Chapter 133 – Star Fall (16)

“Why did you do that?”

“Pardon?”

“Why… did you choose to select such a difficult path?”

During the short break that the Archbishop announced, Professor followed the old man to his office under the Archbishop’s request, and the first thing he heard was this. Aside from the excessive amount of brass candle stands in the room, the Archbishop’s office was a humble little room considering his position and not that different from a normal noble’s study.

“I have heard from Senadis. She said your identity was unsure and had the possibility of being part of the Evil God’s forces, but claimed it would be a waste to just throw it away as bait. She believed the church needed one like yourself, so I had decided to give you a chance.”

“Hahahah. No wonder you played along so well… so, that was what happened. Well, did you like me?”

“It was marvelous. I could feel deep within my heart that Ro Haram was guiding us.”

The Archbishop turned toward one of the large windows with light rays shining through it, bowing down and murmuring a prayer for a moment. If he had looked like a benevolent grandpa that had spent his entire life farming away on a distant hill at the meeting room, he now looked more like an old king in deep distress.

‘That’s probably the real Archbishop, Saint Norman. Or this might be another act of pretending to be himself.’

Although I hadn’t told him in advance, the man had read the flow of the conversation from what I said and came in to support me at just the right time. I can confidently say that he is not just an old man who seeks the glory of his god.

“That is more so why I cannot understand. Do you know just how incredible a feat you just achieved? It is like you have just played with the legendary Warriors that were in that room. The one who left the biggest impression on me at the meeting was none other than you. Did you happen to see the ones outside of the meeting room when we left?”

“Yes. There were quite a few guys wandering around the gardens.”

“They did not come out just to rest. After the situation settled, a few of the Warriors realized that they were completely swept up in your pace and had been waiting outside to talk with you. They knew who was currently leading the meeting and wanted to talk to you about their own interests.”

“No wonder I felt some needles prick my back when I walked out.”

“Hahah. Do not pretend you did not know. Is it not to avoid speaking with them that you followed close behind me?”

“Goodness. Does Ro Haram tell the Archbishop that, too?”

“Living in this chaotic world while aging under the name of Archbishop helps you see many things.”

When I indirectly asked him, ‘You really a priest, grandpa? How’d you know so well?’, the Archbishop responded with a gentle smile.

“Do you know the most basic doctrine of light?”

“I’m sorry. It was only as of recently I got to learn the Light’s doctrines.”

“It is that [Light shines upon all without discrimination]. Equality without any restrictions. The joy of sunrise that anyone is able to see in the morning. There are countless doctrines and interpretations, but you can say that they all originate from this one doctrine.”

“I… see.”

I couldn’t just outright refute him, so I gave him an ambiguous answer. That’s because the Light’s Order is basically the representative organization for human supremacy. They’re a group of racists who put religion at the forefront. But they claim equality for all?

“Do not make such an expression. I also know how unbelievable that is now. There is now another line written under the first doctrine of Ro Haram’s Scriptures that are given to the believers, that [All, are those who can look up to serve the light]. It means that they cannot receive the blessing of Ro Haram if they are not a believer.

“Is that not… forgery? Since when, who, did such a blasphemous—”

“I did that.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I… altered the doctrine.”

The Archbishop spoke with a calm, solemn tone, as if confessing his sins. But in his face, he could see the expression of remorse engraved into it as deeply as his wrinkles.

“58 years ago, I was a young priest who lived each day to the fullest simply by praising the light and Ro Haram. Without any worries, I believed that merely praying was the duty of a priest, and I lived each day like so.”

While listening to what he said, I turned up my senses to their peak. I didn’t know why, but what the Archbishop was saying right now was probably something close to the church’s disgraceful secrets. If there was anyone eavesdropping, then my life would be in danger. Honestly, things like this were best not to hear in the first place, so internally, I just wanted to stop the Archbishop from talking.

