The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Declaration of Determination

The world of the original work, ‘The Seeker of Yumei,’ is chaotic.

In the main story, the Heretic wreaked havoc, but there were also epidemics that nearly destroyed nations, conflicts arising from those diseases, appearances of magical beasts and dragons causing terrible disasters, and great calamities strikes…essentially, I want you to understand that this was a world where people died left and right.

As the world was enveloped in chaos time and time again, people accumulated the pain of living, the fear of death, and a deep reverence for the unknown.

It was in this way that the prototype of religion naturally emerged, and many ethnic groups came to have their own religions.

Here, the religion which would become the origin of ‘Kenneth Orthodox’ arose.

However, the Kenneth Orthodox in the ancient world (old world) seems to have been completely different, only on a small scale.

When wars between ethnic groups began in the ancient world, each group sought to make their gods appear stronger than the others, creating a supreme god to stand above all.

Over a long period of time, Kenneth Orthodox became a monotheistic religion.

Many years after becoming monotheistic, a great disaster struck overnight, obliterating a nation. Magical beasts fleeing from the disaster inflicted tremendous damage on the surrounding countries.

Faced with wails and screams like the end of the world, the people of Kenneth Orthodox sought salvation from ‘God’.

They prayed, they wished, they clung on—and as a result, ‘God’ became real.

One hundred days after the disaster, seven Orthodox Believers claiming to have been ‘endowed with power by God’ appeared around the world.

They unanimously stated that they had met God in their dreams and had saved the people with ‘magic’ that surpassed human wisdom.

The seven chosen Orthodox Believers have continued to protect and pass on the other Orthodox Believers, changing people and changing generations.

…This is the outline of the modern-day Kenneth Orthodox.

I vaguely remember such a legend appearing in the main story.

In contrast, the origins of the Aaros Temple Order are shallow.

While Kenneth Orthodox is a religion that has continued since ancient times, the Aaros Temple Order has only a few decades of history at most, even if estimated from the era of the trading companies.

The length of history directly translates to the persuasiveness of mystique and tradition, so the Aaros Temple Order, with its short history, would normally not be a match for Kenneth Orthodox.

However, Aaros was no ordinary human.

Originally a believer in Kenneth Orthodox, he became radicalized for his own ambition.

He took over the trading company, which had been merely a connection for making money through ‘a certain performance,’ and now he has grown into the leader of a major force.

By the way, the performance that provided the final push was ‘resurrection from death.’

It was said in the original text that he revived after hanging himself.

However, it is unknown whether he was truly dead, and if he was, how he was resurrected remains an eternal mystery.

By overcoming ‘death,’ he acquired a miraculous charisma and mystique in a short period.

Aaros, who took advantage of the social climate plagued by disasters and magical beasts, stirred up people’s fears with his clever speeches and produced a large number of new believers.

And then one day—just like the legend of Kenneth Orthodox, multiple Heretics claiming to have obtained immense power appeared.

At the same time, Aaros, who had awakened to powerful magic, began his actions to seize control of the world—

This is a story from the past of ‘The Seeker of Yumei’, where the radicalization of the group led by Aaros is depicted in detail. I remember that.

(There was also a theory that Aaros gained his power thanks to a mischievous God… Quite a wicked deity.)

I mixed poisons and gunpowder, completing the daily missions.

It’s good to have an environment where I can focus on my work without distractions.

It lets me forget the harsh reality.

“…”

Once the work is done, an overwhelming sense of fatigue and despair comes with the sunset.

The detestable names of the Executives float in my mind, and I claw at my hair.

Joanne Sagamix, Juanquiro Legacy, and then… the cult leader Aaros Hawkeye.

Because of these guys, my life is a mess. Especially those two women… needless to say, they are the worst of humanity.

If possible, I’d like to start over from the moment I was born. And then destroy the Heretics, together with the protagonist.

(It’s just empty to indulge in such delusions…)

My immediate goal is ‘to survive.’ However, since I’ve become a target for assassination not only by Kenneth Orthodox but also from within the Aaros Temple Order, I recently requested a transfer to Juanquiro.

