Chapter 196: Path of Pilgrimage (5)

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There was chaos in the beginning……. That was what the myths in this world claimed.

Everything was born from within this crucible of chaos. Doesn’t this mean that chaos should be considered the greatest God? Despite this, out of all the Gods worshipped in this world, none of them was called Chaos. Surprisingly enough.

I now understood that it meant nothing if the world had a starting point.

I wasn’t born because I wanted to be anyway. I was just born. Is the world not the same? In the end, the world itself wasn’t born because it wanted to be either. Similar to how a sex partner who had no plans to raise a child would confess to their boyfriend, “Huh? I think I have a child. Hehe,” it was something that simply happened to be created.

The only difference was probably the fact that humans have contraception, but the world doesn’t.

If someone knew beforehand that this bastard child would spread all sorts of curses, pain, diseases, war, and death throughout the world, then―if the world also possessed a gynecologist and they were told, “I strongly recommend, from the bottom of my heart, that this child should be erased,” if the gynecologist could’ve said whether this bastard child was going to be “Good!” or “Bad!” for this world, then wouldn’t it have been great?

However, there were no gynecologists in the myths here.

There was no midwife who could tell the creator whether the world being born would be a good thing or not. There was only chaos in the beginning……. The world was born arbitrarily.

Therefore, it was never determined whether the world being created was a good thing or not. Was this not a militant myth?

If the Gods are healthy and the heroes rise up, then the world would be “Good”.

If the Demon Lords stir and monsters sweep across the earth, then the world would be “Bad”.

People can’t determine from the beginning whether it was a good thing that the world was born. It has to be determined after heroes and Demon Lords fight constantly. Was this current era good or bad?

“Then I ask you, people of Frankia.”

I raised my voice from atop my horse.

“What must you do if Frankia is currently being dyed in evil? The plague is spreading and the reapers are laughing wickedly on every street. People of Frankia, do you not hear it? Are the reapers not whispering clearly into your ears?―It is time to die, mortals. Only suffering remains.”

I spoke as if I were truly whispering into their ears. My performance had already reached its zenith. I could sense that the 600 innocent people that had gathered in the town square were trembling in fear.

A woman let out a short shriek before passing out. I was currently wearing a black robe. I might have looked like an actual reaper to them. Aah, performing for the people of this era was really worthwhile.

“You are running out of provisions and your families are dying. Every second is pain and suffering. Brittany’s army is pillaging your remaining provisions as they approach from the west. Frankia is being tinged with an unprecedented evil. Let me ask you once more, what must you all do?”

“Let us destroy those Brittany bastards!”

A man in the center of the square shouted. Once he did, hundreds of others joined in.

“Kill them all! Don’t let them steal from us!”

“I won’t pay my taxes now! I won’t offer even a single bale of wheat!”

“If they’re going to collect taxes from us, then give us black herbs first―!”

Men and women, the elderly and the children, they all shouted in unison. They shook their fists. Their arms that had become firm due to all the farming they had done glistened under the sun.

“That is right! You must rescue Frankia from the evil!”

I raised my voice more. It went beyond shouting as my voice echoed throughout the square with the assistance of magic.

“Who were the nobles in the beginning when the men were plowing the fields and the women were weaving!? Humans were all born equal in the beginning, thus you have the power to defeat the evil and save Frankia! Great people of Frankia! Take up your weapons!”

I clenched my fists.

“March! Charge! I dare say that the day given to us by the Gods has finally arrived. Cast aside this oppression and regain your freedom. You are the only ones who have the right to establish a sacred nation within Frankia!”

Hundreds of citizens cried out like animals. As we had planned beforehand, the dwarf mercenaries started to hand out weapons at one side of the plaza. Short spears, long spears, and swords, people grabbed whatever they could get their hands on.

Their passion turned into madness as it set the atmosphere throughout the city ablaze. Being armed and unarmed made a huge difference as being armed meant that you could accurately point your blade at a target.

“Let’s go to the lord’s estate! Let’s take back the black herbs!”

“Let us pillage the armory! Friends, let us rise up for Frankia!”

“Rise up for the glory of God!”

Once the provocateurs shouted these words, 500 roars tore through the sky. They went down every alley to recruit their friends and families and the 500 soon turned into 1,000 as they advanced to the lord’s estate on the other side of town.

I waved at them as I joined up with the dwarven mercenaries.

“Good work, Your Highness.”

Mercenary Captain Jacquerie gave me a salute.

“Appreciated. Did you provide exactly 200 weapons?”

“Yes. We mainly distributed spears, axes, and swords.”

“Once the civilians have gotten into the armory, provide those who are still unarmed with weapons.”

My plan of turning the entire region of Frankia into a lawless area was going smoothly.

Demon Lord Leraje invaded the territory. The lord got scared and hired our mercenaries. After that, we colluded with Leraje……. We would inform Leraje of the lord’s plans and the position of his soldiers, so Leraje was able to wipe out the lord’s army with ease.

The mercenary brigade ended up being treated as saviors.

Our Double Ax Mercenary Brigade would clash ‘violently’ with the Demon Lord army and ‘just barely’ manage to chase them away. It was a battle that was so fierce that even the lord fell in battle. From the people’s perspective, the mercenaries had saved them right when they were starting to fear that they would be eaten by the monsters.

Of course, it wasn’t only the people who felt that way.

