Chapter 143: The Cardinal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: The Cardinal
What am I?
It was a question pondered by countless philosophers since ancient times. In the process, some declared God dead, while others proved that to think was to be.
Having been born and raised in the modern era, Yohan was, of course, very familiar with such ideas. The answer to what defined a person was scattered all around him.
But Yohan wasn't talking about such abstract concepts. He wanted a clear answer.
‘What am I?’
Why had he fallen into this other world? And why, after arriving, did he have a constitution that rendered him immune to magic and witches' curses?
Why him? He was desperate to know.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, an answer seemed to exist in this world.
‘The Church's headquarters.’
His ability to nullify magic was said to resemble divine power. If so, perhaps the reason he came here, the secret to his existence—it might all be there.
“I've been wanting to visit for a while now.”
The one place his master didn't just dislike, but utterly despised. Even so, he was sure she wouldn't refuse if he asked her to go.
Unlike before, they now had enough power to mercilessly crush a kingdom.
‘Still, just in case...’
Yohan picked up the phone and made a call. On the other end, the master of the Imperial Palace answered.
[Who is this?]
“Ah, hello. Emperor? It's me. I have a favor to ask...”
[Me? Who are you?]
Just as the Emperor, who had clearly been targeted by an "It's me" scam before, was about to hang up, Yohan quickly explained who he was and why he was calling.
Hearing his request, the Emperor let out a low groan but couldn't refuse. How could she refuse the man's words?
He was, after all, the witches' gigolo. Incurring his displeasure would cause the very foundations of the nation she had painstakingly built to crumble.
[...I will make the arrangements.]
“Thanks, I'm counting on you.”
After hanging up, Yohan immediately got up and headed for his master's room. He knew she wouldn't refuse, but he'd still need a bit of persuasion.
Ahem. Clearing his throat, Yohan knocked on Evangeline's door.
—An envoy.
A representative of one nation, akin to a diplomat sent to another.
When the power difference between two nations was stark, an envoy would be treated better than the king of the weaker nation. If it was a vassal state, it was common for the king to kneel before the envoy of the suzerain nation.
The reception Yohan received as the Empire's envoy to the Holy Kingdom was greater than that given even to this country's Pope.
“I, Tauritsan, King of this nation, greet the great envoy of the Empire.”
Yohan was slightly taken aback by the king's strangely deferential attitude. Even though he had come as the Empire's envoy, was this level of politeness necessary?
What Yohan didn't know was that, a short while ago, the kingdom had launched a one-sided surprise attack on the Empire without a declaration of war.
Of course, the attack was a complete failure; they were annihilated before they could even cross the border. To a kingdom whose army had been wiped out, the Empire's envoy was no different from a grim reaper.
A single word from him could decide the kingdom's fate, so the protocol for his reception was of a level rarely seen even during the king's own coronation.
“Your Majesty, please rise.”
“Thank you.”
“May I ask a favor of Your Majesty?”
Hearing Yohan's words, the king glared at him as if to ask what kind of favor required such a preamble. Meeting his gaze, Yohan just grinned and stated his request.
“I'd like to visit the Church. The main sanctuary the Holy Kingdom is so proud of.”
“I had no idea the reputation of our kingdom's Church had reached the Empire. Of course, it is possible.”
The king's expression soured for a moment at Yohan's request to go straight to the Church instead of anywhere else, but he quickly remembered it wasn't under his jurisdiction and nodded with a smile.
With the king's permission secured, Yohan immediately boarded a carriage and headed for the Church.
“To think I'd live to see the day I'd visit a church.”
Evangeline, sitting in the carriage with her chin propped in her hand, muttered lamentfully as she gazed out the window. Once upon a time, back when she still couldn't control her magic well, Evangeline had been hunted by the Church.
Back then—no, even until recently—there was a time when she would burn church symbols on sight and kill any believer she came across.
“Don't you think this is actually better?”
“What do you mean?”
“The fact that you'll get to see the church folks squirming helplessly after they realize you're a witch.”
Hearing Yohan's words, Evangeline imagined the scene for a moment, then broke into a wide grin.
Old, shabby geezers. Imagining those old fools, their minds so hardened and inflexible, having a fit after discovering her true identity sent a thrill through her entire body.
