The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Daruma or Banana and the Engagement Ring

In the end, only three survivors remained.

On the side of the Orthodox, only Celestia was alive, while on the side of the Heretics, it was me and Joanne who survived. The girl whose head had been destroyed and who had everything but her earlobes blown away by magic was still kicking in.

It made no sense.

The damage was forty-five dead on the Orthodox side and nineteen dead on the Heretic side.

I have a proposal, Aaros-sama, why don’t we stop this religious war?

You’re the only one who seems to want to keep killing each other. Probably the Orthodox side wants to stop too.

Well, as a small consolation prize… I looted undamaged crossbows, swords, and armor from the corpses and packed them into the carriage. Taking things from the dead is normally an act that would make one question their ethics, but I have to make up for the negative points I’ve accumulated from the failed mission.

At my devout actions, Joanne couldn’t help but let her white teeth show through her smile.

“You’re really thoughtful.”

“No, no, not at all.”

If I were a thoughtful guy, I wouldn’t unconsciously win over a madwoman and find myself in a situation where her affection for me is maxed out without realizing it, right?

Did I do something wrong?

After burying the body with Joanne’s help, I reflect on my past actions as I make my way home.

I haven’t done anything huge.

I bravely supported the Executive girl who is feared by the ordinary Believers in battle, covered her naked body with a robe after the fight, stuffed a piece of her flesh into a pendant given by the cult, tried saying things like ‘Of course, your clothes suit you very well’, and re-covered her with the robe when it got torn—

I guess it’s a full house, …?

I might be pretty good at raising flags. It’s strange that I wasn’t popular in my past life.

(What should I do?)

So, it seems that I have inadvertently won over the girl sitting quietly next to me—Joanne.

Despite my affection for her being almost non-existent, it looks like I’m going to be forced to take responsibility for making her feel this way?

Well, I did end up receiving a finger instead of an engagement ring.

It’s too scary and too heavy, and I’m like, what should I do?

Even I have to seriously consider what to do next.

Oh no, this is bad. My mind isn’t working because of this unprecedented crisis.

At this rate, we’re heading straight for Joanne’s expression of love, which is ‘imprisonment and limb amputation.’

I must prevent that at all costs.

I have to skillfully avoid crossing that line and continue to dodge her mad love…

“…Joanne-sama, why… why did you fall in love with me?”

“Why? That’s because—hey, are you making me say the reason? It’s a bit embarrassing, you know.”

“I’m sorry. I was just asking.”

Hey, Oakley, what’s with that ‘just asking’? That’s the last thing you should say to a madman!

They’ll take it and twist it to suit themselves!

I hit my own head. No doubt about it, this is the influence of my past life playing too many galge eroge.

Lines that only a handsome protagonist or a popular heroine could get away with keep popping out of me.

“By the way, Joanne-sama, you never used the ring finger of your left hand as a marker, did you?”

As I rattle off quickly to cover up my previous blunder, Joanne’s eyes widen.

She then tilts her head with a serious face. It was as inhuman as an owl moving its head.

“Is there something you’re dissatisfied with?”

A sudden strong pressure. All I could do was reply softly with a ‘none.’

Human fingers have various meanings. Thumbs up to someone means ‘good job!’ while raising the middle finger can lead to trouble.

If she’s giving me the ring finger of her left hand as a mutual love commemoration gift, does she want me to take it as an engagement ringr?

“What I wanted to ask was, why not the earlobe or any other finger… that’s what I’m curious about.”

“Ah, I see. Don’t scare me like that.”

Joanne’s expression, which had been expressionless, suddenly brightened, and she began to speak with joy.

“Aaros-sama said, ‘The ring finger of a woman’s left hand is connected to the heart by a single vein.’ It’s a special finger, so I want you to have it. Besides, the thought of you wearing something of mine… it makes me really happy…”

O-oh… Her words alone seem cute, but… is she really cute?

Don’t be fooled, me, I’ve been quite poisoned. I try to disguise the twitch in my cheek caused by her words with a smile that seems genuine.

Then, Joanne blushes shyly as if embarrassed.

However, it’s blatantly obvious that she’s stealing glances at my limbs. The temperature in her eyes directed at me at close range is cold, and it’s clear what she wants.

In the not-too-distant future, I might become unable to live without her help.

“Hey Oakley… can I come a little closer?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps it’s her idea of a ‘good atmosphere’, but Joanne, with her cheeks tinted, comes closer until her thighs touch mine.

As for me, I was raising a whip to a horse’s rear, so I couldn’t refuse.

