Chapter 252: Interlude—Singing of Divinity.
Chapter 252: Interlude—Singing of Divinity.
“A prayer is to wish for something to come true, to ask it of someone.”
The Black Face spoke.
“The important thing here isn't that the wish comes true.”
The White Hand declared.
“The important thing is the fact that there is someone there to hear the prayer.”
The Grey World mentioned.
“It could be oneself, a power one does not know, the world itself, or perhaps the rules known as magic.”
The Queen laughed.
“Then, what about an absolute being?”
The End sang.
* * *
A cathedral where light poured down majestically.
Even to an amateur like me, it was a place filled with ancient decorations, yet the great hall was so pristine that not even a speck of dust drifted through the air.
Though countless people were gathered in that hall, not a single soul spoke; they all maintained a heavy silence.
In the midst of that solemn plaza of light.
Someone opened the doors at the end of the long corridor and revealed themselves.
An Old Man clad in white vestments, wearing a ring of gold.
As he appeared, a faint murmur rippled through the hall that had been dominated by silence.
“We wish to convey a message of peace regarding all living gifts of creation.”
The opening statement began.
“To this end, by the convocation of His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII, we have gathered here.”
We listened to him in silence.
“These have been trying times. The gates of hell opened, and ineffable beings burst forth….”
The speech continued.
“…Therefore, we have convened this assembly to once again prove our faith and our love.”
The Third Vatican Council.
Not only Catholics, but atheists, Protestants, Orthodoxy, and Episcopal representatives were there. Even those from Islamic and Jewish lineages had been invited to this council.
Of course, there were those who did not respond, and some questioned what authority the Pope had to gather them.
But in the end, there was no one else capable of bringing such a group together besides the Pope. Thus, many religious figures gathered here to make their voices heard.
The theme was the treatment of the Awakened, who were being discriminated against in the name of religion.
And what faith should become in this changed world.
The Council began and each person started to speak, but I didn't pay much attention.
Partly because I wasn't a religious official and couldn't understand their jargon.
But mostly because I wasn't actually invited to the meeting.
“Well. How do you think it’ll go?”
“Who knows. I just hope it goes in a direction that benefits us.”
The man beside me spoke while fiddling with a small skull accessory.
Calavera.
He was deployed to flip the script if things went south.
And I was deployed as his guard for the operation.
“How many will be erased?”
“…I’d prefer it if there were none.”
I hoped so too.
But has that ever actually happened?
* * *
“Assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury. You’re Mr. John Smith, correct?”
“I am, but what—”
Target confirmed.
I reached out and shoved him.
“Ah?”
A car rushed in.
Right on cue, a car whose brakes had ‘coincidentally’ failed came rolling down from that hill.
Crunch.
And just like that, a human life vanished.
Killed by a car—a common weapon found rolling around any street.
This would be recorded as an accidental death.
“Operation complete. Requesting cleanup.”
“Confirmed.”
I quietly slipped away from the scene.
I had already confirmed there was no one around, but staying in an operation zone for too long only invited accidental problems.
In the end, there was another victim.
The situation was continuously deteriorating. The number of people defending Heroes was dwindling, and criticism of Heroes began to permeate even the most polite discourses.
Given the nature of The Council where the attendees were already fixed, assassinating someone would be too obvious, so we used other means.
To prevent the anti-Awakened faction from participating in the meeting as much as possible.
We sabotaged transportation so they couldn't make it on time.
We used weak poisons to make them feel unwell.
We erased parts of the data that were scheduled for submission.
Whenever the atmosphere turned hostile, we used subtle mental manipulation to mellow it out.
But even that had reached its limit.
To refresh the atmosphere by removing a leader of the hardliners.
In the end, we had martyred one man.
A hardliner who insisted that the Awakened must be suppressed in the name of religion.
Still, we won't be able to use this trick twice.
One death is a simple accident.
Two deaths, and suspicion begins.
I could only pray that this would change the mood.
To disguise myself as a passing child, I grabbed a chocolate gelato from a nearby stall.
It was delicious.
Not that it mattered much.
* * *
More time passed.
The atmosphere had softened slightly.
The words of those defending the Awakened gained some weight, and the dialogue shifted toward a neutral tone, if not exactly friendly.
If only it could keep flowing like this.
It wasn't that I wanted them to recognize us.
It would be enough if they weren't actively hostile—a mere uncomfortable neutrality would suffice.
So that believers wouldn't swarm out and start a witch hunt.
The people who had done that were later caught and judged as heretics for their excessive violence, but the Management Bureau knew well that such was the general perspective of the laity.
Even now, the Administrative Staff must be suffering from a barrage of civil complaints in the name of God.
Thinking of that situation made me anxious, and I tapped my finger against the pillar I was sitting on.
I was low on nicotine.
“…No smoking.”
“I know. You think I’m crazy enough to light up in the middle of an infiltration?”
Unless I wanted to advertise my presence to the world.
A useless object that drops ash, smells, and emits smoke.
Perhaps that was why it was so lovely.
“Maybe I should just quit.”
“I’ve heard that hundreds of times.”
Calavera said that and, with a smile, held out a piece of gum toward me.
“What’s this for?”
“The Thunder God told me to pull this out instead of a cigarette if Lee Ha-ram starts acting up.”
The Thunder God’s advice, huh? Not bad.
“What can I do when the world is this shitty?”
I said, popping the square gum into my mouth.
Squish.
There was no chew to it.
It felt like a sheet of paper.
“Give me a few more.”
