“There’s a lot I could say, but let me ask just one thing — why me, of all people?”
Hearing the weight behind my question, Kalia just shrugged lightly.
“Because you just finished boasting about your skills, didn’t you?”
“That was just me saying I’m capable, not that I wanted to do this…”
“It can’t be helped. Right now, you’re the only one in the organization with the qualifications to take on this role.”
Well… that made sense.
The Academy is one of the most prestigious international educational institutions, not just in the Kingdom of Allein, but across the entire continent.
People qualified enough to teach there — with the education and refinement necessary — aren’t exactly easy to find.
And anyone with that kind of ability wouldn’t usually end up in an anti-establishment organization like ours.
They’d be recruited into comfortable, well-paying positions, living respected lives — unless, of course, they’d been personally screwed over by the Goddess like I was.
“Weren’t your people supposed to be hostile to the Academy? Why are you trying to infiltrate as a teacher?”
“…It’s complicated.”
Kalia let out a long sigh, as if she were making excuses, and started explaining.
“As you know, secrecy is the lifeblood of our organization.”
“Of course.”
When your entire goal is overthrowing the established order, getting exposed to the public would only spell disaster.
I’d heard that even the businesses and trading companies we run to raise funds are all operated under false names.
Every operative keeps at least five or six fake identities for their cover.
“Because of that, even our official paperwork and reports are disguised as ordinary books or magazines when they’re meant to leave our internal network.”
“So they camouflage secret documents to look like regular publications?I’d seen plenty of spy movies — I got the general idea.”
It’s worked well so far… but a few days ago, an important document got leaked to the Academy.
It’s a record of the bribes we’ve paid to key figures in the Kingdom of Navre over the years.
“We have to retrieve it before anyone finds it.”
“…How did that happen?”
“It was at a bookstore, and while delivering old books to the Academy’s archives, one of the clerks mixed it in by mistake…”
“.…”
Are you serious?
That’s so absurdly careless it’s almost impressive — but at the same time, it’s the kind of realistic mistake you see all the time.
“Why not just call them and say the wrong book was delivered? You could pick it up without making a fuss.”
“That would draw too much attention. The moment someone checks the book’s contents, the whole thing could be exposed.”
“Then what about sneaking in and stealing it?”
“The Academy’s security is airtight. The entire premises are covered by detection magic that identifies unauthorized intruders. Infiltrating as an insider is the safest approach.”
So the usual “sneak in and steal” approach from academy stories was off the table.
For a world with such inconsistent magical development, their security tech seemed unexpectedly advanced.
If Kalia was right, the only option was to slip in quietly and take it without anyone noticing.
“Since the book was meant for archival purposes, there should be plenty of time. Unless we draw attention to it first, they likely won’t even bother looking at it.”
“Getting hired as an instructor won’t be easy, though. We don’t even know when they’ll next hire anyone.”
Academy instructors had tenure — like professors.
They weren’t positions that opened up every few months.
But just as I started to voice my concern, Kalia smiled like I was worrying for nothing.
“That won’t be a problem. We… made an opening.”
“…You what?”
“Let’s just say someone who needed to disappear suddenly found themselves at the bottom of the sea, keeping the coral company.”
“…You didn’t target an innocent civilian, did you?”
“Don’t worry — he was a complete scumbag. The kind no one would miss.”
Kalia added that the guy was notorious for taking bribes from students and manipulating grades — not to mention his lectures were a total disaster.
He had zero respect from his peers or students.
Well… at least I wouldn’t have to feel too guilty.
“The Academy will be holding recruitment exams to fill the vacancy soon.”
I’ve already registered you — you just need to show up on time.
“She handed me a thin file along with an ID card.”
This is your cover identity and background story.
“I’ve fabricated your history and credentials, so make sure to memorize them thoroughly before you go.”
“…Fine. Orders are orders, after all.”
A young scholar from the distant east, trained in mathematics and the sciences… not a bad backstory.
It even sounded plausible.
“You’re comfortable with the continent’s common language, right? I’ve seen you studying the script lately.”
“I can read and write well enough now. Still struggling with complex expressions, though.”
I’d been working my ass off in my spare time, studying like crazy whenever I wasn’t drafting manuscripts.
No textbooks, no guides — just pure trial and error.
But somehow, I managed to get there.
