Chapter: 201
*
Three weeks ago, when Ivan was still alive in a half-corpse state, confined in the shrine and under the sole care of the Queen.
“Really, this is driving me crazy.”
Eugene sat on a chair, staring blankly with a face filled with despair.
“Eli Eli lama sabachthani….”
He recited the only Hebrew he knew, but there was no change in Ivan’s condition. Just in case, he tried carving a cross, sketched a makeshift statue of the Virgin Mary, and offered purified water in prayer, but it was all meaningless.
His status window was still flickering, half-broken.
He even pondered whether he should be pierced by a spear while hanging on a cross, but he brushed off such a vile thought. It didn’t seem likely that the gods of this world would resurrect him within three days.
“No, normally speaking, right? If they gave me a status window during the isekai transition, they shouldn’t take it away! Or at least give me a cheat and take it!”
To be honest, the status window had rarely been of great help to him. What use is a warning message saying it’s dangerous just before dying?
However, having it was a world apart from not having it. The status window was essentially the only asset Eugene had in this world.
Moreover, what was even more frustrating was that it hadn’t completely disappeared.
[Due to interference, connection to the live service server is lost.]
[We honor your deeds and will reveal additional content to you.]
The status window had stopped on the last page he had checked. Occasionally, sparks would flicker, but it didn’t mean that the bluish window had completely vanished.
But what good did that do? No matter how he manipulated it, the screen wouldn’t change, and he received no feedback.
It was like having pulled the plug on an online game. To put it bluntly, that was what it meant. The half-broken screen had frozen.
Eugene sighed heavily and glared at the status window.
“What use do you have for me now…?”
His swordsmanship was inferior to Yuri’s.
He didn’t know how to cast magic.
Now that his divine power had disappeared, he was useless as a priest.
Mining information from the status window was almost his only use, and that was no longer available.
What should I really do now…?
Eugene lamented and began to reread the status window. After all, since this was the only source of information he had, he hoped he could make use of even the visible portions.
And soon, he discovered something strange.
[You have killed a god.]
[Now you are free.]
This sentence sounded like a warning. It felt like a creepy threat or perhaps mockery, challenging him to survive once more.
And the next sentence.
[Due to interference, connection to the live service server is lost.]
“…The tone changed.”
Not only that, but the handwriting was also subtly different. It was such a slight difference that it was hard to notice.
[We honor your deeds and will reveal additional content to you.]
“We?”
In other words, does this mean that someone beyond the status window was typing it…?
Eugene quickly steadied himself and began to scan the status window. Was there any other information or anything to deduce?
[You have killed a god.]
With the nickname attached to Ivan suddenly becoming “God Slayer,” the implied object that killed the god was Ivan. However, the status window did not distinguish between Ivan and him.
Reflecting back, the quests granted by the status window didn’t care who the target for clearing was. From the status window’s perspective, there seemed to be no need to differentiate.
Like a creator looking down upon mortals.
Like a god… Well, if this object was made by someone other than a god, that would be even stranger. It was something that couldn’t be explained through magic.
If that were the case, it was possible to infer the reason why the status window broke down at the moment his divine power disappeared. The status window had mentioned “interference.” In other words, if the signal with some sort of “heaven” that conveys divine power was cut off…
There was not just one god.
And [Now there are no gods in this land.]
“According to the scriptures, God is a singular being. Only the priests who can use divine power have been produced within the United Kingdom… so one could consider that the god only refers to the absolute being of this religion…”
If there isn’t just one god, isn’t the doctrine itself flawed?
Eugene began to read the other texts in the status window with a cold gaze. Soon, he stopped in front of one sentence.
“Quest of Impossible Level. Doctrine War.”
The moment he uttered that sentence, Eugene stood up from his seat.
“Doctrine War” is an easy term to understand. It clearly refers to a dispute over faith.
War means a struggle between opposing parties. However, if such an event were to occur within an intact church, and it even stated it as “of impossible level,” then…
That would mean the church is bound to divide.
“I don’t know when my brother will awaken… but fortunately, there is one more person I can consult about this situation in this country.”
Someone who is closely related to Ivan, who also served on the same front, and who possesses great authority and control within the church as a high priest.
“I need to see the Saint.”
*
“Doctrine war, huh… heh. That’s an interesting term, brother.”
“Um… do you believe what I’m saying?”
“Didn’t you say it was a message from the Lord? Brother Yenigev, although you are not ordained, didn’t you swear to the three virtues of purity, obedience, and poverty? Hmm, are you telling a falsehood to the church’s Saint now?”
