“It’s a lie. You shouldn’t be swayed by such nonsense.”
I squinted, trying to find a flaw in the Pope’s blatant bluster.
But in terms of expression, tone, gaze, posture, and even his pulse, Pope Argo Servinus showed no sign of wavering.
“Your desperate demeanor is amusing. Fine, let’s do this. Since all that’s left is to wait, I’ll share an entertaining tale.”
“…What a pointless gesture.”
“What else could it be but the indulgence of a victor? Consider it a minimal recognition and respect for one who has shaken the church and the Luminous Kingdom that I’ve built. Thanks to you, we’ve even had to upend our plans unexpectedly.”
What could it mean to ‘upend’?
Even accounting for the deliberate ambiguity in his words, the choice of vocabulary felt oddly discordant compared to the current situation.
Thinking that way only made me dwell on his previous statement.
‘The church and the Luminous Kingdom that I’ve established.’
It didn’t sound outlandish for him to claim such credit, given his long tenure as the Pope, but somehow, it felt more like he was emphasizing ownership rather than pride in his achievements.
“Out of the blue, have you ever thought that light magic and dark magic resemble each other?”
Creak.
As the Pope made a minor movement, my body, which had been ready to dart at any moment, froze.
Indeed, Plona had mentioned something similar before.
She said the techniques for harnessing holy and dark magic were surprisingly alike.
After she became a vampire, she quickly grasped dark magic beyond imagination and was able to replicate original techniques from her experience with holy magic.
It felt ominous.
Though it was my first time facing the Pope directly, I could easily understand that this was not a casual topic for him to bring up.
“There are more similarities than one might think. The fact that, despite being completely opposing attributes, the way they are handled is similar is known to only a few.”
The Pope’s gaze was also directed toward Plona.
I instinctively stepped between them to block the eye contact.
But the moment I heard the Pope’s next words, I could only stand there in shock.
“For instance, both types of magic cannot be innately acquired. Isn’t that interesting? In a world where innate talent dictates everything, there exists a type of magic that can only be wielded through acquisition.”
Thud, thud, thud, my heart pounded loudly.
I knew better than anyone that the talent for dark magic blossoms through external development, but light magic still had many uncertainties surrounding it.
Light magic. Known as holy magic by the Luminous Church, its essence was a topic of endless curiosity in the world.
It was known to be the most effective weapon against vampires, a race that was generally shunned by humans, and could also be used as a means of self-enhancement.
Yet, contrasting its usefulness, the rarity of its users outside the Luminous Church raised suspicion that it was not an independent branch of magic but rather a technology of some sort.
However, even though it was certain that the church held the key, there were no outsiders aware of the true nature of holy magic.
In other words, the current Pope declaring that holy magic cannot be innately acquired was probably unprecedented.
But what surprised me was not the revelation of a truth that could quell an academic controversy.
“Dark magic belongs to vampires.”
Technically, dark magic was close to a kind of natural phenomenon, and the Progenitor of Vampires, born from a notion resembling a dark spirit, possessed this unique ability.
And Progenitors share that ability through True Blood.
So, it could be said that only the Progenitor of Vampires is innately capable of wielding dark spirits, while the abilities of their progeny are merely bestowed upon them later.
“The world birthed the manifestation of dark spirits, and that manifestation, as the new race of vampires, rendered dark magic their exclusive domain. Ah, of course, to precisely compare it, Progenitor and progeny are completely different entities, but in a way, it means that. Nonetheless, distorting natural laws and inciting change through spirits theoretically meets the definition of magic, even though it’s more akin to a unique power rather than magic itself.”
I practically felt Plona’s and Eleonora’s gazes on my stiff back.
But I didn’t even have the luxury to utter a word of reassurance.
Although the information given by the Pope was still fragmentary, a possibility flickered in my mind.
I realized why True Blood flowed through my veins and warned me so vehemently, and what I was still afraid of at this very moment.
“So what about light magic?”
The academic consensus is that holy magic is a form of technology.
However, the concrete results of bringing about ideological change through light spirits were undeniable, allowing it to be recognized as an independent branch of magic, at least up until this very moment.
But on reflection, there was something strange about it.
If holy magic’s talent were merely a technology crafted by human hands, could it truly be possible for it not to have leaked even once over hundreds of years since the racial wars?
The Greysia Empire had been so brazenly eager to usurp holy magic, trying to lure retired knights and priests, yet there had been no betrayers within the church itself. Did that really make sense?
Now was the time to shift perspectives.
It was time to question the very capacity for confidentiality that couldn’t be explained solely by loyalty to the church.
To put it another way, perhaps they didn’t leak the method of acquiring holy magic because they never knew it to begin with?
The power granted only to those faithful followers chosen by the Luminous Church. And even though it’s acquired later, it has never leaked outside in history.
A power surprisingly similar in nature to dark magic.
The only possibility that met all these conditions was a notion so absurd it hadn’t even been presented as an option. That was—
“…The Avatar of Light.”
“Correct. Once again, this Progenitor is quite astute!”
Whether a god truly exists in this world had been a question I pondered repeatedly.
I had considered it as a child when diagnosed with a terminal illness, when nearing death in a cold hospital room, and when reborn with the memories of my past life, and even when realizing that my newfound vessel was the body of a vampire.
The existence of the god who dealt me such a cruel fate was still a mystery, but at this moment, I was certain of one thing.
The god of light, Luminous, worshipped by humans on this Terra continent, truly existed.
“If the Avatar of Darkness exists, then there must also be an Avatar of Light for balance, wouldn’t you agree? If the Avatar of Darkness empowers others to wield dark spirits through progeny, then the Avatar of Light can grant others the ability to wield light spirits through faith.”
Plona gasped, and Lavina couldn’t hide her shock.
But this couldn’t be the end.
We still had to face the most crucial truth, the worst possible scenario.
“Long ago, when the first darkness ruled the continent, the first light was born.”
Though the sudden narrative about ancient times caught me off guard, no one here interrupted the Pope.
Everyone instinctively understood.
The moment the truth of whom we had fought against was about to be revealed.
“The first darkness was immensely powerful. After the first light almost got killed by her once, it desperately fled, living in hiding.”
The first darkness. The very first manifestation of the dark spirit in this world.
The first Progenitor, Ophelia the Progenitor of Vampires.
No one here was ignorant of the fate that awaited the queen who once reigned over an era.
“Then one day, the eternal darkness, believing itself invincible, confronted divinity and was extinguished in an instant. The darkness was overwhelmingly strong among humans, yet it lacked the strength to challenge the first life. Upon hearing the news of her death, light thought the opportunity had finally arrived.”
For the light that had lived in hiding, this was the perfect moment to leap forward.
However, having already faced the threat of death, the light decided to proceed with caution.
The light was fully aware of its unique existence, and knowing that the world was vast with many powerful beings, it determined to quietly build strength without recklessly revealing itself.
While the light paused to observe, the continent underwent significant changes following the disappearance of the overwhelming strongest.
The powerful vampire forces dwindled drastically, dragonkin and elves were able to vie for the vacant throne, and beastmen established their own factions.
And the first light decided to take root among the weakest humans.
“Weak beings tend to rely on transcendent existences. Finding peace of mind is essential to survive harsh worlds.”
Just like how the dark spirit gains strength by consuming blood, the Avatar of Light derives power from faith.
The light spirit, who resolved to appear as a transcendent existence to gain faith and simultaneously conceal itself, was born.
Thus, the god of light, Luminous, came into existence.
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