Chapter 50: The Ambition of the Vigilante Corps

──Let me tell you a story from the past.

There once was a city named Ressal, an ordinary settlement with no notable features.

The climate was mild, and the town could manage self-sufficient food production, but there was nothing one could call a specialty product.

Adventurers would come and go, passing through on their journeys or staying a night or two. Ressal was just that kind of unremarkable town.

"I'll be the one to transform Ressal."

However, Gorippa, the young man who had become the lord of the plain town of Ressal, harbored ambition.

He inherited the position before even reaching the age of twenty. Still green and full of youthful zeal, Gorippa refused to be conservative and sought to enrich the town under his rule.

"I want the town to have at least one defining trait. Could we develop some kind of specialty product?"

But the land of Ressal could hardly be called fertile, and the crops that grew there were ordinary. They had no unique technologies, nor were there any rare flora or fauna.

If creating a specialty product were that easy, it would never be a struggle in the first place.

"Maybe we should focus on making it easier for travelers to stay—couldn’t that lead to development?"

So Gorippa thought, why not turn Ressal into a trading hub that would attract a variety of merchants?

That would require affordable lodging, he reasoned.

"Let’s build a sanctuary. If we had a facility where people could sleep for cheap, travelers would stay more easily. Besides, using religion to guide the people would be beneficial too."

Inspired by that idea, Gorippa began planning the construction of a sanctuary in Ressal.

Hiring local carpenters for the job would help stimulate the economy, and if more travelers came, commerce would also grow. On the surface, it didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.

"Hm, wait a second..."

There, Gorippa came up with an even bolder plan.

If he was going to build it anyway, why not make it a grand cathedral instead of a mere sanctuary?

"A cathedral would cost money, but..."

Constructing and maintaining a cathedral would be expensive. However, with the savings passed down from the previous generation, it wasn’t entirely out of reach.

Building a cathedral would mean that even as the town developed and travelers increased, there would be no issue with lodging. On top of that, pilgrims and clergy drawn by religious devotion might start to visit.

"If we construct a cathedral, Ressal would gain the identity of a religious city. Public works would let us return tax money to the citizens, and it would lead to the town’s growth as well."

As luck would have it, the year Gorippa made his decision was also a time of poor harvests, and the people were suffering.

The announcement of a public works project that would provide wages came at just the right time, and there was little opposition from the townsfolk.

"Alright, it’s decided. We’ll build a cathedral in Ressal. This will be the life’s work I dedicate myself to."

So declared the young Gorippa, as lord of the unremarkable town of Ressal.

---

Ten years passed, and the grand cathedral was finally completed.

During that time, Gorippa reached out to branches of the Macro Church across the land, humbling himself and successfully inviting a priest of high standing.

"With a devoted believer like you, Lord Macro must surely be pleased."

"To think a priest such as yourself would come all the way to this rural place—what a profound honor."

The cathedral in Ressal was as splendid as its name suggested.

Recognizing Gorippa’s sincerity and dedication, the Goddess Macro’s Church formally designated Ressal as a faith-centered city.

"From now on, ascetics will make regular pilgrimages to Ressal."

"That is a blessing. I look forward to hearing stories from believers across the land."

It was all unfolding exactly as Gorippa had hoped in his younger years. From that day forward, Ressal was no longer just a nondescript rural town—it became widely known as a central city of the Goddess's Faith.

As donations from believers poured in, operations at the cathedral ran smoothly.

What didn’t go according to plan was that not many adventuring travelers came.

Even though affordable lodging had been established, there was nothing in Ressal’s surroundings to make it a destination. Only pilgrims would come to stay, and that didn’t contribute to commercial growth.

Moreover, ascetics were disciplined individuals. They avoided luxury, lived modestly and purely.

Even when they did stop by Ressal from afar, they spent little money.

"The town’s slightly in the red, but there’s more movement of people now. The next step will turn that into progress."

But Gorippa wasn’t discouraged. Over the decade, he’d been gathering information from travelers about potential specialty products that could be produced in Ressal.

He also used the cathedral’s presence to regularly host masses and solicit donations from visitors.

"Ressal walks the path guided by the goddess Macro."

By this time, Gorippa himself had become a deeply devoted follower of Macro.

He had initially joined the faith for the town’s benefit, but after ten years of listening to the doctrines, it was inevitable that he would come to believe.

The number of believers in town had increased as well, and Ressal had truly taken its place as a "faith city of the Macro Church."

