The Unscientific Faith
The hooded men knelt before a massive brazier, chanting their prayers in unison. In an era dominated by cutting-edge science and heroes, the sight was wildly out of place. Yet this was their very essence, their origin. A faith passed down from their ancestors.
Demon worshippers. That was the old nickname for Baphomet Enterprise, the corporation that ruled B City.
“─Seriously, they’re still doing this outdated worship…?”
Lize, who had been watching the ritual, pressed a switch on the wall. Massive LED lights embedded in the ceiling flooded the cave with brilliant illumination. The executives, whose eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, grimaced and let out agonized groans.
“Aaaaargh…!” “M-my eyes—my eyeeees—!”
Lize sighed in exasperation as she watched them clutch their faces in pain. She waited patiently until they regained their vision.
Before long, the executives recovered and fixed her with hardened stares.
“─President Lize. What exactly do you think you’re doing?” “Even if you are the Chairman’s only granddaughter… interrupting the ritual is blasphemy and an insult!” “If you cannot explain yourself, we will not stand by and—”
“You’re all making such a fuss. Seriously.”
Lize dismissed their outrage as nonsense, picking at her ear as she turned her gaze away. The executives looked ready to explode at her arrogant attitude, but—
Before they could, a sweet melody flowed from the smartphone Lize had brought. It was so beautiful that the furious executives instantly calmed down and listened with rapt attention.
It was Clair de Lune, a piece Lize had desperately tried to recreate from memory over the past several months.
“……President Lize. What is this song?” “I heard it at a corporate social party a while ago. Isn’t it beautiful?” “Extremely… extraordinarily beautiful!” “I agree. And this is just a poor copy that captures less than ten percent of the original. The real performance is on another level.”
When she flashed a sly smile, the executives let out disbelieving gasps. Even from Lize’s perspective, the original performance had been unbelievable. Just remembering it still sent chills racing across her entire body.
Surrounded by all these old men, the only young person present had felt a surge of superiority simply because she alone had been allowed to hear the piece as the Chairman’s granddaughter. Lize quickly snapped out of it and cleared her throat with a small cough.
There was a reason she had brought this imperfect recording here. Not merely to brag, but something important enough to interrupt a demon-worshipping ritual.
“─If the composer who created this beautiful piece were to write a song for our Demon Lord, just imagine how delighted our Demon Lord would be upon hearing it. Doesn’t the thought alone send shivers down your spine?”
“O-ohhh— Indeed…!” “Now that you mention it, that makes perfect sense!” “What are you waiting for? Bring him here at once!”
“Unfortunately, that composer has been monopolized by the Demon King of Evils Enterprise. I know his location, but attacking him in E City—where even a falling bird is said to belong to Evils—would only result in a devastating counterattack.”
Evils Enterprise. At the mention of that name, murmurs erupted among the executives. The largest corporation dominating E City. One of the few enterprises that could rival Baphomet. Recently, they had even conquered and annexed Z City, expanding their influence further.
With unfathomable scientific capabilities and a private army operating under the guise of villains. Even for demon worshippers willing to lay down their lives for their lord, this was not an entity to be provoked lightly.
However, “difficult to touch” did not mean “impossible to touch.” And if the potential reward was worth the risk, they would gladly reach out their hands.
“Now then, my fellow board members. I require your assistance.”
The words that slipped from her tongue, slender as a snake’s, tickled their ears. Her superpower—charm—wove through their minds and toyed with their wills.
A short while later, the only ones left in the room were faithful servants and worshippers who would gladly throw away their own lives for the Demon Lord.
All things for Baphomet.
— Be For МÆŦ —
* * *
Creak. Creak. I repaired the old, worn-out belt. I’d been too busy with my main job these past few months to pay much attention to my side gig, but I never expected the belt to be abused this badly in such a short time.
If I had delayed even a little longer, this overworked belt might have committed suicide from sheer exhaustion. How pitiful.
“I-is it fixed, boss?” “How roughly did you use it? This shouldn’t have broken down this quickly…” “I-I’m sorry…”
Niverna, former S-rank and current freelance hero, gave me a bitter smile. Having gone independent with support from Evils Enterprise, she naturally had no choice but to leave E City.
Staying in E City would mean fighting against our villain organization, and with Evils Enterprise backing her, that was impossible. Though our organization gets called a WWE villain group on the internet every day, we still have our own principles and rules to uphold.
