Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Apocalypse (2)
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Ronan Chriswell's official cause of death was announced as suicide. At least, that's what they claimed publicly.
The head of the Heresy Inquisitors, Joseph, spoke up.
"There are even rumors circulating among insiders at Syneron that it was an assassination."
The Heresy Inquisitors, who handled not only investigations into heretics but also counterintelligence and information operations, were the Church's most specialized personnel for gathering intel. That's why I'd entrusted them with collecting information on this incident.
Having heard their report, I hardened my expression and asked again.
"An assassination...?"
"Yes. We couldn't dig too deeply into internal matters of a massive corporation like Syneron Medica, but there were several suspicious elements in the circumstances of the incident and the aftermath that make suicide seem unlikely."
After checking the electronic report he handed me, I fell into thought for a moment.
'Honestly... I kind of expected something like this.'
Ronan Chriswell was an ambitious man.
I'd only met him once in person, but he didn't strike me as the type to give up on life so easily.
So I'd suspected there was more to it... but assassination?
I thought for a bit before asking again.
"If Ronan was assassinated, why is Syneron staying so quiet about it? Shouldn't they be doing something in response?"
"It's likely an internal family matter rather than an external attack."
"A family matter?"
Joseph flipped to a page in the report and pointed to the face of a man featured there.
"The most probable scenario is a dispute over corporate succession rights. We're speculating that the chairman's biological son is the prime suspect."
"......."
The report detailed it all.
The chairman's biological son, whose abilities and track record paled in comparison to Ronan's.
Was it a sense of crisis that he might never inherit the company at this rate? Or some other motive? The intent wasn't clear, but the analysis indicated a high likelihood that he'd done something.
'If that's really the case...'
If Ronan's death was due to internal Syneron Medica affairs... then maybe we'd just gotten caught up in it at a bad time?
But a nagging doubt still lingered in a corner of my mind. Because of the change I was feeling even now.
I carefully examined my inner self once more.
"......."
There it was, the vessel near my heart.
The basin that held faith was tilted even further than when I'd last checked it.
No, now it was almost lying flat horizontally.
Yet not a single drop of faith spilled out...
I realized it wasn't so much tilted as spinning in place.
Though I still had no idea what that meant.
'A warning not to get involved in this incident?'
But if it was a message like that... wasn't the expression too abstract and vague?
Still feeling perplexed, I gazed at the basin rotating in my mind's eye.
Several more weeks passed like that.
As expected, the eldest son—who'd been pegged as the prime suspect in Ronan's assassination—was appointed vice president without competition and began wielding Syneron Medica's management rights.
The chairman had already retreated into seclusion, citing health issues long ago, so it seemed the eldest son had pulled some strings in advance.
Opinions were divided, but in the end, the world dubbed this the "War of the Princes."
It had happened just a week after I'd rejected Ronan's marriage proposal, so maybe we were lucky.
The death of someone I'd even met once was regrettable, but...
We could have been swept up in a massive uproar.
"......"
At that point, I completely shelved any interest in Syneron Medica.
With it being an internal matter for a near-mega-corp, no reliable information emerged to judge right from wrong.
And as time passed, our Church's forces expanded rapidly, keeping us too busy handling our own affairs.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Half a year passed since then.
In the newly built grand cathedral in the Epsilon Sector, the priest's regular report continued.
"Six months since the launch of Eleos Medical Center operations. Here's a summary of our current achievements. Believer ratios in nine sectors of the Epsilon Circle exceed 70 percent, and the rest are projected to surpass 50 percent soon. Within the Inner Circle, hospital branches are expanding smoothly, with market share in the Delta Circle now over 40 percent."
In the half year since we started the hospital business.
The Church's growth had been nothing short of phenomenal.
First, the Epsilon Circle—the most populous working-class district in the city—had effectively become Radiance Church territory.
Even in the next most populous Delta Circle, believers were multiplying at an astonishing rate.
All told, one-third of the city's population was now registered as Church believers, and the number kept climbing.
But such explosive growth inevitably came with downsides.
The priest continued.
"Recently, malicious misinformation about our Church has spread online, and defamatory articles in the media are increasing. Additionally, the central city government is deliberately rejecting permits for various business fields, and cases of companies suddenly terminating contracts with us have risen sevenfold compared to the previous quarter."
This was the ongoing harassment from competitors over the past few months.
Currently, the Church was clashing with various companies in the Epsilon and Delta Circles.
Companies losing service market share due to our charity efforts.
Among them, the backlash was fiercest from insurers and pharmaceutical giants that had monopolized the medical market.
'In the end, as the Church succeeds, these corporations lose their vested interests... so conflict was inevitable.'
Syneron Medica's name was even among those protesting.
The reason was simple. Our hospitals didn't chase profits, so we didn't accept pharma kickbacks and avoided prescribing Syneron's expensive new drugs whenever possible.
Instead, we sourced cheap generic alternatives, escalating tensions with them.
Eventually, they cut off drug supplies to Eleos Medical—causing our hospitals to halt operations for weeks.
'Fortunately, we signed supply contracts with overseas pharma rivals of Syneron to weather the crisis...'
Even recalling it now, that drug shortage was razor-thin. Hundreds of inpatients had been at risk.
Beyond that, as the Church grew, more obstructions followed, and our enemies finally crossed the line.
One day, a priest rushed to me with a frantic report.
"This is bad, Saintess! A terrorist attack hit the hospital in Gamma Circle Sector 4...!"
"What?! Casualties?!!"
"Seven patients and... fifteen staff members dead."
Raids on drug transport convoys, car bombs targeting ambulances, abductions and murders of off-duty medical staff.
Their sabotage had clearly gone too far.
