Chapter 63
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Divine Protocol (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What exactly is that tool for?"
Peter, driving the carriage, asked Yutenia, who was sitting in the back.
In Yutenia's hand, with Alpha resting on her lap, was a blue gem.
The blue gem, hanging from a string, emitted a light and continuously pointed in one direction.
It was clear it had some special ability, but Peter couldn't even begin to guess what it was.
To Peter's question, Yutenia replied in a gentle voice.
"You could say it's a tool that will guide us to the location of the progenitor of vampires."
"The progenitor of vampires...?"
The progenitor of vampires.
Hearing Yutenia's words, a chill ran down Peter's spine.
Though he had been flustered by meeting a real angel not long ago, there was no doubt her master was a terrible evil god.
Judging by the fact she was trying to find the progenitor of vampires, whose name alone was terrifying.
Sending down an angel must have been some kind of mistake.
Surely, vampires and demons were more fitting companions for an evil god.
With that thought, Peter asked Yutenia, who nodded and answered him.
"The Holy Relic with the progenitor of vampires is our objective."
"A Holy Relic? Don't tell me it's being used to seal the progenitor of vampires?"
"You know quite a bit, Peter."
Seeing Yutenia affirm his words, Peter shivered once more.
He didn't know much about Holy Relics, but seeing as it was sealing a vampire, it seemed to be an important item.
To think she planned to get her hands on such an object and release the seal on that wicked vampire.
It was a thought truly befitting the Apostle of a wicked evil god.
The grip on the reins in Peter's hands tightened on its own.
Hearing Yutenia's plan to commit such a terrible act, Peter asked her about the reason.
"Just... why are you trying to free the vampire from its seal?"
"Are you curious?"
"...Yes."
"Even if knowing might put you in danger, Peter?"
Yutenia acted as if she were hiding some terrible secret.
But even if he didn't hear the secret from Yutenia, Peter's life was already lived on the edge of a cliff every day.
Beneath the bandages wrapped around his arm, the mark of being chosen by the Goddess of Honor remained.
The day this mark was discovered, he could be killed by Yutenia or the Holy Knights of the temple.
So far, perhaps because Evan hadn't said anything, no trouble had arisen.
But who knew when or for what reason his secret would be exposed?
Hearing one more secret couldn't possibly make his situation much more dangerous, Peter thought.
"That kind of danger... I'm always prepared for it."
"Have you started to have a little faith, Peter?"
"..."
At Yutenia's question about faith, Peter's face stiffened.
He tried to force a smile, but his face wouldn't move easily.
Yutenia was the one who had wiped out the entire village where Peter had lived.
And now she was asking him if he believed in the evil god who had sent her to his village.
Unless something caused a major change of heart in Peter, he would never truly follow the evil god.
Even if he accepted food from the Order every day.
He wanted to refuse even the food, but a person couldn't live without eating.
"Well, that's fine. Someday, you too will understand the will of the Great One, Peter."
"...I suppose so."
"You asked why we're looking for the vampire, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"As for the reason... it's simply because it will aid in the Great One's descent."
"D-Descent...!"
The word 'descent' made Peter feel as if his breath had caught in his throat.
Releasing the progenitor of vampires from its seal was a problem, but causing an evil god to descend was an even bigger one.
To think of summoning a god who observes the world from the heavens down to the earth.
It was a situation that could lead to even greater problems than the present.
Yutenia, unconcerned by Peter's reaction, stroked Alpha's head with her free hand and spoke.
"Aren't you curious, Peter? If a celestial god were to descend to the earth, what do you think they would do?"
"That's..."
"Would they pass judgment on the unbelievers? Or... would they create a paradise for us?"
"..."
Peter found it hard to sympathize with the 'paradise' Yutenia spoke of.
Could a world where everyone knelt before the Order truly be called a paradise?
Could happiness exist in a place ruled directly by an evil god who had descended?
He didn't know much, but he could at least predict that such a world would not be a happy one.
As Peter's gaze drifted to the distant wilderness, Yutenia's story continued.
"Perhaps they might grant a simple wish."
"A wish?"
"If by chance they were to ask me for a wish, I would ask for the people of your village to be returned, Peter."
Yutenia said she would make a wish when the god descended to earth.
A wish.
The wish Yutenia spoke of was completely different from what Peter had expected.
It was to ask for the return of the villagers she had taken during their first encounter.
Puzzled by this, Peter asked Yutenia.
"Why would you... make such a wish?"
"Because you've worked hard all this time."
"What?"
"I wouldn't care if this entire world disappeared... but you're not like that, are you, Peter?"
To think she would ask for the return of the souls she herself had taken.
It was an absurd idea, no matter who heard it.
Wasn't Yutenia herself the one who had taken everything from Peter?
And yet, Yutenia was speaking to him with sincerity.
That when everything was over, she would wish for the people he lost to be returned to him.
Her words caught in Peter's throat, stopping what he was about to say.
"I..."
"So, if we offer the entire world to the Great One, I think they might spare a single village for us."
"...Is that so."
Such an arbitrary tale.
Offering herself, other people, and everything in the world to the evil god.
And yet, the wish she would make at the end was for someone else.
Peter couldn't understand her.
"That's what I'm thinking. Oh, we need to go right here."
Jiiing.
The light-infused crystal shifted to point in a different direction.
