In the city of Dragontan within Mynoghra, a peculiar sight has become commonplace of late.
It was this: a procession of people, led by figures clad in garish attire of various hues.
"Alright everyone! Let us ask once more—who is the strongest, most handsome, most brilliant, and most magnificent god in the whole world? That would be—?"
"Takuto Ira!"
"Good!"
At the man's call, the crowd answered in unison.
Their synchronized manner felt somehow unnatural, and their composition—men and women, old and young alike—bordered on a kind of madness. Their eyes held a dreamy, faraway look, yet the dark, glittering intensity in them was enough to intimidate any onlooker.
They gathered around the man, fixated on his every movement with an almost unnerving focus.
That, perhaps, was exactly what the man sought.
His voice, carrying effortlessly, began to dominate the crowd with an eerie control.
"Then—who is the greatest in this world?"
"Takuto Ira!"
"Nice!"
No one had taken the lead; it was a chorus of perfectly timed replies.
Outside the throng, some residents watched with confused expressions, though most seemed eager to avoid involvement and hurried away without lingering.
Of course, the group in question paid no mind to such outsiders.
All their gazes were fixed on a single person.
The man’s name was Vittorio.
Bearing the epithet "Blessed Tongue-Flaw," he was a bona fide hero of Mynoghra.
"More, more! Let us praise Lord Takuto! Let us revere Lord Takuto! One and only! A warrior unmatched by ten thousand! Virtuous and esteemed! Handsome and wise! Yakiniku set meals! Open all year round! Our god, Takuto Ira!!"
"Ooooooooohhhhh!!!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Kyaaaah!"
A wave of jubilation surged from the people. At the very front, a beastman parent and child stood together, crying out in cheers.
They were fanatics of the most extreme sort—two souls steeped in madness.
Even this pair of parent and child, the sort you could find anywhere, had become this far gone.
The shared fantasy they perceived must have been, to them, more wondrous than anything, more comforting than anything, and more sacred than anything.
The cheering did not stop. If anything, it grew ever more fervent, ever louder.
They could surely see it before them—the beloved and revered figure at the focus of their gaze.
Their cheers, close to prayers, continued without cease.
The spectacle was frenzied, fantastical, unreal, and yet somehow abnormal...
It was almost as though they were worshipping an idol.
"Mmm~! Feeling good! Your voices of support shall most certainly reach Takuto Ira, and bear fruit on the day of the festival! Absolutely certain!!"
"Oooooooohhh!!"
With Vittorio's words, the crowd's excitement reached its zenith.
They had brazenly commandeered a corner of the thoroughfare in the heart of the city for their ruckus, but by now all the sane residents had fled, every shop along the street had shuttered its doors, and even the guards—who should have been the first to come rushing in—averted their eyes and pretended to know nothing of the matter.
"Prophet! Prophet! Prophet! The great Prophet Vittorio! The wondrous Prophet Vittorio!"
"Oh-ho! Wait, wait, wait~! Easy now. I am merely an evangelist! And to whom do you offer your prayers?"
"Takuto Ira! Takuto Ira! Our king! Our leader! The great god!"
"Ah, yes! You must not make a mistake, now?"
Something rare and wondrous occurred.
Vittorio showed a slight hint of panic when the group's adoration turned toward him. But that too was fleeting; with his extraordinary tongue of deception, he swiftly corrected course.
To fulfill his role without straying from the purpose seems a noble feat for a clergyman, but unfortunately, he is no clergyman—he is the likes of a con artist. And not just any con artist, but one of particularly foul caliber.
Yet, victims who fall for such schemes almost always believe themselves to be clever and sound in judgment until the very moment before they realize the truth.
Just like them...
"IRU-TAKUTO! IRU-TAKUTO!"
"With more love!"
"IRU-TAKUTO! IRU-TAKUTO!"
"The excitement is building! Alright, let's proselytize!"
"Waaaaaah!!"
Perhaps unable to contain themselves as the fervor reached its peak.
The crowd, led by Vittorio, began to saunter off somewhere.
Where were they going?
Even they, carried away by the heat of their faith, might not have known for certain.
The only thing certain was this...
Surely, they would do the same wherever they went.
Offering prayers to their god, preaching love.
And ever expanding its scale.
The frenzied masses surged like restless waves, heading out to spread their teachings among the wretched people who did not yet know them.
◇ ◇ ◇
Silently observing the spectacle from the window of her private room in the city hall, Dragontan's mayor, Anterize Antique, wore a pensive expression.
"What... is that, exactly?"
