Chapter 28

This medieval fantasy world could be described in another term as the era of "Post-Apocalypse."

An era where an ancient civilization, suspiciously advanced in technology, perished, and the surviving inhabitants engaged in a struggle of all against all over limited resources!

In a stable civilized world, violence lost its meaning.

If someone tried to steal from your house, you simply called the police.

The police, having received your report, would come and fold the culprit into a pretty star shape and throw them into a detention center.

But what if the country was sort of messed up, and public authority vanished?

The cop, who would have been waiting just 5 minutes away for you, was no longer there.

Both you and the thief knew this.

If a thief broke your skull and stole your stuff, there was nothing you could do about it.

In an era where you couldn't survive without getting your hands bloody, what must you do to survive?

The answer was "to arm yourself."

The priests of Heaven's Faith knew this well.

After the fall of the Golden Empire, the priests of Heaven's Faith became powerless and weak targets in the post-apocalyptic era.

As the soldiers of the Golden Empire, who had protected the priests, disappeared, looting targeting the priests brazenly occurred throughout the empire.

The weak survivors, as usual, were plundered by barbarians, and the priests of Heaven's Faith cried and wailed for their mothers.

"Aahhhhh! Somebody, please help~"

In post-apocalyptic stories, the development of weak characters is divided into two main types.

Either they become a warm motherly figure who, despite lacking abilities, embraces other survivors with mental toughness.

Or they become corrupted, staining their hands with blood and cynically accepting that "Violence is essential in this cruel world!"

The Pope of Heaven's Faith followed the first cliché.

When Brifford, the founder of the Holy Empire, conquered all surrounding nations and rose as the champion of the continent, he quickly sided with the pope, securing the role of "the spiritual pillar of the survivor group."

The Pope was happy to have a protector, and the Emperor was pleased to receive the Pope's recognition.

When the Pope formed a party with the protagonist-like character of the Holy Empire, the Pope's follower-level positions, the believers, also cheered.

"Wow! Your Holiness! Does this mean the empire will protect us now?"

"Yes. Now the empire will protect me."

"...They will protect us, right?"

Indeed, the Holy Empire protected the Pope from the barbarians.

But they protected 'only' the Pope.

It was inevitable because, no matter how mighty the empire, it was impossible to protect all the followers of Heaven's Faith scattered across the empire's lands.

The followers of Heaven's Faith cry out like supporting characters betrayed by the main character they believe in.

"Why! Your Holiness! We believe in you! We believe!"

"Heh. Can't be helped. Those who must live, should live, right?"

As the barbarians slowly approach, the Pope takes the empire's hand and leaves for a distant place...!

The believers left behind shiver in loneliness and take up arms.

Amidst zombies... no, barbarians approaching from all directions, it's not like one can just choose to commit suicide just because they've been abandoned, right?

So, the believers swing their weapons towards the barbarians.

"Kekeke... Don't worry, I'll take a liking to you soon enough... Cough!"

But surprisingly, the believers fought well against the barbarians.

It wasn't just the believers who were threatened by the barbarians.

Passersby, retired soldiers (knights), and those who fight in the name of God...

As such people gather one by one at a church, a surprisingly formidable armed group is born.

"Could we... be strong?"

Realizing their strength, they swing their weapons with the sole intention of 'saving the followers of Heaven's Faith from the hands of barbarism!'

It's a cliché of awakening their abilities after being abandoned by the survivor party...!

The empowered ones defeat the barbarians and save the believers.

The followers of Heaven's Faith, swinging weapons in the name of God.

They call themselves a 'Knight Order.'

They follow the will of Heaven but are not priests, nor do they follow the Pope's will.

They name their knighthood after a saint who shares their ideals.

The Knights of Saint Santiago.

It's the name of the monastic knight order that Ian was traveling with.

Traveling with the Knights of Saint Santiago was extremely pleasant.

Unlike typical knight groups, all members of the Knights of Saint Santiago were individuals of character.

Ordinary warriors tended to be rough.

There was no reason for them not to be rough.

"I'm strong, I'm the thug, so why should I be a wimp and mind others?" This thug mindset was basically installed in the average warrior of this world.

But the Knights of Saint Santiago were different.

They had a reason not to act rough.

Because it was "wrong" to do so...!

"Bullying the weak? Why would you do such a damn cursed thing?"

"Under heaven, all people are equal. The land is just a place we pass through for a while, and when the time comes, everyone must ascend to heaven."