“Wow! Mr. Priest, Mr. Priest! You were really amazing!”

Luke came running up to me with a bright smile. The little boy was practically looking up at me as if I were a hero.

“You’re here, Luke. Did you study hard today?”

There was no way that I wouldn’t return a bright smile with a smile of my own. I also gave Luke a gentle smile as I patted his head. Luke got embarrassed as he nodded.

“Yes! I also learned swordsmanship from dawn to noon today!”

“You’re quite the earnest boy, Luke. The Goddess loves earnest people. However, Luke, you still have not answered my question.”

I made a stern face.

“Swordsmanship is swordsmanship and writing practice is writing practice. You finished your studying quota for today, right?”

“Ah……well. Not yet…….”

“Dear me, this incurable troublemaker.”

I lightly rapped my knuckles on Luke’s head. It shouldn’t have hurt, but Luke made a fuss about it as he grabbed his head. Referentially, Luke’s education consisted of combat skills from Mercenary Captain Jacquerie and liberal arts from Assassin Leader Jeremi.

“Mr. Priest! Isn’t it enough if a man just knows how to write his name? I want to quickly become a soldier and fight for the sake of Goddess Artemis and Frankia!”

“Jeez. You have grown quite the head after receiving so much praise.”

I grabbed his cheek and pulled on it. Luke let out a weird noise as he groaned.

“Ii hurs, ii, huurrss.”

“Listen carefully. It will be easy for others to deceive you if you do not think and only study. If you only think, but do not study, then you will end up in perilous situations. You are claiming that you want to serve the Goddess now, but do you know whether it would be the right thing to serve her or not?”

“…….”

I let go of his cheek. Once I did, Luke narrowed his eyes as he rubbed his cheek.

“Isn’t the Goddess always right?”

“Then why is the Goddess always right?”

“Because……she’s the Goddess? Huh? ……Uh?”

Luke tilted his head side to side.

“Hoho. So you are saying that you will serve the Goddess blindly despite not knowing why the Goddess is right, Luke?”

“S-Something is weird, Mr. Priest! I’m not sure what it is, but it’s weird!”

“This is why I’m telling you to study, you reckless child.”

I rapped my knuckles on his head again. A little harder this time.

“Uuuh!”

Luke gave me a frustrated look. It looked like the face of a dog that wanted to use the bathroom looking up at its master’s face. Don’t be so upset. I’m someone who managed to survive this long thanks to my speaking prowess. If I were to lose to a slash-and-burn brat who knows nothing about the world, then I would’ve killed myself a long time ago.

“Now then, the sun is setting. Hurry on over to Jeremi and continue your studying with her.”

“Ah, so……haaa. Fine. I just have to learn, right……?”

Luke slouched his shoulders as he walked off.

It wasn’t like he particularly hated studying. A battle, a heroic speech, and an uprising were happening right before him. Every instant must feel historical to the boy. The fact that he couldn’t take part in any of this and had to learn the ancient imperial language and the ancient republic language must be making his body feel impatient.

Well, there was another reason. Jeremi didn’t simply make him study.

To be more exact, she would make him do a different type of ‘studying’.

Luke headed to the inn in the distance. The other mercenaries entered the inn as well. I turned around and spoke.

“He is truly an innocent and kind child. Don’t you think so as well?”

“…….”

Daisy stared at me silently.

The eyes of the girl who stood firmly against me back at the slash-and-burn village had weakened greatly. Recently, her gaze would frequently become hazy.

“You must be proud to have Luke as your brother. Of course, he must also be proud to have you as his little sister. You do share your affection with one another every evening. You two are not like normal brothers and sisters.”

I chuckled. Daisy’s eyes came back into focus.

“……You’re deceiving Luke, Father. Everything you said in the plaza was also a lie.”

Daisy was still stubborn about calling me her father. Her goal was to make me have a moment of carelessness by making this nickname stick with me.

“Hm. Why do you think that?”

“I get a feeling in my gut whenever you are lying. Most importantly, Father, you never speak in an oratorical tone when you are speaking the truth. You undoubtedly only told lies in the plaza just now.”

“Intuition, is it!? That is quite the talent you have.”

I hummed. At that moment, Daisy’s shoulders tensed up.

“……Ugh.”

It has started today as well.

The torture using the slime onahole was still being carried out. The goal of it was to trim away at Daisy’s mind. To make her experience a sin that she could never wash away. Jeremi was probably having an enjoyable time with Luke in the inn right now.

‘You siblings must become incapable of going far away from us.’

Luke was becoming devoted to me mentally while being bound down by Jeremi physically. Like this, I gradually restrained the future hero.

Daisy wrapped her arms around herself as she barely managed to endure the wave of pleasure. I watched her―solely because of my bad hobby since Daisy feels even more shame when I’m watching her―and drew the map of Frankia in my head.

‘We will be arriving at the bursting point soon.’

I could hear the sound of angry commoners over at the lord’s estate. The servants will try to fight back fiercely, but the people have weapons. Stabbing someone was an incredibly simple task.

The west became a mess because of Brittany’s army, while the north became a lawless area because of me and Demon Lord Leraje. Something will be bursting soon…….

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TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Welp, we’re back to the main story. It does feel sort of weird that the author didn’t finish this section, Path of Pilgrimage, before going into the IF Route. The start of this chapter does feel like the start of a new segment, though. In any case, we’re back to Dant’s usual hijinks now. 

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.