Standing beside her at the window, gazing down at the same scene with a stunned look, was a beastman civil servant. He had recently proven himself as a capable personal secretary. Anterize glanced at him for a moment, then gave a slight, almost imperceptible shrug, her expression difficult to read.
"It seems to be the new hero... apparently. Quite an unusual character."
The information about Vittorio had already reached Anterize. The only hero she had met and spoken to directly was Atou. Perhaps because that impression was so strong, she needed a moment to mentally process the chaos this new hero, Vittorio, was currently causing. The look on her face reflected that complex inner state.
"Hah, is that so. But, a new religion... Mayor Anterize, you permitted this?"
Dragontan had its own indigenous religion. It was a primitive faith worshipping ancestral spirits, passed down continuously from its original nation, Fonkavun. Ordinarily, spreading a religion would involve various conflicts of interest and problems, requiring careful judgment from the ruler. However, this case had been handled exceptionally, bypassing all such cautious and thorough deliberation.
"Well, it's not something to deny, and in that regard, it's a matter of personal freedom. Everyone here is pretty easygoing anyway. Besides, this is Mynoghra."
In truth, no permission had been granted. The hero in question had simply, at some point, acted on his own and started it himself.
Of course, Anterize also hurriedly called Vittorio to explain the situation and demand an immediate halt to operations, but... before she knew it, she had been talked around and had even granted permission, and that was the gist of it.
"What does the homeland say?"
"For now, it seems like a wait-and-see approach. They seem overwhelmed over there too. I've been given rather strict instructions to report everything in detail, at least."
Even after all, Anterize held the important position of City Lord.
While it was self-praise, she sincerely acknowledged herself as a formidable figure, with no bias whatsoever.
That was precisely why she felt such a strong sense of dissonance at having been so easily persuaded.
When she hurriedly contacted Atou in the homeland, the response she received was an acknowledgment given with a resigned air, as if it couldn't be helped.
The impression that Vittorio had forced a convenient situation halfway through simply would not fade.
"Ah, I see... Oh, we've been talking too long, haven't we? Is there anything else I should take care of?"
"No, not particularly."
"Understood. Then I will take my leave."
"Thanks. See you."
With a soft rustle, the door closed quietly.
"Rather than wait-and-see, it might be more accurate to say they don't have the leeway to deal with it..."
Alone in the room after her secretary had left, Anterize murmured to herself.
These were words she could never let anyone hear, words that must not be heard. A problem currently existed within Mynoghra that was known only to the upper echelons.
But her attention was drawn more to the immediate concern before her than to that.
Pouring himself a drink into his cup without ceremony, Anterize sat alone in the room, lost in thought. (Still... they certainly do unconventional things.)
The residents of Mynoghra all hold Takuto Ira in reverence. What purpose is served by trying to codify that into a formal religion?)
Those who become inhabitants of Mynoghra have, without exception, their loyalty to the King embedded within them.
It grows stronger day by day, firmly reinforced by his great deeds and their peaceful daily lives.
Even Anterize, who once feared the King so intensely, now feels not a shred of that terror.
Well, there is still a certain tension... but that's more the awe one feels before a magnificent presence.
This pure loyalty should logically be the same for the people living in this town.
She took a sharp sip from her cup, the strong alcohol scorching her throat before sliding down into her stomach.
Tasting the liquor gifted directly from Takuto, she let herself become drunk on it, using the cheers drifting in from outside as a snack for her thoughts.
(Atou gave me an explanation, but that hero—Lord Vittorio—is supposedly a master of stratagem. So it's impossible that this action has no meaning...)
At first glance, it seemed like a pointless exercise.
No matter how many townspeople were converted into followers, the end result would be the same. Were they attempting to export religion? If so, she could understand, but it felt rather crude.
In Quolia, the Holy Religion centered on the Sacred God Aros was the dominant faith, and Fonkavun had its own indigenous beliefs.
The inhabitants of Dragontan had accepted the King's rule smoothly precisely because they held loyalty to Takuto Ira, but other nations would not react the same way.
On the contrary, depending on the circumstances, it could even be declared a forbidden cult. It was as clear as day that religious states like Quolia or El-Naar would take countermeasures.
She could not comprehend the reason for establishing a religion here at all.
It was inherently unnecessary. Furthermore, it was wasteful.
(Well, it's not as if I know everything about the power religion holds. Perhaps there's some unexpected reason. Still, one thing after another... really, is there some instinct among my companions to seek out trouble?)
She sighed; the drunkenness from the liquor was the sole comfort in this fraught situation.
