Salvation
Partheon was destroyed. It turned out that way. Bishop Ruminas told the people that there was no proof that he was the savior, just as Ren had told him. Many people were shocked by that, but that did not change the situation. The answer to the question of who would be the country and the government that could protect them would be Ren. If many of the priests who could be their leaders do not want to stay, there is no way they will be able to rebuild.
As a result, more than 10,000 people will head to the Nord Empire, excluding those who have a place to rely on other countries.
"...Haa. What kind of idiot would take over more than 10,000 people and try to break through the [Forest of No Entry]?"
"What do you think about the expression [fool] to yourself?"
Bishop Ruminas answered Ren's complaints with a calm tone. The tone of voice is not clear whether he is joking or serious.
"I'm not the only fool. Those who follow me are also quite fools."
The [Forest of No Entry] is a dangerous place. Originally, you can't go deep into it and stay safe. The existence of Luna, who has a strong influence on the elves who hide in the [Forest of No Entry], and Ron, who is a Fenriswolf, a strong magical beast, reduces the danger. But people shouldn't know.
"Maybe so, but that's also because His Majesty is going to abandon the church capital."
Ren simply rejected Bishop Ruminas's proposal to incorporate the church country into the Nord Empire. If that happens, the church capital will not be rebuilt. People will have no choice but to migrate to the Nord Empire territory.
"Because the church country is just a burden."
"We have enough economic power."
"It is only because of the church. And even if we keep the church, it will be meaningless if it cannot protect the country."
"Can't you protect it?"
"Neutrality has protected the church country so far. It's the power to influence the people. It's neither a defensive wall nor a military force for the church capital."
The church country's defense is weak. In fact, even though Pope Mikhail gave up the defense early on, it was attacked by the Izrim Empire and fell easily.
If it was adjacent to the Nord Empire territory, it could still be defended, but that's not the case. Even if it is rebuilt, it will only be attacked by another country immediately.
"...How about occupying the countries in between?"
"Like the Izrim Empire?"
"That's right"
Annexing the countries between the Partheon Kingdom and the Nord Empire. Bishop Ruminas thought that this would eliminate the problem of distance, but Ren is also considering it to that extent.
"And exploit a gap like the Izrim Empire created by doing so?"
"……Is that so?"
"Governing a country is difficult. The more territory you expand, the more difficult it becomes. As much as you can't keep an eye on them yourself, you need someone to take over. It's not just one person or two."
You have to leave it to a reliable person with a reliable subordinate. If you can't do that, you'll just make a gap to be exploited by other countries. Ren thinks so.
"Is it not enough to just expand the territory..."
"No, I know that much. I had a decent position in the church country, you know?"
"That's right, but everyone rose up at once. Without knowledge and experience."
The Anti-Hero Alliance wiped out the upper echelons as it seized power from the Church. After that, those who took important positions rose in rank at several levels at once.
"Ah, I see……"
It was Ren who planned the coup d'etat. He cannot blame Bishop Ruminas for his ignorance.
"In case you're wondering, let me make an excuse: I didn't think you'd stay this long."
"Conversely, you thought that it would remain to some extent?"
"That's true. There are many people who are concerned about the future, and not just the people of the Church."
"...Because it's all about war. I am the cause of that, though."
When will the place where they live be involved in a war? Will their country be the next to perish? Now that the Izrim Magic Kingdom and the Lemberg Empire have fallen, they cannot rest easy because they are a major power. Even the people living in the Izrim Empire cannot help but feel uneasy.
"There is a feeling of seeking a strong country."
The Nord Empire fought against a coalition of great powers. Many people think that it is perfect in terms of strength.
"That's why we need to be a country that doesn't lose, not a country that wins. No matter how many times we win, it doesn't matter if we lose in the end."
"I see……"
Bishop Ruminas knew Ren's prudence. At the same time, it made a little more sense to him that he had abandoned the church country.
"What do you mean by, I see?"
"It was a little surprising. I thought that Ren-sama, who had them, was more aggressive."
Even among the Anti-Hero Alliance, Ren accepted only those who wanted a place to die. Those who would give up their lives to kill their enemies. Bishop Ruminas thought that Ren, who accepted that, also had an aggressive personality.
"…Since they say they really want to die, I just tried to make the most of their death. To protect others.”
Ren was also protected by them. During the united front and the fight against the Demon King, they sacrificed themselves to help Ren withdraw.
"Did their deaths have any meaning?"
"...I don't think you should look for meaning in death. If you do that, you'll be the same as them."
