The Voice That Shook the Holy Kingdom
Narrator
"Truth..."
"Is a strange thing."
"When it agrees with people..."
"It is called justice."
"But when it refuses to follow their beliefs..."
"It is called madness."
One hour remained...
Before T's Skill Appraisal.
The Grand Church of the Holy Kingdom stood proudly beneath the morning sky.
Its towering white marble pillars reached toward the heavens.
Brilliant stained-glass windows painted rivers of crimson, sapphire, emerald, and gold across the polished floor.
Golden chandeliers hung high above like miniature suns.
The scent of incense drifted through the vast hall.
Soft prayers echoed beneath the enormous ceiling.
At the very centre...
Upon a magnificent golden pedestal...
Rested the Legendary Holy Book.
Its ancient pages slowly turned by themselves.
Golden mana flowed around it like countless tiny stars.
For more than fifteen centuries...
It had revealed the destinies of countless people.
Today...
Thousands had gathered beneath its light.
Children stood nervously beside their parents.
Nobles occupied the front rows with quiet confidence.
Adventurers whispered among themselves.
Priests moved gracefully through the crowd, maintaining order.
The atmosphere was filled with excitement...
Hope...
And expectation.
Everything appeared peaceful.
Everything appeared ordinary.
Until—
A powerful voice shattered the silence.
"It's all..."
"A lie!"
The entire Grand Church fell silent.
Every head turned toward the entrance.
An elderly man stood there.
His long white hair flowed to his waist.
His equally long beard rested against a robe worn by countless years of travel.
Though old and faded...
His robes were kept remarkably clean.
Around his neck hung the ancient emblem of a church that had disappeared from history long ago.
His posture was straight.
His eyes were calm.
Yet they carried a loneliness that only time could create.
For a heartbeat...
No one spoke.
Then whispers spread across the hall.
"...Father Elias."
Another voice muttered,
"That old madman..."
"He's here again."
Years ago...
Father Elias had been one of the Holy Kingdom's most respected priests.
Kings had sought his counsel.
Scholars admired his wisdom.
Ordinary people travelled for days simply to hear his sermons.
But everything changed.
The day he began questioning the Holy Book...
He lost everything.
His title.
His position.
His reputation.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from NovelFire. Please report it.
To some...
He remained a wise old priest.
To many others...
He had become nothing more than a madman chasing impossible truths.
Without the slightest hesitation...
Father Elias walked toward the Holy Book.
Step...
Step...
Step...
His footsteps echoed clearly through the enormous church.
Holy Knights instinctively tightened their grip on their swords.
Several priests exchanged uneasy glances.
But the old priest ignored them all.
His eyes never left the glowing pages before him.
Finally...
He stopped before the sacred relic.
For several long moments...
He simply looked at it.
Almost...
As though greeting an old friend.
Then he spoke.
His voice was calm.
Yet it reached every corner of the Grand Church.
"You call this..."
"The Book of Truth."
He gently raised one hand toward the glowing artifact.
"But tell me..."
"Have any of you..."
"Ever questioned it?"
Silence.
Not even a child whispered.
A young priest stepped forward.
His expression hardened.
"Father Elias."
"You have disrupted enough ceremonies."
"Do not insult this sacred relic."
The old man slowly shook his head.
A faint...
Sorrowful smile appeared upon his weathered face.
"I'm not insulting it."
His eyes remained fixed upon the Holy Book.
"I'm asking..."
"If any of you..."
"Have ever truly listened..."
"To what it wishes to say."
An uneasy feeling spread throughout the church.
The smiles that had filled the hall moments earlier slowly disappeared.
Several priests glanced nervously toward the High Bishop.
The High Bishop frowned.
"This ceremony is not the place for your delusions."
"Leave peacefully."
Father Elias quietly sighed.
"...Delusions."
"How quickly people choose that word..."
"When they fear the answer."
Then...
Without warning...
The Legendary Holy Book reacted.
Its golden light suddenly intensified.
The pages began turning by themselves.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Again.
The sacred mana surrounding it expanded across the hall like gentle waves.
The wind inside the church stopped completely.
Even the candle flames became perfectly still.
The entire Grand Church seemed to hold its breath.
No one...
Had touched the Holy Book.
Yet it continued turning its own pages.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
As if searching...
For something long forgotten.
The pages finally stopped.
Golden letters gradually appeared upon the ancient parchment.
One priest stepped closer.
The confidence on his face disappeared instantly.
His lips trembled.
"N-No..."
"This..."
"This can't be..."
The High Bishop hurried forward.
"What does it say?"
The priest swallowed.
His hands shook violently.
Then...
With a trembling voice...
He began to read.
"The First Prince..."
"Of the Holy Kingdom..."
