## Chapter 1013 – Aristocrat Kim Katter

The heretics we’re going to subjugate this time are just unbelievably cruel bastards.

“They’re called the ‘Brothers of Cagliostro,’ those sons of bitches.”
“Just the name sounds so evil!”

In this world, anyone who believes in a monotheistic god is either a moron or worse. In other words, only complete idiots with wicked hearts would hold such beliefs.

They believe that the existing gods are merely beings with great power, not true gods. They adhere to the delusional idea that their omnipotent god created this world and is the true god of truth, all while committing murder.

In their eyes, those who believe in gods other than their own are just heretics who deserve to die and go to hell. Therefore, they consider killing these heretics a holy war. Since faith is paramount to them, they don’t care if the heretic is a child or anyone else.

Even if someone is kind, if they don’t believe in their god, they’re just a heretic to be indiscriminately slaughtered. They believe doing so will send them to heaven.

Yes, they genuinely believe in this concept of heaven.

But the truth is, there’s no real way to prove if such a thing exists. It’s written in their scriptures, but that’s not really trustworthy. That alone doesn’t prove the existence of a monotheistic god.

Anyway, to sum it up, monotheistic faith is a religion for serial killers or thrill killers. If they can kill people as they please and go to heaven, what killer wouldn’t want that?

More than anything, as they engage in this murderous religious life, their evil god sometimes grants them power, which makes these Brothers of Cagliostro even more insane and violent.

In the past, their power was so great that they were the church’s main enemy. Of course, after a fierce subjugation campaign, only remnants remain, but they still continue their activities of slaughter under the guise of proselytizing.

I suspect that the god they believe in isn’t an omnipotent monotheistic god who created the world, but an evil god who pursues blood, violence, murder, and slaughter.

That’s why that god is bestowing blessings upon these commendable murderers.

“I can’t understand it. That such a faith exists.”

The alaune, Ari, shook her head.

“Why do they think they can go to heaven by killing innocent people?”
“Well, that’s…”

A bit.

“It’s kind of like reality. If you kill someone and steal their assets, you can live a heavenly life with that money, right? Maybe it’s an upgraded version of that belief.”

It’s truly the faith of looters.

In fact, they probably know better than anyone that there’s no such omnipotent god in this world. They’re just sons of bitches who have gone crazy because they want to kill.

“It’s just amazing. Humans aren’t as smart a species as I thought.”
“Ari?”

For a moment, Ari expressed her hatred for the human race. Thinking this wasn’t good, I immediately pulled her closer, and Ari suddenly smiled and praised me.

“Father is the smartest, I think.”
“Of course! Naturally!!!”
“Maybe the best in the world.”
“Not maybe, it’s a fact!!”

There’s almost no one as brilliant as me!
Except when it comes to studying, you goddamn bastards.

“That’s right! Katter is the best!!!”
“Katter is the best.”

Hilde jumped in to praise Ari, and Claudia, who had been watching quietly, smiled and began to clap softly.

“Hehe, ah. This is so good.”

A man is weak to the praise of beautiful women.
I can’t resist the joy.

“Ah, but.”

Then, Hilde, who had been cheering, changed her expression and, with a questioning look, touched her lips and said.

“Heaven. Honestly, I’m a demon, so I don’t really know.”

Is this a continuation of the previous conversation?

“Our Hilde goes to heaven every day, doesn’t she?”
“Hehe, not that kind of heaven. I mean the religious heaven that humans talk about.”

Hilde replied with a smile after I made a sexual joke.

“Isn’t that the real heaven?”
“Yes! For me, Hildegard, being in Katter’s arms is true heaven!”
“You’re such a cute girl.”

Hilde is so affectionate, it’s great.

“Anyway, that religious heaven… It’s true that humans have souls, right? But no one has clearly identified what they are. Demons can just use souls as fuel or energy, but we don’t know what they really are.”
“Really?”

Demons often demand souls. Because they can actually `use` them. But even demons haven’t figured out the essence of the soul.

Actually, who would know that?

“Yes. Humans often think their souls go to the god they believe in, but we don’t really know what will happen. Right? Because the souls of ordinary humans soon disappear.”
“I guess so.”

I don’t know much about souls.

But I know that the soul leaves the dead and soon disappears. And I also know that there are cases where that soul remains on earth and becomes a ghost or wraith, like a specter or evil spirit.

Of course, people believe that their souls go to the god they believe in after death, but no one knows for sure yet.

“Even lowly demons have the ability to harvest human souls, so I don’t think it would be strange if gods had such power as well.”
“Hmm.”

Claudia and Ari nodded at that.

“Could that be it?”
“That’s right.”

It’s a bit of a difficult story, but Ari said.

“Hilde is right. I don’t think a god can’t do what a demon can do.”
“Exactly! That’s it!”

Hilde shouted loudly and then looked at me again and shouted.

