Clearing the Game at the End of the World - Chapter 70

Chapter 70 – In the Name of Honor (4)

People were crowding the area surrounding the church. Each of them was eagerly cleaning using a wooden brush or cloth, which must have been the reason why the white building was standing tall and majestically without even a trace of the flood that recently occured.

Ring—

“Oh, Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura. Please bless upon us peace…”

While Professor was staring with awe at the building for a moment, the deep and powerful sound of a bell rang throughout the land. As the church members relished the sound of the bell that vibrated through their entire body and sent their prayers towards the sun, Professor’s senses identified small holes that were dug throughout the ground around the building.

“I don’t know why they made it this way, but it’s definitely an interesting structure. The ground rumbling every time the bell rings makes it feel like you’re part of some bigger ritual.”

– Speedwagon : Almost all Light’s Order church buildings are built in this way. Instead of just triggering a person’s sense of hearing with the bell sound, they use the sounds and vibrations to stimulate both the hearing and touch and create a stronger impression from that bell sound.

– Noru_is_druig : What’s that supposed to mean? So you’re saying that people remember the bell’s ringing better if they can feel it with their feet?

– Speedwagon : Take a fresh orange for example. When you think of an orange, you can imagine its smell. But if you smell the scent of an orange, you can imagine the image of an orange. If you increase the types of stimulation related to an idea, then it increases the number of ways the person can think of that idea. Naturally, this also creates a stronger impression within them.

– takealook : to think that he made an idiot like me understand this. This guy is one hell of a tutor.

– Speedwagon : Anyway, so that building was built in a pretty smart way. If you create a stronger impression, then that transfers to a stronger faith, which is in the end the strength of the church. Of course, there are also other reasons why the bell’s in the church’s basement. The religious groups in this world have multiple usages for the basements. There’s a legend that when you listen to the incredibly loud ringing within the underground prison, then the souls of the prisoners get purified.

– Mukaba : Oh, a person playing as a priest checked that recently, and they said it’s true. He was attending to a high priest, and every time screams seeped out from the stairways towards the basement because of the bell, they said that the high priest was smiling happily. They apparently said that from the outside, the screams sound like they’re part of the bell sound and make it sound holier. That player left the church on that same day.

“Ughhh… that’s terrible.”

‘_Let’s stop looking into it. The more I listened to what they were saying, the priests standing outside handing bread to the people with smiles on their faces are starting to look like monsters in my eyes. I need to go to those people and tell them ‘I’m the criminal you’re looking for’ later. I might become the person in that prison.’_

Professor tried to ignore the uneasy thoughts creeping into his mind as he approached one of the smiling priests. He couldn’t avoid the Light’s Order. They were one of the largest religious groups in GG. Since holy prayers were essential to healing people from the infective agents, they had a large role in the war against the mutes. In some way or form, once he started to fight the mutes, he was going to meet the church people eventually, so he decided that it was a better choice to just quickly get it over with rather than run away and gain even more suspicion later on.

The female priest that was shaking the hand of every single church member also smiled brightly towards Professor as he approached her.

“Latura, Ro-Haram! Hopes that the light leads your way. Do you need the assistance of light dear brother?”

“Ah, yeah. Uh… I have made a sin, so I wanted to confess what I had done in the name of Ro-Haram…”

As Professor anxiously revealed his visit’s objective, the priest’s smile became even brighter, melting away any worries that were inside Professor’s mind, and grabbed his hands.

“That’s a wonderful choice. You may hide from the eyes of the world, but there is no place the light doesn’t reach, so Ro-Haram already knows your sins. You just need to confess your sins in front of him and rid of the ball of sin that is within your heart.”

He didn’t need to observe carefully to know. This female priest was genuinely happy that Professor decided to confess his sins.

‘To think a person can be this kind. This woman probably came out smiling instead of crying when she was born!’

“We have no time to waste, let’s go in, dear brother! We must help you put down the burden of sin in your heart as soon as possible.”

“T–thank you.”

“Heheh, it’s all my pleasure. Latura, Ro-Haram.”

“….Latura, Ro-Haram.”

Professor repeated the phrase the priest said, then followed her past the church doors that were wide open.

Unlike outside which was so crowded, the inside of the church was quiet enough to hear ones own breathing, meaning there must be some sort of magic cutting off the sound. According to the teachings of the church, ‘The light shines identically upon all’, the church had a tradition of sitting on the floor, which resulted in the interior of the building only consisting of a path lined with golden candle stands that led up to a massive statue of Ro Haram, not a single chair to be in sight.

After passing through the candle-lit path, the female priest led Professor to the front of the Ro-Haram statue, where there was a single spot that was lit by sunlight through a hole in the church’s ceiling.

“Can you kneel here and wait for a moment?”

“Are we doing it… here?”

Responding to Professor’s silent question ‘In a wide open space like this?’ with a nod, the priest spoke again.

“This is the hall of Ro-Haram. From the moment you entered this place, lies exist no more. Ah, you may be embarrassed by the worldly eyes, so I’ll close the doors.”

