Chapter 27 The Voice of the Devil
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In the darkness, a tree branch that I had stepped on was cracking. There is not a single city light in the area, and the moonlight dimly illuminates the ground.
The time was 11:00 pm.
The sound of a small rumbling in the quiet space alerts the surroundings of my presence.
Now, I am on a mountainside, far from the city. From the halfway point, there is only an unpaved gravel road, and only ruts remain between half-compacted plants and trees. The landscape of the mountains was deserted as if to say that only a few people use this road.
A week ago, Sayaka, who had been sworn to me as a priest of Agfis, told me that the headquarters of the cult of Gospel of Love was located in this secluded mountain, where only the locals knew the name, and that some people including the leaders of the cult were living here.
To the believers, this insignificant mountain is sacred, and this place is a holy place.
This made me sneer.
Which part of this mountain has such mystical power hidden in it?
If it had been a sacred place for a long time, I must have heard about it at least a little, since I live in the same prefecture. Probably it must have been a place that no one would come near until the cult designated this mountain as a sacred mountain.
To me, they are nothing more than a bunch of frauds, but to Sayaka, it seems that they were the object of her devotion.
Well, she is the kind of woman who would easily believe my lies. I was not surprised at the fact that Sayaka had been making donations and buying suspicious-looking water.
However, when I heard that there were several thousand followers, I could not hide my surprise. Or perhaps it would be better to say that I changed my mind.
Religious organizations are taxed much less than general corporations.
They are not totally exempt from taxation, but they are exempt from taxation on the income that is considered to be of public interest. To put it bluntly, the modern interpretation of the term is that monks earn a lot of money.
If that is the case, they must be storing up a lot of money. That’s why I am here now.
To my left, through a gap in the trees, I saw a vast vacant lot and some facilities there.
Considering the size of the lot, the building directly in front of me seems to be as big as a small gymnasium. I guessed that this was probably the place called the dojo.
It is said that believers pray to a fake god in this dojo morning and evening. It also seems that there are various other facilities such as accommodations and a cafeteria, and it was a scene that showed how much money this cult is taking from its followers.
With such a scene in my sidelong glance, I headed toward the top of the mountain. This time, I have a business to attend at a place called the Sacred Temple, which is the residence and temple of Nishikuze Eishin, the leader of the cult.
However, it seems that ordinary believers are not allowed to enter the area unless they are summoned, and Sayaka did not know much about the temple.
After walking along the road for a while, the view of the surrounding area opened up and I saw a white temple.
Although it pretends to be a sacred temple, it looks like an exquisite mansion that one often sees in summer resorts. However, depending on one’s point of view, it may look like a temple.
It was hard to believe that it was in the middle of the mountains because this luxurious white mansion had such a majestic atmosphere that one could tell even at a glance.
”What should I do…?”
I whispered to myself.
The gate itself was left open, but I noticed that there were surveillance cameras installed here and there as well as at the main gate.
Even if I went around to the other side of the building, the whole place must be covered by the security system. Although I am not afraid of being seen because I am already wearing a mirage coat at this moment, it would be a little troublesome if there were any kind of security sensor.
Judging that it would be better to enter the building from the main entrance, I proceeded on my way.
When I reached the entrance, I stopped and looked around.
As for the lock, I have confirmed that the ‘Thief’s Universal Key’ that I found in the ruins in the other world can be used in this world as well. However, although I was sure that it would be no problem, I had ruled out the possibility of breaking in through the front door.
The front door is within the range of the surveillance cameras.
Considering the fact that the front door is well recorded, this is not a method I would like to take. Worst case, if there is no other way to enter the building, I am thinking of forcing my way in, knowing that the camera will capture the front door opening by itself, but I would prefer to do it in secret if possible.
Looking to the left and right, I see a row of marble-like columns surrounding the building, which look as if they are of no practical use. I climbed up using the protruding columns as footholds, and then I put my feet on the doorway rail and leaped down to the second floor.
Then, I reach the roof of the first floor, and with the lightness of a cat, I move along the narrow foothold to the balcony of the second floor.
Once on the balcony, I head for the door to the interior.
I open the locked door with the Thief’s Universal Key and easily enter the sanctuary. Having experienced something similar in the other world several times, it was not that difficult to burglarize the building.
The two people in this building at night are supposed to be Nishikuze Eishin, the founder, and his accomplice, Higashikawa Hirofumi. This is only the information as far as Sayaka is informed, although it may be wrong in reality.
In any case, it is certainly necessary to check how many people are currently inside this building. So, I went around each room stealthily, checking carefully for any sign of people.
After confirming that there is no one upstairs, it is not until I get to the bottom of the stairs that I notice the sound of people talking.
Looking down the dark corridor from the stairs, the light of a room leaked through a slighly open door, clearly indicating that someone was in that room.
I quietly and slowly make my way down to the first floor.
At the same time, I notice that the voices are getting louder and louder. I could not catch what they were saying, but the quality of their voices indicated that they were two mature men. If Sayaka’s information is correct, the voices must be from Nishikuze Eishin and Higashikawa Hirofumi.
Just to be sure, I decided to leave that room behind and look around other places.
I was worried that if there were any other people in the room, my plan might be ruined.
Finally, after making sure that there was no sign of anyone other than the room I had just checked, I entered the room where Nishikuze was supposed to be, stealthily and unnoticed, in order to accomplish my goal.
*
”That’s why. Can’t you see I’m telling you to behave a little less?”
”Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. And the proof is that it’s not that much of a problem, is it? Besides, it should be your job to give priority to my wishes as the founder, shouldn’t it, Hirofumi?”
