1.
The Heretic Questioner disappeared without a trace.
In the now empty space, there was a slight depression in the middle of the sofa, as if it had been stretched by the Heretic Questioner's little weight. We looked back and forth between the empty seat on the sofa and the hologram.
"Kim Gong-ja. Do you really think he'll do well…?"
"Mm. The Heretic Question has also grown a lot compared to the past."
"Even if a psycho has a change of heart and becomes a psyco, it has only decreased by one letter*. It's still the same thing."(*: There is no good equivalent for this in English, but you get the idea.)
"Anastasia. Think about it. Wouldn't it be great progress if the word 'path' in 'psychopath' was removed?"
"Indeed. If you look at it that way…."
"Oi. What the hell are you two talking about…?"
The Crusader interrupted our conversation with a dumbfounded expression.
"After you two became friends, just listening to you talk is driving me insane. The Black Dragon Master and the Death King. It is shocking enough that you two people, who I never thought could become friends, could do so, but what's even more shocking is how well you two get along… One is the epitome of a dumb gangster*, while the other is a perfect example of a cold city girl."(*: Good for nothing)
"What is it? Are you lonely because we are the only ones who are so close? I have always kept my heart open to the Crusader too. Hey, hey. Friends! Companionship! Friendship! Come on!"
"This guy is the second ranked in our Tower…"
Just as the Crusader sighed through her helmet, a change occurred in the hologram.
"Ahahaha!"
The laughter that had erupted in the waiting room not so long ago was heard once more. This time, it came from within the hologram.
Just like if we were walking down the street, smelled something bad, and turned our heads to see the cause of the bad smell, we instinctively turned our heads to look at the Heretic Questioner like a trash can that was at least 30 years old.
"Hello! Dear snails! And non-snails!"
The cutest blonde trash can in the world smiled brightly.
"This is the first time everyone is seeing me in this form! When I stayed in Rimepolis, I mainly possessed and used puppies to communicate with you. Even when I appeared in your dreams, I insisted on using the image of a puppy! So, perhaps— this location is the best place to greet you from."
The Heretic Question was floating in the air above the forest.
"Nice to meet you. People of the snail race!"
The Heretic Questioner smiled brightly.
It was like a twinkle in the sky.
-I-, is that…?
-It's the same. That's the same person from the video!
-What is this….
The members of the snail race looked up at the sky blankly. Not just the snails. Ever since Seimslam's overwhelming display in the duel, many races had focused their attention on this place. In other words, the place the Heretic Questioner had been sent— the air above Seimslam's head— was the best stage with which to capture everyone's attention at the same time.
-Rime. Isn't that like a god…?
-So beautiful….
The snails muttered unwittingly.
That was right.
The figure leisurely standing in the air, in itself, could already be considered holy. In fact, this was just the formal act of invoking the ability of [Sacred Technique— God's Send off(送神)] every 0.5 seconds to make it seem as if he was floating in the sky. Of course, there was no way for the snails to know that. The children could only look up at their god with entranced faces.
"…"
At that moment, a glimmer of hope passed through the minds of my companions, who were sitting in the waiting room and staring intently at the hologram.
"Huh? This…"
"Isn't it going surprisingly well?"
"Right. The Heretic Questioner naturally has a killer appearance. In fact, even if he ranked 4th based just on his appearance, no one would object. He's the most handsome guy in our Tower, so if he gave them a few national treasure level smiles…"
"It might be surprisingly easy to incite them."
That's right. It seemed we had underestimated the Heretic Questioner too much.
Handsomeness.
That deceptive face which, together with the Black Dragon Master, split the stake of good looks in our Tower in two. In addition to that were a deceptive voice and smile. Even when that deceptive body walked on the ground, it was enough to delude the world and deceive the people, and now, it was floating in the sky. Then wouldn't that be god?!
"People of the snail race."
The Heretic Questioner respectfully clasped his hands together on his chest. After 10 years of being the leader of the Ten Thousand Temples, the Heretic Questioner's gestures as he offered prayers were truly reverent.
