Reaching 50% of the world's population as Christians?
To be honest, if this task were set in a time of peace, it would be almost impossible to achieve, even though Christianity already has over a billion followers, accounting for about 20% of the world's population.
The human heart is the most complicated thing—how could you possibly get so many people to change their faith?
The only thing he could think of was to do what Christianity itself had done: launch a Crusade, kill all the infidels, and then the proportion of Christians would naturally increase.
But in a post-apocalyptic world like Kabaneri, things were different. He could completely use the same methods he had employed in Yokosuka—semi-coercive, semi-brainwashing tactics, almost like a cult, to expand the number of Christians.
The fact that the system would assign such a task was likely due to his actions in this world.
It set a higher goal, and once achieved, he would become stronger more quickly!
He wondered whether God, upon learning of this, would praise his achievements or be so enraged by his deception under the guise of Christianity that He would strike him down.
After defeating the powerful enemy, Ryou's subordinates fell into a frenzy of post-survival celebration.
Even they could hardly believe that they had faced such a terrifying enemy and achieved zero casualties.
He left 3,000 troops to garrison the area, while the rest returned home.
Taking this opportunity, he held a grand mass akin to a celebration.
Previously, the entire Yokosuka had been living under a tense atmosphere, and now it was time to relax and unwind.
At Ryou's command, all restrictions were lifted.
The entire Yokosuka turned into a sea of joy.
Living in this apocalyptic world, where survival was uncertain, was incredibly oppressive.
Especially since Ryou had, to promote Christianity, not only refrained from restricting external information but had also launched a newspaper called The Gospel.
Although it was named The Gospel, the contents of the newspaper were either bad news from the outside world—like which city station had been overrun with no survivors, or where the Kabane wave had reached—or good news from Yokosuka, such as the progress in building protective walls or the opening of new church schools.
It also featured relentless criticism of the Shogun and the Emperor.
In The Gospel, the Shogun was portrayed as an incompetent fool, while the Emperor was depicted as a tyrant and hypocrite, indifferent to the lives of the people, a descendant of false gods.
On one hand, there was life in the depths of despair and constant danger; on the other, there was peace, stability, free compulsory education, and opportunities to rise in status.
This stark contrast gradually made the people of Yokosuka lean towards Ryou.
Of course, restricting the flow of information also had its downsides, such as the intense atmosphere before the great battle, which deeply affected the general populace.
So this perfect victory came at just the right time.
It dispelled the tension and made the people of Yokosuka realize that the Kabane were not invincible undead monsters.
As long as they were under the Lord's banner, they could be invincible and live a beautiful, peaceful life!
For the common people, what could be more attractive than that?
At the Admiral's residence—a three-story European-style building—Ryou leaned against the balcony on the third floor, overlooking the large square a hundred meters away.
Night had already fallen, but the square was still lively.
The victorious soldiers were either with their families or lovers, some even with people of the opposite or same sex, laughing, singing, and dancing, turning the once solemn square into a sea of joy.
From a distant church, the clear, melodious sound of hymns and bells could be heard.
Looking at this scene of prosperity, Ryou felt a deep sense of pride.
All the hard work and planning had finally borne fruit, and the sense of accomplishment was far more real than anything a game could offer.
Now, he was the only one left in the entire residence.
When the celebration had just begun, Shimakaze-chan had pestered him to let her go out and have a look around.
Ryou had no choice but to let Yamato take Shimakaze and Ayame out together. But before they even left, Ais followed after them.
As for the administrative staff who usually worked in the residence, He had given them the day off.
So now, the vast residence only had Ryou left. No, maybe there was one more person.
Footsteps approached, and someone slowly walked up to his side.
"Weren't you supposed to be presiding over the mass at the church?"
Ryou turned his head to look at the newcomer.
Under the moonlight, the French Saint had shed her usual battle armor and was now wearing a luxurious dress dominated by white, with intricate patterns embroidered in gold thread—a dress full of Christian symbolism.
If Jeanne's usual attire made her look like a valiant Valkyrie on the battlefield, then this religiously themed dress transformed her into a pure, loving saint.
The stark contrast left him momentarily stunned.
Noticing Ryou's stunned expression, Jeanne's eyes flashed with a hint of shyness, but she pretended to be nonchalant.
"I only needed to preside over the initial ceremony. Today is a rare holiday; our Lord will forgive me."
As she spoke, Jeanne closed her right eye and gave a playful smile.
Ryou, feeling a bit guilty, scratched his cheek.
He was the one who had burdened her with the heavy administration of the territory, leaving Jeanne without a day off.
"Ahem! Why didn't you go shopping with the others?"
