6. Proof of Existence (59)
On the mid-side of Ciendel Mountain, there was a wide open area.
It was a cliff that was said to have been cut down by a heavenly god long ago. The steep slope, which made more than half of the mountain flat, made me think that it was artificially touched.
A great plain on top of a mountain that can accommodate tens of thousands of people.
In front of it, a number of steps were divided, as if to prove the majesty of a god. The lowest stair was spacious and comfortable, the higher stair was narrow and uncomfortable, and there was barely room for one person to stand on the highest stair.
It was the judge’s seat.
One by one, the owners of the seats, who were given the divine authority to determine good and evil, true and superior, beauty and ugliness, on behalf of the heavenly gods, were entering.
A total of 12 people sat on the lowest level.
All of them were prestigious figures in the civilian world, and they were evaluated as the most religious in the Holy Land. It was a selection of people that included not only local dignitaries and central magnates, but also those who did good deeds alone in remote places.
The ‘jury’, when they unanimously decide guilt or innocence, the priest judges the gravity of the crime.
On the second highest level were three priests.
They were priests, each representing knowledge, charity, and judgment. They play the role of actually leading the trial, and induce a balanced judgment according to what each symbolizes.
The priest of mercy defends the sinner, and the priest of judgment interrogates the sinner.
In addition, the priest of knowledge would arbitrate between the two priests according to the tenets of the Protestant Church.
Finally, an old man stood on the top of the stairs, overlooking the entire trial process.
The crowd filling the empty lot looked up to the old man with whispers. The face looking down at the ground with his hands behind his back had the opposite aspects of benevolence and dignity at the same time.
It was ‘The Pope’.
It meant that today’s trial had an important meaning to the extent that a priest in the highest position in the kingdom would appear.
How could it be otherwise?
In front of the sheer cliff, a woman with heavenly beauty was kneeling on a small circular rock rising up.
It was a yard where the dust of the dry mountain was collected from the front with both hands restrained. Although she deserved to look haggard after being imprisoned in prison, her beauty could not be hidden.
She was a ‘saint’, the maiden whom the heavenly god loved the most.
The pale pink eyes looking up at the sky were particularly rebellious. Even so, the pope just looked down at the sinner’s face in silence.
Complex emotions flashed across the old priest’s face. Not too long ago, we sat at a round table and exchanged opinions, but I never thought this would happen in just a few weeks.
The Pope muttered to himself, closing his eyes tightly.
Emmanuel, please lead us on the right path.
Soon the solemn declaration began to ring out.
“All members of the jury are seated!”
“Knowledge, I am ready.”
“Darling, I am ready.”
“Referee, I’m ready.”
As the solid voices continued one by one, the noise made by the crowd quieted down.
The sight of tens of thousands of people looking up at the sky in silence was even grandiose.
The pope’s eyes moved slightly behind his back. The top of the mountain was located there.
Several shadows formed on the old priest’s retina. The elders of the holy kingdom came to observe the trial.
From Patriarch Eindel to the true powerhouses behind the scenes of the Holy Kingdom.
The pinnacle was the boy in the center.
Dressed in neat priestly clothes, he looked only to be in his mid-to-late teens. But even the presbyters did not dare to stand next to it.
It was worth it.
The pinnacle of all martial artists, a master who has symbolized the might of the kingdom for hundreds of years.
‘Saint’ was a title that existed just for that boy.
He was the only one in the Holy Land who had the authority to look down on the pope.
Although the saint seemed to have little interest in the trial, he closed his eyes and put his hands together.
It was after all the actors were already on the stage.
There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
The pope’s weighty proclamation resounded in the Court on the Mount.
“Praise the heavenly Arus, who is the light, the truth, and our Lord! Before him we swear that we will render a just judgment, without a handful of prejudice or falsehood. Is there anyone who will follow this will!”
“Immanuel!”
The sound of thousands of people shouting in unison shakes the mountainside.
Even with that oath, the saintess only kept her cynicism.
A handful of prejudices and lies? A fair judgment?
It was bullshit. The jury, the priests, and even the pope were clowns dancing according to poor scripts.
The ending has already been decided.
The saintess today becomes a traitor to humanity and is crucified. And the Vatican will shed tears, saying justice has been done, and the crowd will cheer as they see the downfall of a noble being.
He wasn’t even angry anymore.
An ugly nature, a false faith, and an unreasonable trial.
The world has been like this since the beginning. Wasn’t the saintess also aware of it?
“Is there anyone who can recite the guilt of that poor sinner?”
“Faithful servant of the Celestials, the referee dares to ask for a voice.”
A priest wearing a gray priestly uniform and a mask shaped like a bird’s beak lowered his head and shouted. It seemed like a low-key proposal, but the voice reverberated through the vacant lot so that no one could not hear it.
“Discuss.”
