Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Burnt Offering (3)
There would probably be many interpretations theologians held regarding religion. It wasn’t as if a single religion split into multiple sects for no reason.
But even if all of those sects rushed in together, it would not be easy to interpret any religious meaning from the scene unfolding before their eyes.
If a human had set his own body on fire as if he were nothing more than firewood, and then the figure of a god appeared, looking as though she might burst into tears and not knowing what to do, anyone would likely feel the same way…….
Of course, there was actually no damage to Aiden even if he had not gone this far.
-System Log
◆ First Divine Flame: Modified
.
.
.
△ Flame of Regeneration: Reverses the fundamental property of divine power, ‘burning heat.’ Your divine power can heal the target it burns.
It was a trait I had obtained not long ago.
Naturally, since I was not injured, there was nothing to heal, but in exchange, there was no place on my body that was burned either.
Despite how it looked, what I felt right now was nothing more than the sensation of warming myself in front of a fireplace.
‘……Well.’
And there was no way the divinity before me did not know that. It was absurd to think that the chief god would fail to grasp the nature of the power she herself governed.
Yet Sia’s expression right now was so flustered that it was clear even from the loosely woven strands of divine power forming her shape. If she were human, it would have been a face gone deathly pale.
‘……Is it that serious?’
I had known that, no matter what kind of reaction it was, some kind of feedback would surely return from Sia, but I had not expected her to completely lose her composure to this extent.
If she had clearly been pretending not to see through it and reacted halfheartedly, I had even considered closing my eyes and truly setting myself on fire for real.
“…….”
Hmm.
Even I thought I was out of my mind, but in any case, I had not expected Sia to rush at me like this.
It almost looked as though she carried some sort of trauma about me ending up in a state like this, no matter the circumstances.
Saying a god had trauma did not suit her at all, but regardless, she genuinely seemed desperate, so I immediately dispersed my divine power.
Since the nature of the Burnt Offering ritual was to draw a reaction from the god in the first place, this alone was enough.
[It’s out-!]
And the moment I extinguished the divine power, Sia rushed at me with tears welling in her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around me, starting from my head.
Since she was a being composed purely of supernatural power and had no true physical substance, I did not feel any particular sensation from the contact, but if she had been human, it was clear she would have been jumping up and down with joy.
‘……She really likes hugging.’
From the very first time we met, she had started by throwing herself at me in an embrace, and now whenever she had the slightest chance, she seemed restless if she could not hug me…….
“……?”
Then.
The moment she seemed to realize something was strange was probably when she noticed just how horrifyingly quiet the surroundings had become.
People stood all around with their mouths hanging open, unable even to breathe properly. The entire world I could perceive was staring at me in sheer shock.
Alester and Julius, and even Milene—whose expression could not be seen beneath her heavy armor—were frozen stiff as they stared at me. The other royals were no different.
As for Zeros, his gaze had gone unfocused. He looked as though he were suffering from shortness of breath.
……And not long after, when he dropped to his knees and began gasping for air, it was clear that assumption had not been wrong.
Yet no one paid him any attention. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Sia’s form, floating near me as though she were some kind of guardian angel.
“S, S-Sia-”
The god.
Not only had she revealed her form and even spoken with her own voice—
But for a god to cling this closely to a single human with unmistakable ‘favor’ was an unprecedented event, one not recorded in any myth or ancient chronicle.
“O, O God of Purification-!”
“…….”
I wished he would breathe while he spoke.
Zeros, on the verge of passing out to the point that even I found myself worrying without realizing it, somehow forced the broken fragments of a sentence past his lips.
“In, in the mortal realm, h-how could Your sacred body, descend—”
Sia, who had been listening to the words spilling out with all his remaining strength, tilted her head as if it were obvious and abruptly cut him off.
[This one.]
Then Sia floated behind my back, hugging me tightly, and narrowed her eyes as she slowly swept her gaze around the surroundings.
She looked like a cat guarding prey it had saved for itself, wary that someone might try to steal it…….
[Mine.]
“…….”
[I came to see him. He must not be hurt carelessly.]
“…….”
There was probably not a single person present who understood exactly what those words meant in precise terms.
But there was likewise not a single person foolish enough to fail to grasp the intent carried in Sia’s tone.
A god.
Had declared.
That a human.
Was ‘hers,’ and that by her own will, she would ‘protect’ him.
“…….”
Zeros fainted.
Once again, no one paid attention to him.
▣
“We must immediately terminate the succession ceremony and enthrone him as the next Pontiff!”
The elderly priest, so agitated that the veins on his forehead bulged and his entire face trembled, spat his words with such force that simply looking at him was enough to feel overwhelmed.
“There is no meaning in continuing the succession ceremony. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a man of such pure and lawful lineage who has received a divine oracle so directly—!”
……For an old man, he certainly had remarkable stamina.
He had fainted just recently, and yet the moment he regained consciousness, he began delivering a speech with such explosive energy that it felt as though the listeners’ souls might be sucked out of them.
“……Why has Priest Zeros been like that for days?”
“No idea. I heard he performed divine possession.”
Among the dispatched priests, the reaction had been so intense for several days now that insulting jokes were circulating—whispers that High Priest Zeros might secretly indulge in narcotics or hallucinogens.
All because he insisted, with the air of someone ready to bite off his own tongue and die, that unless Aiden Kellermain—a man of unknown origins—was enthroned as Pontiff, he would not yield.
