649. Story (3)
Cardinal Pater said.
It is said that God may wish for the end.
Depending on how you hear it······. No, it was a shocking statement regardless of the speaker.
It was no different from saying that the God who created the world was abandoning the world.
However, Oliver did not show any reaction even after hearing those words.
Something similar has happened in the past.
I had heard a similar story through Ewan and Merlin.
‘······Anyway, the fact that the clock is ticking means that the world is full of evil and God’s patience has reached its limit. It means that a countdown to a sort of apocalypse has begun.’
Oliver thought back to the eschatology that Ewan and Merlin had spoken of in the past.
Their remarks were similar.
A desperate story about countless sins piling up in the world, and God, unable to stand to see this, wishing for the end of the world.
Oliver questioned himself.
Why is it that I don’t feel any particular emotion when I hear such stories, whether in the past or now?
Roderick must have sensed Oliver’s feelings, because he answered even though Oliver didn’t ask.
“I think it might be due to some kind of cognitive dissonance.”
“Cognitive dissonance?”
“In simple terms, it means a state of imbalance where emotions, attitudes, and actions are contradictory. Do you know what emotions people usually feel when the above phenomenon occurs?”
“well?”
Oliver answered, who was good at reading emotions but not at understanding them.
“I feel uncomfortable.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. Humans are usually two-faced and contradictory beings, but ironically, they want to be consistent. That’s beautiful. There’s nothing more pathetic than a human whose words and actions are different.”
Oliver understood more or less what was being said.
“Okay, so here’s the question… Do you know what people who feel uncomfortable do? They rationalize or misinterpret the situation.”
“I understand self-rationalization, but what does it mean to misinterpret?”
“You are arbitrarily interpreting the end as a trial, not the wrath of God. God still loves us, and the end is just for the non-believers. I think if you have true faith, there will be no problem······. Hehehe.”
Roderick burst out laughing.
That laughter contained many emotions, such as self-mockery and ridicule.
“I don’t know what this means. Seriously, I love you, but you’re giving me a hard time. Isn’t that strange? But surprisingly, many people have this kind of mindset. Do you understand?”
“I am well······. How is Your Majesty?”
Oliver, who felt no emotion, answered instead.
At that question, Roderick thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“Honestly, it’s not that I don’t understand. I’d go crazy if I didn’t accept it.”
Roderick put emotion into his last words, and even Oliver, who was usually insensitive to the emotions of others, was able to empathize this time.
Our Father who looks down on us from heaven.
Paterism teaches that He is an omnipotent being who created the world and mankind, and that He loves mankind.
A being like that would be disappointed in humans and wish for their demise······.
Even if they didn’t know that they were black magicians, it would have been difficult for them to accept this as they had served God their entire lives.
If an omnipotent God really wants the end, it is absolutely unavoidable.
No, it might have been more than just a matter of life and death.
A fear greater than death, where one’s very existence is denied.
Oliver, who grew up in an orphanage, had seen something similar in the past.
I’m talking about children who have been abandoned by their parents.
That day was a day similar to, or more than, death for those children.
Oliver was able to approach the apocalypse from a new perspective and in depth.
Honestly, I didn’t want to do that.
I found myself concentrating without realizing it because of Roderick’s words and serious emotions.
Oliver was trying to distance himself from the matter as he came to his senses belatedly, but Roderick spoke a beat faster.
“Of course, I’m not that different either······. Do you remember that I have little faith?”
“······Yes, Your Majesty.”
“But don’t misunderstand. Even if your faith is weak, you are not so foolish as to doubt the existence of God. There is too much clear evidence to doubt it.”
Roderick spread his hands and drew out the sacred spell, illuminating the interior.
Oliver stared at the light in silence.
A sacred power that weakens magic and renders black magic useless.
“Well, is there anything you’re curious about?”
“yes?”
“I thought you wanted to ask me something.”
Roderick read Oliver’s thoughts with eerie precision.
Actually, I was curious about something.
It was a fundamental question of whether the law was really a power given by God.
Because Prince Edward, the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom whom I met by chance in the past, said that the Holy Law was not a power given by God.
‘······It wasn’t a lie.’
Oliver recalled the conversation he had had with the prince he had encountered by chance.
Surprisingly, he didn’t lie and told the truth.
At least the prince believed that the law was not a power given by God.
So Oliver naturally had questions.
If the power to weaken magic and render black magic useless is not from God, then who gave it to you?
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The situation is complicated now, so I’m curious, but I don’t want to know.
“No, there isn’t.”
Oliver answered after a short but deep thought.
