Heinrich (1)
“Go through.”
“Thank you. Then, take care!”
Heinrich greeted the guards outside the capital city walls and entered.
Thanks to Heinz preparing the necessary items in advance, I was able to enter without any problems.
‘Actually, I’m a bit skeptical as to whether it’s really okay to come in here…’
Since we were encountering true vampires so casually near the capital, trust was bound to fall.
‘But in the Kingdom of Thalia, the only temple of the Lord’s Church is here. There are temples and prayer halls everywhere, but…’
If you were aspiring to be a priest or a templar, it would have been fine to just go to a suitable temple, but to become a paladin, a special class, you needed to come to a temple.
It takes too much time to travel to temples in other countries.
Because I wasn’t sure that the method I had in mind would definitely work.
‘Let’s try it quickly first, and if it doesn’t work, we should find another way.’
Since the death cooldown of the “Avatar” has ended and it is now possible to create a new entity, I can leave the affairs of Earth to them.
An environment was created in which Heinrich could devote himself to this.
I went to the temple of the religious order that had given me directions.
A large temple on the outskirts of the capital.
This was where the great first step of the Paladin Heinrich would begin!
***
‘There was a time when I thought that way···.’
It wasn’t difficult to join the Shincheonji Church.
He went to the temple and donated a huge amount of money, saying it was all his wealth, and expressed his desire to become a knight.
A month like that.
I became a trainee and am receiving training as a Templar at a training facility outside the temple.
“Hey, Heinrich! Training is over for today. How about a drink?”
“Oh, Max. Sorry, I can’t do this for a while. I have exams coming up soon.”
“You always work hard. You said you wanted to become a knight, right? Try hard. If you do well, don’t forget about me.”
Soon Max laughed heartily, waved his hand, and disappeared.
I looked at his back, sighed, and walked towards the temple library.
From combat training to studying, there were more than a few things to learn.
‘Well, becoming a knight isn’t that easy.’
Aren’t knights a quasi-noble class in the first place?
The paladins were not much different.
It was even harder for me because I wasn’t a believer to begin with.
In order for me to become a paladin, I had to first meet the basic requirements, become an official paladin, and then be recommended and selected as a candidate for the knighthood.
I didn’t know anything about the rites and doctrines of the Catholic Church, as well as its history and hymns, so I had a headache from studying at such an untimely pace.
The standards for becoming a paladin weren’t that high, but I had to think about what came after that.
‘Still, even putting aside doctrines, it’s beneficial enough just to be able to learn combat skills professionally. Once you learn it, it’ll be helpful for a long time later.’
Like before, you can’t always rely on a different avatar every time something happens.
Basic combat skills were absolutely necessary, even if it meant that the situation did not allow for them.
Heinrich also had an advantage in acquiring combat skills thanks to “Mugol”.
‘···Before that, let’s start with studying the doctrine···.’
***
One day, while I was immersed in my training and studies, I suddenly felt the temple become noisy.
“What’s happening all of a sudden?”
After finishing the autonomous training and heading to the temple entrance, Max was found among the crowd of people gathered there, noisily.
“Max, you’re unusually noisy today. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Do you know something?”
“Oh, Heinrich! You’re at the right time! The Archbishop and the Paladin are here now!”
Looking in the direction he was pointing, I saw a group of people entering the temple.
But there was a familiar face at the head of that group.
You don’t know me.
‘···Who is that person?’
A middle-aged knight wearing pure white armor with the symbol of the Lord’s Church engraved on it.
He was the one who led the knights and cornered Hans.
Come to think of it, some of the knights following him looked familiar.
“Archbishop Latius and Paladin Tuskin are from the main temple! They must have come back after leading the Templars and the Holy Knights of our temple on a mission.”
‘···I think I know what that mission is.’
It must have been to catch Hans.
But it’s been over two months since he clashed with the church, and he’s only just now returning…
‘Have you been chasing Hans all this time?’
After that day, Hans was summoned from Outerica only occasionally.
To move the treasures of subspace to Earth.
Once the summons was lifted, there would have been no way to track him down, but his obsession was truly terrifying.
“I heard that the senior knights I followed have returned. Should I go say hello?”
I followed Max to get some information, but I couldn’t meet them.
After a long journey, they were exhausted and needed time to rest, and perhaps for security reasons, they were not allowed to meet.
But my regrets were short-lived…
The next day, the senior paladin gathered the trainees and made a declaration.
“There will soon be a baptism ceremony for those who have passed the standards among the trainees.”
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Groan, groan—
“Quiet, quiet! I know it’s still early, but it’s a matter that has been decided from above. They’re planning to select trainee priests from among the monks as well as you, so continue to work hard during the remaining time.”
As the senior paladin who had called for disbandment disappeared from his position, the trainees began to murmur and converse among themselves again.
“There are still a few months left until the baptism. We wish we could become full-fledged holy men quickly, but why so suddenly?”
“It must be a burden to shorten the original schedule like this. Is there a reason?”
“···Is there a need to suddenly increase power···?”
Yeah, the schedule wouldn’t have suddenly changed for no reason.
It might have something to do with the punitive force that returned yesterday.
‘Anyway, it’s an opportunity for me to save time.’
In this temple of Thalia, a new paladin is selected once every six months through a baptism ceremony.
So originally it was supposed to take two more months, but the situation suddenly changed.
‘Through the baptism ritual, all the mana in the body is converted into divine power… That is the first step as a holy warrior.’
If you do as you have been doing so far, becoming a paladin won’t be that difficult.
So I continued training as I had been doing until now.
I was able to proudly take my place in the baptism ceremony without any of my previous efforts being in vain.
***
“It must have been a difficult request, but I appreciate your willingness to accept it, Bishop Cromville.”
