the goal was to become friendly with Celestia, who was in the midst of being brainwashed.

I wandered around the dim Northeast Branch, looking for Celestia. She was near the toilet in the residential area.

The toilet was a simple type where one uses a pot provided, and since water is precious, there is no bath.

One can only wipe off the dirt from their body with a wet cloth, which is an environment too harsh for those who like cleanliness.

However, Celestia could blow away dirt and grime by running wind over her body’s surface.

Even though she’s a clean freak about herself, Celestia doesn’t seem to mind the filthiness of the toilet.

“Hello, Celestia.”

“Oakley. You look haggard, is it from the long journey?”

“That’s part of it, but you know, the human flesh cuisine was tough. That was rough. I never want to eat that again… What did you think, Celestia?”

“…Honestly, I couldn’t stomach it, but since it was the meal prepared for us, I made sure to eat it all.”

“…seriously?”

Celestia, placing a hand on her chest, puffs out her cheeks slightly as if to suppress nausea.

Juanquiro or Pork would have definitely refused, but this girl is strangely serious in weird ways.

She’s not a rankless Heretic like me, after all; I think she could afford to be a bit more assertive.

Celestia, perhaps because she was in off mode, let her tied-up hair drape over her shoulder.

Twirling her hair around her fingertips, she stroked it several times.

“How is the Northeast branch? Do you see any differences from the other branches?”

“…Due to geographical conditions and the branch’s management policies, it has become a completely independent base compared to others. I was told by Aaros-sama to ‘go and see the Northeast branch with Oakley-kun,’ and I think I’m beginning to understand the reason why.”

“…and that is?”

“The holy land Metashim is still developing. I believe he wants us to have a broader perspective in order to perfect that city.”

I had intended to probe the reason for Celestia’s visit, but she saved me the trouble by speaking of her own accord.

She had been inspecting the Northeast branch at Aaros’s request.

The previous tour of the womb bag facility must have been akin to training for the formation of the holy land Metashim.

Celestia is well-versed in the streets of the Orthodox, and she is thoroughly familiar with the characteristics of each region.

If someone like her gets involved in the planning of the holy land Metashim, it would be a great help to the Heretic side as well.

“Can Oakley really do his best from now on?”

“Hmm… It’s hard to say. If only they could manage with the cooking, I guess I could do my best.”

Shrugging jokingly, Celestia chuckled softly.

“That’s not like you. Whining doesn’t suit you.”

For a moment, the image of Celestia reflected in my eyes wavered and blurred.

Her jokingly stern encouragement brought back a certain scene that had been sleeping in my memory.

Her words miraculously coincided with the line that reached out to the protagonist Alfie, who was on the verge of running away from reality and stirred his soul to action.

From the grand finale, a branch was taken to the route of a ‘Merry Bad End’.

In a world filled with a tragic sense of impending death, Celestia appeared before Alfie, who was lost in a daze, and with her words, she wielded the whip of love to Alfie.

Spurred on by her cruel encouragement, Alfie rose to fight to stop the world’s collapse, and after a fierce battle, he was destined to die.

The characters who died in that timeline were Saren, Cress, Alfie, Celestia―and everyone from the Aaros Temple Order.

In the moments before death, Alfie ended his life feeling the joy of having saved the world and the warmth of Celestia.

There are many endings that leave a strong impression, but there is probably not a second route that symbolizes the human Celestia as much as this one does.

Celestia was always there to push the player back from the other side of the screen.

Possessing an unbreakable heart and a noble spirit, she showed her bravery to the end―

“? Is there something wrong?”

―Now, she has cast off Kenneth Orthodox’s monastic robes and is clad in a costume with inverted colors.

I was about to cling to her past, which was like a mass of light, but my escapism vanished like mist with the bitter confrontation with reality.

“…No, I was just mesmerized. Celestia is so beautiful…”

“Eh!? …y-you’re joking…”

Celestia widened her eyes in surprise, pulling at the tips of her silver hair that tickled her shoulders.

Her appearance was unchanged from when she belonged to the Orthodox Church, yet the disconnect from reality felt unbearably sad.

(I’ll definitely save you, so just wait for me, Celestia…)

I thought maybe there was still a sane part of her left—but once I saw her dull eyes, devoid of any spark, I understood that such a convenient reality was impossible.

My reality is right here.

It’s so bleak, like hell itself, with no visible light of hope. I live to change that reality.

……

The next morning, after parting with Celestia in the dimly lit cave. As if it were the most natural thing, I glanced at Joanne’s sleeping face in the same room, then stretched and moved around within the living area.

Even as the morning sun rises, its rays do not reach inside the cave, and due to the lack of temperature changes, I feel like my internal clock is already going haywire.

Today is the day for individual instruction with Whip.

As promised the other day, I headed to the meeting place and found her in the area in front of the cave’s back entrance.

After exchanging morning greetings in a light-hearted manner, I follow Whip outside into the bitterly cold outdoors.

“Sorry~, I’m not a morning person and can’t wake up without feeling like I’m in a dream. I’ll definitely do the special training after this, so just wait for me~”

“I don’t mind.”

Whip washes her face with snow that’s like dry cotton candy.

I thought to myself, ‘Is she serious?’ I try it and, to my surprise, it’s shockingly refreshing and wakes me up.

“In order to conduct the special training, I really need to know more about Oakley-chan to put together a program. I want to talk more with you.”

“What should I talk about when you say you want to talk?”

“Hmm… Well, maybe we’ll just talk about whatever.”

Whip begins to chew on the snow she scooped up with both hands.

“What do you think about Stella-chan?”

“Stella-sama? …Well, it’s not really my place to say, but I think she’s a beautiful person.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I become perplexed.

Stella is good-looking, that’s for sure. It could be said that applies to anyone on the Heretic side, but…

“I see, I see.”

With a twisted grin, Whip let out a laugh as she raised her index finger.

“Alright, I’ve decided. Just now, I’ve decided. Call it the first hurdle or a mission, if you will. From Stella-chan’s room, bring me one of her personal belongings.”

“Yes?”

“You have until noon today! Even if you’re an amateur at infiltration, you have to be able to handle at least this much of a mission, right?”

Despite being perplexed by the sudden challenge, I decided to bring back a personal item from Stella’s room.

………

Unlike the time I infiltrated Daskell with a changed face amidst the chaos, this time, the conditions were strict: being detected at all meant failure. I couldn’t become invisible, nor could I flatten myself to slip through the cracks.

Resigned to my fate, after some thought, I simply visited Stella’s room.

I knocked on the door, and a doll-like beautiful girl peeked out from the gap in the door.

“Good morning, Stella-sama.”

“…What do you want so early in the morning?”

Stella, playing with her black drill hair with her fingertips, was not in her usual gothic lolita attire but in a nightgown with a loose neckline.

She seemed displeased at being seen in her pajamas, and I was about to turn back, but I had been tasked with the mission of stealing Stella’s personal belongings.

I decided to be bold.

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. May I come in?”

“…Wait a moment, I need to get ready.”

After shifting her gaze several times, she closed the door with a serious expression.

After that, I was allowed to enter by Stella, who was dressed in her usual gothic lolita outfit.

My mission was strictly to retrieve personal belongings from Stella’s room.

Since I wasn’t specifically told to sneak in, it should be okay.

“…Please come in.”

…I do have a feeling that this mission has some ulterior motive from Whip, but oh well.

In fact, it takes guts to enter the private room of a man-eater.

It is important to gain experience.

(…What’s going to happen to me if Stella takes a liking to me? In the original story, I was literally eaten―)

While thinking such things, the moment I began to say ‘Excuse me’, I was dragged into Stella’s room.