The Trial of Light
The sudden appearance of an unheard-of god and a new Saint.
Priests and holy knights of the Academy, and even high-ranking clergy of the State Church, convulsed at the utterly unexpected news.
The clerics who had put Yoanna’s admission to the Holy Knight Department on hold convened a meeting to decide her fate…
“Sir Iskandar is a Saint himself! If a man like him has declared her a Saint, then Miss Yoanna is clearly a Sai—”
“That is not the point! I have never once seen the name Dantalion in any of the ancient records!”
“A girl not even twenty years old, a Saint… Do you truly believe such a thing is possible?!”
Naturally, the heat of the meeting showed no sign of cooling.
They had overturned the Church’s archives searching for the name Dantalion and found nothing. Whether anyone had ever risen to the rank of Saint before the age of twenty remained an open question.
How were they supposed to pass judgment on an unprecedented catastrophe with no precedent whatsoever?
As voices rose and emotional remarks began to slip out on the edge of control—
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The chairman struck his gavel, trying to restore order.
“Everyone, calm yourselves for a moment. We cannot resolve a matter like this with emotion, can we?”
“Ahem. Archbishop Valentino is correct.”
“Still… how can we accept someone whose origins we don’t even know…”
One round of firefighting doused the roaring flames. Yet if they resumed the meeting without proper order, the embers would only blaze hotter than before.
To bring the situation under control, Archbishop Valentino spoke.
“First, I believe we should summon Miss Yoanna and determine whether the god she serves is an evil god.”
“She declared her god’s name openly before a holy knight. I doubt she will reveal her true nature so easily.”
One priest raised an objection without bothering to hide his hostility. Speaking of “true nature” already made it clear he refused to believe a new god had appeared at all.
Archbishop Valentino, however, had fully expected such doubts.
“It is not a method we use often these days, but it is not as though we have none. If we select bishops from each order to assist, it will help us verify her identity.”
“Surely… you don’t mean the Trial of Light? That method is far too dangerous.”
An elderly priest spoke with a troubled expression. The younger clergy might not know, but it had been a technique frequently employed during the height of the purge against evil-god cultists. Because it had also killed many ordinary people, it had become a black mark in the State Church’s history…
“If Sir Iskandar was not mistaken, Miss Yoanna could rightly be called a Saintess. For someone of that caliber, the Trial of Light should be nothing.”
“And if she is not?”
“Even if she is not, stopping midway solves the problem. We can confirm both the presence of an evil god and the status of a Saint at once—all the better.”
No one could refute Valentino’s words, for they were not wrong. More importantly, no one present seriously believed a new god and a new Saint had truly appeared.
The meeting unanimously decided to summon Yoanna.
If one asked whether it was only natural, the answer would be yes.
Marked as a person of interest, Yoanna had been confined to a solitary cell inside the Academy building. Of course, without solid evidence they could not treat her as a criminal, so the cell was far more spacious and comfortable than expected.
Apparently displeased by that fact, Yoanna remarked while reading a book,
“I expected them to throw me into somewhere far harsher. What a pity.”
“Without proof, doing something like that would only create troublesome complications.”
It was not that Yoanna had suddenly developed a mysterious taste for suffering. Prophets and Saints had always shone more brilliantly under persecution. If a brief hardship could win her the reverence of many, she judged it a profitable trade.
Bang. Bang. Bang!
“Th-the high-ranking members of the State Church wish to see Miss Yoanna! Would you kindly come along quietly?”
The guard outside the cell asked in the most respectful tone he could manage. How many people would dare act casually toward someone who could smash through a steel cell door with ease?
“Could you wait just a moment? I need to straighten my clothes.”
Yoanna rose from the bed and began adjusting her attire. Dantalion gulped down the books piled on the floor one after another. They were not books of this world; leaving even one behind would only invite trouble.
Once he had absorbed the last volume, Dantalion naturally settled onto Yoanna’s shoulder.
“You may open it now.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The thoroughly tense guard produced a jingling ring of keys. After unlocking more than ten locks, he swallowed dryly and opened the door…
“Thank you.”
“Ah—n-not at all.”