The way she closes the distance is far from ordinary. Now that I think about it, the original was an Eroge after all.

While I was controlling the horse, I suddenly caught a glimpse of her flushed collarbone at the edge of my vision.

That’s right, this girl, having been resurrected from her earlobes, was without clothes, hence her lewd attire dubbed a ‘naked robe.’

Seeing Joanne, who is good to just watch as long as she doesn’t do anything, I get a little agitated.

However, the sweet scent that should have wafted from a woman was nowhere to be found; instead, an overwhelmingly strong smell of iron drifted toward me, snapping me back to reality.

(I guess it’s still difficult. If only I could enjoy this on a screen…)

Thanks to the divine character design of the original work, seeing her in person made her beauty increase by twenty percent. Despite the significant negatives of her spirituality and setting, visually, she could take the main stage in any game.

I have to admit, the signature green spiral eyes and split tongue that symbolize her are attractive. Just the appearance, that is.

When I first met her in person…I’ll be honest, I was almost excited. There was a reason why many fans of the original praised her as an amazing character design—though they conveniently didn’t touch on her personality.

…Well, you know what they say, right?

Personality matters more than looks. Her individual route is filled with too extreme sexual preferences, and even if our relationship were to progress one step further… well…

But believe it or not, her individual route is extremely popular with amputation fetishists and extreme masochists, and there are fans who have gone mad enough to declare her their top favorite.

They can say such carefree things because they’ve never actually met her…

“Suuuuuuuuh… Haaaaaaaah…”

Sensing that Joanne’s breathing was beginning to take on a dangerous heat, I put some distance between us.

“Joanne-sama now is not the time for that. We have failed our mission twice. We should be thinking about how to report to Guru-sama…”

Actually, I was scared of that too. It’s a bit late to say anything when you’re knee-deep in a Dharma or a banana course, but realistically, this threat is something we’ll have to face sooner.

Joanne, having regained some composure at the mention of the guru’s name, looked up at the ancient castle that was coming into view.

“It was because there was a spy who fed us false information. Maybe they’ll be lenient?”

“…Do you think a lenient judgment will be made?”

There’s no way she would understand. Because Joanne is in an Executive position, she probably doesn’t get the situation we grunts are put in.

“I’ll get angry together with you when the time comes.”

Is this what youth is?

But getting angry together… means there’s no concrete solution at all.

Unable to hide my anxiety, I couldn’t genuinely rejoice at the prospect of returning to base.

……

After reporting to the Executive, I found myself tied hand and foot to a chair, locked in an interrogation room.

(Being thrown into a dungeon would have been better than this…)

The circumstances that led to me being thrown into the interrogation room are as follows.

First, when I returned to the base and informed Aaros of the mission’s failure, he shook his head in great disappointment and left the scene.

Thinking he had given up on me, I hurriedly tried to tell him about the spy, at which point Aaros brought Executive Juanquiro with him.

Then, I was put into the interrogation room to have a detailed ‘talk’ with Juanquiro. If it’s just a normal conversation, do we really need to go all the way down to the basement?

The treatment of the mob is too rough.

As I lay there exhausted, counting the stains on the ceiling, the door to the interrogation room opened.

“Oakley-kun huh, is that correct? Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Executive ranked seventh, Juanquiro Legacy. A girl with white bobbed hair and brown skin dressed in a tight skirt.

In the original work, her presence is faint, and her standing picture rarely appears outside of the dark fall route.

There is a route for her, but naturally, it’s less substantial than Joanne’s. However, in terms of gameplay, it’s the most revealing.

Juanquiro usually takes care of the maintenance of the main base and has spent a long time as a non-combatant. Her job as an Executive is backed by her high interrogation ability.

I swallowed my saliva and involuntarily straightened my back.

This one is a lot sharper than Joanne. Moreover, depending on how her ability catches you, you could end up dead.

Recalling the content of her skill—’talk’, I began to feel the cold air of the interrogation room on my skin.

Juanquiro, clutching a grimy box, kicked the door shut with her foot. The box was crammed with various torture devices, and as one might expect… it seemed unlikely that a proper conversation would be possible. It was bound to be a one-sided exchange.

“I wonder if I should start with a hello?”

Juanquiro’s magic was somewhat special. Instead of being suited for direct combat, it allowed her to instantly kill her opponent under certain conditions at any chosen moment.

Those conditions were—she could curse to death anyone who lied to her within a two-meter radius if she knew the ‘face, name, and age’ of the opponent.

It was an ability that took effort to fulfill its conditions, but the payoff of being able to inflict instant death that penetrates resurrection was great.