He quickly tried to change the subject.
Hearing this, Jeanne walked directly up to him and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Of course, I was worried that you might feel lonely being by yourself, so I came to keep you company."
A delicate scent wafted over.
Ryou felt that Jeanne seemed quite different tonight compared to usual. For a moment, he didn't know how to handle it.
Before he could answer, Jeanne stepped back slightly, lifted her long skirt, and spun around.
"How do I look?"
Ryou quickly nodded.
"So perfect that I was completely entranced."
Jeanne gave him a look that said, "At least you have a conscience."
For a moment, the two fell silent, and he felt the atmosphere between them becoming strange, making him instinctively want to escape.
"By the way, I have a bottle of good wine from Chateau Lafite in France. Why don't we take this opportunity tonight to taste it together? Wait here, I'll be right back..."
Ryou said, turning to leave, but as soon as he turned, Jeanne immediately grabbed his hand, forcefully spun him around, and cupped his face with both hands.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Jeanne is so direct today! So assertive!
This thought flashed through his mind in an instant.
"You have to give me an explanation today, or you're not going anywhere!"
Jeanne stared directly into his eyes with a forcefulness that made even the usually audacious Ryou hesitate to meet her gaze.
He slightly averted his eyes and cautiously asked, "What explanation?"
Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "You took me away from my original world, so you need to take responsibility as a man!"
Ryou was shocked; this wasn't just a hint—it was a blatant declaration.
He increasingly felt that something was off.
At that moment, he suddenly caught a faint whiff of a rich aroma—the scent of wine. And the source of that scent was none other than the saint standing before him.
"You… you've been drinking!?"
Ryou immediately remembered that there was indeed a ritual involving the drinking of red wine during the mass.
In Catholicism, wine is referred to as the blood of God.
Now that he'd identified the culprit, he found himself both amused and exasperated, as this realization didn't help him resolve the current situation at all.
What surprised him even more was Jeanne's low alcohol tolerance. It seemed that while she inherited the stomach of a king, she didn't inherit her drinking capacity.
"Please don't change the subject!"
The half-drunk Jeanne was incredibly assertive.
"I have romantic feelings for you, so Ryou, what about you? How do you feel about me?"
As she spoke, Jeanne leaned in closer to him, her breath fragrant with a hint of wine.
The warm breath, tinged with the scent of alcohol, brushed against Ryou's face, making the air feel increasingly hot.
Seeing the seriousness in Jeanne's eyes, Ryou realized there was no way he could brush this off today.
"Of course, I like Jeanne too. But I…"
In this situation, backing down would mean he wasn't a man.
He looked directly into Jeanne's eyes and spoke with utmost sincerity.
It wasn't just Jeanne he was fond of—perhaps even infatuated with—all the Servants under his command.
If, at first, his feelings for them were merely affection for the original characters, for the two-dimensional personas, subconsciously treating them as NPCs, then after countless adventures, Ryou had come to see them as real, flesh-and-blood people, and he had developed genuine feelings for them.
Though his love wasn't exclusive, he was greedy—he didn't want to let go of any of them.
It seemed Jeanne could sense his true feelings. She suddenly raised a finger and placed it in front of his lips, stopping him from saying anything further.
"Prove it to me~."
Ryou swallowed hard. If he still didn't understand what she meant, then he might as well give up on being a man.
At this moment, Jeanne suddenly sighed softly and began speaking to herself.
"Ever since I learned about your relationships with the goddess Freya and Syr, I once thought about giving up."
"But gradually, I realized I couldn't leave you. I feel so happy just being by your side, and I'm glad to share your troubles."
"Most importantly, I don't want to let go!"
Jeanne stared straight into Ryou's eyes.
"If both of them can have you, why can't I?"
Ryou smiled wryly.
"I'm a greedy person; my love could never be for just one person. So…"
"So, Ryou, you're just a heartless jerk!"
Jeanne pouted with a sulky expression.
He awkwardly laughed.
"But what a fool I am, falling hopelessly in love with a heartless jerk," Jeanne said, her face showing a bitter smile.
To say she didn't care at all would be a lie.
But soon, Jeanne's gaze became resolute again.
"Since you've stolen my heart, Ryou, as a man, you should take responsibility."
"At least for this moment, you belong only to me, so… love me!"
Jeanne had said so much—if Ryou still tried to avoid it, he wouldn't be worthy of being called a man.
So, he decisively pulled Jeanne into his arms, leaned close to her ear, and declared with overwhelming dominance:
"Even if the world ends, I will never let go."
With that, he lifted Jeanne in a bridal carry, and under her shy gaze, carried her into the bedroom.
