Surviving without God

The cramped maids’ room. A quiet voice was heard.

“‘The Lord’s mercy does not favor lofty and spacious places, but first fills the lowlands and the hollows.’”

“‘Would He who feeds even the mouse in the barn pass by the child of His servant?’”

“‘The Lord loves those who endure in silence, and gladly sits even at the most meager table...’”

The voice that had sounded pious until then suddenly filled with biting sarcasm.

“Such syrupy words. For an evil god, he pretends to be kind unbelievably well.”

Tarsha, her face twisted with disgust, returned the scripture to Gunther.

“Thanks to you, I end up doing all sorts of things in life—even reading the scripture of Jean Daet, that wooden bastard.”

Gunther had begged this scripture from Mari, lying that he too was interested in the doctrines of the Cult of Abundance. She had said it was her second copy, in case she lost the first one. Parco, looking serious, nervously fiddled with the folds of his maid dress.

“I can’t believe Marien was a follower of Jean Daet from the very beginning...”

This was Gunther’s room. Once they had fulfilled the “required conditions,” unlike the previous life, they were able to retain their sanity even after the workday ended. So Gunther gathered the platoon members to share all the information he had obtained during the day. Thus their meeting began in the middle of the night. Naturally, the central question was Mari. The fact that she turned out to be a member of the Cult of Abundance.

“She looks devout?”

“Very.”

In truth, according to the setting of , there was nothing strange about it. The events of this vision took place about a hundred years ago. At that time the Luthien Theocracy had not yet revealed its ambitions and skillfully disguised itself as a devout religious state.

“They hadn’t yet invaded the Alliance of Kingdoms or begun persecuting the inhabitants of Badland.”

Because of this, Jean Daet in those years was worshiped as the patron god of sharecroppers and the poor. The one who promised an abundant life even to the most destitute. In fact, the priests who served him truly did stop famine in various lands and summoned unprecedented harvests. No one suspected that all this “grace” was merely preparation to increase the number of human sacrifices that would be offered later.

The other Seven Evil Gods wore similar masks. Luthien carefully gathered faith across the entire continent, and it was this accumulated faith that later blossomed into a threat that devoured the world.

“...Very amusing. I feel like I’ve fallen into a history textbook.”

Tarsha brushed her hands off with disgust after holding the scripture and continued:

“Anyway, what do we do tomorrow? We can’t just keep wiping dust in the annex when an entire delegation of priests from the Cult of Abundance is arriving.”

Levain, who had been keeping watch in the corridor, leaned into the room.

“Hm. If those guys are instigating Mari to commit a bloody massacre, shouldn’t we focus on tailing the priests?”

Then he added doubtfully:

“...Or simply get rid of her.”

“Get rid of Mari?”

“Yeah. I think there are ways to do it without breaking the ‘role.’ After all, it’s only an illusion.”

At that moment Blanc tilted her head in confusion.

“But wait. Aren’t their relationships fine to begin with...?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Mari and Moretia. Didn’t you see any signs that Mari hates her deeply?”

Gunther once again recalled the image of the two he had seen in the garden.

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

If anything, the opposite. Mari admired Moretia and loved her. Her gratitude for taking in an orphan and allowing her to live in the mansion as a maid seemed enormous.

“I didn’t notice any other feelings...”

After hearing the explanation, Blanc looked around the platoon with a bewildered expression.

“T-then it makes even less sense, doesn’t it? Why would she suddenly eat the young lady she loves so much just because a priest told her to?”

At those words something flashed in Gunther’s mind.

“Wait.”

At once everyone fell silent. From experience they knew that when he made that face, he had grasped something. Gunther realized what he had been missing all this time.

“...There is something.”

There existed a mechanism that made such madness possible. He shifted his gaze to the top of his field of vision. Since the moment they entered the Bellamor mansion, a floating window had constantly been shining there.

[Hunger Gauge: Normal]

Why hadn’t he thought of it earlier? Gunther began pushing through the hazy memories from his previous life.

“Yes... that’s right...”