"I love you all."
The face of the praying Heretic Questioner was as beautiful as well carved marble. The slightly lowered eyebrows, the eyes shining through the long eyelashes. The exquisitely narrowed lips as if telling a secret, or confessing…
All of these gestures made the snails stare blankly upward.
"I know you all have seen the videos. I, the Heretic Questioner, the man who you worshiped as the Great Puppy, was confined and separated from my companions for 200 years for your sake. I only wanted to live with you, to watch over you and take care of you from the closest distance!"
-Rime….
-Right. We didn't see the other gods because after they finished their task, they hurriedly went to another place… Another world? The outside world? In any case, they went somewhere else.
-However, our god stayed with us… it's difficult for a person to endure 50 years, let alone 200… He endured 200 years without being able to reveal his true self, or even talk to his friends…
"Yes."
The Heretic Questioner clasped his hands together.
Then smiled brightly once again.
"Because I love you all."
Ohhhh-!
The snails started to get excited. This was natural. After all, the truth that [the one who led you was not a god but a human] was obviously shocking. It was a hard truth that was difficult for anyone to bear.
But on the other hand, the truth that [even though he is a human he still loves you and is committed to you] was so moving that it could overturn the shock. So what if he wasn't a god? What was a god in the first place? Isn't the one who watches over us and cares for us our god?
-Angel!
A young snail waved their tentacles.
-You are an angel!
-Right! You are the angel that loves our race!
-Angel! You are so beautiful! Ahh, Angel! Thank you!
It would be enough for the name god to be changed to angel.
"Ahaha. Mm. My beloved snails!"
And the Heretic Questioner was a character optimized for the mass production and distribution of instigation, deception, fabrication, multi-level marketing, and fanaticism. Even if you were to take the most alluring voice, attach it to the most beautiful face template, then install the most terrible psychopath AI, you wouldn't be able to create something like the Heretic Questioner.
"Do not be surprised that you and I look different. Appearance is nothing compared to the love we share. I, too,"
Snapping his fingers, the Heretic Questioner's height began to change. It changed into an adult form. Then, as the snails shouted 'Rimu!', 'Rimu!', the Heretic Questioner changed back to the form of a boy.
"As you saw, I can change my appearance as much as I want. Appearance is not important! Love! The only thing that matters is my heart which loves you and cherishes you as truly beautiful beings!"
-Ohh, oh my rime…
-Great Puppy, guide of our race…
Mm.
Indeed.
It seems I definitely underestimated the ability of the Heretic Questioner…
Sitting in the waiting room, I looked at the hologram dumbfoundedly.
"He's the type of guy who could create a cult no matter what world he was thrown into…"
"Mhm. He was born with it, born to… born to be a cult leader. Isn't that too harsh? I think it's a mistake for such an innate ability to be allowed in this world in the first place."
"…the Heretic Questioner found all kinds of religions, countless denominations, and all manners of heresies from the outside world. He met them all, processed them, and settled the unprocessed believers. In the realm of religion, it is absolutely impossible to defeat the Heretic Questioner."
However.
There were always exceptions.
-Noisy.
Smack!
The sound of a whip resonated throughout the area. The dense forest leaves trembled, and the fragile barks on the tree trunks were swept away by the wind. Suddenly coming to their senses, the snails turned their antennae in the direction from whence the sound came.
-The Fire River Council just submitted a bill, but it seems that my foolish conspecifics did not realize the severity of that bill.
The strongest member of the snail race.
The heroine who still ruled over the Fire River Council even though she only had one tentacle left.
Looking very upset, Seimslam's antennae twitched.
-If you want to talk about god, you must challenge me to a duel and block one blow. That is the law. Clear, articulate, indisputable. The law is so clear, and yet here you are, barking like dogs, rime, or is it because you forgot to take the guidance period into consideration?
-…
-It would be fine to punish all those who broke the law.