"Lord Gorippa, once again this year, we've received many donations from the faithful."

"Yes, how wonderful. I’m truly glad I chose to believe in Lady Macro."

Yet despite his deep faith, Gorippa never forgot he was the leader of the town.

He never let himself be blinded by religion, and continued to focus solely on how the cathedral could be used to improve the town.

"Give it another ten years, and Ressal will develop even further. And as Ressal grows, the Macro Church will spread. We’ll build a town where everyone can live with a smile."

By then, Gorippa had already set his sights on a product that could become Ressal’s specialty—religious artwork and statues of the goddess.

He had begun contacting skilled painters and sculptors in nearby cities.

If he could invite them to town and sell their artwork to wealthy believers, the cathedral could become a self-sustaining operation. If that succeeded, Ressal’s growth would be all but guaranteed.

The "goal" Gorippa had set when he became lord at age 20 was now on the verge of being fulfilled. He was, without question, a happy man.

---

A pity, truly.

An outbreak of pneumonia spread around Ressal, and Gorippa passed away suddenly, his ambitions unfulfilled.

He was a great leader—a fact acknowledged by many of Ressal’s inhabitants.

Still in his late thirties, his death was all too early. A tragic loss.

In a single generation, he had nearly doubled the size of Ressal, established its unshakable status as a religious city, and maintained governance without incurring public dissatisfaction. That achievement alone rightfully earned him the title of "great man."

"Father? Why won’t you speak to me, Father?"

Conversely, it could be said that Ressal’s prosperity had rested solely on the shoulders of this one remarkable individual.

Unfortunately, his son, an "ordinary man" who had yet to receive any real guidance from his father—

"What should I do now, Father?"

—could do nothing but abandon all responsibilities he had inherited, kneeling in the grand cathedral to pray to the statue of the goddess.

That son, Korippa, was pure and obedient by nature.

He loved the teachings of the Macro faith, and believed in them blindly.

Perhaps that’s why, once Korippa had recovered from his father’s death and assumed leadership of the city, the first policy he enacted was so laughably misguided that anyone could see it.

"You must speak with those who commit crimes. Through conversation, you can understand why they did what they did. And if the cause of their wrongdoing is removed, they will surely return to being good citizens."

This was a passage from the doctrines of Macro—specifically, a section directed at rulers, offering methods for crime prevention.

However, the spoiled son interpreted these words far too liberally.

"In other words, even if you're dealing with criminals, as long as you talk things through, you don’t need violence."

And so he came to that conclusion. Then, he declared the complete disbandment of all of Ressal’s military forces.

He pushed forward with this policy in defiance of widespread objections—people pleading, “Reconsider! If you do this, there will be serious consequences!”

Thus, Korippa dismissed the city’s vigilante corps, and mandated that the citizens themselves "engage in dialogue" with criminals.

Before long, the city became overrun with lawbreakers.

Public morals deteriorated, sanitation worsened, and pneumonia began to spread even more aggressively.

Ever since Korippa took over, Ressal visibly began to fall into decline.

"Why did the plague start spreading so suddenly after I took over? The city’s downfall is all because of this disease—it has to be."

Due to the plague, pilgrimages ceased, and the cathedral's finances plunged into the red overnight.

As a result, the citizens fell into hardship, and theft became rampant.

That was what Korippa saw as Ressal’s current state. He never realized the crucial importance of maintaining public order as part of his disease prevention efforts.

"The plague is killing too many. At this rate, Ressal will—"
"Shut up, I’m thinking right now."

A city with no more peacekeepers—Ressal, once one of the most prosperous cities in the region just a year ago, was now a shadow of its former self.

Backed into a corner, Korippa finally made the worst possible decision as a leader.

"Seize the assets of the deceased. Use them to cover the national deficit."

It didn’t matter if the deceased had family.

Each time someone died, Korippa issued a notice declaring, “If not reported within three days, the inheritance will be confiscated.”

"Sell off the seized assets immediately. That’ll bring us back into the black."

In this way, Korippa began collecting the assets of many citizens during the height of the plague in Ressal.

As a result, he lost the trust of the people. More and more residents abandoned their homes and set off on journeys elsewhere.

Yet Korippa rejoiced at this, turning the abandoned homes into properties for sale.

"The people just don’t have enough faith."

By the time the plague subsided, Ressal was in shambles.

The population had been halved, public safety was abysmal, nearly slum-like, and even the cathedral had become a target for thieves.

