Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: 5. Religion
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On the platform, beneath the white cloth, Rion's eyelids trembled slightly.
His fingers twitched like spasms, and his chest began to rise and fall shallowly.
Below the platform, Ella watched the changes with wide-open eyes.
"…!"
The cult leader on the platform spread his arms toward the sky and shouted.
"Behold, the miracle that defies death!"
Rion's body began to move more distinctly. His head turned slightly, and his eyelids fully opened.
The first few seconds required time to adjust. The eight-year-old child's body was stiff, like a corpse moving after a long time.
It felt just like restarting a machine that hadn't been used in ages.
'Rigor mortis stiffened the body. Even with embalming, it's still like this.'
Crack!
I slowly raised my body. The white cloth slipped off and fell to the floor.
The crowd of thousands watched the scene without uttering a single word.
Shock and utter disbelief spread across their faces.
Ella froze on her knees. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
"R... Rion?"
I slowly turned my head to look at her.
I put on an innocent expression, like I had no clue where I was.
"...Sis?"
Ella tried to stand, but her legs buckled, and she knelt again. Her outstretched hand trembled violently.
Her hand dropped without reaching me.
"You're alive... You're really alive...!"
An old man knelt and cried out.
"It's a miracle! A real miracle!"
That was the signal.
"Hallelujah!"
"God! God has blessed us!"
"Leader! Long live the Leader!"
People began kneeling all at once. Some prostrated themselves, pressing their faces to the ground.
The sounds grew louder, shaking the entire plaza.
"Rion... Is that really you? Do you remember?"
"Y-yeah... But where is this?"
Ella stood and approached me. Her hand touched my shoulder.
She groped my body, as if trying to confirm the warmth.
"...Sis. I'm hungry."
At those words, Ella pulled me into a tight embrace. She burst into tears.
This time, they were tears of joy, not sorrow.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Rion... I... I couldn't protect you..."
The cult leader on the platform shouted once more.
"Behold! God's grace descends upon those with true faith! Ella gave everything she had, and God has rewarded that faith!"
The crowd's cheers grew even louder. I subtly hardened my expression and covered my ears.
"...It's okay. Everything's okay. It'll all be fine now."
Ella carefully covered both my ears with her hands.
"Ella. Your faith saved your brother."
Ella looked up at the cult leader. Firm faith now shone in her eyes.
"Thank you... Thank you so much..."
"Live happily with your brother. That is the greatest reward."
From within Ella's embrace, I surveyed the plaza. People were still in ecstasy.
Some wailed that they had witnessed the miracle, while others declared they would become new followers.
With this, our influence in Eisenheim was solidified. The cult would now become a real religion.
The cult leader continued addressing the crowd.
"Today's miracle is just the beginning! God will continue to watch over us and bestow grace upon those who uphold the faith!"
Cheers erupted. I slightly pulled away from Ella's embrace and whispered.
"Sis... It's too noisy."
Ella hugged me tighter and nodded.
"Everything's fine now. Let's go home."
As we descended the platform, people parted ways and showed their reverence.
Some reached out to touch Ella's feet, while others tried to paw at the miracle boy.
The cult leader ordered guards, and several men surrounded us, shielding us from the surging crowd.
All the way back to the mansion, Ella kept crying. But now, they were happy tears.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Ella sat me on the sofa and collapsed beside me, gripping my hand tightly.
"You're really alive, right? This isn't a dream?"
"Yeah, Sis."
Everything felt unfamiliar. This is the downside of switching bodies.
Sensations change depending on the body's capabilities.
A body with almost no detectable mana felt like a prison.
'It's both a pro and a con. Whatever.'
Ella began planning her future. A new life in a world where her dead brother had returned.
Ella looked happy.
"Rion, what do you want to eat today? Sis will make it for you."
"Anything's fine, Sis."
I sat on the sofa, gazing out the window. People were still gathering in the street.
The rumor of the resurrection miracle had spread through the city in an instant. This mansion had become a new holy site.
As the rumors spread, people started flocking in even from other cities.
