The Theological Academy (2)
The Theological Academy (2)
What does it mean to have every achievement in a game?
It means you remember everything about that game. A person obsessed with a single game. On top of that, I was someone who had poured years into it.
I knew all sorts of obscure knowledge. I had essentially mastered most of it. The definitions of terms and their actual usage shifted slightly each time I started the game, but the broad framework never changed.
On top of that, I had experience clearing every priest class route. Among them was the elite-course priest life that started at the church headquarters.
So what's the conclusion?
Everything I was going to learn was information I already knew! Because one of those damn achievement runs was scoring a perfect score on the Theological Academy test!
"Zahard, apprentice priest."
A stern-looking teacher pushed his glasses up.
"The subject I will be teaching is ancient history. As it is a field dealing with complex language systems and forgotten records, I am not expecting anything in particular."
"And?"
"I hope you will remember even one-tenth of what I teach. I do not mind if you do other things during class, but please make sure I do not see it."
A look that said: I expect absolutely nothing from you.
I smirked. Every teacher who had passed through so far had worn that same look.
"Yeah. Sure. I'll manage."
"...As expected of a whistleblower, your condition is a mess. You must have lived your whole life like this. When something doesn't suit you, instead of trying to overcome it, you just pile on complaints."
The teacher picked up a piece of chalk.
"I will begin the lesson. If you reach something you don't understand, just skip it. You won't understand it even if I explain it."
"Ah. Yeah. Sure."
The lesson began.
"I'll handle it myself."
Twelve subjects.
Every single course was absurd—ancient records that made your head spin just hearing about them, advanced theology, and so on.
Unfortunately, the Holy Arts curriculum covered only things I had already learned, so it wasn't much help. Then again, apprentice priest Irene was already more than capable of becoming a priest.
I had squeezed everything I could out of that person, so it would have been stranger if I weren't at priest level.
I casually conjured a Sacred Flame. The Holy Arts teacher was horrified.
"What in the...! An apprentice priest who hasn't even been here half a year...!"
"Want me to show you something else?"
I kneaded the Sacred Flame and shaped it into a small dragon. The Holy Arts teacher's eyes rolled back.
"Good heavens! What genius! Aaah!! There is nothing for me to teach you! You are a genius among geniuses!"
"Heh heh."
At the rare praise, I puffed up with pride. I fiddled with the Sacred Flame a bit more and even reproduced the scales.
"How about this?!"
"Aah! If Ra saw you, she would clap in delight at having shaped you!"
That's it!
I shuddered. Praise is never enough no matter how much you receive!
The Holy Arts teacher lowered his voice.
"So, um, Zahard, apprentice priest... would you perhaps be interested in learning another Holy Art?"
"Really?"
"W-well, of course it deviates from the curriculum. But seeing apprentice priest Zahard's talent... I wanted to teach you at least one more thing..."
"What kind?"
"It is a Holy Art I have been researching in secret. It is a slight improvement on Healing, one of the lower Holy Arts..."
I looked at the Holy Arts teacher's work and was a little impressed.
"This is good. You connect damaged parts with thread and a needle made of Sacred Power... right? If you connect them like this, the damaged area would heal faster. And you wouldn't need to inject Sacred Power periodically either."
"I knew apprentice priest Zahard would recognize it!"
Only then did I take a proper look at the teacher. He had "Holy Arts research nerd" written all over him.
"So, um, your name..."
"Ah? I was late introducing myself. I apologize. When I get absorbed in one thing, I can only see that one thing."
He scratched his shaggy hair.
"I'm Leya, from the healing division of the Holy Arts Research Department."
"......?"
Why is the person who will later become the Church of Ra's greatest healer here?
"Well, I..."
I beamed. I get to form a connection like this? What a windfall!
"I'd be glad to! When I see an incredible Holy Art like this, it'd be stranger not to be interested. Right, Leya?"
"Th-thank you!"
I hid a wicked grin. I put on a good-natured act.
This will definitely come in handy later!
"But rather than simply doing it like this... if you set up the formula this way..."
"...Good heavens! You really...!"
. . .
I enjoy watching overconfident people crumble. Of course I do. Honestly, doesn't it feel good?
"...Next is the field of ancient kingdoms."
