Chapter 83
Chapter 83: Demon Realm (6)
The headquarters of the Astia Religious Order. The papal headquarters is located in the middle of a stateless territory in the northeastern part of the Empire.
All sides are barren wastelands, and the only nearby city is Peran, called the slums of the world. Because it was such a desolate region, there was no shortage of ownerless land. Thanks to that, the scale of the papal headquarters was overwhelming.
"Hoo…… Brother, it seems bigger than a fortress led by some duke."
At the place where the Pope, the Holy War Knight Commander, and high-ranking officials of the Religious Order were seated, Jang Du-sik let out a whistle.
"Man, it really is bigger."
Du-sik was gauging the size of the castle with a club, but it was difficult to take in from end to end in one glance.
Janson poked Jang Du-sik's elbow knowingly.
"Brother Du-sik… Please, the high-ranking people here."
However, from Jang Du-sik's position, as someone who would call the Imperial Princess his wife and the Emperor his father-in-law, such things were not particularly important. Even Erik didn't give him a hint. Why would he be a lackey?
"Hey, you lackey. Why are you poking?"
Erik and the Pope observed the two of them.
"A mage wielding divinity, no less." The Pope admired Jang Du-sik's gleaming head. He had heard the term divine mage, but it was difficult to believe……
"Truly a pure soul."
Looking at Jang Du-sik, whose appearance was fierce but whose soul was pure white, it made perfect sense.
"Hoo……."
However, the problem was Janson.
The Pope stopped speaking as he looked at Janson. He felt a heterogeneous force. It was the aura emanating from the status window of a possessor, not originating from this world.
"Saint Erik, surely not—!"
As the Pope asked in surprise, Erik casually brought forth divine power.
"Grant us thy blessing."
Ssshhhhh!
Light poured down above Janson's head. Brilliant waves of golden light shone brilliantly and wrapped around Janson's entire body. The Pope suddenly became curious about why the Saint was burning a possessor.
'Is the possessor a prisoner of war? No, they clearly seemed to have a good relationship…….'
What in the world could it mean to rain holy power on a possessor? It was far too sudden.
The Pope was filled with questions. And those questions soon transformed into astonishment.
"Ahhhhh!"
Janson gazed upward at the sky and let out an exclamation. Holy blessing imbued with sublime power.
From the light surrounding Janson, the unique sense of stability of the Astia Religious Order and the holiness that wrapped around his entire body could be felt.
"—Ah! Oh God."
Janson felt as though he had received God's grace. Grateful for the supreme blessing, Janson wore a smile drenched in joy.
Thud!
All the crowds heading toward the papal headquarters in perfect unison came to a halt. It was because the Pope, at the very front of the procession, had frozen upon seeing Janson.
"Wh-what—what is this!"
Beside the Pope, Holy War Knight Commander Julius opened his mouth wide in shock.
Julius himself was a being who had received baptism and possessed God's holiness, and was a supreme strongman capable of establishing divine power on his own.
Moreover, when he later relinquished the position of Knight Commander, he was designated to immediately become a Pilgrim, such was his lofty faith.
He too recognized Janson and confirmed that divine blessing had been granted to him.
'A possessor isn't being burned by divinity?'
Julius blinked his eyes. Then he looked at Janson again. There was no fire, not even smoke.
"Hoo……."
The Pope's reaction was similar. However, he recalled Riferoze Astia's fanaticism and tried to understand this situation.
"Pope, the possessors have God's will."
"How can beings that burn in divinity have the will of Lady Astia!"
"Someday they too shall be forgiven for their sins and adapt to this world. Surely they have their own role."
This was a conversation he had shared with her while crossing swords with her.
'Riferoze, I didn't expect you to be right…….'
Riferoze, who received the favor of the supreme God—her words were correct. A possessor accepting divine power, no less.
"Th-that's—!"
Erik approached the Pope and Julius, who were lost in thought and wide-eyed respectively. And he spoke.
"Your Holiness, my master's words were truly right."
Erik also recalled his master's words.
"You who wield divine power shall lead those who are rejected by divine power."
Erik believed his master's words.
'In the end, it turned out exactly as he said.'
All possessors except him are burned by divine power. However, if through his temple they become [Believers], they will be able to accept divine power like ordinary people.
"The possessor has been saved. Or rather, it was you, Saint Erik, who granted salvation, yes?" No matter who looked at it, Erik was truly the Savior.
***
"In the name of the Pope, there are more things to proclaim. My head was already aching from the tithe alone……."
"What do you mean, Your Holiness?"
