Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 77: The Burning House

When I was young, I never imagined a moment like this would come to me.

The Emperor is such a person. Someone so far removed from a commoner like me.

Although it doesn’t change the fact that he is ultimately just one person, the place where he lives is so different. I didn’t expect to meet him like this, let alone have him summon me first, but I must not forget what my role is.

What the Lord is trying to do through me.

The Lord knows how people should live correctly, but the words He speaks are not easily heard by the people of this world.

Some people are pained by the sufferings of life, living only for the present, not knowing what the future will bring. The Lord is well aware of that fact.

Imagine a house where raging flames leap out of the fireplace and begin to engulf the floor, ceiling, and household goods. In the living room of that house, two children are distracted playing with toys, unaware that the house is being engulfed in smoke and flames.

At this time, the father of these children sees the black smoke rising and shouts to the children.

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He cries out to his beloved children to quickly run out of the burning house, but that cry does not reach the children who are absorbed in play. They will notice when the flames reach their feet, but by then it will be too late and everything will have gone beyond the point of no return.

Fortunately, this wise father knows well that people move in pursuit of gain. He takes out new toys and pretty dolls from the bag he is holding and shouts - My children! My kids. Here are some great toys. If you come out of the house, I will give these to you.

Only then do the children, blinded by the toys, run out of the house. The burning house collapsed, and the children, who had moved in pursuit of desire, seldom saw their father again, but they succeeded in saving themselves after their hearts were moved by the means of salvation their father had offered.

This burning house is this world, and the flames and smoke are the evil minds that devour people.

The desire to harm others. The need to tear each other apart. The choice to hate and resent. ...These are things anyone has to coexist with.

If we don’t light a fire in the fireplace because there is a risk of fire, are we saying to live only on raw food from now on? Are we saying we should shiver under a tightly wrapped blanket on cold nights?

Just as fire is essential to human life, these evil thoughts are also indispensable to some extent. It’s not something that can be removed just because you want to remove it, nor can it be endured through abstinence.

It can be overcome through asceticism, but not everyone can walk that path. Denying one’s humanity and walking the path of a saint is a difficult but blessed choice, but for ordinary people, it would be no different from walking a thorny path.

Therefore, the path we humans should take is to put in just enough firewood so that the fire stays only in the fireplace without burning ourselves.

However, in this world, many people do not know this principle and have already stoked the fire to the point of burning down their own houses. The Lord is trying to save them from danger by sending down the sweet rain of divine power.

In His eyes, to us who are like ignorant children, He presents the toy called divine power to make us follow Him.

If we follow Him with our eyes fixed on this toy, walking with faltering steps, we will unknowingly succeed in avoiding the crisis that has come right before our eyes.

That is the reason and the will behind the Lord bestowing divine power upon me. Have I been responding well to this will so far?

Perhaps the reason He took away the Observatory of Celestial Dreams was not simply because I doubted Him...

It was a warning not to be arrogant. It was a command to do my role.

While working with the hero’s party, I helped them defeat the Demon Kings in various places, but perhaps that was not the Lord’s will from the beginning. Even if it did not go completely against His will, it was not in alignment with it either.

He was merely respecting my will and watching over me, but He no longer left it at that.

And then He sent an angel to warn me of the cycle. Whatever it is, I need to find out quickly.

Just as the princess almost missed her father’s last moments if she had been a little late, perhaps I too do not have much time left.

“So that’s the priest.”

“Probably of the ancient god...”

“The one who created that droplet-like thing...”

The silent great hall was almost empty, disproportionate to its size, and less than twenty people were standing here and there in the wide hall, looking at me. The owners of these focused gazes were probably the big shots who could sway the empire, just by being able to be present here.

However, none of them were the master of this place. Leaning diagonally on the throne, an old man wearing a robe engraved with a golden dragon quietly looked at me. Because that person wanted to see not only me but also Roka, Roka was now behind me as well. Roka, who had lowered her head, glanced around slightly and wrote on my back with her finger.

-The sun is still better.

I don’t know what she means, but she doesn’t seem to be scared.

His Majesty the Emperor did not seem to have specially cultivated any martial arts or trained mana, but the position makes the person. He is someone who has risen above all people for a lifetime.

Just by quietly looking down, he can freeze a person’s heart. But even so, even if he wears the clothes of power, it doesn’t change the fact that he is an ordinary person.

To me, who has faced Grimudo, His Majesty just looked tired. The signs of illness were not apparent. The Emperor’s body looked very healthy, so that fatigue probably came from the mental aspect.

“The hero who saved the imperial family and the empire has come. Come closer, goodman.”

His Majesty the Emperor opened his mouth to call us, and we had no choice but to go.

And there was no reason not to go. Only then did I notice that the princess was already kneeling there.

It didn’t seem like she was being punished for a wrongdoing, but rather following the etiquette as a subject.

“A priest kneels only to God and the one who represents God. You are not my subject, so you don’t need to kneel like this child.”

His Majesty the Emperor, who spoke like that, looked at one of the people present and opened his mouth.

I know him too. Because I just met him.

