Chapter 568
A sudden anomaly piqued the curiosity of one forest deity, while another deity, the Sky God, basked in an increase of power, reveling in it without a care.
– He wasn’t always like this… It seems he’s changed after going through various experiences.
I nodded subconsciously at Constantina’s voice, which bore a clear expression of pity.
It’s true that the Eternal Blue Sky had experienced quite the spectacle over the past few years. While enduring being overshadowed by settled faith as a nomadic deity, the sudden annihilation of apostles, priests, temples, and divine objects was enough to make even the calmest god furious.
However, being furious is one thing; extinction is another. The Eternal Blue Sky, having squandered everything, resorted to elevating me as his honorary priest to maintain his followers, and he’s now leeching off the World Tree’s symbol to gain worship.
‘You’ve had it tough, huh…’
A wave of sympathy rushed in, so quickly that the Eternal Blue Sky wouldn’t even realize it.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy life for anyone, but I hadn’t expected him to be so desperate for survival. He had that carefree vibe when I first met him, but now there’s not a trace of that left.
‘Recently, the Dawn Sect held a council.’
I shared the information I’d gathered with both deities.
– The council, eh? Haven’t heard that name in ages.
– Ah, I remember now. The kids from Enen gathered to chat, right? But what does that have to do with us?
Even the Eternal Blue Sky began to show interest, albeit late, at the mention of the council.
Impressive, this council! It has the power to make even a deity, driven by the instinct of survival, look back on the past.
‘At the council, they decided to officially acknowledge the existence of deities other than Enen.’
– …What?
– Huh?
The reactions from the two deities were eerily similar.
Voices tinged with disbelief, silence laden with confusion.
– Us?
The first to break the silence was the Eternal Blue Sky, consumed by his instincts rather than intellect.
‘Yes.’
– From the Dawn Sect?
‘Yes.’
– …Why?
‘That, I don’t know either.’
Go ask the Pope instead of me.
The Dawn Sect’s acknowledgment of other gods left both deities feeling stumped. It was originally a push from a few progressives like the Pope within the Dawn Sect itself, so if an outsider knew the reasons, that would be more bizarre.
And more critical than the reason was the result. Since the victory of the religious wars, the Dawn Sect, which had insisted on a singular god, had recognized the existence of other deities and decided to respect and harmonize with those faiths.
[ The 172nd Holy Council of Enestie, presided over by Pope Balthasar IV, has concluded under the holy guidance of the Lord. ]
The proclamation from the Dawn Sect, starting with that lackluster sentence, was hung across churches throughout the continent just days after my visit to the World Tree.
[ The followers of the Lord, who discuss for the spirit of the continent and its people, have concluded that the current sect is unable to fully realize the Lord’s will. Thus, the sect shall deviate from past protocols and seek a new direction. ]
A straightforward sentence, devoid of all the flowery rhetoric – “We’ve changed.” So concise that it sent shockwaves through the leadership of various nations, no need for fluff when such heavy topics were on the table.
In fact, each point included in the proclamation was enough to topple existing order and common sense,
[ Starting from now, the previously uniform masses will be left to the discretion of local priests, taking the culture of each nation into account. The Holy Kingdom will check if the masses contradict the doctrine but will refrain from further involvement. ]
[ Investigate the incidents from the period of the religious wars objectively, acknowledging unnecessary bloodshed and excessive violence. If the sect has caused harm, a formal apology and compensation will be offered to the descendants of the affected faith communities. ]
[ Acknowledge and harmonize with the faith and functions of foreign deities. Do not ostracize others merely for being pagan, and do not overlook the faults of compatriots simply because they share the same belief. ]
[ Expand the electoral rights for bishops to all followers of the Dawn Sect. ]
Especially regarding these four matters, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the entire continent was split in half with debate.
“Masses will differ by region? Left to the discretion of the priests? Can that still be called the Dawn Sect’s mass?”
“Apology and compensation? That was just normal behavior to establish the right faith! Honestly, those pagans were probably worse than the Dawn Sect back then!”
“Recognizing other deities amounts to abandoning faith! No matter how you dress it up, it undermines the authority of the singular Lord!”
“The electoral rights… for all followers? So if the emperor of the empire recruits pro-imperial cardinals, does that mean he can become Pope too?”
Backlash erupted, insisting the council’s decision would destroy the sect.