How Atou and the Dark Elves back in the Mynoghra headquarters in the Great Cursed Realm were assessing Vittorio's actions this time, she wasn't entirely sure.
Based on her correspondence with Atou, they were certainly confused and at a loss for what to do.
Mynoghra's concerns did not end there.
They also had to continue negotiations and dialogue with Fonkavun, and strengthening the military capabilities of both nations was an urgent priority given the current state of affairs.
For the time being… the north, east, and south were all quiet.
But who knew when those with ambitions might rear their heads again?
When that time came… could Mynoghra's current situation actually allow them to respond?
The sheer volume of information, excessive for someone governing a single city, combined with knowledge more than sufficient for the role, left Anterize with a heavy heart.
(Above all, King Takuto Ira himself is bedridden with unexplained amnesia. That's the biggest problem.)
After being informed of the great news regarding the successful recapture of Atou and the provisional defeat of Renea's Holy Light Kingdom, Anterize was then hit with an enormous bombshell. That her stomach survived the acid overproduction brought on by sheer stress was a small mercy in the midst of misfortune.
That she had since managed to maintain composure before her subordinates and keep the truth hidden to prevent information leaks was yet another small mercy.
Though these were, at best, mere tiny silver linings swallowed within an enormous, unfathomable darkness.
(Sigh… I thought things would be easier here. Could it be that this world is many times more dangerous than I imagined? That's a fact I didn't want to learn.)
The more she thought, the deeper the gloom settled in, and the speed at which she drank picked up without her noticing.
And yet.
She shifted her mind.
Nothing would come of wallowing in self-pity like this. And regardless of anything, she was still the city governor of Dragontan.
If there was even a sliver of something she could do, she had to grit her teeth and try—and she would show that she could.
Anterize downed the rest of her cup in one fierce gulp, rose to her feet with the searing heat of alcohol burning down her throat.
"All right! Is anyone out there? Hey!"
And so she made her decision.
Simultaneously, she called for someone immediately. Once the decision was made, action followed without delay.
This high level of initiative was one of the elements that earned Anterize praise for excellence.
Of course, it occasionally manifested in a negative direction, like shirking work sometimes...
"You don't need to shout so loudly; I can hear you, City Mayor. Really, if you had business, you should have let me handle it with you earlier..."
"Oh, hush. I just thought of it now, just now!"
But unlike Anterize, her subordinate was excellent and basically didn't know the meaning of slack.
As soon as her voice called out, an immediate reply came, and the secretary who had left earlier appeared with a weary expression.
"So, what seems to be the matter?"
"Hmm... could you prepare a horse and an escort for me?"
"Oh? To where?"
The secretary asked the destination with a puzzled look.
Usually, he might have muttered a complaint like "Are you planning to slack off again?", but he likely sensed this outing was for a legitimate purpose this time.
To be able to discern meaning without words spoken aloud makes for a competent secretary. Combined with his habit of openly voicing any doubts he harbored, it all led to Anterize nodding to herself in satisfaction at having such a capable subordinate.
"To the Great Cursed Realm. There's something I want to discuss directly with Mr. Atou in the home territory."
"Going all the way to the home territory... has some problem occurred?"
"No, it's just—"
And stopping there, she abruptly cut herself off.
There was no need to say more, and this was no longer something he needed to know.
Perhaps her thoughts showed on her face, for the male secretary replied, "Understood. I'll have it prepared immediately," bowed his head quietly, and withdrew without another word.
Watching his retreating figure, Anterize once again felt grateful for having such a considerate subordinate.
It was like him; perhaps he had already guessed to some extent from her recent attitude and conversations... but...
(The "Super Amazing Cult to Praise the Super Amazing Takuto, Who Is a Great God"... Yeah, the name is ridiculous, but it's spreading way too fast.)
It had only been about three days since Vittorio arrived in this city.
Despite that, the number of adherents was swelling at an abnormal rate.
If these people, currently nothing more than an odd congregation, grew any larger...
If they began to extend their proselytizing efforts not just to Mynoghra but to other nations as well...
If, contrary to her expectations, their preaching succeeded elsewhere just as it had in this city...
It would likely trigger a continent-wide upheaval.
Her concern was rapidly solidifying into near-certainty.
=Message===
A religion has been established in Dragontan.
~~ The Cult of Ira ~~
Praise the great god, Ira Takuto!
The eternal, indestructible, absolute deity!
No god precedes him, none follows after!
Praise his singular, peerless name!
Prepare for the coming festival day, and devote yourselves to prayer!
―――