Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Zenith Church (1)
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I never imagined a day would come when I'd be eagerly awaiting teatime.
Jamie hurried toward the garden.
He wanted to hear from Sears about the Bell family's connection to the Pyro Church as soon as possible.
He had no idea how much she'd tell a child like him, but he was determined to pry every detail out of her.
Soon, he arrived at the garden where they always enjoyed teatime.
"Our son's here?"
Sears, who had arrived first, waved while holding Sara tightly in her arms. Sara was munching away on a cookie that was half the size of her face, gripping it firmly in her tiny hands.
"Come sit down, dear."
"Yes."
Jamie hopped onto the tall chair.
A maid approached and poured a red-tinged black tea into the elegant teacup.
"Thank you for the tea."
He blew on the hot black tea and took a sip. A sweet richness was followed by a subtle bitterness.
Jamie set down his cup and looked at Sears.
"You look like you have something to say."
"I have a question."
"Hmm. Shall Mommy guess what our curious boy is wondering about?"
Sears leaned in close with a playful expression, then smiled and lightly tapped the tip of his nose with her index finger.
"You're wondering about Mommy's family and the paladin uncle, right?"
"Yes."
"What a son of mine. I have to commend that boundless curiosity."
She straightened up and stroked Sara's hair.
"Jamie, this is about the time of your great-grandfather, whom you've never met."
"Great-grandfather?"
"Yes. He was my grandfather."
Isfil Bell Marquis, the former head of the Bell family.
Jamie didn't know much about him. All he knew was that the Bell family had enjoyed even greater renown back when he was in charge.
As Jamie looked at Sears with curious eyes, she began her story.
"Fifty years ago. Long before Mommy and Daddy were born."
As the sun set in the evening,
Jamie gazed at the sunset, lost in thought.
He had heard from Sears about the Bell family's ties to the Pyro Church. He now fully understood why the paladin had bowed to her.
"The church's benefactor, huh."
Fifty years ago, the Pyro Church had its supreme holy relic, the Mirror of Truth, stolen by someone.
The Mirror of Truth was a symbol of Goddess Pyro and the very essence of the church's identity.
The theft itself was a grave issue, but the real problem was the identity of the thief.
It was a follower of the Demon King. Having made a direct pact with the Demon King, he planned to manifest the Demon King in this world using the Mirror of Truth.
This was a monumental crisis that could shatter centuries of continental peace in an instant. The Demon King's follower unleashed a force called Demon, plunging the Seldam Kingdom into peril.
Jamie, with his keen interest in history, knew of these events.
"To think the Portsmouth Garden Incident originated from something involving the Pyro Church. What a surprise."
It seemed the Pyro Church had gone to great lengths to keep the theft of the Mirror of Truth under wraps.
In any case, Demon attacked the territory of Portsmouth. Their power, which corrupted the relic's divinity into demonic energy, was overwhelming.
They seized most of Portsmouth and infiltrated the lord's castle garden. Just as the Seldam Kingdom's territory was on the verge of being lost, Isfil Bell Marquis appeared.
Leading his elite knights, he broke through the Demon forces, slew countless followers, and successfully subjugated the Demon King's follower who had stolen the Mirror of Truth.
The subjugation came at tremendous cost, and Isfil Bell Marquis ultimately succumbed to the wounds he sustained.
In gratitude and commemoration, the Pyro Church posthumously appointed him Honorary Archbishop and vowed to treat every member of the Bell bloodline as bishops for the next century.
'Bishop-level treatment? That's an absurd level of compensation.'
It showed just how gravely the Pyro Church viewed that incident.
'It was certainly that serious.'
Jamie was familiar with the Mirror of Truth.
The 12 Gods had bestowed their symbols as supreme holy relics upon each church. The Mirror of Truth, symbol of Goddess Pyro, possessed the power to reveal everything about its subject.
That was why she was called the Goddess of Mercy and Punishment.
"Not a bad situation at all."
The corners of Jamie's mouth curved upward slightly.
He had initially thought it might interfere with his plans, but now he saw it differently.
Bishop-level treatment at minimum. Goddess Pyro was an enemy he would eventually have to kill, but he should exploit whatever he could, right?
