Chapter 234: My Definition of an Idol.

Chapter 234: My Definition of an Idol.

Pardon?

The superhero smile Charleslyt originally had when I saw him at the guild the first time had fallen away when he began arguing with his father. I dont know if he kept it on every time he appeared in public, but, as an entertainer, I could imagine and sympathize with smiling all the time.

Thats why you know a public icon is being truthful when they finally drop their smiling mask. Just like with nobles. Just like with politicians. Not like I had any right to say any of this, but being truthful with each other makes discussions so much easier.

A duel? You are challenging me to a duel, Saintess? Charleslyts baffled expression twitched into a smile, causing him to chuckle a bit. Surely you jest, my lady? There is no need for a saintess to show her strength. If you wish me to show my abilities, then please send forth your champion. Then I will show

It seems you are misunderstanding something here. The cardinal, too, apparently. I interrupted him. Who ever told you that I was a saintess of the Goddess of Light?

Charleslyt and the cardinal fell silent. They had this expression on their faces that clearly told me, Shouldnt be obvious? What was obvious about it, I wonder?

I already told everybody at the ball that I was an idol of the Goddess of Light. I am not a saintess.

Pedantic. Arent they the same concepts? the cardinal argued. A saint is the mortal representative of the Goddess, who seeks to teach and spread her message. They are our Goddesss mouths. Your actions up until now have only shown us that you are a saintess, Lady Hestia. There is no need to categorize each saint individually, otherwise it would be impossible to group them.

Technically speaking, the cardinal was right, I had to admit. What was the real distinction between a saintess and an idol? Both try to capture the hearts of people, only the saintess does it through religion while the idol does it with entertainment, according to modern terms.

It wouldnt be wrong to call me pedantic. After all, an idols job was to become idolized by the people. That was where the origin of the word came from, causing people from Earth to develop a rather toxic view of the performers.

Idols have to be pure and perfect or Idols should serve their fans. The same also applied to pop stars in the western countries, where their every action was scrutinized to the extreme, wrecking their mental health for monetary gain or fame. They were not only tools to their company but also their own fans, whom they wished to only make happy.

And so, I was not about to let myself become a tool for Charleslyts ambitions. That will not be how I spread the image of my ideal idol.

The difference is that an idol is the best of both worlds, I answered. Saints arent expected to be strong combatants, only competent priests with a high level in their faiths elemental magic. On the other hand, champions are not expected to become known or be popular. I heard from Lady Eshe that while all champions of the Goddess of Light are known in the Empire, most of them rarely make public appearances. They are expected to fulfill their divine Quests or protect a saint or holy place.

Theodores and Eshes theology lessons really shone when I was talking with a clergyman or speaking about religious matters. While they didnt have an accurate idea of how the other Origin God churches actually functioned, there were still enough similarities they shared with Aurenas religion for me to know and learn.

After all, they were there to help me understand my duty as a champion and priestess.

Champions are known for their strength and ability to overcome any challenge, correct, Cardinal? Their feats are sung by bards for the common people to learn about, but most of the time, they arent expected to participate in church matters, right? Even during a church meeting, if there is a saint on site even if they were multiple years the champions junior the saint is to take the lead for the prayer, correct?

W-Why, yes, that is obvious enough. A saint must train their [Sacred Magic] skill to its peak. That is their responsibility, so it is only obvious they should lead the welcoming ceremony. Any ritual led by a saint is a great fortune, the cardinal agreed. A champion, though, is expected to train their martial prowess. Being a priest or mage is not a must, in fact, being well-rounded, like Lord Charleslyt, here is a virtue, yes.

I nodded. It is as you said, Cardinal Bennard. As such, I am not a saintess, wouldnt you say, Duke Equevanna, Duke Olivus?

Why, yes, My Lady. The reports His Majesty has graciously given us and the personal commendation Duke Greenveil gave me full trust that you are a qualified blessed of the Goddess. May the light banish the shadows in your path, Lady Hestia, Olivus prayed for my health and success.

Lady Hestia has done more martial deeds than religious feats, fitting a champion more than a saintess. Although, from what Ive heard from Lord Greenveil, her concerts and charity healing has been quite popular. People in Cedraille and Firwood call her the Crimson Saintess for that reason, Duke Equevanna answered, although that Crimson Saintess stuff seemed unnecessary to add.

Do you understand now, Cardinal Bennard? Eshe finally interjected herself into the discussion. The Goddess deemed it suitable to add another classification for us blessed the idol. Someone who represents both the virtue of a saint and the prowess of a champion mixed into one person. Lady Hestia does most of her religious gatherings through her singing and dancing at her concerts, while always aiming to help others and solving their problems.

Grk! The cardinal groaned, unnerved by how the dukes and Eshe were supporting me. S-Still, even then. W-We the church cannot just introduce a new category out of nowhere! Aureolis must be informed and then a decision has to be

Cardinal, you are dismissing the decision of the Goddess! How can you say this as a pious man! Duke Olivus rebuked the cardinal. As a man of faith, how can you continuously disrespect Her Holinesss newest champion like this?!

C-Champion?!

