Chapter 210: Main Chapter (4)
Chapter 210: Main Chapter (4)
I finally stepped out of the audience hall after securing a promise to use the chapel for the day tomorrow.
Albaor and Gilbert remained behind, perhaps needing to discuss the return of the priests who had been dispatched elsewhere. Instead, Helena offered to guide us to the VIP room.
Iris looked like she had a mountain of questions but didn't dare ask them here. Her cheeks were puffing in and out rhythmically, so I reached out and gave one a long tug.
"Hwaaack!"
"Phew..."
I don't know why, but seeing Iris flail around or hearing her let out a sharp squeak always makes me feel more at ease.
Only after watching a teary-eyed Iris scurry over to cling to Elisha did I look ahead.
A neat, black nun’s habit. Yet, the fabric couldn't quite hide the curves of her hips. My eyes involuntarily drifted toward the side slit that offered a glimpse of her legs with every step.
...It reminded me of the time I did that nun roleplay with Fay.
I shook my head to clear the stray thoughts and spoke to Helena, who was walking with a slight stagger as if all the strength had left her body.
"Um, Lady Helena?"
"Yes? Is something the matter, Brother?"
She responded in her usual voice, but her complexion was noticeably pale.
"No, it's just... I was wondering if you were alright."
"Mmm... To be honest, I'm not exactly 'alright,'" Helena admitted with a faint, awkward smile.
"First of all, I'm embarrassed that I made such a strange misunderstanding. Then, you suddenly started rattling off secrets that even I, a Saintess candidate, didn't know. And to top it all off, you ended by saying you'd recommend me as the Saintess... Honestly, my head is spinning."
"Ah. That’s understandable."
I wasn't sure if it was the perfect analogy, but it felt like a newbie overhearing two veterans casually dropping massive spoilers while discussing lore theories. Of course she’d be confused.
While I hesitated for a moment, Helena continued with a strained laugh.
"Hehe... Brother Yandel, you asked me to join your party in exchange for the medallion, didn't you?"
"That's right. Since we only have mages right now, I really needed a priest."
"There must be many other skilled individuals, yet you singled me out... It seems you intended to make me the Saintess from the very beginning. Perhaps even your initial approach was..."
"That was..."
When I lost my words and faltered, Helena chuckled and shook her head.
"Ah. I made that sound like I was blaming you. Actually, it's the opposite. I only said that because I lack the confidence to know if I'm truly fit for the position of Saintess. ...Especially with everything that's happened lately."
"By 'everything,' do you mean the way you kept avoiding me?"
"Ugh... Yes."
Helena nodded, her face turning beet-red as she recalled whatever it was. I shrugged and offered a casual remark to ease the tension.
"Don't worry too much about that part. It's not like I'm the one making you the Saintess; you have to be chosen by the Righteous Light, right?"
"By the Righteous Light..."
"Yes. A Saintess is an Apostle of a god. The being closest to the deity, their spokesperson, their avatar. A position that is essentially their first daughter. No matter how much I ask, the final decision rests with the Righteous Light."
Well, Helena would be appointed as the Saintess without any issues anyway.
In the Church of Light, there were two other Saintess candidates besides Helena. In H&A, you could make them the Saintess depending on your choices.
However, there was a massive difference between Helena and the other two.
Those two only gained the qualifications to be a Saintess after going through individual episodes to resolve their personal issues and achieving a sort of enlightenment.
Helena, on the other hand, met the qualifications from the very start.
The most important thing for an Apostle of a god isn't martial prowess, the amount of holy power, or even deep faith. While those three are important, they follow naturally once one becomes an Apostle and connects directly with the god.
The most crucial factor is how similar their way of thinking is to the deity's.
Since it involves a mental connection with a transcendent being, many people feel a sense of dissonance.
The way to judge this is simple. Haven't the gods of each denomination already kindly left their thoughts and will in writing?
The doctrine.
Beyond just understanding and accepting the doctrine of the god they serve, their own thought process must align with that doctrine.
That was why I had tried to avoid taking on an Apostle position myself. It’s not like your mind collapses because you don't fit, but it’s like having someone nagging in your head twenty-four hours a day. Having to live the rest of my life semi-forcibly as a paragon of "Righteous Light" just wasn't for me.
Above all, my traits were built for a mage path; switching to a Saint path would only make my abilities mediocre.
But look at Helena.
That battle-junkie side of her that loses half her mind and charges in the moment she sees a cultist or a monster! That blind hatred for evil!
She might be able to restrain herself to some extent now, but her essence remains unchanged. Besides, the reason she restrains herself in the first place is to crush the enemy more efficiently.
They say the followers of the Righteous Light are all a bit unhinged and take a hardline stance against evil, but no one is as sincere about it as Helena.