Korippa believed that all of this was the fault of the faithless populace.

"I need to spread the greatness of the Macro faith to the people. Then surely, Ressal will regain its former glory."

Ressal's tax revenue had all but vanished.

That was because most of the responsible, tax-paying citizens had left the city, and those who remained were mostly ruffians and former criminals of low morals.

"The national treasury is full right now. We have money to spare."

Still, the city itself had a surplus of wealth. That was only because all those "responsible citizens" had died, and their vast wealth had been confiscated.

Blinded by the enormous sum of money before him, Korippa grew overconfident. He never realized that it was a short-term windfall at best.

"If I build a giant stone statue of Father with this money, the people will surely wake up."

But Ressal’s wealth was only temporarily inflated through asset seizures.

With the people gone, there was no steady income—but Korippa went ahead with construction of the statue, burning through an enormous budget.

"Lord Korippa, what should we do about next month’s expenses?"

"Huh?"

As a result, the money quickly ran dry, and Korippa desperately began scrambling for more funds.

In an effort to squeeze every coin possible, the cathedral raised its lodging fees and banned all private inns. As a result, those who had made their living in the hospitality business were forced to leave the town.

To make matters worse, by that time, no one was left who dared to stand against Korippa. The only people surrounding him were his private soldiers, who oppressed the citizens while reaping the rewards.

“We don’t have any money. We can’t even afford to move.”
“We have no choice but to keep living in Ressal.”

Yet even among the people, there were still those who possessed a sense of decency.

Some couldn’t leave town for various reasons. Others had lived in Ressal for generations and didn’t want to abandon their home. These sensible citizens were deeply dismayed by the current state of affairs.

“In that case, let’s rebuild Ressal ourselves.”

And so began the work of the vigilante corps—formed to drive criminals out of Ressal, which had sunk into a slum-like state.

Their young leader, Ryoga, possessed an incredible charisma. He gathered many comrades and took it upon himself to begin patrolling in order to protect the residents of Ressal.

“Ryoga, help! Those thugs are back again…”

“Alright, hang in there! I’m mobilizing the squad now!”

They weren’t a government organization, just a grassroots vigilante group. That allowed them to move nimbly and respond quickly to problems.

Before long, people who appreciated their efforts began to appear. The vigilante corps received many supplies from supporters and started gaining unwavering backing from the populace.

Thanks to their efforts, Ressal—a town once plagued by a slum-like atmosphere—slowly began returning to a normal state.

To protect their town. No—to take it back.

Without receiving a single coin in salary, the vigilante corps worked tirelessly for over half a year, sustained solely by the support of the people.

“We’ll protect Ressal!”

To the people, they were nothing short of heroes.

---

"...Why are they getting in the way?"

The fruits of their tireless efforts—

"I told you we should try to talk even with criminals. If we go around defeating people, that goes against Lord Macro’s teachings. And if that happens, people will lose even more faith."

The vigilante corps had already gained far more influence than Korippa ever had.

To him, they must have seemed like nothing more than an unpleasant enemy.

"In this religious city of Ressal, anything that contradicts Lord Macro’s teachings is unforgivable. If we don’t do something about the vigilantes, Ressal will be doomed."

And so, Korippa made up his mind—to destroy the vigilante corps.

---

“…And that’s the current state of the town. From there on, you saw the rest with your own eyes.”

“So Korippa tried to wipe out the vigilante corps in a surprise attack, but it backfired—the townsfolk rose up and crushed him.”

“I’m absolutely speechless.”

After our audience with the vigilante leader Ryoga, Karl and I returned to the banquet hall.

There, we were able to hear in detail from members of the Ressal vigilante corps about everything that had happened to their town.

“If it hadn’t been for him, Ressal wouldn’t have ended up like this. Korippa needs to receive the punishment he deserves.”

“We don’t need a grand cathedral in this town anymore. Our Ressal is going to go back to being the quiet, ordinary place it once was.”

The so-called "great man" Korippa was gone, and the cathedral had become nothing but a useless relic.

That very cathedral—symbol of Korippa’s crimes—was set ablaze. The Macro Order, who had leached off the people alongside Korippa, were driven out of Ressal.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah… But from now on, Ryoga will be the one leading this town. Ressal will become a self-governing city, no longer relying on nobles.”

“That… sounds like a thorny path.”