"We are all life created directly by the Lord in heaven. We should all be respected equally and loved equally."

When it was time to camp and the sun had set, the knighthood would sit Ian in the middle and recite the doctrine of Heaven's Faith.

Hearing the doctrine of Heaven's Faith, Ian feels a thrill as if the hairs on his body are standing on end.

'These guys... are really good people, aren't they?'

Traveling through this medieval fantasy world, it was the first time he had met proper religious people.

So, Ian was confused.

Why...? Why are they good?

Isn't 'corruption' the default for religious people?

Like, indulging in alcohol, women... blinded by wealth...

But the minds of these knights were very different from typical medieval people.

A goodness that seemed to have swallowed Mother Teresa and Nightingale[1]!

Ian nodded his head.

These guys. They're pretty crazy...

Originally, in a village of one-eyed people, a person with both eyes intact would be treated as a madman.

In a selfish and barbaric world, if someone was wandering the world solely with altruism, that person was considered mad.

"Have you ever read the Bible, wizard?"

A knight with particularly bright and sparkling eyes asked.

His name was Dehitri.

"No, I haven't."

"Oh no!"

Dehitri showed an overly expressive reaction, like something you'd see in a cartoon.

The fact that this reaction came sincerely from the heart was madness itself.

"Isn't a wizard someone who explores mysteries? Then why don't you explore the will of Heaven, which is a mystery itself!"

Ian responded while chewing and swallowing a piece of roasted meat.

"I do explore the Heavens."

"Really?"

"Yes. I explore the wind, the clouds, the stars..."

Dehitri sighed deeply at Ian's answer.

"That's not the real heaven. What you see is just the surface, like claiming to 'know' a person just by looking at their face."

"Then what's the real deal?"

Dehitri said seriously.

"The soul. It's the soul of a person."

"..."

"It's not the visible sky that's important. You need to see the soul of heaven. The soul of heaven is the Almighty Himself. The way to see the soul of heaven is written right in the Bible."

Dehitri grabbed Ian's hand firmly.

"Let's study the Bible together!"

"..."

Ian was reminded of a nightmare from his college days.

Back then, he was incredibly annoyed by those damn religious fanatics who kept sticking to him, insisting on studying the Bible together.

Especially since they disguised it with activities like 'psychological tests' or 'survey assignments,' making it all the more insidious.

"Not interested."

"Why not! Are you saying the mysteries of the Bible aren't mysteries?"

"There are plenty of mysteries to explore besides the Bible. Why specifically the mysteries of the Bible?"

"Because the mysteries of the Bible are great!"

As Dehitri whined and threw a tantrum about "the Bible~ Bible study~",

The rest of the knighthood members also started throwing a collective tantrum, saying, "Ian, study the Bible with us~"

Ian sighed deeply.

The sight of grown adults throwing tantrums en masse was truly ugly...

Ian realized one fatal drawback of traveling with the monastic knights.

That is, the constant religious solicitation!

"How about reading the Bible just this one time?"

"Are you also a person of the monastic order, Elder?"

When Ian asked, Elder laughed and answered.

"I'm just halfway involved."

"You said you were a former mercenary, right?"

"Yes. I've committed many sins when I was young, so now I'm pretending to be good in my old age."

There were many people like Elder in the empire.

Those who lived by the sword when young and quietly started worrying about hell as they aged.

Even if one is close to death, the desire to go to heaven is human nature, which is why some start doing good deeds only in their later years.

Morally, there's a lot to think about, but the people of the monastic order welcomed these retired mercenaries.

Because their skill as seasoned warriors remained unchanged.

"Do you know? If you hear the voice of God, you could become a cleric of the faith."

In Heaven's Faith, there are wizards called clerics.

The mystery that clerics deal with is the mystery of faith.

They perform miracles by hearing the voice of God and making petitions.

However, to become a cleric, one needed to read the Bible extensively and possess a wealth of theological knowledge.

"Hmm..."

Ian pondered for a moment.

After all, God is a kind of mystery, and Ian is a man beloved by mysteries.

Hearing the voice of God... might not be so difficult?

God felt very different from the other mysteries.

Why Ian was reincarnated into this other world, what the status window that Ian uses is about—God might provide answers to these questions.

"Dehitri."

"Yes?"

"That Bible study thing. Can I try it?"

