漫画大王

Chapter 108

Therefore, while stories that focused on academy life could take two paths, I chose to take one over the other. As for whether there were students in Class A participating in club activities, I wasn’t quite sure.

Anyway, Adriana was trying to take me to experience an internal club within the Royal Class. Although Adriana worshiped Ouen, the god of purity, it was said that the club gathered people who worshiped the various deities of Pentatheism.

Indeed, religiousness was not restricted only to clubs. The Temple itself housed temples dedicated to each of the Five Great Gods. There, sacred studies classes were conducted, and on weekends, services were held for students who believed in those religions, regardless of their major. I knew that the temples would be packed during the weekend services since there were many students with strong religious beliefs, even if divinity wasn’t their major field of study.

Adriana figured that, instead of taking me directly to a weekend service, sharing various stories and slowly increasing my exposure to her beliefs would likely lead me to attend a service with her eventually.

Of course, I had no intention of going as far as visiting a temple.

The club’s activities were held every Thursday after dinner. It took place in a clubroom reserved exclusively for the Royal Class, located on the top floor of the dormitory, so I was told.

The club’s name was “Grace”, and it was also said to be the club with the largest membership within the Royal Class. Since it gathered believers of all five gods, it was bound to be the largest.

I skipped my evening training and headed to the lobby, telling myself that this would be my first and last time attending.

“Ah, junior, you’ve come.”

“Yes.”

Adriana had been waiting for me in the lobby.

“Let’s go, then.”

It was also the first time I had taken the elevator installed in the dormitory. Although I had frequently used elevators elsewhere, it was strangely new to me since I had never taken the one in the dormitory before.

The seventh floor was arrayed differently compared to the residential floors below. There were numerous rooms, and some of the doors were labeled with the names of various clubs. Given how the Royal Class gathered only the talented elites, there did not seem to be any clubs that existed solely for leisure.

“It’s over there.”

Adriana walked down the right corridor and stopped in front of a rather large door.

“May the Grace of the Five be with us.”

These words were engraved in elegant handwriting on a silver plate affixed to the door. A silver nameplate, no less—truly befitting of the Royal Class.

“Let’s go in. Everyone’s nice, so don’t be too nervous.”

“Do I look like someone who gets nervous?”

Adriana frowned, then laughed at my skewed response.

“Alright then, I’ll put it differently. Don’t cause any trouble, junior.”

“Yes. Got it.”

Adriana opened the door, and I followed her inside.

***

I couldn’t say that this applies to everyone, but there’s a certain trait among people who are religious—I’m not referring to the fanatics, but those who I assume to be ordinary people but have a fairly sound faith.

It’s hard to describe—perhaps it’s the absence of any shadows on their faces, or maybe it’s the lack of worry. Either way, they seem to have a passive gentleness about them.

“Ah. Is this the new friend who was supposed to come? Nice to meet you. I’m Aegerton, from fourth year.”

“Ah, yes, I’m Reinhart, a freshman.”

They’re also generally kind and easygoing.

Not all the members seemed to be present, but the arrival of a newcomer caused quite the stir among them, and they welcomed me warmly.

“You’re a freshman, so you must be in the same year as Ashir, right?”

“Yes, but we’re in different classes.”

It appeared that Class B’s Number 4, Ashir, who possessed talents in Divine Power, was also a member of this club.

He stood a distance away, looking at me with a bewildered expression on his face, as though wondering what I was doing there.

“Oh... hello.”

“Hey there.”

Since I hardly knew the guy, our conversation ended there. Most of the seniors knew of me from the duel I’d taken part in. Clearly, beating up a senior then had caused quite a stir.

Due to that incident, or perhaps because it was just their personalities, everyone, regardless of gender, was friendly towards me.

“Have you eaten dinner already?”

“Well, yes.”

“If you’re hungry, there are snacks in the cabinet over there. Feel free to take anything.”

Receiving such an unreserved welcome made me feel as though I had entered a different world. The excitement over a newcomer joining the club was palpable.

“Reinhart is just here to observe today.”