With Korippa’s downfall, the town was left without a ruler. For a while, it seemed that the reins of leadership would fall to that pervy little guy they called the boss.

However, there’s no way the high-ranking nobles who governed this land would allow that.

“Soon, nobles of count or marquis rank will surely arrive to take control of this territory. And depending on the circumstances… there may be a battle.”

“We don’t care. As long as Ryoga’s in charge, there’s no way we’ll lose.”

“We’ve had enough of noble rule.”

“…You must not underestimate mages. Especially the kind employed by high-ranking nobles—many of their spells are extraordinarily powerful. I urge you to remain calm and make a wise decision.”

I subtly encouraged the vigilantes to at least consider cooperating with the nobles.

They were hot-blooded, with a solid track record and real power—but losing them would be a terrible waste.

“Oh yeah? If noble magic is so amazing, why did Korippa lose?”

“Even from a distance, his magic was total garbage. It’s an insult to real magic users.”

“So, does that mean you can use amazing magic?”

“…Compared to your former ruler, I can use much better spells. And there are mages out there who far surpass even me.”

A flash came to mind—Aldobreak, the Flame God Overlord spell fired by Aldebaran.

Its firepower completely outclassed my own Spirit Cannon. And with my magical proficiency already at max, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to surpass her, even if I trained my whole life.

As long as Aldebaran exists, I’ll never be the world’s strongest mage.

“I wanna see it, come on, show us! If you’re so confident, then give us a spell that’ll knock us flat!”

“Yeah! Try shooting it at me. Let’s bet on whether or not I can withstand it.”

“Dahahaha! You’re the toughest guy out of all of us! That’s just cruel!”

But no matter how much I reasoned with them, the vigilantes just kept grinning, still mocking the idea of nobles.

Damn it… They’re not taking my words seriously at all.

“…Karl, should I actually cast something? If we really end up clashing with the nobility, the damage will be devastating.”

“Yeah. Might be good for them to see what real magic firepower looks like.”

“Oh, nice! Alright then, let’s see what you’ve got!”

Truthfully, I didn’t want to show off my magic. It’s not something I worked hard for—it’s just a talent I happened to be born with.

But if using it could warn these brave idiots before it’s too late… then I’d wield it.

“Alright, let’s change locations.”

“So it’s too dangerous indoors, huh? That’s promising.”

“If I can withstand it, can I grope your chest, missy?”

“…Do as you please.”

With the overconfident warrior clanking around in bronze armor, I stepped outside the manor.

And at the head of the noisy line of chattering soldiers trailing behind me, I let out a small sigh.

---

“I heard the noble lady’s skirt fluttered in the blast—so I came running!!”

“You again?! You damn pervert!!”

By the time we made it out to the outskirts of town, the so-called “Boss of the Vigilante Corps,” Ryoga, had spotted us and tagged along, wearing an unnervingly cheerful expression.

Apparently, he wanted to “get a feel for the firepower of an average mage.”

“So… why’s that guy standing right in front of Irine-chan? He’s gonna get caught in the blast.”

“Boss, listen! She said if I survive the noble lady’s spell, I get to touch her chest!”

“…Seriously? You actually agreed to a bet like that?”

Standing just a few meters in front of me, the armored man was grinning from ear to ear—clearly too proud of himself to be worried.

Ryoga gave him a half-lidded stare, somewhere between disbelief and disappointment.

“What’s the matter, boss? You jealous or something?”

“No, I mean… Look, do we have a healer on standby? If he dies, it’s not gonna be on me.”

“…Huh? Boss? What’s that supposed to mean?”

To my surprise—

The perverted vigilante boss actually took magic seriously enough to be cautious.

“You’re gonna hold back, right? He’s an idiot, but he’s not a bad guy.”

“But of course.”

With a rare hint of sincerity, Ryoga bowed his head slightly toward me. He didn’t have to say anything else—I had no intention of hitting that guy with a direct blast. If I did, there wouldn’t be enough of him left to scrape together, and even Sakura wouldn’t be able to heal ash.

“…Wait, now I’m kinda getting nervous. Boss, is it really that dangerous?”

“Cheer up. Irine-tan says she’ll go easy on you so you won’t die.”

“Wait, die?! But, like—Korippa’s spells didn’t even—!”

My aim was set far beyond the visible horizon.

After confirming no one was within range, I quietly began to chant.

“────Spirit of Flame, Wind God Flame Break.”

It had been a while since I last fired a Spirit Cannon.