One Down

In my previous life, I was a staunch atheist, but in this world, I came to awaken even true faith.

Not only does the power of holy power exist, but I was in a position where I had to affirm the existence of God from the moment I was dragged into this world.

Even from an ant’s perspective, humans would be seen that way.

Who can guarantee that there are no beings superior to humans in this vast universe?

“…The afterlife does not exist.”

But that’s merely affirming the fact that beings superior to humans exist in the universe.

No matter how I was dragged into another world and awakened faith from that, it doesn’t lead to affirming the afterlife.

It would be an overreach to affirm all fantasies imagined by humans just because I was dragged into another world.

Even the Halo, a symbol of reverence, is ultimately based on ‘building up a single being over thousands of years’, so how can that alone prove the existence of other mysteries?

“Do you… really think so?”

Haide’s Black Saint clenches her hands at my answer.

Although my claim seemed shocking, she had doubts about it from the beginning.

She just called me because it wasn’t her specialty and she wanted to demand a definite answer.

“…Do you know what the first book I encountered when I went to the medical powerhouse country was?”

Of course, as a believer, these words might be considered foolish now.

Fearing the unknown, creating abstractions to alleviate that fear, gradually concretizing it over generations, and eventually becoming a facet of history, culture…

And denying what everyone eventually believes to be ‘truth’ is something that should never be done by believers who worship abstraction from its foundation.

“It was an anatomy textbook. The study of dissecting the human body and examining its organs in detail.”

But coincidentally, I was both a believer and a doctor.

A being who worships the dignity of life but studies humans for that purpose.

Even that dignity must have a completely different meaning from what the public claims.

“I realized it as soon as I saw it. That medicine itself is a discipline that denies the afterlife.”

You learn that the heart pulsating because of a soul is a lie, and that consciousness is maintained by chemical reactions in the brain’s nerves.

You realize that what people believe to be the soul is bound to the body, and when the body dies, what they call the soul also disappears.

Hardware and software created over billions of years through generations.

The material is just organic, but its concept can be defined as belonging to the category of mechanical engineering commonly spoken of.

“You felt that too, which is why you asked me about it, right?”

Yes, that’s what becoming a doctor is.

Acknowledging that mind, ideology, and values are ultimately mechanical beings created for some reason.

And ironically, Haide was pointing to a group moved by such ideology as the protagonist of the newly unfolding era.

“…Yes.”

Of course, you can deny it as much as you want.

What’s important in religion is not truth but belief.

No matter how much you turn away from the truth, in this world, there are enormous rewards gained from it.

Even if medicine can cover the flaws of holy power, overall, the benefits gained from holy power are much greater and more intense than medicine for now.

“That’s enough.”

But don’t you want peace?

If you don’t want the tragedy that engulfed this entire continent until two years ago to happen again, those who want to save people must pursue comfortable lives rather than affirming death.

Conveniences that more people can enjoy, not miracles that only a minority can enjoy.

The techniques and ideologies of people saving people, not gods, must necessarily be spread in the peaceful era to come.

-Clunk.

The carriage stops as the conversation concludes.

Indicating that we’ve arrived at another village near the border.

“It feels odd to say this after speaking so confidently, but what I just said isn’t some established truth. It’s just my personal opinion.”

Recognizing this point, I quietly stood up and, reaching for the carriage door, said:

“I just believe it doesn’t exist because I’ve never seen it directly. In reality, only those who have truly died would know whether the afterlife exists or not.”

A scholar is someone who excludes immediate possibilities if they’re not revealed.

Having experienced the extraordinary event of reincarnation, I too had opened my mind enough to accept unknown realms I didn’t know about.

It’s just that now isn’t the time to accept it.

“What were you talking about?”

As I was just leaving the carriage, a man in black armor waiting in front of the door approached me.

The commander of Haide’s Black Knight Order.

His name was probably Vincent.

“What could women talk about? Just shared some love stories with a spoonful of naughtiness added.”

“…You…”

“It’s a joke, a joke~”

How nice it would have been if we had actually shared obscene stories.

I patted the chest of the wooden man who still maintained a stiff attitude and left the spot.

“If you’re curious, ask the saint directly.”

Coincidentally, I didn’t want to continue this topic for long.

Because I only realized after it had already passed.

That I had stepped on a landmine too hard.

…Damn. What if this ruins the relationship between Haide and Cleas?

Should I be prepared to be dismembered by dissection from other believers?

-Rustle.