“50 years ago, the time of the Orcs’ ‘Hunting Season’ came around. Unfortunately, the temple I belonged to was much too close to the south. We lost many brothers during our escape. I constantly asked myself, ‘Oh Ro Haram. Why? Why have you taken so many of your kind believers?’ There was no answer, but I now knew that the church could not be protected with just prayers and faith. Because of that, I decided to walk the path of a monk. Through martial training, I will protect the light called faith from the shadows of the world. That is what I thought.”

Vwoom—

When the Archbishop clenched his fist, a powerful aura of holy power gathered around his frail fist.

‘This man looks at least 70, and he became a monk 58 years ago, when he was around 17? He’s been a monk for over 60 years? That’s a whole monster and a half!’

The title of monk wasn’t just for a priest who knew some martial arts. They could only be called a monk after passing a strict exam that recognized they had reached a certain level of holy martial skill. But this teenager who’s just been praying for his entire life suddenly became a monk? Aside from effort, that would be impossible if he didn’t have talent—and monstrous amounts of it at that.

“I believed that this time… I was truly following Ro Haram’s will. Praising the light and protecting that faith from the darkness of the world. I was quite satisfied with the life I had been living. But that was not the end of the trials Ro Haram had prepared for me.”

“Was… the church attacked again?”

The Archbishop shook his head.

“The Light’s Order’s healing magic was incredibly effective, and the priests of the church were that much more wanted on the battlefields. Back then, the Light’s Order was not as strong as it is now. 70 years ago, back when the uprising of the undead occurred, the high-ranking priests had been tainted by arrogance and indolence… and turned against humanity to become dark priests, which made the Light’s Order and its long history suffer a blow that almost led it to its downfall. So to nobles who were about to face war, the weakened Light’s Order was a valuable resource. The nobles started to make all sorts of excuses and created widows and orphans, then pressured us to fulfill their requests every single time there was a war.

‘Send 30 priests with healing abilities. Or else, the Light’s Order will be considered to be cooperating with the enemy nobles and be expelled from the territory, and those who remain will be treated as enemy troops.’

And those were the much kinder ones. Some had kidnapped the wandering priests-in-training and forced them to use their healing spells until they lost the light in their hearts, and there had also been cases where they set fire to temples that cared for the wounded on both sides just because they had been closer to the enemy territory. In order to avoid such situations, the churches needed to calculate which side was stronger and which side they needed to help in order for the church to be safe. I… I could not stand it. Because those calculations were not always correct. It was a territorial conflict so big that all of the priests, including myself, needed to go out for support.

They lost miserably. So, so, miserably, where nobody survived…“

The Archbishop raised his glowing fist and, with his rising emotions, silently looked at the rays of light seeping through the windows.

‘He must be talking about the Noble Wars. They didn’t take neutrality as an answer back then. Not even the churches would have been an exception.’

It was a story about the period of chaos that happened before my character was created. Since war was constantly happening in that era, the church would have also been involved in those matters.

“The martial arts I learned from my past regrets helped me. While I risked my life and fought wildly, the other brothers would go save the brothers that had been captured. But unlike me, who trained in these arts, the brothers had only spent their lives praying and were unable to escape the pursuit of the knights, who were on horseback. When their chase was over and I looked around me, there was only one brother left with me. From the sixty-four brothers who had been ordered by the church to support Count Kandar, only me! And Priest Chandalor, whom I was carrying due to his crippled legs. From the sixty-four, only those two had survived.”

He was almost shivering while listening to the Archbishop tell the story of his tragic past with an ever-calm tone that never changed pitches. It wasn’t a burning flame of emotions, but a cold, hard, dark ore of fury made from the ashes and embers of the dead flames.

“I squeezed out every last bit of strength to return to our church with Priest Chandalor. I ran for four days and nights without rest, so I collapsed on the spot and fell asleep. And the next day, do you know what I had woken up to?”

