The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Marietta and Pomett

The disappearance of Celestia Hotthound sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of the Orthodox Church.

The concern was not only about the loss of her pure combat strength but also the loss of Celestia as a spiritual pillar—her meddlesome nature and motherly kindness were well-known within the organization—and the resulting turmoil was significant.

Pomett, who had been close to Celestia, painfully realized the difficulty of suddenly losing someone with whom she could have aimless conversations.

She had enjoyed watching the exchanges between the big man Cress and the nun Celestia from a distance… But now, a year after Celestia’s disappearance, the face of Cress, who ranked third in the Executive hierarchy, remained clouded.

Since Celestia vanished, they had scoured the continent searching for her.

They searched through towns, forests, and underground caves—combing through the Holy Nation Geluid.

Still, she was nowhere to be found.

Naturally, the last time Celestia was seen was when she had gone on a forced mission to Metashim, which had fallen into enemy hands.

The conclusion drawn was that Celestia must be held captive in some form.

This was supported by the fact that one of the ‘Holy Relics’ sleeping within the Temple of Pheonix—the ‘Lamp of Life’ that indicates the life status of an Executive—had not been extinguished.

It was a reasonable reason to be happy that she was alive.

However, why was she being kept alive?

This was the question that plagued their faction.

Even if one were to be cornered to the point of capture, unless facing an ability that nullifies magic, there should be no way to be restrained.

Even if one’s limbs were chained, it would be easy to escape the restraints by using self-harm and healing magic.

Exceptionally, situations like being continuously drugged into a comatose state, being submerged underwater and drowning continuously due to lack of oxygen to the brain, or being frozen and unable to move would make escape difficult—but the Orthodox Executive, including Celestia, have answers to these situations.

For example, ‘transfer’ would become the basic strategy for escape.

By self-inflicting wounds with one’s own magic to send flesh flying, one can regenerate the body and escape from crisis.

Even in the case of insufficient oxygen, Celestia could use wind magic to bring air.

In other words, it is almost impossible to incapacitate an Orthodox Executive, but with Celestia not returning, they must consider even worse scenarios.

The anticipated ability is a means of effective brainwashing against the Executive.

The ability to conveniently rewrite thought patterns is the only thing that cannot be defended against.

The Orthodox Executive predicted that Celestia had been subjected to brainwashing.

Kenneth Orthodox does not fully grasp the magic of the Aaros Temple Order Executive, and Joanne, which has a simple ability, is the only one they fully grasp.

The full extent of the other Executives is not understood, and the existence of Juanquiro, who is holed up within the base, is completely unknown.

Even for Pomett, a member of the Orthodox Executive, continuing to fight against a cult whose full picture is not seen was mentally taxing.

Even amidst all this, there is something that Pomett and some of the Orthodox Believers secretly look forward to.

It is watching over the growth of Marietta.

For Pomett, the existence of the girl who survived the tragedy of Metashim and Daskell felt like it could fill the void in her heart left by Celestia.

――Marietta Valliere.

A girl of merely fifteen years of age.

On her shoulders, she carries the all-too-heavy tragedies of the death of her family and friends and the destruction of her homeland.

But it is precisely because of this that Marietta has been growing stronger.

The painful past acts as a catalyst, pushing her growth forward.

She possesses an extraordinary mental strength.

Beaten down by the harsh realities, compressed, it can be said that the girl has earned the right to become a raw gem of the Orthodox Executive.

“I’m sorry about earlier… I interfered with your mourning.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I can’t afford to take a day off from training.”

Having reached the age of fifteen, Marietta, relying on Pomett and the others, volunteered to be a soldier of the Kenneth Orthodox.

Marietta, who harbors more resentment towards the Heretic than most, has been rigorously training her mind and body without finding the harsh discipline burdensome.

Already highly regarded among her peers, she is being nurtured with care to the extent that Pomett is giving her special training.

Pomett holds the position of organizing Kenneth Orthodox’s troops.

To sum it up, she is the captain of the Order of Flower Knights.

As one would expect from a knight, she is skilled in handling horses, but lately, she has had fewer occasions to mount them.

She doesn’t use horses, even in training with Marietta.

The decline in mounted combat could be attributed to the Aaros Temple Order.