With each day spent in the mansion, a message appeared saying the hunger gauge had increased. And that dreadful thirst and hunger that remained like phantom pain even immediately after Return After Death. If even with Sharin’s preparation the sensations were that strong, ordinary people would most likely simply go insane. A person driven to the limit by hunger could do anything. In history there were records that during great famines people exchanged their children in order to eat them. Gunther reached a definite conclusion.

“This entire mansion... was sacrificed to the Cult of Abundance. Then everything fits.”

This was the favorite method of the Cult of Abundance. Artificially intensify hunger, drive people to the extreme, and present the god with a mixture of despair and gluttony. For Jean Daet such a form of offering was considered the most “abundant.”

“And the priests who will arrive tomorrow are the organizers of this ritual.”

A short silence followed. Parco, crossing his arms, muttered quietly:

“The entire mansion? But rituals on that scale aren’t done so easily. They require careful preparation.”

Levain shook his head.

“It makes sense if there’s an accomplice inside the mansion who’s been preparing things for a long time in their place.”

“You mean Marien?”

“Who knows. Even if she seems kind, you can’t know what’s inside.”

“...Damn it, what could possibly be so special about this ordinary aristocratic family that they’d go this far? Considering all the trouble and the cleanup afterward, the balance sheet doesn’t add up at all.”

The platoon members sank into thought. Tarsha, resting her chin on her hand, sighed.

“If that’s the case, then there must be signs somewhere in the mansion. Buried cursed objects that assist the ritual, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) or drawn magic circles—in other words, traces of Jean Daet.”

“...We’ll have to search the entire mansion down to the last stone.”

“And keep an eye on the priests arriving tomorrow.”

“And we need to find the accomplice inside the house.”

There was at least one good thing. With the drop in the “synchronization level,” some of their abilities had partially returned. The connection with the gods was still severed, but their physical parameters and mana had recovered slightly. More importantly, the restraining force of the “role” had weakened enough that secret meetings like this at night became possible. Tomorrow they would probably be able to act even more freely.

— !

At that moment Levain made a sharp hand signal.

“Guys. The senior maid is coming.”

“...Let’s go.”

Before leaving, the platoon members exchanged brief glances. In the end they all agreed with Gunther’s conclusion.

No matter what, they had to find out what dark clouds were gathering over this mansion.

With that silent promise, they swiftly dispersed to their rooms, their maid skirts swishing.

“Good night, Gunther! Good night, everyone!”

“G-good night everyone!”

“...Just go to sleep.”

Gunther also quietly lay down on the bed.

Click—clack—

Soon the rhythmic sound of heels was heard. The footsteps stopped in front of the door for a long time, then slowly moved away. When the sensation of someone watching from the window disappeared, Gunther exhaled and threw back the blanket he had pulled all the way to his forehead.

“...We’re walking on thin ice.”

His body, which had suffered all day from kitchen work, begged for sleep, but instead Gunther stood up again and approached the window.

Cool night air. The mansion, submerged in darkness, was barely visible in the faint moonlight. He looked at the scenario window that had just been updated.

[Personal scenario updated!]

— Reveal the hidden danger within the mansion and eliminate it.

That meant finding proof of the ritual and stopping it. The change confirmed that his deduction was correct. He had reached the truth faster than expected. Now all that remained was to solve this, return to reality, kill the weakened Kate, and save Dimona. That was all.

......

Gunther’s gaze lingered for a moment on the scripture on the table. In the quiet of the night his sigh slowly dissolved into the air.

***

The next day went according to plan. From early morning the mansion was in chaos due to preparations for receiving the guests. Gunther and the platoon members carried out their duties while gradually exploring the territory.

...They also did not forget to gather occasionally to form a detailed “action plan.”

And then, around noon. The moment the delegation of Luthien priests crossed the main gates of the mansion, Gunther removed his apron and tapped Mari on the shoulder, who clearly couldn’t sit still.

“Mari.”

“Hm?”

“Do you want to see the priests?”

