A Righteous Doctrine Fosters Faith
The northern part of the continent. Deep within a mountain range blanketed in perpetual snow lay Pandemonium, the stronghold of the demons.
Eligos, a demon who took the form of an old man, sat alone at a massive round table. Currently, the other demons of Pandemonium had left their headquarters, scattered across the continent on their own errands.
The fused entity of Prokel and Balam was searching for a new target to sow their 'seeds,' while Gamigin was hunting for sacrifices to use in his necromancy. The others had departed for various reasons of their own.
While some, like Prokel and Balam, operated in pairs, most demons preferred to act alone. As a result, unless they actively shared information, none of them knew exactly what the others were up to.
But Eligos, who remained behind at the stronghold, wasn't merely wasting his time. Long ago, he had planted a terminal containing a fragment of his own energy deep inside the Holy Capital of the Holy Kingdom.
This terminal was strictly for espionage; it possessed no special abilities to dominate a target's mind. At best, it could observe its surroundings and communicate when necessary. Yet, planting even such a tiny terminal had required an immense amount of time, effort, and sheer luck.
The Holy Capital Justia was essentially a fortress city, surrounded on all sides by towering circular walls. Forged through a combination of the Holy Kingdom's superior architectural techniques and the priests' Miracle Arts, the walls were sturdy enough to withstand almost any assault. As for the sky above, which the walls could not block, a powerful divine barrier blanketed it, denying entry to any intruder.
Tunneling underground was equally impossible, as the walls extended deep beneath the earth, and the barrier's influence reached far into the subterranean depths.
Of course, if the demons of Pandemonium combined their strength, they could shatter the Holy Capital's barrier. But even if they did, it would be restored in an instant, and the alerted priests of the Holy Kingdom would undoubtedly erect an even stronger one.
The opportunity to bypass the barrier and plant the terminal had arisen, by sheer coincidence, from the massive Divine Explosion that had recently occurred in the Great Forest. A ripple of divine power identical to that of the Main God Justia had surged outward, and in the process, the hemispherical barrier protecting the Holy Capital had briefly faltered.
The one who triggered that Divine Explosion was undoubtedly the other half of the deity who had awakened alongside the Main God. And the one wielding that other half's Authority was Yohan.
From what Eligos had gathered, Yohan had ambushed and destroyed Hanar before the demon could fully manifest a physical vessel. After defeating Prokel and Balam, he had traveled all the way up to the Empire, where the Great Forest lay, and was actively operating there.
Though Eligos couldn't pinpoint his exact whereabouts at this very moment, it was certain that the bastard was somewhere in the central part of the continent, where the Holy Kingdom was situated.
The ultimate goal of the Goddess's other half and her Apostle was surely to seize the Holy Capital Justia and take control of the Holy Kingdom. A deity's identity was tied directly to their name. Therefore, the other half, who had been stripped of her name, would likely do whatever it took to reclaim it.
Right on cue, an incident presumed to be the work of the Goddess's other half had occurred within the Holy Kingdom. Someone had infiltrated the deepest depths of the Holy Capital and fled with the Original Scriptures.
They must intend to use the scriptures containing the religious doctrines to assert their legitimacy, Eligos deduced.
But things would not go according to their plan. Infiltrating the Holy Capital to steal the scriptures was nothing short of a blunder. Because of that theft, Pope Angelo III's mental fortitude had crumbled significantly, and Eligos had seized the opportunity to plant a Mental Demon in his mind.
Even when looking directly at his own Main God, who had manifested before him, the Pope now mistook her for the other half of the Goddess—the entity he was supposed to eradicate.
Controlling the mind of someone whose mental barriers had collapsed was incredibly simple. There was no need for complex spells or curses; all he had to do was whisper continuously into the Pope's head through the terminal.
Of course, there were still high-ranking clergymen who knew that the woman in the Pope's office was indeed the Main God. However, the Pope now viewed those priests as political rivals eyeing his throne, so they posed no threat to Eligos's plans.