She wanted to reveal herself to the cardinals and bishops as soon as possible. Evangeline's body trembled with pleasure as she panted, "Haa, haa."
“─That would be the best.”
“Right?”
Seeing Evangeline's wide smile, Yohan let out a sigh of relief. A trip to the Church. To be honest, it was something his master could have felt repulsed by.
No, not 'could have'—she would have, 100 percent. For her, it must feel like walking into a cave full of murderous cockroaches that had tried to kill her.
And if she was under the restriction of not being allowed to kill the bugs, it would be no different from hell.
Knock, knock.
—We have arrived.
The carriage stopped, and the coachman outside dismounted to signal the two people inside. Yohan casually put on his hat and stepped out of the carriage.
The next moment, he was faced with a church so magnificent it couldn't be compared to any he had seen in the modern world.
Of course, he hadn't looked for them, and there were probably more splendid buildings out there somewhere, but...
‘A cathedral... Even on Earth, they were built in the Middle Ages...’
The cathedral was so grand it seemed to pierce the heavens. He wondered if it was a cathedral for believers of God, or one built to poke God in the ass.
As Yohan let out a small gasp of admiration while looking up at the building, the man guiding him began to smile with satisfaction.
“What do you think? Of our kingdom's Church.”
“It's big. And beautiful. It'll be satisfying to destroy.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Just kidding.”
He'd thrown out the joke for his master's sake, but the man stared at Yohan, utterly aghast. He couldn't tell if the words were a joke or a genuine threat.
Leaving the stiff-faced man behind, Yohan walked toward the Church with Evangeline.
Cardinals waiting in front of the Church greeted them with welcoming smiles.
“Welcome, guests from the Empire. God welcomes you.”
“Heeh, really? Does that include me?”
“Yes, God does not discriminate based on nation or race.”
“Even like this?”
As she said that, Evangeline demonstrated her magic. Pebbles from the ground defied gravity and gathered above her hand.
Seeing this, the Cardinal's face began to turn pale. Such is the reaction of a clergyman facing the Church's enemy, a witch.
“A w-w-witch...!”
“Yup, yup. So—I'm asking. Can you accept me too?”
“You wretch, how dare you! Do you know where you are?!”
“And you? Do you know who I am to dare speak to me like that?”
Belatedly, the man from before noticed the tense atmosphere from a distance and came running. Only then, realizing the two were envoys from the Empire, did the Cardinal's eyes widen as he glared at Evangeline and Yohan.
Even as he faced a real-life witch, the Cardinal could only tremble with rage, unable to take any action.
He knew that if he just shouted, the Church's holy knights would rush over and brutally kill the two of them, and yet...
“...Welcome.”
“Yup, yup! Let's go see what this 'God' fellow's face looks like, shall we?”
“Ha, haha—please refrain from blasphemy.”
“Nope~.”
Yohan smiled and followed Evangeline as she hummed a tune and walked inside.
Once inside the Church, Yohan posed various religious questions to the Cardinal who had stuck to his side.
The Cardinal, who had been scowling because of Evangeline's presence, saw Yohan's sincere interest and answered his questions faithfully.
“Oh? So, are there no Saintesses?”
“God loves everyone equally. It is impossible for Him to favor one person over another.”
“Even though you have ranks like Cardinal and Pope?”
“Hahaha. Those are simply how humans, by human standards, measure who is more faithful to God. They are not God's standards.”
Hearing this, Yohan realized the Cardinal was more devout than he'd expected and possessed outstanding religious knowledge. He carefully asked about the reason he had come here.
“Then—what is divine power?”
“It is a portion of the Lord's grace that we borrow and use.”
“What if an atheist could use divine power? What would that mean?”
“Ahaha, such a being does not exist, my brother.”
“But if, just if, one did exist?”
After a moment of thought at Yohan's persistent questioning, the Cardinal recalled such a case from the Holy Scripture and spoke of it.
“If such a person existed, he would be none other than an Apostle of God.”
Yohan froze at those words, carefully mulling over what the Cardinal had said.
Yohan. יוחנן.
The meaning of the name was.
God is gracious.
Had His grace reached even this other world? Yohan did not know.