Chapter 30: Side Story – Selene (2)

“Ha, haha… A poor little child is being deceived by the cruel goddess!”

Ever since I was appointed as the Inquisition,

the first heretic I met was a brown-haired dwarf elder.

After listening to his story, I learned that one of my predecessors had brought him in, and that interrogating him was my first task.

“Now, this poor dwarf claims that he must deny Tett and worship a new god.

He has been dragged here after being given several chances, but he still refuses to acknowledge us.

We are working so hard for your sake, you know.”

On my right side were various weapons and tools for torture lined up.

“Choose whatever you want from here. Then interrogate this heretic. We want to make sure you understand that we are right.”

In my mind, the voice of her, Iah, echoed.

Since becoming a priest,

she has occasionally spoken to me like this.

Her voice was clear and beautiful, bringing me a strange sense of joy just by listening to it.

“How can a goddess who tries to manipulate a child like you be right?”

“Um, sir, I have one question…”

“… Yes. What are you curious about, poor little child?”

“Is Goddess Iah real?”

At my question, the dwarf was momentarily speechless, then burst into a hearty laugh.

“Ha ha ha! That’s something I don’t know! She’s a god who has never shown her face to me. Even if I deny her existence, she doesn’t appear to prove her own existence! Can that really be called existence? If so, it can be said to be a fiction built upon the lies of the cult!”

‘Really, this is too much. Do you know how hard I’m working for you?’

Iah’s voice sounded disappointed, as if she was genuinely upset.

I felt so sorry for her.

“I’m sorry, but Goddess Iah does exist. You just don’t believe it.”

“Child, I certainly know that. They are indeed existing gods. But what I’m saying is that they are not right. Therefore, there’s no need to believe in them.”

The dwarf elder began to reveal his true thoughts, saying that his previous statement was just a temporary response to my question.

“If Goddess Iah and God Tett are right, why do they allow evil to exist? Why don’t they save those who are suffering? If they are truly just, why don’t they save those who are in pain? Can you answer that?”

This time, the dwarf elder glared at me as if challenging me to refute his words.

‘Oh my, that’s quite a difficult question, isn’t it? If I must answer that question….’

The answer to that question was simple.

“No, sir.”

‘Huh?’

Why doesn’t he know?

If gods exist, that alone is enough.

“The judgment of the gods is not something us humans can question, is it?”

‘Oh my.’

In my previous life, I often wished that the gods my parents believed in truly existed.

Family. Friends. Home. Time.

I sincerely hoped that something would exist that would take away everything from me, that I would no longer be miserable.

I, who had to sleep on the cold winter floor.

I, who had to eat moldy bread.

I, who had to wear torn and stained clothes.

“Isn’t it pathetic that I, who had no one to contact even after becoming an adult, feel this way? Just tell me that no one cared about me, that I was simply forgotten…

I thought about it over and over again.

But in the end, it was just a dream, and the god they believed in did not exist. There was only a god that was completely different from what they imagined.

If it had been the old me, I might have given up the moment I spoke with Ia.

I might have despaired, thinking my suffering had no meaning at all. But at some point, my wish turned into a belief that I just hoped a god existed.

Even while believing that there was no god, I kept wishing that one existed. In that contradiction, I met Iah. So now, that was enough.

“Don’t you know that just by the existence of a god, someone can be saved, grandfather?”

“Ha… according to that logic, there’s no need for those two gods, is there?”

“Right? If only it could be proven.”

“…Tsk. You were already a brainwashed puppet.”

“I’m not brainwashed. I’m standing here with my own thoughts.”

“Sure. They must have made you think that way!”

There’s no answer, this old man.

In the end, he couldn’t refute my words and just blamed Ia. ‘You know how terrifying aimless malice can be, don’t you? We feel the same fear.

’ Yes. I know. Surely, as you said, if it’s someone like this.

If it’s this heretic, then I should repent. Thinking that way, I slowly looked around at the weapons and tools.

Among them, I chose a hammer that was about my height.

‘Isn’t it heavy?’

It’s not heavy. It was a bit heavy, but I could somehow manage it with both hands.

“Do you still have no intention of repenting?”

“If you want me to repent, tell Iah to come directly to me.”

“…”

At those words, I slowly lifted the hammer, and the dwarf grandfather quietly closed his eyes.

‘Don’t worry, other priests will heal you anyway.

’ That’s right. This is a fantasy world where magic exists. With that thought, I swung the hammer with all my might. With a loud *crack*, the corner of the chair the dwarf grandfather was sitting on broke.

‘Oh?’

“…Hmm?”

“…I really can’t do it.”

How could I bring down something like this onto a person’s head? There’s no way that’s possible. ‘But this person is a heretic who denies me, right?’ If I talk to him well, he will surely believe me. ‘Still innocent, huh? Is it because you’re from that world?’

While I was having a little argument with Ia, “I made a mistake!”

The dwarf grandfather suddenly stood up and swung his fist. The reason was that the ropes binding him had loosened because I had just struck the chair with the hammer.

“Ouch?”