“So! The goal of beings called gods is just to harvest souls! There are many demons who tempt humans by saying that! If that’s not the case, there’s no reason for a god to interfere with humans! Because there’s no reason to interfere with humans unless they need something! So they use heaven as bait!”
“Holy shit.”

This was the demons’ perspective on gods.

“So, the demons say, whether you offer your soul to a god or to them, there’s no difference at all. Rather, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to receive their power than to rely on a god who is hard to reach, they tempt humans.”
“Oh my god.”

This was how demons viewed gods.

“Hilde, if you say that anywhere else, you’ll get stabbed.”
“What do you take me for, Katter! Of course, I’m just talking to you about this! I don’t know anything about gods either!”

That’s true.

“I was just wondering what kind of place the heaven that those evil heretics talk about is like!”
“Goddamn it.”

It seemed to be Hilde’s opinion on these heretics. Anyway, it was something to think about, but as someone who doesn’t send faith to the gods of this world, it wasn’t a big deal to me.

“Katter.”
“Hmm?”
“In the end, what’s important isn’t gods, but yourself. You know that, right?”
“That’s right, Claudia. That’s exactly it.”

Claudia is right.

“I believe in myself rather than gods. My soul is only mine.”
“Exactly. You’re so cool.”

If you have confidence in yourself, you don’t need gods.

* * *

After moving busily, we finally arrived in the city of Cultan, located in the central region of the kingdom.

This city of Cultan is located right in front of a huge mountain range called Kushat, which is rich in monsters and rare materials, making it a lively city with many swordsmen, merchants, and mages coming and going.

The Kushat Mountains.

As the kingdom is incredibly vast, there are also several huge mountain ranges. The Kushat Mountains were one of them. The towering peaks were covered in snow, but below that was a dense jungle.

This kind of terrain is quite common in the Karga Kingdom. Anyway, the inside of that crazy mountain range is literally a den of monsters. It’s a very difficult place for ordinary people to live, but there are those who make such places their home.

And to that place.

The heretics known as the Brothers of Cagliostro fled. Our targets are hidden in that vast mountain range.

So the paladins stopped chasing and were waiting in this town.

“Honestly, if they hide in a place like that, there’s not much we can do. They’re very familiar with that kind of terrain… but, embarrassingly, we’re not.”
“Anyone would be. It’s a mountain range like that, there’s nothing you can do.”

I went to the commander of the pursuit team and listened to the story. This pursuit team was a coalition force with reinforcements sent from other churches in the area. Of course, soldiers from local lords were assisting.

But it’s really a mountain range like that.

After seeing it myself, I understand why the paladins missed those heretics.

“So the pursuit itself is currently suspended here… Really, it’s a very hateful thing! The guys who appeared this time have devastated several villages where innocent people lived!!! But they cowardly fled to a place like that…!”

The enraged commander slammed his fist on the table and trembled.

It was written in the document that Kadia gave me, but according to the commander, several more villages had been destroyed since then. The residents were all brutally slaughtered by them.

Of course, they had killed over a hundred heretics while pursuing them, but they hadn’t completely annihilated them. If that’s the case, it’s meaningless. The escaped bastards will cause more trouble somehow. This will just happen again later. If you don’t eradicate them, they’ll keep multiplying.

“Perhaps their base is inside there. So we’re looking for experts and guides for that mountain range… but honestly, it’s difficult. Those kinds of people aren’t common.”
“If you had the skills to be a guide in that kind of mountain range, you would have become rich doing something else.”
“That’s exactly it.”

Anyway, they were in a very difficult situation because they couldn’t pursue them. Of course, that doesn’t mean these guys are giving up.

“Anyway, I came because of this, so I’ll go in and take a look. If I find anything out, I’ll let you know right away.”
“Thank you so much, Paladin.”

The commander, with a good-natured smile, smiled and took my hand.

It’s an easy job with Ari and Hilde anyway.

As I got up from my seat, he said.

“Ah, but be careful. A skilled person like a Paladin wouldn’t be in great danger, but as is the case with places like that, no one knows what’s there. According to legend, there’s a dragon’s lair where a dragon sleeps, or an ancient demon without reason wanders around.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s just a legend, but the situation is unstable these days… It wouldn’t be strange if those legends gained flesh and blood and appeared.”
“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Well, there’s such a vast and huge mountain range, it wouldn’t be strange if there were one or two legends like that. An ancient demon without reason? It wouldn’t be strange if such a guy went into that place during the Idol War, got lost in the jungle, and was wandering around.

After gathering information, I returned to the inn.

Then, should we rest in the city for a day and then depart?

“Katter? How did it go?”

When I returned, Claudia greeted me and asked.

“Yeah. They fled inside that mountain range. Let’s go check it out tomorrow.”

Anyway, all we have to do is find them. I just asked Ari and Hilde just in case.

“Ari. Hilde. Do you feel anything?”
“Not yet!”
“Yes. I think we’ll have to go inside to know.”
“Really?”

It’s obvious.

“Okay. Then let’s rest for now. We need to rest well for a day to move properly.”