At this point, Jeanne's assertiveness melted away, and she shyly turned her head, unable to look at him.
The sound of rustling clothes filled the room, and soon Jeanne felt a warm body pressing against her sacred attire.
Then, a heated hand caressed her leg, which was clad in white stockings, slowly moving upward…
Jeanne suddenly felt something was wrong.
"W-Wait."
"No waiting!"
Ryou, breathing heavily, lifted the thick, intricate dress, exposing the beauty beneath.
"Eek~ At least let me take off my c-clothes first!"
Jeanne struggled to suppress the desire surging from within her, pleading in a low voice.
"No way!"
Ryou firmly refused.
Are you kidding? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a uniform play, and it's 100% authentic saint cosplay at that.
"Ryou! You—mmph!"
Jeanne's assertiveness lasted barely three seconds before she was overpowered by him.
He pushed her back against the bed. Jeanne gasped as he lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively.
Ryou whispered huskily.
"Give in to the pleasure, Jeanne~."
Jeanne closed her eyes, surrendering to the sensation of his powerful body supporting hers.
His lips brushed against her neck as he whispered, "This is for all the times you've teased me, Jeanne."
Before she could respond, he was kissing his way down her body, his tongue tracing the outline of her uniform. Jeanne arched her back involuntarily, her breath hitching in her throat. Ryou chuckled darkly, his hands slowly undoing the buttons of her uniform.
His fingers traced the curves of her breasts teasingly. Jeanne groaned, her fingers digging into the sheets as he finally exposed her to his hungry gaze. Her uniform was pushed up, revealing her smooth, pale thighs. With a low growl, Ryou pressed his lips to her stomach, his teeth nipping gently. Jeanne cried out, her hips bucking off the bed in reaction. Ryou chuckled again, his hands moving to her stockings. Slowly, he slid them down, revealing her perfect, smooth legs.
Jeanne's heart pounded in her chest as Ryou's hands moved to her panties. She was trembling with anticipation, her breath coming in short gasps. With a devious smirk, he pushed them to the side, revealing her tight, virgin folds. Jeanne gasped, her body tensing up reflexively. Ryou leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive skin.
"Relax, Jeanne."
His tongue traced a slow path up her inner thigh. Jeanne bit her lip, trying to contain her moans as he continued his torturous teasing. His tongue finally found its target, and she cried out, her hips bucking wildly. Ryou chuckled again, his tongue lapping at her, tasting her sweet nectar.
After a while, with one powerful thrust, he entered her, claiming her virginity. Jeanne cried out, her body arching off the bed in response to the intense pleasure coursing through her. Ryou slowly began to move inside her, his hips meeting hers in a rhythmic cadence. Their lovemaking was fierce and passionate, their bodies moving together in a dance of lust and desire. As the waves of pleasure washed over her, Jeanne could feel herself losing control. Finally, with a cry of release, she surrendered to the feeling, her body shuddering as she experienced her first orgasm. Ryou followed soon after, his body shaking with the force of his release. As they lay there, panting heavily, Jeanne couldn't help but feel a mix of shame and exhilaration.
In the dim light, her voluptuous, fair body trembled continuously, and a suppressed yet intoxicating moan filled with desire could be faintly heard from the room.
...
The next day.
Ryou awoke from his slumber.
The beautiful woman in his arms was covered in the marks of their passionate night.
The saintly attire she wore had been mostly undone, and what was once a symbol of purity now seemed irresistibly seductive.
The stark contrast between sanctity and debauchery made his fingers itch with desire.
However, when he noticed the tear stains at the corners of Jeanne's eyes, his desire vanished.
He clearly remembered that the corrupt pleasure of ravishing a saint had driven him wild, and he had eventually lost control, forgetting to be gentle with Jeanne, who was experiencing her first time.
Ryou gently kissed Jeanne on the forehead, then dressed himself, covered her with a blanket, and left the room.
As the door closed, the supposedly sleeping Jeanne's lips curled into a faint smile.
Just as he stepped out, he ran into Shimakaze, Ayame, and the others who were just returning from outside.
"You didn't stay out all night, did you?"
Ryou's face immediately fell.
He noticed that Ayame had already fallen asleep on Yamato's shoulder.
But Shimakaze, who had been up all night, was still full of energy.
She immediately ran up to him and started circling him.
"Admiral! Admiral! Listen to me! Last night we..."
"Shh!"
Yamato quickly made a silencing gesture, pointing to Ayame sleeping on her shoulder.
Shimakaze immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
"You'd better go rest," Ryou said as he headed out the door.
However, as he passed by Yamato, she sniffed the air, and her expression suddenly changed.