Reincarnated as a Cultist Mob - Chapter 12

 Tragedy of the Prequel

As the "Zombie Bomb" detonated and plunged the peaceful town into a living hell, five hundred cultists burst forth into the city. Naturally, limitations were placed on Pork's abilities as well, but in a situation where no Orthodox executives were present, one would have to say she was invincible.

Leaving the cultists sliding down the mountain slope in her wake, three executives took to the night sky. The cult leader himself took the vanguard, with two executives running closely behind him. The morale of the mob members was soaring through the roof.

Descending from the mountain into the town, we dispersed and began attacking the townspeople. However, pretending to attack the terrified townspeople, I headed in a straight line toward the protagonist's house.

My plan was to securely rescue the protagonist from this hell and hand them over to someone on the Kenneth Orthodoxy side. If the protagonist were to die by some twist of fate, the canon route where the cultists are completely annihilated would be hopeless. Unless there was a protagonist whose resolve was far more hardened than the executives', this country would be swallowed by Aros's madness. That much had to be prevented. If I could at least evacuate him safely from the Metasim region, someone like Celestia should be able to manage the rest.

The muscular zombies that had multiplied explosively via the "Zombie Bomb" were diligently busy increasing their numbers at the edge of our vision. The townspeople who had rushed over upon hearing the collapse of the garrison were the very first to be attacked, and others who witnessed people being attacked finally began to understand the current situation.

"Waaaaahhhh!!" 

"Run awayyy!!"

People being eaten alive by zombies. Human beings are surprisingly sturdily built creatures; they don't die just from having a part of their body bitten off. Even if they taste the ultimate agony, they have no choice but to live until their hearts stop beating.

The zombies created by the "Zombie Bomb." When people bitten by them succumb to the poison and die, new zombies are born. Like geometric progression, they increase endlessly.

The town's lights flicker. Great cries of agony well up from neither heaven nor earth. The people, realizing the invasion not just of zombies but also of the cultists, plunge deeper into fear.

Capture women and children; kill everyone else. The cultists following behind me faithfully repeated those sophisticated movements.

(As an anti-civilian attack method, Ioanne and Pork's "Zombie Bomb" is far too efficient. Especially Pork... the magic she handles alone is far too vicious.)

Contrary to her appearance as a handsome, striking beauty, everything she does is utterly brutal. The zombies she manipulates look exactly like the living and faithfully execute various commands. For that reason, the Orthodox soldiers' zombies thoroughly carry out actions like "attacking people except women and children" and "not attacking those belonging to the Aros Temple Cult."

It makes one wonder if they lack human hearts, but precisely because they have human hearts, they probably know what actions are most despised. They know this is the most effective tactic against the fleeing masses.

In a past world war, there was reportedly a trend saying, "Let's at least refrain from using inhumane weapons," but unfortunately, such brakes do not exist for the cultists. If it kills people efficiently, they adopt that method without hesitation. The madness of wanting to win the religious war at any cost backed up their tactics.

Looking around, cult leader Aros and Ioanne were nowhere to be seen. I just hope they didn't head toward the protagonist's house. I cast a sideways glance at Pork nearby.

"Okly Mercury. Make sure you don't make any unnecessary movements."

 "Eh...?" 

"I'm watching..."

Perhaps noticing my gaze, she left those words behind and headed in the direction of the town's tallest building.

(Un... unnecessary movements? What is this? Could it be that Pork has noticed what I'm trying to—w-wait. That shouldn't be possible. I'm just a mob cultist, without the capacity or power to hatch schemes. Besides, Pork shouldn't have her eyes on the original protagonist... After all, the original protagonist was born into an entirely ordinary family... not of the hero's lineage, nor awakening to the power of a dragon.)

The blood vessels deep within my eyes throbbed with a beating sound, and I had the sensation that my field of vision was swaying uncomfortably sideways. What on earth is this? Not just Ioanne and Huankilu, but Pork has her eyes on me too...?!

"I'm surprised, Okly. To think you were acquainted with Lady Ioanne and Lady Pork." 

"Ah, ahh. Well, sort of..."

I stammerably answered Steve, who had been tagging along beside me, and started running toward the protagonist's house once again.

