CHAPTER 81
What does it mean to walk out of the capital cathedral alongside the Saintess and the Paladin Commander?

It meant that there was no one in this world who could stand in our way.

The place we stormed into was the office of the capital cathedral’s leading figure, the Archbishop.

Archbishop Alberius.

He was bound by the Holy Knights, looking utterly wretched. In my memory, Alberius had been a benevolent man. But my opinion changed today. His mind was filled with demons, and all his good deeds were merely a cover for his heinous crimes. To think he was a member of the Radiance Faith while pretending to be a holy Archbishop of the Divine Order. He was a man who deserved to be drawn and quartered.

“What is the meaning of this? This is blasphemy!” Alberius shouted desperately, trying to persuade the Holy Knights.

But no matter how much he yelled, the knights showed no intention of releasing him. If anything, their eyes, visible through their helms, burned with an even more chilling intensity. The Holy Knights were optimized for purging heretics. For them, the idea that an Archbishop was a heretic was absolutely unforgivable.

“Archbishop Alberius.”

At that moment, the Saintess’s voice echoed through the room. Alberius flinched at her call and lifted his head. He looked back and forth between the Saintess and Aigis, then cried out desperately.

“Saintess, there must be some misunderstanding! Why are you treating me, Archbishop Alberius, in such a manner?”

He tenaciously insisted on his innocence. He knew that if he was found out here, it would mean immediate execution. But the Saintess didn’t even blink at his words.

She smiled sweetly. “Alberius.”

“Say it: ‘The Owner of the Lazy Throne is a son of a bitch.’”

A stream of incredibly clean profanity flowed out. Was that really something that should come out of such a pretty face? But for an ideological test, nothing was more accurate. It was a phrase a true believer would never be able to utter.

Alberius’s face went blank. Then, biting his lip hard, he forced a smile. His body began to glow with a brilliant light.

Self-destruction.

In a flash, Aigis vanished. At the same time, Alberius was lifted into the air before crashing back to the floor. His body no longer moved. He seemed to have lost consciousness.

“Find out everything. And I mean everything.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

All the Holy Knights responded in unison to the Saintess’s command. Her leadership was incredible. I was once again reminded that she was not just a Saintess in name only.

“Now then, Sir Harua, the Holy Knights will clean this up. Shall we go?”

I couldn’t dare object to the charismatic Saintess. As I followed her out, she led me back to the previous room.

“My, what an unsightly scene. To think an Archbishop was a heretic. It’s a terrible thing.”

Just a moment ago, she was the one who invited me to watch her catch a heretic, yet her words were the complete opposite.

“How did the Archbishop end up joining the Radiance Faith?”

An Archbishop of the Holy Church. Moreover, he was the head of the capital cathedral. Why would a man like that choose to become a member of the Radiance Faith?

“Not long ago, his son was murdered by the Black Dawn.”

The reason immediately became clear.

“The Embrace of Holy Light does not return the lives of the dead. Faced with the fact that he could do nothing about his son's death, he came to hate the very thing he had believed in his entire life.”

“Is it alright for you to say such things?” I wondered if it was appropriate for the Saintess to speak in a way that seemed to understand someone who had forsaken the Embrace of Holy Light.

“Hee-hee-hee.” The Saintess covered her mouth with her sleeve and let out a light laugh. “Our Holy Church is not so strict. It would be more ridiculous to deny the circumstances that led to this tragedy.”

Hearing this, I felt that the religions of this world were very different from those on Earth. On Earth, the existence of God is unproven. That’s why countless believers, in their attempts to prove their god, would experience dehydration and hallucinations, claiming to have met God.

But in a world where gods truly exist, the story is different. The things a god can do are clearly visible. And therefore, the things a god cannot do are also clear. Compared to humans, a Transcendent is an omnipotent-like being. However, even such beings cannot grant every wish. Because this line was so clearly drawn, someone like the Saintess, a central figure in the Holy Church, could make such a statement. Because God truly existed, she could accept the divine will without interpreting it arbitrarily.

“Is it true what they say, that the Radiance Faith possesses the ability to resurrect?”

The Archbishop joining the Radiance Faith must have been for the same reason as Bulldog. His child was killed by the Black Dawn, leading to a hatred of Transferees and a desire to bring his child back. Those two feelings drove him to make this choice.

“So you’ve heard that rumor as well, Sir Harua.”

“I have an unavoidable and unfortunate connection with those bastards. I hear things whether I want to or not.”

“Yes, to be precise, resurrection itself is possible. However, what they bring back is no longer among the living.”

Once again, my conviction that the Radiance Faith must be eradicated was reinforced. They were an evil that brought nothing good to this world.

“Therefore, using this incident with the Archbishop as a pretext, our Holy Church has decided to launch a crusade against the Radiance Faith.”

“Is that possible?”