He had heard that the Pyro Church's influence had waned recently. Even so, a church of the 12 Gods was still a church of the 12 Gods.
It wielded immense influence across the entire continent.
"Kukukuku."
Jamie's eyes tinted purple.
"Jamie!"
At that moment, Sears's voice called from outside.
Jamie suppressed his black mana as much as possible and replied.
"Yes-!"
Without anyone telling him to, Riki had started cleaning the church from early morning.
The priests and nuns, just finishing dawn prayers, spotted him and praised his diligence.
Riki, who had never received praise in his life, didn't know what to do with himself.
'I really like this place.'
The boy, forced to grow up too soon, was gradually returning to an age-appropriate state.
A child should be a child.
Recalling something a priest had once said, Riki smiled brightly.
After finishing cleaning, he returned to his room. It was nearly breakfast time, so he planned to take his sister to the dining hall.
'Come to think of it, Sinno said he was leaving today, right?'
Sinno, the boy chosen by the gods.
No matter how he thought about it, Riki envied him. I'm not lacking compared to Sinno in any way. He felt a twinge of jealousy.
'No, no. Jealousy is bad.'
He shook his small head vigorously.
He did envy Sinno, but that didn't mean he should be jealous.
The priest had said jealousy narrows the mind. He couldn't let his thinking narrow. To become a great person, one needed to think broadly.
Riki offered a brief prayer of repentance to the gods and opened the door.
"Oppa?"
"Let's go eat."
"Ung!"
Riki took Anna's hand and headed to the dining hall.
Ban had already arrived there.
"Yo!"
"You're early."
"Hi, Anna."
"Hello, Ban oppa."
Anna waved at empty space.
Ban toddled over and waved back.
Riki thought Ban was a great friend. Though they'd only recently met, the outgoing boy treated his blind little sister kindly too.
They got their meals and sat down.
"You know it's today, right?"
"Sinno oppa's farewell party?"
"Anna's got a good memory!"
"Heehee."
Anna blushed and giggled at Ban's praise.
Riki tore off a chunk of bread and asked him,
"What time does it start?"
"Eleven."
"We can rest a bit after eating."
"Yeah."
"I envy Sinno oppa."
"Me too."
Ban nodded in agreement with Anna.
There wasn't a single orphan at the orphanage who didn't envy Sinno.
Riki spread jam on his bread and encouraged them.
"If we work hard, we can get chosen too. Let's do our best until then."
"Right. Fighting!"
"Fighting!"
"Eat quietly!"
At a priest's stern command, Ban and Anna shrank like folding fans.
Riki burst out laughing at the sight.
The farewell party began.
In the auditorium, Lincoln Bishop stood holding the hand of the short-haired boy, Sinno.
"Today, our young brother Sinno departs, chosen by our father and mother, God Zenith. Let us all bless his path ahead and raise our cups in this meaningful toast."
As Lincoln Bishop raised his golden cup high in his left hand, all the believers followed suit with their own cups.
"Blessings to Sinno."
"Blessings."
Sinno happily echoed the words.
Ever since hearing he had been chosen by God Zenith, he hadn't been able to contain his excitement.
His sparkling eyes looked up at Lincoln Bishop.
"Thank you so much, Bishop."
"Give thanks to God. I'm proud of you, Sinno."
Lincoln Bishop gently stroked Sinno's head with a benevolent expression.
"May blessings be upon your path for life."
"Yes. I'll pray for blessings upon you, Bishop, and everyone here. If not for you, I'd still be wandering the streets."
"Miracles are fair to all. We shall meet again someday."
The farewell party didn't last long.
Amid everyone's blessings, Sinno boarded a splendid white carriage and departed.
Leaning out the window, Sinno waved to everyone and shouted loudly.
"Thank you all! I'll definitely return and repay your kindness!"
"Farewell, Sinno!"
"Be happy!"
"I'll catch up to you soon!"
His orphanage friends cheered him on fervently.
Riki gripped his sister's hand tightly and waved to Sinno. He lowered his hand only when the carriage was completely out of sight.
"Sinno oppa must be happy, right?"
"Yeah. He will be. So let's be happy too."
"Okay."
The siblings held hands tightly and returned to their room.