After the situation had settled, the Pope led Erik to the Sanctuary beneath the papal headquarters. Only the faithful could enter this place. So Janson and Jang Du-sik were left in the reception room upstairs, and only Erik and Ruelle accompanied the Pope.
"The papal headquarters' stance on the tithe has been organized."
"That was fast."
In the previous conversation, Erik had conveyed a rough implementation plan.
[Tithe: 10% of weekly wages dedicated to God.]
This was to apply without exception even to the impoverished, for it was a work performed in God's name. In return, the Religious Order would distribute food to the poor and provide free meals every Sunday.
"The tithe is but a formality, and isn't the will to save the lives of the poor by distributing warm meals in the name of the poor our true intention?"
The bishops of the Religious Order regularly studied God's will. This was called the Archbishop's Council.
In this Archbishop's Council, they reflected on the meaning of the Saint's words as the topic.
What truly was the meaning of the tithe? Dozens of bishops gathered their heads and organized the Saint's will in concrete terms. It was the draft of the tithe.
'Food is more expensive than the weekly wages of the poor…….'
The wealthy would give, and the Religious Order would use it to give to the poor. In that process, the number of believers of the church increased. It was a structure where the Religious Order's funds became abundant as a matter of course, and in addition, the number of believers increased and charitable works to aid the poor were accomplished—a great undertaking.
That was precisely the tithe.
"The tithe of the wealthy and middle classes shall become the peaceful lives of the poor. Truly it is a redistribution of wealth and the happiness of all people!"
The Pope spoke of creating and distributing a new [Scripture] that embodied the Saint's will in this way.
"Saint Erik, your words and deeds shall all be recorded in the new Scripture."
"It is not such a significant matter."
"Hehe, do not be modest."
Erik drew the sign of the cross and bowed his head humbly. Beneath his lowered head, his teal-colored eyes were visible.
"……Ahem."
That gaze was sharp. More than sharp, it was the look of gazing upon a madman.
'This was absolutely not my intention.'
From Ruelle's perspective, Erik's natural appearance was bewildering. What in the world was he trying to do, spouting such lies one after another?
'Erik has become God himself, and I have abandoned the Religious Order…….'
Ruelle's heart was pounding. That's why she hadn't been able to say a word since arriving at the papal headquarters. If discovered, death at minimum. Yet, to see such a sight!
Ruelle stared at Erik with piercing eyes, her face fierce. Come up with some countermeasure or something.
'Erik, aren't you scared?'
She turned her head away with a knowing expression. Continuing to speak while looking at the Pope.
"Your Holiness, then when is the tithe to be implemented?"
"As soon as the aftermath of the Great Cataclysm subsides, it will proceed in all churches immediately. We shall proclaim this in the name of the Pope, and the bishops shall spread the meaning of the tithe as doctrine."
"May I take some of the surplus funds?"
"Hehe, of course!"
Ruelle was losing her mind.
'He's asking for leftover money now?'
Things had become too big. Losing all sense of caution.
'This is absurd!'
As Ruelle was so surprised, the Pope looked at her.
"Priestess Ruelle, you too have accomplished great things. Having raised such a person…… If only Riferoze had been alone, it would have been difficult for Erik to hold such sublime intentions."
"Th-thank you."
"One who has raised a Saint cannot remain merely a priest."
This was accompanied by the suggestion that Ruelle's rank would be elevated.
"I am already sufficiently—."
"Ehehe! When the one who raised the Saint becomes a bishop, who would dare object?"
An archbishop, no less. Ruelle glanced at Erik. He murmured with his lips,
'Don't worry.'
'Yes, Erik will find the answer.'
Ruelle decided to enjoy this moment of elevation as it was.
"I gratefully accept Your Holiness's grace."
Internally, she was even humming 'Hmm-hmm.'
Unable to escape, she would enjoy it instead.
"This is your first time in the Sanctuary, yes?"
As they conversed pleasantly, they soon arrived at the Sanctuary, which was called the heart of the Religious Order.
Uuuuuoooong!
A massive barrier of light greeted them. Sublime divine power filled the vast underground chamber. It was in the shape of a circular dome.
The intensely pure divine power looked like a golden wall.
'So this is the Sanctuary.'
Erik tried to sense that power. The Sanctuary of the Astia Religious Order. According to the Scripture, the Sanctuary is the place where a portion of God's flesh remains after ascending to heaven.
'Such tremendous power.'
Erik's eyes shone brilliantly and the landscape beyond the barrier became visible.
[Sacred Relic - Astia's Ring of Covenant]
The first thing visible was the item's name tag. Below the name tag, a finger wearing a ring came into view.
'Such power comes from just a finger and a ring?'