“Absolutely not, Dean.”
“Yes, I believe you.”
The Saint smiled, clasping her pure white hands together. Honestly, who would believe if someone suddenly said they had a message from the Lord? But it seems she genuinely believed it without doubt.
As if reading Eugene’s expression, the Saint chuckled softly.
“Well, it’s because I expected this. Even without invoking the Lord’s words, I would have believed you.”
“Really…? Expected?”
“If the church remains silent at the moment divine powers are lost, wouldn’t that be a frightening thing in itself?”
The Saint continued to smile serenely, without a hint of disturbance.
“Brother Yenigev is currently consulting with Kirilts… no, brother Ivan, isn’t he?”
“Y-yes? How did you…?”
“I happen to have many ears that hear.”
The Saint handed Eugene a cup of tea with a smile. As he took the teacup, she began to speak gently with a smile still on her face.
“By the way, do you have any thoughts about being canonized as a Saint?”
“Cough!! Ah! Pardon?!”
“Oh dear, use a tissue here.”
“Ahem, yes… thank you. Wait a moment. A Saint?”
Suddenly, is it a secondary job change event?
But if the Saint can’t use divine powers, what would change by being a second job class?
Eugene’s head spun.
“Where shall I begin? The gospel you’ve heard, yes, let’s organize it. Doctrine War, Stars Became Warriors, Prelude to the Great Fall, Herald of the Morning Star, for True Freedom. Am I correct?”
“Yes, Dean.”
“Here, the Doctrine War likely means a war that will occur within the church. We will set that aside for now.”
Though Eugene wondered if it could be set aside like that, he nodded anyway.
“Stars Became Warriors. This refers to Drovian.”
“Drovian…?”
“That region is a land that has not been completely evangelized. It has mixed with traditional myths, leading to somewhat… shall we say, interesting doctrines. It’s not quite at the level of being deemed heretical, but it’s clearly far from traditional doctrine.”
The warriors of Drovian, who died honorably in struggle, are said to engage in eternal warfare at the Lord’s side.
The direct evidence of that war is the stars in the night sky. In general, the Lord watches the earth through the sun, thus nighttime is considered the time of demons.
Beyond that night sky, warriors stand beside God, fighting. The traces of those battles are the stars in the night sky. It’s said that the spears, bows, axes, and swords thrown by the warriors tear through the night sky, etching the light of the day into the heavens.
Thus, if they are called the warriors became stars…
“Then it means the brothers of Drovian will ‘martyr’ themselves greatly.”
“…Dean, there is one more thing I must tell you.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“This is not the first time I’ve heard… no, received the Lord’s message.”
Although it wasn’t a common occurrence, every time a quest that could be inferred as “???” level… in other words, “impossible level” appeared…
“The heroes of the Hero Party have ‘martyred’ themselves.”
“You mean that was also said when Brother Jill Ber and Brother Veolgrin passed away?”
“Yes.”
“Then the message referring to Drovian… could perhaps relate to Brother Einar.”
The Saint remained still, smiling, but her eyes quietly sank.
“The Herald of the Morning Star would imply Brother Maximilian. The Morning Star shines brightly even on the darkest nights. Historically, warriors have often been likened to the Morning Star.”
“Yes….”
“Then likewise, the Prelude to the Great Fall… this can be inferred to relate to Sister Enrique. True Freedom… that would be Brother Ivan.”
“I think so too….”
“It seems the Lord considers that all of us must die.”
With the Saint’s words, Eugene shook his head firmly.
“No. The Lord has always warned me about this, saying to ask for help.”
The darkness cast over Tylesse.
There must surely have been a condition attached to Jill Ber’s survival. In other words, it means they need to keep Jill Ber alive.
Extending from that, the quest of Kalion also had Veolgrin’s survival as one of its goals.
The individual that the status window had set as “must kill” was only one.
Ivan Petrovich Yermov.
Eugene swallowed that last word. It wasn’t something he needed to say to the Saint.
“Heh… then that means the Lord has not forsaken us. Finally… shall we return to the Doctrine War?”
“Yes, Dean.”
“The Doctrine War, though not named as such, has already been foreseen over ten years ago.”
“…Yes…?”
“To say it was foreseen might sound a little amusing. I haven’t personally heard the Lord’s gospel or obtained any foresight like you, so if I were to put it another way….”
We have been preparing for this to come about.
And the Saint smiled softly.
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