Episode 96
The Barzai cult’s promise of ‘safety from monsters’ was not enough to entice the Hebron fiefdom, nor was it enough to lure the capital and the major cities like the Duke of Breio.
“That’s good. Tell them to come right away.”
The priest of Brecha reached out and felt for the teacup. He touched the handle with his fingertips, then lifted the cup with both hands and drank the tea.
‘Good.’
Yuria liked Hebron tea. I had made it specially for her by blending several tea leaves, and she sipped it slowly, savoring the aroma.
Unfortunately, there were few people around me who knew how to properly enjoy tea. Even Gaius, who was of royal birth, and the former high priest Raphael regarded tea ceremony as a hobby of the nobles who liked to show off.
Yuria acted quite naturally, as if she had gotten used to her disability.
“I think you need the Samryunan more than I do.”
If I were Brecha, I would have given the three-wheeled sword to the devout Yuria.
“If you don’t mind, may I check?”
“Can you just show me? That alone will be enough to determine its authenticity?”
Yuria carefully put down her teacup and lifted her slender fingers to feel the air.
“If you allow me, I will touch it carefully.”
Wince!
I took Yuria’s hand and placed it on my forehead. At the same time, I opened my trident.
I looked at Yuria. I saw her magic, and I looked at things that I couldn’t see with my eyes. I looked straight into the divine energy that was crouching inside her.
‘Is this Brecha’s divine power? It’s quite concentrated for a single priest.’
I examined the divine power that was gathered or flowing within Yuria’s body, and then looked into her eyes. There was no trace of mana rods around her eyes, as if they had never existed in the first place. This meant that she was born with a congenital visual impairment.
‘If I forcefully open the mana road there, will my eyes open?’
It was something I had never tried before. The eyes were close to the brain and were easily sensitive to pain. I had no idea what would happen if I touched them wrong.
I wondered if it was worth taking such a risk.
‘I will never see the world with my eyes suddenly wide open, as if a mana road is connected to my eyes that have not been able to do their job for a lifetime. If that were possible, I could cut off someone else’s leg and attach it to Sir Ambrod.’
While I was examining Yuria, she touched my forehead. Even if I touched it with my finger, the triangular eyes would not close on their own. That was because they were not real eyes, but a temporary magical phenomenon.
Gulp.
Yuria shed tears.
Her empty eyes were moist, and tears welled up in streams.
‘Even if you can’t see, you can still shed tears.’
It was a world where there was no need to encounter disabled people. Those born with disabilities were abandoned in the fields. The nobles were burdened by the reputation that their children were cursed, and the commoners could not afford to raise disabled people. To parents, children were not objects to be cared for, but potential workers.
“It might be different from what you expected. This three-wheeled sword is a monster called Medusa… … .”
I kept my mouth shut. I nodded and the guard opened the door to the reception room, and beyond it stood the priest of Barzai.
As the priest bowed and entered the office, Yuria took a step back and bowed deeply. She said to me,
“Hello, His Holiness the Pope.”
“How ignorant. On what basis do you call me the Pope?”
“I saw it.”
“With those eyes?”
“The priest of Brecha lives with another eye.”
“But it doesn’t look like that?”
“It is a humble ability that cannot be compared to that of His Holiness the Pope.”
A faint light emanated from Yuria’s arms. It was a change that could only be seen with the eyes of the beholder. The divine power dispersed into the air, giving off a warm feeling.
“With that ability, you were sure that my trident was Brecha’s evidence?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yuria was convinced that the ability she gained by defeating Medusia was the three-wheeled eye symbolizing Brecha. Judging from the fact that she visited as a representative of the Brecha Church, she seemed to be the most skilled in this field.
‘There is no reason to refuse since it is an ability recognized by the Brechak priests. I will make the most of the opportunity given to me.’
It was a world where I had to make full use of the rights and abilities I had been given in order to survive. If the contents of
“That’s true, but what do you think?”
The man standing in front of the door looked inside the office and looked at me with a start. He had intended to lure me into building a temple for Barzai in Hebron. But seeing me ascend to the throne as the Pope of the Brechas, it was only natural that he would be unhappy.
“Thank you, Reverend.”
He chuckled. The only person who could use the title of Pope in official settings was the ‘Harjan Pope’. This was because the Zenon royal family had designated Harjanism as the state religion.
Besides, the head of the religious order was called Archbishop, not Pope. The head of a religious order with less power was called a cult leader. That’s why that bastard ignored me and called me a cult leader.
I threw the paper I had left on the table to the priest.
“Hebron News will be distributed tomorrow.”
The priest’s expression distorted as he picked up the paper that had fallen to the floor. The front page of the newsletter had a big article about ‘Barzai’.
Although Barzai was known as the god of battle and victory, it is recorded in the Splendid Constellations that he was also the god of curses.
The priest’s hands were trembling as he held the newsletter.
“… … It is blasphemy.”