Despite multiple attempts at negotiations to prevent innocent casualties, it was futile.
The Church's goal of giving people better lives and the corporations' profit-driven stance—using lives as collateral—were eternally parallel lines.
They couldn't ignore falling revenues; we couldn't tolerate believer sacrifices. Things had reached an intolerable point.
The escalating conflict finally hit its extreme. There was no turning back.
The only solution left... was war.
"The 500 Bishops and all the Redeemed have assembled."
Ronjo reported with a stern face.
Gathered in the plaza before the cathedral, their faces were filled with resolve.
It wasn't just them. All Church forces scattered across the sectors were ready to march.
I addressed them all.
"There are sinners who fatten their bellies on the pain of the sick and the misfortunes of their neighbors. Because of their greed that refuses to see desperate people as human... so that no more unjust tears flow... no more innocent blood spills... Will you fight alongside me?"
As my voice ended, the bishops knelt as one and shouted.
"We offer ourselves to the Lord!"
And so, the war began.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After months of fierce combat, the war ended.
The result was our Church's victory.
In the past few months, having absorbed one-third of the city's population, the Church's scale could now rival a mega-corp within Omega Detroit.
The alliance of existing insurers and medical corporations was utterly routed by our forces.
The city's medical market was now wholly ours.
But that wasn't all. We eradicated the remaining companies in Delta and Epsilon Circles that had rebelled against our rule, placing both circles firmly under Church dominion.
Yet victory's fruits always have a bitter side.
This was an all-out war clashing head-on with near-mega-corp-level vested interests.
It dwarfed all prior disturbances the Church had faced.
It was a real war.
Sacrifices were inevitable.
To secure victory, countless lives were lost on both sides...
And among those sacrifices... was Godfather.
A priest in black robes recited the eulogy in a low voice.
"Esteemed colleagues of the departed, and grieving family. Today, we gather for a final farewell to Rian Lumen, the chairman who led the city's economy and was faith's staunchest supporter. We reflect on his legacy and pray he finds eternal rest in the Lord's embrace."
"......"
It was a surprise terror attack targeting our allies early in the war.
The last transmission from the downed AV was garbled with static, barely intelligible as voice alone.
["Eve, meeting our little girl... was the greatest happiness of my life after Rachel."]
That was how it began—the last words from Godfather that I could hear.
["Thanks to you, Eve... I learned what it means to be human. The time I followed the Lord's will... I regret not a single moment. They were the proudest, most fulfilling days of my life. So... don't blame yourself. Don't hesitate... Keep doing what you must. And finally... I love you so much, Eve. My proud daughter..."]
From the vehicle that plummeted and burned beyond recognition, all we recovered was that voice message.
After Godfather's death.
Lumina Group's management passed to me, per his will.
"........"
After all the funerals ended, a melancholic rain began drumming against the cathedral windows.
Drip, drip-drop, pour...
With all mourners gone, only the widow Rachel and I remained in the cathedral.
I bowed my head like a sinner, unable to face her.
Choking back sobs, I barely managed one phrase.
"I'm sorry... It's all because of me..."
I braced for blame, scolding, resentment, hatred—anything.
Even a dozen slaps would be fine. Compared to her grief and despair, it would be lighter than a feather.
But strangely, Rachel said nothing.
"........."
Instead, warm hands gently cupped my cheeks.
Lifted by them, I met her gaze beyond.
No trace of resentment in her eyes.
Rachel spoke.
"Why should you apologize, Eve? Deciding to fight alongside the Church was entirely our choice as a couple. The responsibility is ours. My husband wasn't a man lacking such magnanimity. He wouldn't want you blaming yourself."
And then... she smiled.
She, who hurt more than anyone in this world right now.
Rachel smiled for my sake... and gently wiped the tears from my cheek.
"Understand? He and I are fine. So... don't cry, my good girl."
Her trembling voice couldn't fully hide the sorrow.
But amid that poignancy came firm resolve, comfort treating me as family still...
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
The warmth hit me again, crumbling all the emotions I'd suppressed.
Late as it was, I buried myself in her embrace and wailed like a child.
"I'm sorry... hic, I'm sorry...! Waaah!!"
I thought I knew.
That war was like this.
A fight where anyone could kill or be killed.
That's why, even after gaining power to oppose corporations, I'd hesitated until the very end on that choice.
'I knew... I knew, but...'
I thought I couldn't avoid it anymore.
So it was a decision made with full deliberation and resolve.
Yet it was still woefully insufficient.
It was far too heavy a burden.
A war sparked by my words had killed Godfather and so many others.
Bishops, Redeemed, Guardians—regardless of affiliation or role, they fell in battle...
The weight of responsibility from each name still crushed my heart.
Some might say war makes death inevitable.
And thanks to their sacrifices, millions of citizens now get timely treatment for illnesses, saving those who would've died without hospitals—so wasn't it meaningful devotion?
They died fighting for their faith, so wasn't that the true value of life...?
Everyone said as much, but the crushing guilt remained.
Before the names of those who perished believing in the Lord's existence I'd proclaimed—without doubting, heading to a heaven even I wasn't sure of... I couldn't be swayed by such words.
The people gathered in the Church, those sacrificed now, had all come by my will.
Of course, clashes with corporations were unavoidable, and sacrifices in war inevitable.
I knew that.
'But... was there really no other way?'
In the empty cathedral office.
I slumped blankly on the sofa.
"........."
After crying alone for so long, even tears ran dry, leaving me staring vacantly.
Pour...
Outside the window, a downpour raged like someone's mood.
Endless rain sounds.
Even as I blankly gazed at the desolate scene...
The vessel beside my heart spun silently.
Tilted at an angle in place.
Slowly, clockwise.