The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: The Cross-Dressed Beauty and the Masked Man

Pork, who had killed time in the morning by cleaning the rooms at the Executive House, checked the situation through the zombies she had set up during the Holy Nation Geluid and sighed after finding no abnormalities.

Basically, if there were no abnormalities, Pork would not be ordered to mobilize.

Unlike Juanquiro, who was in charge of base operations, Pork’s main role was as a combatant.

During peaceful times, she found herself somewhat at a loose end.

It wasn’t too bad to return to the old castle base and bark orders at the Believers, but Pork wasn’t looking for the busyness that was an extension of her daily routine.

If everyday life continued forever, that meant that Guru Aaros’s plans were not moving forward.

She wished for something to happen. Even news that the Orthodox side had launched an attack would be good.

She wanted some kind of change from both camps that would bring the ambition of conquering the country closer to realization.

(I’m not like Joanne and the others; I don’t love fighting. I just wish we could quickly push back the detestable Kenneth Orthodox and create a country where we can live happily…)

Pork narrowed her gray eyes and played with her short hair tied at the nape of her neck with her fingertips.

Painful memories of being oppressed in the past flickered through her mind, and she shook her head weakly.

Pork hails from a small island nation far away from Holy Nation Geluid—a minority ethnic group known as the ‘Terrace Tribe’.

When she was a child, an epidemic spread throughout the island nation. With a massive death toll, the island, surrounded by the sea and with no place to escape, turned into a living hell.

Amidst this, a strange rumor began to spread throughout the country.

It was said that the blood of the Terrace Tribe could cure the epidemic. Of course, it was a baseless rumor.

However, some of the desperate populace, faced with the ever-increasing number of infected people, took the rumor at face value and attacked the Terrace Tribe’s village.

…Corpses, Blood, Organs as far as the eye could see. Blood. Organs.

People frantically slurping up bodily fluids scattered like puddles. Everyone was losing their mind.

The village collapsed. Because of a nonsensical story whose origin was unknown, the Terrace Tribe, including Pork, was scattered across the world.

Many were senselessly killed, their bodies drained of blood, even though it would not serve as a cure for the epidemic.

Her parents barely escaped the tragedy of the island nation and continued to wander the vast world.

Eventually, they ended up in Holy Nation Geluid.

During her childhood, Pork lived in a corner of a certain town in Holy Nation Geluid. There was little interaction with the townspeople.

They wore deep hoods at all times to hide their faces, fearing a repeat of the tragedy they had experienced in their homeland.

One day, an inquisitor from Kenneth Orthodox barged into Pork’s house. Pork had been avoiding any interaction with neighbors and continued to hide her true face, which led to the townspeople, who found her creepy and reported her.

They were subjected to a heresy inquisition.

Although it was called an inquisition, it was merely a formal procedure to root out heretics, like those from the Aaros Temple cult, so it was expected to conclude without much fuss.

During the inquisition, a man from Kenneth Orthodox uttered, “It seems that the blood of the Terrace tribe can become a panacea.” Hearing this, Pork and her parents froze.

The man continued his story. The epidemic that had been rampant in the island nation had subsided, but there were still those who coveted the blood of the Terrace tribe.

Moreover, the blood of the Terrace tribe could be sold for a very high price in that line.

“Huff…”

It was after her parents had been killed that Aaros came to her aid.

The scars etched into Pork’s heart would never fade.

Humans were vile. Pork covered her mouth, enduring the nausea.

The men who killed her parents were no longer in this world.

It was Aaros who had left Pork to deliver the final blow to the men he had beaten half to death.

Furthermore, Aaros had even slaughtered all those who had taken the blood of the Terrace tribe. Before long, Pork swore a lifetime of loyalty to Aaros.

Revenge is necessary for a reset.

According to a certain saint, revenge supposedly breeds nothing, but such nonsense can only be said by those who have never been captivated by a writhing desire for vengeance, those raised in a greenhouse.

To regain honor and pride, to steal away the future of the adversary. Could there be anything more salvific for the soul?

The debt of gratitude I owe for avenging my parents and for slaughtering all those who bore ill will against the Terrace tribe is irreplaceable.

Fools who still covet the blood of the Terrace tribe exist, but within the Aaros Temple Order, not a single soul covets her blood.

The reason is that the Believers are unaware of the Terrace tribe itself—Pork is pleased with her current life, where she no longer has to hide her face.

“Mm, Lord Aaros.”

Deep beneath the holy land of Metashim, at the planned construction site for a specific facility, Pork spotted Aaros and quickly moved towards him.

The masked man paused his work and spoke with a gentle voice.

“Good day, Pork. Is something the matter?”