They prefer the dark and treacherous depths of remote mountains and underground caverns.

The necessary style of combat changes depending on whether the opposing force is human or a magical beast, and when facing the damp Heretics, horses are at a disadvantage.

After beating Marietta to a pulp, the blonde, blue-eyed knight sat on the incapacitated girl’s back and cast healing magic on her.

“Ugh… You’re too merciless…”

“I’m actually holding back. If I were serious, Marietta wouldn’t be able to stand for even a second.”

Pomett narrowed her cool eyes and smiled.

Her magic has the ability to transform spiritual energy into a blade.

The length of the blade can be freely controlled depending on the amount of spiritual energy poured into it, and due to its property of slicing through anything, it never breaks.

The key is the ability to change the length of the sword at will; theoretically, the reach of the blade is infinite.

In other words, it is possible to cut down even the stars floating in the sky with a single stroke.

Pomett’s true power lies in such a dimension.

As someone somewhere had painfully realized, ordinary people couldn’t stand a chance even if they stood on their heads.

However, the fact that Marietta couldn’t make a dent in practice with the Executive’s limited brute strength, seemed to be incredibly frustrating for her.

The girl, physically under Pomett’s thumb, pursed her lips in an attempt to distract from her frustration.

“Pomett-sama, you’re heavy.”

“Heavy…!? No, I am not heavy. It’s the weight of the armor.”

“You’re not wearing armor during practice, are you?”

“…”

Pomett’s composed profile tensed.

Glancing up at the female knight, it was clear that her exposed ears were blushing red.

“…Have I, perhaps, gained weight?”

“Eh… No, please don’t get seriously depressed. I was joking.”

“Was it a lie?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me the truth. I’m a bit heavy, aren’t I?”

“Sure, you’re heavier than the average woman. But that’s just proof that Pomett-sama has been training,”

“That’s complicated in its own way,”

Using the mock sword that she had thrust between her legs as a cane, Pomett said “heave-ho” as she stood up and then effortlessly helped Marietta to her feet with one hand.

“Well, anyway, Marietta has potential. If you continue to make progress, you should be able to easily rise to the rank of squad leader,”

“Really? I’m super happy even though I got totally beaten up!”

The light brown-haired girl beamed a smile as bright as the sun.

Pomett felt reassured by her carefree smile.

Marietta, the sole survivor from Metashim and having just escaped the hardships of Daskell, was severely mentally unstable.

In addition to the death of her family and friends, she received the news of the disappearance of her lifesaver, Celestia, which caused her to become even more deeply withdrawn.

She had despaired of living, and there was a time when she wouldn’t even eat, just shutting herself away in her room.

…If I just put it into words, it might sound rather quaint.

In reality, it was far more tragic, desperate, and utterly bleak.

I have witnessed countless times those who were defeated by overwhelming despair and gradually gave up on living.

I initially thought Marietta would unfortunately become one of them, but—

“…Pomett-sama. Do you remember that day?”

Perhaps reminded by the sight of Pomett, whose eyes clouded over with memories of Celestia, Marietta asked with a solemn expression.

—That day.

The day Pomett, unable to bear watching Marietta any longer, knocked on her room’s door.

Pomett is a clumsy person.

She’s not good with words, so she doesn’t really understand how to encourage others, and because she’s a tall beauty, people say she has an intimidating presence.

Therefore, when she tries to comfort someone who has been beaten down, she always conveys her feelings through earnest, straightforward actions.

The action Pomett took to save the downtrodden Marietta was simply to hug the girl with all her might.

But it was no ordinary embrace.

It was gentle like the Virgin Mary, capable of enveloping not only hardship, sorrow, fear, anxiety, and despair but even any guilty feelings.

Such was the embrace.

She continued to hug the sobbing Marietta.

Perhaps unaccustomed to hugging, Pomett’s arms moved stiffly… but without saying a word, she stayed close by her side.

Marietta learned a wordless message.

Just having someone by her side—what a joy that was.

She realized that many people, including Pomett, had been supporting her without her knowing. Embracing her sorrow and recovering, Marietta now lives in the present, using her painful past as a springboard.

