Chapter 285: Speculations on God (Patreon)

"Lois, do you think the Church of the New God is a force for justice?"

The old bishop, robed all in white, gently wiped down the Scripture in his hands, his careful motions almost like a father tending a child.

"Justice? Now there's a word that brings back memories. To me, these days, justice is whoever holds the greater power — whoever can bring more value to others."

Behind the old bishop stood a silver-haired man in his middle years, stubble on his jaw, hands clasped behind his back. He wore black priest's robes with a high collar that hid his mouth, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes visible.

"A fine perspective. I myself was once a devout follower of the Goddess — the kind willing to lay down her life for her. Even when I was kidnapped by bandits, I prayed only for the Goddess's protection and blessing, and praised her greatness."

"My Holy Power was never much, and I knew it well myself. That's why my standing in the Order always hovered in the middle — neither high nor low. Back then I believed it was simply the Goddess testing me."

"I was lucky enough to survive a few disasters. Then one day, out of nowhere, everyone started treating this obscure worshiper of the Goddess as someone chosen by the New God."

"At first I refused to accept it. But status, wealth, even power came along with it, and worst of all, I had no strength to resist — I could only accept. I kept telling myself the benefits far outweighed the harm. Drawing on my old experience preaching for the Goddess, I built this Church of the New God."

"What the Goddess never gave me, the New God did. And yet, to betray my former faith like that — even if I was forced into it — surely makes me a sinner beyond redemption."

A flicker of pain crossed the old man's face as he lost himself in memory.

"As I see it, the Church's preaching saves people the Goddess's Order never could — even if it's only comfort for the soul, at the very least it creates value for others. Not to mention, these days our miracles are the genuine article. I am part of this Church now, so naturally I can call it just. Your premise that I'm a sinner only holds if you're still standing on the Goddess's Order's side of things."

Lois's expression didn't shift.

"To be honest, I've already made my choice for the next Grand Bishop. Though the God did instruct me — I must secure Lady Nanoda's approval first."

"So we're waiting patiently for now?"

"Aren't you even curious who I picked?"

"It's not going to be me, anyway."

A brief silence followed.

"...It's not going to be me, right?"

Catching the meaningful look Schwenk was giving him, Lois rubbed at his forehead without meaning to.

"You want to pick me? Spare me. My bounty notice is still hanging on the city walls of the Central Lands as we speak. And I'm the disciple of that person's enemy, no less — the fact that I'm still alive is already a miracle. What possible reason could you have for choosing me?"

"Ha! I just think we have a lot in common, don't we? We were both naive once. We both clung stubbornly to something."

As he spoke, Schwenk opened the Scripture in his hands and passed a palm across the page. Strings of golden symbols flew up from between the pages.

"I've spent a long time studying the miracle our God granted us. This New God's power has almost no connection to the Goddess's Holy Power. The opening line — 'Let there be light' — the Genesis chapter, the first miracle: the light spear. It resembles the Spear of the Goddess from the Goddess's Order's Chapter of the Great Fire of Judgment, but the two are fundamentally different. The source of the borrowed power is different. The Goddess's magic draws on the caster's own Holy Power, but the New God's magic comes from the Scripture itself — all we spend is a bit of physical stamina."

Schwenk pointed at the now-blank page. The golden symbols flew back and gradually vanished, and the Scripture returned to pristine emptiness.

"The Scripture is very likely something He uses as a tool to transmit magic and information. That existence might be far closer to us than we imagine. I have a bold guess — the New God might be connected to the Demon Race!"

"It couldn't possibly be that the Demon King is still alive, could it? That he was reborn as something approaching godhood."

Lois felt a chill crawl over his skin. The more he learned about the Church of the New God, the more unfathomable it seemed. Magic capable of even rewriting the Goddess's own Scripture — he'd never heard of such a thing.

"Quite the imagination. Still, I lean more toward thinking it began at the very moment we met — when the Scripture changed. That member of the Demon Race. The New God — He must be closely tied to our current Acting Grand Bishop, Lady Nanoda."

"Isn't that reaching a bit far? Not that knowing any of this does me any good."

Lois decided he wasn't going to listen — in one ear and out the other, like some old man droning on with his scripture. The Church leadership was never going to fall to him anyway.

Just then, the doors of the sanctuary swung slowly open, and a hawk-eyed man stepped inside. "Grand Bishop Schwenk, the Acting Grand Bishop has arrived."

The Church of the New God, at the gates of the New Holy City.

The Church's current headquarters occupied what had once been an ownerless stretch of woodland in the northwest of the Central Lands — a patch no nation had bothered to claim.

As the Church grew, its believers and knights cleared the entire forest, drove off the magic beasts, and raised a new city in its place.

At first, some of the Central Lands' nations objected — especially those loyal to the Goddess's Order, some of whom even declared war on the Church.

But after Nanoda established the Twelve Apostles and secretly dispatched Aura to quietly deal with the opposing nations, and after allying with Serie's Continental Mages' Association for mutual support, the Church of the New God finally secured its footing in the Central Lands.

It had to be said — Aura's Magic of Obedience was remarkably well suited to sending obedient death agents into other nations.

Aura herself was convenient enough. No — it was the Magic of Obedience that was truly convenient.

"Why does this gatekeeper look a little familiar?"

"Oh, isn't this Lady Nanoda?"

Caught somewhere between calling him uncle and calling him old man, Übel hesitated — the man's face, wrinkled yet still handsome, made the choice difficult.

"And you are?"

Nanoda couldn't quite place him.

"It's me — Rolwen. From the demon-hunting organization. I imagine the Acting Grand Bishop remembers now?"

"You were the captain of one of the demon-hunting organization's squads?"

That was an episode tied to the battle with Schlacht — the organization that had nearly been wiped out in its aftermath.

"I never expected you'd end up joining the Church of the New God."

"The Northern branch was wiped out entirely. In the Central Lands, only our Squad Three is left. The nobles who used to support us have completely given up on us. The demon-hunting organization is finished, through and through."

Rolwen said it all with easy nonchalance, showing not the slightest concern over the organization's collapse.

"You'd make a fine mercenary."

"These days I'm basically employed by the Church. Honestly, the pay's not bad."

After a bit more idle chat, Nanoda led Übel into the city.