nucmednet Chapter 1 The Betrayed Reformer
Chapter 1 The Betrayed Reformer
“Haaaah…haaaah…”
The boy, clutching his wound, fled alone through the wilderness. Night covered everything, including the human realm. He endured the pain and ran towards the vast forest.
His real name is Fidel, a transmigrator, a so-called "hero" of humanity, who has been in this world for two and a half years.
During his two and a half years as a hero, he dedicated himself to fighting against humanity's enemy—the demons. The church portrayed them as enemies, mortal adversaries, and they did indeed pose a threat to humanity.
But he did more than that. As a modern man, a former graduate student, and an engineering graduate student with a great interest in social sciences and history, he also tried to change human society.
Papermaking, public education, funding for natural science research—until the church became his obstacle, until the church turned against him, until—the church reform movement.
The church considers itself the shepherd of Goddess and an unquestionable authority, but it knows that the church's so-called authority is actually an obstacle to the emergence of modern civilization.
So the church took action. The lure of money and power made him their target, turning him into a "spy sent by the demons." His reforms were denounced as heresy, and all reforms except for the "tax reform" he spearheaded were banned.
"Damn bishop, damn it!"
The wound in his abdomen came from the pursuer's sword. He was not a martial artist, nor did he have any so-called system, and he knew no magic. His only advantage came from the modern knowledge in his mind.
The night was so dark that he could only sit under the tree, clutching his wound. The intense pain surged up after his adrenaline subsided, making him momentarily lose consciousness.
He heard a rustling sound and realized something was happening. He tried to get up and keep running, but his wounds wouldn't allow him to do so.
He picked up a torch from beside his thigh. The torch was wrapped in wood and soaked in crude oil. He lit it with a flint and steel, and the flames illuminated the surroundings.
A person stood at the edge of the flames, with white hair and red eyes; the bat wings on her back indicated that she was not human.
"Oh. I didn't expect it to be you, Alicia?"
Alicia, one of humanity's mortal enemies, the vampire queen, fought him dozens of times, and he racked his brains to deal with her abilities.
"It's you, all alone. Is this a trap?"
In Alicia's hand, the crimson blood transformed into a jet-black scythe, its tip dancing as it came to rest on his neck, but Fidel merely blinked and continued to lie there.
"Bare body? Who would use a dead person as bait?"
Alicia then saw that, in the torchlight, blood had stained the earth red. Fidel's injuries were serious, and Alicia could feel his life slipping away.
"Tell me, whose masterpiece is this?"
Seemingly pleased, Alicia sat down and stared at the dying Fidel.
"Of course, it's those people in the church."
"Aren't you the church's hero? Why would they attack you?"
"Because I was trying to destroy the place of their goddess in their hearts, that kind of vague faith, which I found extremely foolish."
Alicia was taken aback, then laughed: "There are still people among humanity who don't believe in the goddess. You know, since the rise of the church, the goddess has been the supreme being of humanity."
"You don't believe in goddesses."
"I don't believe in anything illusory or unreal; I only believe in what's in front of me."
"It's interesting that we've been playing against each other for two years, yet we don't know anything about our opponent."
"Ahem... Let's talk."
Fidel then noticed that Alicia was also injured; she was covered in blood and appeared to have been attacked as well.
"You were betrayed too?"
Alicia was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth. That's right, both sides were facing a major upheaval. Alicia's throne was taken away, and she fought a bloody battle to escape from the Demon King's castle.
"Damn usurper..."
"Hahahaha! Looks like we're the same kind of people!"
Fidel laughed, then cried out in pain as his consciousness grew increasingly blurred. He looked at Alicia; at this moment, his former adversary could be trusted.
Do you want to take it back?
Fidel looked at Alicia. He didn't hate or dislike Alicia; he simply believed that fighting against demons was the right thing to do among humans.
"What help can you give me?"
“I carry my notebook, which contains knowledge sufficient to transform a small country into a vast empire.”
“If you can return to the Holy City, then I have everything I have in the Holy City’s secret vault, including my observations of the world and my reflections on history. I don’t know if this knowledge will be useful to you, but you definitely need it now.”
Knowing he was about to die, Fidel took out his bag and placed it beside him.
"Humanity has only recently gained the ability to resist demons; that's your doing, isn't it?"
“That’s right, standing legions, knight training, phalanxes, these are just some very simple things… cough cough… haha, I haven’t opened the real Pandora’s box yet. They were foolish enough to betray someone who could change the world. Now I’d rather hand these over to you.”
Muskets, cannons, professional armies, industrial machinery, nation-states... Fidel knew there were still many things he hadn't done, and couldn't do.
"The orcs have great strength, the vampires have great magic, the demons have the instinct for war, the dwarves have a thirst for steel, the elves are loved by nature, and humans have you... but they have lost all of this in vain."
Field had already gone into shock, and Alicia looked at him and murmured.
He wasn't completely dead. In his final moments, Alicia had a choice, and she pondered this choice, considering all the possibilities.
"If it's really as you say, then consider it as you've paid for everything and enjoy your second life. Hehe, your former enemy has actually become your daughter in a real sense."
Bat wings took flight, soaring into the distance. One night, a new vampire was born. Alicia looked at the blood cocoon in her arms, one hand flipping through the notebook, which indeed recorded wisdom—wisdom about history, society, and development.
These words depict a vast process of development; she can see a future, a future of civilization, in which skyscrapers are built, swords are replaced by new weapons, and she can see the future she desires.
The vampire territory was the starting point of this future. Alicia stood beneath the palace and stepped into the cold palace.
"Welcome back, Lady Alicia."