Although Adriana had brought me along, she made it clear to the other seniors that I hadn’t officially joined them, to stop any possible misunderstandings. However, this didn’t seem to dampen their spirits at all.

“Right, right, that’s fine. Observing is good too. Think of it as dropping by when you’re bored—you’re welcome anytime.”

“Yeah, there are many who hang out here without joining us officially. Just think of it as a chance to get to know the seniors.”

These people seemed happy just because someone decided to show up...

I couldn’t quite adapt.

I disliked those with bad characters, but my twisted demeanor meant that I was also irked by people who were too nice. At times, I wondered if I would be more comfortable around someone like Vertus.

‘Good vibes and me just don’t mix!’

The club had a membership of roughly twenty students. Considering there were about a hundred and twenty students in the Temple’s Royal Class, twenty was a significant number. Of course, since the high school consisted of six grades, the ages of the members varied greatly.

“Ah, are you that first year, Reinhart?”

The person greeting me with a bright expression was someone I had only encountered for the second time, yet their face was already familiar.

“I’m Ceres Van Owenne, a senior. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The Royal Class student council president, whom I remembered seeing just once during my admission, was also a member of this club.

Though she did not major in religious studies, the student council president personally believed in the sun god, Shalam, and was acting as the vice president of this club. She was quite the busy figure.

Being the vice president of the club and still serving as the student council president felt like a mix-up in priorities, didn’t it?

I sensed that everyone seemed to be looking around cautiously, as if something was about to start.

‘Is there some kind of problem?’

“Uhm... It seems everyone is here. Shall we begin?” Ceres Van Owenne, the student council president and the club’s vice president, said with an awkward expression.

“What about the president?”

In response to Adriana’s question, the student council president gave a wry smile.

“Oh, hahaha... It seems the president wants to take a break for now...”

I could feel a slight dip in the atmosphere at those words. It appeared the club president of Grace hadn’t attended in quite some time.

Eventually, the club activity began without the president. Since I was clueless, there wasn’t much for me to do. The activity began with the ritual of reciting a common prayer with eyes closed.

I couldn’t help but notice a definite difference from the religions I knew from my past life.

—May the blessings of the Five Great Gods be upon us...

While everyone recited the prayer, the room wasn’t just filled with a solemn atmosphere; some individuals actually began to radiate a faint glow from their bodies. The prayers of those capable of utilizing Divine Power were potent enough to manifest visually.

It was just a group of kids praying together, but the majesty felt overwhelming. The room, which was merely filled with a few desks and other miscellaneous items, felt as though it had been transformed into a grand temple.

I wasn’t sure if the divine power flowing from the prayer was affecting me as well, but I felt a pleasant warmth, and my fatigue seemed to dissipate.

I wondered if this place was akin to a fountain of life. It was invigorating.

Certainly, Adriana’s suggestion that coming here would be beneficial wasn’t without reason, but the religious gathering I had envisioned was on a completely different level.

After the prayer concluded, everyone opened their eyes.

Adriana looked at me and smiled as if to say, “It’s different from what you expected, isn’t it?”

***

“Let’s discuss the main topics first, and then talk about the experiences from last week’s group mission.”

Since the president was absent, Ceres Van Owenne, who was both the vice president and the student council president, took charge of the proceedings.

“Firstly, you all remember that external volunteer activities were restricted due to the terrorist incident in the imperial city, right? Well, that restriction has now been lifted.”

It appeared that the assault on the Order of the Holy Knights had impacted this club as well.

“However, since our schedule was all messed up the last time, the planned excursion to treat injured soldiers was canceled. I’ve also heard that that matter has already been resolved. So now we need to look for other volunteer activities.”

This club, which had members who could actually use Divine Power, seemed to organize volunteer activities to offer direct assistance to those in need of a priest’s healing abilities.

‘... What is this? How holy can a group of people be?!’

In many ways, this didn’t seem like the place for me at all. Where did all these wholesome angels even come from?

Anyway, it seemed they had planned to provide free divine magic services to injured soldiers and civilians who were suffering without assistance, and that plan had been canceled due to the recent incident.

