The commercial city of Selduchi sits near the border of the southernmost region, the territory most proximate to the Dark Continent. It is a city of the Renea Divine Light Kingdom, and once served as the capital of the Quolia Southern Province, though its actual provincial capital was Amrita.
The Dark Continent—this extreme land that imposes a harsh existence upon its inhabitants—currently sees two nations wielding significant influence: the multi-racial nation of Fonkavun and the dark nation of Mynoghra.
To be adjacent to these two nations, which were experiencing rapid development thanks to the diverse technologies and artifacts granted by the Ruinous King Takuto Ira, meant to be under the strong influence of both countries.
Moreover, the Southern Province itself was now in a state of dysfunction due to its conflict with said Ruinous King. If it had been the provincial capital to which the Saint of the Diary had rushed, matters might be different. However, Selduchi, though of a respectable scale, was merely a terminal city in the region. The reality was that it had been abandoned, not even receiving a glance.
It was a decision born of anguish—the kind born from knowing that while a god's love may be infinite, the number of people one can save is finite. The hero of the tongue, Vittorio, was not one to overlook such a situation……
………
………
…
Selduchi First Parish Church Chapel, Temporary Treatment Ward.
"Cough, cough... ugh, I'm not getting any better at all."
"Excuse me, could someone please bring some water..."
The voices of those afflicted with illness, suffering, echoed from everywhere.
The twin girls of the Elfur Sisters, the heroes born of tragedy. The plague curse brought into being by the younger sister, Caelia, on that full moon night, had spread even to this distant land.
In itself, it was something akin to a severe cold. It had an incubation period, transmitted through the air, and if left to natural recovery, required an extended period of suffering. While it did not threaten the life of a perfectly healthy person, that very nature made it an exceedingly troublesome affliction with grave consequences.
The vigorous flow and exchange of people, driven by malice, had caused this plague to spread across the entirety of the Southern Province in an instant.
In modern terms, this was a situation referred to as an outbreak, or a pandemic.
Therefore, this situation is not unique; a similar scene is likely unfolding in any city or village across the land.
"Is everyone alright!? Everyone, you'll get better soon!"
The First Parish Church was no different. The place was designed not only for the worship of believers but also to serve as a temporary command post or shelter in the event of disasters or problems within the city. Now, an atmosphere resembling a battlefield hung over it.
Most people sat slumped in chairs or on the floor, gasping for breath as they waited for treatment.
Those with the most severe symptoms lay in makeshift beds on the floor; while their lives weren't immediately in danger, they were clearly suffering terribly.
The caretakers hurried back and forth without pause, attending to the sick—from the severe to the mild, old and young alike, regardless of status.
People seeking treatment arrived in an endless stream.
There was no more capacity to accept them. The chapel was already full, leaving barely enough space to stand.
Because no fundamental cure existed, only symptomatic relief was possible. People arrived like mountains, yet only a handful recovered and left.
The limit was approaching... no, it had already been reached.
Into this chaos, one more patient was carried in.
Was he a holy knight? The elderly man, borne on the back of a young man clad in distinctive knightly armor, was in a grave condition. In their words, he looked ready to journey to God's side at any moment.
Rather than a vicious illness, it seemed pneumonia had set in due to his old age, and a rapid decline in strength had pushed him into a critical state.
Even a mild illness can become fatal for the elderly or children, whose resistance is low.
This old man, too, would very likely succumb despite treatment, if things continued as they were. Even to an untrained eye, it was clear he was in danger.
"Patriarch! Is the Patriarch here!? We have an emergency patient! An emergency patient!!!"
The old man, set down in a chair by the knight, was seen from afar by someone who rushed over, their voice echoing through the chapel. It was the man who had been diligently treating people and running about the chapel moments before.
His voice was earnest, filled with genuine concern for the people, yet it also sounded confused and shaken by the situation.
Who might this Patriarch be? Regardless, anyone with such a spirit of service would only shout like that for someone truly important.
"Emergency patient here! Prophet! Acting Prophet of the Ira Cult!"
A painfully loud voice echoed throughout the chapel. The source of that voice was...
The hero Vittorio.
"Shut up... I'm right here in front of you. Are your eyes just holes in your head?"
