The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Good People

After dinner, I fell asleep as if I had passed out… No, actually, I’m not even sure if I finished the meal.

Right after I drained the bowl of potato soup, my consciousness abruptly cut off.

Perhaps I was extremely tired, or maybe it was because I had just come out of the bath.

Either way, it was a slightly strange experience.

“…When did I fall asleep?”

My memory of last night is hazy.

It would be fine if nothing happened.

When I asked Father Doldon, who came to wake me up in my room, he gave a vague response and retreated further inside.

“This feels strange.”

I stretch mightily before standing up.

Thanks to finally sleeping in a bed, my body feels light. Unnaturally light.

It’s as if I’ve been rejuvenated like I had been living with a heavy stone on my back until yesterday.

“By the way, Father Doldon, you didn’t answer my question from earlier. I don’t remember anything from yesterday, what happened?”

“Ah, nothing happened.”

“Is that so… Well, if that’s the case, it’s fine, but my body feels strangely light.”

“Ah, about that. After you fell asleep, I took the liberty of administering a special treatment.”

“What kind of special treatment? Like a massage?”

“Not quite… You see that small bottle over there? I used a special therapy involving herbal steam and the divine authority to heal your body.”

A device resembling an aroma diffuser used for essential oils sat silently by the bed.

The sweet fragrance filling the room must have been wafting from there.

“Since we first met, I had noticed that your body had sustained serious damage. I had planned to administer the treatment later, but since you were sound asleep yesterday, I took the opportunity to do it without asking.”

I see, so the wounds from the battle with the Magical Beast hadn’t completely healed.

I had been masking them with Makena-san’s ointment, but the accumulated fatigue and damage at the core of my body must have been lingering.

The priest had noticed this and decided to perform the healing treatment.

My brief fascination with the so-called special therapy was quickly overshadowed by the worry that my scars, etched all over my body, had been seen.

As I clutched at my collar, Father Dordon, his mouth hidden beneath his beard, revealed his white teeth with a smile.

“Fear not, I have not laid a finger upon your body… Or perhaps you did not wish for your scars to be seen?”

“…Yes, well…”

“What of it? Whether they be large or small, having scars on one’s body is no matter. They might be honorable wounds received in battle with Magical Beasts or Heretics, right? Besides, I shall not spread word of your scars to anyone. I swear it upon our one and only God.”

Father Dordon, with a slurp of his saliva, lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile and left the room to open the doors of the sealed church.

Father Dordon’s mornings begin early. He listens to the troubles of the Satel’s people who visit the church, and based on the teachings of God, he assists in alleviating their suffering.

He also conducts weddings and funerals and spreads the teachings to non-Kenneth Believers who come to the Holy Nation Geluid.

With the church housing the monument of the one true God, he cannot afford to neglect its cleaning, so even maintaining the status quo keeps him quite busy.

Perhaps they healed my body so I could handle all sorts of work evenly. The reason they didn’t tell me in advance might be because they felt guilty about it.

(No, the one providing shelter wouldn’t feel guilty. It’s only natural for me to help with the priest’s work.)

After washing my face, Father Doldon handed me a straw broom and led me to the central plaza.

“Oakley-kun, I’d like you to sweep up the fallen leaves and trash. Once you’re done with the outside, move inside. Lately, I’ve been too busy to do it myself, so I’m counting on you to cover every nook and cranny.”

“Understood!”

After shaking his shoulders in the cool morning air, Father Doldon quickly pushed the set of tools into my hands and went back into the church.

Watching the priest fling open the church doors, the zealous believers filed in after him one by one. In the central plaza, now faintly lit by the morning sun, my shadow stretched out alone.

After watching everyone leave as if it were none of my concern, I shivered in a gust of wind and gripped the straw broom tightly.

“That’s right, Marietta said she would come today as well… I’ve got to do my best!”

Scattered across the central square were fallen leaves, fragments of plants, litter tossed aside, and an old shoe—hidden away in the corner of the street, I collected the trash with single-minded focus.