“If you work in such a dark place, you’ll get hurt.”

“I’m used to dark. I’m wearing a mask, after all.”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

For Pork, Aaros is like a second parent. Just hearing his deep voice fills her with energy.

“Pork, do you have a moment to talk?”

“I’m free. Is something the matter?”

“There’s just a little something that’s been on my mind…”

Aaros beckons to Pork.

Drawn on the paper was a blueprint for a planned human production factory and a pharmaceutical research facility.

It must be something Juanquiro came up with; it looks like there are no contradictions or problems in the layout…

“Is there something about the factory and research facility that dissatisfies you?”

“Oh no, it’s nothing to do with that at all,”

With a half-smile, Aaros takes down the parchment.

He begins to speak freely.

“Pork.”

“Yes?”

“Are you, by any chance, concerned about Oakley-kun?”

“Yes!?”

Thrown a bomb right from the start, Pork was flustered.

The man in the mask shrugged his shoulders while pointing an X pattern towards her.

“You’ve been cleaning his room quite frequently lately, haven’t you? No matter how you look at it, you’re concerned. Understand that it’s futile to hide anything from me.”

“No! That’s not it…”

“Oh, it’s not?”

“…It’s just that I don’t feel bored when he’s around. Just a little bit. But, I don’t think I’m concerned…”

“Hmm, poor at deceiving. He’s a natural charmer, isn’t he? Truly our irregular.”

“What is it now, really…”

In a place where Pork couldn’t see, Aaros folded one finger at a time. Three fingers for Joanne, Stella, and Pork. And then one more for himself.

Out of the seven Executives that the Aaros Temple Order prides itself on, more than half, four of them, are smitten with him.

The man in the mask couldn’t fully hide his joy at this inexplicable emotion. Such irregularities are essential for the organization’s leap forward.

It’s unclear why, from the supposedly obedient and nondescript produced individuals, someone as unique as Oakley emerged… But as long as his existence is bringing benefits to the organization, it would be best to just observe quietly.

“I have no intention of stopping anything, you know? Romantic relationships within the organization are welcome.”

“It’s not about that!”

“Fuhn”

“Besides, he has Joanne…”

“Would it be better if Joanne wasn’t there?”

“Enough! You’re so annoying! Do you want to bully me!?”

“Haha”

After inwardly muttering to himself that he used to be this popular, Aaros returned to the serious topic at hand.

“…Well, it has already been several months since the battle between Metashim and Daskell. The Orthodox Church has not launched an attack on us, but they must be steadily preparing to reclaim Celestia and annihilate the cult.”

“The Aaros Temple Order is in a slightly more advantageous position than the Kenneth Orthodox. If they make a careless move, they will be pushed even further into a corner… It’s no wonder they are being cautious.”

In this religious war, what’s important is not so much the number of Believers the cult holds but rather the number of Executives.

No matter how many insignificant ones flock together, they are no match for those who wield magic beyond human comprehension.

The current state of the war is eight to six due to Celestia being brainwashed and taken over. The Aaros Temple Order has a two-person advantage.

“Is there any movement from the Orthodox Church? Even something trivial, anything.”

“Absolutely nothing. No notable reports from spies hidden in various places, nor from the corpse zombies. It seems that the Executives are trying to find some way to recover the brainwashed Celestia… but it appears they haven’t found one yet.”

In the city of the Orthodox Church, where Celestia was taken away, there was a slight chaos.

The nun, who had been a popular figure in the city, had not been seen for several months, and the uninformed populace could not shake their unease.

There were even rumors that she might have died in the battle of Daskell.

As the top of the Orthodox, it is impossible to announce that Celestia, one of the supreme seven chosen by God, has been brainwashed.

Officially, her absence is said to be due to an expedition to subdue demonic beasts.

Just as Aaros imagined, Kenneth Orthodox seems to be wasting time trying to restore his diminished forces.

Since he commands a larger following than the Aaros Temple Order, it appears he is also spending time calming the populace.

To decide the outcome of the battle, Aaros brought up a strategy that had been vaguely forming in his mind.

“Let’s send seeds of the Executive bomb to the Holy City Sasfect, the stronghold of Kenneth Orthodox, and soon. Multiple agents.”

If the holy land of the Aaros Temple Order is Metashim, then the Holy City Sasfect is that of Kenneth Orthodox.

The plan is to send in Believers embedded with pieces of Executive flesh. Pork swallowed her saliva, sensing the imminent collapse of daily life.

Aaros, using shadow magic, drew a three-dimensional map of the Holy City Sasfect in the air and began placing shadowy masses on it like chess pieces.

