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- 16: True reflection time
And in this way, the meeting about the monster strife -that was more of a reflection meeting- ended, and I was freed.
However, it was a mysterious meeting where I didn’t understand why I was in it as well.
A person with no title like me was able to speak as much as I wanted, and I feel like there will be retribution later on which makes me anxious.
“…Haine! Kuromiya Haine!”
When I leave the meeting room, an asphyxiating bald man was running towards me.
“Vice-captain Grades?” (Haine)
“Seriously, thanks!” (Grades)
Saying that, Vice-captain Grades lowers his bald head speedily. It even felt saddening in a way.
“I am truly sorry, and thanks for protecting the hero-sama at that time! In reality, we knights should be the ones acting as the shield for that person, and yet, I was worried about my rank and post, and was unable to say anything! Truly pathetic!!” (Grades)
“Eh? Doesn’t that mean it is even worse for me who doesn’t even have a rank or a post?” (Haine)
“No problem! The Founder-sama is serving as your backing after all! With that, even Knight Commander Dobbe won’t be able to put a hand on you. Seeerves him riiight!” (Grades)
The tension of the baldy is high.
“…I really am pathetic. The job of us -Aurora Knight Corps- is to provide support to the hero-sama, and yet, the Knight Commander took the initiative to blame the hero, and us as group members couldn’t stop it. Seriously, for what reason are we even here.” (Grades)
“Vice-captain Grades…” (Haine)
“Can we talk for a bit, Haine?” (Grades)
Taken somewhere by the Vice-captain, we arrived at the light grand church’s garden.
Time has passed since the monster strife. The sun has already gone down, making it completely dark already.
“Do you know why the Knight Commander hates the ethereal machines so much?” (Grades)
“No… In the countryside I was living in, there were no such machines after all…” (Haine)
Vice-captain Grades searched for something in his pocket and takes it out.
It was a small and thin glass tube that was small enough to be held completely in his hand, and inside of it, there was some sort of black shining mineral.
“This is ethereal. Around 100 years ago, there was someone that found a way to smelt this from the earth. It released energy that’s able to move anything without the need for divine power. Cars and flying machines, and the element measuring device you used not that long ago as well; they all use these as their energy source.” (Grades)
‘That’s not all’, is what Grades says as he continues.
“Lamps, heating, clean water, fire used in cooking; right now, it is all done with ethereal power. When ethereal was discovered, it spread to the main cities in the blink of an eye, and it raised the living standard by several times. And then, can you tell what happened after?” (Grades)
“…People…stopped believing in God.” (Haine)
“That’s right! As I thought, you really are intelligent. Seriously, that’s exactly what it is. Because of ethereal, the civilization advanced, stabilized the food production, cured previously incurable diseases,and provided humans methods to go against natural disasters. With all that, there would be no need to pray to God, right?” (Grades)
That’s why machines are the enemies of the church huh.
If the machine culture develops and the need to entreaty to a God disappears, the people will steadily grow apart from God. That’s why a person like the Knight Commander Dobbe, who’s in a high position in the church, hates the ethereal machines to the point of completely forbidding them.
“Honestly speaking, the only problem ethereal can’t solve is the monsters. By having the heroes fight the monsters as the leaders, The five churches -counting us- are somehow able to maintain the faith going.” (Grades)
“Can’t you make weapons from ethereal that can defeat monsters?” (Haine)