#084

‘What is this typical cult-like nonsense….’

After glaring at me like that earlier, now he wants to share some “good words.” I was about to reply that I had no need for them and walk away, but a question suddenly occurred to me.

“…When you say ‘good words,’ whose words are you referring to?”

As far as I knew, Bishop Andrea didn’t have a specific deity he served under. There was no need for him to stop people on the street to proselytize. Everyone in the Order naturally believed in Loclem.

“I am speaking of the Lord, of course.”

‘…Does he just want to preach to a Chanter?’

I desperately wanted to ignore him and move on, but the fact that Andrea was the first boss of ‘Die Heretic!’ bothered me.

‘Maybe I can gain something if I listen to his useless rambling?’

At the very least, I felt I could get a sense of whether he had memories of ‘Die Heretic!’ or not. If he had dreamed of the world ending, he would feel restlessness or anxiety. He would be searching for clues about the dream….

“Please, do not misunderstand. It is not that I dislike learning the words of the Lord. However, I cannot understand why you wish to teach me the Lord’s words to the point of stopping me in the street. Do you usually encourage anyone like this? Or is there a reason it must be me?”

“There is a reason it must be you.”

My brow furrowed instinctively. When had he even seen me?

“…Do you know something about me?”

“You are a Chanter.”

‘You can tell just by looking at me.’

“You must feel a void deep within your heart.”

“…I don’t.”

“Even if you do not now, you are bound to feel it eventually. For a profession without duty causes a person’s soul to rust.”

‘Shit, I’ve run into a bad one.’

I thought he was just some old geezer who wanted to preach whenever he saw a Chanter.

“Enjoying everything without doing anything may feel good at first, but in reality, you lose the greatest joy one can experience in life. The joy of being helpful to the community.”

I felt an impulse to cover my ears, but my body automatically assumed a polite posture. It was a habit ingrained in my subconscious from dealing with nightmare customers so often. Those types of people have a habit of repeating the same thing infinitely if they aren’t satisfied with the listener’s attitude.

“Furthermore, you have likely been tempted by things that were wrong many times.”

“…I’m not sure. I can’t recall any such instances.”

“Then you have yet to awaken from your misguided thoughts. Only after learning much does a person realize their past mistakes, albeit late. Because your learning is so deficient, you cannot even discern what is wrong.”

This was like some fortune teller shouting, “You have a persimmon tree at home, don’t you?”

If I said I didn’t, he’d shout, “It’s a good thing you didn’t, or something terrible would have happened!” Seeing how he twisted every rebuttal into a case that proved his point, I could smell the “hopeless case” from a mile away.

“I do not wish to criticize you. A Chanter cannot be as well-versed in theology as a priest. However, if you are lagging behind, should you not put in several times more effort? If there is one advantage to being a Chanter, it is that your time is free. Why do you not devote that free time to the study of theology?”

‘This is the kind of guy who’d say “Pain is the essence of youth.”’

Still, those who spout nonsense while pretending to give polite advice are among the lowest level of nightmare customers. They are satisfied as long as you listen politely.

After I listened quietly for a while, Andrea wore a satisfied smile.

“Still, there is something I wish to praise. Your attitude in listening to others is truly excellent.”

“…Thank you.”

‘This guy definitely doesn’t have memories of ‘Die Heretic!’, does he?’

Would he really be giving this kind of sermon to a random Chanter he met on the street if he had received a revelation that the world was ending?

“…What do you think of Cardinal Ansberto?”

“Pardon?”

‘Who is that?’

“Even if you ask what I think….”

I repeated the name in my head several times, but nothing came to mind. It meant the name was unknown to the ignorant Fabio. And to me as well.

“This is the first time I have heard that name. Since you mentioned he is a Cardinal, he must be a truly wonderful person. However, as you said, my learning is short, so I cannot possibly know who he is just by hearing his name. Could you tell me what kind of person he is?”

Instead of explaining who Ansberto was, Andrea stared at me intently.

“…You truly do not know.”

‘Would I pretend not to know if I did?’

I felt something ominous about the question. It seemed Ansberto wasn’t just a renowned clergyman. He seemed to be someone controversial….

‘Was that question a sort of ideological litmus test?’

“Then, how did you come to know the Knight Commander?”

“…Since Lady Elamin takes such good care of me, I run into her occasionally. After all, the two of them are on good terms. I visited today to deliver a request from Lady Elamin.”

“So you are not personally close, then?”

‘Why is he interrogating me about this?’

Though puzzled, I nodded.

Andrea’s expression softened slightly.

“I see. That is a relief.”

‘What’s so relieving about that?’

Andrea cleared his throat and asked me.

“So, can you remember everything from my sermon? What did I say?”

“You said that if no duty is given, one should assign a duty to oneself. Specifically, to engage in volunteer activities that help others. And that in the remaining time, I should study theology. However, since wasting fuel by lighting lamps after sunset is a sin unless absolutely necessary, you told me to review what I had already learned by reciting it to myself at night. And to always bow when I see a priest….”

I summarized the nagging Andrea had spouted.

‘Guys like this always ask if you were listening.’

If it had actually been helpful advice, I would have remembered it on my own.

Andrea smiled, showing his gums.

“Excellent! You are a young man worth teaching.”

“Thank you for the good words.”

