Of course, Temple also had clubs—the staple of every school life novel. There were clubs focused on magic research, swordsmanship, or any other field having to do with one's major; there were also music-related clubs or other more recreational ones, as well as some unspecified ones. There were also clubs with a religious focus. Since the student population exceeded one's imagination, it was a fruitless endeavor to count every club in Temple.
Although I created the club setting, the main character, Ludwig, wasn't part of any, so I didn't describe them in much detail. If I made him join a club, the main story would unfold within it. I chose to follow the second of the two ways a school life story could unfold.
I wasn't sure if any of Class A's students were part of any clubs at the time.
Anyway, Adriana was trying to take me to one of the Royal Class' clubs. Adriana served Towan, the god of purity, but it was said that there were many people who were part of the club and followed another of the Five Major Churches.
Of course, there weren't only clubs, but five shrines built for each religion in Temple. They offered classes related to religious studies, and on weekends, students with faith in any of the gods could visit to worship them even if they didn't major in divine powers. There were many religious students in Temple, who had different majors, so I knew that the shrines were full every weekend.
So, rather than taking me straight to the weekend service, Adriana would try to first open my heart to religion by talking to me about it.
Of course, I had no intention of going to any of the shrines.
She said that her club activities were every Thursday after dinner. It seemed like they had a dedicated club room on the top floor of the Royal Class' dormitory.
The club's name was 'Silver', and it was also said to be the club with the most members in all of the Royal Class. It was probably like that because the believers of the five churches gathered there.
In the end, having skipped my evening training, I went down to the lobby with the conviction in my heart that it would be the first and last time.
"Ah, junior, you're here."
"Yeah."
Adriana was waiting for me in the lobby.
"Let's go then."
It was also my first time taking the elevator installed in the dormitory. I had used them frequently before, but it was pretty strange that I never even took the one located in the dormitory.
The 7th floor had a different structure than the lower floors where the dormitory rooms were located. There were many rooms and written on their doors were names of clubs. Due to the nature of the Royal Class, where only the most talented elites gathered, there were hardly any clubs that were simply recreational.
"It's over there."
Adriana walked into a hallway to our right and then stood before a rather large door.
'May the Grace of the Five Lords be with us.'
That phrase was engraved on a silver plate in beautiful handwriting hanging on the door. A silver gate plate, that was the Royal Class for you.
"Let's go in. They're all very good people, so you don't have to be too nervous."
"Do you think I'm one to get nervous?"
Adriana frowned at my joking answer then smiled.
"Okay, then let me tell you something else. Don't cause any trouble, junior."
"Yeah, yeah."
Adriana opened the door, and I followed her in.
It couldn't be said that this applied to everyone, but those believing in religions had some common characteristics. Assuming that they aren't fanatics, but ordinary people that just started believing in a religion or have a healthy dose of faith in them.
Should I say they didn't seem to have a shadow cast on their face, or that they don't seem to have any worries? It felt like they had some passive skill that made them extrude gentleness.
"Oh, is this friend the new arrival you said that would come by? Nice to meet you. I'm Agerton. A fourth-year."
"Ah, yes, this is Reinhardt, a first-year."
They usually had that kind and wrinkle-free expression on their face. It seemed like not all of them were there yet, but they all seemed to make a fuss and welcome the arrival of a new face.
"If you're a first-year, does that mean that you're classmates with Ashir?"
"Yes, although we're in different classes."
It seemed that B-4 Ashir—who was someone who had a talent for divine power in Class B—also belonged to the club. He looked at me from afar and seemed to want to say, 'Why is he here?'.
"Ah… Hello."
"Ah, yeah."
I barely had any interaction with him, so I could only say that much. Most of my seniors knew me from that duel; it certainly left a huge impression on them at the time.
I didn't know whether it was because of that incident or because of their personalities, but I was treated quite favorably by both men and women.
"Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"Yeah, well…"
"If you're hungry, there are some snacks in the cabinet. You can eat whatever you find there."
