Chapter 332
Chapter 332
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 332
Chapter Title: Immortals and Mortals (1)
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Not long ago, Fabiano's daily routine had been the same as always. He prayed fervently, trained his body, and whenever a demon incident was reported, he went out to eliminate the source. He rose before the first rooster crowed at dawn and analyzed scriptures or case files until late into the night.
It was the routine life of a Religiosa Demonica. Until they came to manage him. These days, Fabiano was seriously considering secularization.
"Uh... um... Brother Millian. So, what you're saying is..."
"These are the circumstantial evidences discovered while investigating the connection between the heresy incident in Belzain City and the disappearance at Vicarre Lake. Brother Fabiano. Two Heretica brothers have gone missing and are presumed dead."
"So... you're requesting a Demonica dispatch to Belzain City...? Right?"
"No, Brother. Vicarre Lake lies on the border between Belzain City and Fallon City. The lords of those two regions, Baron Vallies and Baron Palles, belong to the factions of the First and Second Princes in the Fairn royal family, respectively. In this delicate political situation, the incident could easily escalate into full-scale war between the two factions."
Fabiano blankly stared at the Enmagicka brother who was jabbing at the map with fervor as he explained.
From what he gathered, a heresy incident had arisen amid a highly sensitive political issue, causing complications.
"Moreover, the Church's position within the Eastern Kingdom Alliance has been somewhat unstable lately. Ever since the Northern Crusade expedition request not long ago, the atmosphere has been poor. At a time like this, getting involved in the secular royal families' political balance could plant the image of meddling..."
Half of the words bounced right off Fabiano's ears. He scratched the back of his head with thick fingers and fell into thought for a moment. What would Brother Zephys have done...?
Orders come down. Orders are carried out. The demon in that region dies. A better world approaches. Case resolved!
That was the basic logic of Fabiano and all Demonica. Only now did he realize that beneath it lay Zephys's anguish and sorrow. Wasn't this akin to a child growing up, having their own child, and only then understanding their parents' hearts?
Oh, the wonder of life's cycle. Fabiano marveled, crossing himself and quietly praising the Lord.
"...Mactou."
"Were you listening, Brother? The Demonica dispatch request has been formally submitted from the Heretica sanctuary. Even those brothers are at a loss over this point. The signs of a demon ritual are clear, but they haven't pinpointed the exact location yet."
Investigate heresy and cult activities, eliminate the source. That was the Heretica's duty. But once demon summoning is confirmed and a demon's presence in the area is ascertained, the Heretica immediately withdraw from the case.
Unlike the blessed Demonica, the Heretica were merely trained ordinary priests. They couldn't be called ordinary priests when it came to their will, wisdom, or nobility, of course. But they were not free from the corruption of hellish magic.
From that point on, the Demonica—those with some immunity to it—had to step in and resolve the incident themselves. From regional investigations and inquiries to purification. Demonica weren't just dumb brutes with brute strength.
'Really...?'
Enmagicka Millian had to double-check his common sense as he watched Fabiano blankly crossing himself. He really wasn't just some neighborhood brute with nothing but muscle...? You had to pass a basic common sense exam to wear priestly robes, after all...?
"Brother. Are you listening?"
"Ah, of course, Brother Millian. I was praising the Lord's wonders."
"...In this situation?"
"Do we revere the Lord only depending on the situation, Brother?"
It was a valid point. Valid, but...
"So, Brother. What do you plan to do? The area is currently under Heretica surveillance, but we can't completely control the floating population in each city and surrounding regions right this moment."
"So, we need to search one of the two cities first, and that requires Demonica brothers, but we have to decide which direction to advance?"
"Oh... yes! Yes, exactly!"
He wasn't a complete fool, after all. Millian unconsciously crossed himself and nodded. It was just a summary, but this bear of a man had finally grasped the point.
"The Lord says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.'"
"...Brother?"
"Isn't that profoundly true, Brother Millian? The Lord knows the answer!"
"Since our dull minds can't grasp that answer, we on earth must grapple with earthly worries, Brother. Quoting scripture to evade is a vice."
"Tut, what are you saying, Brother? Come now, the Lord will show me the path when it's time to go, so it shall be."
"...Mactou."
The Enmagicka crossed himself and stood up. He asked one last time.
"So, where will you go, Brother? We need to inform the Heretica brothers of the opposite direction to prepare for any contingencies."
With both regions under suspicion and manpower short, if a Demonica was dispatched to one, the surveillance on the other needed to be tightened. Meanwhile, the Enmagicka had to stabilize the local nobility and prepare for potential upheavals.
St. Bartholomew Monastery, the Inquisition, was one organization. The three divisions held different roles, but that didn't imply hierarchy. Their calling was to link thoroughly and tolerate not even a single heretic.
Thus, with the Demonica leadership changed now, the Enmagicka and Heretica were voicing confusion and distress over the sudden shift in duties. Fabiano nodded brightly at Brother Millian's worries and said.
"Mactou superlaudo. We'll dispatch Demonica to both regions."
"...Pardon? But manpower right now..."
"I am a Demonica too. Haha, Brother Zephys occasionally went out on missions himself. Following his example, I'll head to the field directly. Brother Julian is at the sanctuary right now, so have him go to Fallon City. I'll handle the other region myself."
"...I'll relay that."
Of course, Zephys was a man seasoned with long experience and talent, adept at command with no gaps in Demonica troop deployment, so he handled field duties himself from time to time.
Fabiano didn't seem likely to show such perfect coordination, but there were no urgent cases or pressing circumstances filed with the Church right now. Better to take some risk than to miss the demon incident in the area by mistake or let heretic cultists run rampant in the diocese.