"I already know all of it."
The teachers' stiff expressions crumbled. Meanwhile, the corners of my mouth curled upward.
Aah. Fucking great.
An unbearable pleasure!
"The cursive script of El Primo is..."
"Like this, right?"
Swish swish swish.
The teacher checked my notes. As if unable to believe it, he compared them with his own writing several times.
"C-correct."
It took less than two weeks to bring the arrogant teachers who had looked down on me to heel. Later, they even started watching me with sparkling eyes.
"Wh-what do you think of this?!"
"There's a slightly wrong part. Pabis wouldn't have thought that way. He would have valued humanity's innate sincerity a bit more..."
"Wh-what about this art style?!"
"From the perspective of another school... that expressed a somewhat more unrealistic fantasy..."
Slide.
Dimona, who had quietly stopped by the classroom, suddenly flared up.
"What are you doing right now?!"
The teacher who had been stuck right next to me jumped in surprise.
"D-Divine Judge Dimona? What brings you here..."
"I just happened to! I just happened to stop by! But what on earth is this?! No matter how much of a whistleblower he is, this is...!"
Dimona strode into the classroom. She snatched up the teacher's book.
"Nothing is written on the blackboard! The teacher who is supposed to be teaching is scribbling letters beside him without saying a word! What is this nonsense! Even if you don't want to teach, shouldn't you at least pretend to teach?!"
"I-it's a misunderstanding! Divine Judge Dimona!"
"Misunderstanding my foot! Of course I don't like this kid getting high scores either...! But still, as a human being, you should have at least a shred of basic decency...!"
"I'd already learned everything and was reviewing."
"...Excuse me?"
Dimona flinched. She flipped through the thick book.
"You finished... all of this? It hasn't even been a fortnight?"
"I finished it all in ten days and was on my second review. The teacher had a part he was confused about, so I was teaching him a little..."
Dimona frowned as if she genuinely couldn't understand.
"No, there's a limit to lying. The teacher is learning from you? What nonsense is that? You must be too proud to speak properly... You can just tell me. I'll round up the teachers myself and give them a dressing-down...!"
"I-it's true!"
"What?"
"Apprentice priest Zahard is a genius! Rather, I am the one learning from him!"
"...Priest Evian is learning from him? You, who has no equal in biblical literature theory?"
"H-he is a genius! He reinterprets literature from perspectives I had never seen...!"
Hm.
I just taught him knowledge that shifted slightly across multiple playthroughs.
"I realized something after seeing apprentice priest Zahard!"
"...What?"
"That I was a frog in a well!"
Dimona clicked her tongue. She shrugged as if genuinely dumbfounded.
"Ah, sure. You're all in on it, making fun of me, right? Right? Ah, sure. Go ahead and try. The exam scores won't lie anyway!"
Hah. Look at that prideful bitch.
What kind of face will she make in a fortnight...
I can't wait. Heh heh.
. . .
"T-today's class is canceled."
"What?"
"W-well..."
Leya scratched his cheek. Normally eager to walk into class, he now hesitated and glanced out the door.
"There is someone who came as a special guest lecturer... Apprentice priest Zahard. Please... I hope nothing goes wrong."
The door opened. Someone walked in. He naturally looked down at Leya and patted his shoulder.
"Good work, Priest Leya. I will take it from here."
"Ah, understood. Archbishop Dwayne."
Leya practically ran out of the classroom. The door closed and silence settled.
I leaned back in my chair. I looked up at him.
A man with a heavy, solemn presence. His snow-white beard and hair were striking.
Archbishop Dwayne.
"I didn't expect you to visit while I was studying."
"What subject were you studying?"
"Common Holy Arts. Why? Going to teach me?"
"You seem to already know everything you need to. I doubt there's anything I can teach you."
Dwayne stood at the lectern. He pushed the book aside.
His downward gaze was heavy. The Sacred Power rising from him overwhelmed the surrounding atmosphere.
I clicked my tongue. Heavy. This pressure. It's immense.
Could I win if I drew Demon Sword Surtr?
...Probably impossible.
"Apprentice priest Zahard. There are now only ten days left until all classes end."
"And?"