I felt like I fell into a completely different world because I was welcomed so warmly by people that seemed to never frown. I could see that they were very excited to have someone new around.
"Reinhardt only came here to take a look around today."
Adriana tried to clarify that she brought me there but that I shouldn't be mistaken for a new member. That didn't mean, however, that they lost their spirit.
"Yes, yes, okay. Looking around is fine as well. You can come anytime you want, even if you just want to come hang out when you're bored."
"That's right; there are many people that come here just to pass the time without signing up. You can think of it as getting closer to your seniors."
I was surrounded by people that were happy just by me being around…
I just couldn't get used to that.
I hate bad guys, but my twisted mentality makes me feel uncomfortable when I'm faced with someone who seems too nice. It makes me wonder if I'm comfortable around people like Bertus.
Positive energy and I don't mix well with each other!
There were about 20 members. Since the total number of students of Royal Class was about 120, that was a pretty big number.
Of course, since the high school section had about six grades, the age range was also pretty wide.
"Oh, is that the first year, Reinhardt?"
And the person who greeted me with a bright expression seemed rather familiar; we met for the second time that day, actually.
"I'm Ceres van Owen from the 5th year. Long time no see, right?"
The president of the Royal Class' student council, whom I remembered seeing when I was admitted, also belonged to the club.
The student council president said that although she wasn't majoring in divine powers, she personally believed in the Sun God. She continued to say that she also served as the club's vice president.
I felt like she was someone that got her work-life balance all messed up. She was the student council president, but she also ended up being that club's vice president. Wasn't that kind of weird?
Seeing that everyone was taking their eyes off of me, it seemed that they were about to start.
But was there a problem?
"Hmm… It seems that almost everyone is here, so shall we start?"
Ceres van Owen, the student council president and the club's vice president, said with a rather awkward expression on her face.
"What about the president?"
At Adriana's question, the student council president wore a subtle smile.
"Ah, ahaha… The president said they want to take a break, it seems…"
At those words, the overall atmosphere seemed to darken a bit. It seemed like the club's president had been absent for a while.
Eventually, they started their club activities without the president. I didn't really know what I should do, so I did nothing. It seemed like they started to do some ritual for which everyone had to close their eyes and recite some common prayers.
It was certainly different from the religions I knew from my previous world.
-Blessed are the five Gods…
While everyone was chanting some prayers, the room didn't only fill with a solemn atmosphere, but the bodies of some people gave off a subtle glow. The prayers of those who could use divine powers became power itself, to the point one could see it with one's eyes.
All it was was some kids getting together and praying, although one could feel a certain type of majesty from it. The club room was only filled with a few desks and some miscellaneous furniture, but I felt like I had seen a similar room before.
In fact, I even felt that the divine power emanating from their prayer actually had an effect on me as well—I felt my fatigue vanish, leaving behind a pleasant warmth.
I wondered if that place served as some kind of Fountain of Life. I was full of energy.
That surely wasn't the reason why Adriana said that it was a nice place, but it definitely felt different from the religious gatherings I had imagined.
After the prayer was over, everyone's eyes fluttered open.
Adriana smiled at me. She seemed to want to say, "It's different from what you thought, right?".
"Let's first discuss the main agenda, then. As we all had our group missions last week, let us talk about our experiences."
Since the president wasn't there, the vice president and student council president Ceres van Owen took charge of the schedule.
"First of all, all outside volunteer work has been restricted because of the attack that happened in town before, right? It has been resolved as of now."
The attack on the Knights Templar seemed to also have had an effect on this club as well.
"However, the schedule was totally thrown into disarray last time, so the plan to send out some people to treat the injured soldiers was canceled; they said everything had already been resolved. I think we should find some other way to do volunteer work."
Since the club actually had people that could use divine powers, it seemed like they were volunteering to help in places where the power of a priest would be needed.
'…What's with this?' I thought.
'Are there only people possessed by some holy spirit present here?'