Clink Clink—

When the priestess picked up a small golden stick and tapped on the golden cup next to it, two large priests emerged from the darkness and started pushing the two massive doors to close it.

Du-g-d-d-g-g-d—

Boom!

The moment the doors close, the surrounding became unbelievably dark, almost making it hard to believe this place was the church building dedicated to the god of light. The only sources of light left in the place were the candles that dimply lit the priests’ faces and the light that was shining on the kneeling Professor, just those two.

– Soygaybar : This doesn’t seem good.

– Jokass : This is incredibly sus

– Udnam_undam : He’s definitely f***ed.

– takealook : confessing sins must have meant they were going to torture a confession out of you.

– Holli : Gasp! Maybe… this was Anaya’s revenge on Professor for rejecting her….?

‘_Stop jinxing it! Damn it… this is definitely weird.’_

There was one thing for sure. The priestess that led him here was not just an ordinary rank priest. The polite woman seen just moments ago was now nowhere to be found, the priestess that walked past Professor had a dim glow emitting behind her.

‘_Her natural attitude when commanding the church people, and that divine power that’s even visible to the eye. I knew it, this woman…’_

“A god’s will is truly coincidental don’t you think? The world doesn’t follow that will, but is instead built around where the will is being acted upon.”

The priestess quietly walked past Professor, and kneel down on a white cushion with fancy patterns sitting right under the massive Ro Haram statue. It was obvious that it was the seat of a higher-up. And here I was, kneeling across from her.

This was set up from the start.

“Did you… know that I was coming?”

“Latura, Ro-Haram. The light shines upon all. This morning our Lord whispered to the saintess, [Into the heart of the city the dagger pierces, therefor beware of the darkness settled within.]”

Rustle Rustle—

Rustle Rustle—

Priests in white robes started to surround the kneeling Professor, and made a circle around Professor and the priestess.

“The Lord’s will must be speaking of Tobrune. The dagger, meaning the massive Void Stone that is still stuck inside the mage tower. The darkness…”

The priestess that was sitting across from Professor smiled once again, like the one given to him when they first met.

“The member of the dark mages, one that is the spy of the monsters pretending to be human. It’s none other than you, don’t you think?”

“Wait—”

“There is no reason to make excuses. As a servant of the church, there is no way I could not recognize the face of the order’s enemy. A face identical to the descriptions, it’s certain that you’re the Escapee Professor.”

Chrk, Chrk, Chrk, Chrk—

With the heavy footsteps of paladins in white armor surrounding the priests to make an outer wall, there was now a completely isolated area within the church.

“Latura.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

The moment the people inside church started to chant, the candle lights all went out and leaving only the light shining on Professor and the priestess’ aura, everyone disappeared into the darkness.

“Under the will of the All Mighty Ro-Haram, a sinner lies here. Under the authority of El Senadis, the One who gathers Light of Tobrune, the inquisition will now commence.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

“Latura, Ro Haram.”

In front of Professor, who was sweating nervously, El Senadis announced with a pure smile that Professor’s life was now in the hands of the church.

Anyone that plays GG is bound to get involved with the Light’s Order at some point.

Because of that, there was a pretty detailed guide to how a player should treat the order, and according to what Hyde read to him, it was like the following.

======

1. They will greet you with their kindness smile.

The church people are generally very kind. They are heads-over-heels trying to help you in some way, and even if your gameplay goes against the church’s path (Refers to the normal criminal), they still generally consider you as an ally, and most players have not seen a single church member frown. Be aware. These people want to save the world. If they have a good impression of you, just following along to what they say will be enough to become friendly with them. Let’s memorize their chant, ‘Latura Ro Haram’. It’s supposed to mean something along the lines of ‘In the blessing of Ro Haram’, and just knowing this one phrase will make the church people treat you like their long lost sibling.

2. They have just a slight smile.

They still love you, but this means that you need a bit of a process to become close with them. You have a problem. You’re probably a wanted serial killer, or associated with the kidnapping of a royal/noble, or have an incredible number of curses put upon you because you tried to get your hands on a dragon’s treasure. A problem along those lines. Let’s use this chance to receive forgiveness. Describe to them how much you’re repenting, and that deep in your heart is the love for Ro Haram. They will either hug you crying tears of joy and give you a mission for repenting, or take you in as a member of the church and eagerly protect you. Once again, it’s rare to find NPCs as kind as the Light’s Order in GG.

3. Glaring menacingly.

You’re f***ed. You have been associated with something you should never have: dark magic. For the Light’s Order, the moment they are with a person even a little associated with dark magic, they go from the kind religious people to manic crusaders. You aren’t associated with anything like that? That’s what you think. You’ve probably gotten involved without you knowing. You might have traded with a dark mage, or gotten involved with a dark mage’s creation, or didn’t see a group of dark-robed people a kilometer away and didn’t report them. When it comes to dark magic, the regulations are beyond normal. So if there is a church person with narrow eyes that’s itching to crush your skull, you either need to escape to a kingdom where the Light’s Order has less power or just quit the game.

======

‘_Mmm…’_

Professor quickly glanced at the priests surrounding him.