No sooner had Ian expressed his interest in studying the Bible than the monastic knights swarmed around him like bees.

"Of course!"

"You've made a very good decision, Brother!"

Shivers ran down his spine.

The look in their eyes was like that of veterans eyeing a newbie who has just fallen into the deep end.

Ian got goosebumps.

"You know ancient languages, right?"

"Yes."

Dehitri said as he opened a book.

In this medieval fantasy world, fittingly a post-apocalyptic setting, they still used the language of the ancient, now-fallen Golden Empire.

Or rather, they used nothing but the ancient language (the language of the Golden Empire).

The reason was absurd...

Because the Church of Heaven's Faith was the only group that wrote anything!

"Ah. Cassie, would you like to study with us too?"

Cassie.

No, Lucy, smiled bashfully at Dehitri's suggestion.

"No, I don't know how to read."

"..."

Ian looked at Lucy with cold eyes.

What kind of noble doesn't know how to read?

Isn't it obvious that nobles should know how to read?

In fact, that wasn't the case.

Most nobles did not study letters.

Why bother with the headache of learning to read?

Just kidnap someone who knows how!

Most people who knew how to write were priests of the Church of Heaven's Faith.

Therefore, priests naturally carried out administrative support tasks for the nobles.

In this era, skills like writing were actually of little use.

Is there a book to read?

No.

Is there administration to be done?

No.

Most tasks were handled orally.

Only the results needed to be documented, and that was done by priests.

Of course, high-ranking nobles might need writing skills, but they employed professional administrators, so there was no need for them to know how to write themselves.

"What. Why? What!"

Lucy looked at Ian as if making excuses under his sharp gaze.

"Study some when you get home."

"Why should I?"

Lucy's point was valid.

Running a rural barony didn't require knowledge of letters.

But why does a valid point feel annoyingly irritating?

"I'm a woman! Women don't need to study!"

"My mentor was a woman."

"That's because she's smart!"

Ian just shrugged.

If she doesn't want to study, there's no need to force her.

She's a noble, so she'll manage somehow.

"It's okay. I'll explain it well verbally."

"No, I'm not really into studying..."

"How about thinking of it not as studying, but as practice?"

Lucy tried crying out, "Is it okay for a woman to study?" with a tearful face.

But such a shoddy excuse wouldn't work on Dehitri, a madman with clear eyes.

"Is there gender in learning the will of Heaven?"

"Hiiing..."

In the end, Lucy also sat down next to Ian to study the Bible.

Lucy was bored to death, but for Ian, who had studied rigorously under Eredith, Dehitri's teachings were nothing.

[That's right. Good posture.]

"Thank you for the compliment."

As Ian murmured, Dehitri tilted his head.

"What did you just say, wizard?"

"... Yes?"

Ian also tilted his head, confused for no reason, and Lucy followed suit.

The education circle plunged into chaos.

"I just received a compliment for my posture..."

As Ian spoke, Dehitri's eyes widened.

"I didn't say anything! My goodness, wizard! What, what voice did you hear!"

"Huh? Suddenly someone spoke to me..."

Ian stopped talking and jumped up from his seat.

That wasn't a human voice...!

[Well, can I even be considered a human being?]

"[God! You're God, right?]"

[Hehehe. Perhaps?]

Ian was astonished.

It was clear.

A divine entity of the Church of Heaven's Faith had spoken to Ian!

Perhaps the very being who had thrown Ian into this medieval fantasy world!

Excited, Ian blurted out in Maronius language.

Where is this place? Who are you? Why did you reincarnate me into this world?

And so on.

But no answer came back.

The deity had left.

"Come back! God! Come back!"

That bastard, who does he think he's toying with...!

Ian, agitated, let out blasphemous words.

"Hey! God! Come back right now! If you get caught by me later, you're dead!"

"…!"

The monastic knights rushed over to calm Ian down.

"Stay calm! Brother!"

"Bring the Bible! Recite some damned holy verses to me!"

As chaos ensued, Elder also came over to see what was happening.

"Why's the wizard acting like that? Has he gone mad?"

There were many wizards who lost their sanity after improper contact with mysteries.

Suddenly going mad wasn't unusual for a wizard.

Brother Bord crossed his arms and explained calmly.

"...You heard the voice of God."

"The voice of God?"

There was no way to prove whether Ian had truly heard the voice of God or not.

However, after that incident, Ian began to obsess over memorizing the Bible to an eerie extent...