I didn't think that it would be a place for me in many ways. Why were they all such angels?
Anyways, it seemed like they were trying to provide free divine magic services for wounded soldiers and civilians who weren't able to get any help somewhere else. The event got canceled because of the incident with the Templar.
So they were looking for another way to volunteer.
"Any opinions?"
"I heard there were a lot of orphans after the war. There seems to be a shortage of caretakers in public childcare facilities, so how about helping out there?"
"I think that's a very good idea."
Listening to one member's opinion, Ceres nodded, saying it was a good idea. Someone who seemed like a scribe wrote it down.
Various ideas on new volunteer activities were brought up one after the other; then they got organized.
'Just what is this?'
I was surprised because it was a place filled with so much positive energy in a different way than I thought. It seemed that only people who thought it was natural to help someone out if one had power gathered there.
I thought it would be a gathering where they talked about God, recited prayers, and reinforced their faith, but it wasn't like that at all.
Wasn't it more like a volunteer club?
After going through various discussions, it was eventually narrowed down to two plans: Helping out in the public daycare facilities and providing medical services in remote areas and the slums.
"I'll ask the teachers about some public childcare facility locations; as for the medical service in remote areas and slums, it would take some time to find appropriate locations due to local circumstances or safety issues."
I was again reminded that Temple was a place with great social influence. Even if we were part of Royal Class, in the end, it was only a club, but they could obtain the support of the whole institution.
Ah. I wanted to leave.
Their existence in itself was sacred, so I didn't think I should continue to be here.
I guess I was a demon.
Rather than being confronted with an arrogant bastard, being in front of such holy and good aristocrats was kind of, kind of…
A lot more painful!
Before going there, I was afraid because of a completely different reason.
Their new volunteering schedule had been decided, so it was then time for everyone to talk about the group mission. They simply discussed whether they won or lost or if it was fun or not.
"Wasn't this the first group mission for the first years? Ashir, Reinhardt, how was it for both of you?"
Ashir was calm and said that it was a survival mission and that they, unfortunately, lost. He said that he had no idea that an orc would come out and that he was a bit embarrassed that he just ran away because he had been too horrified confronting it.
"Haha… The first group mission certainly is a bit difficult."
"There's a purpose behind that. Should we call it humbling?"
The seniors also talked about the time they had to go through that, reminiscing about the past. The vice president then looked towards me.
"That would mean that Reinhardt's class won, right? How was it?"
"Winning is good and all, but in the end, it was a huge pain in the… Arg! Why are you pinching me?"
Adriana, who was listening to me, suddenly pinched me in my thigh when I was just being honest. No, that bastard. If I were to say something wrong again, she would beat me up, right?
"Can't my junior say some nice things?"
"What do you want me to do when my personality is like this?"
Adriana was also my senior, but from the perspective of the college-level seniors, she was only a little second-year kid, so they were looking at her and me as if our arguing was cute.
Everyone seemed surprised to hear that we fought that orc head-on—even Adriana.
"It's not like it was me who did it; it was that girl named Ellen who took care of everything… and a kid called Harriet, who finished it off with a gigantic Fireball, so I didn't really do anything."
"Still! It's great that you were ready to fight it."
"Yeah, that's amazing, Reinhardt."
Ah.
I felt like I was sinking into the floor because I was surrounded by people who praised me so casually!
In the end, except for the praying in the beginning, it didn't really seem all that religious. Everyone was just talking and chatting.
"Okay, that should end our official talk. Then let us pray. Those who would like to stay can stay, and those who want to leave can leave."
Like that, their club activities ended. To be exact, after it was over, they gathered into groups of twos and threes to talk and eat some snacks together.
Like it had at the start, the prayer again created quite the majestic atmosphere.
After praying, Adriana stayed with me a bit longer. I asked if I could go, but I ended up getting forced to eat some of the snacks.
"Don't you follow any type of faith?"