Letting out a huge, exasperated sigh, Acting Prophet Yonayona of the Ira Cult spat out the words with utter disgust. Just as she said, she had been standing beside Vittorio for some time now and was well aware of the old man's condition.
Of course, Vittorio should have noticed her presence too. They had even made eye contact several times just moments ago.
"Oh! Acting Prophet Yonayona! You were here all along!"
Despite this, his attitude was that of someone who had finally found the person they were waiting for, with exaggerated joy.
The nerve was almost impressive.
Yonayona let out an even louder sigh. Her expression made it clear she wanted to say: Don't put on this ridiculous farce when I'm busy.
The old man, who was supposed to be the patient, began to shrink back at her look and tone.
"C-cough. Cough! I-I'm so sorry... for causing trouble to a worthless old man like me."
"Don't worry about it. She's only in a foul mood because of that idiot dancing over there. More importantly, you must be in pain. Here, lie down..."
With Yonayona's words and assistance, the old man lay down.
Though her words were somewhat rough, her voice held no edge—it was filled with affection.
Her gentle gestures showed deep care, and with just that, her true heart was clear.
Once she confirmed the old man's ragged breathing had improved somewhat, Yonayona quietly surveyed her surroundings.
The area was already packed with people. Any further intake would be impossible.
The timing felt right, and considering the circumstances up to now, Yonayona sighed, realizing it was about time to start "that."
"All right, all right, alriiiiight! Everyone, pay attentioooooon! Now, our Acting Prophet Yonayona is goiiiing to free you all from your sufferiiiiiiing!"
As if sensing her discomfort, Vittorio once more let out a loud shout at the perfect moment.
His volume and content immediately drew the gazes of the ailing people, all focused in one direction.
Naturally, that direction was Yonayona. She had experienced this many times before, but she still loathed this moment.
She was originally just a plain village girl with nothing remarkable about her. She had never stood out like this before. And because she understood she wasn't the kind of person who should be elevated like this, her discomfort was all the greater.
"Come on, come on~? Everyone's waiting for you, Yonayona~? Go on, go on~?"
There was no doubt that Vittorio, who had deliberately shouted so loudly, intended to harass Yonayona.
Glaring at the smirking, irritating man, Yonayona stamped down hard on his toes for good measure, then cleared her throat with a small cough to reset her mood.
"O-oh, great god Takuto Ira! Show your healing power to these pitiful ones!"
Yonayona threw her arms wide and cried out toward the sky.
Despite a slight awkwardness, the people's eyes focused on her earnest, beseeching prayer.
What on earth was going to happen?
No one noticed, but Yonayona, at the same moment as her proclamation, whispered softly in a voice so small no one else could hear, directed at someone.
"—Now, please."
"Understood..."
In that instant, something strange happened.
Suddenly, as if the illness itself had been terrified away by divine radiance, the suffering vanished from the people.
The illness that had tormented them so, the pain that clung like filth and refused to fade, disappeared from them as smoothly as if it possessed a single will.
As if it had been directly commanded by a god and had hung its head and retreated...
"I-it doesn't hurt anymore! What—what is this—"
"Oh! Blessed be! The pain in my throat just a moment ago feels like a dream!"
Cheers of both confusion and elation rise from the people. The old man who had been suffering so terribly moments ago appears to be recovering as well, his complexion visibly improving by the second. The mysterious plague—let alone the pneumonia that had accompanied it—has vanished as though it had never existed at all.
As Yonayona raises her voice more forcefully than usual to explain the dramatic transformation to the old man, who cannot hide his astonishment, and to the townsfolk, who have yet to catch up with what just happened.
"Well, um... The great god Takuto Ira has bestowed upon us a miracle. I— I haven't done anything at all. I merely became a vessel of prayer, delivering everyone's voices to the god. People, offer your prayers of gratitude to the god. Pray to the great god, the one and only god, Takuto Ira, please—ssu."
Of course, the so-called god Takuto Ira present in this scene has done nothing of the sort. Said god is currently buried in paperwork—cleaning up the mess Vittorio made in connection with the Ira faith and providing operational backup for the missions ahead.
In other words, the one who caused this miracle—the banishment of the disease—right here, right now, is...
