Gun of Ashes

”Sir, do you believe in religion?”

”Sir, are you interested in learning a bit about it?”

”This is our doctrine, do you have time to listen?”

”Sir, hold on a second!”

The sound of chirping came to his ears, feeling like hundreds of Polos were grinding their teeth next to him.

Heracles finally couldn’t bear it anymore, he wanted to get angry, but when he saw the girl’s gentle face, he couldn’t summon the anger.

The girl seemed to be working, yet also seemed like a real believer, she followed him all the way, talking about those strange beliefs.

After much entanglement, Heracles resigned himself somewhat helplessly.

”Alright, I’ll just take a look, a quick look.”

Heracles said as he accepted the girl’s flyer. He wasn’t like Lorenzo, who was a bastard; although the girl was a bit annoying, it wasn’t enough for him to get angry at her.

”Oh oh oh, that’s great, I’m Liya, a believer of Orthodoxy. Here is some of our introduction, there will be a gathering later, would you like to attend?”

Liya introduced herself, seeming to possess an endless amount of energy.

Heracles glanced at her; this girl seemed to be of similar age to Eve.

”Orthodoxy...”

Heracles murmured this term, his gaze grew slightly serious.

He had just been strolling around the Yega Grand Theater, under the guidance of the staff, barely understanding a bit of the theater’s history. It was quite boring.

Afterwards, Heracles entrusted Polo to the staff, asking them to pass it on to Lorenzo, then Heracles left the theater and wandered the streets. In this foreign land, he had no subordinates to speak of, the task of gathering information had to rely entirely on himself.

Initially, it went very smoothly; from people’s conversations on the street, the fluttering newspapers, the sounds from the radio, Heracles collected everything, constructing a vivid world in his mind.

Heracles was the master of this world, navigating through it, searching for the deeper evil hidden beneath the surface.

Orthodoxy, Pope, Rhine Alliance, Choir...

He fleetingly saw those hideous shadows, and just as Heracles was about to reach out to touch it all, Liya appeared.

Perhaps his leisurely demeanor attracted her; this girl finally found her target and made her move.

”So, you all have a gathering later?”

Heracles lazily asked, watching Liya’s excited face. From her eyes, it’s evident she is earnestly proselytizing, although what she said just now was ignored by Heracles.

”Yes, would you like to come?”

Upon hearing Heracles’ question, the girl’s eyes lit up.

Truth be told, this gaze made Heracles quite uncomfortable, sometimes he really couldn’t tell the difference between these believers and pyramid scheme gangs.

”Let’s go.”

Heracles responded.

He indeed wanted to understand what this so-called Orthodoxy was all about, especially since in a few days their Pope would be killed by Lorenzo. At least before the action, Heracles needed to have a general understanding of them.

”You’re not from Gaulunaro, are you?” The girl asked excitedly as they walked.

”No, I’m from Ingwig.”

”Ingwig!”

Liya’s voice rose a few degrees, and then she realized her lack of composure, covering her mouth with an apologetic look.

”Ingwig!”

”What’s about Ingwig?” Heracles asked, puzzled about the girl’s excitement.

”I’ve always wanted to visit Ingwig. They say it’s filled with iron serpents and sky-roaming giants, is that true?”

Liya asked, looking at her yearning expression, Heracles remembered that this girl was in her youth, such vibrancy is quite normal.

”More or less, probably after spending a long time there, it all becomes routine.”

Heracles said, considering that for Old Dunling citizens, these ”abnormalities” were already ”routine.”

”That’s wonderful...” the girl said softly.

”And what about you? How did you come to believe in Orthodoxy? I remember this denomination appeared not long ago, so, are your parents believers?”

Heracles turned his questions to Liya, unsure how this girl, without family influence, came to believe in Orthodoxy on a land filled with Evangelical Churches.

”I... it’s complicated to explain,” Liya thought for a moment and then replied with a smile.

”My parents died at sea when I was very young, then I was raised by the orphanage. Everyone at the orphanage was a believer of Orthodoxy, so I became one too.”

”Is that so... Do you truly believe in it, or is it a task assigned by others?” Heracles continued to inquire.

”Of course, I sincerely believe in it.”

Liya replied, her words sounding somewhat hesitant, but she continued.

”At first, I really didn’t believe in these. Everyone said those priests weren’t good people. After the teacher passed away, we hoped a priest could hold a mass for him, but the Evangelical Church priest demanded a hefty sum, and we scraped for a long time.”

”However, Orthodoxy is different from them.”

The girl’s gaze moved Heracles; he could see that Liya truly believed in it all.

”How is it different?”

Heracles was curious about what method Orthodoxy used to garner such devotion.

”Orthodoxy funded our orphanage, helped us repair buildings that were in disrepair for years, and provided food. Those priests would come to teach us, not only theology but also some other cultural courses.”