“No, Archbishop Latius. Isn’t this all necessary for our church? And it’s also good for our diocese of Thalia.”
Just before the baptism ceremony begins.
Archbishop Latius, who leads the expedition to punish the Immortal King, was talking with Bishop Cromville, the head of the diocese that encompassed the entire Kingdom of Thalia.
“The vampires’ power was more deeply entrenched in the kingdom than we had thought. That’s why the search and rescue force suffered greater damage.”
“···I am sorry. As the person in charge of the Thalia Parish, I should have taken action in advance···.”
“No, how can that be Bishop Cromville’s fault alone? It’s the fault of the parish for not taking care of everything in advance. I will do my best to increase support for the diocese in the future.”
“Thank you for your concern, Archbishop.”
The influence of the Lord’s Church was not great in the Kingdom of Thalia, a small country on the outskirts, from the beginning.
There is only one temple in the capital, which the kingdom seems to have reluctantly permitted.
The number of clergy deployed throughout the country barely exceeded the minimum standard.
“In order to fill the power vacuum that has occurred this time, to keep the vampires in check, and to continue to pursue the descendants of the Immortal King, it is essential to strengthen the power of the sect. Now that we have finished talking with the Kingdom of Thalia, things will be a little easier from now on.”
There was some political coercion along the way, but it was inevitable.
There was strong opposition to the vampires’ involvement in politics, but the will of the Shinsin Church, which put forward a just cause, could not be opposed.
“It’s time to begin the baptism ceremony. I will also help out as scheduled.”
“···There is no need for the Archbishop to step forward personally. If there is help from the priests of the punitive force, there will be no major problems in performing the ceremony.”
The reason why the baptism ceremony is held periodically for a set period of time.
In order to conduct the ceremony smoothly, priests higher than the high priest were needed, and it was a great burden for them as well.
If they had acted indiscriminately, all the high-ranking clergy would have collapsed and there would have been no one left.
“I’m ashamed to say, but it’s been over two months since I failed to track down the descendants of the Immortal King. I haven’t had much to do during that time, so I hope this little bit can be of some help.”
“···If you really want to say that, then please do so. It will be of great help to the consciousness.”
As they walked along, talking, they soon arrived at a large chapel.
The place was bustling with people being baptized and priests preparing for the ceremony.
“Ah! Archbishop Latius, Bishop Cromville. You are here. The ceremony is all ready. We can begin at any time.”
One of the high priests in charge of the proceedings noticed them, approached them, and said:
Latius nodded and climbed up onto the podium of the chapel.
There, he gathered his hands together and prayed to God, under the gaze of hundreds of people.
“Lord, the children who want to follow your example have gathered here to follow your will. ······Please give them your warm hand and grace, and I pray that your grace will be with your children. [Sanctuary of Blessing]”
After about a minute of prayer, a silvery glow along with immense divine power emanated from his entire body, engulfing the entire chapel.
The softly lit interior created a sacred atmosphere that seemed to bless everyone inside.
As everyone was admiring him, Bishop Cromville, who had been standing next to the praying archbishop, stepped forward.
“The baptism ceremony will now begin. Come out and perform the ceremony one by one.”
Even though he spoke softly, his voice resonated throughout the space, awakening everyone’s senses, and soon the full-scale ceremony began.
A dozen or so high priests lined up in front of the podium.
Guided by the priest assisting the ritual, those who were present came forward one by one and knelt before them.
“What is your name?”
“This is Theron.”
“Lord, there is one here who wishes to be held in your arms and become the light of the world. ······So I ask that I may follow your will and become a guide for those who are lost. Please grant me this. Theron, do you swear to serve the Lord?”
“I swear.”
“Then pray to the Lord. God will answer your faith.”
The high priests placed their hands on the heads of those who knelt before them and offered prayers, and performed the rite of baptism.
The divine power that poured in ceaselessly through those hands dyed the body of the person praying.
And the Archbishop’s [Sanctuary of Blessing] assisted in the process, reducing the burden on those undergoing baptism.
A baptism ceremony performed simultaneously for about ten people.
As time passed, those who had been baptized began to emit a faint divine power, one by one.
The process of creating a channel through which one can receive the power of the gods, instead of dedicating all of one’s mana to the gods and becoming a body that can never handle magic again.
Those who completed the ritual staggered as they were unable to adapt to the sudden change, and were supported by the priests assisting the ritual as they moved to their seats.
After a brief period of adjustment, they will become excellent members of the church.
Bishop Cromville looked around the chapel where the ceremony was in full swing.
The divine power radiating from those who had just been baptized was quite something.
He can barely be called a trainee priest.
There are cases where people gain divine powers equivalent to that of a priest immediately after being baptized, but such cases are extremely rare.
‘I will continue to grow through prayer and spiritual cultivation in the future. As I cultivate my faith in God and my spiritual strength, my divine power will become stronger.’
As he watched the ceremony, he looked with awe at Archbishop Latius, who was performing the rite on the podium, and then offered a prayer to God.
As a person responsible for the parish, he could not help with the sudden ceremony, but seeing the archbishop, it seemed like it was an unnecessary worry from the beginning.
···The moment the consciousness continued to progress like that.
“hmm?”
Bishop Cromville suddenly felt a divine power and turned his gaze to one side.
Archbishop Latius, who had been keeping his eyes closed on the podium and maintaining the sacrament, also opened his eyes and looked at the place.
Hwaak—
One who has just been baptized and is radiating divine power.
Their appearance was not much different from those before them, but there was one clear difference.
“Huh, you must have just been baptized…. With that much divine power? You must be a high priest.”
A level between a regular priest and a high priest performing a ritual.
It was the divine power that Heinrich, who had just been baptized, had.
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