With a “thud!” my body flew and slammed against the wall, and a twisting pain engulfed me.

“Ah, you…”

“Do you really think that would scare me? How foolish!”

“It’s not that… I just wanted to talk…”

‘Lenee. Although it’s a bit late, I’ll tell you one thing. Our order doesn’t force faith upon you. You have your own thoughts and freedom.’

“Talk? Hahaha! I’ll listen. But only in the afterlife!”

‘Even so, the fact that you were captured means there’s definitely a problem somewhere.’

The dwarf elder slowly reached for the sword hanging on the wall.

‘And that dwarf over there killed the three children from our order who tried to persuade you through conversation. They even lied about wanting to listen.’

It would have been nice if I had been told that beforehand.

‘That’s true. Anyway, that’s the story. There’s a reason why a heretic is a heretic. They deceive and kill without a second thought.’

At that moment, as lah spoke, the heretic swung his sword.

With a scraping sound, the heretic’s arm was severed.

“I’m glad I was watching, just in case.”

An old man had entered through the door.

His neatly arranged hair was a slightly faded gray.

His sharp eyes glinted with brown pupils.

He looked like a middle-aged man who was well put together, dressed in priestly robes.

I’m sure I saw him last time.

When I suddenly became a priest.

And when I became the Inquisitor.

That old man was certainly referred to as the Pope.

“Are you listening, Goddess?”

‘Should I answer?’

“I already know you’re pondering whether to respond. It’s because you’ve figured out why I’m here.”

‘Exactly. How unendearing.’

“Anyway, I’ll bother to say this. Please stop assigning this child as an Inquisitor.”

…Huh?

Why is my story suddenly coming up?

A child. A pure-hearted child shouldn’t be doing such things. As evidence, this child would have died just now if I hadn’t been here.

Suddenly, Iah’s voice went silent.

The reason was easy to guess from the changing expression on the Pope’s face.

So I’m currently having a conversation with the Pope.

“What is that? …Understood.”

Then the Pope suddenly showed a strange reaction and approached me, reaching out his hand.

“May I call you Lenee?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll leave the choice to you. Do you… think you want to be this Inquisitor?”

“Um…”

“If you think it will be difficult, it’s okay to refuse. You won’t suffer any consequences. So, please speak your true feelings.”

Sincerely.

My sincerity.

Whether the Pope blessed me with healing magic or not, the pain had suddenly ceased.

…So what I had to do now was already decided.

I slowly got up from my seat and picked up the hammer I had dropped earlier.

Then I approached the heretic lying on the floor, bleeding.

“Wait a moment…”

I swung the hammer with all my might.

*Crack!* The unpleasant sensation of bone breaking surged through my fingertips.

To be honest, that sensation was so unpleasant that I wanted to rush to the bathroom and vomit right away.

But this was the task I had to undertake going forward.

“I’ll do it. I want to do it.”

Since someone had to do it anyway, I would take it upon myself.

Having been saved by the presence of God, I would lead those who deny God’s existence to repentance.

“Please.” Healing,

“Oh, okay…!”

The heretic I encountered this time was quite strong.

No, to be precise, all the heretics I was going to meet seemed strong.

Why was that?

Or maybe it’s just because I’m still young and not used to wielding a Warhammer.

Thanks to that, I ended up getting severely injured.

“Hey, doesn’t it hurt…?”

“I-it’s fine….”

Of course, it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

My right eye was completely gone, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest every time I breathed, as if my lungs were injured. My left wrist was completely severed.

I had also been hit in the side with an arrow, right?

The right thigh still had no sensation, having been pierced by a spear.

It seemed that it wasn’t just denying the existence of God that was wrong; it felt like those who worship a non-existent God were the worst heretics.

Well, if they were truly good, they wouldn’t be heretics in the first place.

Still, I was just grateful that I could return alive, knowing I’d be healed for sure.

It wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the last time.

I thought it could have been very risky when I was deceived and addicted to something strange.

But now I should be able to discern lies soon……

“It’s over….”

“Oh, thank you….”

My right eye. I can see.

When I breathe. There are no issues at all.

My left wrist, which has returned to its place, moves well.

There’s no pain in my thigh or side anymore.

Even when I looked in the full-length mirror beside me, there were no scars or anything.

After admiring the perfect skill and expressing my gratitude to the priest, I returned to my room and threw myself onto the bed.

**Why do cults deny the existence of God?**

They don’t force their beliefs on others, nor do they demand sacrifices. It’s really foolish.

And with that thought, I slowly closed my eyes.

**Author’s Note**

I have a strong feeling that this is how Lene feels because I know what kind of life he has lived.

This was an extra story with that feeling.

While revising, I tried to change it to a lighter tone as much as possible, but it seems I couldn’t completely erase it.

I wanted to show why Lene thinks so twistedly and why his thoughts slightly deviate from those of ordinary people.

I hope this extra story can convey that reason well.

By the way, at the end of this chapter, Lene is 8 years old.

He went through so much and eventually returned to Earth.

While revising, I felt again that it’s not a normal worldview.

I will return to the main story. Thank you.

[See next chapter]