“…”

“Priest Chandalor, who hanged himself in front of the church’s statue. His legs were crippled, but he worked that much harder than everyone else. He was always the first to wake up and clean the statues and church, and he said it was his greatest joy in his life to greet his brothers when they woke up in the morning. And when he woke up that day, he realized… that no matter how early he got up to clean the chapel to the point where it shined, there would no longer be others who he could greet in a peaceful environment. Brother Chandalor was no longer able to endure that. I, too, could not handle that any longer.”

Every time he thought back to that day, Archbishop Norman could feel a small, black orb form within the light in his heart.

Norman brought down the corpse of Brother Chandalor from the church ceiling and, after washing him as best he could, buried him in the corner of the garden he liked. Like someone who could not feel pain or fatigue, Norman silently finished the funeral, then crossed through the empty chapel and kneeled in front of the statue of Ro Haram.

Rumblee—

From afar… came the sounds of thunder.

“Oh, dear light… another brother has been sent to your side today.”

Though he prayed, he did not know what to say. The faith that he believed to be a light that would never dim was wavering like a candle in the wind.

“They have all been kind lights who have followed your will, so next to you, please let them be a light that will brighten the world in another… another…”

Crk— ck— crack!

His hands would not stop shaking. As the tips of his fingers dug into the knuckles of his hands, the falling tears formed together with the blood that left them.

“…Why must have you done that? Why, why? Why? Have you treated them so cruelly?”

Crashhh!

Shrhhhhh—

Inside the empty chapel, clean and lit by Brother Chandalor as it always had been, Norman completely lost his composure.

“We have not asked for a light that would brighten our path! Nor a future as bright as such a light! We merely… wished for a small light, one that could help those wandering through the darkness take one step forward, a small light that we could be for one another—just that small, little light! That was all those who were here wished for! For what reason did you have to crush that pure, small light in such a cruel manner?”

Riiiip!

Unable to contain his anger, Norman tore the priest’s robe that he was wearing. The white, clean robe was now dirtied from the blood of the enemy that he killed with his own hands when freeing his brothers and from the dirt from digging a grave for Priest Chandalor. He couldn’t stand it… because it felt like he was looking at himself.

Shwoooo—

“Please answer me! We don’t wish for much! Just a small signal—one small sign—would be enough, so please show that their deaths were not in vain! Please! If you truly consider us your children!”

Covered in blood and tears, the monk bowed his head down in front of the statue.

“Please… give me… an answer…”

Crashhh!

Inside the chapel, surrounded by rain and thunder, was a monk who cried out to his god for an answer.

But regardless of his desperate prayers that reached for the heavens, only the quivering light of the candles lit by a deceased flickered in the dark chapel.

“I do not remember what I prayed for that day. It may have been ‘Sylernim Chapter 7,’ or maybe ‘Light Chapter 3,’ but I cannot remember it. I just continued to kneel there, head bowed, and cried out to Ro Haram until I fainted from exhaustion. There had been no answer. But when the light of morning had started to seep through the windows, I realized that a holy power incomparably stronger than before was now in my possession.”

Professor just then realized where all of these brass candle stands in his office came from.

“I was not given an answer, but I realized what I needed to do. After closing the temple that no longer had anyone left, I headed to the main cathedral and reported the situation of the church I was at. There were many who grieved for me and showered me with thanks for coming back alive, but that all did not matter to me. From that day on, I did everything I could to reach the position of Archbishop. I approached powerful nobles, used political maneuvers, and used all sorts of underhanded means, and with the support of many priests based on my unmatched holy power, I finally took the position of Archbishop. It was when not only Rodrick but almost all nations were struggling with financial instability due to the Noble Wars, and the war merchants were the ones holding all of the wealth. I went to them and asked. What should I do to make them support the Light’s Order? Do you know what they requested?”

“What… did they request?”