The priest had said that the central square and the church grounds were enough, but once I started, it seemed like there was no end in sight, and before I knew it, I had ventured into the neighboring area.

Perhaps it was the deliberately discarded items in the back alleys that particularly bothered me. Either way, if I spread my efforts any further, it would become unmanageable.

I swept up an appropriate area and, with a mountain of waste piled up beside me, I wiped the sweat from my brow.

“How am I supposed to dispose of all this?”

There was more trash gathered than I had imagined.

At this point, the anxiety over how to dispose of it outweighed the pleasant feeling of having done a good deed.

As I stood there flustered in front of the garbage, wondering whether to go call Father Doldon, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

“Good morning, Oakley-san… What are you doing?”

Turning around, I was met by Marietta, a girl a fist’s height shorter than me.

Her glossy, chestnut hair swayed as she looked up at me with slightly moist, upturned eyes.

Remembering the fact that we had taken a bath together the other day, I couldn’t help but imagine her body beneath her loose-fitting clothes.

Despite her innocent face, she had a womanly figure with curves in all the right places.

Clearly slender in her clothing, her ample twin hills were unmistakable. — And beneath that soft belly, the tightly packed, bright red fruits.

In a rush, I shook off the distracting thoughts and feigned calmness.

“Ah, Marietta, good morning. Actually, Father Dordon asked me to clean up the central square, but I’ve collected too much trash and I’m not sure where to dispose of it… Do you know where I can throw it away?”

“Ah… I’m not really sure either, so I guess we have no choice but to ask Father Dordon.”

“It’s my responsibility, but… well, can’t be helped, I guess.”

“Perfect timing, I’ll go and ask him while I say hello!”

“Uh, oh…”

Perhaps due to the cold, her slightly flushed ears turned towards the church.

Watching her trot into the church, I decided to keep an eye on the towering pile of trash to ensure it didn’t collapse in the wind.

Father Dordon did not appear even after several minutes of waiting.

He was probably prioritizing a visitor, and gradually, a sense of guilt and shame began to overwhelm me.

Suffering from amnesia, I felt as though I was nothing but a nuisance to Marietta and Father Dordon, among other benefactors—likely not just a feeling, but the actual truth—and I found myself wanting to hold my breath and hide away in a narrow, dark space.

“Ah…”

Just as I was on the verge of tears, lost in thought, a piece of trash lifted by the wind flew into an alleyway as if being sucked in.

I would have ignored it if it were smaller, but its perfectly bothersome size made me hesitate several times before following it.

I stood in front of the narrow passage leading into the alleyway.

It would have been better if the trash had settled nearby, but there was no sign of it where the light shone.

Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that the trash had been carried further back—

As I stared into the depths of the alleyway, hesitation born from the murky air and the depth of the darkness took hold.

The desire for self-preservation, not wanting to venture further into the alleyway, outweighed the duty to keep the streets of Satel clean.

As if to reinforce that thought, I suddenly realized that if I left the pile of trash where it was, it might collapse.

If the trash scattered, it would only increase the workload, wouldn’t it?

The lukewarm air that seemed to seep out from the darkness entwined around my limbs.

A moment later, a nauseating, sludge-like stench arrived, and a wave of nausea surged up from the back of my throat, threatening to make me retch.

I turned on my heels as if to flee and began to jog back towards the light when suddenly—a voice called out from behind me.

“――You. You’re the kid who started staying at Father Dordon’s church, aren’t you?”

From the depths of the dim alleyway, it approached.

Something resembling a human, clad in rags like worn cloth, with skin the color of dark olives and unkempt white hair that lacked any hint of cleanliness.

Its teeth were missing in places, and those that remained were yellowed and thin, standing isolated and fragile.

I had never seen one in person, but it reminded me of a goblin.

Perhaps this man was the source of the strange foul odor.