Two men are sitting on a luxurious sofa and seem to be having a bit of a struggle.
One of them is a big man with a round head. He was not so fat but not so thin, and his rounded face helped him to look mild-mannered.
Probably this person must be Nishikuze Eishin.
And the person sitting in front of him was a thin man with glasses. On the contrary to the round-shaven man, this man had a stern face.
He looked somewhat cunning and shrewd, and there seemed to be a little bit of white hair on the head of the one with glasses. I guessed that both of them were in their late 40s or so.
”You’d better stop this nonsense, Eishin. Who do you think brought you up to such an exalted position? Or what? Don’t tell me you think you’ve built up this cult by yourself? If you want, I can replace you with a million other people.”
”No, I didn’t say that much. Of course, I’m well aware of the fact that it’s only because of your efforts, Hirofumi. But you know, I’ve contributed in my own way. I don’t think I deserve to be complained so much just because I had my hands on one or two young women.”
”Yes. Of course, I’ve allowed you to play with women up to a certain extent. But, then, you came here to beg for the cult’s money just because you wanted to corrupt some cabaret girl, you know!? You even hired a private detective to investigate her background for over a month. The cost alone was over 500. And how much do you think you spend every time you go out for a drink at that bar? Altogether, it’s over a thousand. Can’t I complain about that?”
The man called Hirofumi sighs.
”You mean Sayaka Hojo… Well, Sayaka is surprisingly tough. Sayaka is a bit pious, but she’s not that stupid. I don’t think I can fool her easily. And currently, I’m trying to figure out how to get her, and I’m at a loss for what to do next. But I’m sure she’s donated a lot of money to the cult regardless of that. Isn’t it possible to expect a certain amount in the future as well, and then the amount spent will be offset someday?”
”Well, that is true. It’s a good thing that we got a return, but we would have lost a lot of money if we had failed to get a return. Successfully, the information about her parents’ early death or her daughter’s incurable disease would have given us a chance to take advantage of her. So, I don’t have any complaints about that woman. But it won’t work so well next time, you know. I’m talking now about the fact that you, as a believer, are trying to get your hands on girls one after another, and it’s even worse if they’re underage. If you can hide everything from the public, that’s fine, but since you’re living here, that’s impossible no matter what you think.”
”No, I’m not trying to touch them, I’m just talking to them. Besides, I’m getting tired of dealing with old ladies. Even I, myself, still think that I’m still active on the other side. It’s what men do, isn’t it? Put a young woman on the bed, and conceiving our child.”
”That’s why I’m telling you to do something about that Sayaka woman and to hold off for the time being. She’s a pretty good woman just like you said, Eishin. But if the rumor spreads that the founder might have a hand in a minor, the foundation of this Cult might be shaken. I mean, we have worked so hard to grow the cult, and now we are finally making a lot of money. I beg you not to cause any more problems. Okay?”
It is interesting to note that Higashikawa Hirofumi seems to have more power than Nishikuze Eishin.
Nishikuze nodded his head to Higashikawa’s words with a frown on his face. And from what I’ve heard so far, both of them seem to be vulgar and far from being clergymen, and they’ve been talking about nothing but money and women since a while ago.
Well, now that I’ve heard this, I’ve made up my mind.
Although I had thought it was unlikely, I had been considering canceling my plan in case they were a decent religious group.
But if it were a scum like this, I don’t need to be afraid. I would be able to go ahead with my plan with a good feeling.
So I move to the wall and lock the auxiliary locks on the window rails one after another. I make sure that even if they try to escape, they won’t be able to open the door for a moment.
”Hmm? Are you hearing something clicking?”
I heard Higashikawa’s voice.
I do not pay attention to his voice, and start to lift up the cupboard fixed to the wall with force this time. The cupboard, which was more than two meters high, was removed from the wall with a cracking sound. Then, after lifting the cupboard completely off the wall, I throw it toward the door through which I entered.
”Hey, hey…”
The cupboard and the wall collide with each other with a rumbling sound.
The glass of the cupboard shattered with the impact, and the contents were scattered on the spot. There was a hole in the wall, and the cupboard itself was still in its original shape, but the deep vertical cracks in it showed the severity of the impact.
”Hey! Hirofumi, what do you do? Are you playing a trick on me to surprise me?”
”Of course not! Did you do something to me too?”
Both of them remain frozen in mid-sitting.
They just look at each other and don’t move an inch, seemingly stunned by the strange phenomenon that has just occurred.
I take out the Lady Bug from the interdimensional storage and approach Nishikuze this time. Then I aimed the Lady Bug at Nishikubo’s rounded abdomen with a flash.
”Gyaaaa!!!!”
Nishikuze lets out a short scream from the sudden pain.
The Lady Bug that sliced through Nishikuze’s abdomen along with his clothes begins to tremble with the blood-sucking urge.
Even though I didn’t hit him that deeply, his abdomen was split in two, and bright red blood started to flow from the split.
”Who is it!!!!?”
Higashikawa finally realizes what is wrong.
Someone other than the two of them is doing this.
Higashikawa does not run away from the scene, but looks around, wondering whether he should approach Nishikuze, who is holding her stomach and moaning, to help him.
”Who am I? Hahaha… I am your enemy.”
”Where are you? And enemy? What the hell are you talking about!?”
”Hmm. Do you have any idea who the enemies of God are that you claim to follow? Yes, you do. If I tell you I’m a messenger of the devil Vepar, will you understand me?”
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.