“Is it not enough?”
“Yeah. Give me the whole pack.”
“Use them sparingly.”
He told me to use them sparingly, but I emptied the whole thing into my mouth.
“….”
“Try being in my body. Then you’ll understand.”
Now it finally felt like I had something to chew on.
Squish, squash.
As I moved my teeth and jaw, my emotions fortunately began to settle.
Click. Click.
Perhaps it was because I had stuffed too much gum into such a small mouth.
The gum bulged between my teeth.
The clicking sound it made echoed quietly against the ceiling.
But because of the distance, it didn't create enough noise to reach anyone's ears.
Thus, with a stabilized heart, I quietly looked down.
Praying that things would move in a good direction.
* * *
The second month.
“….”
It was no use.
As the meetings continued, their arguments grew more radical.
The Awakened are different from us, those who have not received God's blessing.
Therefore, the extremism that they do not deserve God's mercy took hold.
A few people were sweating as they tried to argue back, but the tide had already been decided.
“Calavera. Let’s do it.”
“…I didn't want to do this to comrades who believe in the same Being.”
Was he still insisting on community even in this situation?
“I’m sorry.”
Calavera’s face turned pale as he twisted the skull accessory.
Something white began to flow out from the various holes in the skull.
Souls that Calavera had collected as a necromancer.
They flew through the air.
To possess those shouting in the hall. To manipulate their minds so they would say the words we wanted to hear.
The moment they reached their targets.
A sudden flash of light erupted, blinding everyone.
And when the light faded and we regained our vision….
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
“Gah!”
As if the possession had succeeded, the leaders of each faction bent over, making strange noises.
“What is happening?!”
“What on earth….”
The great hall, which had been filled with hatred for the Awakened, was now overflowing with commotion.
It was only natural, as those who led thousands were clutching themselves and groaning in pain.
“…I am fine.”
The first to regain his senses was Pope Gregory XVII.
Following him, the others also came to, staring into the air with dazed expressions.
“What… what happened?”
“…Did you all see it as well?”
The Pope did not answer the believer’s question but looked around at the others who wore the same dazed expressions as him.
“Yes.”
“It seems we all saw the same thing.”
Everyone spoke up. With shining eyes, as if they had realized something.
It was only natural. What we showed them was….
“Then, may I speak on behalf of everyone?”
The Pope said this as he pushed his frail body up from his chair.
His attendants tried to stop him, but he brushed them off and straightened his back.
“Please do.”
“We shall do the same.”
“In the name of the Father. Please do.”
“Thank you.”
The Pope spread his arms wide with a grand gesture, as if he had suddenly regained his vigor.
“Listen.”
A husky voice that carried the weight of his years.
Yet, that voice was clear enough to be heard by everyone in the hall.
“I… no, we have received His revelation.”
Right. The one we made.
A great confusion broke out in the hall.
“There can be no private revelation!”
“What is the meaning of this….”
Despite the chaos, the representatives remained silent, merely bowing their heads.
Among those who clasped their hands in repentance.
Only the Pope held his head high.
“Listen. We were committing a grave error.”
Why was it?
The moment the Pope spoke, all the noisy sounds died down.
A pressure that even I couldn't easily shake off.
“…Isn't the effect a bit too good?”
Can possession and hallucinations change a person like that?
“…It is a miracle of God.”
At my words, Calavera, who was beside me, spoke. His mouth was hanging open blankly, as if he were possessed by something himself.
“God, my ass….”
“I didn't do it.”
“Huh?”
“Before I could do anything… something immense had already descended.”
…What?
Startled by those words, I turned my gaze back to the hall.
“We have forsaken the Lord’s teachings and oppressed our own comrades.”
His words continued.
“Those who awakened their inner strength to save people. We oppressed them.”
Words filled with sincerity.
“Those who are children of the same God. We claimed they were different from us. We repeated the mistakes of the past.”
At those words, the others bowed their heads even lower.
As if repenting for their sins.
“Therefore, we declare. The Awakened. No, the Heroes are those who exist within the same grace of God as we do.”
Tears began to flow from his eyes.
“And that through our faults, we have cast unjust sin upon them….”
Idiots.
Now? After all this?
You shouldn't be the ones doing that.
How long did we… just to hear that one sentence….
“…How long….”
* * *
The great tide of the Third Vatican Council had shifted.
How to cope with the changing times.
The content itself remained the same, but the foundation of the debate had changed.
The foundation that the Awakened were also those who received God's blessing.
An unshakeable cornerstone was laid, and we completed our mission.
The mission to make the world's largest religious group take a friendly stance toward Heroes.
“Really. It makes no sense.”
Having parted ways with Calavera, I walked aimlessly down the street and looked up at the sky.
God.
God. Absolute Being. The Lord. The One who stands in the heavens.
It didn't matter what He was called.
Does such a being actually exist?
“…There’s no way.”
Calavera was running wild, claiming a miracle had occurred.
But I didn't believe it.
If there were a benevolent God, what was the suffering we endured?
And why would He only appear now?
I looked at the sky.
The blue sky surrounded by the white marble plaza.
“Is this also some trick of the Otherworld?”
Right, what meaning did it have?
It was just one more crazy thing added to a crazy world.
“I just have to do my job.”
I slowly moved my feet.
There was still much to do.
And many people who needed to be killed, who needed to disappear.
I would simply continue to erase such people from my list.
I wonder where the next one is.
I tossed my lit cigarette onto the white marble path.
And I turned into an alleyway, the kind that existed even in a place like this.