“Inflexible uniformity breeds rebellion and chaos. What could be better than acting within doctrine while also aligning with public sentiment?”
“The sect’s actions during the religious wars were blood-soaked. It was a fact that it was inevitable, given the circumstances. But to simply view it as a glorious victory is a different problem!”
“Is our faith so fragile that it can crumble with the existence of another deity? Our Lord reigns above all gods! Our beliefs remain steadfast even if we recognize pagans!”
“No, it’s not like the emperor is trying to die of overwork! What’re we even saying about the Pope chair? Even among the cardinals, that position gives everyone the jitters!”
Defenders who supported the council’s decision sprang up.
“Balthasar lacks the qualifications to be Pope! He’s an evil spirit aiming to shatter our faith!”
“Lord, show mercy on that holy shepherd! Protect your aged servant who carries out your will amid the persecution of blind fanatics!”
Madness erupted across the continent, where neutrality simply did not exist.
And just when the entire continent plunged into chaos, regardless of age, gender, nationality, or status,
“I’m losing it.”
The emperor was slumped in his chair, downing vodka straight from the bottle.
Indeed, he was in such a state that I couldn’t help but cringe. Teasing the emperor in his current condition could lead to a situation where either the throne’s return or the crown princess becomes baby emperor—a true catastrophe.
“Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If I were to recommend you as Pope—”
As I shot him a stern look, the emperor couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Right now, I feel exactly how you must be feeling, Minister.”
“…I misspoke.”
Thanks to some serious empathetic magic, I could feel just how stressed he was.
I was already drowning in my own workload; they wanted me to shoulder the leadership of the continent’s largest religion? Where’d they send the assassin for that idea?
“Well, as you said, discussions about provocative topics will die down with time. Although it’ll take a while, we can’t go against the council itself.”
Pulling a new vodka bottle from under the desk, the emperor hesitated for a moment before setting it back down on the floor.
Good choice. If he hit two bottles in a row, the empress would have something to say.
“The results of councils have never been canceled. Even the Faith Doctrine Department, a potential foe of the Pope, declared they will abide by the council’s results.”
“So the intentions of the sect’s leadership are firm.”
“Exactly. Thus, this will be a problem time will solve. No matter how many debates the followers might have, it’s the priests and the cardinals who steer the sect.”
After saying this, the emperor handed me a random piece of paper that had been scattered across the desk.
‘Ah.’
As soon as I read the contents of the document, my gut twisted in anticipation.
[ Northern Cultural Restoration Project ]
I could sense that funding and manpower would dramatically increase in the North.
I just knew that the corners of the Eternal Blue Sky’s mouth, which was still grinning blissfully, would reach his ears.
“While the Constantina worshippers won’t need to worry about the World Tree and the Elves in the inter-species protection zone, the faith of the Eternal Blue Sky in the North has dwindled due to wars. Wouldn’t now be a great opportunity for a large-scale restoration?”
“Your wisdom is unrivaled.”
I nodded in agreement, bowing my head.
From the perspective of Livnoman, who protected the decree with the blessing of Enen, the emergence of a new deity could present a threat, but if they could restore pagan faith under the empire’s leadership, it would serve as an even stronger justification for their rule.
The traditional territory of the Eternal Blue Sky’s faith, the last priest, was within the empire’s land, belonging to the nobility. With enough investment in money, time, and manpower, restoration could happen easily.
“Given that the royal blood and the priests will be mingling, what’s better than that?”
At those words, I recalled the Marquess who would be in the North.
Would the faith flourish again, and would he transform back into a decent priest…?
‘Shati seems to have some faith too.’
If things go awry, maybe Shati should inherit the priest role early. There’s no rule that says having a Marquess and a priest role has to be the same person.
And if that happens, the bizarre situation where I, who just dealt the final blow to the Eternal Blue Sky’s faith, end up being the honorary priest will soon come to an end.
‘…Will that involve relocating?’
Suddenly, I was curious. If the faith were restored in the North, would the Eternal Blue Sky move somewhere else instead of cohabiting with the World Tree? If there were places worshiping him, he wouldn’t need to cling to someone else’s symbol.
‘An Eternal Blue Sky spending time in the North.’
That’s a given but feels foreign. In my mind, the Eternal Blue Sky is a washed-up deity lazily leaching off the World Tree’s symbol.
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