I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 737 - Side Story 10: Remembering Those Who Have Left (2)

"Is the conversation over?"

Pasius, who had been waiting below, thought Rudger had returned sooner than expected.

"Yes. I only intended to exchange a few words anyway. And she asked me to send her regards. She says she's doing well thanks to you." 

"...Oh my. That's just like the former Saint. I kept my distance because I didn't want to bother her unnecessarily, but to be found out so easily." 

"She might have guessed somewhat from the moment I arrived. It would look quite strange for me to show up alone at a place like this."

Rudger and Pasius stood at a quiet station. It was quite far from the capital, giving off that distinctive atmosphere of a rural country station.

From the distance, a tram approached with clanging sounds. There were no passengers, and the two could freely sit in empty seats.

Through the window of the departing tram, the tranquil scenery of the countryside flowed by.

The refreshing breeze blowing through the half-open window carried the scent of flowers. In the gently pouring sunlight, Rudger gazed at a scene that seemed to embody the very word "peace."

It was a landscape visible because he was human, not a god and Rudger found that truly pleasing.

"So what will you do now? We have more time than expected." 

"It will take about an hour to reach the capital." 

"Even so, time will remain." 

"Then let's talk to pass the time on the way."

At those words, Pasius smiled and asked as if he had been waiting.

"What would you like to hear?" 

"Anything. Since I don't know how the world has changed during these three years. Anything is fine." 

"Then, this might become quite a long story."

Pasius filled the void of the three years Rudger had been absent with the knowledge and stories he knew.

After the holy war ended, the large-scale brainwashing was lifted. At the same time, people felt that some invisible shackles that had bound them disappeared as the cage was shattered.

It brought quite a bit of chaos, but it didn't last very long. The leaders of nations who had ended the holy war joined forces to stabilize the continent.

The Holy Kingdom of Bretus disappeared, and the Order also lost its power. Rather, as the evil deeds they had committed against people were revealed, churches and cathedrals in cities everywhere had to close their doors.

That's putting it mildly by saying they "closed their doors"—they were also burned or subjected to terrorism.

"It was truly a long and difficult affair because what those bastards committed wasn't ancient history."

They had brainwashed people from long ago, taking away their children and conducting experiments to make them vessels for the Saint.

The atrocities committed by the Holy Kingdom of Bretus in international society were also considerable. So much so that nations even emerged vowing to completely erase the now-disappeared Holy Kingdom.

"If there's any silver lining, it's that the Holy Kingdom was truly uprooted without a trace."

It wasn't an empty statement. After the castle that symbolized the Holy Kingdom was uprooted, it couldn't withstand the aftermath of the battle and completely collapsed.

The same went for the bloodline of the Holy Emperor, the core of the Holy Kingdom. They all died. The only survivor was Heathcliff.

While the public was told that Heathcliff had died, no one believed it. As a result, doomsday believers even appeared, claiming that the Demon King would one day descend again.

"Doomsday believers." 

"The gods have disappeared, haven't they. Actually, even I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Moreover, the majority of people witnessed that god's disappearance."

The death of Lumensis. No, could it even be called death? It was absurd to apply the concept of death to them who possessed power and hierarchy far more transcendent than humans.

However, if one were to be precise, Lumensis could never regain his former glory. His body was torn to shreds, suffering a more miserable fate than the other old gods he himself had disposed of beyond.

He would be alive, though. Unable to even die, suffering unimaginable pain.

What actually caught Rudger's interest were the doomsday believers.

"Even though a god died, it was an evil god who died, so why does that lead to doomsday theory?" 

"Whatever it was, a god died, didn't it? The death of a transcendent being creates great psychological anxiety in various ways. Moreover, even though the Holy Emperor died, since it was his own bloodline that killed him, people are still uneasy."

No matter how good the ending Rudger achieved was, considering his birth, it was hard to trust him completely. Also, whatever his intentions, he was ultimately a human who waged war. And by joining hands with demons at that.

The abandoned illegitimate child carried out revenge against the Holy Kingdom and the god. That action alone was enough to draw cult-like interest from some people.

"Some came to believe that the Demon King would return one day, and even hoped that the Demon King would destroy this rotten world." 

"That's absurd yet realistic." 

"No matter how prosperous and developed the world becomes, there are still people suffering beneath it. Bretus has disappeared, but chaos still remains."

After the existing faith collapsed, what appeared in the empty space was new faith.

Indigenous folk beliefs that had been oppressed. Some heretics who were dismantled by the Holy Knights but survived until the end. And even newly appeared faiths.

Among them, the ones who most radically expanded their power were the Demon King worshippers.

They waited for Demon King Heathcliff to appear. They believed without doubt that the Demon King would one day return and reform this rotten world.

In the old days, the Bretus Holy Knights would have stepped forward calling them heretics, but they were now gone.

With the death of one predator, hundreds of vermin began to writhe, feeding on that corpse.

"Whatever you say, those Bretus bastards played the role of janitors who prevented such things." 

"Now it's chaos because of that. Since the master of the mountain has disappeared, they're all trying to fight to become king themselves." 

"It's an absolute mess. New religions appear, those who had been keeping their heads down raise them, unheard-of cults emerge. They're all fighting, claiming they're the real one. It's fortunate they're small and weak, but if they had been even slightly larger in scale, there could have been a civil war."

Perhaps that too was the application of human free will. Freedom wasn't always positive and rewarding.

"That's why there was such chaos recently. Because the Demon King had returned. Of course, not in the form they wanted." 

"Since their idol was about to be executed. Others arbitrarily imposed an image on me and worshipped it—it feels worse than I thought."

