Chapter 216

Chapter 216

*

The darkness receded and dawn arrived. The sun cast long rays through the highest spires of Orbis, illuminating the magnificent stained glass.

Shadows from the stained glass fell over the sanctum. The lives of saints and holy figures within the church’s long history were illuminated in different forms depending on the sun’s direction.

The elderly man, who had been kneeling with his hands clasped throughout the long night, suddenly lifted his head at the sound of a knock.

“Your Majesty... I apologize. I have been unable to track the sinner.”

“Is that so....”

The old man responded with a long sigh and nodded. The monk who had come to visit had dark circles under his eyes, revealing how many had suffered during the previous night.

“You should go and rest. We will announce the results of the council tomorrow, and today we will pray for the sins of the sinner. You have worked hard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The monk deeply bowed and retreated. As the door closed, the prayer room fell silent once again. The old man bit his sunken cheeks and rolled the rosary with his dry fingers.

Clatter, clatter. With each roll of the rosary and the sacred relics beneath his hands, he recited a line of the Lord’s Prayer. The rosewood rosary had dulled over the years, with little of its engraving remaining.

“Lord....”

This rosary had been with him since the days when he first began his clerical life as a lowly priest. He had offered prayers with the same heart from the time when the peace of the Lord filled all creation until now.

Yet, now the Lord no longer answered him.

“Did you call for me, Lucius?”

“Shut up.”

The shadow stirred and spoke to him. A strong scent of musk filled the air, and the sunlight beneath the stained glass flickered violet for a moment.

The hand gripping the rosary felt soft, as though it held the hand of a beautiful woman, and his heart began to race, pumping blood toward his fingertips.

Even amid the dense fragrance, Lucius III, the Pope, still bore a heavy gaze.

“You missed the Saint. Oh, this has become complicated. Lucius. Didn’t I tell you to kill her in advance?”

“Shut your mouth, harlot.”

“Oh, now you intend to deny wanting to kill her? Isn’t that a bit too shameless?”

The shadow writhed and licked the Pope’s ear. Humid, hot breath seeped inside. As a gentle hand wrapped around his shoulder, he almost involuntarily stood up.

Yet, the Pope remained with his eyes closed, rolling the rosary.

“Just say it... Just one word is enough. ‘Do it.’ No need for honorifics. It’s not a request, just a demand. If you simply say that... I will lift the curtain and fulfill all your dreams.”

“Almighty Lord, guide our thoughts, words, and deeds with Your peace today.”

“You can’t forget the joy and praise of eternal life either! Don’t worry, I can give you that.”

“To our Lord belongs power and glory, wisdom and strength. May gratitude and honor be forever yours.”

“Oh, with all the blessings and joys on this earth, why do you seek compassion from the silent dictator?”

The shadow’s whispers pierced his heart like a needle. Now that the divine power had vanished, humans had to withstand the devil’s whispers with only their own beliefs.

The Pope moved his trembling hand to roll the rosary. Click, click. The sound, lewd like the heels of a woman’s shoes, echoed in his ears.

“You may simply wish, and I will make it happen for you. Lucius. I will give you eternal youth, joy, and glory. If you wish, I will grant the same blessing to your ‘priests.’ Just say it. Speak my name and tell me what you desire.”

“Harlot. You cannot gain faith from me.”

“Ah, you are such a boring old man.”

The Demon King was slain. Peace returned. The child promised to teach what she had learned in those times and departed for the far northern land.

May there be praise for his faithfulness and purity. He smiled, promising that regardless of what decisions the conclave made, he would nominate her as the next Pope.

“Whose leaf also shall not wither....”

Divine power vanished.

The church fell, and the multitude hurled stones at the priests.

Your corruption has defiled this land, and the Lord has forsaken us!

Thus, there was discord within the church. Priests doubted priests, and believers turned daggers against one another. The church was no longer universal, unique, or pure.

As the Father of all churches, he prayed to the Lord. There was no answer.

In the midst of this, a demon whispered to him.

– There are those seeking to resurrect the Demon King. Prepare yourself. Make a decision for the world. Join hands with me. I will grant you divine power. With this strength, persuade all who stand against your will and counter fiercely with united strength.

– I also do not wish for the Demon King to be resurrected. I do not desire the destruction of the world. So, are we not comrades with a shared will?

The Saint canonized a theologian as ‘Saint.’ The vanishing divine power was blamed on the corruption of the world, foretelling the calamities that would arise.

That prophecy... foretelling that Drovian would fall, the church would split, and the Demon King would return, bore too much resemblance to the future whispered by the demon.

– Kill the Saint. Place her on the gallows and brand her as a sinner. When there is discord, the one who carries the original sin appears, and the masses will become one. To gather strength, hang your most beloved disciple.

“All that he does shall prosper....”

The hand that had been rolling the rosary suddenly stopped. A splinter from the rosewood rosary had burrowed deep into his thumb.

A drop of blood fell.

“Lord, use me as Your tool.

Love in hatred

Forgiveness in strife

Unity in division

Faith in doubt

Truth in falsehood

Hope in despair

Light in darkness....”

The prayer continued endlessly, but God did not answer him.

“Excommunicate Equitania, and summon the crusaders.”

It is only right that the peace necessary for mankind must be won by man.

“Capture the witch and burn her at the stake, kill the false prophet. Let all worldly kings know. There is no truth outside the will of the Lord, and all believers of this land must unite as one.”

At the end, he vowed to bear alone the remaining sins and atone for them.

“Only what the Lord desires (Deus Vult).”

At the conclusion of his final prayer, the sharp laughter of a demon echoed in his ears.

*

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