A few days later, I visited the barracks used by Tilda's troops with Lucy,
who has completely recovered.
They welcomed us with open arms when they found out that we, their allies
from the last battle, had come.
"Tilda's room is here. Enjoy your stay."
"Thank you very much."
We thanked the guide and knocked on the door of a certain room.
"Come in. It's open."
Upon opening, we saw a simple interior with a chair, a desk, and a bed. On
the chair sat Tilda, the woman with long black hair and the person we are
seeking.
"It's unusual for us to have a guest. However, you have our utmost
welcome."
She said in a quieter voice than when we last saw her.
She also had the same calm tone during the battle we had once before, if we
ignore the difference that she was rampaging on the battlefield like a
madman back then.
"I'm sorry to bother you without notifying you first. But I'm glad to hear
that you're feeling better."
Lucy greeted back, to which I also accompanied with a nod.
Tilda was the spearhead of the entire unit that had taken out most of the
enemies on the last skirmish, despite suffering heavy casualties in their end
as a result.
The most amazing part of it is that she has even managed to inflict
tremendous damage against the Goblin King after all that damage on her.
So by the time we were done, and the enemy leader was slain, she
immediately collapsed from exhaustion, only to wake up two days later
after being rescued, according to the report.
All the wounds in her body should have healed, but she was probably not
back to full strength yet, since their troops have taken no actions as of late.
"I'd like to talk to you a little bit about how we would proceed with you
from now on if you don't mind."
"No problem. Carry on."
"Thank you very much. The idea is that I would like to incorporate Tilda's
unit into mine..."
From here, Lucy began to tell Tilda what she and I had talked about before.
She had talked about the troops' current predicament, the Marquis' view of
the matter of hiding their names in the list of contributors, of why she
would join Lucy's unit to gain the benefits, and ending it with an earnest
invitation in the end.
While Lucy was at it, I began to remember some of the things I had
researched on my own. It was about the Herderites. If yo u ar e ab le to r
ead this mes sage, yo u are re ad ing fr om an unau thori zed agg rega te si
te. Rea d at my Wor Pres s at sta bbing wi th a syri nge. h ome. bl og to
suppo rt me and my tra ns latio ns.
Herderism is a religion that is not common in this area, but it has a doctrine
of increasing virtue through good deeds, which is common in other
religions.
However, Herderism was different from other religions in how it promoted
virtue.
They try to increase virtue by reincarnation.
They say that by throwing yourself into a great battle and serving for the
sake of justice, you can be reincarnated with your current virtue intact once
you die in battle.
That by repeating the same process, one can aim for a higher place at their
destination of reincarnation.
(It's quite a dangerous religion, but now I understand why the Herderites
are so strong.)
I recalled their bravery and courage on the battlefield.
For them, death is not something to be feared but a step towards the next
life.
No one can criticize their religion either. After all, the actions they commit
– mainly the battles they throw themselves into – are always for the greater
benefit of humanity in the end.
Well, at least not at this time, with the monsters running rampant and could
attack at any place, and where brave soldiers to fight monsters are always a
need.
People with a definite sense of justice and have the perfect place and time
to earn virtue. That is the Herderites.
While I was thinking about this, Lucy's and Tilda's conversation seemed to
be reaching its end.
"It's a win-win situation, and I would love to have you join my unit."
Lucy is now sitting in front of Tilda, trying to persuade her with her talks.
There are several documents on the desk in front of her.
One of them has the chief commander's signature on it.
The document says that in exchange for the honor of defeating the enemy
general, he promises to support the Herderites.
In addition, if they come to agree to be put under the protection of Lucy, a
noblewoman, their lives would be secure.
(Considering this approval already came from the Marquis, the same man
who had segregated the refugees not because he was wise but because he
was xenophobic, I would consider it a big benefit. Not to mention this is a
foreign religion we are speaking.)
"It's certainly a fascinating offer, but..."
"Is there something you are unsatisfied with within the conditions?"
Tilda meditated once. Then, she looked back at Lucy with a sharp gaze.
"It's you I'm worried about."
"...M-me?"
"Yes. You feel inferior to us."
Lucy chewed on her lip at this illustrative remark.
"You are easily perturbed, that I can easily see. Because of this, I'm worried
that you'll be hesitant to send us to the front once you feel the battlefield
uncomfortable for you. That's what worries me more than the issue of
whether we can trust you or not. If you encounter a situation that was the
same as the other day, will you be able to send us to the front as I did to
them?"