The dukes reveal of my actual classification shocked not only the cardinal but also Charleslyt.

As the cat was out of the sock thanks to the dukes temper, I had to speak up, The Goddess informed me that my official duty is to fulfill her divine Quests while also encouraging me to continue my ambition of becoming an idol. She is the one that coined me an idol.

The Goddess informed you, Lady Hestia? Personally? Eshe raised a brown.

S-Speaking with the Goddess? Heresy! the cardinal declared but I ignored him.

O-Oh right, I forgot. Blessed usually cannot speak with their deities since their soul would explode. I didnt tell her about it before.

Y-You know my circumstances, Lady Eshe. My soul, remember? I finally revealed it to her, now that I trusted her enough. The dukes probably knew what I meant, but I stayed vague enough that both the cardinal and Charleslyt couldnt figure it out.

O-Oh? Huh, oh! I-Im sorry, that does make sense now that I think about it. I apologize for interrupting you. We both let out nervous chuckles as I told everybody to just forget what I had said.

An idol is there to be idolized by others. Through my performances and actions, I wish to support people. To brighten their days and lives whenever possible, while also encouraging those to fight through my voice. I pointed at Charleslyt. You want to become loved and respected, right? That is why you are doing all of this. Actions speak louder than words. If you want that fame, then you need to grab it for yourself. Dont believe it will just sit there, waiting for you. There are more than enough people who will do anything to fulfill their dreams.

I asked Eshe to stand up. It was a short meeting, but it was time for us to leave.

Next week. LightDay on the 28th. Ill ask King Drangleic to reserve the arena for us. If you have what it takes, Ill give you the stage to show the world what you can do. Ill make sure not only the nobility but also the common people will know your name and your face, Lord Charleslyt.

As we turned around, Duke Equevanna shouted for us to stop.

W-Wait, Lady Hestia! He ran up to us. Please, do not do this! M-My son only misspoke and the cardinal did this believing you were a saintess. There is no need for the duel.

Your son wishes to prove himself, Duke Equevanna. As his father, shouldnt you be more supportive? He proclaims himself stronger than my friends, even calling them out as weak? If his words are true, then a week is enough for him to prepare to give everybody a good show.

I was petty with my reason, but I could kinda sympathize with Charleslyts desire to prove himself to his father. If he can back up his words, he should be able to make it worthwhile.

When I turned around again, Duke Equevanna suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

No! Lady Hestia, please, be reasonable! Ill make my son apologize for speaking ill of your companions so y

Father! Charleslyt dashed over to his father and grabbed his arm, inadvertently causing the former to release my shoulder. Is there not an ounce of trust in your heart? Have I not proven myself by raising my strength and advancing through the adventurer guild? Why are you like this? Why must you and mother always condemn me?!

You fool! I am trying to prevent you from embarrassing not only yourself but our house! How can I trust a person who only thinks about himself instead of the people he should work with? Do you honestly believe all your skirt-chasing would benefit our house one day? the duke replied by slapping Charleslyts hand away. Stronger or not, you brother is a worthy heir because he knows how to act like a proper noble, not like a debauched dilettante who mingles so much with even the scum of those damn peasants!

So he is a commoner hater, or something? These two whatever.

Charleslyt pushed his father to the side to walk up to me to bow. Lady Hestia, I apologize for my discourteous actions from before. I ask that you forgive me for my rudeness, even if the words have already been said. That said, I accept your challenge. Next week, we meet at the arena. Not as a nobleman and lady, but as rivals.

Even if it was only for a second, I saw his trembling smile. The eyes he looked at me with were those of somebody who was embarrassed and angry about it. I did make a scene, so it was understandable, but it only made me not trust this person any more than before.

When he stood up straight, only a bright smile could be seen on his face. He managed to recover his superhero face.

See you there, Lord Charleslyt.

I ignored Duke Equevannas scolding of his son and opened the door, noticing who the person was who was standing right outside the room.

High Bishop Theodore?

Ah, I see your meeting is done. Here you go, Lady Hestia. You asked me for material on Aureolis, correct? He wasnt smiling much, just as usual. His attitude honestly fit his sleep-deprived eyes.

Yes, I did. Thank you. I accepted the offered books. Since it was the seat of power of the church of Aurena, it would be best if I learned more about it, especially since I had to reform it somehow.

These are my journals of when I visited the Holy Capital myself. They detail not only the capital city but also the different villages and towns. Of course, the names of the higher clergy and also a small recap on the countrys history. May they serve you well.

Meticulous as always. He was serious when he said he would teach me everything I needed to know.

Anyways, announcement, it's gonna be Thanksgiving soon and I'll be going out to meet family. I've been feeling a bit burnt out recently. Probably due to the writhalon and how often I posted in this month and in the last one. Also, my house is getting repaired, so I have to get out of the house anyways. So, I'll be using this chance to get a holiday since it'll be hard to write. I should be back by next week, so, happy holidays! Don't miss Hestia too much!

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 17 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

If you guys enjoyed this chapter then, please follow the story. If you guys want the story to grow, then giving it a rating or a favorite will do wonders: Rawr

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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Tuesday, November 23, 2021 5:19:51 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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