In an open space serving as a playground on the church's eastern side, five figures appeared.
Among them, Nangou Haruya sat on the ground catching his breath and slapping his cheeks to clear his mind.
Everything had happened too quickly for Haruya to fully comprehend, requiring careful sorting through lest it remain unresolved.
First he had rescued Sister Cicely who was transporting orphans to the church, he was then assigned a room only to be attacked by her and the priest after they noticed the insignia on his coat...
This was everything Haruya had experienced. The rest was clear... everyone in the church (including the orphans) had been 'executed' by the Four Rakshasa Demons...
Haruya recalled again that smell had indeed been gunpowder. Sister Cicely hadn't just brought orphans from other churches, but had also smuggled weapons here.
As Ibara (one of the Four Rakshasa Demons) had just stated, these people were Revolutionary Army spies trying to establish a foothold near the Capital to gradually erode it.
That very same Ibara turned to face Haruya, firelight illuminating the blood staining his right cheek, and said:
"You're too careless, Nan. You always drag yourself into unnecessary trouble. The Prime Minister favors you because of your exceptional intelligence-gathering skills, right?"
'Nan... so that's what they call me here?' Haruya's gaze rested on Ibara.
Wiping away the blood on his cheek, Ibara continued without waiting for Haruya's response:
"But being this careless won't do. It's fortunate that some church members betrayed these people, otherwise it might have gotten troublesome."
"What trouble? We could just 'liberate the souls' of everyone in nearby churches."
The towering Sten, another member of the Four Rakshasa Demons, said this while wiping grime and blood off himself with a sheet... He seemed completely indifferent to the slaughter that had just taken place.
At this point, Suzuka, one of the two female members of the Four Rakshasa Demons who was also masochist approached Haruya.
Watching the church being gradually consumed by flames, Haruya asked, "Was this really necessary? What about those children?"
"The children? Ah yes, I remember now... they stabbed at my arms and waist with knives and forks! Look here, even my chest area got scratched!" Suzuka said as she displayed her chest to Haruya.
"Please don't show me that, Suzuka-san!" Haruya resisted.
"What an innocent boy you are. But those children were too weak, their attacks didn't excite me at all. So I just snapped their necks. There was no point in prolonging their suffering."
Speaking about murder in such a light tone, Suzuka rested her chin on her hand, "But constantly doing cleanup work like this is rather boring..."
"Suzuka, if you find the Prime Minister's orders boring, you don't have to participate..."
The speaker was Mez, the brown-skinned woman who had just emerged from a nearby room.
Now all Four Rakshasa Demons were gathered here. Haruya felt somewhat uncomfortable with this situation, though he'd likely encounter it frequently from now on...
After all, as one of Prime Minister Honest's subordinates, he would inevitably interact with both the empire's elite and its dark underbelly...
Sitting on the ground while putting some distance between himself and Suzuka, Haruya watched the church being gradually consumed by flames.
The crimson fire seemed to scorch the sky itself. As the flames grew stronger, the church began collapsing from its left side.
On this starless night, this place shone as bright as day, illuminated by the light of death...
Standing up and dusting himself off, Haruya gazed at the sky behind him, "Let's not waste any more time. Let's head for the Capital now."
"No need to rush, Nan. We're quite interested in you as the Prime Minister's messenger..." Suzuka said this while blocking Haruya's path.
Just then, Mez who had been sarcastically bantering with Suzuka earlier had her stomach growl.
Scratching her tawny hair, She clutched her stomach and said, "Ah! I didn't even get the chance to eat properly earlier! And now we have to go somewhere else again?"
"Serves you right." spat Suzuka.
"Everyone was busy killing earlier! I had to discard everything before you all finished without me!" Mez complained resentfully at Suzuka's remark, her expression darkening.
Haruya suddenly noticed the room Mez had emerged from earlier... through the doorway he could see kitchen tools, knives and corn hanging on the walls.
'A kitchen? So it was built separately from the church building...'
After some thought, Haruya raised his right hand, "I can whip up something to eat. The fire probably won't reach the kitchen..."
As Haruya said this, all Four Rakshasa Demons turned their attention to him:
"Delaying the next target's death wouldn't be unacceptable..." Ibara walked toward Haruya and continued, "Then, go ahead. Handle the cooking."
Sten picked up where Ibara left off, slapping Haruya's shoulder with his massive hand, "Mhm... Do your best kid."