"Thanks—ssu. Looks like it went smoothly again this time—ssu."
"I am glad to hear that."
She was one half of the Witches of Regret. Specifically, Karia Elful.
"Oh! So this is a miracle?!"
"The god has shown us a miracle—how wonderful is that!"
"The great god Takuto Ira... what profound compassion He possesses."
Cheers of joy erupt from every direction. The disease that had tormented them so mercilessly vanished in an instant, and the pent-up emotions explode outward in cries that seem almost too exuberant for the crowd to contain.
Joy, relief, excitement...
These cheers are filled with a multitude of emotions.
Overcoming a mild affliction of the demonic plague is, in truth, not all that difficult. Herbal remedies with restorative properties, or mages and clergy who have attained a certain degree of training, can dispel them with relatively little effort.
However, when executed on this scale, and all at once in a single instant, the difficulty increases astronomically.
To the point where it could be accomplished through nothing short of a divine miracle...
This was precisely why the people were caught in such rapturous, frenzied joy.
Naturally, then, their awe and devotion flowed in a single, concentrated stream.
Toward their newly born god, Takuto Ira.
"Ah, it seems the gods are pleased that everyone has recovered! Never forget that great name. Takuto Ira. The ruler of Mynoghra, the absolute and flawless god to whom all should offer their devotion..."
Carrier Elful manipulates plague.
To dispel a curse he himself had sown was child's play. There was no way he couldn't do it.
Thus, timing his actions to coincide with the people's recovery from illness and orchestrating this "miracle" was as easy as breathing.
The one who had scattered the plague now removes it, and receives gratitude.
Could there be a more absurd spectacle?
Yet, ignorance can sometimes bring happiness.
Especially for the fragile, common folk—innocent and pure—who would be blown away like dust before a powerful entity.
Centered on Yonayona, the people naturally began offering prayers. Their focus converged on Takuto Ira.
The power of those prayers swelled into a great wave, flowing ceaselessly toward a single point.
"A miiiiiracle! I am witnessing a divine miracle with my own eyes right now! Everyone! Did you see it?! This is a miracle! A genuine, absolute miracle!" Vittorio shouted with exaggerated fervor, whipping up the crowd.
Whether the fervor transferred from him, or it was due to his ability... what could be said with certainty was that the Selduchi people present were undeniably being swept into that vortex of fanaticism.
"Shut... uuuup!"
Incidentally, the three daughters alone wore expressions of deep displeasure.
Of course, Vittorio would never make concessions or show consideration for such a trio.
"Then, you will continue to pray for our great god, Takuto Ira, won't you?"
"Yes!"
This is the scene that takes place every morning, every noon, every evening, and every night.
Drawing people from all over the city, they perform a miracle they call a swindle, and using fervor, excitement, and great deception, they carry out indoctrination.
Opportunely, one of Ira's followers, who had been tending to the people moments before, distributes heretical books proclaiming Takuto Ira a god.
The Church of Ira has already penetrated to the very heart of this city.
With just a little more push, a mere nudge in the back, they will voluntarily petition to submit to Mynoghra, the Theocratic State.
Indeed, discussions and inquiries have already taken place, and additional civil officials from Mynoghra have been dispatched.
However, there is one doubt.
Only devout followers of the Holy Church are present here. Can these people of such deep faith really be made to change their creed so easily?
What's more, the vast majority of the Church of Ira's followers are currently from Dragontan—meaning, the proportion of beastmen is high.
The fact that they, beastmen considered savages in the orthodox continental regions, including the vicar pontiff Yonayona, are accepted as a matter of course creates a strong sense of incongruity.
Of course, the reasons for this become clear quickly.
Vittorio is not one to neglect countermeasures for points of concern, and Takuto Ira is not one to forget her preparations.
Amidst the frenzy, one holy knight looks around uneasily.
He is a proper holy knight of the Holy Church, a fortunate individual who escaped the catastrophe by not being in the capital Amrita during the collapse of the Renea Sacred Kingdom.
"Hm? What is the matter, Sir Knight? Are you alright? Do you perhaps feel unwell?"
"No, I am fine. But I feel as though I've forgotten something...? The god I pray to is..."