“If you wish to hear more, feel free to seek me out at any time. If you give my name at the 5th Chapel, they will guide you. Even if you have other worries, I will help you if you come to me.”

‘I’m never going near that place.’

Since Andrea had no memory of ‘Die Heretic!’, there was absolutely no reason to stay acquainted with him.

And as I discovered today, Andrea was the platonic ideal of an obnoxious old geezer. There was a reason why Casimir ignored him so thoroughly.

‘Even if I poured my heart out to that guy, he’d probably just say I lack eeee-ffort.’

Praying that I would never meet him again, I crawled back into my room. The door was still not fixed, but I didn’t care anymore.

* * *

“Have you decided to put my advice into practice immediately? Excellent!”

“Haha….”

I could only laugh awkwardly.

To think I’d see him again the very next day.

‘I didn’t know Andrea was the Bishop in charge of the orphanage.’

Swallowing my discomfort, I put on a smile.

“Bishop Andrea, you told me to put in several times more effort. Since I don’t have more time than anyone else, the only way to put in several times the effort is to reduce the time I spend hesitating!”

“My, my, my sermon was indeed worthwhile.”

‘Ugh….’

Don’t go feeling satisfied on your own.

I didn’t come here because of you.

“However, it would be best to change your clothes. I shall provide you with the attire of an apprentice priest.”

“You are so thoughtful! Thank you for your consideration.”

‘I pity the children who will grow up enduring Andrea’s old-man antics every day.’

“…I can tell just by looking at this place how much interest Bishop Andrea pours into the children. The fact that the building is maintained so cleanly must be thanks to the Bishop’s care!”

I showered Andrea with praise and begged him to let me look around this wonderful orphanage. I intended to grasp the layout of the place.

‘300 children aged 15 and under….’

I was told that there is a separate building for children under 6, and this building is for those aged 7 to 15. Following Andrea’s guidance, I walked through the classrooms, bedrooms, playroom, and library, pretending to be impressed by even the smallest things.

‘Adelaide…. I have to find the name Adelaide.’

However, even after pushing a bit to check all the children’s rooms, I couldn’t find a name tag for Adelaide.

“…You have been looking at the name tags particularly intently for a while now.”

‘Did it look strange after all?’

I had prepared an excuse for this exact moment. I smiled sheepishly and said.

“When I first meet the children, I want to memorize all their names so I can call them by name.”

“…Can you recognize the children just by looking at the name tags?”

“You mentioned earlier that the rooms are divided by age and gender, right? So, the names I saw in this room must all be boys between 13 and 15 years old. Then, when I go out, I’ll try calling one of these names to a boy of that age.”

“Would that not increase the likelihood of being wrong?”

“It doesn’t matter if I call them by the wrong name. Children get excited and try to correct adults when they make a mistake. They’ll probably find it more fun than if I get the name right. ‘You’re not Anton? Then who is Anton?’ If I do that….”

Andrea looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

“You seem to genuinely like children. Have you done this kind of volunteer work often before?”

“Rather than volunteering, I just took care of many children in my neighborhood.”

‘Like them my ass.’

Children who aren’t properly socialized are no different from beasts. No, you could say they are far more violent than beasts. That endless stamina….

“Fabio, I must observe the scene when you first meet the children. I am very much looking forward to seeing what it will be like.”

‘Shit.’

I was just lying.

Now I actually have to memorize the names? Memorizing three-letter names is such a pain in the ass….

“…Which room do the children I’ll be meeting today use? I’d like to memorize them one more time. Knowing that Bishop Andrea will be watching, I feel so nervous that my mind has gone completely blank.”

“No one will scold you even if you make a few mistakes.”

“Still, I want to show the Bishop my best side.”

“There is not much to gain from impressing me.”

“…But you’ll still praise me for being excellent, won’t you?”

‘Time to start the “likability grind” on this old geezer.’

Now that I’d confirmed Adelaide’s name wasn’t there, I had to find out why.

Whether she had left the orphanage early to become a priest, or if she had never been to the orphanage at all—to figure out the situation, I had no choice but to look for the children’s registry.

‘I just need to build up enough favor so that he won’t suspect me even if I ask to see the registry.’

“It may have been a casual habit of speech for you, Lord Andrea, but that praise resonated deeply within my heart. Only then did I realize it has been a very long time since someone had expectations of me or praised me.”

As I said this, I observed a moment of silence for the future victims of his old-man antics.

‘Because of this success, Andrea will now be convinced that his nagging is actually helpful to others.’

Thinking of the victims to come, I felt a tear almost prick my eye.

‘I’m sorry!’

“It is just as you said, Lord Andrea. I lost the joy of being helpful to others and felt a deep void, yet I did not know the cause. If Bishop Andrea had not given me that sermon, I would have continued to live that way.”

I wiped my eyes and continued.

“Among those who told me to do nothing, Bishop Andrea was the only one who told me to do something. The Bishop has, in effect, changed my life.”

“…….”

Overacting to the point where he might think ‘Is it really that much?’ is the most effective.

As proof, a System Notification appeared….

[

SYSTEM:

‘Bishop Andrea (Servant of the Distorted One)’ has been deeply influenced by your words!]

[

SYSTEM:

An anecdote is added to the achievement of ‘Miracle of the Silver Tongue.’]

[

SYSTEM:

Affinity has increased very slightly.]

‘Huh?’

I think I just saw something strange?

Chapter 85