The carriage didn't stop until late at night.
Sinno was deep in sleep. The priest accompanying him as guardian shook his shoulder lightly.
"We've arrived, Sinno."
"Mmm. Already?"
"Already? The moon's already past its peak."
"Whoa. I slept a lot."
Sinno rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched grandly.
Then, smiling, he asked the priest,
"Is this the main cathedral of the church?"
"...Follow me."
Instead of answering, the priest opened the carriage door and stepped out.
Sinno tilted his head curiously and followed.
But something felt off as he looked around.
'A forest?'
Was the Zenith Church's main cathedral in the middle of a forest like this?
He felt puzzled but not suspicious.
He was the boy chosen by the gods. Only a bright future awaited him.
The forest was eerie, but thinking of it as a holy site made it less scary.
"Let's go."
The priest led the way.
Sinno followed with a joyful heart.
They arrived at a building. It was so dilapidated it didn't seem like a church at all.
The lanterns illuminating the area were caked in dust, with bug corpses stuck everywhere.
Especially unsettling were the unidentified beast statues flanking the entrance.
"P-Priest?"
"Let's go in."
"A-Are we in the right place? This doesn't seem right."
The place they should have arrived at was the radiant main cathedral of the Zenith Church. Not this crumbling, ominous building.
"Let's go in."
The priest impassively took Sinno's hand and pulled him along.
Sinno sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't resist the priest's grip.
'It's fine. There's no way anything's wrong. I've been chosen by God.'
There couldn't be a problem. God wouldn't betray him.
Sinno held the priest's hand and entered the building.
The interior was even worse than the outside. Spiderwebs everywhere, swarms of insects, dust-covered floors.
A scene that made one's steps halt involuntarily. Yet Sinno's small body was dragged along by the priest.
The priest stood before a bookshelf and half-pulled out a particularly clean book. With a click, the shelf slid aside, revealing a hidden space.
Only then did Sinno realize something was terribly wrong.
But it was too late.
Sinno was too weak to shake off the priest's grasp. They descended underground, where a horrific sight unfolded.
Glass tanks held various animal carcasses, and some contained what looked like brains floating inside.
There were half-dissected corpses and shattered skulls everywhere.
Various reagents were being brewed, bubbling furiously over lamps.
"P... Priest?"
"......"
"W-We must be in the wrong place. Hehe."
Sinno tried to play it off and tugged at the priest's hand.
"Let's go back up. W-We have to go to the main cathedral. To receive the stigmata... You said we had to get the stigmata there."
The priest turned to look at him. His cold eyes held not a shred of emotion.
Sinno felt a chill run down his spine.
"Priest......"
"I've brought him."
The priest finally spoke.
Then, footsteps echoed from somewhere.
Thud, thud—ordinary steps, yet they made his soul quiver.
Cold sweat soaked the new clothes the church members had given him.
Thud—Boom rumble rumble
With a loud noise, the right wall opened.
Someone emerged from there.
Sinno's eyes widened.
"B-Bishop."
"Sinno. We meet again."
It was none other than Lincoln Bishop who appeared from the wall. He was supposed to have stayed at the church. The ones who left Hys were Sinno, the coachman, and this priest—that was all.
So how was Lincoln Bishop here?
"You look quite frightened."
"B-Bishop. Wasn't I chosen by God?"
"You were chosen. God Zenith himself pointed to you."
"Then why aren't we at the main cathedral? Why here?"
"Because this is the ideal paradise we strive to reach."
Lincoln Bishop stroked Sinno's head with his characteristic benevolent smile.
"Children are born with purity. Untainted purity. That's something truly remarkable."
"Huh?"
"Something adults can never have. That's why they say children absorb everything like sponges."
Sinno couldn't understand what the bishop meant.
"That's why you were chosen."
The bishop's smiling eyes suddenly sharpened.
Madness swirled in his pale blue irises.
"Come in."
"Is it finally my turn?"
It was a grating voice, like metal scraping metal.
From behind the bishop emerged a hunched, bespectacled old man. His temples stuck out sharply.
He adjusted his glasses and eyed Sinno.
"A fine test subject."
This place is steeped in madness,
Sinno thought.