Yutenia looked at the direction the crystal pointed and informed Peter, who was driving the carriage.
Hearing Yutenia's words, Peter steered the horses and began to turn.
From the dusty driver's seat, Peter's subdued voice echoed.
"Understood."
A complicated mix of emotions began to well up in Peter's heart as he held the reins.
The beings he encountered were always so arbitrary.
The celestial gods, the earthly Apostles.
They were always such arbitrary beings.
The Order's headquarters, located in the Sentirius region.
Elliot, a lay member of the Order, was offering a prayer there.
Ever since joining the Order, he had repeated the daily routine of visiting the chapel to pray.
From the moment he first learned of the Great One, Elliot had resolved to dedicate his body and soul to him.
The Ruler of the Firmament and the powerful Apostles who followed him.
And on top of that, the ever-growing influence of the Order.
There was nothing lacking in the evidence to accept the existence of this god.
Understanding the existence of a real, living god, Elliot became a zealous follower of the Order.
His daily, faithful prayers were enough to impress even the executives of the Order.
"We thank the Great One who watches over us again today."
As always, after finishing his thirty-minute prayer, Elliot opened his eyes, and a painting hanging on the chapel wall came into view.
A giant human silhouette painted on a large cloth.
Though the hands, feet, and facial features were not depicted, everyone present knew who it was meant to represent.
It was a painting by a follower, meant to praise the Great One who looked down upon the earth.
A work that depicted him only by his outline, as no one dared to draw the face of the Great One.
Gazing at the majestically hung silhouette, Elliot wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes and stood up.
"Hah... If it weren't for the Great One, what would have become of us..."
As Elliot looked at the painting, the memory of Cloud's attack flashed through his mind.
On the day that countless investigators, led by Branch Chief Agent Period, attacked the Order, it was the god they served who saved them.
The Great One had annihilated their enemies by dropping a powerful lightning bolt, like a divine punishment.
Thanks to that, the surviving members of the Order were living safely today.
Moreover, some of the followers were now spreading the teachings of the Great One in the metropolis of Litua-Sentirius.
No amount of gratitude was enough for the grace of the Great One.
"I will continue to serve you and spread your will throughout the world."
Just as Elliot finished his final words of thanks and was about to stand up.
He felt a warm light enveloping his body.
A sensation as if something transcendental was with him.
As the unidentified light enveloped his body, only one thought came to Elliot's mind.
The Great One is watching me.
There could be no other reason for a light to envelop his body right after his prayer ended.
"Th-This is..."
Awed by the radiance surrounding him, Elliot raised a trembling hand to the sky.
A sacred light sparkled in the palm of his hand.
What kind of result could this tiny sparkle produce?
Just by looking at the light, Elliot could intuitively sense the outcome.
Elliot's hand grasped the swirling light.
And then, he shot that light out in front of him.
"!"
CRACKLE!
With a loud noise, a bolt of lightning struck down before Elliot's eyes.
A powerful bolt of lightning had flashed, passing through the chapel ceiling.
The light that erupted before him was no different from the vivid lightning strike Elliot had seen before.
Just as Elliot was marveling at the miracle he had created with his own hands.
One of the Order's executives, who had been in the chapel with him, approached Elliot and spoke.
"You possessed such sincere faith, and now you've finally succeeded in manifesting a miracle."
"A miracle...?"
Elliot stared at his own palm in disbelief.
He had made lightning fall with his small palm.
Elliot, who had never once learned magic, nor did he possess any tool to wield it.
To such an Elliot, the Order's executive said this.
That what Elliot had caused was a miracle.
Indeed, it was a sight that couldn't be explained otherwise.
"Yes. A miracle."
"I... caused a miracle?"
"Your strong faith has reached the Great One. The Great One has bestowed upon you a great power."
Hearing the executive's words, Elliot's heart began to pound wildly.
Elliot. He had been acknowledged by the Great One.
The celestial being had given him the power to perform miracles.
To think that he, a mere mortal, had been acknowledged by the Great One.
It was without a doubt the most monumental moment of Elliot's life.
"Oh, Great One..."
"To offer a prayer to him even at a moment like this, you truly have magnificent faith."
"To be acknowledged by the Great One... This is the greatest honor I could ever receive."
Seeing the moved Elliot, the executive let out a hearty laugh.
He wore an expression of complete understanding.
Thud. Thud.
The executive walked a few more steps toward Elliot and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Then, patting Elliot's shoulder, he said.
"By the way, we can't just leave a fine talent like you as a lay member."
"...Pardon?"
At the executive's words, Elliot's eyes widened as he looked at him.
It was because some extraordinary words had come from the executive's mouth.
The face of the executive that Elliot looked up at was filled with firm resolve.
He looked at Elliot and continued speaking.
"I must personally recommend to the Archbishop that you be given an important role."
"Th-That's..."
"Doesn't one with such excellent faith deserve a position to match?"
"Lord James...!"
He would speak directly to the Archbishop about Elliot.
In other words, he meant to place Elliot in an important position within the Order.
Hearing the executive's words, tears began to well up in Elliot's eyes once more.
He had been acknowledged directly by the Great One, and now he was being told he would be given a significant role.
For Elliot, today was truly the best day of his life.
"Haha... I haven't gotten a definite answer yet, so don't get your hopes up too high."
He looked at Elliot with a good-natured smile.
Behind the executive, a faint halo was shining.