Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Opening Their Mouths (1)
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A room where quite some time had passed since Chris and Aluerd had rushed out.
The Pope and Kline remained, facing each other.
"What do you make of this, Your Excellency?"
"...I'm not sure myself."
"This is the first time you've said something like that."
Kline gave an awkward smile.
How should he even describe the current situation?
The report from Aluerd just moments ago had been shocking.
"...Divine power disappearing is unprecedented."
"Not entirely unprecedented."
"But that case was..."
There had been instances of divine power disappearing.
Cases where one abandoned their god to serve another.
Priests who turned to demons to survive against necromancers.
Though extremely rare, they all met the same end.
"This time is different from those cases."
"Yet the result is turning out the same."
"..."
Kline swallowed his words once more.
Everything was utterly incomprehensible.
Anything related to the name Chris turned bizarre.
Every report sounded akin to miracles.
Even the undead cowered before him, they'd said.
An unbelievable tale, yet it came straight from his close friend Parmon.
It could be taken as unexaggerated fact.
"...Perhaps."
"The end of this long struggle is finally in sight."
A force they could never figure out how to handle.
Hadn't the Pope and Kline struggled their whole lives?
Now, they were even in a crisis.
Yet it seemed the end was in sight thanks to one man's arrival.
How should this be expressed?
The Pope, lost in thought, finally spoke.
"Behind that young man..."
"..."
"It feels as though a god stands."
"...Haha."
No tension emanated from the Pope's body.
How long had it been since he'd felt this languid ease?
Nothing had even begun yet, but he felt endlessly at peace.
As if everything would proceed as it should.
"It's like seeing the Saintess from long ago."
It was from a very distant past.
Back when the Pope's body was still growing, in fact.
"It was like this back then too."
"The revelation left by the Saintess must have been for the peace of the Church."
The Pope shook his head at Kline's words.
"The revelation was for the world alone. Never for the Church."
"..."
"It's time I go. Berte's group must be looking for us."
They would know their sent group had been captured.
What they'd done to welcome Chris had been quite a strain on the Pope as well.
Arresting them without any justification.
Yet the Pope's demeanor was relaxed.
"Surprisingly, a justification has been made."
"...Your Holiness?"
"Those who went to judge heretics have returned as heretics themselves."
The Pope rose and headed for the door.
"We can't just sit idle."
Kline followed behind.
He didn't know what would happen from here, but preparations were necessary.
Even if things didn't go smoothly, it mustn't interfere with Chris.
"Though somehow, it feels like we won't even need to. Our petty politics in the eyes of the gods..."
"It does build up if you pray."
"Try it."
"...Here?"
"How else am I supposed to know? At least explain it."
Aluerd stood awkwardly before the prison cell and began explaining, his face flushed with embarrassment.
As if he never imagined having such a conversation in a place like this.
"Once you register with the Church and start praying, a tiny amount of divine power is born. That's when you can call yourself a child of the god."
"Hmm?"
"That's why all priests forsake their surnames."
Who knew the reason priests had no family names was this?
"In any case, the time it takes to gain this divine power varies from person to person."
It felt similar to accumulating mana like knights or mages.
"Pray again, and the divine power gradually grows."
"It grows through prayer..."
"It's the same divine power regardless of the god you serve."
"Regardless of the god?"
According to Aluerd's explanation, the Church as an organization was quite unique.
They recognized nearly all gods below the main god.
A form of polytheism.
Yet most priests served Illia.
Perhaps because she was the goddess of the earth.
She was the god most intimately tied to life.
You had to farm to survive, after all.
"It's said the previous Saintess was sent down by Illia herself."
"Hmm... But the main god is still the highest, right?"
"Imposing ranks on gods doesn't really mean much... but yes, for now."
"Hmm..."
"The main god doesn't meddle much in human affairs."
This was similar too.
In shamanism, there were hierarchies among the spirits.
The ones called heavenly gods, like the Jade Emperor or Dragon Kings, showed little direct interest in human matters.
Transcendent beings beyond the secular world.
Most spirits shamans served were generals, child spirits, or ancestral gods.
Great shamans served great gods too, but...
"Anyway, you grow that divine power?"
"The speed is extremely slow... and it varies by person."
Aluerd finished speaking, bowed his head, clasped his hands, and began muttering a prayer.
Invisible to others, but I could tell.
The light flared up brightly.
"Hmm..."
Looking around, nothing seemed off.
The prayer seemed to reach, and the divine power reacted to the light.
"...The light is like faith."
Strictly speaking, that light emanated from the soul.
