Chapter 80

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 80

80. Tribute of the Other World

Lux Stella, the alien god who descended upon us in the distant past and led humanity to victory.

However, the church that serves Lux Stella is eager to hide the truth about its own god. It’s not an incomprehensible act. Especially when you consider the church’s current slogan is the extinction of the Other World.

Lux Stella, who brought about the dawn of mankind, said that he would step back until the will of all mankind becomes one. This is something that could threaten the church’s identity, so it’s understandable that they would hide it.

The problem is the miracles that Lux Stella performs and the countless truths that are hidden.

The truth that is thoroughly sealed so that only the church’s figures, not even the high-ranking executives, can know it.

I finally qualified to approach the truth.

Bishop Ganista guided me through the deepest part of the cathedral’s main church, past the catacombs, and into a small chapel. Along with Karina, a fellow stigmata bearer.

And the place we arrived at, a dimly lit passage winding between sealed coffins and lit by a single candle, was incredibly plain.

All there was a single, light blue chalice placed on a pillar in the center. As a strange sense of discomfort arose, I thought about the Saint Arietta Order.

I remembered that the order also kept their relics like that.

“Is it a relic?”

It was a question I asked, wondering if it was the remains of a lonely king of a fallen kingdom or a part of Saint Illenio.

However, I couldn’t find any reverence from Bishop Ganista, who guided us. All I could see in his wrinkled eyes behind his glasses that reflected the light was faint contempt, hatred, fear, and wariness.

“In a sense.”

“…”

It seemed that it wasn’t just Bishop Ganista.

Karina, who usually chattered lightly, had her lips pressed together tightly with a slightly expression. Only then did I realize that it was very different from tired when I saw the relic at the Saint Arietta Order.

The unique resonance, the stigma that had been buzzing, was silent as if it were facing a predator.

Bishop Ganista explained the details only after he placed the candle on a nearby candlestick.

“Yes, people don’t know why the church hides the truth. Why they are so pathologically wary and afraid of the Other World…”

“Because the church hid it.”

“They had to hide it to completely end their faith.”

The three of us naturally surrounded the light blue chalice in the center.

And when we took off our gloves, we could see the stigmata engraved on the backs of our hands shining coldly.

“Originally, each diocese and bishop were not administrative units, but rather seals to cut off the Other World’s influence.”

“Seals?”

“They were established to expel the local folk beliefs… the traditional gods of the Other World. Sealing the relics of the Other World is done in three stages.”

According to Bishop Ganista’s explanation, the early church prepared for the future quite thoroughly.

First. Suppress the influence by containing it in a light blue chalice filled with the grace of Lux Stella, the starlight of mankind.

Second. Suppress it once more in the catacombs, an underground cemetery, made up of the remains of those who swore to confront the Other World even after death.

Third. Suppress it again by evenly distributing the remains of saints to eliminate any influence that may appear in the diocese.

“And the old god of the Other World that the Diocese of Powys is sealing is Sanguiō Silva. Her real name is the Lady of Crimson Roots.”

Indeed, what was in the chalice was a branch. A withered and twisted, eerie branch.

The leaves were like rotten fallen leaves that would crumble with a single breath of wind, and if an ignorant woodcutter saw it, it was dry enough to be used as kindling.

However, Karina, who always tended to be excitable, was surprisingly calm.

Karina rested her chin on her hand with an uncharacteristically serious expression and silently silent.

“Sanguiō Silva… It’s certainly the first time I’ve heard that name. I’ve never heard of her real name on the continent either. It’s definitely a native belief of the Dawn Archipelago.”

“?”

“…Your Highness, why do you look like that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I wanted to say more, but I stopped.

Bishop Ganista quietly watched our exchange, then let out a small sigh and continued speaking.

“Although they are like this now, the old gods of the Otherworld are all cruel and difficult to fathom with human nature. Sanguior Silva is no exception. In particular, her method of human sacrifice was notoriously cruel.”

“Notoriously cruel?”

I wondered how human sacrifices could be particularly notorious.

“She is said to have approached her victims in the form of a beautiful woman, seduced them, and then made them open their mouths so that she could insert her roots and attach them to their internal organs. She then drained them of every drop of blood through her blood vessels and roots.”

“….”

“It is also said that the humans who were forced to attend the sacrifices felt both awe and hatred as they watched the victims wither away before their very eyes.”

Even I, who was quite proud of my own strength, felt my eyelids twitch at such a gruesome method.

Karina, who had been acting calm, was so shocked that she took a few steps back.

“Are you okay?”

“The islands of the Dawn were the places where the influence of the Otherworld lingered the longest and most strongly. It is meaningless to say that you are okay. If you are a Stigmata bearer, Your Highness, you must bear the mission that befits your calling.”

Clack.

Karina swallowed once more and took three more steps back. She wanted to turn her head away, but she forced herself to keep her gaze fixed because of her sense of responsibility.

I thought it was time to get to the main point.

“That’s why. You said you would tell me about the second stage of devotion, but why are you showing me a relic of the Otherworld?”

Only then did Bishop Ganista take something out from inside his robe.

