Pope Argo Servinus continued his tale like an old man reminiscing about the past.
“At first, it was a modest beginning. I mingled among the humans who were driven to the outskirts by the Ain forces, healing the sick with the light’s power. That was my work.”
At that time, the power of light was not very significant.
It could only heal minor wounds, and for severe injuries, it merely provided relief from pain.
But for the defeated soldiers who were left only with wounds and hunger, even that was enough to be called a miracle.
Humans who witnessed miracles that ordinary people could not perform began to gather around him one by one.
They soon discovered that the saint was an apostle who had received a revelation from the god Luminous.
“At that time, there were various religions, but the god named Luminous did not exist yet. Naturally, for it was the saint himself who was the god of light, merely pretending to be a divine being and spreading his own name.”
“…That’s a lie. Such stories are nowhere to be found.”
Plona’s gaze wavered slightly.
Though her stance didn’t falter as she threw aside the sword, which only had the hilt left, it was evident that she was quite shaken.
It wasn’t particularly strange.
After all, she’d just discovered that a god she once served was thoroughly fabricated.
Luminous was neither a god nor a saint.
He was merely a spirit’s avatar, playing both parts alone.
“You can’t teach that the Lord Luminous was, in fact, a spirit claiming to be a god, can you? Such things tend to be embellished over time.”
Pope Argo Servinus chuckled as if he had just told a funny joke.
Nevertheless, the unfamiliar name of the god Luminous did not pose any issues for the humans at the time.
While gods might be elusive, religions are ultimately created by humans.
In that harsh reality, the humans of that era needed a religion, having nowhere to place their hearts, and it was only natural that they would believe in a tangible god who brought real miracles they could see and hear.
Through a mental connection with sentient beings, Luminous absorbed faith and quickly grew stronger through the devotion of his followers.
The more power he gained, the greater the miracles he could perform.
The healing power that once could only heal minor injuries eventually reached the level of reviving humans on the brink of death, while the barrier of light granted humans the right to not fear the night when vampires ran rampant.
While belief and faith couldn’t be sustained solely by material gain, it undeniably provided a significant advantage for missionary work in an age focused on survival.
It was only natural that the forces following the light grew like a snowball.
The growing number of followers amassed more faith, which in turn attracted even more followers through numerous miracles.
“Before long, the Luminous Church became a major force among human religions. And Luminous, posing as a saint, was elevated to the position of the first pope.”
“Isn’t it amusing that a god became the head of the very followers he serves?” Pope Argo Servinus joked.
Was it just a feeling that there was no sense of faith in the current pope’s words?
The lingering sense of discomfort began to create a realistic anxiety.
“From this perspective, the history of the church appears quite long, but in fact, the Luminous Church only began to make its name known a few hundred years ago. Initially, it was just a church with a first pope, with barely any land to settle.”
In the beginning, there was only one user of holy magic per generation.
Whenever a newly appointed saint received a revelation from the god, he would become the next pope to lead the church.
This was because Luminous moved very cautiously.
He knew that if he gained excessive fame too quickly, other religions, or even the Ain, would regard the church as a thorn in their side.
There was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be a strong one like the first darkness in the world.
While he didn’t interfere in the realm of humans, it wasn’t a good idea to unnecessarily attract attention, given that the elder dragon who slew the first darkness was still proudly sitting atop the Dragon’s Canyon.
Ultimately, the Luminous Church continued its legacy diligently, not being greedy, while Luminous grew strong from the solid and steadily accumulating faith.
He endured day by day, curled up with dreams of one day having everything in the world beneath his feet.
Then, 500 years ago, a race war broke out on the Terra continent.
“It was on a scale unlike the wild rampage of the vampires two thousand years ago. This was a monumental war, where the Ain, who had developed for more than a millennium while casually trading punches after the fall of the vampires, collided with everything.”
Sitting in the pope’s seat once again, Luminous deemed it time at last.
Determining it was time to expand his power, Luminous began sharing his miracles with his loyal followers rather than performing them alone.
For an existence that absorbs power through a mental connection, it was not difficult to reverse that channel and infuse power into others.
Armed with the newfound weapon of holy magic, the church firmly believed in the pope’s proclamation that the god of light had granted them a revelation of victory.
Now showcasing a new miracle, the church grew into an armed group with its own independent forces, including knights and combat-support priests.
The contemporary pope took great care to keep the church’s growth under wraps from the Ain, focusing on training troops internally and successfully establishing secret agreements with two external factions.
Then, approximately two hundred years into the race war, the humans, who had been lying low, finally pulled out their long-hidden daggers and rebelled against the Ain.
The result is as history remembers it.
Dragons and elves, who had already bared their fangs at one another, vampires dreaming of a comeback, and beastmen attempting to make a quick profit in the middle were all overwhelmed by an unexpected counterattack from the underestimated weak races.
They too would have been prepared in a perfect state, but it was woefully insufficient to withstand the humans, who wielded the blessings of holy magic in healing and enhancing.
In an instant, the humans devoured the major areas of the continent, erecting their banners and fortifying their defenses before the Ain could mount a counter.
Having monopolized fertile lands, mines, and resources essential for advancing civilization, the humans quickly widened the gap while the taken-aback Ain stammered incomprehensibly.
As a result, the Luminous Church established the city-state of the Luminous Kingdom, and from the two allied forces that stood against the Ain, the Greysia Empire and Bertica Kingdom were born.
“What do you think? They often say that history is written by the victors, yet the victorious humans themselves are unaware of the full truth. Isn’t that amusing?”
At that moment, Pope Argo Servinus’s gaze turned slightly sideways.
He noticed the faint presence of two grand dukes, the first progenitor’s retainers, arriving here.
And in that brief moment when the pope’s attention was directed elsewhere, Aria’s ten fingers concealed behind her back moved simultaneously.
Kiiiiiing!!!
Strings of bright red blood tensioned from all directions, colliding against the barrier of light.
While the pope babbled on, the light that had begun to dim flared back up, declaring that ambush tactics were futile, cutting through the ensnaring strands of blood magic closing in from all sides.
“No wonder it seemed calm; I was wondering when you’d prepare something like this. Not noticing that, I must truly be getting old,” Argo Servinus said, shaking his head and praising Aria in a leisurely tone.
With no sign of surprise on the pope’s face, Aria clicked her tongue.
Although she hadn’t expected to simply pierce through the solid barrier since she had verified its toughness earlier, it was still disappointing that her sneak attack was blocked so easily.
“What, you certainly put in some effort, but deep down, you didn’t actually think this level of ambush would work, did you?”
“Your Majesty!”
With the sound of a single gust of wind, Martini landed quietly.
At a bit of a distance away, Jeil was surveying the situation, and though he didn’t outwardly reveal it, he appeared to be quite flustered at the absurd scenario of the palace in ruins with the only enemy being the pope.
Martini’s gaze shifted towards the pope, then passed over to the luminous sword in his hand, landing on the strongest knight.
Raising her guard against the might of the foe who had once nearly brought her to death, Martini spoke up.
“…I’m sorry. May I request information on the situation?”
“In a word, it’s this.”
However, faster than Aria could open her mouth, the old man gripping the luminous sword nodded and replied.
“I am Luminous.”
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