Chapter 218: For Elize (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: For Elize (3)
“Your… Your Holiness?!”
Myra, who had been unimpressed that Karami was staying in such a luxurious inn, felt her eyes fly open the moment she saw Antonius in the room.
Even in his humble attire, he radiated a sacred aura that could not be concealed. She had only ever seen him from a distance, but he was a man she could never forget.
Myra prostrated herself flat on the floor.
“I greet Your Holiness!”
“Raise your head, child. The person before you is not the Pope, nor anything of the sort, but merely a believer, like any other.”
“H-How could I possibly…”
“That’s right. What ‘Holiness’? He’s just an old man with nowhere else to go, mooching off the food I bought in my room.”
“You blasphemous little brat!”
As Myra unleashed a murderous aura, Karami scurried behind Mirabelle.
“Old man, is it really okay for a follower of the Church to get angry at an innocent person—at the very benefactor who’s been looking after the former Pope, no less?”
“What can I do? I am no longer the Pope. I have no right to reprimand the child for her actions.”
“The state of this Church…”
“The Church may be corrupt, but not so much that we have to listen to the likes of you, you punk. You, get up now.”
“No… My legs have gone weak. I’ll just stay like this.”
She’s a strange one, too.
It seemed like I was only meeting peculiar people lately.
It was probably all Karami’s fault.
But it was Mirabelle who kept drawing Antonius’s gaze.
“A pleasure to meet you, little one.”
“Hello.”
“Heh heh, what a polite child. Live long enough and you see everything. To think I’d see a witch so young wandering the Holy Kingdom.”
On the surface, she looked like a cute magical girl.
He didn’t know what method she was using to suppress her aura, but for someone of Antonius’s caliber, discerning her true nature was a simple matter.
In the first place, she didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it.
The world’s mages generally fell into two categories.
Arrogant mages who advertised their mediocre skills to the world.
And cunning mages who concealed their power as much as possible to make their opponents let their guard down.
Mirabelle was the latter.
She was a wise child.
At her age, it would be natural to want to boast about being a mage. In the world of mages, being called ‘cunning’ was the highest praise.
But Mirabelle was the latter and, at the same time, the former.
She possessed such an immense amount of mana that, despite her attempts to hide it, the power she couldn’t contain was leaking out.
An ordinary mage wouldn’t have even detected the small amount, but for Mirabelle, that amount was massive. If what was leaking out was this much, then what lay within her was…
‘A monster.’
It was a sorry title to attach to a young girl, but no other word seemed more fitting.
“So, what brings you to the Holy Kingdom? Have you come for revenge, resentful of the oppression? Or perhaps you’ve come to drag God himself down from his throne?”
Antonius smiled the gentle smile of a grandfather doting on his granddaughter.
“I came to carry out my master’s orders.”
“Master?”
“That would be me.”
Antonius’s expression immediately soured. The look he gave Karami was the kind one gives the most despicable bastard on earth.
“Just so you know, Mirabelle became a slave of her own free will.”
“Hahaha, you look every bit a human, but you spew bullshit from your mouth. The yokai of the East must look just like you.”
It was an unfiltered tirade, but Karami was used to such treatment and paid it no mind.
“Old man, why are you just sitting here? Is there not something you could do?”
The title of Pope wasn’t won in a lottery. Until the Saintess appeared, he had been God’s agent, the long-standing guardian of the Church.
With Antonius’s power, he should have been able to overcome this situation and restore balance.
“How could I? What right do I have? And even if I were to resolve this crisis single-handedly, would there be any meaning in it?”
Balance cannot be achieved by one person alone.
That was what Antonius had realized during his time as Pope.
“And yet, the world is in an uproar because of one person, isn’t it?”
“Because of one person… ‘This is all the fault of a single Saintess.’ Do you truly believe that?”
As if reading the gazes of the three, Antonius slowly opened his mouth.
“If only one person believes in a god, they are a madman. But if thousands, tens of thousands, believe, it becomes a religion.”
Antonius gazed out the window.
He saw those chanting prayers in the square, those condemning the innocent, those setting the world ablaze in the name of God.
“The Saintess changed the world by herself? How could that be? The world had been preparing for this for a long time. People merely wanted a leader. It didn't matter who that god was, even if they were human.”
He let out a deep sigh.
“You may believe this nation was built upon faith in God for a long time, but the reality is the opposite. Faith did not make man; man made faith. Because it was necessary.”
Myra held her breath. The Pope Antonius she knew was a being who praised faith and represented the will of God.