It helped that their grammar and sentence structure were oddly similar to English — once I wrapped my head around it, writing became a lot easier.
“In that case, you should publish one more book before you head off to the Academy.”
“The one you were working on last time?”
“Yes.”
Strictly speaking, it’s more of a pamphlet than a book.
But its impact?
It’s going to shake this world like no other.
“What’s the title going to be?”
“The 115 Theses.”
It’s time for a reformation, you otherworldly bastards.
*****
Just like Earth’s Catholic Church has the Vatican, this world’s version of Christianity — the Church of the Goddess — has the Holy See.
It’s the heart of the religion, led by the High Priestess, the Goddess’s chief representative, and a sacred site for all believers.
Think of it as a mix of Jerusalem and the Vatican.
And, like any organization entangled with vast power and wealth, it’s rotten to the core.
Indulgences?
They’ve been selling those for two hundred years.
Not just for the living — they sell indulgences for the dead and even for people who haven’t been born yet.
For high-ranking priests, having two or three mistresses is standard practice.
And when that’s not enough, they swap them around like it’s some kind of twisted game.
Corruption and bribery among the higher-ups are just the tip of the iceberg.
Their power struggles and schemes over wealth and status are enough to put any criminal syndicate to shame.
Honestly, even demons would take one look at this lot and think, “Wow, these guys go too far.”
But until now, there’s been no reformation.
When an organization rots this badly, there’s usually some call for change, whether from within or from outside criticism.
But not here.
Why?
Because everyone knows the Goddess is real.
That divine pain in the ass occasionally performs miracles and delivers prophecies — and when you’ve got a living god hovering above your head, criticizing their earthly representatives isn’t exactly easy.
For a movement to reform the Church, you need people willing to speak out, even casually.
But in an environment like this, no one dares — and so the Church remains unchecked.
But I’m not like them.
None of this applies to me.
I know firsthand that the so-called Goddess is an irresponsible, short-tempered menace.
So why would I hesitate?
The reason she leaves this corrupt institution untouched?
She’s just too lazy to care.
It’s not about supporting them — as long as they keep their worship flowing, she leaves them alone.
Which means I can stir the pot as much as I want, without fear or hesitation.
“I owe a lot to the ghostwriter who helped me. Being a former priest, his knowledge of theology was invaluable.”
“Well, he was a devout believer before the Church’s corruption drove him to abandon his faith. When it comes to doctrine, you won’t find anyone better.”
As the title suggests, my 115 Theses is an expanded and revised version of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.
With thorough oversight and input from an expert, no less.
That old man — driven out and disillusioned after speaking against the Church’s corruption — knew a lot.
He gave me plenty of theological guidance, since I was a total amateur in that area.
<As a result, the final draft mirrored the original theses in spirit but was tailored to this world’s unique situation.>
<“The High Priestess has no power to forgive sins, except to declare and affirm that the Goddess has already done so. At most, she can only absolve matters assigned to her authority. And even then, if her forgiveness is deemed meaningless, the sin remains unpardoned.”>
<“The Goddess never forgives those who blindly obey their priest’s authority while showing no humility in other aspects of their life.”>
<“Indulgences and other pardons that promise freedom from all punishment and salvation are nothing but fraudulent schemes.”>
“Any true believer who sincerely repents their sins can receive complete forgiveness without the need for indulgences.”
The core argument remained the same — a scathing critique of indulgences and similar practices.
But I replaced the biblical references and Christian doctrine with citations from the Church of the Goddess’s own sacred texts.
And considering the Goddess Church was far more corrupt than the Christian Church of Luther’s time, I added new sections addressing issues like illegitimate children, personal property, and the fairness of the Church’s ordination process.
That bumped the total up by 20 additional points.
“We’ll start distributing it tomorrow. What do you think?”
“Well… I’d say the Church is going to lose its mind trying to track down whoever wrote this. If they catch you, they’ll tear you limb from limb.”
“Then I just won’t get caught.”
With Kalia’s personal seal of approval on its effectiveness, the 115 Theses were spread far and wide across the continent.
We made sure every church’s front door had a copy nailed right to it — no exceptions, thanks to our generous printing efforts.
The result?
Everyone had a chance to read it.
And then —”H-Heresy! Find this heretic and burn them at the stake!”
“Shut the hell up, you corrupt pigs! This document describes you perfectly — how’s that blasphemy?!”
The continent went up in flames.
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