The air in the forest suddenly became dank.
-Considering the uniqueness of this case, I will let it slide this time.
-Purrhuu.
-Rimuuu…
Sighs came from all over the forest. There was no one who didn't know how strict Seimslam was, and she was especially famous among the snail race. The general opinion was that Seimslam was stricter towards her own race.
-Rime.
When the surroundings became quiet, Seimslam raised her antennae and looked at the Heretic Questioner.
-Heretic Questioner, you said it was?
"Yes! That's right!"
-Let me ask first. Is that the real name of the Great Rime?
"If you're asking for my real name, hmmm. That is difficult to answer."
The Heretic Questioner smiled.
"I have a name that represents my life, and a name that represents my birth. [Heretic Questioner] is the former. In a word, for you, it is similar to the title [Chairman of the Fire River Council]. It reveals my position, discloses my stance, and shows my obligations and capabilities."
-I am Seimslam.
Seimslam looked up at the Heretic Questioner expressionlessly.
-Seimslam. That is my name. I can be the Chairman of the Fire River Council, or I could quit being the Chairman. I have a life before I became Chairman, and I can carve out a new life after I am no longer Chairman. So in your words. Seimslam. That is my only name.
"…."
-What is your name?
Time passed.
It was still noon as the sun blazed down. The noon sunlight bounced back and forth on leaves of the palm trees, scattering split shadows similar to fractals on the ground. Seimslam was covered in a split shadow, and the Heretic Questioner was also covered in a shadow that had been split two or three times.
"Bambolina."
-Bambolina?
"Yes."
The Heretic Questioner smiled faintly.
"It means doll. From your perspective, it's a different language. You could call me Kukla(Кукла) if you want, I don't mind. However, I will ask that you do not call me Bambolina if possible."
-Why is that?
"That is the name that only my master calls me by!"
-…
"If you must call me by my real name, call me Kukla."
-Understood. Then Kukla.
The waiting room.
While listening to this series of conversations, my companions silently turned to look at me.
"…"
"…"
The fact that I had become the Heretic Questioner's Master had been spread through the mouth of none other than the Heretic Questioner himself. As for how special the contract between us was, someone like the Black Dragon Master or the Crusader would have a rough idea.
Only to me.
The Heretic Questioner told his children his real name, which only I, the one he had sworn loyalty to, knew. He told them.
"Bambolina should have realized it by now."
So I had no choice but to tell them.
"That isn't just a meeting between cult leader and believers."
It took many conditions for me to learn the Heretic Questioner's real name. I had to overcome many obstacles, and prove my qualifications and abilities. Prove that I was more capable. That I could use you better…
However, there were people in the world who he had to reveal himself to even without conditions.
"To paraphrase, it's like a discussion between parents and children."
Children.
Daughter.
Son.
"Even if he is the head of a great guild, and one of the top five in the Tower, the Heretic Questioner can't reveal his title as [Leader of the Ten Thousand Temples] to his children. 4th Rank? He can't boast about such achievements."
Maybe if the parents and children spent time together, and the parents grew old and the children grew up, and they reached a point where they were living in the same 'world'— then they might understand and respect the weight of the title's [Leader of the Ten Thousand Temples] and [4th Ranked], and a closer relationship might sprout from it.
However, not now.
"As Bambolina said, this is the [first] time he is facing them."
The first face to face meeting between parents and children.
Not as the Heretic Questioner or the Ten Thousand Temple Lord, but only with his real name. He had no choice but to reveal his bare face.
Unless he intended to take advantage of the children.
"…"
Within the hologram, the Heretic Questioner was still smiling.
However, the atmosphere surrounding the smile was a bit cold. This smile, which was so warm and bright and kind when he was everyone's cult leader had now become a smile that was nothing more than a courtesy to reassure others.
Even though the other party was none other than the snail race who were no different from [his own children].
-Rimu.
Seimslam expressionlessly looked up at the smiling god-angel-father.
