Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 122: The Struggle of Innocence
Screams echoed ceaselessly in the House of God.
The towering stone brick walls and pillars deflected voices very well, not allowing much at all to be absorbed or to dissipate, leading even one raised tone to rebound countless times throughout the building, and when stacking together all the cries and wails before us now, everything came together like one harrowing symphony of something truly tragic.
The areas in which we were permitted were sizeable, but not vast. No matter to which corner one fled, no matter in what bathroom stall one hid, no matter which bedsheets one buried themselves under―the unending sobs were inescapable.
Starting with Cecilia, who stood at no important location in the nave, staring at the subjects of all the racket with cruel indifference, and the Protagonist, who likewise observed with a seemingly disgruntled look, I swept a gaze across all those who remained.
"Andrew", the little boy who sat weakly on the floor, balling his eyes out and howling at an undoubtedly irrevocable sense of loss.
"James", the slightly older girl who just wore a terribly dark expression while watching him, her gaze downcast...
...And "Thomas", who had collapsed by one of the empty wooden pews, leaning her upper half onto it, burying her face in her arms to let only sniffles escape.
They were all who were left.
The mother and the highschooler boy... "Peter" and "Matthew"... were dead.
First thing in the morning, it was up to me as the only person to wake up in the North Transept to move the latter's body to the nave, where I then found out that the former had fallen victim. I then covered her unfortunate state and lined her up with the rest of the unrotting lot.
Now, we were here.
At the dawn of the Eighth Day, with just six of us alive.
Eight corpses on the Eighth Day; was it by some sort of sick design, or was it mere happenstance?
'Why...'
That question wasn't one that needed to be asked.
Cecilia's motive was not to create a cinematic piece, nor was it to fabricate a story.
All she wanted to do was appease her Lord, I suppose. To make His children realise and respect His love... At least, from everything I had gleaned so far, that's what I thought.
No matter how creepy it was, nor how inhumane the methods, I could at least see that she worked from a place of reasoning, even if it was an unequivocally insane one.
The Antagonist was such a religious fanatic.
'What happened...?'
It was hard not to sin.
That's the message I was receiving at the current moment.
Six people remained―what were the chances that every one of them would survive? What were the chances that none of them would sin?
"...This is a Trial."
At some point, I heard Cecilia's measured voice.
"Merely the act of not sinning can indeed be an endeavour. Confessing even more so. That is why the act of confession, of accepting your sins and of renouncing them, exists, for those who sinned and thereafter recognised their mistake. Our Lord understands this, and that is why He forgives those who confess."
Everyone was in the nave, half of us in tears.
"As for those who do not confess... well, the consequence is as you see before you."
Slowly, as the cold words flowed from the indifferent teal-haired girl's lips, I observed them all turn to face her, each with varying expressions decorating their faces, some shocked, some horrified, some plainly confused, and some likewise reserved.
Paying no heed to those gazes or the face of their owners, the Lord's daughter continued.
"Those who choose not to confess and repent for their sins are impious miscreants who defy the word and will of our Lord, and are thus punished. Those who did not confess because they were simply not aware of the fact of their sins, have also committed grave sins of ignorance, and are, likewise, punished."
A moment of silence ensued.
Spotting her cast a single glance over towards the line of bodies that had gradually accumulated until now, I wasn't sure if I should say something, or if anyone else was about to say something.
If I should, I didn't even know what it was that I could say.
'What is she doing...'
The only concern I had right now was such a question.
We were supposed to be convincing the others who had not yet voted to name the Protagonist. That was how we were supposed to win, right? That was how I was supposed to clear the Contract...
So then, why the hell was she rambling on about God and all this other nonsense?
Wouldn't that just make them suspicious? Make them more likely to name her as 「Judas」 than anyone else?
Today was the Eighth Day... the Eighth. Excluding the rest of the day, there were still three days left. Wasn't that just too long a time to go by with no incidents occurring? It shouldn't be that way, but that's undoubtedly how it was.
I didn't understand what she was trying to do all of a sudden, or why she was doing it, but it induced a certain bad feeling within me.
Before long, as if by manifestation of such a foreboding sense, someone opened their mouth.
"Oh my. You are SUCH a cutiepie, aren't you, dear Cici~?"
A high-pitched, melodic and almost teasing voice resounded. One I hadn't heard in days.
At the same moment, ever so faintly, familiar bells chimed.
Turning my head, I looked at that origin of vibrant pink hair.
And I grit my teeth for the impending onslaught.
"Although, it is quite tiring, don't you agree? 'My Lord' this, 'our Lord' that, Lord, Lord, Lord. Well? Are you a servant, a mistress, or a bloody parrot, Cici? You only follow the word of your oh-so beloved Lord, is that the way you like to play? Then you must, MUST fall under the former. But aren't you just a slave to that imaginary fellow in the end...? It's really quite concerning, the state of your brain, the brain matter, the brain cells, everything going on up there, if there really is anything at all, you know, truly, certainly. Well, if you ever need anything rearranging, you only need to give that Lord of yours a call, right~? Everyone around here seems to be just DYING for such procedures, after all~!"
Once again, the Protagonist let loose an unfiltered deluge of words, seemingly with the purpose only of badmouthing not just Cecilia but even those who had fallen as victims to this dastardly Trial.
Or, perhaps more simply, was it just the return of the witch?
It was too early to tell just yet, but either way, I was cursing internally. Of course, there was a chance that her incorrigible attitude was such that it would cause the others to inadvertently name her as 「Judas」, thus leading to our victory... however, I couldn't at all trust that things would progress so conveniently.
The inevitable chaos of letting the Protagonist spew whatever verbal filth she liked, whether it be the Detective or the witch talking, was not something that could ever result in a positive outcome.
Especially in this situation.
"Witch. Do not insult the Lord. I will have you burned at the stake for your sins."
Before I had the chance to think of a way to defuse the tense atmosphere, a low, plainly threatening voice resounded from the side―from Cecilia's deeply frowning lips.
On the other side, the self-revealed witch cackled.
"Kihahaha! You are funny aren't you, Cici...! Ahhh, you know such a thing doesn't exist, don't you?! You know yourself that you're making all this nonsense up, fabricating it like some childish fantasy, don't you?! That's why I'm still here, after all, isn't it?! Because you're scared, afraid, petrified, utterly beside yourself with hesitation and fright, perhaps?! Kihahaha! Pathetic! Just utterly pathetic! Kihahahaha...!"
Widening her fiendish grin to reveal sharp fangs, she raised her voice and yelled.
Just after, the weeping and sobbing of children again pierced through.
In such a short time, everything had turned from tranquility to madness, and I was left wondering just when it would finally end.
The human wails echoing in the House of God had been replaced with the contemptuous cries of a devil, the cackling of a witch, and the hellish symphony of unquestionable evil that all assailed my ears simultaneously.
"You really are... reprehensible."
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In the midst of that scene, the Antagonist muttered, and I felt the air turn cold once more.
