Chapter 24. Fanatical Belief.
Chapter 24. Fanatical Belief.
After we went at it a few more times, we had a slightly late breakfast.
"..."
"..."
During the act, she'd burned with passion, but now that the haze had lifted, Chaeyeon was apparently embarrassed and just ate quietly.
"Um... are you okay?"
"Well, back when I talked about it with friends before, they said the first time really hurts, but for me it wasn't bad at all..."
'Well... I did infuse her with my aura while she was asleep.'
"Anyway! How long are we supposed to stay here?"
"If Choi Jae-hyeok is right, they'll show up by the end of today — or at the very latest, by the end of tomorrow."
"Sihu, if we follow them, what's the plan after that?"
I filled her in on the conversation I'd had with Choi Jae-hyeok on the rooftop: the methods they used to turn people into extreme fanatics, and those 'strange powers' they supposedly wielded.
"Of course, every Awakened has their own way of fighting, but I want to see it with my own eyes."
"Then are we going to merge the survivors into our group this time too?"
Honestly, curing people who've already fallen into a cult takes a multifaceted approach and proper treatment. Even then, they'll deny it from the start, insisting their beliefs were legitimate and that it was never a cult.
'Honestly, no matter how much evidence you show them, they won't believe it. Hell, they won't even try to believe it.'
"People already fanatical about something are incredibly hard to bring back to everyday life. For us, it's just leaving a religion. For them, it's denying the entire life they've believed in up to this point."
"So does that mean we'd have to leave those people behind?"
"It's not that there's no method..."
It was a method I truly didn't want to try. They exploit the inner voids of people to get close to them. In times like now, when the world is falling apart, people become desperate for something to cling to, so they exploit that by offering protection through force and providing food. But what if I were to put on a display so overwhelmingly superior to theirs and shift the object of their faith to me?
"Is... is something like that even possible...?"
"It's possible, but the whole becoming an object of worship thing just feels creepy."
'I'm not some attention whore who enjoys being revered and worshipped... And besides, they'd view me as a literal messiah descended into this ruined world.'
Right now, with Awakened wielding unique powers, it might be a little more subdued, but think about it. In a civilized era built on science, an existence that can split the sea with a sword and magic and rend the earth is practically an alien — or, for people a bit more extreme, a being they'd venerate as a god.
On Titan, humans were already accustomed to magic and martial arts, so it basically looked like a human revolution against the oppression of the strong.
"Still, there have to be some people with enough judgment who are just pretending to fall into it, even if it's for the food. Not everyone will be like that."
"..."
Just as we were talking, I sensed a flow of mana from not far away. I brought my index finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet. Then I spoke softly.
"I sense the flow of mana nearby. I think it's them... So this is how they've been searching for people."
"They're nearby right now?"
They spread their mana thinly to pinpoint the locations of any lifeforms the mana touches. Naturally, in the process of spreading that mana, I felt it pass right through me.
"They're heading straight for us."
We changed clothes, cleared away any traces as best we could, and waited for them.
— Knock, knock, knock...
"We've come to rescue you. Is anyone inside?"
Hearing the knock, we met each other's eyes and started acting.
"Oh!... Are you from the government?"
I opened the door, pretending to be frantic, and quickly scanned them with my eyes. They were wearing black clothes like clergy might wear.
"Oh dear... We're so relieved we weren't too late..."
They smiled benevolently, clasping our hands as they spoke.
"You've truly been through so much. If it's not too forward, could our brother and sister tell us how you've managed to get by?"
"You might have seen on your way in, but we survived thanks to a decently sized mart on the first floor..."
They shed fake tears, listening intently to our story.
"So, are you indeed from the government?"
"Heh heh, no. We are from the Dongsan Church. Our Father heard the news that his children were suffering and sent us here."
We deliberately showed a little wariness to avoid being suspected.
"M-my wife and I don't follow any particular religion..."
"Not at all. Even without faith, are we not all equally children of the Father?"
