episode_0052

52.

A week passed.

Even for the Fried Church, boasting the largest following on the continent, there was nothing they could do in this age where faith in God was dwindling.

In a small room within the Fried Church’s main temple, hearing the bizarre news, San-ya paces the room, gnawing on her fingernails.

“Damn it…. The elves are collecting goddess statues, what kind of thunderbolt is this….”

It’s an unprecedented event. She’s never heard of elves worshipping a goddess. She originally planned to use the heresy inquisitors secretly to collect the statues, but this could escalate into a full-blown conflict with the elves, putting her in a very difficult situation.

She’s clearly collecting them to punish heretics. She only recently learned of the goddess statues’ existence, but simultaneously determined that there were those trying to defile the goddess through them, so she ordered their collection as evidence.

She didn’t tell the Bishop because he would just waste time with word games and delay a decision.

“Damn her….”

“Is that damn bitch me?”

Julia, the newly appointed Bishop after the sudden retirement of the former Bishop Won, leans against the doorway.

“Oh my, you startled me. Julia, no, Bishop-nim. Aren’t you busy?”

“Fucking busy. That’s why I’m trying to solve the urgent matters first.”

Julia runs a hand through her shoulder-length blonde hair with a listless expression. Her once beautiful hair is now roughened by sleepless nights and fatigue.

“The, urgent matter?”

“Yes. You damn bitch. Who gave you the authority to use the heresy inquisitors? Did you really think you wouldn’t get caught? You brainless idiot?”

“Since when?! Hey, watch your language!”

“From the very beginning, of course! You’re such an airhead. I’m the boss here! And with such powerful goddess statues gathering, do you really think the clergy wouldn’t notice?”

San-ya wants to give her a good slap, but she restrains herself, remembering Julia is the Bishop.

“So, you’re only trying to punish them now?”

“…? What the hell are you talking about? You knew, didn’t you? That’s why you didn’t say anything. …You fucking bitch, really.”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Julia clicks her tongue and glares at San-ya. She came personally, thinking she should offer some praise, but it seems she was wrong. It’s better to get to the important matters first,and postpone the sighs this situation is causing.

“Sigh. Hey, you know about the meeting you guys had last time, right? The one you held in the dark.”

“Oh…, ah, the Pie Church? Gasp…! Yes, we definitely discussed the elves then!!”

“Seems your brain isn’t completely gone. That’s right. They’ve started to move, and I thought it was to counteract them.”

“Shit…. This is going to backfire….”

San-ya’s mind races, but she can’t reach a meaningful answer. In the end, she can only offer a simple solution.

“I don’t know, so they’re heretics, right? Give me the authority to arrest them. You’re the Bishop, aren’t you?”

“Hey. The spy?”

“Um. I don’t know. I didn’t do it.”

“I should just give up on you, you’re so fucking useless. Anyway, hand over full authority over the heresy inquisitors to me?”

San-ya doesn’t completely trust Julia, but she’s not untrustworthy either. And she doesn’t need to ask for it; she can summon them by using the Bishop’s authority.

Julia’s superior in divine power and intellect, so this might be beneficial.

“Fine. Do as you please.”

“Ah. That’s that, but have you figured out why they’re looking for the goddess statues?”

“There are only rumors. They say they’re searching for the truth….”

“There hasn’t been any armed conflict?”

“Fight with the elves? Are you crazy?”

Julia sighs again and turns away.

She’s a fool for having any expectations. San-ya’s a bigger fool, but it doesn’t matter. It’s better to think about what that damn Pie Church is plotting.

“Oh, there’s someone who stupidly lost a goddess statue without encountering any elves.”

“Tell me quickly. Who is it?”

She instantly recognizes the name; the subordinate is quite famous. She is stubborn, diligent, obedient, and devout—a model for others.

That’s why it’s described as ‘lost’, and even Julia is questioning it.

“Ask her yourself. She says she acted justly, but her memory is hazy. She’s probably in the confessional room now.”

Julia decides to replace the next heresy inquisitor with Viki. Even her personal time is dedicated to faith; she’s too good to be a mere subordinate.

“Rest.”

“Thank you.”

