Chapter 3. Faith and Status (5)
Chapter 3. Faith and Status (5)
In the novel, it was called modern fantasy and glossed over, but in this world where that setting was reality, that power had not been fully and easily accepted from the beginning.
In this world, where the concept of Holy Power has become common sense, the image of the institution called a "hospital" is not what it used to be. Naturally, the image of the profession called doctor is not what it used to be either.
People who had studied science had to clutch their heads. If Magic and the laws of physics were fully compatible, it would be one thing, but Magic influenced the physical world while its laws defied scientific explanation. Likewise, Alchemy was a separate domain from chemistry.
Naturally, the "new fields" and the "existing fields" clashed in all sorts of ways, and among those "existing fields," the backlash from those with high social standing was apparently quite severe. Having lived my whole life inside the Church, I hadn't felt it much, but there had been protests and such, and of course there were people who denied that all of it was real, calling it a fraud.
And the people who couldn't accept any of it took over the role of "modern-day conspiracy theorists."
People who insisted that they weren't the ones who were wrong, the world was wrong, and that all those absurd things ruling the world now were fabricated as part of a government conspiracy.
There were some people stubborn enough to refuse even Holy Power while never setting foot in a Church until they died, but most came to the Church when they needed something and made use of Magic. In fact, the latter were the majority, so their social image wasn't very good.
"Um... so, Miss Anna?"
"Yes, I'm Anna."
But right now, in my eyes, this person looked like a savior.
Because, anyway, wasn't she someone who had come to deny my divinity? There was no reason to refuse.
So what if people are a little two-faced? I also deny that the Being Above is God, yet when I heal people, I just shamelessly draw on Holy Power.
"Are you Miss Anna, the Saintess Candidate?"
So even when the question came back again, I wasn't annoyed.
Right, normally when people hear "Saintess Candidate," they'd picture someone much more fanatical. Not someone like me who dressed however she pleased.
"Yes, I'm Anna, the Saintess Candidate. This is my escort knight, Ria—no, I mean, Sister Maria."
"Maria is my Baptismal Name. My real name is Lee Chae-eun. Pleased to meet you... Well, I'll stay out of the way back here, so please talk comfortably."
Ria said that and withdrew to sit behind.
Then she giggled with an expression like she was watching something incredibly entertaining.
...Why?
No, well, Ria probably just found this whole situation amusing. She had a nasty side that enjoyed teasing me, so it was a natural reaction, if anything.
I ignored Ria and turned back toward the advocate.
And the advocate's expression when I faced her was a little subtle.
"Excuse me, does Miss Anna not have any name other than her Baptismal Name?"
"Ah, yes, that's right."
Since I'm usually just called Anna, I often don't think about it, but to me, the name Anna is merely a Baptismal Name.
Actually, even the thought "merely a Baptismal Name" is a little strange. In the West, where Christian culture is simply universal, people are baptized as infants the moment they're born, and they just use the name they received then as their own name. And even in this country, there are many cases where a Baptismal Name is one's own name.
The reason names were deliberately set aside as "Baptismal Names" was to allow people to choose their own names when going out into the secular world. In a way, this came from a kind of institutional compromise—when South Korea, originally a secular nation, gained an official religion, it accepted some of the resulting backlash.
Church administration is different from government administration. So to live as a member of this country's society, you must follow that administration.
That's probably why they maintain the dual system.
"Is that so..."
After hearing my answer, she wore a slightly sad expression for some reason.
...Already?
"Um..."
When I opened my mouth, puzzled by that reaction, she blinked and smiled brightly.
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. Nice to meet you, Miss Anna. My name is Choi Su-bin. I serve as the director of the Unified Theory Research Institute."
As she said that, what she handed me was a business card.
"Unified Theory Research Institute?"
As I tilted my head, reading the institute's name on the card, Miss Choi Su-bin smiled again and said,
"Yes, it's a research institute that studies the phenomena occurring in this world. And it's a research institute that studies some single common theory connecting those phenomena. It was founded to properly study what people call Holy Power and Magic using the theories we already know."