I asked to be moved to another branch where Joanne and Juanquiro aren’t present.

Of course, it was rejected. ‘Do you think you can run away?’ I was scoffed at with a half-smile. It was merciless.

I knew that it wasn’t an environment where nobody like me could have their say… but it seemed she had no intention of letting go of a subordinate whose weakness she’d grasped.

“Hey you, did you hear?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since the last gathering.”

Tuning into the nearby conversation, I learned that a gathering was set to begin at noon tomorrow.

At the gathering, long-term plans would be communicated, and we, the mob characters, could receive bonuses and words of praise to boost our morale.

But what good does it do to receive words of appreciation from Aaros or the other Executives? I think it’s a waste of time…

Just as I was about to drink some water from the well, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

There are only two people in the base who would bother talking to me.

Knowing that either way it would be terrible, I resigned myself and turned around.

White bobbed hair, tan skin, golden eyes. A slender waist, long legs, and a full chest pushing against her clothes.

A beautiful woman with a great figure was standing there.

“Hello there Oakley-kun. Could you do me a little favor?”

“Yes. What kind of favor would you like to ask?”

I bowed my head respectfully to Juanquiro, who sported a sadistic smile.

Knowing full well that I couldn’t refuse, the way she posed the question as if I had a choice was nothing short of distasteful.

Conversing with this guy was a different kind of mental strain compared to talking with Joanne.

Perhaps it was my aversion to her mocking demeanor.

“I’d like a bit of help with an interrogation.”

“Interrogation, you say?”

Juanquiro tilted her head and grinned sheepishly.

The playful, casual demeanor, so at odds with the content of our conversation only served to heighten the sense of the surreal.

…..

As we moved to the interrogation room, I learned that the subject was a spy who had been captured recently.

They had kept the spy alive to extract information.

“Interrogation or torture, call it what you will. Physical labor is a bit too tough for me~”

As I felt a slight sense of relief at the absence of Joanne’s presence, I stepped into the room where a tragedy had nearly unfolded the other day.

In the center of the dark room, an unfamiliar woman sat slumped over in the chair I had been tied to.

Naturally, there were torture instruments beside her.

Moreover, she was blindfolded with coarse cloth, seemingly unable to grasp her surroundings—but upon hearing the click-clack of Juanquiro’s high heels, she shrank back in what appeared to be intense fear.

“Good evening, sister.”

“Ah!”

“I’d like to continue where we left off yesterday, is that alright with you?”

Juanquiro placed a hand on the shoulder of the spy woman.

Sliding the blindfold down smoothly, Juanquiro caressed the woman’s chin with a lewd gesture. The spy woman was crying.

Then, in the next moment, as Juanquiro’s brown hand overlapped with the woman’s right hand, she forcefully pulled her right hand forward.

“Oakley-kun will have the role of peeling off her nails.”

Juanquiro looked at me as if sizing me up, questioning with her gaze.

She then attached a slender instrument to her right hand and began to explain how to use it.

“Slip the thin part of the stiletto between the nail and the skin, then fix it in place with the instrument. After that, you just slowly press the lever at the right time. It’s simple, right?”

“… I have to do this?”

I was intimidated, shaking my head with tearful eyes in front of the trembling sply woman.

Annoyed by my hesitation, Juanquiro urged me to act.

“That’s what I’m saying. Or would you rather have me spill the beans to Joanne?”

“…”

“You’ve already killed people, haven’t you? Peeling off someone’s nails now won’t change anything, especially since I’ll just heal them for her.”

Indeed, I have killed people. But I’ve never thought about inflicting unnecessary pain to kill. I’ve only killed to ensure my own survival.

I don’t think I could do it. No, it is impossible.

My eyes meet those of the fiercely resisting Orthodox woman, and I find myself empathizing with her.

Unlike the executives, I see a reflection of myself in her struggles to escape pain and fear.

“I can’t do it.”

I refuse the request while feeling a terrible headache.

Then a low, heavy voice froze my heart.

“Huh? You’re refusing me? The request of an Executive?”

The woman from Orthodox Believer looked up at me with pleading eyes.

Tears were streaming down from the corners of her eyes.