Julia walks quickly towards the confessional room. With no one around, it feels unnecessarily large. She’s unexpectedly become the head priestess, but she also needs to revitalize it. Not for the church, but for the world. The excessive number of demons is clearly due to people’s lack of faith in God. Normally, to avoid demons, faith should be increasing, but there’s no sign of that.

It’s as if people are just waiting for the end.

But you can’t force faith. If heresy appears in this situation, it will be utter chaos, paving the way to destruction.

“Viki.”, Julia calls softly to Viki, who is praying.

“Bishop-nim?”

Viki, the silver-haired young woman she met with Erina, rises from her knees, looking puzzled.

“Um, about the goddess statue retrieval mission the other day…”

She’s restraining her anger for the sake of her dignity as Bishop. Being a role model doesn’t erase a failure. She wants to yell at her, but she controls herself.

“…I gave it to San-ya-nim. I acknowledged my defeat through fair competition.”

“A clergy member in a competition with a civilian? How could you engage in such a gamble?”

“My opponent was a nun. But what kind of competition it was… It must have been a contest of faith.”

“A nun? Was it someone named Erina?”

Viki thinks for a moment before recalling a fragment of a hazy memory.

“Yes, I think so. I’m not sure, but it was a very pleasant competition. It felt like… floating, like the ecstasy after a successful prayer…”

“Try to remember what happened to you.”

Julia uses ‘Recovery,’ a divine power-based skill for mental restoration.

As someone possessing immense divine power, she has extraordinary recovery abilities, but the problem is that what’s needed is purification, not recovery.

Still, the effect isn’t completely useless; hazy fragments begin to align.

“Ugh…! Aaah―! My, My…Lord, you…”

“Lord?”

“My, Lord, I never did anything to dishonor you.”

“……Is that so. I see. Please continue your devotion.”

Viki, experiencing a confusing sensation, unknowingly hides this information from Julia.

She can’t recall even her identity clearly, but why is that word, ‘Lord,’ coming up from the depths of her heart?

She only serves the Goddess. It’s sacrilegious. Utterly sacrilegious.

She must strive; only devotion can lead to salvation.

Extremely, perhaps, by an extremely small chance, she considers the possibility that the person she saw was the Goddess.

It’s an absurd hypothesis, but it might explain her hazy memories, the strange loyalty she feels, and her desire for the goddess statue.

Thinking that, something feels strangely complete.

A sense of fulfillment she’s never felt before.

It’s the effect of the mark left by Erina, but Viki can’t know that.

‘I want to see her again. If I do, I’ll be certain…. Goddess, please guide this humble servant….’

Julia leaves Viki praying in the confessional room and hastens her pace.

‘Interfering with another sect, a gamble? The nerve of that bitch…. It’s a declaration of war!’

She needs to announce San-ya’s secret acquisition of the goddess statues. She doesn’t care about her intentions, but she doubts that those daring to claim that they serve the same Goddess are truly worthy.

The problem is the elves. She doesn’t know what kind of trickery was used, but if it escalates into conflict between races, it will oppose the Goddess’s will; the church’s main body will have to deal with this. First, she plans to summon Erina under the Church’s authority, learn her motives, and then imprison her temporarily. If her mind is empty, her actions will delay, giving plenty of time to disassemble, or destroy, her allies.

If it was a misunderstanding, she needs to calculate the consequences of clashing with the elves.

But as they’re not fundamentally a violent race, it’s possible to reach an agreement, at least compared to other humans.

The shrinking number of clergy makes managing the Church even harder; now all of this is an unnecessary headache.

Nevertheless, the Goddess’s name must remain sacred, beautiful, and dignified. Sacrilegious defilements must not be forgiven. This age does not need further chaos.

There are also issues with the Orcs. Reports indicate a conflict with the Knights, and this is a separate matter, so it really seems she’s on a bad luck streak.

‘Ah, even saying “bad luck” is sacrilegious. I have no idea what’s going on. The increase in demons, the spread of heresy, interspecies conflict… Is this world truly going towards destruction…’

Even the most faithful believer, or perhaps because they are so devout, they can only witness this catastrophic world.

She must stop it, in the name of the Goddess. No matter the outcome, justice must be served.