Different from the actual divine power that wielded force.
The divine power felt beneath it was...
"...Not mana, not spiritual energy either."
I'd seen Hans use it a few times but hadn't paid attention then. This was my first close look.
Holy, yet its trajectory differed slightly from my spiritual energy.
"Enough, stop. It's dazzling."
"...Yes."
Having seen Aluerd's, it was time for those guys' turn.
To spot the differences.
The issue was whether those guys would comply obediently.
"...Do the same?"
Serena, who had been watching me, stepped forward.
"...Serena?"
Daunon shuddered violently at the same time.
Clearly terrified of Serena.
"What on earth did you do...?"
"..."
Serena gave no answer.
Instead, Daunon, catching her glance, began something.
Praying with eyes closed, it seemed.
No sound came, his mouth sealed.
"Well now?"
If he went peacefully, great for me, but for him to obey so readily...
"Definitely different."
Aluerd's prayer had found its mark, but this one's felt lost.
No matter how much he prayed, it didn't reach the god.
His prayers merely circled the empty air.
"...How can this be?"
Not some layperson, but a proper priest.
A priest's prayer wandering aimlessly?
Impossible by my common sense.
Prayers transmit differently by intent, but they reach at least a little.
"..."
The prayer continued, but to no avail.
No prayer reached the god.
It was as if...
"...The connection is severed."
Severed, so prayers couldn't reach.
Hence the divine power vanished.
"What is this..."
A priest's bond with their god severed? Does that even make sense?
Circumstantially, my possessing god must have done it.
How great a god to make this possible?
Suddenly, something pulled my shoulder back.
"...?"
"...Chris?"
"Chris?"
Turning around, nothing was there.
As if a spirit had tugged me.
"Why on earth..."
Why not reveal the identity?
Too early still?
"...Feels like I'll know soon."
It was drawing very near.
The spirit didn't seem too proactive either.
Rarely, the spirit had stepped in directly this time.
Meaning it was a big deal—not good news.
"Let's go."
"...Where to?"
"Need a room. And a list of your opposing faction."
"A list...?"
"Pick the ones who don't even seem like priests."
What I was about to do now?
Like snitching, in a way.
If my possessing god severed their bonds, this was the fastest way.
"Gotta know who they are first."
"...I know them all."
"I'd love to see them myself, but..."
Going in person would bring obvious trouble.
A bunch of randos coming after me.
Bound to stir up needless mess.
"No. Go write it down yourself. You can do it right here by my side."
"I...I'll prepare paper."
"Hmm... Easier than I thought...?"
Surely there was a much harder path ahead...
"Feels off... Anyway, let's go."
Fortunately, there was a suitable room here.
As a Church building, prayer rooms dotted everywhere.
Not that I liked it much.
"Wanted to set up properly, but that's tough."
Only managed to light a single candle.
Aluerd sat on the floor beside it, diligently writing something.
"...First, the one I dislike most."
The info on the paper was simple.
Name and position.
Age and year joined the Church.
"Berte..."
Ding-a-ling -
When reading fortunes, shamans inform the spirits of the details.
By shaking the rattle.
This was similar.
"Age sixty-six. Name Berte."
Ding-a-ling -
"Embezzled money from the people personally..."
Ding-a-ling -
"Used Church funds for personal gain..."
I flinched.
Suddenly, my staggering body steadied.
Right after naming him, spiritual energy drained in chunks.
Ding-a-ling -
Various scenes flashed through my mind.
As if I were seeing what the spirit saw.
This guy must be Berte.
Ding-a-ling -
"Whole family died when he was young."
Ding-a-ling -
The more I shook, the more strength ebbed away.
The rattle felt like a heavy iron lump.
Ding-a-ling -
"Oof, my arm..."
Ding-a-ling -
"No wonder I can't handle the divine presence yet..."
"...Gasp!"
Aluerd gasped sharply, trembling.
A sight I'd never seen when dealing with the elders.
Ding-a-ling -
Like moving in water.
Arm barely budging, rattle heavy.
This happened the moment the spirit intervened directly.
Maybe that's why it won't reveal itself—I can't handle it yet.
The day I learn, I'll probably faint at least.
Snap -
A breaking sound rang in my ears.
Berte's bond, no doubt.
And beyond the sound, something else was felt.
"Chris! Blood...!"
Blood began flowing from my nose.
After just one person...
"...Hey, how many left?"
"Even picking carefully, over a hundred."
"Damn it..."
And I had to make them confess too...
I lit Berte's paper on fire, smirking at Aluerd.
"Gonna have to charge you guys a big offering fee."