But the Antonius before her now had transcended all of that, piercing through to something far deeper.
Antonius stared into the air and murmured.
“God does not change. But the humans who believe in Him do. That change alters God, alters the world, and establishes a new order.”
“Aren’t you going to join in, old man?”
“To report the new order they have established to the Lord. That is the role I have been given.”
God does not intervene.
An order touched by the hand of God would see its balance rapidly crumble the moment faith wavered.
That included Antonius, God’s agent.
“I see.”
I had expected Antonius to answer that way.
He was an observer.
From a distance, from a place where all could be seen, he watched the story unfold and delivered his judgment on what kind of conclusion this tale would reach.
‘It’s ironic that a man like this was Pope, while the ones under him are such a mess.’
It was nothing short of an irony.
Karami rose from his seat.
“We should get going.”
“Are you heading to the temple?”
“Just as it is your role to watch, it is my role as master to stand by my slave’s side and help.”
“Hmph, what a ridiculous fellow. Even God himself probably didn’t foresee a character like you popping up.”
Antonius clicked his tongue, chuckling as if amused.
“Hold out your hand, you punk.”
“I don’t hold hands with men.”
“If you don’t want it, don’t take it. It’s your loss.”
“If it’s free, I’ll take it.”
Karami extended his hand.
With his finger, Antonius drew something on the back of Karami’s hand.
The light of a scale symbol flashed for an instant before vanishing.
“You said you do this for your slave, did you not? If that sentiment is true, the scales will side with you.”
“Oh.”
“However, be warned. If it is false, you will not escape dire consequences.”
It was the blessing of the Order of Balance, bestowed by Antonius.
Not only was it difficult to receive, but its effects varied depending on one’s attitude toward slaves and the reputation gained through the tycoon gameplay.
The conditions were so demanding that I had completely ruled it out. I never thought I would receive it.
It wasn’t essential, and I had never seriously focused on the tycoon aspect.
‘But things are different now.’
It wasn’t something Karami had intended, but even at this very moment, there was a merchant group and a church operating in the name of the Slave Reaper.
If these were the accomplishments of the slaves he had so carefully raised, their influence would surely follow their master’s disposition.
“Even if the whole world curses me, my feelings for my slaves will never change. I’ll put this to good use.”
“Hmph. Your arrogance is as grating on the eyes as ever. I suppose that’s a talent in itself. If you’re done talking, hurry up and get out.”
We left the inn.
Myra, still claiming her legs wouldn’t move, didn’t follow.
Good riddance. A burden had dropped itself.
I had confirmed that Antonius’s stance hadn’t changed. It would have been troublesome if he had suddenly declared, ‘I shall stand upon the new order.’
Now, all that was left was to set things right.
*
On the way to the temple.
The closer we got, the more elite the clergy guarding it became.
High-ranking Holy Knights like Paladins and Crusaders, who could freely unleash sword auras, and Priests who turned those knights into something like zombies.
Perpetual motion.
An impregnable fortress forged by mortals.
If we had to break through by conventional means, I wouldn’t even know where to start, but Mirabelle was accomplishing the impossible all by herself.
“Do not block my master’s path.”
The atmosphere was deadly.
Every time Mirabelle cast a spell, the tightly blocked path was blown wide open. She effortlessly blocked the barrage of attacks that rained down like a bombing run.
She never stopped, not for a single step.
Despite the handicap of not using lethal magic due to my order not to kill, she showed no sign of being pushed back.
Mirabelle, a witch who could be raised along various paths. Her strength was on another dimension, as if all those paths had been merged into one.
“Isn’t it tiring?”
“Not at all! It’s fun, like I’m on a picnic with you, Master!”
So she said.
I wondered how the people on the receiving end felt, hearing her say that while inflicting upon them an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
But if you’re happy, that’s all that matters.
CRACKLE!
It was then that a bolt of lightning struck.
The bolt hammered down in a volley against the mana barrier Mirabelle had deployed.
For the first time, the two of them were forced to a halt.
“Retreat. Lower-ranking forces, fall back.”
“Judge!”
The person blocking their approach to the temple was a girl who appeared to be about the same age as Mirabelle. Sigrid, the Flawless Judge.
But she was not alone.
Raimund, the Divine Punishment.
Beatrice, the Burning Faith.
Constantine, the Radiant Cross.
Anselm, the Forgotten Scripture.
Yurian, the Penitent Pilgrim.
The six guardians of the Holy Kingdom.
The apostles created by the Holy Kingdom revealed themselves.