"I agree……"
Seeking meaning in death is the same as trying to die with a reason. Bishop Ruminas understood what Ren was saying.
"Come to think of it, there was one thing that bothered me."
"What is it?"
"About their Savior?"
He understands their opposition to the heroes. But he doesn't understand why they didn't expect the savior to appear, which is the original teaching. Ren himself had no expectations, but it was strange that they, as priests, did.
"...Not everyone, but there were people who knew. They should have given up knowing it."
"Should have?"
"I haven't contacted them at all since they left the church country. So this is my selfish assumption."
"What assumption?"
"They saw the savior in you before we did, didn't they?"
"……Again"
Treating him as a savior is nothing but an annoyance to Ren. That's just a random thought.
"Excuse me. But you'll know this when you hear it."
Not all the former Anti-Hero Alliance members who first went to Ren died. Especially the women in the monastery. Bishop Ruminas thinks that if he asks those girls, he should understand.
"I think"
"What is it?"
"Shouldn’t we ask the demons too? How is the savior for the humans for the demons? I have a feeling that it will probably be the exact opposite."
"...Would that be the case?"
If that's the case, there's no way that Ren, who has demons, could be the savior.
"Because the heroes are like that. Not now, but before. They fought demons, and even though they fought each other, they defeated them. They are heroes to many of the people, but to the Nord, they are the worst of the worst.
"Surely……"
The hero on the one hand is the exact opposite of the other. Bishop Ruminas wondered if it was right to wait for its appearance if it was such a being. He felt that the existence of a savior had faded away at once.
"...If you ask me... no, it's no good"
"What is it?"
"No, if we go a little further, there was a place where I knew someone."
He ends up saying it like this. Even if he says that Rin is there, Bishop Ruminas would understand.
"Do you mean demons?"
"……Yes"
"Then why don't we stop by and talk?"
"No, not now. Besides, we can't take a detour with this number."
Numbers are an excuse. He can't see Rin now. When the time is right, Rin will come to see him. That's what Ren thinks. He doesn't even realize that this is an unconscious excuse to suppress his own impulses.
"Then, should I go see Rin-san?"
Shizuku, who had been silent all this time, opened her mouth here.
"...Yeah, go. And never come back."
Ren is irritated by Shizuku's carefree lines. It was an underlying feeling that he was trying to be patient.
"Saying that. You're the one in trouble if I don't come back."
"It doesn't matter if a useless person disappears."
"That's terrible. I'm trying to be useful."
"What use is a person who didn't make it to the battlefield?"
Shizuku did not participate in the battle against the Izrim Empire Army. She was late for the march.
"That's... I'm not good at riding horses, but Ren was in a hurry."
The reason for the delay was that the speed of the march was too fast. It is true that the marching speed was abnormal. That's how impatient Ren was.
"It's not a horse you're riding. It is strange to be late when you are riding Run, isn't it?"
Shizuku is riding the same monster as Ren. Originally, it was the magical beast that Rin was riding.
"...But it's scary."
"Run has a quiet personality."
"No. It's too fast and scary."
Running faster than a horse and running through a thick forest is like a roller coaster ride for Shizuku.
"...That's what you call a waste of treasure. If so, give it to someone else."
"No"
"Don't be selfish"
"I'm not selfish. I'm not good at riding, but I can follow you. If you rode a normal horse, you would be much slower."
She really wants to ride the same magical beast as Ren, which is why she doesn't want to give it up to other people, but there's no way Ren will accept it.
"...If you think of an excuse like that, it's the best."
"Amazing, isn't it?"
"You're getting more and more brazen."
"I'm kidding. You've been talking about some serious stuff for a while, so I'm just messing around."
"Serious stuff?"
Ren didn't feel that the savior's story was serious. He thinks it has nothing to do with him.
"Because, can you say that the savior in our original world lived a good life?"
"Because I'm not."
"That's right, but……"
Whether or not Ren is a savior is irrelevant. Shizuku is concerned about how Ren's life will end.
"And everyone dies. It's just a matter of sooner or later."
Ren's remarks like this make Shizuku uneasy.
"If I'm going to die someday, I'm going to want to make sure I'm having fun until then."
"Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't have fun"
"...But I can't enjoy it"
The boundary between life and death doesn't really exist in Ren's consciousness. He is aware that life ends when one dies, but he doesn't think that it makes one nothing. This frustrates Shizuku.
"...You won't know until you try it, but you might be able to enjoy it with just a spirit, right? Because you don't have a physical body, you might be able to enjoy pure pleasure instead."