"Ah, erm, not really…"
The seniors asked me this and that, as I was new around there, and I tried to answer appropriately.
If I told them I believed in myself, Adriana would probably have an even bigger reaction than before.
"Still, it's not bad to have a place to pour your heart out. Think carefully. Because the Gods reward us just as much as we put faith in them."
If they were talking about divine power, that senior's words were indeed true.
No, they were right, but…
I was the creator of the five Gods. I was the world's actual creator, so to speak. So, how paradoxical was it for the creator to follow his own derivatives? That would be a real pain in the butt.
Give me strength, my babies; I'll put my faith in you~
That was just ridiculous!
In the end, they only told me to think carefully about this; they didn't force me to do anything. Everyone talked to me, but they also talked with each other.
"By the way, the president… Will they never show up again?"
"Hmm… I'm trying to persuade them, but I'm not sure."
The high school seniors were talking about such topics in a hushed voice. It must have been a while since the president last showed up in the club.
"By the way, I heard that the Demon God Church seems to have reemerged…"
"The Demon God Church?"
"Yes, because of that incident, there are rumors that the Demon Realm is still intact, so it seems that their belief is spreading again. I heard about it from my uncle, who is an Inquisitor of the Church of Ars.
"I-isn't that a pretty big deal!"
I also remembered the setting of the Demon God Church because Ludwig butted heads with some of its remnants.
The Demon God Church. They were a pro-demon force from within humanity. The one they served was the Demon God, a concept opposite of the other Gods. However, after the Demon Realm completely collapsed, they should have died out naturally—leaving only a few remnants behind.
However, the attack in the capital caused the misunderstanding that the Demon Realm hadn't yet collapsed but was still hiding tremendous power.
That was why the Demon God Church, which should have died out, had found its glimmer of hope and maintained its faith.
I had to keep promising myself that I wouldn't do anything that would have too many consequences that would spread like wildfire everywhere I went in the future.
The whole atmosphere turned solemn after hearing the news about the Demon God Church. For the ones believing in the orthodox religions, the Demon God Church was their main enemy and an organization to be purged.
The female senior, who said her uncle was an inquisitor of the Church of Ars—a heresy inquisitor—cautiously opened her mouth again.
"I… I'm not completely sure about this… But I heard there might be students who believe in the Demon God's religion inside of Temple…"
"L-lies!"
"Stop! Darissa."
Ceres, who had been gentle from the start to the end, furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the senior named Darissa. The girl shuddered at Ceres' warning.
"I know who you mean. They aren't like that."
"B-but still… Isn't it dangerous?"
What were they talking about? Ceres seemed to know who she believed to be Demon God Cultists.
"I'm done talking with the student president. I got a definite answer that they weren't like that in the least."
"Still…"
"Silence."
Ceres glared at her with a cold gaze, continuing to frown.
"They are just kids that tend to say things that might be misunderstood. If these rumors spread, innocent children might get arrested by the heresy inquisitors. And you don't know how those kids might get treated after they get arrested by one, now do you?"
If rumors based on mere speculations were to spread, the kids might get arrested by a heresy inquisitor and tortured to death.
I mean, she should just stop talking bullshit and shut her damn trap because that made her look like someone who got off on spreading shitty rumors. I had just been mentally praising that group for being full of good people too…
"I-I'm sorry…"
Darissa said that she was wrong with a quivering voice and a completely white complexion after getting scolded. Ceres looked around, seeming not as kind as before—emitting a type of pressure.
"Wherever one goes, I hear people talking about the spreading of the Demon God Church; the same goes for Temple, so don't ever say things like that."
Everyone froze up and said they understood.
That girl.
Maybe because she was the student council president, she emitted a kind of authoritative aura.
[Quest appeared – The Demon God Church inside Temple]
[Description : There are rumors that there are Demon God worshippers inside Temple]
[Goal : Find out the truth behind the rumors.]
[Reward : 300 Achievement Points]
A pretty terrifying quest suddenly appeared.