“Well then······. How do you think I should react here?”
“Huh? You’re reacting?”
“I asked, if the omnipotent God truly wishes for the end of the world, how should I, as his minister, respond?”
Oliver was silent. The question was too cruel and heavy to answer rashly.
“If you think rationally, it would be right to give up everything. It is impossible to go against an omnipotent God, and it is also a sin. Even if the world comes to an end and all humans die, it would be right to obey and accept it.”
“Well, I’m a warlock.”
“Phehhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
When Oliver evaded the question, Roderick burst out in laughter.
Strangely enough, Oliver didn’t care if others spat in his face, but that laughter was strangely annoying.
“······Why are you doing that?”
“It’s strange. I’m talking about the apocalypse, from which no one can be an exception, and yet you react as if it’s someone else’s business.”
“It’s just that I don’t get it.”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have come this far.”
Roderick saw right through Oliver that he was lying.
“You’re much more human than I’ve ever heard. You’re two-faced and self-centered. You may be concerned about the people in front of you or the people you know, but you easily ignore bigger problems.”
“······.”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m not criticizing you······. Anyway, back to the original story, if God wants the end, what should I do? Should I accept the end devoutly like a believer?”
Roderick slowly shook his head from side to side.
“No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t do it. It was so unfair. So I joined forces with those who shared the same goal and tried to find a way to resist the apocalypse.”
“Is there a way?”
Oliver tilted his head.
If Roderick’s words were true, the end was in fact God’s will, which meant it could not be thwarted.
“If we can’t avoid it or stop it, we control it. We create a savior who will save us.”
An answer that defied common sense came out of Roderick’s mouth.
But Oliver could understand that nonsense right away.
Because I heard it from Merlin in the past.
“Are you talking about the son of an angel?”
“You know that. Among the countless variations of the eschatology, there is this passage. When the world is filled with evil and the prince of hell opens the gate, the son of the most holy angel sacrifices himself to save humanity······. If the end has begun and it cannot be avoided or stopped, wouldn’t it be a way to open a path in the direction of humanity’s survival?”
“Controlling the apocalypse······. Is that possible?”
“It’s not a question of whether it’s possible or not. It’s a question of making it possible.”
Oliver couldn’t say anything. Roderick was right.
The end had already begun, and if it could not be avoided or accepted, then we had to try, whether it worked or not.
“We named this struggle [Deus Ex Machina].”
“Deus ex machina?”
Oliver muttered along without realizing it. He had encountered that word in a book.
A direct translation would be ‘a god who came down to the stage by a machine’ or ‘a god of the machine’, referring to a plot device that solves all problems at once in a literary work.
Characters, production elements, etc.
For example, at the last minute, God suddenly came down, introduced himself, and punished the wicked and rewarded the righteous.
Roderick savored the word.
“Deus ex machina······. The ancient writers defined the word as a directing method that should not be used. That is why I like the name even more. In order to stand against the absurd disaster of the end, there must also be an absurd being on this side.”
Oliver was silent.
“But there’s another reason I like the name Deus Ex Machina. Can you guess?”
“no.”
“It literally means ‘a god who came down to the stage by a machine’ or ‘a god by a machine.’ A god created by human hands······. Isn’t it cool?”
At that moment, Roderick glowed with intense emotion.
It was anger and resentment at injustice, the will to live, and a longing and desire for something higher.
Oliver read into Roderick’s mind what he truly wanted amid the flashes of complex emotion.
“Do you want to control God?”
“I see a god who wants to destroy the world because he doesn’t like it, so this doesn’t seem like a bad thing······. Do you think it’s possible?”
“Well, to be honest, I think it’s impossible.”
Oliver answered based on the God he had encountered in the scriptures.
He was not a being that could be created that way.
“Huh, you’re a very religious black magician. Seeing you like that, that question suddenly comes to mind.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When you asked about Boniface’s well-being at the top of the tower.”
Boniface. The knight who intercepted Oliver at Wineham.
Oliver still remembered him.
That makes sense, since it flew using the wings made of light on its back.
He has quite a unique appearance. Perhaps because of this, some people, fascinated by his splendid appearance, call him an angel, the son of an angel, or a savior.
Oliver was just described as a winged man.
Because he was really just a guy with wings on his back.
What should I say? No matter how colorful the feathers are, a crow is still a crow.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was ignoring him. On the contrary, Oliver had quite a high opinion of him.
He displayed amazing powers, such as flying through the sky and easily destroying complex spells that mixed magic and black magic.
But that wasn’t why Oliver still remembered him.
It was because of an embarrassing memory.
