According to Plan (2)
Upon returning to the village, Yohan immediately summoned all the members of the knight order. Then, he explained what had happened in the Holy City in as much detail as possible.
"From the Holy Kingdom's perspective, they literally came back from the dead and still have a massive headache, but at least for our Goddess Sect, it's a pretty decent ending." Falco was the first to offer her thoughts.
"But we can't just let our guard down. After all, they stole the previous Demon King's bones."
"Exactly. Even if it doesn't cause us any immediate harm, it won't be good in the long run."
Annie and Billy chimed in one after the other, and Yohan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Still, securing official recognition from the Central Church is a massive win. It means we can proudly spread the Goddess's teachings now."
"Well, honestly, once things blew up up north, I had no intention of hiding anymore anyway," Yohan smirked.
The others let out soft chuckles.
"So, you get the gist, right? From now on... no, in the future, we're going to be playing in a much bigger league."
It was time to cooperate with the Central Church to hunt down demons across the continent, while growing the Goddess Sect and the Nameless Village to heights far greater than before.
"So, do you plan on revealing our identity to the others now?" Falco, who had been lost in thought for a moment, asked.
The "others" she referred to were likely acquaintances like Wilhelm or Henry, who didn't know exactly what Yohan was up to.
"Yeah. First, I'm going to lay it all out for the Sheriff and old man Henry. Might as well try to convert them while I'm at it."
If things went well, they might even spread the Goddess's teachings to Junk Town, transforming the lawless settlement into a more decent place.
"Alright. Since we're talking about it, I should head out right away. I'm leaving the village in your hands, just like always."
"Wait. It's nothing major, but a small problem has cropped up recently."
"Huh?"
It seemed some trouble had brewed while he was away.
"Did some bandits raid us and kill someone? Tell me who they are, and I'll break them on the wheel, tear their limbs off..."
"No. It's nothing like that. It's just..." When Yohan pressed, Annie hesitated, trailing off for some reason.
Billy, standing beside her, shrugged lightly and spoke up instead. "Since the village is practically overflowing with food, some people have started putting on a lot of weight."
"Oh, boy." Yohan dragged a palm down his face.
These were people who had lived in extreme scarcity. In a village where potatoes were once the only food, they now had an abundance of crops and fruits. Naturally, the residents ate without restraint, stuffing their faces happily.
"Yeah. And it's not like we can take away the food we already gave them."
"But you know what, Falco? Most of those people gained weight because they happily followed you around and stuffed their faces."
"Doesn't matter. I don't gain weight no matter how much I eat."
Yohan shook his head as he watched Falco and Billy bicker over the trivial matter. But his exasperation was short-lived, and a faint smile crept onto his face. He realized that reporting such a minor incident as a "problem" was proof in itself that the village had been growing peacefully without any real trouble in his absence.
"Ugh. They can figure that out themselves. Anyway, I'm really off."
He had a busy schedule ahead. Yohan immediately walked out of the log cabin.
"Alright. Let's head straight to Junk Town." Yohan looked up and spoke to the Goddess.
For some reason, instead of manifesting physically, the Goddess offered a cryptic reply.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
It seemed the Goddess had no intention of giving him a straight answer.
Upon arriving in Junk Town, Yohan went straight to the sheriff's office to meet with Wilhelm in private. Since Wilhelm managed the security of the entire town single-handedly, he was often away from his office, but fortunately, he happened to be resting inside, allowing Yohan to meet him immediately.
"I see. So it wasn't that you simply turned over a new leaf and decided to live virtuously, but rather that external factors forced your hand." Hearing Yohan's story, Wilhelm replied in a flat tone.
"Geez, why is your baseline for judging me always 'bad guy'?"
"Weren't you a grave robber? Or has common sense changed in the meantime, and grave robbing is now considered a legitimate profession?"
He looks like his skull is packed with nothing but muscle, but when you actually talk to him, he's got a real way with words. Yohan couldn't help but shake his head in amazement as he stared at Wilhelm.
"Tsk. Anyway. There's no point in hiding it anymore, so I'm going to be honest with the people around me."
"It doesn't matter much now, but in my opinion, keeping your role as the leader of a new religion under wraps was a wise decision."
"My thoughts exactly."
"However, based on what you've said, it seems there are other lingering issues besides the demons of Pandemonium."
"You mean the neighboring countries?"
Wilhelm nodded lightly at his question.
"To be frank, whether the Holy Kingdom suffers under the pressure of the Empire or other neighboring nations is none of my concern."
"But you still think we should help."
"How did you know?"
"If you didn't think we should help, you wouldn't have brought it up in the first place."
Hit right where it hurt, Yohan scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, that's that. Back to our topic. The reason I came all this way to explain everything in such detail is..."
"To spread the Unnamed Goddess's teachings in Junk Town, correct?"
"Bingo. You catch on quick."