Because there is an exploration part in the Metasim region during the prequel of the original game, I was approaching his house without taking a wrong turn.

Ah, I remember. Every nook and cranny of this town's structure. What kind of people lived in the protagonist's hometown and how they lived. I know it all.

In the prequel midway through the original work, we players must control the young protagonist while knowing the doom awaiting him. Knowing that the Metasim battle will end in defeat, yet being able to do nothing. Knowing that all the friends and family we've grown close to will die, yet having no choice but to sit on our hands and watch the impending raid unfold... How hollow and sad it is while wandering a hometown where the fate of destruction has been sealed.

Naturally, this prequel storyline was crafted by the creators to make players feel deep empathy toward a protagonist who harbors hatred for the cultists. However, astonishingly, the protagonist remains playable even during the cult's ravaging, allowing players to experience the tragedy up close. And many players were left speechless by the sheer harshness of the protagonist's past. I remember being taken aback myself, thinking, "They didn't have to go that far..."

This is a famous anecdote, but when a famous live streamer who caught wind of the reputation of The Clairvoyant Seeker played the all-ages version (rated for ages 15 and up) via live stream, they grew so emotionally invested during the protagonist's prequel that their spirit completely broke. That's just how bad it was.

Of course. It was so brutal that I simply took to my bed from shock. The neighbor uncle who played with the protagonist shields him from a flying rock, scattering his brains right before his eyes and dying a gruesome death—which, now that I think about it, was probably Ioanne's fault—the childhood friend who said she would marry the protagonist gets swallowed by flames and charred pitch-black, and the parents who hid the protagonist under the floorboards are eaten alive in front of his very eyes while he watches.

...The all-ages version is somewhat milder because all gore and R-18 CGs are entirely cut or replaced, but the R-18 version is simply too unforgiving.

As a bit of a spoiler, there's even a scene where the grown protagonist has a tearful reunion with his parents! Thanks to Pork, he can talk to his parents even though they're dead! They're zombies, but because their original personalities and memories remain, they can even reminisce! Lady Pork is so kind! ...What a sadistic bastard lacking a human heart.

Incidentally, for some reason, the protagonist's childhood friend has CGs with facial expression variations—complete with effort put into her casual clothes changing depending on the weather—so fans wishing to save her from the tragedy of Metasim have created time-loop fanfiction and post-growth fan art.

It's all so painfully sad, so if I happen to find the childhood friend, I'd love to help save her properly. ...Well, if I'm going to save people, the more the merrier.

(If I get past this alleyway, the childhood friend's house—is—)

The moment I stepped into the alley leading to the childhood friend's house, I noticed intense heat and smoke billowing up, making my legs feel weak. The source appeared to be rising a few dozen meters ahead—right from the location where her house used to be.

I ran through the town in a daze. Perhaps many townspeople had already evacuated, as only piles of rubble and gouged-out cobblestones stretched around the area. That's right, wasn't the childhood friend good at tag and fast at running? Her evacuation must already be finished. She's hiding somewhere safely. She has to be, otherwise—

"Huh?"

—Beyond the street corner. There was a scorched corpse dressed in familiar clothes. That corpse was an exact replica of the single illustration that had appeared on the display back then—

"...................."

An intense, foul odor hung in the air, potent enough to warp the bridge of my nose. Countless fragments of fabric danced like butterflies, flying up toward the sky.

"What are you doing, Okly?! Leave a corpse like that alone!" Steve's voice brought me back to my senses. Seeing my suspicious behavior, Steve asked, "Do you know her?" with a strained voice.

"No... I don't have a single acquaintance in the outside world..." Steve nodded, saying, "I suppose so."

My memories began inside the base of the Aros Temple Cult. There's no way I'd have friends in the outside world.

Looking away from the corpse, I ran through the town where screams echoed. The flames were spreading more fiercely than in the game. There was no place to hide. I couldn't imagine a child surviving in conditions like this. Perhaps dying early was kinder if it spared them from feeling terror.

(If I recall correctly, there should be a hole leading to the sewers a few hundred meters from the protagonist's house. They have no choice but to escape through there.)

The protagonist's house was just ahead. I spotted the distinctive cottage far in the distance and kept running, even though every muscle in my body was screaming from the all-out sprint.