――If it weren’t for Juanquiro, I would have been swayed and let her escape. But Juanquiro was right beside me.

With the sharp gaze of a hawk, she was testing me.

Sorry, I couldn’t sacrifice my own life.

“…No, I’ll do it. Please let me do it.”

“Uh-huh, I knew it. You’re a capable man. You’re fully prepared huh?”

Juanquiro pats my back with a rhythmic thump. ‘Alright, let’s get started’, she says, and her magic activates.

The interrogation begins.

….

—As it turns out, I never got to use devices like nail-pulling machines.

“Ah, what a shame. That spy, seems like her spirit was already broken from the continuous torment since yesterday.”

Juanquiro is a non-combatant, but she is also a practitioner of healing magic, capable of mending wounded flesh.

Yesterday, she must have tortured the Orthodox Believer woman and then healed all her injuries.

Thanks to that, the woman earlier had a body without a single mark, pristine and unblemished.

However, the memories of the torture must have been deeply etched into her mind. She answered all of Juanquiro’s questions truthfully, without a hint of deception.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you again next time~”

I parted ways with Juanquiro.

Immediately after, I headed to the bushes and vomited with all my might.

Ah, I feel the worst.

Why am I so weak? Even if it’s for my own survival, is it really okay to keep doing things like this?

(It’s not okay. This is definitely not okay…)

The face of the Orthodox Believer woman with her eyes swollen from crying flashes back in my mind.

She may not have been killed, but she will likely face even more terrible things from now on. Unspeakable, horrific things…

(I am half-hearted.)

I have tried to preserve the feelings of goodness in my heart, but I realize that I have been using that very effort as an excuse to allow myself to commit cruel acts.

I detest that part of myself.

(…The non-combatant, Juanquiro. If I could just kill her… No, even if I did, the organization’s policy wouldn’t change. Unless I do something about the boss, Aaros, we’ll just continue dragging along the current situation.)

The reason I enjoyed playing ‘The Seeker of Yumei’ was, after all, because the canonical route led to a conclusion where virtue is rewarded and vice is punished.

It was purely for creative enjoyment that I enjoyed the Heretic’s way of life and their madness.

But in the world I live in now, there is no ‘player’ to make the best choices.

Therefore, whether Kenneth Orthodox achieves complete victory is left to the whims of time.

—I have to change that.

With my own hands, as a former ‘player’.

(I have no choice but to destroy the Heretic from the inside…)

I glance down at the pendant around my neck. Joanne has feelings for me.

It’s also true that she’s even more fond of the cult leader, but if something were to trigger her to become a true ally… there would be no stronger comrade.

I think and think, and then I realize that my imagination is getting ahead of itself. I don’t have the insane mental strength or magic. It’s like knowing how to start a fire but not having the tools.

It’s counting one’s chickens before they hatch. If it’s just delusions, I can swell it up bravely as much as I want.

Like a balloon without substance. In the end, it all dissipates.

My determination is fierce, but the situation remains unchanged.

With these frustrating thoughts, I attend the noon gathering the next day.

“The time for a leap forward has come for us, the Aaros Temple Order.”

The meeting that began with Aaros’s grandiose words, as usual, was about to take an unexpected turn.

“The preparations for the battle to reclaim my birthplace, ‘Metashim,’ are complete.”

—Metashim. Hearing that word, I felt as if I had been awakened.

It was the same name as the land where the protagonist’s hometown once stood.

The protagonist’s hometown had been destroyed by the assault of the Aaros Temple Order.

This was an event from the prelude before the story began, and it’s an indispensable motive for the protagonist in the narrative of ‘The Seeker of Yumei.’

If the battle for Metashim is about to occur, then we will inevitably cross paths with the protagonist.

If I could have taken some sort of action there, maybe…

(…I might be able to save the world)

I swallowed my saliva nervously and listened intently to Aaros’s speech.

“—There is nothing to fear! Together we shall reclaim the ‘holy land’!!”

The great hall was enveloped in an earthquake-like cheer.

I secretly firmed up my determination and decided to make a life-risking contact with the ‘protagonist’ who was supposed to be there.