The Enmagicka nodded, convinced. Not a bad choice... no, considering Fabiano's career, it might be the best.
* * *
Darian sat in a dark shack where not a single ray of light entered, gazing at the spear leaning against the wall. The Sun Spear. Once a holy relic, it now rejected his touch.
He felt no anger or injustice about it. He merely sneered. At the petty hypocrisy of the heavenly pantheon. They neither answered his questions nor saved the world as promised.
He had done his utmost to save people. He had overlooked small evils to pursue greater lives. One couldn't justify the sacrifice of the few for the many, but neither could one allow the deaths of the absolute majority.
Would killing the emperor have ended everything? He could answer confidently. No. The evil sown by the emperor had spread across the empire, and by the time he realized it, the situation was already critical.
Killing the emperor would start a civil war. He alone couldn't stop that maelstrom. War wasn't just armies clashing. If tens of thousands of soldiers died, hundreds of thousands of starving civilians and refugees would die on the roads.
Troop unrest drains national resources. The empire, scarred by the war fifty years ago, was withering from the roots. Therefore, war had to be prevented at all costs. If the tumor would kill the patient the moment it was excised, then surgery to merely halt its growth was the best option.
That's what he believed. His brother. The other man with whom he had shared a cup did not.
"Does that mean it was right?"
Fernandez Cerned. Saint of the Great Wilderness. Feats and beautiful tales like paintings of sainthood. Darian knew the deep darkness slumbering within him. That young man was the type who chose means over ends.
One could call it fair, perhaps. The young man had made even himself a means. That's why he was called a saint. But was it truly just?
Too many had died. The empire now stood on the brink of irreversible self-destruction. This vast confederation, upheld by recent victories and the current emperor's dignity, would crumble the moment he died.
The electors no longer trusted each other. The people no longer trusted the nobles. The state had lost the power to soothe its starving masses. The imperial authority now stemmed not from the position itself, but solely from Empress Kabelrier's abilities. Could the next emperor match her talent?
Probably not. Past emperors had been shrewd politicians. The imperial authority would deflate like a bubble, and the electors would wage war for their own power. The millennium empire's end was near.
"We've lost too much, Fernandez."
The empire's fall wouldn't end in mere fragmentation of an old nation. Kirzart would rise again, trade routes would desolate, and more people would starve. The eastern kingdoms would rise beyond the empire, and even those wolves would tear at each other.
It was the prelude to the great war. Unless some miracle occurred, human civilization was like a cannonball fired toward doom. An unstoppable, unhalting end awaited us. The valiant efforts of a few powerful leaders and heroes in this generation would be the final flicker of human civilization.
That was the result of the emperor's death. The outcome created by Fernandez Cerned. After excising the cancer to remove the abscess, he had gifted the patient a slow, agonizing death.
"But why won't you answer?"
He asked toward the ray of light. Sunlight streamed through cracks in the dilapidated shack. Dust floated over the chains binding the Sun Spear's surface.
[They're afraid.]
Such a voice came. A sound close to grating metal. Darian had been trying to ignore the voice he'd heard for months now.
[You know it too, don't you? They're not for humanity. They just harvest souls from those who follow them. Their goal is more and bigger souls. And the end times? That'll be pure delight for them. Countless humans crying out their names as they die.]
The voice whispered with a hissing hush.
[No patients, the doctor starves. No dead, the undertaker's obsolete. Child, for the past millennium we've been sealed and bound beneath that hell. Do you know why the heavenly hypocrites didn't eradicate us? Our existence fattens their faith.]
He had to deny it. Whether this voice was a true demon's or an illusion born of his delusion.
[Look. Throughout history, those who realized this truth were many, but all died by their hands. Proof is before your eyes. See the spotless weapon those hypocrites handed you. Proof that answerless gods fear you.]
Darian silently reached for the Sun Spear. At that instant, the chains glowed red-hot, scorching his fingertips. Sizzle—the smell of burning flesh. Darian withdrew his hand and glared at the blade for a moment.
[Demons don't want humanity's downfall. They know after humans perish, the heavenly hypocrites' spears will turn on them. But those gods? They tempt humans, exploit them with every method, lead them to death. They cunningly manipulate so you beg them to the very end. Like swineherds and pigs. Shepherds and flocks. Raise diligently, heal the sick, but don't eat them.]
So that's why the gods call themselves shepherds. The voice cackled.
[You weren't made by gods. During the War in Heaven, gods had no interest in humans. They were mere external transcendents who gave no aid to your growth or progress. Admiring the strong is instinct. But we call it faith when you volunteer as their slaves.]
The leaning spear blade cooled slowly. Dust scattered busily from the heat, then gathered again.
[Humans don't need gods. Gods need humans. Yet why do you choose slavery? Break the chains. A human god should be born from humanity's bosom, shouldn't it? Darian, take my hand. I'm no teacher or master, just a companion to guide your path.]
"Shut up."
Darian's eyes glowed blue in the darkness.
"Humans don't need gods. But that doesn't mean humans need demons. You are but feeble whispers and phantoms. My path, my choices, my stains must remain wholly mine. Begone. If I oppose gods, I'll oppose you with equal weight."
[That works too.]
The laughter faded away. Darian slowly rose from his seat. It was time to move again.
The shack's door opened. A clearing appeared, littered with the burned church and priests' corpses. This place, once a small forest monastery, now held no meaning beyond a graveyard.
If their sacrifice was needed to break chains and yokes, the gain would be humanity's complete freedom. Darian hoisted the chained Sun Spear onto his back.