It’s a world where the existence of a goddess is clearly real, yet surprisingly, there are various factions of religion.
It depends on the interpretation of the scriptures,The way of performing the rites,And the distribution of power.
Aside from the reformists I’ve created with my 115 counterarguments, there are plenty more.
If we’re talking about the major ones on the continent, there are probably around five or six.
Why is this happening, when they’re serving a higher race with their own will and superior thinking abilities?
The reason is simple.
“That goddess is damn lazy.”
The one who was supposed to unify the interpretation of the doctrines and set the ritual methods didn’t do their job.
No matter what happens, they just maintained an attitude of ‘just offer your faith, it doesn’t matter,’ and gave meaningless prophecies, so they were of no help at all.
Eventually, those who got tired of debating who was right chose violence as a means instead.
The one who survived by smashing heads would be considered right.
One representative example of this is the Alcyone Federation.
It used to be four countries, but after going through many twists and turns, they became unified.
“You can’t expect peace from combining different types of people.”
The small nations with different systems, cultures, and sects were forced to unite for diplomatic/political reasons.
There was no way there wouldn’t be conflict.
Several times the state religion changed, and heretic purges and sect persecutions happened on a regular basis.
As a result, even the royal power weakened.
No matter which sect the monarch believed in, the other side would interfere, so it was impossible for the power to strengthen.
Still, recently, Drake IV has been using money to build political power… but that’s not my concern.
“Is this the building?”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
The point is that the Alcyone Federation still has various sects coexisting.
Also, each of these factions remains strong.
Knowing just these two things was enough to make use of them.
“You’re from Alcyone, but you brought Allein with you?”
“No, she escaped persecution when she was young and came here. She only joined our organization recently.”
“When she was young… around five or six?”
“She must have been about ten. It’s not completely accurate since that’s what she testified, but…”
“That’s about right. She must still be filled with a desire for revenge.”
On a weekend with no lectures,Kalia and I met a low-ranking member that we had tracked down throughout the country.
A sturdy young man, 24 years old.
He was a follower of the Orthodox Goddess Church, but recently felt disappointed and had defected to our organization.
He was proficient in both Alcyonean and the common language of the continent, making him an ideal asset.
Clink.
“Oh, sorry for the wait. I’m Winston Churchill.”
“Nice to meet you. Please, have a seat.”
He was nervous from being called by someone much higher in rank and seniority, so I sat him down properly to talk to him.
I poured a cup of coffee and made a suggestion.
“Mr. Churchill, why not help liberate Alcyone from Drake’s oppression?”
(Liberation through a bombing attack.)
*****
“Eh? Suddenly? What exactly do you mean by that…?”
My suggestion caused Galipol, no, Churchill, to panic and wave his hands in rejection.
Well, this reaction was normal.
Who would immediately accept an offer when high-ranking officials suddenly come to them and suggest doing something big together?
Still, there was no problem.
It was the response I expected.
“Mr. Churchill, think about it carefully.
Think about the hardships you’ve gone through since you came to this country.
How many obstacles you’ve faced to get to where you are now.”
You just need to gently, slowly condition him.
I’ll make sure he agrees and sympathizes with my words.
It won’t be difficult.
I pulled my chair closer, made Kalia step back, and took his hand.
“You said you crossed the sea when you were ten, right?”
“Yes.”
“That must have been really hard.
How much suffering did you endure, crammed into a small merchant ship?
You lost your home, your belongings, and barely escaped with your life.”
It was still a time before passenger ships were in use.
For civilians to travel by sea, they had to hitch a ride on cargo ships, which had no toilets, proper meals, or sleeping arrangements.
It must have been an immense hardship to endure at such a young age.
“The familiar scenery of your hometown, the graveyard where your ancestors were buried, the beautiful orchards and farms.
You lost everything you once enjoyed in a single day.
All because of the cruel king’s oppressive decree.”
Moreover, I had heard that Churchill’s family had been quite prosperous.
They owned orchards and vast farmlands.
He must have played there as a child.
Climbing the apple trees to eat unripe apples, riding on the backs of oxen as they plowed the fields, playing around.
On holidays, his mother would bake pies, and the family would sing cheerful songs together.