Suzuka shrugged, showing no objection.
The hungry Mez grabbed Haruya's hand and dragged him toward the kitchen she'd just exited, "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! I can't fight on an empty stomach!"
"Let me see what ingredients we have first."
Under Mez's urging, Haruya entered the kitchen and surveyed his surroundings...
There wasn't much meat there, just a piece of smoked ham hanging from the beams. Below it were some vegetables; carrots and tomatoes... 'Wait, tomatoes are technically fruits...'
In America, there had once been a legal case debating whether tomatoes were vegetables or fruits, ultimately, they were ruled as vegetables so they wouldn't be taxed...
Setting that aside, after checking the kitchen's ingredients, Haruya went to the rice jar, opened the lid, and found it half full.
'Enough rice, but insufficient vegetables and meat... making porridge might be the most suitable option...'
Having decided, Haruya started the fire, prepared the vegetables and other ingredients, washed the rice and poured it into the pot.
"Have you gotten used to killing?"
Unable to cook in silence, Haruya posed this question to Mez who kept hovering nearby.
Outwardly, Mez seemed like an energetic lively girl, but her inner nature completely contradicted this appearance.
"Killing~" she bent down to sniff the pot's aroma, "I wouldn't say I'm completely used to it, but it's no big deal anymore. Everyone dies eventually anyway... just a matter of time."
"Even so..." Haruya muttered.
"Oh? You're that type, uh? Why would the Prime Minister need someone like you?" Mez questioned.
"Though it may sound like boasting, my intelligence-gathering skills are top-notch." Haruya said humbly.
Stirring the pot's contents, he added the prepared vegetables and the chopped smoked ham.
"What kind of person you are doesn't interest me much, but your cooking skills seem decent." said Mez.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Haruya added more firewood to the stove, making the flames burn stronger.
"What are you all talking about?" Perhaps drawn by the porridge's aroma, Suzuka entered from outside.
At the same time, Haruya noticed the smell of something burning... probably from the church building, though fortunately they were upwind, so the smell wasn't too strong.
"We were discussing the 'three views'..."
"Three views?" Suzuka tilted her head.
Haruya extended three fingers like a teacher, "One's outlook on life, values, and worldview."
"Those things are completely meaningless. Rather than pondering such abstract nonsense, focusing on reality is what smart people do."
Suzuka circled around Haruya to peer into the pot of colorful porridge.
"Looks not bad." she said in approval.
Haruya mimicked Suzuka's earlier shrug, then walked to the wooden counter behind him to fetch several bowls.
"It'll be ready to eat soon."
.....
After waiting a while longer until the porridge was fully cooked.
Haruya then dished it out... Five large bowls total.
Since he wasn't hungry, he only took half a portion for himself.
Though he had considered poisoning the porridge, he currently had no poison on him, and even if he did, it would likely cause him significant trouble.
Even with his 'Save Scumming' cheat, wasting energy like this wouldn't be smart.
"Finally! Food!"
Mez snatched a bowl from Haruya's hands and began eating by the doorway.
The others also hesitantly accepted bowls from Haruya...
This might have been their first time enjoying freshly cooked food on a battlefield.
Notably, Haruya had found many spices in the kitchen... their aroma had permeated everything, making the seasoned porridge even more delicious.
"Ah, this flavor is really quite good." Ibara's voice sounded surprised.
"Indeed. Compared to the porridge at Imperial Fist Temple, this is like ambrosia versus paste." Sten basically gulped down his entire bowl in one go.
"Ahhh! Burnt my tongue! Feels amazing!!" Suzuka moaned.
'Honestly, a masochist could find pleasure anywhere...'
After finishing the porridge Haruya made, he was given a horse in exchange.
The Four Rakshasa Demons' next mission was to eliminate people at another church not far away, so they gave one of their horses to Haruya.
"Alright, time to move out." As their leader, Ibara's gaze turned eastward.
Mounting his horse, Haruya glanced back at the now-ruined church and sighed inwardly.
"Let's go."
Toward the imperial capital.
"Oh."
Just before Haruya departed, Suzuka who perched on a tree branch called out to him, "Nan. You... could die very easily, you know?"
Her smile held something sinister.
'Die easily? Implying that I'm naive?'
Haruya smiled back, "I know."
It went without saying that he could die at any moment...
For him however, death was just a means to an end...
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The Four Rakshasa Demons (Ibara, Sten, Suzuka, and Mez) respectively...