121 – Denial and Resolution (3)
The lofty heavens.
In the sacred place reserved only for angels, the leader of all angels and the most powerful angel, Archangel Michael, was quietly praying to their god, Deus.
Being an angel, it was not unusual for them to pray. After all, they were merely creations of Deus.
No, rather, angels had an even greater need to pray than humans.
Since the moment their god, Deus, had left them.
Why, exactly?
Michael still couldn’t understand.
In the place where the throne of their god used to be, there was now a statue in place of the throne, and Michael, who had always conveyed the voice of their god to the angels, could no longer deliver the voice of their god to them.
It was a story that had been around for quite some time. It happened before the war between heaven and hell even began.
Had their god become disappointed in them and left? If so, in what way had they disappointed their god?
Michael, with his limited knowledge, could not fathom why their god had abandoned them.
But even though he couldn’t understand, he dared not harbor any blasphemous doubts towards their god.
He simply believed that they had done something wrong. And so, every day since their god disappeared, he had been praying to Deus in the prayer room.
Surely, today was no different. There were no significant changes in the serene heavens. He simply prayed while looking at their departed god.
He thought that the static routine that followed after his prayers would once again embrace him.
That’s what he thought.
“Listen.”
A very faint voice, the voice of his god, reached his ears.
“…Deus.”
Was it because of the long absence of many years? Michael opened his eyes wide and looked at the statue in front of the prayer room.
The statue was surrounded by a brilliant radiance.
“The time we have been waiting for has finally come.”
The time they had been waiting for. What could those words possibly mean? To the ignorant Michael, it was an incomprehensible statement.
“The false time has ended, and the true time has finally begun.”
“What do you mean by the false time?”
“My dearest son, Michael.”
But his god did not answer his question and instead spoke.
“Set the human world ablaze.”
“Ablaze… you mean with fire?”
“Yes. Ignite a blazing flame, and throw everything that is impure into it.”
Impure things. Something came to mind.
His sister, Ishtar.
“If I may, what should I do with my sister, Ishtar?”
“There are no exceptions. Fulfill your duty. Then, everything will be resolved in due course.”
There are no exceptions. That meant he was to throw his sister into the flames.
The divine revelation ended there. The statue that had been divine no longer exuded any divinity.
A very long, endless wait had come to an end. To the lost lamb, his creation had shown him the way.
And so, he had no choice but to follow. For him, the will of his god was absolute.
**Chapter 1: The Decision**
However, it was not an easy decision to make. To throw Ishtar into the holy fire ultimately meant being hostile to Ishtar.
Her power is formidable. After all, she has lived for such a long time. Acting hostile prematurely would shatter the grand framework of the empire that had been painstakingly built.
So, what should be done? It’s not feasible to send other celestial angels down to the earth. No matter how important the will of the gods may be, there are not many angels who can cross the barrier between worlds.
The moment they cross from the heavens to the human realm, their power significantly diminishes. Just like how the power of a demon diminishes when it appears in the human realm.
It was their god’s ordained law.
However, it was precisely this law that held them back.
In other words, hastily attempting to capture Ishtar would likely lead to defeat.
So, what should be done instead?
For now, the focus should be on putting pressure on her contractee. Ishtar has never shown favor towards anyone, so her composure should be shaken.
“Sigh…”
Michael let out a sigh. It felt incredibly difficult to fulfill their god’s wishes.
To throw all the evil of the human realm into the holy fire. That essentially meant a war.
Hidden demons, wrongdoers, wicked beings, monsters…
Countless wars would have to be waged. The human realm would be engulfed in a flash.
And the demons wouldn’t sit idly by. They would resist as much as possible, especially the demons that had appeared in the human realm.
But it was their duty not to resist the will of the gods. If their god had spoken thus, they had to obey.
“For now, we can only obey.”
It seemed that there would be quite a lot of visits to the human realm.
—
**Chapter 2: The Return**
The investigation team quickly completed the purification mission in the ghost land and returned triumphantly to the capital, Sacrum.
“Wow!”
The welcoming voices from the streets pierced the ears. It felt even more overwhelming than when they first set foot in Sacrum.
Well, it wasn’t hard to understand.
The ghost land issue had been a problem for the empire for a long time. It had intensified recently, but it hadn’t been nonexistent before, and it had instilled fear in many people every time it appeared.
Since the source of that fear had been purified, it was only natural for people’s reactions to be enthusiastic.
It felt like a déjà vu, in many ways, but in a good way.
—
**Chapter 3: The Commendation**
The commendation ceremony proceeded swiftly. Well, it was more of an event to honor the merits of this investigation team. Naturally, all attention was focused on the team’s leading figure, the saint.
“As expected of the saint.”
“Not just external beauty, but also internal beauty… She truly represents the empire.”
“The Pope must have cherished her for good reason. Although she could become a little arrogant… her consistent sincerity and attitude of caring for the weak. She truly is a role model for all priests.”
As the residents of the empire murmured such warm words, it was clear that the saint’s recognition within the empire was no joke.
During this commendation, Ruslan and I had already agreed to discreetly step back. It was because I had requested it. Instead, there were others who were to be honored after the saint this time.
Namely, the sorceress Lina and Nea. I had planned to divert the credit to them.
The reason I had them take the forefront in the commendation was to improve their perception and prevent corrupt officials within the empire from clinging to them.
I had heard that there were many presbyters in Sacrum who regarded her with envy.
In fact, I already knew it without hearing it. After all, I was the one who had set up the presbyters to be corrupt…
It’s only natural that they would show signs of wanting to undermine the saint. The presbyters of the empire wanted to minimize the saint’s influence so that they could freely commit wrongdoings. Therefore, they would do their best to find fault with the saint.
However, it won’t be easy. Because Adrian is flawless. Perhaps the only flaw is that she included two investigation commanders in the investigation team.
The monks will surely be curious about this matter.
How can a person who became a saint include exceptional investigation commanders…! They will probably repeat the same boring repertoire. That’s why I asked Lina and Nea to be included in this year’s debate.
Just to prevent Adrian from prying into it unnecessarily.
Now, as the time for thorough investigation approaches, shouldn’t we give as much support as possible to the saint? Also, I had something to do with Ruslan. He suffered quite a bit this time… but his abilities still fall short of my expectations.
Should I manipulate him a little?
I have someone around me who is very suitable for this kind of task… I’ll use him again after a long time.
The demon, Dantalion.
It wouldn’t be bad to attach him to the investigation side and draw a picture of him attacking the saint.
Anyway, he will take care of himself, so let the monks suffer.
Of course, since Dantalion has already been defeated by Ruslan, he won’t take the forefront. He will only be used to instigate the monks and those corrupt knights who cooperate with them.
That’s what Dantalion’s long-term strategy is. Deceiving and manipulating others.
You could say he is the master of manipulation. I don’t know how he does it. Just by providing a little bit of information from our side, he will instigate the monks.
It’s not a bad plan. If the monks and those who follow them take action, we can ask Ruslan to protect us. Well, he will suffer quite a bit. The saint herself is no joke, so the ones they send will be even worse.
I’ll just watch the situation.