Holy Kingdom (1)
Holy Kingdom (1)
Dojin, upon arriving in the Holy Kingdom, shivered slightly at its appearance, which exuded a solemn and sacred atmosphere incomparable to Dungeon City.
Unlike Dungeon City, where various races lived, only humans existed in the Holy Kingdom.
However, whether the Saintess noticed Dojin's reaction or not, she pointed out the window and shouted proudly.
"How is it? Your impressions of arriving in our Holy Kingdom!"
"......Why are there no demi-humans here?"
"Because it's a god solely for humans, right?"
Hearing that, Dojin got chills. A god for humans only. Then were beastkin not human? Elves? Dwarves?
Remembering Earth's history, where people were divided into human and non-human based merely on skin color, Dojin wore a bitter expression, but it wasn't as if a small individual like him could change the world.
If they themselves couldn't recognize demi-humans as human, then even if Dojin enlightened them with his mature moral sensibilities, discrimination against demi-humans would continue.
"Humans......."
Muttering that, Dojin scanned the faces of the people.
Perhaps because it was a city where only humans who served God lived, everyone's faces were brightly beaming.
No one felt their assigned work as a hardship, nor did they harbor complaints about the jobs predetermined from birth.
They simply followed.
Blindly.
'Is it because God actually exists?'
Even on Earth, where no gods existed, the power of the Papacy pierced the heavens.
In this Otherworld, where gods truly existed, it went without saying that it was overwhelmingly stronger.
Clunk, the carriage came to a stop. Iris spread her arms wide and welcomed Dojin.
"Welcome, husband-nim! This is the place on earth closest to the heavens. The Holy Kingdom!"
Commonly known as the Holy Empire.
The country in the world closest to the heavens.
Dojin looked up at the sky through the window.
'......The clouds look like eyeballs.'
A massive eyeball was gazing down at him.
"Irisssss—!"
Upon arriving in the Holy Kingdom and entering the Papal Palace, a massive voice echoed from afar as someone came running with quick steps.
Seeing this, the Saintess startled and tried to flee, but having already entered the Papal Palace, there was nowhere suitable to hide.
In the end, the Saintess was caught by the oncoming nun, got her head bonked, and plopped down onto the floor.
"......!!"
"You, of all people! Why did you take the troops and go off on your own, huh!? Were you dead set on working me to death!?"
"—!"
The Saintess looked up at the woman who'd bonked her head, clearly annoyed. Then she jumped right up and started throwing a full-blown tantrum.
"Hey! Auntie! What the hell are you doing!"
"Aunt......!? No, more importantly, the one next to......!"
The woman who'd bonked the Saintess's head jumped in shock upon realizing the Saintess had opened her mouth in front of a man, but when Dojin just casually tilted his head, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Must be a deaf-mute. Yeah, figures you couldn't have normal people around you."
"......What are you even saying?"
"Obviously talking about the guy over here. Pretty face—you dragging him around as a toy or something?"
"I'm not disabled."
"Yeah, not disabled...... Wait."
The woman realized Dojin understood her words, freaked out, and gaped wide. Then, staring at him, she asked again.
"Y-you can hear me?"
"Of course."
"Even if I cover your mouth like this?"
"Thought I was lip-reading or something... I'm perfectly fine. Why go making a healthy guy out to be disabled?"
"Ah, no. Oh my God......."
She collapsed onto the floor and started calling out to God. But the God who always answered her calls remained silent today of all days.
"......What the hell."
"Hehe, whaddya think! This is the husband-nim I rescued! The existence from the oracle!"
"......The existence from the oracle."
Hearing that, the woman finally recalled the oracle from a few months back and looked at Dojin.
The fallen star.
Since ancient times, humanity had depicted the sky as the heavens and stars as divine beings.
Thus, a fallen star equated to an existence that had plummeted from the heavens.
"......Are you an angel-nim?"
The woman asked Dojin as much. Dojin stared at her like she was spouting nonsense, but her attitude didn't change.
Even as Dojin shook his head in denial—not a heavenly being, so how had he evaded God's curse?
"My introduction's late. I am the Pope, Elizabeth."
"......The Pope?"
Seeing Dojin suddenly turn polite, Elizabeth realized he had at least some social graces.
Thus, she didn't bother pointing out his earlier rudeness. After all, she'd treated him like a disabled person too, so it evened out.
"Saintess, we'll talk later... Shall we head inside?"
"Yes."
"No way! Auntie! Don't go eyeing my husband-nim!"
"......Iris, do you really want to get punished?"
"Eek—."
Frightened by the Pope's firm tone, the Saintess looked to Dojin and clutched tightly at his clothes.
"......Husband-nim, you can't fall for that auntie's seduction, okay? A woman one step from total ruin like her-."
