I Reincarnated But Will Try To Live Without Using My Cheat Ability - CH 295

Seven? This was unexpected.

Teacher looked satisfied with my surprised expression.

“If it is the apostles who are recognized by the church, then six is correct. If you look at it in terms of ability, then there are seven. There was someone before the first apostle.”

It’s the chuuni’s favorite Zeroth number, huh.

“Back then, churches wouldn’t do things like make people disappear. Can someone with that kind of power be erased?”

“Of course the First Apostle made them disappear.”

You’re right, but… why?

“What did this extra do? A massacre or something?”

Teacher waved his finger.

“You’re naive, Alfred. Before I go any further, let me start by explaining the ways of the world at the time.”

This makes my blood for my love of history rise.

I lean forward, unintentionally.

Seeing me, the teacher chuckled.

“The world was in ruins back then. There were no laws. People chose to belong to communities as a way to protect themselves. It means that, if someone in the community was harmed, the whole community would retaliate. This was how a minimum social order was maintained. The community was held together by the nobility, and above them was the king.”

“It’s primitive. Then… the people who don’t belong to the community must have lost their lives.”

“Yes, that’s right. And in those days, face was important in society. And the people at that time have a very, very low temper. If it was Silvana, she would be killed in seconds. It’s a world where they kill people just for laughing at them. It was even the case that a group of people killed each other just because they were laughed at for standing up to urinate.”

“Don’t you think there’s too much about killing?”

“If they’re laughed at, it is the same as if the community is laughed at. If they’re underestimated, the community will be destroyed. It sounds silly now, but back then it was very serious.”

It’s the end of the century, isn’t it?

“What does such a world have to do with it?”

“That’s when that extra came out. With his mighty power, he brought stability to the region. And then there was one more thing they did.”

That would be the key.

“What’s that?”

Teacher points at me.

His words are energetic, but his faintly trembling finger makes me realize that he is ill.

Even his energetic words have no tension.

There is no point in pointing it out.

I wait patiently for Teacher to speak.

“Think for yourselves and build a good society”, in other words, it’s the same as what you’re doing.”

That’s a troubling word…

But I have no intention of stopping.

And I’m doing it discreetly, in the middle of nowhere.

“Is that enough to get you killed?”

Teacher gave a meaningful laugh.

“There is a story about when that extra took a few years to stabilize its surroundings. There had been a church since then. But while it was a major force… it was not nearly the only religion, as it is now. Trouble happened between the priests of the church and the extra.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“The church was endowed with land… but, in an expanded interpretation, it was larger than the donated land, but the extra land was taken by the extra and returned to the original owner.”

That doesn’t make him look like a bad guy.

He may be bad for the church.

“The church seems to hate him.”

“Yeah, but… he’s strong. No one can compete with him. And when word of the priest spread, other churches’ land was also cut off from various other churches. It was an existential crisis for the church. If they were taken advantage of by the customs of the time, it would be the end of the organization. So the whole church prayed to God.”

Did the apostle come out of the ground just by praying?

I don’t know the source of God’s power, but…

“I wonder if praying would work miracles?”

“I don’t know… but I heard there was some kind of secret art to it.”

“What do you mean by secret art?”

“The Church has not always had the same teachings. There were predecessor teachings. There was a way to pray to God in that old teaching.”

I have a bad feeling about this.

An obsolete doctrine of an old religion…

“Don’t tell me… a sacrifice?”

Teacher narrowed his eyes.

“Indeed, you are right. However, it must be a believer to be dedicated.”

I couldn’t help but make a scowling face.

“What kind of sacrifice?”

“On the sacred mountain, they cut off the heads of the children of the believer and then burn them on the altar.”

Oh come on…

Human sacrifice was certainly a thing in older religions, buts…

I naturally looked disgusted.

“It’s so nasty…”

“Yeah, so it was done every week until they got a revelation from God.”

“What revelation?”

“The book only says revelation. But I think I was about the twentieth person. When the child was about to be dedicated, the revelation came out of the blue. Or rather, that child suddenly awakened to power. That is the First Apostle.”

Wait…

I thought he was supposed to put them down when they were born and let them grow up?

Is there a different pattern, perhaps?

As I was pondering this, the teacher started laughing.

“Well, listen to the rest of the story. According to the legend, there was a word from God at that time. “Hereafter… Sacrifice is forbidden. Instead, an apostle shall be sent to the earth”. That is why the first apostle grew up and fought and defeated the extra. The area that the extra was influencing was a very small part of the world. Such history was sealed by the church. This is the relationship between the apostles and the church. From then on, the church became like the only religion.”

Are assassins sent by the church or by God when it is not convenient?

What a troubling story…

“Indeed, this is a story that cannot be told.”

“Right? Because there will be people who are blinded by greed, who make children and then kill them. Anyway, it is a fact that the extra has stabilized the region. The first apostle imitated that method and succeeded in stabilizing the society in the name of God, in cooperation with the church. And now you understand why the descendants of the First Apostles considered their blood noble, don’t you?”

“That’s for sure… But did the first’s parents ever let the secret out?”

Teacher shrugged his shoulders.

“As a matter of fact, the first has a huge grudge against them. They’re his parent, so he can’t touch them. They thought they could do whatever they wanted, and when they did, they were killed by a member of the harem. Ostensibly, they died of illness from neglect.”

“But I don’t see how just having power makes one an apostolic lineage. It is possible that the extra took a different route and gained their power through a different route.”

Then, the Teacher laughed.

“There’s a good reason for it. The extra is from a different sect of the church. Nowadays they are called heretics. They taught him that when a member of the community is harmed, the community retaliates.”

“Yeah, if they looked down on them, they’re finished.”

“The heretics are in the minority. They were the inheritors of the sacrificial ceremony. The heretics had trouble, and they got into a war with the rest of the community. It started when a child laughed at a man from another community who urinated standing up. The heretics were getting killed off. They offered a sacrifice to save their lives, and I guess they hit the jackpot.”

What is that, an Apostle gacha…

“I don’t know what to say…”

“I agree. That means they believe in the same God. That’s why I called it an extra. If God responded to the sacrifice, it would be because the extra was inconvenient. After that, the heretics may have attempted another sacrifice, but I am sure they did not succeed. Because they have disappeared from history. That’s why I taught it to you.”

“Even if you taught me about it… there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The teacher laughs happily.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. If you don’t know, you can’t take measures, right? If you knew, you would have made some moves to avoid provoking the church. I’m sure my replacement will come from the church. But if you have it in your head, you won’t make mistakes.”

That’s true.

And I guess it’s a parting gift to me.

I bow deeply.

“Thank you very much, Teacher.”

Sensei waved his hand as if embarrassed.

“Even if it’s from time to time, I should do something teacher-like, after all.”

“I’ll make sure the statue gets built, too.”

The teacher grinned.

“It’s something after I’m gone, do what you want. You’re going to build it for some other purpose anyway, right?”

I finally managed to smile.

“Yes, you’ll still have to work for me.”

We both laughed out loud at each other.

Maybe… this is the last time.

But the teacher would want us to part ways laughing.

After the teacher finished laughing, he turned his serious face to me.

“I consider myself very lucky to be able to say goodbye and leave the rest to you. Most people don’t have that luxury. That’s why my life is pretty good. So long, kiddo. Take care of yourself.”

With that, Teacher left alone.

I stared at the door for a while.

Something was rising in my chest.

Contrary to my expectations, I still couldn’t cry.