And then, right before entering the protagonist's house. I suddenly felt suspicious as to why Steve kept following right behind me.

"...Steve. Why are you following me? Wouldn't it be better to split up and search for townspeople?"

As long as Steve was watching me, I couldn't meet the original protagonist. Why let that child go? He would question me, forcing me to kidnap the protagonist and leading straight to a cultist-fall ending.

At any rate, I had to shake him off. No matter how much anti-cultist sentiment he held, excessive trust was out of the question. No, Steve was someone I wanted to trust, but... he might just be the kind of person who would kill others to survive rather than die himself, just like me.

As I quietly watched his reaction, Steve stated with a straight face:

"I have a question too. Where is Okly heading all this time? Come to think of it, Okly has looked like he was searching for something ever since the operation started. It even looked like you had a destination in mind. We shouldn't know anything about the outside world, yet you chose your path without a single trace of hesitation."

Steve's remark sent a sensation through me as if my head had been struck with a blunt instrument. A chill ran down my spine, soaking deep into my stomach. This must be what they mean by "making your blood run cold." Don't hit me with such sharp questions out of nowhere, man.

"...I'm close with Ioanne. I got information about this place through her." 

"...Hmph. So where are you trying to go?" 

"The outer gate. The townspeople will try to escape in the opposite direction of where we came from, right? I'm going to lock the doors and trap them in." 

"I see."

After stroking his chin, Steve stated matter-of-factly: "It sounds tough alone. I'll come with you."

"Tch... F-Fine. Thanks for the help." (Ugh...?! I don't have time for this! While we're wasting time here, the flames might spread and the protagonist could burn to death!!)

—Steve was like the first friend I made in this cult. He was someone worthy of sharing mutual understanding with. However, however— No matter how you look at it, he was too much of an obstacle. He was bound to become a hindrance.

(I am... I am...)

Right now, I was being forced to make a choice. Give up on encountering the protagonist and leave everything to the whims of fate— Or encounter the protagonist, securely rescue him, and help him escape—

Choosing both options at the same time was impossible. The former choice meant leaving even the protagonist's life and death up to chance. As for the latter option, there was a possibility I might have to kill Steve just to make contact with the protagonist.

Choosing to invite Steve along was out of the question. If I tried explaining by saying "I have memories from my past life" or "The original protagonist is supposed to become an heroic figure on the Orthodox side," I'd just be branded a lunatic, reported, and tied up—end of story.

Besides, we weren't close enough to share such monumental secrets of the world. Even if we could reach that point someday down the line, I had to make a decision right here and now.

There was no time left. Zombies and cultists would soon close in on us.

(...I cannot leave the protagonist's life to chance. I'll knock Steve unconscious and save the protagonist.)

—I chose to rescue the protagonist with my own hands. It was absurd to come this far and do nothing. I felt sorry for Steve, but I'd have to ask him to sleep for a little while.

(Sorry, Steve...)

As a method to knock someone unconscious, there was a technique to deliver a hand-chop to the back of the neck and knock them out. This was a feat possible only with superhuman muscles and technique. Growing up as a cultist, I had mastered this art, boasting a success rate close to one hundred percent.

I circled around behind Steve while he looked away. Confirming no one else was around, I poured strength into my raised right hand.

Right down on a precise spot on the back of his head. With a dull thud, a flawless sensation transmitted into my hand. Perfect.

"Well then, time to get going."

Watching Steve collapse to the ground, I turned on my heel. That was when it happened.

"What are you doing?" 

"!?"

Steve, who should have been knocked out cold, stood back up while holding the back of his neck and raised a crossbow.

"Wait, that was, no..." 

"Okly. You tricked me." 

"N-No, wait, wait... That's not it, Steve! Please believe me!" 

"You tried to kill me, traitor. And I actually trusted you."

"..."

Amidst the billowing flames, I squared off with Steve. His eyes were not smiling. He completely regarded me as a hostile entity.

(Do I really have to do this...?!)

Kill my heart. To save the world, I was going to kill the only person I had connected with in this world. Since he had turned hostile, I had no choice. Tormented by yet another regret whose count I'd lost, I kicked off the ground with all my might.

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