At those words Mari’s eyes sparkled like a child standing before the entrance to an amusement park. She bounced in place, the tips of her fingers trembling slightly. Even though she always hid her face behind a mask or her hair, Gunther had already grown used to reading her feelings through such gestures. Soon, however, she suppressed her excitement and drooped.

“I-I can’t. The senior maid told me not to leave the kitchen today.”

No. Gunther knew. In the end she would give in to the impulse, go out, get caught by the senior maid, and receive a harsh scolding. Gunther gently took Mari’s hand.

“It’s fine. We’ll look without being noticed. Come on.”

“G-Guntra! What do you mean fine... wait!”

“I told you, it’s fine.”

“How is this fine! You always keep saying ‘it’s fine, it’s fine’!!”

She could have pulled away. But Mari didn’t. The rapid pulse beating in her fingers revealed how excited she truly was. When they reached the lobby, the excited chatter of the maids could already be heard.

“Wow, they’re so beautiful...”

“What an imposing aura they have.”

“Don’t you want to visit the Theocracy at least once? There must be priests like that everywhere there.”

Among all of them, Mari’s reaction was the purest. She covered her mouth with both hands, barely breathing.

“You can make a little noise here. No one will hear.”

“Waaah...!”

Only then did Mari release the admiration she had been holding back. They hid in a corner of the main hall behind a row of decorative knight armor. The noon sun reflected dazzlingly off the polished steel, making it almost impossible to notice them. Gunther had chosen this hiding place in advance. Pressed together in the shadows, they watched the delegation passing by. Mari’s head leaned slightly toward Gunther.

“Guntra, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I... I’m having so much fun.”

Her voice trembled.

“Of course seeing the priests is amazing, but actually just playing like this with someone my own age... yes, it’s the first time. I think I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

“...Really?”

“Mhm. If it weren’t for Guntra, I would never have dared. You keep saying ‘it’s fine, it’s fine’ so naturally that you start believing everything really is fine.”

Gunther silently watched her giggle, then turned his gaze back to the priests. It seemed Mari truly had nothing to do with this.

“Then who?”

Gunther carefully observed every movement of the priests greeting their hosts and the maids. He tried not to miss a single gesture, not a single glance. At that moment Mari murmured quietly:

“Hehe, I was never able to see them before, but thanks to Guntra I finally did.”

“Never...?”

“Well, in recent years they’ve come almost every year. But I always missed them. I was so upset that I even wandered secretly around the annex. Once a priest even caught me.”

Mari, smiling shyly, tightly hugged the worn scripture to her chest.

“But he didn’t scold me. He gave me this. He said that even someone like me is loved by God. You can’t imagine how happy I was.”

At that exact moment Gunther’s pupils trembled, and loud laughter rang out ahead.

“Ha-ha, long time no see! Thank you for coming such a long way!”

The head of the Bellamor house smiled broadly and firmly shook hands with the priest standing at the head of the delegation. Gunther shuddered internally.

“So it is... this isn’t their first visit.”

The head of the house and the leader of the priests. These two spoke like old friends. Mari whispered:

“Oh, that’s him.”

This high-ranking priest had stood out even in the previous life. A dazzlingly handsome man who captured the attention of all the maids. But Gunther could see something sinister in his eyes.

“We are always grateful to the Bellamor family for their hospitality. During missionary work, having a place where we can rest peacefully is a great comfort.”

“Ha-ha-ha, you are always welcome here. Have I introduced you to my daughter? Moretia! Come here.”

...It was time to organize all the confirmed information. The Bellamor family was already deeply connected with the Cult of Abundance, and this priest had visited the mansion multiple times. Whatever “preparations” they had been conducting were unknown, but the foundation of the ritual was most likely already complete. This time they had come for the final act. And they definitely had an accomplice inside helping them. In other words, this mansion was a ticking bomb.

Gunther looked at the kindly laughing head of the Bellamor family, then shifted his gaze aside. Scattered among the excited maids, the platoon members understood his intention and slowly nodded.

Yes. There was no time left to delay.

The operation begins.