However, the reason for her few appearances and achievements can only be attributed to the poor match-up of her enemies. It’s understandable that she’s regarded by fans as a woman who only shines in interrogation.

“…Juanquiro Legacy.”

“Now, Oakley Mercury…”

And so begins the ‘talk’ of me and Juanquiro.

“I’ve heard about it from Joanne. You’ve been attacked by Celestia twice in the past few days, haven’t you? That must have been tough.”

Juanquiro started circling around me.

Click- click-, the light sound of high heels echoed in the room. It’s a different kind of tension from Joanne.

I licked my lips.

Juanquiro’s ability is a top-tier magic for someone like me, a mere mob soldier.

Maybe this is what being cornered feels like.

Without the courage to utter anything, I kept silent and looked down.

A warm sweat began to seep around my nape, lodging an unpleasant sensation between my shirt and skin.

“First, I want to ask you…”

Oh no, a question is coming!

I tensed up, praying that it wouldn’t be the kind of question that would corner me.

“What did you do to Joanne?”

“Yes?”

A curveball out of nowhere. Why is Joanne’s name coming up…?

“That girl, she started freaking out when I said I was going to do a ‘talk’ with you. It’s just an interrogation with an ordinary Believer… but she clearly got all worked up when it came to you.”

“…”

“Moreover, when I took a good look, Joanne’s ring finger was missing. When I asked her about it, she said she gave it to you as a ‘marker’. What on earth is going on…”

I have a bad feeling about this.

“Joanne wasn’t like that. You changed her.”

Juanquiro stands behind the chair I’m restrained in, tracing my spine.

Goosebumps cover my entire body, and I twist violently.

“Ugh… ah! Wh-what are you…”

“It’s question time now. Be careful to answer honestly, or you’ll die.”

The moment I heard that voice, I envisioned the scythe of the Grim Reaper.

A cold breeze flowed down my neck.

“Let’s start with a jab. I’ve had my suspicions for a while now, but you’re not an enemy of our Aaros Temple Order, are you?”

From the darkness of the room, a single chain flew out and coiled around my neck.

This chain was proof that her magic’s conditions were met. My face, name, and age were all known to Juanquiro.

Now, the moment this chain exposed a lie, it would reap my life.

“Second question. That girl said she and you were ‘mutually in love’—are you two really in a mutual loving relationship?”

Another chain flew out, tightening around my torso.

“Three. You can’t actually use magic… can you?”

Chains wrapped around my waist, I was completely immobilized.

I couldn’t escape unless I answered the question.

“Ughh…ah…!”

While being constricted by the chains, I desperately tried to think.

Given the nature of the three questions, it seems that Juanquiro suspects me of being a person on the side of the Orthodox Church. And she believes that I have somehow bewitched Joanne’s heart.

That’s why she came to kill me, even going so far as to take preventative measures.

Let’s assume I was an enemy.

If I were frightened by her abilities and told the truth, then she could just torture me to death without the need for magic.

Conversely, if I defied her powers and lied, she could kill me instantly at any moment.

If I were an ally, I could easily dispel her suspicions… It’s perfect?

I feel like the second question is tinged with personal feelings, but I can’t help but say that the first and last questions are very rational.

The answer to the first and last questions is simple.

I am not an enemy of the Aaros Temple Order, nor can I use magic.

But how should I answer the second question—I begin to search for the perfect response.

Objectively, it’s just Joanne who has a crush on me, but since I somewhat like the character of Joanne as well, in that sense, it could be said to be mutual…

No, that doesn’t matter right now. We are not in a mutual relationship. I should answer with my true feelings.

I need to release these chains quickly or I’ll suffocate to death.

And then, as I arched my chest in search of oxygen, I noticed that the ‘marker’ inside the pendant was trembling violently.

(…Huh?)

I felt a gaze. Sticky, persistent, and yet as if it were observing an object—a curious gaze.

Reflexively, I turned my eyes to the iron bars of the door leading outside.

Rusted iron bars. Through the gaps, a pair of spiral eyes watched me without blinking.

“…”

It’s Joanne. She located me with a ‘marker’ and came to check the ‘talk’…

I was struck by two kinds of despair.

My true feelings were ‘not mutual’…

However, if I were to answer ‘we’re not in mutual love’ in front of Joanne, I’d be immediately made a bloody sacrifice.

Conversely, if I were to admit ‘I’m in love with her’—I would be instantly killed by the magic of Juanquiro.

I…What should I do?

Time continues to flow as everyone remains silent.