Ch.210210. Contract with the Phoenix (1)

Sister Teresa realized that the being before her was no ordinary existence.

While she couldn’t yet be certain of its true identity, she understood that the author’s words were far from empty. The realization that he could truly mediate a contract with Phoenix left her dumbfounded. She took a deep breath to calm her trembling body before speaking.

“Do you think such a thing is possible? Mediating a contract with a god.”

“Yes. Normally it’s impossible. Usually one would have to visit the temple where that god resides. Testing one’s will and determination… that was our way of contracting. Ah, though Phoenix’s method might be a bit different from mine. But there shouldn’t be much difference.”

“Wait. What do you mean by ‘our way of contracting’? What does that…”

But what was even more shocking was the fact that the man before her was also a being who received contracts.

Visiting a temple to make a contract.

The nun knew better than anyone that in the current apocalypse, there were only two such beings.

Because she knew this so well, she stared at him with an even more doubtful and incredulous expression. Seeing her gaze, Bahamut smiled lightly and spoke.

“…Did you say you were curious about me? Who exactly am I, coming here and stirring your heart?”

“Yes.”

“There are many titles people call me by. Let me tell you the most common title and my name.”

From the moment he revealed his half-human, half-dragon form, Teresa had roughly identified who stood before her.

But she couldn’t be certain if he was truly that dragon god, and the thought that this might be an illusion spell meant to deceive her lingered in her mind.

However, to end her doubts, Bahamut released a small portion of his stored magical power, and under that overwhelming force and authority, Teresa had no choice but to kneel.

“Dragon God Bahamut.”

Yes, the dragon god was standing before her.

The legendary dragon god she had only heard rumors about had visited her church and had been debating with her about gods all this time.

The nun stared at Bahamut with a dazed expression as he calmly claimed to be the dragon god.

“As I said earlier, I’m a kind of mediator. I visit ambitious individuals interested in contracting with Phoenix and take on the role of testing them.”

“…There’s one question I’d like to ask.”

She found herself holding her breath.

Why had he chosen her, come directly to the ruined church, and tested her with debates about gods?

Among the many questions swirling in her mind, she decided to ask the one she was most curious about.

“Why would a being like you follow the phoenix Phoenix? Since you’re equals…”

As acknowledged by all the world’s powerful figures and connoisseurs, and even by Bahamut and Phoenix themselves, these two were equals.

But why was the dragon god Bahamut following the phoenix Phoenix?

Why would the dragon god himself move for Phoenix’s sake, claiming to be a mediator?

“Ah. You perceive it that way? About that. I simply mediated a contractor for my friend Phoenix. She has too many eyes on her to step forward herself.”

“Friend, you say?”

“Yes. She and I are friends. Why should there be any reason or self-interest in helping a friend? I help her because I want to.”

The answer was that Bahamut and Phoenix were friends.

At Bahamut’s claim that he was helping out of pure goodwill because they were friends, the nun was reminded of the morality she had forgotten.

She knew better than anyone how empty the claim of helping someone with just the word “friend” was in this apocalypse.

The nun had also received help from friends, but what always came back were words of betrayal or contempt, and she had learned that talk of keeping one’s word was meaningless.

And yet…

“Helping… because you want to…”

The dragon god before her said so easily that he helped simply because he wanted to.

The nun began to look at her hands and then at Bahamut with trembling eyes.

Of course, not all of Bahamut’s words could be true, and frankly, his reason for coming here was also full of self-interest.

Bahamut had been somewhat hesitant internally, fearing a civil war might break out in France, but…

‘In that case, I have no choice but to attack Paris!’

France wasn’t Bahamut’s responsibility to begin with, and he had mediated because the nun was someone who could definitely suppress the Saint of Orleans with determination.

He blatantly intended to use Sister Teresa to divide and conquer the Saint, a self-interested action for his contractor Alicia.

Still, it was true that he was doing it for Phoenix, and he had followed Phoenix’s request, so it wasn’t a lie that he was mediating the contract for his friend Phoenix.

He just added plenty of his own self-interest too!

“Indeed, as you said, the god proclaimed by existing religions has not appeared even after a year has passed. To the extent that it wouldn’t be strange to say humanity has been abandoned. Is it a world where god has disappeared? Or was it a world without god from the beginning? Judging that is up to you.”

Now all that remained was to present his own experiences to help her accept this contract.

Bahamut tried to persuade the nun by offering the answers of religious people he had met before.

“The religious people I knew each gave their own answers. Some followed entirely new gods, while others believed in their existing religions while preaching coexistence. Some even claimed they could work together because their paths forward were the same.”

“Moving forward together…”

The answer from many religious circles was that they could move forward together.

Sister Teresa looked at Bahamut with eyes full of conviction, thinking that the path she was taking was the right one.

As if all her previous trembling had been a lie, she calmed her body and mind and began to focus on each word Bahamut would say.

“So before heading to Phoenix’s temple, the place of contract, let me ask you. Standing at this crossroads, what do you want to do?”

“That…”

At this, Bahamut began to speak of the most important contract, and Sister Teresa realized that her body was gradually growing cold at his deep, low voice.

She couldn’t immediately answer Bahamut’s question about what she would do if the contract was successfully established.