Though the Goddess's other half remained a variable, everything was flowing smoothly exactly as intended—at least for now.
"Heh..." Eligos let out a sinister chuckle.
The board was set. All that remained was to take his time, completely ensnare the minds of the Pope and the other clergymen, and liberate the soul of that lord sealed deep within the Holy Kingdom. The day when the mortal realm would once again overflow with fear and agony was not far off.
"Alright, now we need to test the effects of these ourselves..."
Yohan had previously discovered that he could utilize both the Goddess's blessing and the Guardian Deity's Ring simultaneously on crops like the Sugar Apples. Therefore, theoretically, medicinal herbs effective for treating stomach ailments or external wounds should also be of far superior quality compared to those grown in ordinary fields. The problem was that while fruits and grains could simply be eaten to test them, verifying the efficacy of medicinal herbs required a patient.
"..." Yohan stared at the small glass bottle sitting on the table.
Inside the bottle was a dark green liquid that looked like crushed mugwort juice. It was a healing potion made from the newly harvested herbs.
"Since there are no sick or injured people in the village right now, someone will have to get hurt to test the effects," Falco said, looking at Yohan.
"Yeah, alright. In that case..."
"Stop!" She immediately drew the dagger from her waist and prepared to slash her own palm, but Yohan, utterly horrified, lunged forward and stopped her just in time.
"What's wrong? This is the easiest and most straightforward way."
"I get it, so just put the knife down first!"
This girl is seriously dangerous if someone isn't by her side to stop her. Yohan barely managed to pry the dagger from Falco's grip. True to her elven heritage, she was needlessly strong, forcing him to draw slightly upon his Apostle's Authority just to shake her off. If the Goddess had been present in her spiritual form, she would have undoubtedly mocked him for being as weak as a dried anchovy.
"Damn it, your dagger is confiscated for two weeks. Got it?" Yohan snapped at Falco, adjusting his grip on the weapon. "If anyone's doing this, it should be me."
"It doesn't really make a difference who does it," Falco replied, tilting her head in confusion.
"Shut up. I'm doing it, so back off."
It's just easier on my peace of mind if I'm the one getting hurt, Yohan thought as he sliced his own palm with the dagger. The sharp blade sliced effortlessly through his flesh, and fresh blood immediately began to pool from the small cut.
"Alright, Billy. Bring that over and pour it on here."
"Yes, Boss!" At Yohan's command, Billy promptly poured the green liquid from the glass bottle onto the wound.
"Ugh—" A sharp, stinging pain flared up the moment the liquid made contact with the cut. But it lasted only a moment. Yohan watched as the wound covered by the green liquid rapidly sealed shut.
"Whoa, this is..." Yohan wiped away the blood and green residue with a cloth. His palm was revealed to be completely clean, without even a trace of a scar.
"Incredible healing speed. Even considering the wound wasn't that deep, this is on par with the potions made and sold by mages," Falco said, her voice uncharacteristically excited. It was clear proof that even she found the potion's efficacy remarkable.
"Right?" This confirmed it. The medicine made from the herbs grown in their village was absolute gold. Yohan grinned and nodded.
"So, are we going to mass-produce these potions to make a profit now?"
"No, we're not," Yohan replied instantly to Billy's question. Selling high-performance healing potions would undoubtedly bring a massive financial boost to the Knights and the village's treasury.
"Ah, now that I think about it, we shouldn't."
"Yeah."
The village's existence could not be leaked to the outside world yet. In fact, while Yohan and Annie were away in the Holy Kingdom, Falco and Billy had overseen civil engineering works to intentionally dismantle the roads leading out of the village. Though very few outsiders would ever wander into this region anyway, they still couldn't afford to draw the Holy Kingdom's attention.
