Volume 2, 3 - Progression of Heresy

Volume 2, Chapter 3 – Progression of Heresy

『In the beginning, Anri-sama created the world.

Humans, animals, plants; all things that exist were created by Anri-sama’s hand.

However, the foolish humans did not know.

Sophia the Evil God was jealous of Anri-sama, and pretended that Anri-sama’s achievements were her own, and the people praised Evil God Sophia.

Anri-sama who lamented over the world dyed in heresy, decided that she would purge the world with only her believers remaining.

The believers of Evil God Sophia will surely burn in Hell for eternity.

Only those who believe in Anri-sama will be able to go to the new world, and obtain eternal happiness.』

After reading the words on the paper in my hand, I looked up and found that the Pope was standing there with eyes shining with some kind of expectation. Seeing that subtly proud face, the fact that his good looks were its only redeeming feature kind of pissed me off.

“…Leonora.”

“Yeah.”

Faiya~

“NOOOOOOH――――!?

Leonora was standing next to me and had been peering in on it as well, and when I had her burn it away the Pope began to scream.

I didn’t want to meet him so I had Tena act as my representative, but he specifically wanted me to have a look at something, so I even went out of my way to build an audience hall on the 4th floor, but I didn’t think that I’d be made to read something like that. The reason I added this hall was because they were treating me as a god, so I couldn’t easily head down to the 3rd floor and below, and since I didn’t want to invite him up to the 5th floor, there was no other place but the 4th.

Also, the reason I didn’t want to call him up to the 5th floor was because I didn’t want him to meet Lili. In his mind, Lili had been eaten by me, and as for Lili, she shouldn’t want to meet somebody who tried to kill her either.

Only, although I know that he’s somebody who tried to kill a person I’m close to, mysteriously I didn’t feel any sense of repulsion. I think it’s because his personality is so intense that the first impression was drowned out.

I wonder how Tena feels about this. She associates with him normally though.

“Why, Anri-sama――――!?”

“Uwah-”

The Pope drew in with a flood of tears, and in my revulsion, I accidentally sent him flying with a shadow bullet. It was so sudden that I didn’t hold back on my strength, or so I was thinking, but the Pope was just fine and immediately got up. I shouldn’t be one to say this, but is guy really human?

To begin with, these eyes that even cause the daughter of the Demon King to dogeza don’t seem to have any effect on him… Or rather, should I say that he even gets a little excited? It makes me want to avert my eyes myself.

“My apologies, I lost my composure. I am terribly ashamed, but could you please teach me what it was that was unsatisfactory?”

Even if you act all prim and proper now, it’s too late you know.

And even if you ask me what was unsatisfactory, it’s actually harder to point out something good about it. It’s the first time that something’s been so bad, that one of the less bad points is a good point. But well, if I had to pick the worst point, then…

“It’s needlessly antagonistic. And there are lots of parts that are disconnected from the truth.”

Even without antagonising them, the Church of Sacred Light might be hostile anyway, but that doesn’t mean that there’s a need to needlessly stir them up. We’re lucky enough that they’re glaring at another country, so I don’t want to provoke them and have their spearhead turned this way instead. And also, why did I end up the one who created the world? I have no memory of doing anything like that.

“Certainly, there are a few exaggerations mixed in.”

A few? So this is ‘a few’…

Or rather, before ‘exaggeration’, all I found were a bag of lies, but?

“However, we presently require something to gather people to our country. As such, I wanted to create a scripture. In order to draw interest, giving it a little impact would be better, wouldn’t it?”

Please give me a break. Just imagining a nation formed from people gathered by that kind of scripture is giving me goosebumps.

But in regards to the need for scriptures, I guess I can’t help but agree with his idea. I don’t want to starve either, so the idea of propagating the religion itself is something I agree with. Then in that case…

“I’ll write the scriptures.”

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

I might have been too hasty.

The blank paper in front of me was causing me to hold my head in trouble inside.

I accidentally said in front of the Pope that I would write it──the Pope gleefully left──but, since then the brush in my hand has written absolutely nothing.

To begin with, I only realised just now that there’s no way the deity themselves would write the parts that worshipped and praised the deity, but it’s much too late.

And also, even leaving that part aside, the rest of the contents are difficult too.