Combined with all the divine power in his temple, it wouldn't reach even half of what was contained in this Sanctuary. It was truly unreasonable power.
'There is a reason to be called God.'
As he had said in his conversation with the Emperor. Erik does not truly think of God as a divine being.
Wasn't the term 'God' used to describe a state achieved by someone who gained sublime power and transcended their physical body? Now Erik had confirmed the level of that state.
'It is distant, but there is a path.'
[Faith Management], [5th Tier Divine Power]. Erik could intuitively see the direction of growth available to him. Of course, it came at an unreasonably expensive price.
'But I've earned enough to match it too.'
The hundred million gold the Emperor gave. And the tithe to be obtained from the Religious Order. That would surely be enormous as well.
With such thoughts, Erik swept his gaze through the interior of the Sanctuary.
[Legendary - Holy Spear] × 10,000
Countless spears were embedded around Astia's finger, each one radiating the power of a sublime golden brilliance.
'There really are ten thousand of them!'
The Holy Spear is created by tempering and forging pure, intense divine power. While they couldn't compare to the Sacred Relics, they were [Legendary]-grade items despite being single-use.
'This will do.'
Holy Spear Throw. Destroying kingdoms, piercing holes in continents— The rumors had been so numerous that he was curious.
***
The Holy War Knight Order of the Astia Religious Order. Under the Commander, Julius, exactly 100 carefully selected Holy Paladins are appointed as the 'Holy War Knight Order'.
All are supreme strongmen, beings capable of surviving in the upper levels of the Labyrinth alone.
Additionally, there are 1,000 regular 'Holy Paladins.' Behind them followed bishops of high merit capable of establishing divine power and choirs for wide-area blessing.
Kuoong! Kuoong!
The majesty of the Holy War Knight Order at the vanguard was remarkable. It felt as if the world itself was shaking.
Just a hundred people created the dignity of an army's advance.
Aaaahhhhh!
Behind them, heavenly melodies brilliantly colored the world. Among the rows of the choir lined in a single file, Holy Paladins were arrayed. The Holy Paladins carried something long wrapped in pure white cloth with a very solemn appearance.
It was treated with reverence and a majestic expression, as if handling a sacred object.
"Wooooahhhhh."
That grand procession was heading toward the Imperial Capital. The citizens who climbed the city walls let out exclamations of admiration at the sight.
Among that crowd of people stood Erik, Jang Du-sik, and Janson.
"Hey, brother. Is it really okay to pass through the Imperial Capital like this?" From the northeastern part of the Empire, you had to go quite far up to reach the stateless territory.
The distance from the papal headquarters in that stateless territory to the Great Eastern Forest in the southeastern part of the Empire was vast.
Moreover, the Eastern Great Forest was a forest mixed with demon realm, making it impossible to recklessly use the Miracle of Teleportation.
That's why the Pope had decided on the current route after consulting with Erik.
"His Majesty the Emperor has granted permission."
They would move to the eastern part of the Empire using the teleportation magic circle in the Imperial Capital. Once there, the Eastern Great Forest would be close at hand.
"I understand that you came first to obtain permission from the Emperor…… ahem, His Majesty. But why did you bring those three?"
Jang Du-sik pointed at three possessors with his club. The tip of the club felt sharp, indicating a considerably vigilant mood. Park Chang-ho, Kang Pung-ho, and Nishida Ryo hung their heads.
'Why is that guy like that?'
They hadn't done anything wrong. Wrinkles formed across Jang Du-sik's cropped hair. It was the appearance of someone just before delivering a beating.
"Du-sik, don't intimidate the kids."
Erik dissuaded Jang Du-sik and looked at the possessors.
"The Black Mage Group was gathering possessors of different classes."
Why didn't the other possessors know of this fact? It was a kind of interrogation. Given that striking the Black Mage Group under the banner of Holy War was a matter of urgency, this was to ascertain what needed to be confirmed while moving.
"W-we didn't hear anything about that in the community!"
"We really don't know!"
"……Ugh."
The three possessors truly seemed not to know.
'If they had known, it would have been revealed long ago.'
The possessors in the detention camp were mostly harmless. The [Imperial Intelligence Bureau] had monitored them 24 hours and created conversation records, and it had long been proven that they were perfectly ordinary and typical possessors.
'The Black Mage Group is controlling all those possessors?'
Looking at the Holy War Knight Order entering the city gates of the Imperial Capital, Erik tilted his head. As was well known from the Border Marquis incident in the Garcian Kingdom, the flow of collectively managing and nurturing possessors clearly existed.
'Just how does the Black Mage Group control the possessors?'
Watching the Holy Paladins carrying long spears completely enter the city,
Erik harbored such a question.