Judging by his appearance, it was impossible to tell how many days it had been since he last bathed.

He spread his arms wide, attempting to appear friendly as he approached.

In his right hand, he held the piece of trash I had dropped earlier, seemingly offering it back to me.

This meant he knew I had been collecting trash.

…Had I been under surveillance all this time? Since when?

Could it have been since the early morning when I started cleaning?

The moment I realized I had been watched by him, I was paralyzed with fear.

More than any Magical Beast, more than any formidable entity, it was the unknown human that was far more terrifying.

A human with an incomprehensible mind is, indeed, the most dreadful being to avoid.

I commanded my body as if striking my knees, telling it to move. Run.

This man is dangerous. I clenched my teeth with this thought.

The man, who had been scratching his scalp, sending flakes flying, noticed my guarded demeanor.

After letting go of the trash, he pursed his lips in apparent disappointment.

“Just because he’s an ally, don’t let your guard down,” Is what I want to say, but that’s probably asking too much. I mean, look at what I’m wearing… So I’ll make it quick. — ‘Don’t trust Father Dordon.’ I haven’t been able to get any decisive evidence yet… but young men who stay at the church he manages always go missing within a few days. That means you’re the next target. Whether you believe it or not is up to you… but please, don’t let your guard down. I hope I’m just being paranoid…”

“Eh…”

“Go home quickly. Dordon will come to check on you.”

I was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. I had thought he was a dangerous person lurking in the shadows of the town, but in reality, he was a mysterious man issuing me a warning.

Suspicious as he may be, whether as the former or the latter, my assessment of him had completely changed after just one conversation.

I wanted to dig deeper into the guilty rumors surrounding Father Dordon, but I was more curious about the identity of this man.

Regaining my composure, I addressed the man covered in mold.

“Who exactly are you?”

“…I had a son who was separated from me during the battle of Daskell. It seems he escaped from Daskell and made his way to Satel, seeking refuge in this church… However, after staying at this church, his whereabouts became unknown. I only recently caught wind of this information… Everything was too late. Since learning that there were other victims besides my son, I’ve been gathering information about Dordon in the city’s underworld… You might say I’m a pitiful ghost trapped in the past.”

The man who called himself a ghost melted into the darkness in an instant, leaving behind his final words from within the shadows.

“Kenneth Orthodox is rotten. Be careful…”

Picking up the discarded waste that had returned to my feet, I pondered his words.

“‘Don’t trust Father Dordon’…?”

It’s true that he has a habit of slurping saliva, which is physiologically repulsive, but other than that, he’s a person who wouldn’t be out of place in the history of this city.

He has served for many years as the priest of the venerable Kenneth Orthodox and has a good reputation among the people of Satel.

Even today, there must be no shortage of people who came to the church seeking his advice.

Am I to believe the words of a dirty, suspicious stranger I met in the back alleys of the city over the achievements of such a person?

Is there such a foolish story?

Father Dordon healed my body.

That suspicious man must be spouting nonsense, trying to confuse me.

(…No matter how I think about it, I should trust Father Dordon. And yet… what is this feeling of distrust that’s solidified in my chest…!? What is making me feel this way…!?)

My heart is rampaging with an ominous premonition.

It’s not just my heart that’s sounding the alarm.

The voices in my mind are openly expressing their distrust.

I must be crazy after all. I’ve convinced myself that it’s righteous to doubt Father Dordon.

I shouldn’t think that a person who would eat another person can have sane thoughts.

I need to leave this town before I lose my mind.

I turn around to escape through the alleyway with my trash in hand.

There, standing before me, is a familiar old man.

“What are you doing in an alley like this, Oakley-kun?”

A raspy breath was squeezed from the back of my throat.

Standing before me was none other than Father Dordon himself.

“The trash in the central square is fine now. I need you to clean inside the church.”

“Y-yes…”

As Father Dordon walked towards the central square, a greasy sweat oozed out all over my body. I didn’t understand why.