That was the reason terrorism occurred during this execution ceremony. Of course, their shallow actions were quickly suppressed, but it's said they believed until the end that the Demon King would come to save them.

But would they ever know?

That one of the people who suppressed that situation was Rudger, whom they had so devoutly tried to serve and follow.

"In the end, the execution ceremony proceeded as scheduled, and thus the power of the most troublesome Demon King worshippers ended with this. A religious group without an idol is nothing more than an ordinary gathering." 

"I see." 

"More than that, aren't you curious about what happened to the other people?"

Pasius said he could tell him about a few people within the scope of what he knew. Rudger briefly cast his gaze outside the train window.

The quiet suburban scenery had now changed into a city. People's figures were visible, and tall buildings blocked the view.

It was about an hour's distance, but having a conversation made him realize it had passed in an instant.

"I appreciate the intention, but unfortunately, I'm too busy to listen." 

"Ah, what a shame." 

"And I'd rather meet the person directly and hear it from their own mouth, than hear it through someone else's."

It was a full three years of waiting. Though he felt desperate to resolve it immediately, Rudger willingly chose to endure it. The joy of meeting would be all the greater for the time spent in patience.

Pasius also shrugged his shoulders, saying there was nothing he could do if Rudger insisted that much. Each person has their own way. There was no need to force his own method.

"Then does that mean today's schedule ends with this?" 

"Not the end." 

"There's another person you want to meet? The sun is starting to set."

He had explained the flow of events over the past three years to satisfy his curiosity, but it seemed it wasn't enough for Rudger.

"I suppose there are quite a few people to meet in the capital, but who exactly? It's not another woman, is it?" 

"When you say it like that, doesn't it sound a bit strange?" 

"Well, from what I've seen alone, it's already 2 people. Ah, should I include what I saw at the imperial palace?" 

"Please stop. This time I'm going to meet my old comrades. I'd like to avoid such misunderstandings." 

"Ah. I see."

Pasius understood quickly.

While there were many people Rudger had to meet, if there were people he thought he absolutely must meet, it would be those people.

The colleagues of [U.N.Owen] who had been active with Rudger.

Having overcome countless difficulties and ultimately fought together in the holy war, they should now be called heroes of the turning tide rather than members of a secret society.

"But were they in the capital? It's not my domain, but the Empire would be keeping a close watch on their movements."

Rudger nodded. It wasn't particularly surprising. After the holy war, the combat power of the Owens members was enough to be guarded against even by nations.

Just think of the combat-oriented agents Alex, Pantos, and Hans. Alex and Pantos had crossed the wall and risen to the same level as Luther.

Beyond the master who had already completed the sword, they had reached a realm that transcended the sword.

A realm that only one person on the continent possessed—Luther—had been reached by an unknown commoner swordsman and a barbaric beastman mutant.

Just having those two together already constituted national-level military power. Of course, even so, people would say they were merely individuals.

If you used massive manpower, firepower, and countless strategic bombings, even the most powerful knight wouldn't be able to properly exert their strength.

The one person that even those who claimed such things couldn't ignore was Hans.

Hans had finally overcome his constitution that was once akin to a curse, and could now freely use the power possessed by the Beast of Gevaudan.

That ability was to summon countless beasts. Anyone who had even slightly participated in the holy war couldn't be unaware.

The swarm of black beasts rushing in, filling the horizon visible to the eye. And among those beasts, special entities that received particularly strong spirit beast factors, and even the main body that surpassed such special entities.

Hans, who had accepted the beast factor, could overthrow a nation if he set his mind to it.

'Of course, that guy wouldn't do such brutal things as overthrowing a nation.'

Either way, Hans was a small-minded citizen who avoided fighting. The reason he came to fight was thanks to his will to repay Rudger, his benefactor.

Now that everything was over, what Hans desired was not fighting but a carefree life.

'A life that avoids fighting despite possessing tremendous power. Perhaps that's a privilege that can be claimed because one is strong.'

After the holy war, the Empire kept Hans's existence strictly secret. If his identity and abilities had been exposed, perhaps a monster worshipper group would have formed before the Demon King worshippers.

'From the Empire's perspective, they have no choice but to hide it. If an individual possesses power equivalent to an army corps, and that information passes to other nations.'

At that time, a fierce battle would break out on a national scale over Hans. A living strategic weapon had no choice but to be treated that way.

That's why Rudger was rather surprised. Because nothing about Hans had been revealed. Rather, it was known that the Beast of Gevaudan had been annihilated in the battle.

'The information blockade happened thoroughly. It must be because all the people gathered at that place joined forces and coordinated their stories.'

Otherwise, Hans would have been harassed by all sorts of organizations for three years. Of course, even if his identity had been revealed, Hans wouldn't have been easily taken down because he wasn't alone.

'Right. He's not alone.'

Even though he had left, Hans had reliable comrades by his side. It was natural for Pasius to have doubts. If they who were together had moved, news would have at least reached his ears.

"I haven't received any reports of their movements yet." 

"Right. But they will come."

Rudger spoke with conviction. Pasius looked like he had much to say, but didn't bother opening his mouth.

The tram stopped, and Rudger and Pasius walked the streets of the capital.

"Here it is."

Though it was a memory of streets from over three years ago, Rudger could find a certain place without difficulty. It was a shabby tavern that could be seen anywhere.

When Rudger looked at Pasius, he shrugged as if he had no choice and stepped back. His body melted into the air and disappeared like a mirage.

Rudger slowly grasped the handle and opened the door. Inside the shop that wasn't open for business yet. Seeing a familiar back of the head sitting at the bar table, Rudger smiled.

Naturally sitting in the seat next to the man, Rudger asked.

"What's the best drink here?"