“The sinner received the name of a saint through the grace of the heavenly gods. However, he dared to betray his righteousness and took over the orphanage under the pretext of serving the weak and sacrificed the orphaned children! In addition, the closest aide to the criminal who led this was a priest of the Dark Church, and it is clear that the terrible object made by sacrificing an orphan was misappropriated by the criminal.”
The more the priest of judgment continued to speak, the louder the crowd murmured. Some of them were looking at the saintess with disbelief eyes, mocking eyes as if they knew it, or filled with disgust.
‘Look at that, priests are all the same. They are an unbelievable family.’
The saintess tried to escape from the accusations she heard with her eyes closed.
“Are you certain of the certificate?”
“Yes, it is clear beyond any doubt. The number of orphans sacrificed so far is in the hundreds!”
The index finger in the white glove pointed at the saintess. Soon, the bird’s beak-shaped mask trembled and a roar erupted.
“He is a sinner who deserves to die! Let’s soothe the souls of the children who were sacrificed by hanging them on crosses!”
The crowd responded to the cries, whose intent was clear enough to incite.
“Kill, kill!”
“Traitor of humanity, you tricked us!”
“Crucify him, burn the corpse in flames and hang it on the boulevard!”
It must be the sound of the wind chimes mixing it up.
But it wouldn’t take long for that cry to become sincere. A crowd is an amorphous being that rides the flow, and once it starts flowing, it cannot be stopped.
The saintess calmed down her trembling breath with a hoo.
The resolution has already ended. Yes, I would have been prepared.
The beating heart stiffened the saintess’s body. The body that was about to die was trembling and begging the saintess.
try to do something
i don’t want to die
However, there was no way to live. If so, I would rather not die with an ugly look.
It was then that a solemn voice resounded halfway up the mountain.
“… … stop!”
At one word from the pope, the crowd’s murmur subsided again.
The old priest looked down at another priest with cold eyes. It was a priest wearing a pure white robe and a flat, round mask.
“Does charity have anything to say?”
“The sinner, as a saint, has contributed greatly to the Holy Kingdom. Although the intention may be questionable, it cannot be denied that many sick people have regained their lives through the hands of sinners. Also, if the sinner has signed a contract with the Dark Church, there is a point where it becomes difficult to explain his actions.”
It was a smooth but unobstructed argument.
The priest of mercy continued to speak in the silence of the crowd.
“As you know, the saintess has blocked countless plans of the Dark Church along with the divinity of the empire. If we had a cooperative relationship with the Dark Church, why would we need to?”
“It was for the sake of standing in the Holy Land!”
The Priest of Judgment didn’t even get the right to speak and spat out a sharp objection.
“In fact, most of its activities were made by sacrificing a product of the Dark Church called ‘Blood Spirit’. As a result, the support base and political position of the saintess were also solidified! If they could lead the political situation of the Holy Nation, the Dark Church would have been willing to sacrifice a few small plans.”
“This is still an issue that needs to be investigated. In addition, the death penalty is an irreversible punishment that no one can turn back!”
The Priest of Mercy also shouted with strength in response.
“Extreme punishment is too much! Wouldn’t it be a matter to wait for at least a few months?”
“What an innocent sound!”
Of course, the Priest of Judgment was not at ease either. He continued along the river bank with a bloodstain around his neck.
“The Dark Church has already spread all over the continent! What would you do if something happened during those few months and the sinner was stolen? There is even considerable evidence already convincing!”
“But the dead do not come back alive!”
“That’s why it’s even more necessary to sentence him to death… Because hundreds of lives have already been sacrificed at the hands of that criminal!”
It was around this time that the dispute between the two priests had reached its limit.
A roar that erupted from somewhere quieted the voices of the two priests.
“now stop!”
It was the Pope again. He quietly looked down at the two priests who were silent, then turned his eyes to the last one.
It was a priest wearing a sun-shaped mask.
“What is the meaning of knowledge?”
“The crime of betraying humanity is at least punishable by death. There are no exceptions to this.”
With a calm tone, the priest wearing the mask of the sun looked down.
There were twelve jurors whispering to each other.
“If you are convicted, you cannot escape the death penalty. However, considering the circumstances, I believe that a more humane death sentence could be imposed.”
Ultimately, that meant leaving it up to the jury to decide.
If the jury decides guilt or innocence, the priests decide the sentence. However, since the sin of betraying mankind had no choice but to pay with death, there was no question of the gravity of the sin.
unconditional death penalty.
A deep moan escaped from her mouth. The conclusion was something he already knew.
The mood of the crowd was unusual, and so was the jury.
The betrayal of the Dark Church was a major incident.
The crowd became uneasy and developed a strong distrust of the clergy, which would have a long-term effect on the leadership of the Curia.
Someone needs a scapegoat.
Everyone instinctively realized this. And the appetizing prey is right in front of you.
Will I be able to stand it?
Leaving these questions of benevolence behind, the pope asked the saintess with a heartless look.
“Does the sinner have anything to say?”
Then, the expectant eyes of the crowd all turned to the saintess.
humans are a bunch of fools
And that includes you