Calandra Empire Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace Conference Room
Currently, the Empress of the Calandra Empire and several high nobles of the Empire were gathered around the table holding a meeting.
“Is that so? Even the Second Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom…”
“Yes. They were completely outmatched. As soon as the large-scale battle began on the plains, the Second Holy Knights were thrown into chaos and got tangled up with each other.”
“Could it be that the god Deus, from the Deus Church, is actually supporting them? How…?”
Even though they were hearing news of their Calandra Empire’s victory over the Holy Kingdom, the conference room was filled with sighs.
“With the fall of the Second Holy Knights, the path to the capital of the Holy Kingdom is completely open. General Hosea must be aware of this and will surely march straight to the capital.”
“To march on the capital, huh? What do you all think? Do you believe that Hosea can succeed in capturing the capital at this point?”
“May I speak?”
At that, a noble raised his hand and asked to speak.
“Speak your mind.”
“Thank you. Currently, the capital of the Holy Kingdom is protected by the First Holy Knights, who are symbols of the Holy Kingdom’s power, blessed by Lord Jephst. Those elite holy knights are the reason our Calandra Empire has not been able to touch the Holy Kingdom until now. No matter how much General Hosea persists, it won’t be something he can easily breach.”
“The First Holy Knights!”
At the mention of the First Holy Knights, assembled from the Holy Kingdom’s finest, the atmosphere of the conference room stirred with excitement.
“And the Third Holy Knights are currently stationed at Odrak Castle. The route for General Hosea’s advance from Odrak Castle is far too long. If he does not capture the capital quickly, the extended supply lines will be susceptible to attacks from the Holy Kingdom, and he will ultimately have to retreat.”
“Retreat… If that happens, it would be the best outcome for us. We could hold the Noble Faction accountable for their reckless declaration of war and its execution process. Your Majesty, if that happens, we could also rein in the Deus Church who has been rampaging lately!”
“Your Majesty, General Hosea cannot possibly succeed. How can he capture a location guarded by the First Holy Knights?”
“That’s right, Your Majesty! No matter how great he is, this task is impossible. This is the perfect chance to weaken the Noble Faction!”
“Is that so…”
Tap, tap.
With his index finger tapping on the table, the Emperor fell into thought.
“You all said the same thing when news arrived that General Hosea’s army would meet the Second Holy Knights. You believed that even Hosea’s army would fall. But what was the result? They achieved a crushing victory, as if the god Deus himself was watching over them!”
Bang!
The Emperor slammed his fist onto the table.
“If General Hosea wins again and captures the Holy Kingdom, it will create entirely different repercussions. Hosea, backed by the full support of the Deus Church, capturing the Holy Kingdom means that Lord Jephst will have been defeated by their god, Deus. This will give them an enormous justification!”
“T-That means…”
“If that happens, the Noble Faction affiliated with the Deus Church will achieve an unprecedented status. The balance with your loyal Ridiculous Faction and the Noble Faction will be shattered. The landscape of the Empire will be overturned.”
“However, Your Majesty. No matter how great General Hosea is, the First Holy Knights are different.”
“No. We can no longer just watch. We cannot allow General Hosea to win by any means. Contact the Pope of the Holy Kingdom.”
“Y-Your Majesty! Surely not!”
“It’s for the sake of protecting the Empire. If they manage to survive this as well… then Deus will indeed be by their side.”
*
“Did you hear? General Hosea defeated even the Second Holy Knights in the war against the Holy Kingdom!”
“The Second Holy Knights? The second strongest among the three Holy Knights that make up the Holy Kingdom?”
“Yep, that one!”
“The Third Holy Knights fell easily, and now the Second Holy Knights as well… Are they really going to succeed in capturing the Holy Kingdom?”
In the Academy’s classroom.
“I hear the justification for this war is the true ‘God’.”
“The true god? You mean Deus?”
“Exactly, Deus. The Deus Church claims that all other deities are false gods. Only Deus is the true god.”
“A true god… Ah, so that’s why they attacked the Holy Kingdom that worships Lord Jephst?”
“I guess so.”
“The Noble Faction is so foolish. Declaring war over such nonsense. Even if they win this war, such a justification won’t be accepted.”
“Yet it seems they might be right.”
“…What?”
“Apparently, the residents of the territories that General Hosea has occupied have gradually started converting to the Deus Church. At this rate, the Holy Kingdom might turn from being Lord Jephst’s to Deus’s.”
In the lounge of the academic building.
“Did you hear the miracle story from Orias?”
“Orias from the neighboring Nova Empire? Oh, I think I’ve heard of it. The Apostle of Deus… was it Paulah?”
“Yeah, Paulah. Those following her are receiving special powers from a being called the ‘Holy Spirit’.”
“Special powers? A being that gives powers… If that’s possible, isn’t that really a god?”
“Right? Apparently, the rumors say that the lower classes in the city are gaining these powers… If such people get strength, there could be a lot of problems.”
“Totally! Those lowly ones gaining power! Thinking about the commoners in the Academy, that’s definitely dangerous!”
In the dormitory lobby.
“The Saint of Capernaum? Of course I know him.”
“I heard he has performed incredible miracles while traveling from city to city. I thought he was just a priest with exceptional healing abilities, but apparently… he defeated a horde of monsters!”
“What? A priest defeated monsters?”
“He summoned a rain of flames that burned all the monsters away!”
“Wait a second… that saint claimed to be the son of Deus, didn’t he?”
“That’s right!”
“Is he really the son of Deus?”
In the Academy plaza.
The whole world is about Deus.
Everywhere in the Academy, students only discuss Deus.
When I came to this Calandra Academy, the talk was already about Deus.
Thanks to Lydia’s rapid growth of the Church.
However, back then, Deus was merely the god being worshiped by a rapidly growing faction.
Of course, the Church was powerful enough to attract many high nobles, but if one was not associated with the Church, they wouldn’t know such facts.
Contrarily, at this point, the status of Deus on the continent is different.
The two miraculous figures sweeping through the Nova Empire, Paulah and the Son of Deus.
The armies of the Deus Church are capturing victory after victory against the Holy Kingdom, rapidly advancing towards the capital.
All of them are shouting Deus.
Now, Deus is no longer just an ordinary god.
He has become the hottest god ruling this continent.
It’s astonishing to think my book has invoked such events.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a rather burdensome matter.
But the success of Deus becomes my divinity.
As my book spreads widely, the divinity flowing to me increases.
And since my ‘Gift’ demands this divinity, this divinity becomes my power.
This will undoubtedly be a huge help in defeating ‘Chaos’.
Even if I feel my face burning every time students talk about Deus…
Well, the more they talk, the better for me.
“Luke~!”
While walking down the Academy’s path, I saw Andre waving at me from afar.
“Luke! Class is over!”
“Yeah. I just finished class and was out for a short walk.”
To be precise, I was looking for one of the hidden pieces in the Academy.
“I see. By the way, Luke! I heard an incredibly interesting story!”
“Interesting story?”
“There’s someone called a ‘Saint’ causing a commotion in the Nova Empire.”
Is he here to talk about my avatar?
Andre is probably sharing stories about my avatar, and I’m really curious.
“That person apparently looks just like you!”
…I didn’t see that coming.
“With sky-blue hair and a prominent nose, and with fair, clean skin! Isn’t that amazing?”
Wait a moment.
The fact that Andre immediately thought of my appearance means…
If someone knows my face, they might associate me with the saint after hearing about him.
…This could be a bit dangerous.
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