Chapter 79
Chapter 79
11. War of Faith - 10
Transformation (變革).
Those belonging to the Church of the Holy God could feel the winds of change. Even though the Holy-God Faction's traditionalist forces had clearly been wiped out through long persecution and political maneuvering, they had begun reviving like zombies.
"The Holy-God Faction distributed relief grain again!"
"They say the Holy-God Faction's holy knight Noah absolutely wrecked a vicious bandit gang!!"
"The Serpent-Subduing Young Lord Faction's priests must have all gone mad—they've sided with the Holy-God Faction-!!"
And all of this had happened in just three days.
The change was so abrupt that even those dull to politics could grasp it at once, and so intense that it shattered the stereotypes that had hardened over time.
In that current, some priests even felt a threat to lives that did not exist.
"Those ivory-tower scholars who don't know reality, how can they come back now⋯⋯?!"
"Then why did I convert? I believed in the Holy God from my mother's womb. I went out of my way to convert, and if it was going to be like this, I should have just kept believing as I was. This is your fault for coaxing me into believing in Moon Shadow!"
"I wasn't wrong⋯⋯ The Holy God is a dull-witted god. It's thrashing about trying to recover its divine power now, but the only god truly worth serving is Master Binder. Soon their deception will be exposed to the whole world!"
They were taking losses. Their faith was being insulted. And they had done too many terrible things to the Holy-God Faction priests to switch back now. Each person's reasons differed, but the flow of their thinking converged on a single conclusion.
If the Holy-God Faction's power kept swelling like this and they secured their position, that could not be allowed!
They began to take action.
First came denunciation. They began clamoring about how inferior the Holy-God Faction's teachings were—deceiving and bewildering the citizens, as if they had forgotten that the Holy God was originally this planet's indigenous faith—and how excellent the teachings of the newly arrived gods were.
"So, Master Binder⋯⋯ um⋯⋯ bears all creation upon his shoulders."
"Why do you say something different from the priest next door?"
"That's because there are so few stories passed down⋯⋯"
But against the solidity of a Holy God faith spanning thousands of years when counted in time, they were not sturdy enough to attack with doctrine, nor did they have much source material. And it didn't land well either.
In the first place, the foreign gods had risen to power not because of their teachings but because of the boons they bestowed, and only those with a certain degree of wealth had directly benefited from those gains.
So most people, who frequently went hungry, kept scriptures containing the Holy God's words in a corner of their homes and grew up hearing the Holy God's stories. Moreover, with the Holy-God Faction now lavishly distributing supplies, it could never have been a contest.
"Damn it⋯⋯ Draw your swords! This is a holy war!"
"B-but Bishop Bento told us not to act rashly."
"Bishop Bento's eyes may have gone cloudy! Didn't that Bishop Savidero also take their gold and treasures and betray us outright! I cannot stand by and watch the order crumble like this!"
So some of the more rash ones tried to use the most primitive means of persuasion.
Whether they had been hoarding the relics excavated so far, or whether fortune had smiled on them and they had discovered ancient ruins one after another—the Holy-God Faction's weakness remained the same. They were like shriveled apples, because they had no people.
They possessed only a pitiful number of holy knights and affiliated priests. With such a disparity in manpower, anything became possible.
It was said that a capable person could hold off ten with one hand, but no matter how outstanding one's talents, how could one handle a hundred, a thousand hands?
They disguised themselves with masks in the dead of night and attempted to raid the temple warehouse managed by the Holy-God Faction to halt their gift offensive, but⋯⋯
"Point A-3, standing by. I'll neutralize the primary targets first. When I fire, Hunters, please breach."
Beep-
"Yes, Captain Kim Sohye. All personnel, combat ready. Everyone's drilled the precautions we passed along beforehand, right?"
"You mean the part about them making shields out of thin air with holy power? Of course we've got it down. Man, never thought I'd be doing religious persecution in another world⋯⋯"
"Cut the nonsense. Also, we've been told not to plant negative perceptions among the civilians. Fight as convincingly as you can. Be kind to the locals too. This report goes straight up to Colonel Oh."
Troops who had "dropped out of the sky" had arrived on this planet long ago.
Bang-!
A gunshot rang out, and the Hunters charged in. Thus the multiple violent incidents targeting the Holy-God Faction were prevented in advance, and the priests bound tightly with ropes—
"This is lamentable. How can you say you would commit such a wretched act out of jealousy toward family of the same Church of the Holy God? Bishop Seldicto, please punish them severely!"
"⋯⋯Ha, haha. I, I understand how you feel. I too feel deep sorrow. But is the conclave not approaching? To see blood before and after such a sacred day⋯⋯"
"Is that not precisely why those who have sinned must be punished strictly, so that we may greet the god without blemish? As I understand it, the god who bound himself—"
—became entirely the achievements of holy knight Noah.
Noah Won was no orator or politician, but when it came to showmanship that captured the crowd's attention, he had a knack for it from his idol days—so he was skilled at winning public sentiment.
And when public sentiment gathered, it soon became political power. With the people at his back, he rampaged in every direction, jabbing at the bishops.
And so.
