Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Butterfly's Wingbeat (2)
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One of the bishops cautiously spoke up.
"Does that mean the Saintess has seen the future...?"
I nodded gravely. The conference room immediately erupted into a murmur of confusion.
"A full-scale war with the Medical Corporate Alliance..."
"Leviathan Industries is plotting something like that..."
As you can see, right after my meeting with Ronan, I'd rushed back to the cathedral and summoned all the executives.
And through the miracle, I'd revealed the church's future in detail to everyone.
Wasn't it reckless to divulge the future like that?
I had enough sense for that. I wouldn't blab about it to just anyone.
These people gathered here were all ones I could trust.
In the future I'd seen, they were the martyrs who fought and died for their faith to the end—or devotees who'd shown devotion on par with them.
There was no room to doubt their loyalty.
Still, I figured they'd need some explanation.
'Future prophecy is a brand-new ability that hasn't shown up before.'
Regardless of their faith, suddenly claiming I'd seen the future would be hard to swallow.
But while they all looked shocked, not a single one questioned my words.
They simply began discussing how to respond to the events I'd described.
"We need to strengthen internal security starting with preemptive education in the cathedral..."
"The church's current financial structure isn't suited for all-out war. We need to reorganize."
"Above all, we need more intel on Leviathan Industries' plans. First, figure out how much they've infiltrated the central government, and we should start working on pulling strings in the central politics ourselves..."
Yoanna later explained it this way.
"Religion and prophecy are inseparable."
Every religion and myth in human history contained warnings of future calamities.
It was true even of Christianity and Islam, the world's largest faiths.
They made the end of the world and final judgment core tenets of their doctrines, and Hinduism prophesied that the universe would dissolve and regenerate with the arrival of the final avatar, Kalki.
Even Buddhism, which emphasizes personal enlightenment, spoke of the distant future Buddha, Maitreya.
Perhaps the Radiance Church's doctrines, artfully blending elements from those established religions, played a role.
Everyone seemed to accept the prophet's vision as a matter of course.
And so, the church leaders here began earnestly devising countermeasures, taking the future I'd seen seriously.
Some even called for a preemptive strike.
"Now that we know the enemies' plans and the possibility of war, we have to move first! How about seizing the initiative with a surprise attack before the medical corporations can unite?"
But I shook my head.
"Let me be clear: war is the last resort. We avoid casualties as much as possible."
Even if a sneak attack worked, afterward there were the Alpha Circle megacorporations... and Leviathan Industries. It was impossible to take them all down at once, so a full-scale war would erupt.
It would just spark the same civil war that even the massively grown future church couldn't overcome.
'That's why... no war. Not yet.'
Honestly, I'm human too. Saying I didn't want revenge would be a lie.
But in the future I'd witnessed, what had truly alerted the Alpha Circle megacorporations was precisely that kind of war.
'Relying on force would just repeat the same outcome.'
So this time, we needed a different approach.
Fortunately, knowing what lay ahead gave me another weapon besides force.
Information.
I turned to Joseph, the head of the Heresy Inquisitors.
"Before we execute the plan... we need to clean house first. Are the Inquisitors ready?"
"Yes, Saintess."
To reiterate, the executives here were trustworthy.
They'd proven their faith through the harshest trials.
They were my loyal vassals, the ones I could share the future with without worry.
Which meant there were untrustworthy elements mixed into the church.
'A lot of them.'
The church's greatest strength—and its biggest weakness.
Its openness: accepting anyone as a believer, anyone could convert.
That was originally the Radiance Church's ultimate advantage, the driving force behind converting most of the city's population in just a few years... but it also failed to filter out those with impure motives.
In the future, those internal traitors plagued us throughout the war.
They even stirred up agitation and propaganda, fracturing believers' loyalty until some splintered off as heretics.
'Of course, we thoroughly vetted the executive-level core operators...'
But it wasn't perfect. Some who passed the tests still got bought off.
Those who pretended to be devout believers, feigned obedience to the church... while selling out their neighbors behind its back.
It took far too long to uncover their true faces.
And the damage we suffered in the information war because of it.
Even thinking back now, the rats hiding in the cathedral made my blood boil.
'In that sense...'
War had one redeeming quality.
It pushed people to the brink, clearly separating heroes from cowards, chaff from grain.