Amongst the believers gathered in the temple right now, many of them were in despair because of the Church of Sacred Light, or the social class system. Because of that, I needed to write something revolutionary and reformist like destroying the current system, but in that case, I’d had no choice but to write something antagonistic towards the Church or the other countries.

And personally, just as I said earlier, I definitely don’t want to antagonise the Church of Sacred Light or the other nations, so as much as possible I’d like to head in a direction that doesn’t provoke them.

“Anri-sama? Are you still awake?”

“Tena…”

When I sighed at how I was making no progress at all, I heard somebody call me from outside the room. Apparently after Tena had put Lili to bed, she came to see how I was doing.

“Overly exerting yourself is bad for your body, Anri-sama. I think it might be better if you went to bed…”

“It’s fine. You can go to bed, Tena.”

“Anri-sama…”

It wasn’t a lie. I’m still totally fine. For some reason after I turned into a divine, I stopped needing sleep. Staying up a few nights won’t hurt my health at all. It’s completely unrelated to physical fatigue.

“If you don’t plan on sleeping yet, then could I trouble you for some tea?”

“Understood.”

I know that as an apostle, Tena still needs to eat and sleep. Because of that, unlike me, she needs to properly rest. I’m happy that she’s worried about me, but she needs to rest after she’s done with the tea.

After she left a cup of tea in front of me, I was going to tell her to go to sleep, but before I could, Tena spoke to me first.

“Are you not making progress?”

Perhaps realising that I was troubled, Tena asked me that, and I nodded wordlessly. A situation where you keep crumpling up the pages and starting over can’t be called progress no matter how you look at it.

“What are you worrying about?”

“I can’t write something that endorses reform without picking a fight with the Church or existing countries.”

After saying it myself, the impossible requirements made my head hurt. The moment that you reform something, you’d be picking a fight with the people who currently had benefits, so to begin with it was contradictory.

“Umm, why is it that reform is necessary?”

“Why, you say? Well…”

‘Because that’s what the followers want.’ I was about to reply, when my mind suddenly came to a stop.

Is that really true?

It’s certain that there were lots of people amongst the followers that were in despair because of the Church or the class system. But if you asked me if all members wanted reform, then I would have to say that I hadn’t heard such a thing.

What the betrayed and wounded wanted was something more vague than that; ‘something righteous’. If that wasn’t true, then even without religion, they’d rely on something else in some other place.

And as for ‘something righteous’, there was no need to forcefully link it to reform. From the beginning, there was no need to touch on troublesome topics like the current state of the religions or countries in the world. As long as I state ethics or morals; state ‘the way things should be’, then that’s enough.

It felt like a ray of light shone into my mind that had been hazy from agonising over this.

“It looks like you’re fine now. It wouldn’t do for me to be a nuisance, so I’ll take my leave.”

Perhaps feeling relieved because she saw that I was fine, Tena gave a bow with a smile. I nodded back at her.

“Goodnight, Tena. And… thanks.”

“Good night, Anri-sama.”

Right. There was no need for me to put on airs.

In the end, the scriptures were just the basis, and not the entirety. You could tell this just by looking at the way the Church of Sacred Light spread. It’s fine just for me to write whatever I think. The religious stuff can just be left to the Pope and the rest to add on.

Mn. It feels like I can write now.

Pulling myself together, I turned to the page and began putting down my thoughts into words.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

An item designated as an ‘S-Class Danger’.

Said to be filled with the malice of the Evil God, amongst the things in this world, it is a cursed item of particularly great strength.

Those who have received this item will continue to suffer misfortune until they transcribe a copy and hand it to somebody else. Additionally, as even the copy contains the curse, it will propagate endlessly.

Additionally, there is no means of destroying this item.

A list of the misfortunes of the cursed lett… I mean, the “Black Scripture”:

You suffer a bald patch.

You experience “popping ears” when heading to high places.

It feels like somebody is pressing a finger between your eyebrows.

You contract hay fever.

You will suddenly suffer stomach pains in places where there are no nearby toilets.

Each morning you will awaken to a leg cramp.

You will unfailing stub your little toe on a shelf.

You will unconsciously blurt out your real opinion.

You will end all your sentences in ‘evilgod’.