"...is..."
His breathing stopped.
"...a Demon."
The world...
Fell silent.
The world...
Fell silent.
Not a single person moved.
Not a single breath could be heard.
Even the candles seemed unwilling to flicker.
The words written upon the Legendary Holy Book...
Remained unchanged.
"The First Prince of the Holy Kingdom... is a Demon."Then—
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
"That's nonsense!"
"The Holy Book would never say something like that!"
The Grand Church exploded into chaos.
Parents pulled their children closer.
Nobles stared at one another in disbelief.
Adventurers whispered nervously.
Even the Holy Knights, who had stood like statues only moments before...
Could no longer hide the shock on their faces.
The First Prince...
Prince Adrian Arclight.
Only seven years old.
Two years earlier...
The Legendary Holy Book itself had recognised him before the entire kingdom.
Many believed he carried the destiny of the Hero.
Some even whispered...
That he had been chosen beneath the legendary Number...
👑 001
The number spoken of only in ancient legends.
Yet now...
The very same Holy Book...
Had declared him...
A Demon.
How could both be true?
It defied all reason.
The High Priests hurried around the pedestal.
Their calm expressions had vanished.
One priest frantically turned the pages.
Another examined the glowing symbols.
A third repeatedly cast Divine Detection Magic.
Nothing changed.
The message remained exactly the same.
"This cannot be happening..."
"The Holy Book has never made such a declaration before."
"Did someone curse it?"
"No..."
"That's impossible."
"It's a Divine Artifact."
"It cannot be corrupted..."
Panic quietly spread among the clergy.
The High Bishop slowly raised both hands.
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Everyone..."
"Please remain calm."
The crowd gradually fell silent.
He looked toward the glowing book before speaking again.
"For over fifteen centuries..."
"The Legendary Holy Book has faithfully guided humanity."
"It has never failed us."
He paused.
Then forced a reassuring smile.
"Even the greatest Divine Artifacts..."
"May occasionally experience..."
"...unexpected irregularities."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"A malfunction...?"
"Is that possible?"
"It is over fifteen hundred years old..."
"I suppose..."
"Even ancient relics aren't perfect..."
The explanation quickly travelled from person to person.
Little by little...
People accepted it.
Not because they were convinced.
But because...
It was easier than accepting the alternative.
The High Bishop slowly closed the Holy Book.
The ancient pages folded together.
The golden light faded.
The mysterious words disappeared.
As though...
They had never existed.
The church slowly became quiet once more.
Only one person remained unmoved.
Father Elias.
He quietly laughed.
Not with joy.
Not with satisfaction.
But with sorrow.
"So..."
"This is how truth dies."
His tired eyes looked across the silent crowd.
"You fear the truth..."
"So instead..."
"You choose to call it..."
"An error."
Several Holy Knights stepped forward.
Their armour echoed against the marble floor.
One of them spoke firmly.
"Father Elias."
"You have disturbed the sacred ceremony long enough."
"You are under arrest."
The old priest offered no resistance.
He simply extended his hands.
A faint smile remained upon his face.
As the Holy Knights escorted him toward the great doors...
He stopped walking for a single moment.
Without turning around...
He spoke one final sentence.
"The truth..."
"Does not disappear..."
"...Just because you refuse to believe it."
His words echoed throughout the Grand Church.
Long after he had disappeared.
Long after the great doors had closed behind him.
No one spoke.
Because somewhere...
Deep inside their hearts...
A tiny seed of doubt had already been planted.
Eventually...
The ceremony resumed.
Priests forced smiles onto their faces.
Families were called forward once more.
Children placed their hands upon the Holy Book.
The Grand Church slowly returned to normal.
At least...
On the surface.
But no one could truly concentrate anymore.
Every mind carried the same unanswered question.
Was the Holy Book truly mistaken?
Or...
Had it revealed something...
The world simply refused to accept?
Far beyond the eyes of everyone gathered...
Another mystery quietly waited.
Long ago...
The Legendary Holy Book had revealed three legendary destinies.
👑 001 — Hero
😈 002 — Demon King
😇 003 — Saint
The entire world believed...
It already knew...
Who bore the title of Number 001.
But...
Almost no one remembered Number 002.
Some believed the bearer had died.
Others claimed the prophecy itself had been lost.
History had buried the truth so deeply...
That even scholars no longer searched for it.
Yet somewhere...
Beyond the knowledge of kings...
Priests...
And heroes...
The true bearer of Number 002...
Still existed.
Hidden.
Waiting.
The Narrator
"When history hides a name..."
"It is usually because..."
"The world is not yet ready..."
"To hear it."
"And sometimes..."
"The greatest truth..."
"Is not the one people discover."
"It is the one..."
"They desperately try to forget."