The Radiance Faith boasts a larger scale than one might think. Even for the Holy Church, wiping them out would require a significant amount of military power. Moreover, the Archbishop who belonged to the Radiance Faith… that bastard, Bloody Crown, was a truly dangerous individual. I could be sure of that, having seen him with my own eyes as my limbs were being torn apart. This was, for all intents and purposes, a holy war.

“Yes. They corrupted our Archbishop like this. It is a righteous duty we must undertake.”

The Saintess declared a holy war without hesitation. A war that would be fought until one side was completely annihilated. And a holy war, more than any other, was a war without compromise.

“That aside, is it really alright for you to be telling me all this?”

I may hate the Radiance Faith, but it’s not like I’m particularly trustworthy. The Archbishop’s fall from grace would surely shock the countless followers of the Holy Church. Was it wise to tell me, someone who could leak this information to the public?

The Saintess just smiled sweetly at my question. “Sir Harua, you are destined to become an important figure in this world. If I can have a conversation with such a person in advance, isn’t it all for the best?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

For some reason, her words sounded strangely prophetic. Did the Embrace of Holy Light issue some kind of prophecy? Or had the Saintess truly figured out that I possessed resurrection magic?

I didn't know. Her translucent eyes made it difficult to read her inner thoughts. The more I looked into them, the more I felt a strange pressure, as if I were being pulled in.

Just what kind of person was the Saintess? I couldn't get a grasp on her at all.

“Yes. Just by looking at those who surround you, Sir Harua, one can glimpse the scale of your influence.”

My influence. It was true that my network of connections was growing. Even if it was thanks to my resurrection magic, its importance was clear.

“By the way, since we share the same name, it must be fate. How about we create nicknames to make things easier to call each other?”

“Nicknames…?”

“A term of endearment, yes.”

Are we close enough to be using terms of endearment? But the Saintess was looking at me with a beaming smile. She had a face that looked like it would burst into tears if I refused.

“Yes, well, if the Saintess wishes it.”

I didn't know her true nature, but I still wanted to remain on good terms with her. If we were close enough to use nicknames, she might save me at least once if I was in danger later.

“Hmm, what would be good?”

The Saintess pondered for a moment as we walked down a corridor overlooking the cathedral’s golden garden. Then, as if an idea struck her, she turned her head to me.

“How about you be Haru, and I’ll be Lua?”

She just split the name in two. Still, it would be easy to say.

“Yes, that sounds nice.”

“Hee-hee-hee, right? I think it’s a well-chosen name. Let’s make it a special nickname just between the two of us.”

“Saintess, if you say things like ‘just between the two of us’ to other people, they might get the wrong idea.”

Lua blinked her large eyes. Then, she gently covered her mouth and giggled again. “I don’t mind if they get the wrong idea.”

The Saintess is a fox.

Why are there so many foxes in this world? Aranseol, and now Lua. Too many foxes who know how to use their pretty faces.

It felt like a dreamlike moment. Lua said her goodbyes, promising we would meet again, and we parted ways.

As I trudged out of the capital cathedral, my mind felt hazy. It felt like a whirlwind of events had just passed, but I couldn't recall them clearly. Instead, Lua’s mischievous face was etched firmly in my memory. Was this also one of her traps? She was a terrifying woman.

But at the same time, a thought crossed my mind.

The coming holy war between the Radiance Faith and the Holy Church. It seemed like Lieutenant General Inferno of the Regular Army would strike the first blow against the Radiance Faith, and this would be the follow-up. But judging from Lua’s words, they would fight until one of the two was completely destroyed. And in this war, the Holy Church would naturally expend its forces.

When my thoughts reached that point, I wondered who would benefit the most.

The Black Dawn.

The Radiance Faith had turned its back on the Black Dawn. It seemed they had some connection in the past, but now they were sworn enemies. The Holy Church, of course, also disliked the Black Dawn. They were a church that advocated for a peaceful world. From their perspective, the Black Dawn was clearly the axis of evil.

In other words, from the Black Dawn's perspective, both the Radiance Faith and the Holy Church were enemies.

If so, could it be that the Black Dawn intentionally orchestrated this war between the Radiance Faith and the Holy Church? Holy Knights would be dispatched not only from the capital but also from the Holy Land. This would naturally create a power vacuum, weakening the Holy Church’s influence.

'They’re targeting the Imperial Family.'

The dispersal of the Regular Army’s forces, and now this holy war. The powers concentrated in the capital were steadily diminishing. It was as if the stage was being perfectly set for the Black Dawn to make their move on the Imperial Family.

“What is this world coming to?”

The flow of events was ominous, but as I was now, there was nothing I could do. That feeling of helplessness, however, also made me clench my fists. It was a resolve to survive and maintain this damn world, no matter what.

I will do what I must. I will grow stronger, build more connections, and throw a wrench in the Black Dawn’s plans.

And.

'The bait has been cast.'

My resurrection magic. The one move the Black Dawn would never see coming. The pieces of my grand design were falling into place.