Memories of being consumed by anger and beating him indiscriminately, ultimately harming people who had nothing to do with it.
Oliver remembered that moment.
When Boniface kicked him over the wall, then grabbed him from behind and kneed his spine, then ripped off his wings of light and sent him flying far away, mercilessly striking him with his fists until the building collapsed, finally crushing his eyes like grapes.
Just to cause pain.
Then he came face to face with a family that was trembling in fear because of him.
‘······.’
They were all shabby and wearing clothes that didn’t fit their bodies.
You can tell at a glance that they live from hand to mouth.
Oliver had invaded their territory in a fit of rage, and at that moment, Oliver felt ashamed.
Because I have seen firsthand what harm my spontaneous anger can do to others.
“Are you still curious? Boniface.”
“······How are you?”
“I’m not doing well. Because I’m dead.”
“······How did you pass away?”
“He died because the wounds he received at Wineham never healed.”
Oliver countered.
“Can’t it be cured by the Holy Spirit?”
“Of course I tried it. The problem is that it didn’t work at all.”
“Is that… possible?”
“I wonder too. In fact, Boniface shouldn’t have been hurt like that.”
“······?”
“He is the first successful deus ex machina.”
“Son of an angel…is this what you mean?”
“Yes. He was almost successful, almost officially proclaimed the Son of God.”
“I don’t quite understand. Was he really the son of an angel?”
“Don’t you think so?”
“Honestly, he was a great person, but he was still human.”
A statement that directly denies Roderick’s efforts.
However, Roderick smiled instead. As if he had heard the answer he had been waiting for.
“That is true. He is a human. However, the reason he is called the son of an angel is because he succeeded in drinking the holy water, and the holy blood at that.”
“If it’s Seongsu-”
“-The holy water I am talking about is not the replica sold in the temple, but the holy water made by angels for the Pater religion.”
“An angel?”
“Ah, I don’t know. Actually, the Holy Law is not something that God gave. To be exact, it is a power that God gave through an angel. Through the most holy angel that God cherishes the most.”
Oliver’s eyes lit up at the unexpected information.
“It’s a legend handed down in Paterism. God sent his most beloved son down to rule the heavens, and that son blessed a pond. That’s the holy water, and it’s where the Seonghwang Hall is now. All the knights obtain the holy law by drinking that water.”
“The holy water to become a son of an angel······.”
“It refers to holy water blessed by an angel and a drop of one’s own blood added to it. It is a treasure among treasures that the religious order has secretly managed.”
Oliver was confused by the flood of new information, but one thing was certain.
“Can you tell me that?”
That’s right. What Roderick just said was a story that most people didn’t know, and it was a secret that shouldn’t be easily revealed.
If she told Oliver that secret, it meant there was a reason for it.
The problem was that Oliver didn’t want that.
Roderick opened his mouth.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. That Boniface, who had consumed the Holy Blood, had been affected.”
“······.”
“I made a huge sacrifice. To create Bonifa. A sacrifice that would not have been possible unless there were special circumstances such as the end. After creating it, there were some results, although not as much as expected. And yet, such a being was defeated by a mere troubleshooter from a small town.”
“······.”
“But what I don’t understand even more is that the wounds you left behind were not healed at all. Not only with the general holy method, but also with intensive treatment using holy water and even exorcisms. Because of this, some people even said that you were really a devil or a pagan god. Even I thought so.”
“Is that so?”
“Because wherever you went, fingers were broken and the end was advanced one step at a time.”
“It’s a coincidence.”
“When coincidences keep happening, it’s called fate. Especially if it creates a lot of followers. In the past hundreds of years, there has only been one such person. The Pied Piper.”
Roderick paused for a moment, then continued.
“Come to think of it, you fought the Pied Piper and survived, right?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Isn’t it just a coincidence that Boniface absorbed the Holy Blood? To summon someone to this place?”
Gugugugugugugugugu······.
As Roderick finished speaking, a subtle vibration of unknown origin began to resonate throughout the room.
Oliver looked at Roderick without saying a word, and Roderick looked at Oliver without saying a word.
As if they were questioning each other.
As the long silence continued, just as someone was about to break it, someone from outside opened the door and came in.
“father.”
It was Pandora.
Her sudden appearance caused the unknown energy that had been weighing on him to subside, and Oliver turned his head towards her.
Pandora paused for a moment when she saw Oliver’s face, but soon pulled herself together and explained why she had come.
“I have something to tell you. Someone just came. A man playing a pipe has passed through the small town where my father was staying. He is leading at least a hundred children. He is said to be heading towards Gallus.”