A sharp, shiny, and hard-looking dagger…

“A dagger?”

Was this old man finally revealing his killing intent and aiming it at me?

It seemed that I would be showing the results of the harsh training I received from Terbear not to a pagan, but to an old bishop. At that moment, I remembered the saying in the Jang Yoo Yoo Seo about respecting the elderly, and I vowed to just dislocate both of his shoulders without hurting him.

Bishop Ganista suddenly turned the dagger upside down and offered me the hilt.

“The second stage of the miracle of Lux Stella, the Starlight of Humanity. It depends on the nature of the Stigmata bearer.”

“It depends on the nature?”

“Just as Lux Stella made five vows for the sake of mankind when he stepped down, the Stigmata also has five effects. The surest and simplest way to find out which effect you have is to sprinkle your blood on a relic of the Otherworld.”

Then he narrowed his eyes and made all sorts of expressions.

“You don’t have to think about dislocating my joints, young man.”

“Bishop, what do you think of me? Why are you so suspicious?”

“hahahahaha. What do I think of you? I think of you as a little devil.”

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I was really glad I didn’t swear it.

“Then can’t I just do it alone?”

“No, another Stigmata bearer must be present. This is not only to find out any irregularities in the Stigmata examination stage, but also to identify the Otherworld’s servants who are skilled in disguise.”

“You don’t even trust the Miracle Examination Team?”

I thought of that group of old farts who had already returned to the Vatican.

Human weapons who could slaughter twenty men each on their own. A group of real stick-in-the-muds who didn’t have an ounce of flexibility.

“Not all humans are of one mind. The Church knows this better than anyone. It also knows how weak humans are to temptation. The truth is that no one can prove their faith unless they are true Stigmata bearers.”

“But all the members of the Miracle Examination Team are Stigmata bearers.”

“If even one of them is mixed in, the very foundation of the church will be shaken. The moment we allow even a single possibility, the old masters of this world will return. That is the belief of the church.”

Church. Now that I looked at it, it wasn’t mysticism but a group of paranoid patients obsessed with delusions.

It’s useless to argue with such psychopaths. I gave up quickly and raised the dagger to cut my palm… when suddenly, I stopped at the ominous glint on the blade.

“Your Grace?”

“Is this properly disinfected?”

“….”

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

Screech-.

A drop of blood oozed out from where the blade had cut.

And as I watched the drop of blood trickle down between my clenched fingers and fall with a plop, I realized…

…I cut too deep.

But before I could even feel the pain, a change began to occur in the cup.

The moment my blood dripped onto the withered branch in the cup, the branch began to writhe and twist violently as if it were a maggot.

The rotten leaves melted into the blood like salt-sprinkled snails.

The one who was most surprised by this sight was Karina, who was standing far away.

“Eek!!!”

To be fair, it did look like a disgusting maggot wriggling around. Even I might have screamed the same if I hadn’t seen those brave men who ate all sorts of creepy crawlies while exploring the wilderness.

I frowned at the sight unfolding in the cup and turned my gaze to Bishop Ganista.

“So. What kind of miracle is this?”

“The twilight of the world, the dawn of mankind. Praise Lux Stella, the starlight of mankind…”

Bishop Ganista finally opened his mouth after making the sign of the cross and muttering a prayer for a long time.

“From this moment on, Bishop-elect Narva is beatified. Blessed Narva, your miracle is the exorcism of demons.”

***

To the warriors who served the true gods, the new land was like a paradise.

The warm and gentle breeze, the soft and moist ground, the clouds that descended gently, the sea that greeted them calmly.

The more they recalled this fact, the more they felt a longing for the distant past and…

“This place was originally our home.”

…an endless hatred began to boil.

“Warriors, remember the resentment of our ancestors! The times when we were persecuted and driven out by our own people just because we lived by our faith, traditions, and customs!”

Great Warrior Bagnar.

The true chieftain who led his tribe from beyond the desolate sea and returned to the old land. He looked straight at the countless gazes directed at him as he stood on the hill, praying for the future of his tribe.

The desires of those who hated, longed, and prayed.

Another group was gathering before them.

It was a group of apostates who had turned away from the true gods and cursed them by following the starlight of an alien world. They were those who had managed to escape the warriors’ attack and barely regrouped.

The soldiers of the Principality of Penrad were forming ranks under the command of a knight wearing a blue and white surcoat.

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Clank, clank-.

The sound of chains clinking and spears and swords swinging was carried by the gentle wind to the warriors’ formation on the other side.

But it was futile.

“Warriors, go and reclaim your rightful heritage!”

“”Reclaim it!””

“Warriors, let us bring down the wrath of the gods upon these vile wretches who have forsaken the true gods and worship their own creations!”

“Divine retribution!”

The chant echoed through the ranks.

At its conclusion, the warlord Bagnarr drew forth an ancient relic from his bosom.

“God, grant us victory!”

The remains of the greatest mortal to ever walk this earth.

“We offer you the remains of the warrior king, who believed none in, as a sacrifice for victory!”

-The nameless warrior king of the fallen kingdom.

As he offered up the index finger.