A vision like a halo seemed to shine, and Yoanna’s face was etched into the guard’s eyes. Without realizing it, he flushed red, forgot he was supposed to escort her out of the prison, and sank to the floor.
“Wh-which church do you belong to…?”
A guard who had never once served a god felt faith stir at the spring-like fragrance that tickled the bridge of his nose. Leaving the dazed man behind, Yoanna stepped out of the cell…
“Yo~ You’re the only one who gets dragged off to prison on the day of the entrance ceremony.”
“It’s been a while, Mr. Yohanes.”
The rough-mannered knight Yohanes was waiting outside the prison. As an instructor at the Academy, he had not come simply because he was bored.
Walking with Yoanna toward the exit, Yohanes tapped the sword at his hip.
“I don’t particularly want to cut down someone I wrote a recommendation for with my own hands. So don’t cause any trouble on the way—just come quietly.”
“How unexpected. I assumed the Church would send an escort.”
“Well, they probably figured sending an Academy instructor was more reliable than a bunch of amateurs.”
At the surprisingly calm answer, Yohanes shrugged. After seating her in the carriage, he hummed a song of unknown origin while gazing out the window. He looked so carefree that it seemed she could escape if she simply decided to…
At your current level, he is not an opponent you can defeat in close combat.
Dantalion warned her just in case. Whether she was his disciple’s daughter or not, Yohanes’s hand rested loosely on the hilt of his sword. The moment she showed hostility, Yoanna’s head would likely fly before she could even resist properly.
As expected, I’m still not at that level.
There is no need to rush. Your potential for growth is boundless.
It was no empty praise. Yoanna’s growth had only just begun to gain momentum. Awakening the power of a Saint was merely the first step. Having succeeded in projecting her inner image onto the material world, she would be capable of far more.
“We’ve arrived.”
After circling the city, they reached a massive church standing atop a hill. Whenever the sunlight passed through the stained glass, it painted the world in beautiful colors. Passersby instinctively fell to their knees and offered prayers.
“You’re not praying?”
“The god I serve watches over us not from the heavens, but at our side. What about you, Mr. Yohanes?”
“According to our doctrine, we only pray when we swing a sword. I can’t exactly draw my blade and start waving it around here.”
Casually uttering words that dampened the fervor of the surrounding worshippers, the two entered the church. Passing beneath a ceiling painted with hundreds of gods creating heaven and earth, holy knights clad in pure-white armor approached.
The knight at their head struck his chest and bowed.
“I greet Sir Yohanes, the Sword Saint. From here we will escort Miss Yoanna. Please wait.”
“Sword Saint, my ass—I can’t even handle holy power… Fine, just take her and bring her back quick.”
As if handing over luggage, Yohanes shoved Yoanna’s back. His task complete, Yohanes departed, and Yoanna proceeded deeper inside with the holy knights.
Then the holy knight at her side spoke quietly.
“Please do not be too tense. Sir Iskandar would never lie, so nothing particularly problematic should occur.”
“You’re more favorable than I expected.”
“It is Sir Iskandar’s word, after all—not just anyone’s.”
As if agreeing, the other holy knights gave slight nods. Curious, Yoanna asked,
“Is Sir Iskandar truly that remarkable a man?”
“Few are as devout and upright as he.”
Sir Iskandar had originally been a renowned priest rather than a holy knight. True to his service of the God of Order, he had earned fame for fair judgments and mediation… until the day evil-god cultists attacked his church and slaughtered his entire family. From that day he turned to the path of the holy knight.
After overcoming countless hardships he rose to the rank of Saint, and even afterward he continued to pour endless effort into training holy knights.
“We ourselves received his teachings.”
“His words—that our faith exists to protect the earth in the gods’ stead—were truly excellent guidance.”
Unlike the fanaticism one might expect, Sir Iskandar’s teachings were quite sound. At the very least, the holy knights who followed him would not commit mistakes out of blind zeal.
“We have arrived. The bishops will be waiting inside.”
“May we meet again with smiling faces.”
Yoanna nodded and opened the door. She, too, had no desire to meet the holy knights again with a sword in hand.