As I was feeling such worries and trying to leave the spot, suddenly I began to sense something from the forest behind where the carriage was leaning.

Is it an animal?

No, it’s too faint to be an animal. Moreover, the amount felt is quite large.

Yet it doesn’t disappear right there… If it’s not a wolf pack aiming for us, there’s only one answer.

“Good timing. I was just needing something to apologize for.”

That Mariel.

As expected, her intuition is disgustingly good.

---

After going around several villages, the sun had set before we knew it, and Haide’s carriage group eventually stopped in the middle of a forest path.

Of course, tonight is camping out, but for the clergy, camping during pilgrimage is included in their training, so they probably don’t mind much.

Even now, they’re having a time of prayer gathered around a bonfire like camping.

“Where are you going?”

As I was about to leave the group, one of the holy knights guarding nearby approached and spread his killing intent.

Who could it be but our commander.

“I just want to smoke a cigarette.”

“…Does Cleas not have restrictions on smoking either?”

“Prohibitions are generally limited to when standing in front of the operating table. And I’m not just a doctor, but also a former soldier.”

When I was in the military, I lived with cigarettes in my mouth.

The battlefield is such a harsh and grueling space after all.

Brother Vincent, as a holy knight protecting the order who has experience participating in battles, should know this well.

“……”

“…Why are you like that, brother?”

“Watch your words and actions.”

Haha~ Is our holy knight also embarrassed when a younger lady calls him brother?

You have an unexpectedly cute side. Makes me want to tease you.

“Well, never mind that, just take this for now.”

But now is not the time for that, so let’s just take care of business since we’ve met.

I immediately handed over the note I had prepared in my bosom, and he turned to look at me with suspicion.

“This is……”

“I’ll be back soon after finishing.”

That’s all I had to say.

I put the cigarette I held in my hand in my mouth and quietly walked along the forest path.

How much time has passed?

-Flick.

In the deep forest where even the light from the campsite has disappeared.

When I stood there, sparks burst forth with the friction of fingers, burning the end of the cigarette and spreading smoke.

From my mouth, into the forest surrounded by darkness on all sides.

“Come out, you guys.”

With that warning, shadows revealed themselves one by one with rustling sounds.

Even through the thickly spread smoke, I could clearly feel it. The fact that considerable wariness was oozing from those facing me.

“…How did you notice?”

“I can tell by looking.”

Roughly 20 people visible to the eye.

Too many to gather just to take down one person.

Yes, what they’re aiming for must be the pilgrims who are clearly protected by the holy knights.

“Wow~ Looks like there are quite a few guys who can’t accept that our saint wants to do some missionary work?”

No, there must be those who are watching Haide’s believers and looking for opportunities even at this moment.

We should keep in mind that the total number might go up to a platoon-sized unit of about 50 people.

“…You won’t tell me who instigated this, will you?”

In terms of numbers, our believers are similar, but coincidentally, only about half of them, the holy knight order, are capable of fighting.

If left alone here, they will surely have a hard time.

In other words, reducing as much as I can on my own is less burdensome for them as well.

“If you surrender quietly, I’ll send you off without pain.”

“Kyaa~ Telling a virgin who doesn’t even know men to strip naked and bow here, there’s nothing you won’t say. You perverted freaks.”

“Nonsense!”

At that moment, a black shadow jumps out from the bushes.

I can’t see clearly because the body is wrapped in a black hood, but the metal grasped in that hand was reflecting the moonlight shining through the forest trees.

A dagger. And an aura blade sharpened by mana at that.

It would slice off a person’s neck whole the moment it touches.

-Grab!

But the blade didn’t get to pierce my neck.

Before it reached my neck, my hand precisely gripped his wrist.

“Look at you rushing in just because I teased a bit. Don’t you know hot-tempered men are unpopular?”

“This…!!”

Did he sense danger from the strength imbued in my other fist?

The opponent also hastily deployed defense by gathering mana in his body.

Judging from the quick response, an enemy estimated to have received professional training.

But to me, it felt like a bad move.

-Boom!!!

If you really thought it was dangerous.

You should have cut off your hand and avoided it instead of blocking.

“Kuh, huh……”

The explosive sound of physical force echoing after the fist collision.

I grabbed the hand of the guy who was about to be blown away by the impact and pulled him in, then slammed him down right under my feet.

“One down.”

The guy who got hit lost consciousness while drooling disgustingly.

I stepped on his head and wiggled my finger at the rest of the rat bastards.

“Next.”

It was something I had repeatedly done countless times until two years ago.