Since Sasfect is the largest city in the Holy Nation Geluid, simply sending Executives to the center like in Metashim would likely not be enough to destroy it completely.

Therefore, Aaros’s idea is simple: to have the Executives in various places commit acts of destruction to exert their maximum power.

The ultimate goal is to steal the ‘Holy Relic’ that slumbers in the heart of the holy city.

The ‘Holy Relic’ that sleeps in the temple protected by the flames of the Phoenix is something that not even Aaros can touch.

However, the cult has Celestia as a pawn. That was the key to this operation.

“The arrangement will be as follows, aiming for maximum efficiency.”

Joanne, with the longest range, will hurl rocks from well beyond the enemy’s attack range. She will be on standby outside the city.

Pork to the east, Shadiq to the west, Stella to the north, the second in the hierarchy to the south, and Celestia and Aaros will be summoned to the central part.

While they are causing a rampage, we will borrow the ‘Holy Relic’ from the center.

This was Aaros’s plan.

“We will divide the carriers of the flesh pieces, but the transfer point in the central part will be handled by Oakley-kun.”

“But… even if we manage to infiltrate the interior of the holy city, it is impossible to enter the Pheonix Temple. If we touch those flames, anyone belonging to the Aaros Temple Order will surely die. Only the upper echelons of the orthodox church can enter the temple—ah!”

Pork raised her voice as she realized something.

――There is a woman ranked first in the hierarchy known as Saren Deputy.

Her ability is said to control the flames of the Phoenix that annihilate Heretics, but in reality, it is the power to manipulate flames that specifically target Believers of different faiths.

The flames of the Phoenix have been passed down among priests and have been honed throughout a history of conflicts to their current form.

It is no exaggeration to say that the influence of successive priests has transformed this country into the religious state of Kenneth Orthodox.

The flames that specifically target different Believers have been overwhelmingly powerful.

Now, there are two individuals named ‘Oakley Mercury’ and ‘Celestia Hotthound.’

Which way will their judgment tilt?

When they are enveloped by the flames of the Phoenix that cover the holy city’s temple, will they perish?

After all, many of the executives of the Aaros Temple Order were born in the city of Kenneth Orthodox.

What is the difference between a different Believer and one who is not?

The answer itself is simple: by receiving baptism in each religion, one becomes a convert, and that is the rule.

Therefore, Oakley’s judgment is that of an ‘Aaros Temple Order Believer.’

His heart is decidedly leaning towards Kenneth Orthodox, but because he was baptized at the same time as he was born from the womb bag, the Phoenix’s flames’ judgment is ‘different Believer’――in other words, ‘death.’

So, as for what Celestia’s judgment turned out to be―the answer is ‘Orthodox Believer.’

She has been brainwashed by Aaros, and her thought circuits have become that of a Heretic.

Normally, anyone who goes under Guru Aaros would be baptized without question, but Celestia alone was deliberately not converted in order to counter Saren’s abilities and the temple’s flames.

She was drawn in not only to overturn the sheer difference in military strength but also as a countermeasure against the unparalleled strength of Saren Deputy and the Pheonix Temple.

When the flames of Phoenix are struck into an Orthodox Believer, they only exhibit the same power as ordinary flames.

In other words, when Celestia fights Saren, all she has to do is face off against a mere flame user.

As for the flames covering the temple, they do no harm to an Orthodox Believer. They only repel and reduce the different Believers to ashes.

Celestia was an essential means to penetrate the temple’s barrier.

“Are you saying to teleport Celestia around the temple and steal the ‘Holy Relic’ inside the temple…?”

‘That’s right. If we have the holy relic, my plan will be one step closer to completion. I definitely want to get my hands on it.’

The six pieces lined up in Sasfect rampage around, mowing down the surrounding buildings. Shadows encroach and engulf the blazing temple.

Pork envisioned a scene where her magic would envelop the world, a campaign on a much larger scale than anything Metashim or Daskell had begun.

She couldn’t contain her excitement.

“By the way, Pork, do you know how Oakley-kun at the Northeast Branch is doing?”

“I can provide a live report through the zombies.”

Pork manipulated a corpse buried in the snow, looking up at the snowy fields of the Northeast Branch.

She quickly spotted Oakley and noticed that she was holding a sword.

“It seems he is in the middle of training.”

“A hard-knocked style of the Northeast Branch, huh?”

“Still going at it hard, huh… Huh? He’s keeping up with Whip…”

“…that Whip Fanitusk?”

On the ninth day of training under Joanne, Oakley, having received a passing mark, had finally begun sparring with Whip.

Pork was astounded by his rate of growth. Aaros, too, saw the light in his potential.