But that is now impossible.
The past happiness and leisure have disappeared forever.
All because of the king who believed in heresy.
“Why should you alone have to endure such suffering? You just wanted to live simply and happily. Why should that right be taken away by someone else, someone you’ve never even heard of?”
While fleeing to the Allein Kingdom, his mother caught a disease and died.
His younger sister was swept away by the waves and disappeared.
A tragedy that wouldn’t have happened if he had stayed in his hometown.
If only Drake IV hadn’t issued the oppressive decree, they would still be alive and well today.
“Mr. Churchill, look into the mirror.”
“A mirror?”
I lifted the young man, who was on the verge of tears, and had him face the thin glass pane.
“What do you see?”
“…It’s my face, isn’t it?”
“No. What you’re looking at is the face of a loser who’s had everything taken from him and given up on hope.”
I lightly used a strong expression to provoke him.
I wanted to make him feel a surge of emotions, a sense of frustration and injustice.
“My mother and sister died, but there were no bodies, so I couldn’t even make a grave for them.
I couldn’t even mourn them.
Instead, every day, I’m struggling to scrape together enough money to survive.
How is that not the life of a loser?”
Even though he was a landowner in his hometown, here, he was just a foreigner.
No connections, no status—just a person with no one.
He had lost most of his wealth during his exile, so to survive, he had no choice but to endure hardships.
He worked manual labor to earn a living, and with the little knowledge he had, he found any job he could.
After more than ten years of relentless effort, he had settled somewhat, but that was all.
His life was so hard that it could only be described as desperate.
“…Then, what was I supposed to do?”
“What?”
“I lost everything.
A ten-year-old child was thrown into a foreign land—what was I supposed to do?
My father fell into a drunken stupor after my mother died, and no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t even afford rent!
No matter how hard I worked, I was so poor I had to steal food to survive!
Do you understand that misery?!”
Churchill couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore and screamed.
He grabbed my collar and cried out, but Kalia tried to stop him, only for me to signal her to hold back.
In situations like this, it’s better to let him vent his emotions for a moment.
“I understand. Even though it may seem different now, I’ve lived like a beggar on the streets before.”
I patted the young man’s back.
His tears soaked my shirt, which was frustrating, but I didn’t show it.
“But just because your life is miserable and insignificant, does that mean it has to stay that way forever?”
I gently pulled him away, looked into his eyes, and spoke softly.
“If you feel that your life is unjust, why not take revenge? On the one who made your life this way.”
Harboring hatred will never help in life.
It only destroys your health with stress.
Instead, let’s turn it around and take action.
Even if you’re in a pitiful and weak state, you still have the right to seek revenge with your life on the line.
“On, the king?”
“Yes. On that Drake IV.”
“Is that even possible? And, before that, why are you trying to help me?”
I can’t tell him the real reason, so I spun it to avoid making him anxious.
“Mutual benefit. We will liberate Alcyone from oppression, and you will avenge your family. It’s a win-win for both sides.”
“What benefit does this bring to the organization—”
“Shh, it’s confidential, so don’t ask for too many details.”
I cut him off appropriately and took a sip of my coffee.
The slight bitterness felt good against my dry throat.
“Let’s just focus on the main point. We remove Drake IV, and you get revenge for your family. Simple, right?”
I placed a thin book in front of Churchill.
It was a book I had worked hard on while searching for this information.
Since it couldn’t be made public, I had secretly transcribed about 20 copies.
“If you agree, the organization will provide you with the maximum support. You’re from the orthodox faith, right? We’ll connect you with those who still follow that faith in Alcyone, so you’ll have local manpower and information.”
Although our organization’s base was in the eastern part of the continent, that didn’t mean we didn’t have influence in other regions.
An organization capable of openly carrying out terror attacks on the Academy and gathering global intelligence isn’t common, right?
Gathering a few dozen people and securing funds would be as easy as eating a meal.
“So, what do you think? Will you join us?”
A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment.
Then, Churchill nodded.
“Understood. Let’s give it a try.”
“Wise decision. Then make sure to keep this book with you. It will definitely come in handy when you get to Alcyone.”
On the cover of the book, it was written in the common language of the continent:[Anarchist Cookbook]