"—Saintess-nim?"
The Pope looked down at the Saintess. Her eyes held no spark of life. Sensing the punishment about to come, the Saintess's tears rolled down.
In the end, she had no choice but to obediently release Dojin.
As the Pope led the way inside, she shared various stories with Dojin following behind.
For instance, that she herself had once been a Saintess.
"You were the Saintess?"
"Indeed. Though it's been about fifteen years now......."
"Then why......?"
"Do you know how a Saintess is selected?"
At that, Dojin shook his head. He only knew that a Saintess received some indescribable blessing—or curse—from a divine being.
But not the full causality.
The Pope explained how Saintesses were chosen.
"God has immense interest in the earthly realm."
"Is that so."
"Yes. And He delights in the unexpected happenings down here."
Elves are beautiful because they were made that way.
Gumiho are lascivious because they were born that way.
Since things that must be so are thus, God pays little attention to elves or Gumiho. Like ignoring a cheat character for being beautiful in a simulation game.
But humans are different.
They're not predetermined to be born beautiful, nor crafted to be lewd.
And yet they are beautiful.
And yet they are lewd.
A Saintess is someone who, despite being merely human, possesses something special enough to draw God's interest.
"That means......."
"Yes. Back when I was young, I was a real knockout. Ah, of course, I still am."
The Pope grinned widely, flashing Dojin a smile. Whether makeup or genes, her looks remained vibrantly fresh.
A mature beauty incomparable to your average stunner.
But even she would rust with time.
Age tarnished her beauty.
Thus, she explained, she'd been stripped of her Saintess position.
"Well, if the current Saintess had been around when I was young, I'd have lost anyway."
"You admit it so readily?"
"Yes. The current Saintess is the greatest, strongest in history."
She noted that back in her day, she hadn't received a curse like that one, explaining it as proof of how deeply God loved her.
"Which is why her antics are also the worst in history......."
She stopped.
This was the sanctuary of the Papal Palace's grand cathedral.
The place closest to God.
"Since you've come this far, how about offering a prayer?"
"......A prayer?"
"Yes. As the very subject of the oracle, you might just reach God."
Though the Pope urged him, Dojin wasn't thrilled with the idea. To him, gods weren't exactly pleasant company.
Raize had even warned him never to approach them again.
'To begin with...... If I were God, I wouldn't forgive myself.'
The Saintess was God's most cherished, most beloved creation.
And he had laid hands on such a Saintess.
He couldn't imagine a divine being forgiving an ant that dared touch something so precious.
"Understood."
Yet Dojin said as much, clasped his hands, and closed his eyes.
He had no intention of praying. Just pretending would do.
She couldn't read his mind, so how would she tell the difference?
'Wanna get back to the city quick.'
He prayed that.
And the next instant, Dojin realized he had actually prayed.
"......Where's this?"
The moment he opened his eyes, his surroundings were an unrecognizable pure-white space. Dojin realized he was perceiving the world through senses beyond the five senses.
'This time.......'
Fortunately, this wasn't his first time. It was the second.
Dojin had always strived to remember this space, developing a way to perceive and recall it without relying on the five senses.
[Extreme Yang Body]
"Extreme" denotes the limit, and the ancients sometimes used it interchangeably with "great."
Thus, Extreme Yang was the sun itself.
A star that shines on its own—a divine existence.
Dojin ignited himself, scattering light in all directions.
He interfered with the Otherworld filled with white.
Bhavataḥ nāma kiṃ? Mihira.
What Dojin saw was merely something enormous. It took human form, yet couldn't be called human.
Each time his brain tried to interpret it, intense pain surged, brain cells bursting one by one.
And the moment his gaze met that existence's, Dojin's mind...
───
"......Dojin-nim?"
"—Yes?"
Opening his eyes back in reality, Dojin looked at the Pope calling him and tilted his head. His mind felt unusually clear.
As if something had happened—or maybe nothing at all.
'What the—why's my body so damn hot?'
The Extreme Yang Body's internal energy was coursing through his entire body. He couldn't even tell when he'd circulated it.
As he exhaled and settled the energy, the Pope let out an admiring gasp.
"Truly impressive. How can you concentrate on prayer like that......."
"......I concentrated?"
"Yes. I almost felt bad waking you, but... it's about time we head out."
Dojin could hardly believe the Pope's words.
He had definitely closed his eyes intending to just fake it.
Yet somehow a good chunk of time had passed, and he couldn't even remember what happened in between?
'What the actual fuck.......'
For now, though, Dojin stood and followed behind the Pope. Better to sort his thoughts alone once back in his room.
Guided to the guest quarters, Dojin was finally able to check his status.
[The Seed of the World Tree has sprouted!]
"......What?"