-We, the snail race, have a unique way of thinking. The only thing worth existing in this world are the useful things. Only the useful should survive, and the useless should be ignored so that they face natural selection on their own.
Lifting her one remaining tentacle, Seimslam continued.
-We strive our whole lives to be useful. Rest is simply a preparation stage for work. Sleep is the rest stage for every day life. I wake up early in the morning to train, and return late at night after finishing my work. In the meantime, I constantly check myself to see how useful I've been and whether I was negligent.
Seimslam continued. Her world crawled along the dark ground, hidden in the shadows of the countless palm trees. Rime. The snails who clung to the shaded trees with their mucus nodded their antennae in agreement with Seimslam. Rime.
-Useless things begin to turn yellow. We give bluestones to those things, and let them rot in decayed underground tunnels.
Bluestones were stones that shined deep blue, a drug mainly consumed by the snail race. Because it was highly addictive, they were generally avoided by the snail race. Upon hearing those words, the surrounding snails nodded again.
Rime.
The members of the snail race chirped from the shadows, like the sounds of cuckoos in a dark forest.
-Do we need to kill them? No. Rather, it's better to keep them alive as long as possible. Because when we [normal] snails see those guys screaming 'it doesn't matter if we starve to death, just give us bluestones', we would think 'oh, they are still useful to us'. Since they're still useful, we can rest assured.
Rime.
-Even if there are some who fail to keep their lives, it's not a bad thing. In any case, they are the ones who ruined their lives for bluestones. They say that bluestones are better than life, so every time, we give them gifts that are better than life. Rime. Eat. Eat more. Eat as much as you want.
Rime. Rime.
-They are dregs, but they are [useful] dregs. Because they make us alert. Rime. We are a great race. We are the race who subjugated the six other races under our tentacles, built great caves, and ruled. Even though the 1,000 year empire collapsed until the lowly blades of the slaves, the empire is still alive in our hearts and minds. And even today, we strive to live [useful] days as the people of the empire.
Rime.
-…this.
Rime.
-These, are all things we learned from you.
Rime.
"…"
-You taught us. You told us what was useful and useless. We, the children, nodded. After growing up, we moved our tentacles to take action. You told us to be proud, so we were proud, you led us to build an empire, so we created one according to your words.
Rime.
-You gave birth to us.
"…"
-What we feel. When, where, and how to despise someone. How to feel happy. How to be proud. How strongly to feel about things you shouldn't do. All of it. Was taught by you and inherited from you.
"…"
-So, Kukla. Even if you didn't give birth to us physically, you gave birth to our minds, our senses, and out lives. You are the parent of all of us. Look at the way we speak for example. In the beginning, you called yourself Rime. Because of that, we say [rime] when we are in a good mood, and [rimu] when we are in a bad mood. Understand? Your name determines our good and bad moods.
Rime, rime.
Rimu.
Rime.
-Nevertheless.
Seimslam glanced around.
-After hanging around the idiots of the goblin race…
The red skinned Asuras were listening seriously to Seimslam's words with folded arms.
Was it so interesting to be so serious?
Purup, Seimslam scoffed.
-I… realized how [abnormal] our race was.
"…"
-A person could be useful or not. They can exist even if they're not. Uburka, who is praised as the strongest warrior in the history of the goblin race, was born with albinism and found it difficult to even walk under the sun. He must have failed as a warrior. However, he treated his albinism as an obstacle to overcome, and overcame it, then built his own life as a series of overcoming.
Seimslam murmured.
-If he had been born into our race, he would have lived his entire life stuffed in a hole and addicted to bluestone since childhood. Then, he would have devoted his life to being [useful] by accepting our ridicule and sneers.
"…"
-Kukla.
Seimslam continued to look expressionlessly at the Heretic Questioner.
-Our Father.
"Yes."
Without realizing, even the Heretic Questioner's expression had disappeared.
To this unsmiling parent, the seasoned snail race child asked.
-Why is our Father a psycho?