‘As if it even makes sense that he saw the God of Purification in person…….’
And yet, even as such absurd claims were made, it was true that the royals who had been present that day were reluctant to speak in detail about what had occurred.
Whether it was truly the god they had seen or not was beside the point. At the very least, something extraordinary had undeniably taken place within the Burnt Offering ritual.
And that was clearly not a welcome development for many of the people here.
‘This is troublesome. If His Highness Julius takes the seat, then our family too—’
‘The succession ceremony must go to His Highness Alester—’
It was only natural. If political interests were not intertwined with the position of a nation’s leader, that would have been far stranger.
The priests gathered here each had their own preferred ‘candidate,’ and beneath the surface, a fierce power struggle had long been underway.
In fact, the one who rose from his seat to restrain Zeros—who was on the verge of erupting like a volcano from the crown of his head while declaring that Aiden Kellermain alone possessed the one true qualification to be Pontiff—was a relatively young priest who clearly bore the scent of being entangled in that very struggle.
“N-now, now, High Priest Zeros. Please calm yourself. Isn’t it possible that the man used an illusion or some special technique—”
Before he could finish speaking, the relatively young priest’s head was crushed from the crown down by the holy scripture that Zeros swung with all his might.
Without even a chance to utter another word, the priest—who had risen with a genial smile—collapsed instantly like a puppet with its strings cut.
“…….”
“…….”
……For an old man, he truly had impressive stamina.
Then, from Zeros’s bloodshot eyes, fury erupted like a volcano.
“How dare you compare His sacred body to some illusionary trick! You insolent—!”
“……No, seriously, calm down—!”
Several priests rushed in to restrain Zeros as he began thrashing about wildly, grabbing onto his arms and legs. Yet even then, he swung them around as though they weighed nothing. He truly must have been furious beyond measure.
“Well, whichever it is.”
Even amidst the chaos, the Pontiff—who had been seated calmly at the head of the hall with a faint smile—finally spoke in an easy tone.
“So the High Priests would have no particular objection even if Aiden Kellermain were to sit in the seat of Pontiff. May I interpret it that way?”
“It’s not that we have no objection! If it isn’t that man, then anyone else would be unqualified—!”
“Yes, yes, High Priest Zeros. I understand your intent.”
At that exchange, the faces of the younger priests all darkened at once.
No matter how firm the authority of the Pontiff was, a nation did not run solely on the will of a single individual. Absolute power inevitably corrupted.
The ones who restrained a corrupt Pontiff with unchecked authority were the priests seated here, and most of them stood in opposition to the Pontiff for secular reasons. In other words, they were the ones who did not support Aiden Kellermain.
……The problem was that the priests bearing the title of “High” in front of their rank were, without exception, rigid zealots upon whose seats not even grass would grow—and the majority of them were displaying the same attitude as Zeros.
Those who had heard Zeros’s testimony had already stamped their seal upon the matter: if his words were true, then there was no room for doubt regarding Aiden Kellermain’s qualifications and abilities.
At the very least, Zeros’s skill and reputation were those of a veteran sufficient to make others uphold his opinion.
And that meant, quite plainly, that Aiden Kellermain—whom the younger priests had attempted to politically suppress by gathering influence—had just gained a formidable backing.
‘……You’ve made quite the spectacle of it.’
The Pontiff chuckled inwardly.
From the moment she had brought him here, she had never once suspected he would fall behind during the succession ceremony—but she had not expected him to surge this far ahead in such a short span of time.
With just two events—the first Tournament and the second Burnt Offering ritual—he had already carved his presence into the royal family’s awareness and even formed a political faction within the Holy Crown Kingdom willing to support him.
And if he continued to run away with it like this, it was about time for a reaction.
‘There has to be one.’
The Pontiff lowered her gaze as she thought that.
The one who had entered this island with insidious intent.
If things went according to that person’s design, it was highly unlikely that Aiden becoming Pontiff was something they desired.
So at this point, the chances were high that they would take action……
“By the way, Your Holiness. There are a few agenda items awaiting your review…….”
The voice of the priest handling administrative affairs beside her reached her ears cautiously.
“What is it?”
“Soon, additional personnel will be arriving from outside the island for the next event. We require your approval regarding them—”
At those words, the Pontiff’s movement stilled.
Ah, right.
Reinforcements.
The people required for the third event, the ‘Black Night’ ritual.
“…….”
It was undoubtedly the sort of matter where underhanded manipulation could be inserted most easily.
The Pontiff curled the corner of her lips upward as she spoke.
“About that. Bring me all the documents on the ones coming in.”
“……Pardon?”
When the priest looked at her in shock at the declaration that she would personally handle such trivial administrative work, the Pontiff stroked her cheek and continued.
“I’m thinking of playing a little trick there myself.”
“…….”
“It doesn’t suit my temperament to just sit back and take it.”
“…….”
“That fellow Aiden, I hear he’s remarkably good at charming women? Let’s put that to use.”
“Your Holiness, what exactly do you mean……?”
At the Pontiff’s open declaration that she intended to stir up trouble herself, the priest asked in visible dizziness.
He had always known she was eccentric, but he thought at least a rough understanding of her intent would be necessary to respond appropriately.
“I’m going to let myself be charmed too.”
“…….”
“Let’s see just how good he really is.”
He should not have asked.
That single thought alone crossed the priest’s mind.