Though she wanted to declare boldly as before that she would change the entire world, because her counterpart was the real dragon god, she wasn’t yet prepared to speak as she had earlier.

“You can pretend not to know and forget everything. It would be a waste of my time, but I can simply find another contractor. However, if you accept this mediation, what do you want to do with the power of Phoenix?”

“I…”

Teresa clutched the cross on her chest with trembling hands.

Once a symbol of faith that had supported her, now it felt like a heavy shackle.

She somehow opened her mouth, but hesitated the moment she did.

So…

“What did you ask the Dragon Priestess who contracted with you, Dragon God?”

She asked about the Dragon Priestess who had contracted with the Dragon God.

Indicating that she would make her decision after hearing that answer, the Dragon God quietly recalled his contract with the Dragon Priestess and explained it one by one.

“I said this: If you prove your justice and beliefs, I will lend you my power.”

“Justice and beliefs. Will Phoenix ask the same?”

“I don’t know. I have no idea what will Phoenix will require of you. I am merely a mediator.”

But that might not be helpful for Phoenix’s contract.

Bahamut and Phoenix were different beings, and Phoenix might require the exact opposite of what Bahamut demanded.

So while it was only for reference and knowing that answer might not help, Teresa smiled and nodded as if it was enough.

“Then I’ll try to contract. After all, even if I continue to look away, things won’t get any better.”

“That’s good. No one will be able to stop you. Nothing is resolved by simply enduring patiently. Salvation is something you grasp yourself, not something given by others.”

When Bahamut snapped his fingers, space distorted, and the ruined church instantly moved to some mountain range.

Though it was a mountain range, Teresa could feel hot ashes.

This wasn’t an active volcano, and they were halfway up the mountain. Since it was spring in Europe, there was only a mild temperature, with no external elements that would make one feel hot.

But whenever the wind blew here, hot ashes scattered in the air, the sky was tinged with a faint vermilion, and the sun seemed to burn red.

“Where is this?”

“Phoenix’s temple. A sacred place for you to make a contract with Phoenix.”

Yes, this was indeed Phoenix’s temple.

This hot energy was probably a natural phenomenon that occurred because Phoenix resided here.

Sister Teresa nodded as if understanding everything and asked Bahamut:

“What kind of test is it?”

“That, I don’t know.”

“What?”

But Bahamut, who had seemed omniscient, simply answered that he didn’t know.

How could he, who had guided her here, not know the content of the test?

“That’s Phoenix’s role, not mine. Even if I knew the content of the test, I wouldn’t tell you for the sake of fairness.”

“I see.”

“I mediated you here because I thought you were suitable as Phoenix’s contractor. Whether the contract is established is solely up to you.”

Though she couldn’t hide her disappointment, Bahamut’s words were not wrong.

For the sake of fairness, even if he knew, it was true that he wouldn’t tell her the content of the test, and it was up to Sister Teresa to pass the test and establish the contract.

Her heart grew heavy at the fact that she now had to establish the contract with her own strength, but she also knew well that such an opportunity wouldn’t come twice.

Determined to establish the contract even if it meant leaving her bones here, she began to approach the temple.

“Enter inside. And there, find your own answer.”

As she entered a passage cleverly hidden so that people couldn’t easily find it, she began to feel as if she had entered a pit of fire rather than a cave.

It was clearly a cave when she entered, but the interior was made of flames.

The pillars swayed like flames, and the walls burned and continuously reformed. A temple that disappeared in fire and was born again.

This was Phoenix’s temple, and also evidence that the immortal bird lived here.

“Haha. It seems I cannot enter easily. The moment I enter, I’ll burn in the flames and turn to white ash.”

The nun finally stopped at the intense flames.

Thinking this was Phoenix’s trial, she pondered how to solve it.

But that contemplation was very brief.

“Are you telling me to let go of all my past regrets?”

The answer Sister Teresa came up with was to let go of all her past regrets.

“……..”

Bahamut remained silent at Teresa’s words, and Teresa, as if that was enough, closed her eyes and began to think about her past self.

She recalled her younger self entering the seminary and beginning her life of faith, and then weeping and calling out to God in the collapsed cathedral after the apocalypse began.

The image of her despairing after being abandoned by acquaintances appeared in her mind, and the last thing she recalled was the children waiting for her at the church, believing in her.

After recalling all this, Teresa quietly closed her eyes.

“…Ugh.”

And she reached out her hand.

As the surrounding flames burned red, flames began to rise from the tips of Sister Teresa’s fingers.

Then, the young self from her past that had been floating in Teresa’s mind began to be engulfed in flames.

The voice of prayer disappeared, and the tears and hatred from betrayal gradually began to fade away.

In her eyes, feeling as if everything would start anew, the door leading to Phoenix opened wide, welcoming her.

The temple doors opened for her, having passed Phoenix’s test, and Sister Teresa slowly walked inside.

‘It’s an optical illusion using illusion magic, but should I use this too? It’s cool. Hey.’

And Bahamut, who had observed the scene to the end, was greatly impressed by Phoenix’s production and wondered if he should use it too.

He had shown off his own style in his own way, but Phoenix had shown even more, so he decided to respect her craftsmanship, impressed by her skill.