"When all classes end, apprentice priest Zahard will become a priest. You will rise to a position holding power and responsibility."
"Power? It's a pathetic little power. Only the responsibility is disgustingly huge."
"Exactly as you say."
Dwayne erased the formulas written on the blackboard. He picked up the chalk.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He wrote a single word neatly.
'Domain'.
"Apprentice priest Zahard. What do you think of apprentice priest Beverick?"
"He's trash."
"Correct. I don't like trash either. But even so, there is a reason I sided with him."
"Because of Bishop Brody, right?"
"Bishop Brody is an extremely capable man, unlike his incompetent son. On top of that, he has a fairly good reputation."
"That bald guy?"
"Bishop Brody belongs to the Culture and Education Department. They usually handle the arts. In art, talent is important, but popularity matters even more."
"Sounds like a merchant."
"Everyone sells something. Passion and love... the emotions one pours into someone are not much different from an exchange of goods. We are all merchants."
"That doesn't sound like something a clergyman should say."
"The times have changed. Spouting old-fashioned talk was only possible hundreds of years ago. A time when the world was much smaller, and everyone purely believed in the gods."
Archbishop Dwayne set down the chalk.
"But now is not that time. We are one organization, and we resemble those in power."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Bishop Brody is my man. And as I am also someone's superior, there are times when I must be resolute."
Archbishop Dwayne looked down at me.
"Apprentice priest Zahard. You have trespassed into my 'domain.' And I intend to make an example of you."
"...What?"
"I came here today out of a small measure of pity for you. Shouldn't you at least know why you're going to die?"
Archbishop Dwayne whispered.
"I will throw you into the most remote corner. I will give you nothing and let you starve to death. I will keep you under constant watch so you can never escape that misery."
"What a nasty hobby. Seriously."
"With your abilities, you will not be able to escape. Even after you die, I will use your body as an example for a while and denounce you as a heretic. Even your remaining flesh will not rest peacefully in the ground."
"Is that so?"
"So if you have anything you want to say to me, you had better say it now. If you want to repent, kneel. You would do well to beg and plead. If you want to turn back from your wayward heart even now, then make the effort here."
"......"
As expected of a psychopath, this bastard loves tormenting people.
It's obvious begging wouldn't change anything anyway. Dwayne's alignment is chaotic evil. No matter how you analyzed the character, the only conclusion was that he was a madman.
A guy who would stab someone in the back even if they had stood together just moments before, if it served his own interests.
Fine. Well, it's a good personality. A personality perfect for succeeding as a businessman.
But it's different from the path I want to walk. I don't want to bow my head to a guy who will obviously stab me in the back.
I let out a sigh. I raised my hand.
And then I raised my middle finger.
"Fuck off."
"......"
Archbishop Dwayne's expression changed. It settled back into that of a devout saint, just as it had been at first.
"Running to the Inquisition Office will do you no good. I will assign you the most grueling missions. I will mobilize the Holy See to crush you."
"Don't you have anything to do? Why are you so fixated on me?"
"Whistleblowers must not exist. Even more so those who touch my people. If a pillar collapses, the whole building will shake."
"Good for you. I'll pull out every last pillar."
"...You."
Archbishop Dwayne whispered.
"You will fall. And Dimona, who helped you, will fall too. All your fellow inquisitors will fall as well."
"Whoa, how bloodthirsty. And?"
"Everything will be ruined because of you alone. Even the people who tried to protect you. All of them."
"I see. Go ahead and try. But I have something to say too, you know?"
I pinched my nose with my hand.
"Did you brush your teeth today? Go brush them. Your breath stinks."
"...I wonder how long that confidence will last. Apprentice priest Zahard."
Archbishop Dwayne bowed his head neatly.
"I will pray that you at least spend your remaining time happily."
"Go on. I'm too lazy to see you out, so I won't go far."
"......"
He left the room.
The door closed. I rolled my stiff shoulders.
Yeah. Go ahead and try.
Let's see who collapses.
Naga whispered.
-Um... Zahard...
"Yes?"
-If it gets too hard... you could really come to the Serpent Church...
"...What about Ra?"
-Ah... aah... I-I'll somehow... try...
"...That's cute. Really."
Honestly, it feels good when someone cares about me. It would be stranger if it didn't.