The man who brought the elder earlier stares blankly at the scene, as if dazed.
In this situation, maintaining silence would draw more attention than anything else. It was only natural that Vittorio noticed him and called out.
But the person being addressed seemed to understand nothing of the sort, tilting his head in puzzlement.
"Hmm? That's strange. I had all the residents of this town forget any unnecessary details... Well then, here we go—ready, set, go! Nice to meet you!"
"Uh, sure, sure..."
Vittorio performed a dizzyingly theatrical spin on the spot, then pointed sharply at a single location.
Standing there was one half of a pair of twins—Mearia Elful.
With an expression and tone that radiated utter disinterest, she casually waved her hand toward the bewildered holy knight.
"Forget."
"Hmm? Oh my? What was I just..."
Strangely enough, the holy knight's demeanor completely transformed. His face became clear, relaxed, as if whatever worry had weighed on him had vanished entirely—or rather, as if he had simply forgotten there was ever anything to worry about at all.
It was an utterly bizarre expression.
"Hmm. This one is a mid-rank holy knight. Level-based resist. I thought I had thoroughly made him forget upon entering the city, but I suppose the verification was insufficient. Hey there, little girl? Your work is a bit sloppy, isn't it?"
"No way!"
"Oh my! Rebellion!"
Mearia stuck her tongue out threateningly, and Vittorio reacted with exaggerated shock. He seemed almost pained by her uncooperative attitude, but his impression in this gathering was already exceedingly poor. Especially among Yonayona and her sisters, who openly hurled insults and defied him without hesitation.
It was a scene that made his standing within Mynoghra immediately clear to anyone watching.
"Um, is there something wrong?"
Along with his devotion to the Holy Faith, the holy knight had already forgotten the exchange from moments ago.
What remained in him was a heart for serving the people, a body honed through relentless training.
And only a strong faith that had lost its destination.
—No, the destination for that faith had now been prepared anew.
"Oh, oh, pay it no mind, Sir Knight! Ah, 'Holy Knight' is perhaps a name that doesn't quite suit the current situation. How about we call you 'Ira's Knight' instead?"
At those words, the knight's eyes shone.
It was because he remembered a faith that burned fiercely. It might be something utterly different from just a few days ago, but such memories held no meaning for a man who had none of them.
Now, he couldn't even understand why he had been called a Holy Knight.
...There was no need to understand.
"Ira's Knight! That is a magnificent title! I will work myself to the bone in my duties, so as not to disgrace the great name of the God!"
"Guuuuuh—Doo!"
Somewhere, at a level imperceptible to the people of this world, the man's allegiance had been changed.
Those who have lost all refuge are so easily deceived.
To absorb people stripped of their faith in God and left without any protection was child's play.
The Holy Knight—Ira's Knight—was a special role demanding high cultivation.
He had combat ability, cultivation, and experience. There was likely no one more useful than this.
With this, the forces of darkness had effortlessly obtained another convenient pawn.
This was the plan Takuto Ira had orchestrated and Vittorio had enacted.
Using the Carrier Plague to sow chaos throughout the southern province, they infiltrated the enemy's heart.
Then, using Mearia's forgetting ability, they stripped the people of their faith in the Holy God, and slipped the new God, Takuto Ira, into the gaping void left behind.
Amrita, the capital of the Southern Provinces, had already lost its capacity to function as either a provincial seat or a true capital under the impact of Takuto Ira's descent, stripped of its influence over the surrounding cities and villages along with its intelligence-gathering capabilities.
As if that weren't enough, Amrita was the epicenter of a cascade of plagues dubbed the Curse of the Ruination King, along with the epicenter of the Forgetting.
The Holy Diary's expeditionary force, composed of people who had never experienced chaos on this scale and possessed no recourse beyond symptomatic treatment, were naturally relegated to playing catch-up.
The brazen match-fixing and the looting that came with it—countless settlements and villages had already fallen into Mynoghra's hands, and every last soul offered their gratitude with smiles on their faces, praying to God as followers of Ira.
This commercial city of Selduchi was the finishing blow—a masterstroke after bringing the surrounding regions to heel.
Land, productivity, population, military strength, faith.
It was the culmination of a meticulously crafted strategy to seize it all.