The problem was that some of them weren't simple believers.
'The observers have increased.'
A man sitting at a cafe terrace across the street.
For three days straight, he read the newspaper in the same spot—but he was really watching this mansion.
A woman standing at the north street corner. She showed up in different clothes every day. Sometimes she monitored the cult leader during his processions.
'Probably from the Empire.'
They were already on edge from Blue Moon's demon summoning ritual.
The emergence of a new cult must have seemed suspiciously timed with Blue Moon.
'The slow response is because of Blue Moon, huh.'
Didn't matter.
Even just diverting the Empire's attention from Blue Moon was purpose enough for this religion.
"Rion, why are you staring out the window so much? Is there something fun outside?"
Ella sat down next to me and asked.
"Just... lots of people gathering."
"It's all thanks to you, Rion."
Ella stroked my head.
"Because you came back, people have gained hope. The Leader always says it: suffering is a trial, and death is just the beginning."
A few days passed.
The atmosphere around the mansion began to shift gradually.
The number of visible watchers outside decreased, but new faces appeared in less obvious spots.
'Purge operation. Eliminate the heads before the religion grows further. Smart move.'
Ella noticed none of the danger. She spent peaceful days inside the mansion with Rion.
"Rion, want to go for a walk today? They say lots of flowers are blooming."
"Sure, Sis."
It was that night.
I got out of bed and went to the window.
Under the moonlight, figures in black clothes moved swiftly.
Movements that melted into the shadows, infiltrating the mansion from all sides. High-level stuff.
"Rion? Why are you up?"
"...Sis. L-look at that."
At my voice, Ella peered out the window. Her face turned deathly pale.
"Th-that's..."
A door shattering downstairs. Footsteps, clashing metal, groans.
The Leader's guards put up resistance, but their basic skills were outclassed. The sounds drew rapidly closer.
"Rion, come here!"
Ella grabbed my hand and dragged me to the corner of the room. She flung open the closet door and shoved me inside.
"...Rion, stay quiet in here. Don't come out no matter what."
"S-Sis...!!"
"Listen to me. Rion. Okay? It'll be fine."
Ella closed the closet door. In the darkness, I could only hear her breathing.
Soon, the room door opened.
"Check it."
A low, curt voice. Two men entered the room. They quickly searched it.
"No one's here."
"We took care of the Leader downstairs. Then the target is..."
Their gazes turned to the closet.
"Probably there."
One man approached the closet. Ella blocked his path.
"Um, excuse me... What's going on? This is my room..."
"Move."
The man shoved Ella aside. She slammed into the wall.
The closet door opened. The man's eyes met mine.
"…!"
"Found."
As he reached out, Ella lunged at his back.
"Rion, run!"
The man elbowed her without even turning his head. She crumpled to the floor after taking a hit to the face.
Blood flowed from Ella's nose and mouth. Desperately, she clung to the man's leg.
"Run, Rion!"
I bolted out of the closet. I hit the floor and squeezed through the gap between the man's legs.
But I was too slow. His hand caught me soon after.
"No, Sis! Sis, help!"
Pinned to the floor, Ella screamed hysterically. Her eyes were bloodshot.
"Don't! Stop it! Aaaah!! I'll kill you all! I swear I'll kill you!"
"Target secured. Preparing to withdraw―――?!"
Suddenly, the air in the room changed. The temperature plummeted, and dust froze midair.
Explosive mana was closing in fast.
"…!!"
Footsteps echoed from the corridor, drawing nearer.
A shadow fell across the doorway.
There stood the cult leader in his white robe. Black bloodstains spread across his chest.
His neck, pierced in his sleep, was broken and twisted grotesquely.
"Th-the... target, I presume?"
Blue threads burst from the cult leader's body, binding it tightly.
The pierced wound sealed forcibly, staunching the blood.
"Battle stations!"
The cult leader turned his head grotesquely to stare right at me.
The cult leader—no, Broker, manipulating the corpse from afar—spoke.
"For this one, you'll have to pay the proper price."