“They said this. ‘A merchant is one that measures everything in the world with money, but since raising the strength of a single religion will be a semi-permanent benefit to us, they do not know how much to ask for. So, they were going to make it so our prestige led to their benefit as well.’ What they requested was to ‘spread the teachings to not treat other races of species as humans.’ At that point, most nations banned the slavery of other races. To them, this was just a loss of profit using high-value products that were bound by the law. This was an act against the doctrine, but in the end, I agreed. So the Light’s Order no longer treated different races as the same level of humanity, and the war merchants who had countless nobles indebted to them, regardless of whether they were mere barons, dukes, or even royalty, kept their promise and made the Light’s Order Rodrick’s national religion. No one could defy our word anymore. There was no longer any danger for our brothers to be dragged out to the battlefield, nor to be attacked and killed.”

Hahhhh.

Letting out a deep sigh, the Archbishop got up from his seat.

“That was what happened. I merely realized that faith alone is not enough to protect my religion. On the day I joined hands with the war merchants and altered the doctrine, I selected those who are faithful who were able to step outside of the doctrine’s borders like I have and manage the church’s information. This old man called the Archbishop and his brethren had strayed from the path Ro Haram’s light directed into the shadows, but thanks to that, many believers are able to live their lives with just the praise of the light and serving of Ro Haram, as I did in my teenage years.”

“And what’s the reason you told me this?”

When I asked him that, the Archbishop, who didn’t stop for a single moment even when telling me his entire past, hesitated momentarily.

“Senadis… wants you to join the shadow of the church as she did. She claimed you had talent. I also agree with her. Have you seen Gregorio? He has a firm belief and strength that is impeccable… but if one like him takes position as the head of the church, the Light’s Order will be swept away in the currents of the world and become weakened, then just repeat its history. The church needs people like you. I have become more certain after seeing your performance in the meeting room. Especially in times like these. Originally, I had planned to make you join the church by all means necessary, even by using rather forceful methods, but…”

Creak—

The Archbishop rummaged through his drawer and took out a worn letter and a book, then stamped them with the Archbishop’s seal and handed them to Professor. The book clearly was flowing with an unusual energy, and on the cover of the letter it said… [Penitence to the brethren I have abandoned].

“How odd. For some reason, as I work to persuade you, I feel the urge to speak of my past.”

Handing the letter to me, the Archbishop looked like a person who had just put down all of the regrets they had been holding inside of them.

“Though the world does not know and Ro Haram keeps silent, I cannot turn away from the truths that I know of. In the end, I have turned my back to all of the other races who should have also shared the ‘all-shining light’ that Ro Haram speaks of for the sake of my brothers of Light. It is a mistake of mine that cannot be washed away. One day, when I return to the form of light next to Ro Haram, I will not be able to confidently ask him, ‘Did I live as a tool according to your will?’”

The Archbishop took a few steps back, then bowed to me as he clasped his hands around mine.

“But here you are, appearing out of nowhere and announcing you will bring peace between the church and other races. Do you know how much that surprised me? It was a struggle to hold back the urge to shout out Ro Haram’s name in the meeting room. That was when I thought it might actually be Ro Haram’s decision to make you his tool when you became the warrior of this church. I cannot dare restrict one who is acting in the will of a god.”

Not only was the Archbishop bowing to me, but he was also trying to kneel down. Take the Archbishop’s prostration? Me? Sitting straight up in a chair?!

Splat!

“Oh, Archbishop, sir! You do not need to do that! I actually just have something I need to do with the elves, which was why I led the conversation in that direction—it isn’t like I actually heard Ro Haram’s voice or anything…”

“Hahahah. That is also the will of the light.”

The Archbishop took out a small vial from his robe. It was a fragrance often used in temples. He raised his body, then spilt a few drops of the vial onto Professor’s bowing head.

“Latura, Ro Haram. As the servant of Ro Haram and Archbishop of the Light’s Order, I will officially appoint you as the Light’s Warrior and ambassador. I beg of you, correct the wrong of the past and brighten it with light.”

Above Professor, who was still flat on the floor, not knowing what to do, and the Archbishop, who anointed him with a relieved expression, the bright afternoon rays of sunlight were shining brightly upon them.

On that day, the Light’s Order notified the leaders and information guilds of each country of Warrior Professor’s name and that he could receive the Light’s Order’s support with that name.