Hence, they were now looking for other volunteering opportunities.

“Any suggestions?”

“I’ve heard there’s been an increase in orphans post-war. Perhaps we could help out at public childcare facilities where they might be short-staffed?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Ceres nodded in approval at the suggestion from one of the members, clearing thinking that it was a good idea, and someone who appeared to be fulfilling the role of a secretary was taking notes.

Various other possible volunteer activities were suggested, and they were methodically organized one by one.

‘Umm...’

I was astonished by how positively different this place was from how I had imagined it to be. It seems to be filled only with people who believed it was only natural to use their powers to help others.

I assumed this would be a gathering where people fervently recited prayers, testified to their faith, and spoke about divine matters, but it was nothing like that. Rather, it felt more like an ordinary volunteering club.

After much discussion, they narrowed down the possible activities to two main ones: providing aid to public childcare facilities, and providing medical volunteer services in remote or impoverished areas.

“We’ll contact the teachers to find out more about the childcare facilities, and looking into the remote or impoverished areas for medical volunteering work will take some time due to local conditions and safety concerns.”

I was newly impressed by the significant social influence the Temple had. Even though this was just a club within the Royal Class, they had the capability to negotiate with other institutions.

‘... I want to leave.’

Being around these divine, benevolent folks made me feel even more out of place.

‘Maybe I truly do belong to the demon race.’

Surprisingly, being in the presence of such holy individuals, instead of those who got on my nerves all the time, was somehow... more painful.

I now dreaded staying even more, and for a different reason than the one that had made me fear coming in the first place.

***

Once the volunteer activities were decided on, everyone briefly shared their thoughts on their last group mission. They discussed it in a very ordinary way—whether they won or lost, and whether it was fun or not.

“For the first-years, this was your first group mission, right? Ashir, Reinhart, how was it for both of you?”

Ashir hesitated before sharing that the mission we were on had been about survival, and recounted various aspects of the experience. Although their class had unfortunately lost, he mentioned how unexpected it was to encounter an orc, and how they ended up panicking and fleeing, which felt rather embarrassing.

“Hah... Yeah, the first group mission is usually a tough one.”

“It’s kind of intentional as well. Kind of a way to humble you, should I say?”

The seniors reminisced about their own experiences, and it seemed that a challenging first mission was somewhat of a tradition. Then the vice president turned her attention to me.

“Reinhart’s class must have won, right? How was it?”

“We won, but it was still a shit-sho—Ow! Why are you pinching me?!”

As the crass words tumbled out of my mouth, Adriana, who was sitting next to me and listening, pinched my thigh.

‘Is she going to start physically harming me whenever things don’t go her way now?’

“Can’t you speak in a more refined manner, junior?”

“What can I do? It’s just my personality!”

Although she was my senior, the other students from the upper years would have seen her as just a second-year kid. They watched us bickering as if it was somehow endearing.

Everyone, including Adriana, seemed surprised when we mentioned fighting an orc directly.

“I wasn’t really the one who defeated it. A kid named Ellen did most of the work, and the final blow was a fireball cast by someone named Harriet. I didn’t really do much.”

“Still! Just the thought of fighting is admirable.”

“Yeah, that itself is quite something, Reinhart.”

‘Ugh... Being praised so effortlessly by these people is so damn cringy!’

Aside from the initial prayer, the gathering hardly felt religious in nature; it was mostly just chit-chat.

“Now that we’ve covered all formal discussions, let’s conclude with a closing prayer. Those who wish to stay can do so, and those who want to leave may go.”

And with that, the club activity ended. To be exact, after the official proceedings ended, the remaining members grouped together in small circles, chatting or snacking.

Just like the opening prayer, the closing prayer created an atmosphere that made one’s heart swell with emotion.

After the prayer, Adriana asked me to stay a bit longer, and I inevitably got roped into eating snacks.

“Don’t you follow any deity in particular, Reinhart?”

“Ah, no, not really...”