In the end, she had to move to another city and cooperate with the local heroes to fight villains there. And as everyone knows, the villains outside of E City were the real deal—the kind that would appear in a gore snuff film.
“No need to apologize. If you’re closing up, just call ahead. How could you use it so harshly and then act surprised when it breaks?” “……I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bother you when you’re so busy, boss.” “It’s not a bother, so call me anytime. And if this thing breaks again, I won’t make you a new one, got it?”
I handed over the repaired belt as I spoke. Niverna accepted it as if it were a priceless treasure, carefully fastening it around her waist before gently stroking it.
Well, of all the things she owned, this was probably the most precious. Without that belt, Niverna was just an ordinary A-rank hero. She could be a supporting character at best, but never the protagonist—just a regular extra.
“Haaahm… Is it done yet?” “It’s finished, Vira.” “Really? Then let’s go eat. I’ll call the restaurant ahead and place an order?”
At that moment, Vira emerged from the back of the shop where she had been taking a nap. She scratched at her messy bedhead, tidied her hair, and started making a phone call. She was probably ordering in advance at the restaurant across the street.
Niverna, who hadn’t realized Vira was inside, flinched in surprise and cautiously lowered her posture as she approached me.
“……Boss, is that woman your wife?” “Huh? What nonsense… She’s my bodyguard. I’ve been getting into a lot of dangerous situations lately.” “I see…! If you had just told me, I would have protected you anytime!” “Thanks for the offer, but it’s fine. Vira is quite skilled too.” “Still…”
Niverna looked at me with obvious disappointment. Was she asking me to trust her more? Unfortunately, our relationship wasn’t that deep. She didn’t even know my real name.
I had shown her goodwill by giving her the hero belt, but that was as far as it went. Our relationship was neither more nor less than that.
“Ah— Hey there. You’re Niverna, right? The hero lady?” “……Yes, that’s correct. Is something the matter?” “Want to join us for dinner? The restaurant here only takes orders for four or more.”
Unlike me, Vira was an extreme extrovert. The ultimate social butterfly. If she had an MBTI type, it would definitely be E. She seemed desperate to befriend Niverna.
After hearing Vira’s suggestion, Niverna chewed on her lip a few times before nodding. Soon after, the three of us headed to the restaurant together. It was one of the popular spots we had visited several times before.
Maybe it was because Evils Enterprise had bought every building in E City and rented them out at reasonable prices, but there were an absurd number of great restaurants. People even came from neighboring cities just to tour the food scene. The place we were going to this time was the same. The restaurant was already packed with customers.
“Good thing I made a reservation. We almost couldn’t eat—lucky us!”
While Vira made a big fuss and sat down at the reserved table, I took the seat right next to her. Niverna sat across from us.
Thanks to the pre-order over the phone, the food came out almost immediately after we sat down. We were able to start eating right away without any waiting.
The plates piled high with food began to empty at an astonishing speed. Not only the gluttonous Vira, but even the hero Niverna had an incredible appetite. Watching the three of us polish off food meant for four people in no time…
I let out a dry laugh, wiped my mouth, and took a light sip of water. The moment I set the glass back on the table—
The glass unnaturally tipped over and fell to the floor. The water inside splashed all over the customers who happened to be walking past at that exact moment. The man walking down the aisle glared at me as if asking what the hell I was doing.
‘What the…?’
For a second I thought it was some new kind of scam, but he wasn’t demanding money, and there was no evidence that he had knocked over my cup just by walking past. So I obediently apologized.
“I’m sorry. The cup suddenly fell on its own…” “Hah— Unbelievable. Are you saying someone used their superpower to mess with me right as I walked by—!?” “Hard to believe, I know, but yes. Surprisingly, that’s exactly what happened.” “Are you messing with me right now?!”
The customer who had been splashed with water raised his voice in anger. It was a perfectly understandable reaction, so I bowed my head without complaint. Even if it wasn’t my fault, proving that would be difficult, and not many people could stay rational in a situation like this.
The man continued shouting, even pointing his finger at me.
“I can’t let this slide—! You’re going to compensate me!” “It wasn’t my fault, but I’ll at least cover the dry-cleaning cost…” “No! I’m as angry as if someone had insulted the song that worships Him!” “……Pardon?” “Didn’t you hear me? I’m as furious as if you’d insulted one of the worship songs!”
After hearing the middle-aged man’s words, I stared at him in stunned silence. …What the hell is this guy’s problem?