For a while, I put up with their bullshit, playing along bit by bit. Then they told us to follow them, saying we wouldn't go hungry if we went to the paradise they'd built. They'd come in a truck, and besides us, I saw several other survivors.
We drove for about thirty minutes before arriving at our destination.
'What kind of goddamn church building is this huge.'
The vehicle passed through the main gate and came to a stop inside. There, people dressed in identical white outfits welcomed us fervently. And among the several people standing in front wearing red, one held a microphone and spoke.
"No matter how darkness envelops us and shadows loom, through your faith and dedication, you have kindled a dazzling flame! And thanks to them, these poor lambs have traversed hardship and arrived here. They, too, are all children of the Father. Do not hate them, but embrace them."
Hearing the words, the people brought their hands together and knelt reverently. Some were even shedding tears here and there.
'They've really got some fucking plague going on here.'
"The faith of our believers is apparent. Everyone, raise your heads. And our newly arrived brothers and sisters must wash up and eat before the meal we've prepared gets cold."
Soon after, several people called believers came out and guided us inside the building.
"Normally, everyone stays together, but for those who have newly arrived, we provide separate rooms for a while so you can settle your nerves. You appear to be a married couple, so would one room be acceptable?"
"Yes, thank you for your consideration. And as we were coming in, I noticed everyone's clothes are different..."
"Ah, believers like myself wear white, and the priests who brought you here wear black. And those wearing red are the Elders."
After telling us that and showing us to our room, he left two sets of the white clothes worn by believers, said he'd see us later during worship service, and disappeared.
"They're truly spectacularly insane. At this point, I'm starting to get curious about that cult leader bastard."
"Sihu, those people didn't have any guns. Do you think they're all Awakened?"
"No, that's not it. I checked on the way here; the number of people with mana was a minority compared to their total numbers."
"Then how are they protecting this place?"
"That's exactly why we need to check out that cult leader bastard."
We made a rough show of washing up and waited in the room. Before long, someone knocked from outside and told us to come eat.
After changing clothes, we went to the cafeteria. Unexpectedly, the meal laid out on the table was still steaming and more abundant than I'd thought.
'From the perspective of people who've been surviving through starvation, there'd be no need for any other savior, huh.'
Once they confirmed everyone was seated, they joined hands and began to pray.
"Through this time, we have been granted blessings and grace. As we partake of this food, we pray that our hearts are purified and our souls grow stronger and mature. Hoping this meal will be a blessed one under your protection, we accept this food with hearts of gratitude and reverence."
After everyone had wolfed down their food, we went to the place where the worship ceremony was held. There, a man stood dressed in white clothes similar to the believers' but embroidered with gold thread, a long red cloth draped around him.
And as we entered, the people sitting down clapped in unison, welcoming us. Then the man seated at the highest place of honor stood and spoke.
"An unfamiliar environment, people you're meeting for the first time... I understand your anxieties perfectly. Yet, it is a most joyous day as new family members have arrived. We wish to share happiness and abundance with you and live together."
At his words, the reactions of the survivors who came with me were somewhat mixed. Some were moved, while for others, suspicion hardened into certainty.
And an old man who'd been suspicious soon changed his expression to one of deep emotion and spoke with tears welling up.
"Until now, I've lived wrongly... harboring false beliefs..."
"I understand, brother. I, too, spent my days full of doubt, until I finally met the Reverend and repented."
With every gesture and word from the Reverend, they wailed as if struck by lightning. Just then, I heard a very small voice from the survivors beside me.
"C-cult... Everyone here is insane..."
"We have to escape from here... Nobody's in their right mind...!"
And the eyes of the others who blindly followed all shared an eerily zealous fervor. On the other hand, some wore expressions of resignation, forced into prayer simply to survive.
Like that, with each person harboring their own different emotions, they all bowed their heads and began to pray. And in that moment, I witnessed the twisted smile of that bastard cult leader.
And then, their faith began to transform into mana and be absorbed by the bastard.