Therefore, unless the other two candidates somehow awakened on their own without my knowledge, Helena would easily secure the position of Saintess.
The problem was that even if the Righteous Light confirmed her as the Saintess, the goddess currently lacked the power to bestow upon her.
...I had my own plans regarding that part, though.
While I was mentally reviewing my plans, Helena, who had been muttering "The will of the Righteous Light..." with a serious expression, nodded.
"Thank you, Brother. You're right. It's our Lord who judges whether I'm worthy, not me."
"Exactly. So don't overthink it or worry. Just come with me to the chapel tomorrow."
"Yes!"
Only then did Helena's face brighten up completely.
The others already knew a fair bit, but Helena had been kept in the dark about everything, so I was a little worried. Seeing her now, she seemed like she’d be fine.
I let a satisfied smile play on my lips, but it didn't last long.
Helena slowed her pace slightly, turned back to us, and spoke.
"I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be your guide, yet I've just been walking in silence. If it's alright with you, I'd like to give you a brief explanation of this Great Temple starting now."
"Of course, that's fine."
"I-I... was also quite curious about a few things."
"Great! Great! How about I be the one learning today instead of the one teaching?"
Unlike Carla, Elisha, and Iris, who seemed to have a lot on their minds, Fay—who simply found the stiff atmosphere uncomfortable—readily agreed. Iona, who had been innocently looking around and marveling at the surroundings, also looked pleased and stuck close to Helena's side.
Helena flinched for a second, but she didn't seem to mind Iona's proactive attitude. She smiled gently and pointed to the paintings covering the walls and ceiling of the corridor.
"As you might have guessed, the paintings in this corridor depict events from the War of the Gods. Originally, they depicted the story of how the Righteous Light first met humanity and how the Church was established. However, after the Great War ended, they were painted over to serve as a reminder to never slacken our vigilance against the evil gods and cultists."
"Mhm, mhm. I thought so. I recognized a few scenes. Like that one! That's the scene where the Righteous Light tore apart the Apostle of Ugly Prosperity, right? I know it well because I fought there too! Vampires have a slightly different form of sexual desire than normal people, so we're perfect for dealing with Ugly Prosperity!"
"Ah, I've heard of that. Since you're always plagued by bloodlust, you have resistance to mental attacks, and even if your lust is stimulated, it can be resolved immediately by drinking blood..."
"Clap, clap, clap! Correct! Since the battlefield was overflowing with blood, we were practically immune to the authority of high-ranking cultists! Well... once it got to the Apostle level, it exceeded what I could handle, and my bloodlust almost went out of control."
"And that's when the Righteous Light appeared."
Iona made clapping sounds with her mouth, looking nostalgic, while Helena proudly raised her arm to point at a corner of the painting.
Looking closely, just as Iona said, people who looked like vampires were clutching their heads in agony. And then, a massive white lion descended from the sky.
With a single roar, it suppressed all the miscellaneous enemies, and after a few brief clashes, it easily tore off the wings of an incubus who appeared to be the Apostle of Ugly Prosperity. After the incubus crashed to the ground, the lion proceeded to tear him to shreds in a one-sided slaughter.
Since it was a sacred painting, there was likely some exaggeration... but the reality probably wasn't much different.
The Righteous Light is an exceptionally strong deity, and Ugly Prosperity is a god weak in direct combat. Given the gap between a god and an apostle, such a result was only natural.
As I listened to Helena's explanation while imagining the scene, I suddenly stopped.
"Huh?"
I paused, spotting something painted in a corner of the mural.
"Ack... What is it, Master?"
Carla, who had been walking behind me and bumped into my back, rubbed her nose and asked. I pointed to the spot I had been looking at.
A woman with exceptionally deep, blood-red hair fluttering in the wind, skewering monstrous creatures with a spear.
"Isn't that Professor Iona?"
"Oh... now that you mention it, she certainly looks like her."
Helena glanced at where my finger was pointing and nodded with a giggle.
"It probably is. Professor Iona was quite famous even back then."
"Hehe... Did you see? Did you see? This is how great I am, Student Yandel!"
Iona struck a strange pose, her eyes sparkling. It looked like she was waiting for me to praise or worship her... but the point that surprised me was a bit different.
"Wow... Looking at it like this, Professor Iona really is old. I guess being 372 years old—rounding up to 400—is enough to get you recorded in places like this."
"...That's what you're focused on?!"
Iona hopped in place, expressing her shock.
After that, we spent some time looking for Iris and Iona in other paintings and walked around the Great Temple while listening to Helena's various explanations as our curator before finally arriving at the VIP room.
And then, morning dawned.
The time had come to make contact with a god of this world for the first time.