Ch.105105. Blue Eyes (1)

And thus, the completed Eagle Totem.

Known by its precise name as the Blood-Soaked Eagle Totem, it serves a purpose beyond merely instilling fear and administering punishment.

First of all, surprisingly, it’s treated as a kind of Holy Relic that symbolizes me.

A Holy Relic, simply put, is a term that encompasses the legacy left behind by someone religiously revered. True to its Catholic origins, a wide variety of objects can be considered Holy Relics.

These include weapons used by renowned figures in past religious wars, instruments involved in major religious events or special objects present at such scenes, and even the remains of those venerated as saints.

Essentially, anything with reasonable religious value is typically treated as a Holy Relic, but this doesn’t mean it’s merely propaganda or a money-making scheme.

Holy Relics certified by high-ranking clergy after consulting their deity possess mysterious powers that apply only to followers of that god.

For example, weapons recognized as Holy Relics become magical weapons imbued with divine power; cups or ceremonial incense burners used in life gain healing properties for wounds and illnesses; and the remains or bones of saints are infused with a truly diverse range of powers.

Of course, the conditions for recognition as a Holy Relic are quite stringent, and mediocre items, even when made into Holy Relics, typically yield mediocre effects.

Therefore, within Dungeon & Adventure, Holy Relics—setting aside their religious value—are generally treated as nice-to-have items or magic items of grade A, unless they’re truly extraordinary artifacts.

However, even in-game, there exists a type of Holy Relic that’s uniquely exceptional.

These are special objects symbolizing divine authority or power, such as a crown belonging to a king who was a devout believer of a particular religion, ancient scriptures, bricks from symbolic locations, or even a random option that can appear on any Holy Relic.

Specifically, these are Holy Relics that provide significant enhancement effects to everyone within a wide range, also known as Totem-type Holy Relics.

The fact that they can cast rare area-wide buffs without doing anything—that is, without consuming resources—makes them invaluable.

While their impact might be negligible in individual combat, their influence in battles between armies is beyond imagination, making these Totem-type Holy Relics extremely valuable for those managing large groups…

Surprisingly, humans subjected to the “Blood Eagle” punishment or their corpses are now being treated as these Totem-type Holy Relics—an unprecedented occurrence.

Thanks to this, I was excited about the possibility of mass-producing these rare Totem-type Holy Relics… Unfortunately, contrary to my expectations, not every Blood Eagle automatically qualifies as a Holy Relic.

As a test, I turned a child molester who was serving hard labor into a Blood Eagle, but it wasn’t recognized as a Holy Relic. On the other hand, one made from someone who violated my self-established religious standards and tried to join the Pantheon did have the effect.

So, while mass production is impossible, at least steady production is feasible… I suppose that’s fortunate?

Anyway, the enhancement effects of this golem with a Blood Eagle attached—the Blood-Soaked Eagle Totem—were quite remarkable.

Starting with effects that subtly inspire religious fervor to boost morale and increase the power of faith-proportional skills.

It also grants a special ability typically exclusive to non-human creatures that dramatically increases combat endurance, and provides regeneration to everyone in range—though lowest grade, it’s still not negligible, with some saying it’s better than mediocre sustained healing.

Additionally, the stat enhancements are fixed values, making them feel more effective to soldiers than percentage-based buffs, and its direct combat capability is quite excellent thanks to a magical protective barrier generator that shields the Blood Eagle.

Unlike other Totem-type Holy Relics, this Blood-Soaked Eagle Totem uniquely possesses debuff effects against hostile targets.

It continuously inflicts mental attribute damage, eroding mental strength, and upon failed judgment checks, can inflict the three major mental status ailments: fear, madness, and panic.

This isn’t simply an effect derived from its appearance but is classified as an option with genuine magical potency.

And of course, this golem faithfully reflects its original purpose of punishing sinners.

The victim is kept barely alive in a horrific form resembling an eagle, with bones and lungs protruding through gaps between broken ribs—a sight that couldn’t be more aptly described as terrible.

Additionally, blood vessels and nerves connected to the golem like electrical wires continuously inflict pain.

Even if the victim can’t endure and dies, their soul remains bound within the corpse, becoming a sort of pseudo-lowest-grade vampire, serving as the golem’s power source until it’s destroyed.

※ ※ ※

The capital of the Rom Empire, the Holy City.

Among the nine regions comprising the Holy City—literally the heart of the empire, not just as an imperial capital but also as the sacred ground of the Pantheon—lies the district responsible for administration and judiciary.

Known as the Administrative-Judicial District, it appears on the surface to be just what we commonly think of as a government institution.

However, delving just a little deeper inside, anyone would be unable to deny that this Administrative-Judicial District is an otherworldly nightmare. The various disgraceful acts occurring here are not merely ugly but reach irrational levels.

As a result of implementing strong centralized policies despite being an ancient state, the Rom Empire succeeded in unifying as a single nation rather than a confederation of city-states. Through this process, power properly concentrated in the center, granting the empire formidable national strength.

While this was indeed the decisive factor in the Rom Empire’s successful transition from a city-state to a universal human empire, such advantages inevitably came with fatal disadvantages.

The most representative side effect is severe bureaucratic administration.

Since all administrative processing and judicial decisions can only be made in the Holy City, administrative tasks are, no joke, sometimes backed up for decades.

As a result, fortresses that appear intact on paper might actually be burned down by wild wyvern attacks when visited, and lawsuits might only begin trial after both plaintiff and defendant have already died.

Despite this, internal political maneuvering is so severe that this administrative paralysis only worsens.

Some departments even commit the insane act of outsourcing public authority or delegating administration to the private sector due to insufficient capacity to handle it.

The hypocritical behavior of defending such reckless actions as merely pursuing their own interests is also at a serious level.

Yet no one considers these problems.

They only care about their own interests, those of their faction, or their family, and try to somehow make others miserable and ruined for such benefits and privileges.

The situation is so chaotic that it goes beyond questioning how the Rom Empire maintains itself—there are even sarcastic rumors circulating that the Rom Empire is just a well-crafted illusion.

Of course, amidst all this, they demonstrate almost supernatural skill in maintaining their own power, with the most representative example being the military and warfare.

Even within the chaotic administration, these receive top priority treatment, somehow ensuring supplies are provided and manpower recruitment proceeds smoothly.

In particular, the Rom Empire’s military law is quite strict, and the supreme commander of the Rom Empire’s army is none other than Makius, the main deity and god of war, who takes direct responsibility, making things run well.

In fact, if we trace the fundamental cause of this chaos in the Administrative-Judicial District, it’s actually due to the work slowdown by Justia-Astraea, the main deity in charge of the district…

Yet no one tries to fix or improve this slowdown; rather, most cases involve people trying to exploit this chaos for their own benefit.

Thus, the Rom Empire was slowly tilting and secretly approaching national ruin, and thanks to this, some have infiltrated the empire’s heart, where security has become quite lax.

They are a cult serving an entity known as “The Prophet Who Conspires,” a sect of a god not affiliated with the Pantheon, which is forbidden in the empire.

This organization calls itself the “Blue Eyes.”