Drawing from those future memories, I compiled a list of names.
Joseph received it carefully and asked in a solemn tone.
"If you command it, we'll arrest these traitors at once."
"No. Not yet."
Joseph looked flustered by the unexpected response.
"Pardon?"
I added an explanation.
"For now, just monitor these people secretly until I give the order. No need for major discrimination in promotions or administration. Just keep them from key positions."
"...Are you worried that purging based solely on the future vision might shake believers with shallow faith?"
"To some extent. But that's not all."
Even if we rooted them all out, the corporations would just buy off someone new.
This city's power players knew better than anyone how to exploit human desire.
New traitors were inevitable in the church.
'In that case...'
Better to keep the ones we've identified in place and lure the enemies' moves.
An impregnable wall forces them to find a way over, but a slightly ajar back door? They'll use that exclusively.
Predictable betrayal could become our weapon.
We could feed them the disinformation we want, clouding their eyes and ears.
I explained it to Joseph that way.
"Some on this list might not even be recruited yet. Keep watching them secretly, track how they betray the church, and how far their connections reach. Report it all. Judgment for apostasy... will come when they've outlived their usefulness."
"Understood, Saintess."
Joseph bowed deeply.
I spoke to him once more.
"Oh, and besides that, there's one more important task for the Inquisitors—"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The meeting dragged on for several more hours.
Discussions flew back and forth on everything from the initial internal cleanup to blueprints for altering the future.
When it finally ended, the executives left the office with grim determination for their missions.
Silence settled over the now-empty office.
But one presence lingered, hesitating to leave.
Noticing it, I turned and said,
"What's wrong, Yoanna? Something else on your mind?"
"Well..."
The girl seemed unlike her usual self, a bit anxious.
"...There's something I want to ask you, sis."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Um..."
After hesitating forever, Yoanna finally spoke.
"In the future... how was I? Was I helpful enough to you?"
"Huh?"
So very Yoanna. An adorably offbeat question.
She looked incredibly nervous, like a student awaiting her report card.
I smiled faintly, stood to meet her eyes, and stroked her head gently.
"Sis...?"
"Why ask something like that? Of course you were. You were such a huge help, Yoanna."
"Really?"
"Yep. Should I thank you in advance for sticking by my side from now on?"
Then, suddenly, I recalled the girl from the future.
In just a few years, Yoanna had shot up tall, blossoming into a proper young woman... a stunning beauty, really.
Hard to imagine now, but true.
So I smiled again and whispered in her ear,
"You know? Yoanna, you'll get way prettier later. Taller than me, even. So... I'll be looking forward to it?"
"......"
Caught off guard by the sudden praise, her face flushed bright red.
A moment later, avoiding my gaze, she stammered,
"S-Sis... you're kinda different from usual."
"Am I? Not sure. How so?"
Tilting my head, I asked. Yoanna stared blankly and mumbled,
"Somehow... more relaxed... and the vibe is kinda sexy... Eep! N-No, I mean, you feel more mature!"
"Ah."
I dimly understood inside.
The aftereffects of experiencing those future years hadn't fully faded yet.
Most memories besides key events were already hazy, but some lingering residue seemed temporarily stuck in me.
'Like an afterglow.'
No need to worry, though. Instinct told me this was like dream memories—ignore it, and it'd dissipate quickly. Time would sort it out naturally.
But I myself felt exactly normal, so I hadn't noticed until she pointed it out.
I asked Yoanna again.
"That obvious? Awkward?"
"N-No, not that much... but more than before... kinda dangerous..."
She trailed off vaguely.
And squirmed, unable to meet my eyes.
Seeing Yoanna's rare childlike side after so long, I couldn't help but chuckle.
'She hid gaps like that better once she grew a bit more.'
A playful impulse struck.
I beamed, flashing a mysteriously perfect smile, and locked eyes intensely.
Was this the 'afterglow' too?
'What kind of person was future me, anyway?'
Details didn't come to mind, but it felt like this would get a fun reaction.
And my intuition hit the mark.
"....."
The longer our gaze held, the redder Yoanna's face got.
Finally, she squealed,
"This is weird! Sis!! You're definitely weird!!!"
Startled by her sudden shout, I watched as she fled the office.
I alternated between the slammed door and the empty hallway, looking a bit dazed.
'...Did I go overboard with the teasing?'