Chapter 70 : Prayer To The Goddess (Part-2)

『This… place… leave… now… h…』

“No way, it actually worked?!”

A faint voice came from the statue.

However, just like a TV struggling with bad reception, the words were full of static, making it impossible to understand them clearly.

“Uh… is that really you, Goddess? Can you answer my questions properly?”

『This… place… at… tack…』

“Oh, come on, what kind of goddess can’t even talk properly to someone praying?”

Hearing something but not being able to understand it was beyond frustrating.

Was it because this place was too remote?

Still, I had at least confirmed that my power could elicit some sort of response.

Maybe if I snuck into a larger church in the city at night, I could try again.

With that small sense of achievement easing my frustration, I opened the door to leave the prayer room.

And right outside, there stood a priest dressed in white robes, flanked by—no, not bandits—security guards.

Wait… are they here to take me out for being rude to the goddess earlier?!

“I-I didn’t say anything weird!”

The priest looked at me for a moment, as if puzzled by my words, before finally speaking.

“I have something to discuss with you, Alvis.”

“…!”

A total stranger knowing my name was never a good sign.

The priest pulled out a wanted poster from his robes and held it up.

“This is you, correct?”

“…I was under the impression that the Transcen Mountain Church was a place where even criminals could come to repent and pray.”

“I’ll ask later how someone with no prior ties to crime knows about that. For now, I’d like to invite you inside for a conversation.”

I had no choice but to follow the priest and the security guards to a meeting room.

The three people who had been sitting in the central prayer hall, pretending to pray, briefly looked anxious when they saw me being led away.

But I turned and gave them a reassuring wink.

Inside the meeting room, I sat down at the table, and the priest took a seat across from me.

“I must ask my brothers to step outside for a moment.”

“Will you be alright?” one of the guards asked.

“Yes, this won’t take long.”

With that, the security guards left, and the priest placed a hand on his chest in a formal gesture.

“I am but a humble servant of Goddess Lunia. My name is Benjamin.”

“I don’t think I need to introduce myself further, do I?”

Benjamin looked at me intently before opening his mouth to speak.

“The Transcend Church, as you know, is a place that offers criminals from all over the world a final chance to repent. I founded this church independently after clashing with the Central Church, which opposed such an idea. Everyone who comes here has committed sins, whether great or small.”

“That’s why the Transcend Church, as I understand it, does not pry into the past sins of its visitors unless they have committed unforgivable crimes like murder or rape. As you can see, I myself am a wanted man, and this church was my only refuge. I didn’t expect to be having such a conversation, though.”

“I apologize if I was rude. However, those we cannot accept are not just murderers or rapists. There are individuals who violate the very purpose of our church—people who, in some ways, are even worse than them.”

Benjamin leaned forward slightly.

“For example, if someone were to falsely claim the title of a Paladin, the strongest representative of the Goddess, that would be considered blasphemy against the very deity who grants them power. Naturally, even our church could not accept such a person.”

It seemed like the fact that the Blades of the Goddess had put a bounty on me was becoming a major obstacle.

“I have never called myself a Paladin. I have never pretended to be one, nor have I tried to gain any benefits from such a claim. I don’t know why that accusation was included in my wanted notice, but I can say for certain that it is false. However, if the church cannot accept me, I will leave quietly without causing trouble.”

“No, my words are not yet finished. Would you hear me out a little longer?”

“…?”

“There is something strange about this situation. Throughout history, there have been several people who falsely claimed to be Paladins. However, according to the records, the elders of the Central Church always decided, through council meetings, whether such individuals should be wanted. The Blades of the Goddess only moved after receiving orders from the elders. But this time, things were different.”

“Are you saying the Blades of the Goddess acted first?”

Benjamin nodded.

“I left the Central Church over ten years ago, but I still have some connections there. This time, before the elders even made a decision, the Blades of the Goddess moved on their own, declaring that they would eliminate the impostor at all costs. This could be seen as disregarding the authority of the elders, which is a very sensitive issue. The fact that the Blades acted first, despite knowing this, is highly suspicious.”

“When you say ‘first,’ does that mean there are other suspicious elements as well?”

“That’s correct. Another strange thing was discovered in Aldebaran, a city in the neighboring kingdom of Pratea.”

That was where I had worked as a mercenary with Lenis while waiting for Ravi and Elfin.

Now, after the city was annihilated by the Black Shadow Mercenaries, it had become a new home for the elves.

“Aldebaran was originally a city full of mercenaries. When it was suddenly destroyed for unknown reasons, only a handful of mercenaries survived because they happened to be away on assignments. They later spoke of a great figure who had appeared in the city—a ‘Mercenary King’ who radiated a warm light.”

So some of them had survived because they were away at the time.

“I have heard that after the great catastrophe in Arboness, where the Sacred Tree was completely burned down, some elves settled in the ruins of Aldebaran. However, after your wanted notice was issued, the elves there became furious and have been protesting the church non-stop.”

“Is that so?”

“They claim that you are the savior who rescued their doomed race, the light that descended upon their blind eyes. The elders among them have firmly stated that you are not a terrorist, but rather a great guide. The elves never explicitly used the word ‘Paladin,’ but it’s clear that they believe you are one.”

I was grateful to the elves for defending me despite the bounty placed on me worldwide.

“Elves are not a race that would collectively migrate to human lands unless forced by absolute necessity. Furthermore, they are not a race that fabricates lies. Someone led them to Aldebaran, and they claim that person was you.”

“And your point is?”

“Right now, there are two conflicting narratives about you, Alvis. One claims that you are a terrorist who incited a military conflict at the border of the Empire and the Carat Dutchy as a member of the Black Shadow Mercenaries—an infamous band of lunatics and murderers whom even our church cannot accept. The other claims that you are the true Paladin chosen by the Goddess.

Our church does not usually investigate the backgrounds of visitors. However, given the nature of these accusations, we cannot simply ignore them.”

Benjamin leaned even closer.

“Alvis, are you truly a Paladin who has received the power of the Goddess? Is it true what was said during the current Paladin’s inauguration—that ‘the sacred sword did not shine, meaning he is a fraud’? Are you really a member of a murderous terrorist group, or are you, as the evidence suggests, the rightful Paladin?

Show me your power. Reveal your true self.”

I hesitated, deeply troubled.

Up until now, the only ones who had seen my power firsthand were Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis.

Besides them, it had only been mercenaries who didn’t understand what they were witnessing, or elves who were too desperate to care about anything else.

But if a priest from the Lunia Order saw it? They would immediately know whether it was real or fake.

It was just a matter of displaying my ability, yet it felt as though the path ahead of me would be irrevocably decided at that moment.

That made me uneasy.

Just in case, I activated Eyes of Truth to see if Benjamin was hiding something.

However, he was not a disguised subterranean worm—he was indeed a real priest.

I took a deep breath, preparing to make my decision when suddenly—

▶ The power of the Deceiver Vector you absorbed is activating. A subterranean worm is approaching nearby. ◀

“!!!”

BOOOOM!

At the same moment the words appeared before my eyes, the ground trembled violently.

The entire church shook as dust and debris rained down from the ceiling.

“What’s happening?!”

Benjamin called for the security guards stationed outside and opened the door—just as Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis came rushing into the meeting room from the church’s main hall.

“Alvis! We have a problem! A knight in armor just started attacking the church! He’s radiating a dark aura—it’s got to be a subterranean worm!”