"......."
Uh, wait a moment.
I'm getting a slightly ominous feeling about this.
Ah, of course, this person was still exactly the right person for my current situation. She was someone who advocated Atheism, and someone who wanted to view the world scientifically somehow.
But, well.
Actually, the laws of physics and mathematics aren't as "perfectly" logical as ordinary people think.
Even mathematics, which seems like it should be perfectly intuitive and logical because it's made only of numbers, shows contradictions when you dig into the details. It's not that there's no effort to patch them, but there's probably no mathematician who denies those contradictions.
The laws of physics, which apply that mathematics, are the same—general relativity and quantum mechanics have parts that conflict with each other. According to the laws of physics, the laws of the microscopic world dealing with extremely small particles should apply identically in the macroscopic world dealing with planets and stars, so there should be a theory that fully explains both identically, but reality isn't like that.
Of course, scientists know that they "don't know." The laws of physics are not a world fully conquered by humanity, and so, with the hope that if they keep studying steadily, they might be able to produce a theory explaining both.
But at the same time, they don't assert that "it can be completely unified" either.
Because that is the essence of scientific skepticism.
And besides,
"Um... Holy Power and Magic have been determined to be phenomena separate from physical phenomena..."
Right. Setting aside the most important parts of physical laws like quantum mechanics and relativity, Magic and Holy Power were areas where research had only just begun.
But separate from that, what Magic and Holy Power deal with is not the "material" realm in the first place. There are no "particles" or "waves," which are fundamental to the laws of physics, at all. They're visible to the eye, but if you consider them purely physically, those two phenomena "do not exist." And yet they affect reality.
Scientists are slowly uncovering that mechanism, which is far more complex than quantum mechanics. And at least "so far," there is no theory linking the laws of physics with those two.
"No, that's not the case."
But Miss Choi Su-bin answered me flatly.
"There is a theoretical foundation."
"A theoretical foundation..."
It was a story I'd heard in reality too. The countless theories that had emerged trying to unify the laws of physics.
But almost none of them had been proven by experiment. And opinions were divided even among scientists.
At the very least, if a theory gained some recognition and an academic field formed around it, there would at least be a foundation for research, but...
I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
But perhaps she didn't properly read my expression, because Miss Choi Su-bin kept talking.
"I've heard about Miss Anna."
"I-is that so?"
I had actually seen Miss Choi Su-bin on TV before. Though the program had been mocking people like her.
Strictly speaking, it was one of those "there are people like this in the world" programs.
"Yes, that even within the Church, even in a situation where you could become part of the privileged class, you're fighting for the truth. The incident where you sent a letter to the Cardinal is famous even among us."
"Ah, yes."
That was all I could say.
"Actually, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for us to sit face to face and talk during the verification process. Because normally, someone at the level of a Saintess Candidate could pressure people with authority."
That was true enough.
Uh, no, wait. Which means?
"Thank you for calling me here like this."
Ack.
"Surely this is also a right that Miss Anna obtained because you continued your struggle within the Church, isn't it? If so, we absolutely can't waste this opportunity, can we? Because who knows when they might change their minds and try to throw me out."
Uh, no.
I never called you.
I think the Church probably called you on its own.
Ah, I think I get it now.
From the moment I became a Saintess Candidate until today, my stance has been perfectly consistent. That there is no God, and that the Being Above is not God.
So the Church accepted my opinion. From the moment I came here, they assigned me an "advocate" who would suit me perfectly. Like assigning a public defender in a trial.
"Now then, shall we start by talking about Miss Anna's ability? Let's first find out whether it was really due to that 'Holy Power' or simply a coincidence!"
Hearing that, I urgently turned around, thinking something had gone wrong.
But far away, my escort knight, who was supposed to protect me, was just watching me with an expression of amusement on her face, smiling brightly.