"Eh... is that like mana?"
"Maybe more than that."
"…………"
The feeling of even greater than when her whole body was filled with Ren's mana. She can't even imagine what would happen to her when she tasted something like that.
"What do you think? Do you want to die?"
"I don't!"
◇◇◇
All she could see was the dirty ceiling. Other than that, she's trying not to see it, so it's natural. The weight of the person she feels on her body. A rough sigh that can be heard in her ear. Even if she closes her mind, her body will react and her voice will leak out.
She doesn't even remember how many days it's been since she was brought here. Every night, she was raped by men who came in turn. In the beginning, she resisted, but what she got was the violence from the other person and the pain of the wounds caused by it. She was deprived of food and water, and was tormented by hunger and thirst.
She wants to die. But that is also not allowed. As a result, she chose to kill her heart. Forgetting all anger and sorrow and just living.
But even that is not allowed. Even though she's being violated, her heart refuses, but her body reacts. When that happened, what little pride she had left was shattered.
So she was finally close to nothing. Lost sense of her mind. Except for one.
She wonders how her friend was. Forced to engage in unwanted acts, scorned by those around her, what was her friend thinking and spending her days in such a situation? For the first time, she really thought about this.
Was she the same as she was now? Her inner self answers that it is not. She was not like her. She was stronger.
Was it because she had emotional support? Was it because she had someone she cared about, someone she thought she could be with?
She thought she had someone too. Or was she just trying to believe so? Did she really love him? She couldn't even tell. What she does know is that his feelings for her are different from Ren's feelings for Kazuki. She was sure that her feelings for Jin were not the same as Kazuki's feelings for Ren.
"...I'm an idiot"
Emotions that should have died were still there. A single tear filled Satoko's eyes.
"Eh……?"
However, the sensation of those tears was erased by the liquid that dyed her vision bright red. By a hot bright red liquid.
"Are you okay? Can you move?"
As soon as the weight on her body disappeared, she heard a woman's voice.
"...What?"
"If you can move, please run away."
"...Run away, where?"
Someone came to her aid. She understands that, but it would be a problem if she was told to run away. She doesn't know where to run.
"...What town or village did you live in?"
"I am in the middle of my journey to the church capital."
Satoko was kidnapped on the way to the capital.
"Then to the capital."
"......It doesn't have to be the capital. Can you take me with you?"
Just because she's going to the capital doesn't mean there's something there. It was only a faint hope that she would be allowed to work at the church, and she just set it as her destination. Anywhere is fine as long as she can live there.
"……That's impossible"
"Why is that?"
"I can't take humans with me."
"Eh……?"
To confirm the other person's words, she wiped the blood lightly with her hand and wiped her face with her own clothes, which had fallen nearby and were now as good as rags.
Her view was clear. A woman with silver hair and glowing white skin came into view. It was a familiar face.
"...You, as I recall."
Rin also realized who she was talking to, and her words became harsher.
"Satoko. You were with Ren..."
"Do you have the right to address His Majesty the Emperor?"
"……No."
In both official and private relationships, Satoko is not qualified to address Ren as such. Unless it is in a conversation among friends, it is not allowed in front of Rin.
"...What are you doing in a place like this?"
"As I said earlier, I was attacked on my way to the capital."
"Why are you going in the capital? You should have been in Lemberg."
"…I broke up with Jin, and that’s how I left Lemberg."
"That's proof that it's true...... Well, never mind. I don't think I would take a life in this situation right now. There is no reason."
Satoko was not directly involved in Kazuki's death. However, Ren criticizes Satoko for abandoning Kazuki out of self-pity. Whether or not Satoko is the target of Ren's vengeance is a delicate matter.
That is why Rin stopped herself from judging her.
"...Why are you here?"
"Humans aren't the only ones held captive here."
"I see……"
There are other women who have faced the same thing as her. She knew it. But she didn't think that the demons were mixed with it.
"I don't have time to waste. I'm going to go help the others. The rest is up to you."
"Ah, wait a minute!"
Rin left the room without caring about Satoko's attempts to stop her. From the other side of the open door, a clamor could be heard. Satoko decided that Rin was not the only one who had come to the rescue. Perhaps even Ren.
If Ren was there, what would she look like to him? But it was useless to think about that right away, she thought.
Ren would surely not change his attitude no matter what he had seen. Unfortunately, it was cold, but perhaps she would be glad to see that attitude of neither pity nor contempt. That's what she thought.
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