"Tsk." Yohan smacked his lips bitterly. Living in hiding like this was incredibly annoying, and he had occasionally toyed with the idea of just coming out into the open out of sheer frustration. However, his recent trip to the Holy Kingdom had thoroughly convinced him that his cautious approach was correct.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had around three hundred apprentice Heresy Inquisitors alone, and the number of veteran Inquisitors was at least double that. An Inquisitor was a living weapon, capable of fighting demons that would paralyze ordinary humans with sheer terror. Even Annie, who couldn't use Miracle Arts, could swing a mace and turn a low-level devil into minced meat.
And that wasn't all. According to Annie, the Holy Knights—whose combat prowess surpassed even that of the Inquisitors—numbered in the thousands. If they caught the Holy Kingdom's eye in their current state, they would literally be ground to dust. Unless a civil war broke out within the Holy Kingdom and they started slaughtering each other, there was no chance. Unlike the Goddess's Knights, who were knights in name only, the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom were the real deal.
"Still, we need to get some proper equipment while we're at it," Yohan said, looking at the remaining green liquid in the glass bottle. Excellent efficacy aside, Yohan had felt a sharp pain when the medicine touched his wound. This was because the liquid was nothing more than crudely crushed herb juice.
If they could acquire distillation apparatus and other proper equipment to refine it, they would be able to craft high-quality potions that wouldn't sting at all when poured onto wounds, while boasting even greater healing properties. However, sophisticated equipment like distillers was hard to come by in places like Junk Town or Balifield. Most items circulating in the Undercity markets were things you could wear or swing; there was virtually nothing related to magic or alchemy.
"Let's set a date and visit a larger town sometime," Yohan suggested, and both Billy and Falco nodded in agreement.
The list of things they needed to buy was growing. Aside from potion-making equipment, they needed tools that were difficult to manufacture in the village. While they could easily fashion wooden barrels for brewing alcohol, small metal components like screws were better purchased from the outside. And they also needed weapons for the villagers.
For now, Yohan's party would remain in the village until they finished the scriptures, but they couldn't stay cooped up here forever. With the man-eating trolls gone, the population of wild beasts that had fled the area was rapidly bouncing back, meaning predators could invade the village at any moment.
"Alright, that's wrapped up here. I'll leave the rest to you two."
"Okay."
Yohan left Falco and Billy behind and walked away. It was only right to leave the cultivation and processing of the herbs to them. Falco was naturally adept with plants, and Billy was highly skilled in various crafts besides construction. In fact, it was Billy who had brewed the green healing potion. Interfering without proper knowledge would only ruin things. Yohan knew exactly when to step in and when to back off.
Creak—
"I'm back."
Yohan walked into Billy's house, which had essentially become the party's hideout.
"You're back."
"Welcome back. We were just about to summon thee."
Inside, Annie and the Goddess were examining the scriptures. Yohan naturally slid in between them to look over the contents.
"All the anecdotes we have examined thus far are stories of events that remain in Justia's memory."
"Whoa..." Yohan let out a soft exclamation at the Goddess's words. The scriptures were not merely a book containing religious doctrines. They included direct explanations of the tenets, as well as historical records of the church and moral anecdotes.
"Thanks to this, We felt as though We had returned to the ancient days for a brief moment. Back then, We paid no heed to Our believers writing the scriptures, but looking back upon them now, We are deeply moved."
The Goddess's expression as she spoke was like that of an adult looking through a photo album from their childhood.
"Aside from that, I carefully examined the records regarding the prophecies," Annie said, breaking her silence as she handed Yohan a notebook.
Yohan took the notebook and flipped through the pages. They were densely packed with notes detailing which pages of the scriptures contained which prophetic verses.
"Man... why are there so many prophecies?"
"The scriptures kept in the Grand Cathedral have been censored far more heavily than we ever suspected."
"Really?"
"That's not all. There are countless verses that were erased despite posing absolutely no issue to the doctrine itself."
"Huh."
In other words, the current Central Church hadn't just erased a few 'blasphemous' passages; they had completely fabricated and altered the scriptures to suit their own tastes.