“Look, Archbishop. This child searched the continent to find the priest of the ancient god to save me. After that, she went through a long journey to bring that miraculous fruit to me. I don’t know how long it has been since my body felt this light. Since this child is so filial, the ancient god was moved by her sincerity and even removed the leprosy, do you still think my daughter Ardein received divine punishment?”

I learned once again today that words can be twisted to tell one’s desired message.

Glancing at the princess, she had an expression as if her conscience had been pricked by a needle. She had her head bowed, so only I beside her could see it.

As expected, His Majesty seems to have taken the Firefly Crystal Fruit.

As with all things in the world, destroying is easier than creating. Wounds on the skin can heal, but scars remain, and poisoning can be detoxified, but the damage done to the body until then cannot be completely restored. This is especially true for accumulating poisons such as chronic toxins or heavy metals.

However, the effect of the Firefly Crystal Fruit, which is close to recreating the body anew, ignores all such constraints once in a lifetime. The fact that His Majesty the Emperor looks much healthier means that the reason he was dying was not simply due to his fading lifespan.

“Your Majesty. As long as the will of the ancient god has worked in this matter, we of the Trinity Church have no further objections. It’s just that if your meeting with that priest is over, would it be alright for us of the Nemi Church to have a brief conversation with the priest?”

“As long as you don’t intend to force an audience with my benefactor, I don’t mind.”

Archbishop Armata looked with angry eyes at the man who answered. He was wearing the vestments of the Nemi Church and was sipping alcohol from a bottle even in the royal presence.

Everyone saw the red liquid, probably wine, going into his mouth.

“Hallonen. Can alcohol go down your throat even at a time like this?”

“What is alcohol? It comes from grains and fruits. It is the earth that nurtures and brings these to life, so how is my toast to this wine any different from a toast to the earth?”

Hallonen, Archbishop of the Grandera Diocese of the Nemi Church. I think I heard about him briefly from Yurinel.

And the name of the other archbishop residing in the capital was probably...

“Arice. This friend and I think this way, what about you? We have three heads, so we have to decide by majority vote.”

Yes, Arice. Arice, the Archbishop of the Elysia Church.

A stubborn woman who seemed like she would never compromise glanced at the two archbishops with her crystal-colored eyes, then moved her gaze towards the princess.

“Just by reporting the birth of an Evil God, she has already accomplished a great merit. The Elysia Church will not oppose Ardein’s return to the position of princess.”

“Archbishop Arice. This child has always been my daughter.”

“We have not always thought so.”

“Then it’s decided.”

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn cold, Archbishop Hallonen, who was drinking, brought up a topic at an exquisite timing.

“Your Majesty. We of the Trinity Church welcome the return of Princess Ardein and have no doubt in believing that she has been forgiven by the three goddesses. We have already sent a letter to the Holy See regarding the lifting of the excommunication, so at the latest within three days, the three popes will come to an agreement, and we dare to presume that our opinion will be accepted.”

“Even if I want to give this child a high position because she is so filial?”

Someone flinched. It was someone I knew as well.

Actually, it was someone I just got to know. The Third Prince couldn’t hide his perplexed expression.

The elderly man beside him seemed to glare at me for a moment, then turned his head away when he realized our eyes had met. I was seeing him for the very first time. But somehow, he seemed to resemble His Majesty.

“I oppose... Mmph! Mmph!”

“How could we interfere with Your Majesty’s affairs to that extent? Do as you wish, Your Majesty.”

The hand made of stone and earth blocked the mouth of Archbishop Armata, who was about to cry out in protest.

Archbishop Hallonen, who smiled as if nothing had happened, glanced at the Third Prince who was looking at him with a sorrowful gaze, took a sip of wine, and continued.

“The merit of healing Your Majesty can be said to be truly immense. Who would not acknowledge that contribution? But may I dare to ask how high of a position it is?”

“I know what you are concerned about, so you don’t have to worry.”

Resting his chin on his hand while seated, His Majesty opened his mouth.

“I shall issue an imperial decree. I appoint Ardein von Illumina to the position of High Magistrate of the Imperial Supreme Court. In addition, I shall bestow upon her the position of Circuit Magistrate.”

What does that mean? I, who am not well-versed in imperial politics and had no interest in it, do not know well.

However, seeing the eyes of the big shots present here widened, it seems it’s not an ordinary position.

But His Majesty did not end it there.

“I shall bestow a holy decree. I appoint Ardein von Illumina to the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard.”

“Your Majesty, that is...”

“She is already a Master. If I do not give at least this much treatment to a Master, what other Master in the world would come under the Empire?”

The prince’s expression distorted. He couldn’t even hide that expression.

The old man beside him was surprised and put his hand on his shoulder before maintaining a blank expression again, but by then, everyone had already noticed the turmoil going on inside him. His Majesty probably knew as well.

“And I appoint her to the position of Inspector in the Imperial Household’s Agency. She shall have the authority to supervise all imperial armies.”

“Forgive my impudence, but is the fourth position perhaps the Crown Prince?”

Archbishop Arice muttered with a displeased expression.

His Majesty the Emperor shook his head and laughed.

“That is all.”

Is it just my imagination that his eyes seemed to draw a slight arc?

“There are no more positions to give now. Only an item remains. Now bring it in. Finally, someone worthy of handling this item in the imperial household has appeared.”