"Hmm hmm hmmm. This country has so many talented people, it's absolutely wonderful! And I get to do whatever I want with such a wide selection to boot! I'm getting pumped up!"
Some con artist had been making noise for a while now, putting the girls in the foulest of moods, but the operation itself was progressing smoothly.
Yonayona contemplated. At this rate, this city would become wholly Mynoghra's domain.
Simultaneously, things were moving so effortlessly that greedy thoughts of taking the entire Southern Province crept in—but leaping at such impulsiveness would mean she was unfit to have been entrusted with this operation in the first place.
She had been given this responsibility precisely because she possessed the wisdom to know when enough was enough. In that regard, Yonayona was no ordinary figure.
While the untrustworthy pontiff's substitute turned every possibility over in her mind, checking for errors, one of the faithful to whom she had delegated tasks such as population management came to report.
"Acting Pontiff Yonayona. The city's conversion rate has reached approximately seventy percent thanks to this miracle. If God performs just a few more miracles, the remainder can be handled through individual sermons during our rounds."
"Roger that. The more people believe in God, the more He rejoices. I don't want to deliver a pathetic report when we meet again. Let's all do our best."
"I will too! I'll do my best too! Fight!"
The faithful and the girl clicked their tongues in unison as they reviewed the situation.
This city had been somewhat troublesome due to its large population, but with a few more days of staying to perform miracles, its fall was all but guaranteed.
Even within the Great Cursed Realm, which was already Mynoghra's stronghold, arrangements were underway for followers and saplings of the Human-Flesh Tree to deploy to the newly acquired towns and villages.
Truly, it was often said that attack is the best defense; this strategy was exceptionally clever and useful, possessing the dual benefit of weakening the opponent's national power while augmenting one's own.
Up to that point, Yonayona could understand. But even she, with her thorough education under Vittorio and having grown somewhat adept at inferring his thoughts, naturally had things she could not grasp.
"Hey, you idiot founder. Why do I get stuck with this role? Honestly, it's so troublesome I hate it... Wouldn't it have been quicker if you just did it yourself?"
Yonayona voiced a question she had long harbored.
It was a simple query: why did she have to perform this role? She considered that there must be someone more suitable for the task—that if Vittorio himself took charge, things would proceed far more rationally.
Naturally, expecting a sensible answer from him if she asked was the height of foolishness.
"Have me do it directly? No way! Standing Yonayona up in the front lines is about dumping troublesome work onto someone, besides, I wanted to see Yonayona's disgruntled face. I can't be stopped, won't be stopped!!"
"You... I'll put up with it now because I'm in the middle of a job bestowed by the god, but once this is over, I'm going to beat you senseless..."
"Oho! A rebellious phase!"
Yonayona had never realized it, but in truth, Vittorio placed her in such a conspicuous position to make his own movements easier.
Standing as the founder in such a prominent place would already hinder any covert schemes he might wish to pursue later.
It was an action born of his dislike for being confined to a restrictive role.
That he nonetheless remained in the position of founder was, perhaps, a source of certain pride for him.
Because it meant he could boast that his faith in Takuto Ira was the highest...
"The greatness of the god... stings my eyes. My eyes can now see nothing through my tears. Sob."
"That's incredible... I've never seen a god's miracle before. A god's miracle is huge."
"The god... seriously terrifying. Lord Takuto Ira is seriously terrifying."
Whether it was because Vittorio's ability of conversion through intimidation was too effective, or because the brainwashing had taken too well, a portion of the young men who had been coughing moments before now gazed with strangely gleaming eyes, murmuring their gratitude and praise for the god in overlapping voices.
Naturally, the target has changed dramatically from a few days prior. For this Hero who possesses multiple abilities to manipulate human hearts, swaying people's faith would be trivial. Moreover, there was immediate, tangible benefit for the populace themselves—liberation from suffering. Instead of distorting facts to brainwash them, it was infinitely easier to exploit their gratitude and give them a push in the back. The disaster wrought by the Hero of Tongue-Fu would erode people's minds without ever being recognized as such.
"Come now, one final push! Call out to people, all of you! Unlike some other gods, the miracles of our Lord Takuto Ira are truly infinite! His love will never run out, and it will protect you all from the malice that permeates this land!!!!"