“That day, I was saved. Pomett-sama taught me that we can overcome hardships by sharing them with someone else.”

Pomett, who had been withdrawn due to past events and daily fatigue, was unable to catch Marietta’s movements as she closed the distance.

By the time she realized it, she was firmly embraced in the arms of the girl.

Pomett’s body was made to react to murderous intent. It was the first time since becoming an Executive that she had failed to predict someone’s movements.

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do in times like this.”

“I felt the same way back then.”

“Is that so…”

Pomett let out a hot sigh into the girl’s chest.

It was a reversal of roles from that day when Pomett had been on the verge of breaking and was supporting Marietta.

To think that Pomett was now being supported by Marietta, who had grown both mentally and physically.

Pomett felt a mix of shame and happiness, an exquisite emotion.

Having received energy from Marietta, Pomett took a small breath and gently stroked her back.

“Thank you,” said Pomett, and Marietta, receiving those words, smiled softly as if melting away, saying, “You’re welcome!”

“…Really”

It was truly a relief that Marietta was alive. Pomett savored the very existence of people.

As a leader of the knights, one must not show weakness.

Changing her expression, Pomett cleared her throat with a slightly louder voice.

“Ahem… Now that practice is over, let’s head back to the base.”

“Yes, let’s!”

On the way back, Marietta engaged in casual conversation.

She talked about how she had been saved by a lifesaver in the city of Daskell.

She had told this story several times before, but there was something that nagged at Pomett.

“Ah, I wonder where Oakley-san, the person who saved me, is and what he’s doing now.”

“…Well, he’s probably still alive.”

“Eh! You can tell!?”

“It’s just a hunch.”

“Eh…”

“By the way, my hunches often turn out to be right.”

The name of the lifesaver was Oakley.

Although it was a very common name, this name caused a sense of discomfort not only to Pomett but also to the other Executives.

After all, it was Oakley, the Heretic, who had devastated the town of Daskell.

Marietta and Oakley met in the midst of Daskell’s collapse.

It’s said that they were caught up in a scene where the crumbling outer walls were falling down around them.

However, Oakley seems to have shielded Marietta and escaped from the debris.

It’s impossible to think that a Heretic who repeatedly commits murder or kidnapping would risk danger to save a girl.

It’s said that many Heretics are madmen, so if it’s a whim of a lunatic, that’s all there is to it… But among the Executives, there was a tentative conclusion that the Heretic named Oakley must be a different person with the same name.

(…Oakley Mercury and the ‘Oakley’ Marietta speaks of… not only the name but even the physical characteristics match. Every time I hear about ‘Oakley’ from Marietta, it feels like my heart is being disturbed…)

Pomett was conflicted.

While combing her translucent golden hair, she pondered repeatedly with noncommittal responses.

(I have a bad feeling about this. Every time I hear this story, I’m reminded of the young man who chased away Shadiq and Pork, who attacked me. He was looking for a boy named Alfie who had passed away. If you ask, it turns out that the ‘Oakley’ who saved Marietta was also looking for Alfie.)

Anyway, it’s troubling. Extremely.

The clincher was the indifferent parting remark, “Take care, Pomett.”

There was a sense of discomfort that she, being supported by people of all ages, could understand.

Oakley… He’s a man of interest.

“Hey, are you listening!?”

“Huh!?”

Startled back to reality by Marietta’s sudden loud voice, Pomett flinched and asked her to repeat what she was saying.

“It’s been the talk among our peers! The story about the squad that went to the village that suffered from the monster damage!”

“Oh, right. What about it?”

“And so, upon arriving at the village—the squad witnessed the corpse of the said magical beast! It turns out that the beast had been exterminated before the squad even arrived!”

“Hmm. And why is that?”

“It seems that a traveler who happened to be passing by annihilated it!”

Apparently, that traveler mentioned he was headed for the Holy City Sasfect and promptly left the village.

“A nameless strong one, indeed.”

“Right?! A wandering traveler taking on a horde of magical beasts with a single sword and being invincible is just too cool!”

“It will still take some time before Marietta reaches that level. Don’t get too carried away.”

While Pomett harbored some thoughts about the presence of an unnamed strong person, she steeled her heart with the knowledge that Kenneth Orthodox was not yet dead.