How could I dislike someone who readily steps up to help me even when there's nothing in it for them?
-Hah... hah?! C-c-c-c-c-c-c-cute... you said...?!
"That was me talking to myself. Well, nothing I can do about it. It's fine. I made a promise, so I have to keep it."
Leaving the Sun God Church would be like trampling on Ra's pride.
Since I made a promise, even if I save the world, the proper way is to save it from here.
Anyway, I've received a declaration of war, so I just need to pay it back in kind.
The Church of Ra headquarters doesn't have many Sacred Relics to begin with. Most of them are hidden in dangerous places all over the world, like the Brionac that Beatrice had.
I know all their locations. Hm. Is that all? I know most of the treasures hidden throughout the world!
I'll take all of them and turn the church upside down! Not only will I power up, I'll flip everything over!
I just need to travel the continent while handling inquisitor missions on the side!
You're screwed! Dwayne!
. . .
Dimona chewed her nails. Radatok lowered his voice.
"Judge. What has you so anxious..."
"It's apprentice priest Zahard's exam day! Wh-what if he actually passes?! What if he brings back straight A+'s?!"
"...Honestly speaking, no matter how capable the brother is, that is close to impossible. The conditions you set were too extreme to begin with."
"But I had no choice! To invest, he has to be worth at least that much. What we need isn't a talented prospect, but a finished product from the start. You know that too, don't you? How hard our situation is? This month's funding came in even lower than before!"
Dimona slid down from her chair.
"Aaaah... but still, there's no way he'll pass, right? As I planned from the beginning, I'll use my influence to send him to a Punishment Office with no people... That would be better than working under Archbishop Dwayne."
"You intended that from the start?"
"That person is too full of himself. He needs to know his place. He needs to get scolded and deflated a bit before he understands where he stands. What good is ability if you have no one beneath you?"
"Judge..."
Radatok laughed quietly.
"Never mind."
"What do you mean, never mind? Huh?"
"Sit up straight. I'm afraid someone might see."
"Ugh. Seriously. I'm already having a hard time, and now nagging... nagging...!"
Dimona straightened herself up. The door burst open.
Apprentice Priest Zahard.
No, the boy who was now Priest Zahard walked in.
He came.
Dimona bit down hard. She quickly scanned the boy's condition.
Slumped shoulders. A back gone limp. A gait that looked as though he had folded in half.
He failed!
Dimona beamed.
"I told you, didn't I? Nothing goes the way you want. Honestly. You should have spoken a bit more humbly, huh? You know?"
"......"
"Still, you've put in effort, and you saved our kids, so I'll spare you the worst. I know someone at the Punishment Office, you know? That place is completely cut off from here, so Archbishop Dwayne's influence won't reach much. There's a way out for you. Grateful, right? Do you finally see my greatness?"
"......"
"Don't be too down. Life has its bitter moments. Just think of it as experiencing a humiliation you'd have faced someday anyway. Everyone fails, right? Unlike me, Divine Judge Dimona, most people are utterly incompetent. Ah, that wasn't directed at you. You know? Ahaha! I was just saying it! Don't be too down, okay?"
Zahard held out some documents. Dimona, unable to hide her smile, smirked as she took them.
Rustle rustle.
Dimona's expression hardened as she opened them. Zahard slowly straightened his body.
Shoulders squaring. Strength returning to his back. A perfectly upright posture.
Zahard picked his ear.
"Huh? What was that?"
The documents fell from Dimona's hands. The grades revealed by the light from the window were densely stamped with A+.
"Where's that dog barking? Hmmmm? Oh, right. Divine Judge Dimona. Didn't we have a bet or something? My memory's been bad lately... it's a bit fuzzy... what was it again... was it recruitment into the Inquisition Office...?"
"This... this..."
"Strange. I don't think it was the Punishment Office. I must have misheard. Ah, first, could you show me your face? I can't see it well from here. Frustrated? Are you frustrated? If you're frustrated, well..."
Zahard smirked.
"Try getting straight A+'s in a month, oh capable and great Di-vine Judge Di-mo-na?"
Crack.
Dimona grabbed the things on her desk and hurled them.
"How does this make any sense?!!!!!!"