The room she entered resembled a courtroom. Under the gazes of dozens of bishops, Yoanna walked confidently to the center.
The man seated in the highest place, Archbishop Valentino, adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“Miss Yoanna of House Dark. First, allow me to apologize for summoning you over such an unfortunate matter.”
“I fully expected it, so please do not concern yourself.”
Yoanna answered with a modest bow. Her composed response even to something that could have been embarrassing and unpleasant drew smiles from some of the bishops.
Yet first impressions alone could not resolve every problem.
“You understand why we have summoned you, I trust?”
“Of course. Honestly… I can overlook myself, but I cannot tolerate any remarks that slight Lord Dantalion.”
“How truly devout! Then you must be prepared to do anything to prove your innocence!”
At that moment, as if he had been waiting for those very words, one bishop shot to his feet. Archbishop Valentino frowned. The interrogation had not even finished—what was this rudeness?
“Bishop Azbek, what is the meaning of this discourtesy?”
“Hah, ‘discourtesy’ is a harsh word. I merely took on the villain’s role because our weak-willed Archbishop seems unable to make a decision.”
Striding down from his seat, Bishop Azbek looked around at the others and raised his voice.
“In the end, why did we summon this person? Was it not to confirm whether she is a turncoat who worships an evil god?”
“Mmm… An irrefutable point.”
“We must not obscure the essence of the matter simply because her character seems virtuous.”
Several bishops had already sensed Yoanna’s nature, yet they could not simply let the issue fade. Having seized the initiative through the others’ agreement, Bishop Azbek stroked his carefully groomed beard and said,
“Then we should begin the Trial of Light at once. Those bishops who will administer the trial, step forward.”
“Bishop Azbek… I will lodge a formal protest with the Order of Order over this later.”
“A servant of the God of Peace has quite the temper. It seems your training is still lacking.”
Having thoroughly needled Archbishop Valentino, Bishop Azbek also took his place for the Trial of Light.
However…
“Wait—we seem short a few bishops.”
“Where are Bishop Harden and Bishop Mackelly?”
Two of the pre-selected bishops were absent. Archbishop Valentino hastily sent someone to inquire…
“Both of them are stranded because the road collapsed on their way here.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Apparently the ceiling of the sewer beneath the road gave way, and the surface road collapsed with it…”
Archbishop Valentino let out a hollow laugh. He had lived in the capital for decades. In all that time the sewers had never once collapsed—yet they chose today of all days?
As if performing a play, the moment Valentino’s reaction ended, Bishop Azbek immediately spoke.
“It cannot be helped. We will simply have to choose replacements.”
“I will do it.”
“Ahem… If we are short on people, there is no choice.”
As though they had been waiting, two bishops rose from their seats. Before anyone could stop them, the numbers were filled. Bishop Azbek looked at Archbishop Valentino and asked,
“Is there any reason these two should not participate?”
“…None.”
Unless they belonged to the same order, even an archbishop could not treat bishops who served other gods lightly. With a deeply furrowed brow, Archbishop Valentino rose and approached Yoanna’s side.
In total, seven bishops surrounded Yoanna and drew forth their holy power.
The Trial of Light consisted of pouring vast amounts of holy power upon a subject to prove they were not a worshipper of an evil god. If they served an evil god, a visible rejection reaction would appear in the worshipper’s body…
If innocent, they faint or suffer internal injuries.
Calling them “internal injuries” was generous—one could easily die. There was a reason the word “trial” was attached. Yet because the rejection reaction occurred far more quickly, stopping at an appropriate level would cause no real problem. And if she had truly risen to the rank of Saint, holy power of this magnitude would not even produce internal injuries.
“Steady your breathing. If you do not follow an evil god, it will end without particular issue.”
With those words, the archbishop poured holy power into Yoanna’s body. One after another, each bishop’s holy power formed pillars of light that began to pour down upon her head.
Enduring the pressure that pressed upon her entire body, Yoanna recalled Valentino’s words.
If you do not follow an evil god, there will be no particular issue…
The way it sounded as though any problem that arose could be used to brand her an evil-god worshipper was surely not her imagination.