For Tilda and the rest of the Herderites, it is essential to participate in a
glorious fight.
They can't be under the thumb of anyone who might be an obstacle to that.
"That's certainly important. So what do you think, Lady Finlay?"
"Yes, she's absolutely right. I guess I have to change a lot of things on our
side after this."
She nodded as if she was fully aware of what I was talking about.
If Lucy accepts Tilda here, she would have to change her tactics entirely.
This means she has to adapt even more aggressive strategies than before,
like charging ahead at first sight of the battle, unlike before when she was
playing defensive due to her fear of monsters.
The only saving grace is that she has become braver now, thanks to my
treatment. But she was still a beginner in this area, so she still needed time
to adjust.
Not to mention many nobles would certainly be aggravated with her actions
and would see her as an upstart baron that doesn't know her place if she did
that.
But that's bot all. There's also the issue of the Marquis getting wary as the
Herderites would also be gaining fame with her every success...aah,
what a headache.
While I was about to suffer a migraine, Lucy looked up and faced Tilda
again.
"Ms. Tilda. I promise I will actively use you all on the battlefield when the
time comes that I need you. And I will not hold back."
"...In that case, we will now be at your command."
I'm not sure if she sensed Lucy's determination when she said that, but
thankfully, Tilda agreed in the end. Th s cha pter tran slation is ma de pos
sib le by stab b ing wi th a syr i nge tra nslati ons. check onl y up-to-d at
transla tions on my Wor dpr ess si te.
All that was left is to submit the paperwork to the command center, and
their assignment would be officially changed.
As for me, I'm just happy, honestly. After all, there's nothing more
reassuring than having capable allies.
"I'm going to go to the command center now. If I don't hand-carry these
documents quickly, they will end up in the chief commander's desk along
with the other non-urgent documents. Or worse, get misplaced and never be
found again," Lucy said this as she stood up.
Remembering how hectic it was when I last came to the headquarters, I also
stood up to follow her, but someone stopped me from behind.
"Hey, you. Wait a minute."
"Y-you mean me?"
I stopped and turned around, only to see that Tilda is facing me instead of
Lucy.
"Yes, I have some business with you. I need to talk to you for a minute."
"I don't mind, but..."
I then looked at Lucy, who already had her hand on the door of the room.
She was puzzled for a moment, but she seemed to have understood the
meaning behind my stare and waved her hand at Tilda instead after a few
seconds.
"I'll be fine on my own, Yuushin. Just listen to her."
After saying that, she took the transfer documents in my hand and left the
room.
After hearing Lucy's steps no more, I faced Tilda and sat down in the chair
that Lucy has been sitting in earlier.
"So, what's the story? I'll help you as long as it is within my abilities."
"Yes. You see, it's about our customs."
"You mean about Herderism? I've done a little research, but I only know
that reincarnation is an important part of your teachings in your religion."
In the past, I would have thought that reincarnation is just a form of fantasy,
but now that I've had the unique experience of transferring to another
world, I'm no longer in a position to deny it.
Of course, mine was transmigration rather than reincarnation since I didn't
die and get reincarnated to another body, but either way, I'm confident I can
now take these topics seriously.
"Yes, and in our teachings, reincarnation is necessary for our faith. But in
order to be reincarnated, we have to die first."
"The more you believe, the fewer believers you have. What a difficult
predicament."
There must be very few newcomers to their religion.
"Exactly. That's why we're also proactive in having children, so that the
souls of our friends may inhabit them."
"Wait. So, you're saying that this reincarnation makes your religion selfsufficient? Pardon my rudeness, but even if it's true, with so many children
being born every day, I don't think the odds of a fellow soul inhabiting a
child anywhere near here are very good."
"That's okay. In the previous battle, many of our comrades successfully
went to the path of reincarnation. With these many souls, several tens of
them should be reborn here. But because of the recent events where having
a child is now a burden more than a blessing, I doubt that they would
acquire sufficient bodies to reincarnate into. Thus, it is also the role of us
survivors to make babies for them to be reincarnated safely, just to be safe."
After explaining in a way that I couldn't help but rebuke for many
loopholes it has, Tilda got up from her chair and moved in front of me.