Lips sealed in a straight line. Narrowed eyes.

Twitch, Twitch—

Clank, Clank—

Paladins that were twitching their lips as they stroked the maces hanging at their waist.

It was certain. The people here were just waiting to kill Professor.

‘_God damn it! A divine message! What did I even do for them to get a divine message!? No way they figured out who I am, right? It’s a divine message. If there really is a god, won’t they know that I want to kill the mutes rather than be on their side?’_

Not even Anaya would have been able to predict this would happen. If they really suspected he was the Crimson Mute, then they would have locked down the entire city and would have called in Inquisitors, and burned down the entire city trying to find the Crimson Mute. This wasn’t about the Crimson Mute. However, I seem to have done something else that seriously pissed off the Light’s Order. Seeing that they’re all staring lasers into my head.

I need to stay incredibly alert. The moment I say one wrong word, I’ll actually be treated as an associate of the dark mages and have my brain melted down to a pulp listening to that bell sound in the prison.

What if I beat these guys up and escape right now?

‘_Then I’m an official enemy of the church.’_

His bounty will jump a hundredfold, and with the church’s announcement that ‘Escapee Professor is the dark mage’s spy.’ Even the women peacefully doing laundry at the rivers and the farmers that were singing joyfully from the harvest will become crazy berserkers once they hear the name ‘Professor’. Obviously, he also won’t be able to get involved with Rodrick and the other kingdoms’ defenses either. The only way to get through this situation was by persuading the church here and now.

Glance–

Professor glimpsed around the place once again. If looks could kill, then the priests’ glares would have turned him to ashes a long time ago. The paladins were twiddling with their fingers as if they couldn’t stand the fact that there was something still above Professor’s shoulders. They were out of the picture. These people were already beyond the point of diplomatic discussions.

Instead, he decided to concentrate on the woman called El Senadis that was sitting in front of him.

– professor : They called her the One that gathers Light, that means she’s the highest one out of everyone here, right?

– Mukaba : Correct. They called her the One that gathers Light of Tobrune, so they’re the high-ranking priests that manages the Tobrune area. You can consider them to be about the bishop level.

– Holli : Uh… so how high is a Bishop?

– Speedwagon : It goes in this order : Pope, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Auxiliary Bishop, Abbot, Priest, Church member. If you’re a bishop, you’re a high-ranking priest that’s the head of a parish and have the authority to command most paladins aside from the Inquisitors and head of the paladins. They’re really high up there.

The fact that she was a high-ranking priest was one thing, but this woman was still smiling. Taking in the fact that she hid her emotions and hugged him even knowing that he was Professor meant that she was at least not like the other priests that will turn into a manic cult the moment they hear that he’s the enemy of the church. Well, it’s true that an organization needs someone like this to keep cool and make diplomatic decisions in order for it to keep afloat.

The point was that this El Senadis woman was in a state where words should work. If he wasn’t able to persuade this woman, then he couldn’t even dream of living a normal life in this seed.

‘_Should I come out strong? ….no. There is no higher being than the god of light to them. Since they’re making this decision representing their god, grumbling around here is just going to get my head cut off. I need to act as submissive as possible, and act like a repenting sinner.’_

After completing his analysis of the situation and deciding his reaction in an instant, still kneeling, Professor pressed himself towards the floor as much as possible and spoke with a scared voice.

“I—I think there must have been a misunderstanding! A—an inquisition, me an enemy of the church?! There’s no way! I—I had just come here to confess my sin of escaping Tobrune’s prison…”

Once Professor opened his mouth, the glares that were piercing through Professor became even more menacing.

“How dare a heretic open their mouth in the halls of Ro Haram…”

“I, a servant of Ro Haram. The anger that boils in my heart is the will of Ro Haram…”

“I’ll pull out all of his teeth, then pull out his tongue and boil it in….”

‘_F***! They’re going crazy for me saying just one thing!’_

It’s supposed to be a trial! I was just fending for myself! If they start to talk about killing or not killing just for uttering a few words, that isn’t a trial!

“Stop.”

As the priests slowly started to close in the circle, the priestess that was kneeling across from him stopped them.

“Ro Haram is watching us. Please do not act foolishly.”

“Ahem… Latura, Ro-Haram.”

“Latura, Ro-Haram.”

After pushing back the priests with just one word, the woman clasped her hands against her forehead, then spoke in a reverent voice.

“Latura, Ro Haram. Those who bloom and wither cannot escape the eyes of Ro Haram. Those who breathe to speak cannot utter a lie in his existence.”

Whooom—

After her short prayer, Professor could feel an odd pressure pressing him down. There was a sort of sticky, webby feeling stuck in his throat.

‘_A divine prayer! This is… a truth prayer?’_

As if she could read Professor’s mind, the female bishop, El Senadis smiled brightly as she spoke.

“Now then, you are able to speak in front of the Lord with only the truth. You are able to say anything you want to say. Please, may you talk about the enemy to your heart’s content.”

From the woman’s smile, Professor saw a glimpse of pure bloodlust. It looked like persuading her wasn’t going to be easy.