Wilhelm suddenly turned his gaze to look out the window. Naturally, Yohan's eyes followed. Outside the sheriff's office, two residents were locked in a heated argument. Before long, the dispute escalated into a fistfight. Instead of stopping them, other residents gathered around, snickering and thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
"Yohan."
"Yeah?"
"I am against your idea."
Why? Yohan tilted his head, looking at Wilhelm.
"Yohan. The reason you want to spread the Goddess Sect to Junk Town right now isn't simply to grow your religion."
"Listen closely, Yohan. You are letting your personal attachment to Junk Town cloud your judgment."
"Attachment?" What on earth was he talking about? Yohan demanded an explanation with a grumpy look.
"Since the Unnamed Goddess Sect shares its roots with the Holy Kingdom's Central Church, its doctrines must be fairly similar."
"Yeah. To put it simply: live righteously, be good. That's about it."
"Justice is certainly a noble value. I won't deny that. For non-believers, the Goddess's teachings would undoubtedly serve as an excellent moral anchor."
"Then shouldn't we spread it to the people in this town even more?"
Wilhelm shook his head again.
"That is precisely why you shouldn't. Yohan, you spent a long time as a grave robber, and in doing so, you became entangled with this town in various ways. In the process, you naturally grew attached to some of the residents, and by extension, to the town itself."
Flash!
The moment Wilhelm finished speaking, a bright light erupted, and the Goddess manifested. Both Wilhelm and Yohan widened their eyes in sheer surprise.
"You... No, Your Grace..."
"Since you have heard this man's tale, you must know. I am indeed the Goddess whom this man serves." As Wilhelm asked in a trembling voice, the Goddess nodded once in reply.
"Perfect timing. Did you hear him, dummy? This guy is telling me not to spread our religion in this town!" Yohan immediately complained to the Goddess, as if seeking an ally.
"That is not it, Apostle. Do you not remember what I told you earlier?"
But the Goddess had not manifested to persuade Wilhelm. Rather, like Wilhelm, she wanted to dissuade Yohan. Wilhelm exchanged a brief look with the Goddess, then nodded as if they had reached a silent understanding.
"Yohan. Junk Town is exactly what its name implies—a town of trash. The residents of this town are by no means good people."
"..."
"Why do you think I volunteered to be the sheriff of this town? To provide the poor of the wasteland with a place to shelter from the wind and rain?"
That wasn't it. Yohan knew at least that much.
"According to your religion's doctrines, the residents of this town deserve to face the judgment of justice long before they are allowed to convert."
Doctrines are the core values of a religion. For Yohan, the Apostle, they were absolute rules.
"Junk Town is a place crawling with all kinds of criminals. Though it looks like a town on the outside, its true nature is a watchtower to keep these criminals from wandering around. To put it bluntly... the residents of this town are no different from the treacherous grave robbers you personally disposed of in the past."
Junk Town was nominally under Balifield's jurisdiction. However, the Lord of Balifield did not actively round up the outlaws, and Wilhelm was a vigilante filling the security vacuum left by the lord's negligence.
"I guess... that's true. Definitely." Yohan finally understood Wilhelm's point.
"I've had so much on my plate lately that my brain's running a bit slow."
Wilhelm smiled bitterly at Yohan's self-deprecating remark.
"Well, regardless of the reality of Junk Town, I can understand your mindset."
"What?"
"Even if they are miserable villains, at the end of the day, each individual is just a weak human being. And it is the role of religion to extend a saving hand to such weaklings."
Cold judgment for the wicked, or mercy that offers a sliver of hope even to those sinners. It was hard to say which was correct. However, the doctrine of the Unnamed Goddess was closer to the former.
"Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better. Thanks."
"Hmph."
Yohan expressed rare, genuine gratitude. At this, the Goddess made a face like she was about to throw up, while Wilhelm let out a light snort. A warm, amicable atmosphere settled over them for a brief moment.
"And..."
It seemed he had something else to say. Wilhelm hesitated, trailing off.
"This is strictly my personal business, but..."
A personal matter from the muscle-bound sheriff? This piqued Yohan's interest.
"What is it?"
"I intend to step down as the sheriff of this trash heap soon."
"Wh-What?!"
At the completely unexpected declaration, Yohan leaped to his feet reflexively.
"And it just occurred to me—with your abilities, you should be fully capable of governing the criminals in this area even after I leave."
So calm down and sit back down, Wilhelm added, looking up at Yohan.
"Y-Yeah. Let's hear it first."
"As you know, the only reason Junk Town exists is because of the Lord of Balifield's negligence."
Exactly. Yohan nodded repeatedly.
"Then, if we want to shut this town down completely and let me retire in peace, what do we need to do?"
"Uh... so, you want me to march into Balifield, grab the lord by the collar, and yell at him to do his job properly?"
"No. There is a much more gentlemanly way. We get official permission for the Goddess Knights to operate directly from the lord—no, from the King of Westania."