The seniors, curious about the new face, bombarded me with questions, and I gave them moderate responses.

Telling them that the only thing I believed in was myself would probably elicit even stronger reactions than Adriana’s, so I kept quiet.

“Still, having something to lean on spiritually isn’t a bad thing. Give it some thought. The deities do reward us according to the faith we send their way.”

In a world where divine power existed, such statements from the seniors held true.

But still, you know...

Contemplating my existence as the creator amidst these five deities, whom I had supposedly created, posed a paradoxical dilemma. How ironic would it be for a creator to harbor faith in its own creations?

“My creations, I believe in you, so grant me strength.” What an absurd thought.

The others all suggested I give it some thought, but didn’t pressure me any further. Although they engaged in conversations with me, they also talked among themselves.

“By the way, about the club president... Won’t the president be coming at all?”

“Um... We’ve been trying to persuade the president to come back, but it’s hard to say.”

The upper years were whispering among themselves. Apparently, the club president had been absent for quite some time.

“There’s talk that the Demon God Cult is reappearing in various places...”

“The Demon God Cult?”

“Yeah. The recent incident seems to have kindled the belief that the Demon Realm is still intact, and it seems the cultists are spreading again. My uncle is an Inquisitor in the Alse Order, and he mentioned it recently.”

“Th-that’s big trouble then!”

Since I’d written about Ludwig’s encounter with the remnants of the Demon God Cult, I remembered the lore behind it.

The Demon God Cult...

Within humanity, there were factions sympathetic to the demons, and worshiped the Demon God as an antithesis to the five gods of humanity. However, after the Demon Realm was believed to have been shattered into ruins, the cult was supposed to die out naturally, leaving only scattered remnants.

However, the recent attack in the capital had created the mistaken belief that the Demon Realm hadn’t actually fallen, but still possessed tremendous power that was merely hidden away.

Therefore, the Demon God Cult, which should have declined naturally, was maintaining its influence, clinging to a newfound hope.

As I thought of this, I reminded myself not to do anything that could spark widespread consequences in the future ever again.

The atmosphere turned solemn at the mention of the Demon God Cult. For those who believed in the Five Great Gods, the Demon God Cult was an enemy, and a target for purging.

The female senior whose uncle was an Inquisitor in the Alse Order spoke up cautiously.

“This... isn’t confirmed, but... there might be students within the Temple who believe in the Demon God Cult...”

“N-no way!”

“Stop it, Daressa!”

Ceres, who had only shown gentleness up to that point, narrowed her eyes and glared at the senior called Daressa, who immediately shrank back at her rebuke.

“I understand what you’re saying, but they’re not like that.”

“B-but still... isn’t it dangerous?”

‘Huh?’

Ceres seemed to know who the suspected group of Demon God Cultists might be.

“I’ve finished discussing this with the head student council president, and I’ve received a firm assurance that that’s not the case.”

“Still...”

“Be quiet.”

Ceres glanced coldly at the senior that kept mumbling, silencing her with her stern look.

“They’re kids who merely say things that could be easily misunderstood. If this turns into more strange rumors, innocent kids might end up being taken away by the Inquisitors. Don’t you know how those taken by Inquisitors are treated?”

Unnecessary speculation could lead to innocent children being captured, tortured, and possibly killed by Inquisitors.

It was a warning against spouting baseless rumors that could lead to real tragedies, but framed in a gentler tone.

“I, I’m sorry...”

Daressa’s face turned pale as she apologized in a shrinking voice. Ceres, no longer the gentle figure she was before, looked around sternly.

“All of you, listen up. Never go around saying things like the Demon God Cult is spreading, or that there might be followers in the Temple. Understand?”

Everyone acknowledged her hurriedly, frozen in place.

‘She’s the student council president. She surely knows how to assert authority when needed.’

[New Event Update - The Demon God Cult within the Temple]

[Description: Rumors suggest that Demon God Cult followers lurk within the Temple.]

[Objective: Uncover the truth behind the rumors.]

[Reward: 300 Achievement Points]

An intriguing event had also been triggered.