Amidst the throng of people being herded homeward by Ira's followers, Vittorio spreads his arms wide and declares this in a ringing voice.
"After we save this place, the next town! Once we save the next town, the town after that!"
It sounded as if he intended to fill the entire world with Ira's believers.
"And once we've helped everyone? North, of course! Ever northward! There are countless souls awaiting our God's blessing, suffering still, up there!"
North—that meant Amrita, the capital of the Southern Provinces and the holy city of the Renea Theocracy. It was the place where the Saintess Ritrain and the Inquisitor Imreis were currently stationed, desperately trying to soothe the people. A man with the cunning and thoroughness of a venomous snake could not possibly be ignorant of this fact.
His objective, therefore, was singular: the Saintess Ritrain herself.
To try to ensnare even a Saintess in his schemes—was it overconfidence in his own talents, or sheer arrogance? Unfortunately, there was no one present here capable of restraining Vittorio.
"Um... seriously, is it really okay to let him just... do his thing?"
He was far too free, far too unrestrained. And above all, the impact of his actions was far too immense. Only now, having reached this stage, did Yonayona feel a creeping premonition. She looked almost defeated as she vented her unease to the Elful sisters.
"We're all anxious, but supposedly the king will take full responsibility in the end..."
"The king can just deal with it when he's in trouble."
Even the sisters, who had vented their worries and sought consultation, seemed to have already given up on controlling the situation.
No—from the very beginning, control was impossible.
That fact was simply being presented once more.
"Worst case, he'll be left alone, but I was told to bring back Yonayona at least, so please don't worry."
"The pervert will stand out, so let's use him as a decoy."
"Roger that. This helps with everything, seriously."
Even during the girls' calm discussion, the gaffe-prone hero didn't stop.
Hopping and dancing joyfully, he brainwashed as many people as his skills would allow...
"Hail the Ira Faith! Hail Takuto Ira! Pray to the great god! Come, everyone together! Invite your friends too!"
Vittorio's strategy consistently yields the best results.
His contest of wits with his master, Takuto Ira, also consistently yields the best results.
His plans—concentrated crystals of refined intellect—contain no obstacles whatsoever.
The happiness he seeks; the path toward it is carefully, meticulously paved.
...The holy army of Quolia still had not predicted the arrival of a new calamity.
=Eterpedia===
[Acting High Priest Yonayona]
Species Beastman (Goat)
Affiliation Mynoghra
Position: Acting High Priest of the Church of Ira
―――
A girl with nothing special to offer but her faith
But such a person is perfect to be elevated
Yonayona's life, as the de facto leader of the Church of Ira, is fittingly described as eventful.
During the barbarian invasion of Dragontan, she was abandoned by her parents and became an orphan. Without her knowledge, she became a citizen of Mynoghra, a follower of the Church of Ira, and then, without her knowledge, took the position of acting high priest.
Although everything happened as part of a greater flow and she was never allowed to make a single decision, she has no complaints about her current position.
Just as she found herself saved, she now wishes to save others.
That wish alone is something she decided for herself, truly...
Furthermore, she is a valuable talent who can directly admonish Vittorio, and among the faithful, she is highly regarded as the most suitable person to be the acting high priest of the Church of Ira, regardless of her own feelings.
―――
=Eterpedia===
[Knight of Ira]Combat Unit
Combat Power: 3-7 Movement: 1
[Evil][Holy Sword Skill][Fanatic][Follower of Ira]
―――
Under the name of God, protect the people and crush the enemies
In that existence, good and evil are irrelevant~~
The Knight of Ira is a warrior who turned to darkness, based on the holy knights of Quolia.
By converting to the Church of Ira, he acquired the Evil attribute, losing his good abilities but gaining the abilities of Evil and Fanaticism.
Despite belonging to the darkness, it is a special unit capable of wielding Holy Sword Techniques. Its combat style excels against other creatures of the dark, ironically contrasting with its own alignment.
The lack of ethical constraints that comes from becoming a being of darkness allows its inherent, latent violence to be unleashed without restraint. Consequently, it is generally considered to hold a superior position in combat compared to a holy knight of the same level.