“What part of it is blasphemous? I am the one who wrote that article. Am I blaspheming? I just quoted a passage from
“His Majesty Barzai sent a personal letter to Hebron.”
The priest took a letter out of his bosom and handed it to me.
I just glanced at it without unfolding it.
“I heard the news. Barzai came down in human form.”
“Yes.”
The Barzai priest was expressionless, but his claims were most likely false. I was convinced that Barzai was a bad religion that used all sorts of bluffs and empty boasts to lure the ignorant people.
“Yuria, what do you think?”
Yuria, who had been blankly looking at me until then, shivered slightly. She had a blank expression on her face, and I really liked that defenseless reaction.
Yuria’s face turned red.
It was the appearance of a twenty-year-old Yuria, not a priest.
“Oh, why do you ask me about Barzai?”
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“Do I look like the incarnation of Brecha to you?”
Yuria’s expression changed.
She said, sitting up straight and turning her upper body towards me.
“The Pope of Brezza is like Brezza. Brezza is enshrined in the trident.”
“That is what they say. The lord of Hebron is the incarnation of God. What if another god is brought in and a war breaks out between the gods?”
It was like telling me to stop messing around and get lost.
It was also a declaration of war to destroy the Barzai religion if necessary.
Although the Barzai cult had recently become stronger, it was still a bubble of power that had been gained in an instant. I was confident that I could destroy it with just a few manipulations of information and a surprise attack.
“I will convey your wishes to His Holiness the Pope.”
The priest bowed his head to me.
That attitude was incredibly presumptuous.
It was unacceptable that a commoner who had just become a priest would show murderous intent toward me.
Snap!
I grabbed the wrist of an unknown priest and injected my aura into him. It was a special aura with the properties of fire and darkness.
Even though he had only pushed in a small amount, the priest became thoughtful.
“Ugh! What, what are you doing?”
“What have you done? You dare to unleash your divine powers in front of the Count without permission. Do I look like a patient to you who needs to be cured? Or are you trying to curse me with the power of Barzai?”
“I, I have never done anything like that!”
“I can see it. Haven’t you heard that I am the incarnation of Brecha?”
I opened the Samryunan. The face of the priest trembling in fear came into view. He was dying. However, I was afraid of becoming a burden to the religious order I belonged to, so I could not raise my divine power.
“That, that! I feel wronged!”
“I will deal with you immediately. I will take away your divine power.”
“Khuuuuuuuuuu!”
He placed his left hand on the priest’s heart.
Although he couldn’t use magic, he could use a small amount of aura to emit at a moment’s notice.
It was an excessive action against the priest Aesong, but it was the perfect response to serve as a warning to the Barzai cult.
“Hey, listen!”
“insect!”
“This priest tried to curse me. Take this guy to the Barzai cult and tell them what I want. If he tries to do this again, I will cut off the head of the Barzai cult leader.”
“insect!”
I could hear a thin breathing sound. It sounded like the breathing of a frightened deer.
As I put away the tricycle, fatigue washed over me. As I rinsed my mouth with the cold tea, my eyes closed on their own.
I leaned back on the sofa and asked Yuria.
“What is your status in the Brechak Church?”
“I am a priest.”
“How many high priests are there?”
“There are three.”
“It’s nothing special.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Yuria’s answer sounded confident. She reminded me that the responsibility for the poor church had been transferred to me.
“How many people are there in total?”
“There are three high priests, 13 priests, and 44 believers.”
“Can that even be called a religion?”
Yuria just blushed and didn’t answer.
It was a ridiculous sect with only 3 out of 60 people being high priests. It was questionable whether the high priests had the ability to be worthy of their position.
“From today, you too will be a high priest. You will be my personal servant. Your role will be to convey my will to the believers and priests. I will assign someone to you, so receive his help.”
“Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry.”
I called Amy urgently.
Amy came into the office, alert as usual. It was because her workload had increased every time I called her.
“
“… … I haven’t made the next newsletter yet.”
“I will fix it tomorrow.”
“It’s all printed and ready to be distributed early tomorrow morning. I’ve also sent 500 copies to Zielson.”
“Collect it. No, just write another one and put it in. That will save you a lot of trouble.”
Amy let out a deep sigh.
Still, the response was that they could do that much.
“What should I attach, Your Majesty?”
“The Lord of Hebron has been crowned Pope of Brezza.”
“… … Who, where, what happened?”
“His Majesty the Viscount Louis de Hebron is now the Pope of Brecha.”
Yuria introduced me again politely, and I nodded with a satisfied expression. However, Amy was not quick to accept the formal introduction between me and Yuria.
“What is this woman saying now?”
Amy obviously understood what I said. It was a bad habit of hers to pretend not to understand when she did.
Instead of answering Amy’s question, I gave her more work to do.
“We must build a Brecha temple in the middle of Hebron. If we are going to do it, we must make it very big.”
“Are you serious?”
He opened the tricycle for the suspicious Amy.
Since I was already tired, I quickly glanced at Amy and immediately closed the tricycle.