The Holy-God Faction's power recovered as if time were being rewound. The goal of their leadership—Saintess Andersen and Noah Won—was one thing only. To swell their size as much as possible and face the conclave.
Time flew like an arrow, and only a single day remained until the vote.
It would be fair to say the time had been short but dense.
The Serpent-Subduing Young Lord's side had persuaded three of the four bishops, and that money-grubbing honorary bishop fellow had simply been bought off with gold. They had also succeeded in pulling one bishop away from the Binder Faction.
As for whether the remaining three Binder Faction bishops had sided with the Moon-Shadow Faction—no. Bishop Seldicto and the other two were not deciding easily; they were testing the waters. They seemed intent on riding the fence to the very end and joining whichever side won.
The Moon-Shadow Faction's bishops did not waver. That Bishop Bento fellow seemed destined to remain an obstacle to the end, and ultimately this conclave's structure had flowed into a confrontation between the Holy-God Faction and the Moon-Shadow Faction.
In this process, I had unsparingly used two of the three uses of the 『Record Analyzer』. I had used it on the honorary bishop and one Binder Faction bishop to verify whether they had genuinely joined the Holy-God Faction.
The verification result was a green light. They were unwavering votes.
To summarize it all, it looked like this.
● Indigenous god Holy God faction (7 votes total)
-Serpent-Subduing Young Lord Faction 3 votes
-Honorary bishop 1 vote
-Binder Faction 1 vote
-Pope 1 vote
-Saintess 1 vote
● 『Moon Shadow (月影)』 faction (5 votes total)
-Serpent-Subduing Young Lord Faction 1 vote
-Moon-Shadow Faction 4 votes
One Binder Faction bishop had been booted by me on suspicion of colluding with the Hunter Alliance, so he was gone. So the Binder Faction members still sizing things up like bats amounted to only 2 additional votes.
The honorary bishop and the Binder Faction bishop were "sincere," the Saintess and Pope had been Holy-God Faction from the start and would never harbor second thoughts, and the Serpent-Subduing Young Lord Faction had been negotiated with the Serpent-Subduing Young Lord himself, so there would be no surprises. Our votes would not waver.
Thinking about it that way.
All told, it could be seen as a considerably advantageous situation. Even if the Binder Faction's two votes went to the Moon-Shadow Faction, it would be a tie, and if we could pry away even one more vote, the Holy-God Faction's restoration would be all but certain.
Achieving this much in the short term was close to a miracle.
Saintess Andersen's skill had played a major part in this miracle. Rallying the internal ranks, using underworld figures to move public opinion, secretly scattering bribes to the bishops, coordinating political matters externally⋯⋯ She had handled most of the work alone, except for the sword-fighting.
When I'd visited last time, Andersen's office had been littered with instant coffee packets and empty energy drink bottles. She must have thrown herself into the work, forgetting day and night.
We'd dragged a 1:9 situation up to 5:5 by brute force, so we could have raised a toast⋯⋯ but honestly, something felt off. Because the Moon-Shadow Faction had shown almost no movement, far less than I'd expected.
If they had at least resisted roughly, I would have actually felt relieved. It felt off.
Perhaps they might use their swords. They were a faction that followed Moon Shadow, after all. If they had received boons from a god who walked the Hell Path, it wouldn't be strange for their way of thinking to have skewed in a grim direction.
So⋯⋯ I had asked Bishop Savidero and gathered information in advance.
"You asked about Bishop Bento's blade? The Moon-Shadow Faction's holy knights are granted power that doubles on nights when the moon rises. Among them, there is the sharpest blade, and his name is holy knight Olmun. I've heard that, unlike other holy knights, he possesses five times the power⋯⋯"
It seemed that Moon Shadow fellow could grant powers like a werewolf's.
For reference, the power the Binder Faction's holy knights received was, as I'd seen so far, crowd-control—that is, binding or hindering movement.
The Serpent-Subduing Young Lord Faction's holy knights seemed to gain sharpened intuition and proficiency in ambushes. I'd vaguely sensed it even when talking with him⋯⋯ Serpent-Subduing Young Lord, to put it kindly, gave the impression of someone specialized in improvisation.
If battle broke out, this time I'd finally get to use the 『Claw』.
Additional recruitment was being handled by Andersen, and Sohye and the Hunter army were supporting with VIP protection. Stepping forward as the public face to lead opinion was fine once or twice, but by now the effect was wearing off, so there was no need to push further.
So, only one thing remained for me to do.
'Um, this is a message⋯⋯ Although I cannot reveal my identity, I have something urgent to discuss regarding the Saintess, and I ask to meet in three days at the Sanctuary. Holy knight Noah, please take care⋯⋯'
A face-to-face meeting.
Some unknown person had secretly sent a note through a priest. And today was the promised day to meet him. I walked, adjusting my clothes with my armor off.
The meeting place was⋯⋯ the 『Grand Sanctuary』, the stage where the conclave would open tomorrow.
According to tradition, it was the place where the Holy God first descended, and the place where its authority remained most thickly imprinted, more than anywhere else. As it was practically a religious holy site, security should have been strict, and ordinary people should not even have been able to enter.
Perhaps as an aftereffect of the Holy-God Faction's slow decline, it had simply become a quiet building that no one visited anymore. Even now, not a single person stopped me from entering.
I had a rough guess as to who had asked to meet.
Crunch. Crunch.
Stepping through unmanaged undergrowth, I entered through the Grand Sanctuary's already half-open door.
"⋯⋯You've, you've come."
A ceiling adorned with numerous luminescent stones, as if depicting the celestial sphere at night, and at its center, a massive spherical gem positioned like the sun. An altar installed beneath the gem, and upon it, a gold-leafed bowl.
Before those religious symbols, an old man far too shabby to be a guide of faith was waiting for me.
I offered a simple greeting.
"You summoned me, Your Holiness?"
"Y-yes. I asked you to make time because I wished to speak with you."
"This is an exceedingly beautiful and reverent place. I'm not sure I dare set foot in such a place."
"Ha, haha⋯⋯ If a holy knight so praised by the people lacks the qualification, then who would be qualified to stand before the Holy God? P-please, do not concern yourself."
The Pope looked at me, pressing down his trembling hands. On his sunken eyes, quite complex emotional changes were occurring, but honestly, I had no leisure to focus on them.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
A gaze.
I felt like I could feel a gaze.
I found a hint in the words the Pope had spoken. Who would be qualified to stand before the Holy God? That meant this place was before the Holy God. Without hesitating, I asked directly.
"Is the Holy God present here, by any chance?"
"Th-that I do not know⋯⋯ But its power is, is present. That is why the conclave is held in this 『Grand Sanctuary』."
"This is the first I've heard of it. May I hear the reason?"
"This 『Grand Sanctuary』 is⋯⋯ a starfall site (落星地), and a place where the H-Holy God presides over judgment. When the church's figures gather and petition⋯⋯ the H-Holy God deliberates and grants the request."
A starfall site.
They called it judgment or whatever, but the essence was "bestowal." It seemed the Holy God had not truly granted nothing. Then why had the Holy-God Faction declined?
That question was resolved by the Pope's words, steeped in regret.
"But the glory of the 『Grand Sanctuary』 is a thing of the p-past. There are records that in the distant past it operated once a week, but it gradually slowed⋯⋯ and this time, it is its first operation in a full 77 years."
I see. It was rechargeable, like the Saintess's 『Record Analyzer』.
As the Holy God's power declined, the charging time lengthened accordingly, and in that gap, high-ranking Hunters had slipped in and scattered boons, so the faith had begun to waver.
Now my curiosity was resolved. I had wondered why they performed such a ceremonial formality as the conclave when the Holy-God Faction's power had shriveled so much—why not just replace it outright. But the conclave was an event with clear merit when carried out.
To know for certain, I asked the Pope.
"If this Grand Sanctuary periodically grants wishes, is this conclave meant to wish for the Holy God to step down from its divine throne?"
"Th-that's right. They⋯⋯ intend to demand that the Holy God voluntarily lay down that great crown. If that happens⋯⋯ the Holy God will hand over all the power it holds to the god who inherits it."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯Ha."
Is that so. So this was the structure.
For example. If Master Binder received the votes and was selected as the next chief god, all the power of the Holy God that had ruled this planet would pass to him. A simple and certain gain.
So this was why the upper Hunters had reached out to this planet, scattering power and trying to seize religious influence. I didn't know how much the declined Holy God's power amounted to, but it must have been quite coveted. That was why Serpent-Subduing Young Lord had curried favor like that.
If so, then this pounding I'd felt since the moment I entered the 『Grand Sanctuary』 was not my imagination after all.
A sensation.
A sensation like sunlight beating down. Heat.
└ ■■■'s Curse (C/??) (Inactive)
(Failed to activate due to an error)
And, as if responding to it, the sun god's fragment writhing from within.
When I'd obtained this, Sergios had clearly explained it like this.
'This place seems to be a starfall site. A fragment of a world fell from a higher world for some reason—'
He'd said.
The Holy God's true identity was, like the power that had caused the Zombie Virus in Sohye's world—a fragment of a world (Skill) that had crash-landed on Andersen's planet.
"Your Holiness."
"⋯⋯Wh-why, what is it?"
Before considering how to use this fact, one thought flashed through my mind first. I looked down at the Pope and asked.
"Your Holiness. I have never heard this story from Saintess Andersen. And I am quite a close business partner of Andersen's. She has no reason to deliberately hide it from me."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
This was strange.
If Andersen had known, she would have told me. Then⋯⋯ thinking simply, it meant she hadn't known either. But that was equally strange.
Because even the bishops seemed to know this secret. If they hadn't known, things wouldn't have flowed this way. Not all the bishops, perhaps⋯⋯ but at least the ones who had led this affair definitely knew.
No, let's set all that aside. That wasn't what mattered. There was only one thing I wanted to press.
"There is only one answer I can infer from this situation. It seems Your Holiness did not convey to the Saintess what you have told me⋯⋯ about the conclave and the Holy God's rite. So I ask—why did you not?"
Why hadn't he told his own ally what even the enemies knew?