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Volume 7 Chapter 1 Part 12

「Can something like that really occur? 」

Theo asked the Archbishop.

「Maybe it happened because The Only God saw Priscilla as a fitting vessel to integrate all the Crests? 」

「I’m really glad Siluca isn’t here then. 」

Theo tentatively bowed while muttering that to himself at the same time. If Siluca was with him here right now and she heard that, then she’d definitely said that this was nothing but a 「convenient setting 」for the Order of the Crest.

「So what do you mean by the Holy Grail? What that thing even is? 」

「Strictly speaking, it is a vessel meant to integrate all the other Crests in itself. Our founder and Priscilla’s father believed that the Only God has chosen her for that very purpose. 」

「That’s, well, I guess that’s one way of looking at it. 」

Regardless of the facts, for the founder of the Order of the Crest that was the truth that he’s chosen to believe in, and Theo already knows from experience that when a person’s feelings are attached to a fact, it becomes the truth for that person no matter what others might try to say about it. Therefore a single truth may be a truth not just for one person, but for as many people who’re willing to believe in the same thing, so there’s no point in trying to dig whether that truth is really true or false.

「I had no idea that I was entrusted with such an important person. 」

Theo said while looking at Priscilla.

「In the end, I am happy to entrust Lady Priscilla to the care of someone like you, Lord Theo. I daresay that this truly must’ve been the guidance of The Only God. 」

「I don’t really care about it all that much, but if that is what you want to believe, then suit yourself. 」

Religion is what connects everything with faith. In fact, Theo considered himself lucky to have gotten this far, but maybe it was all thanks to the aid of Priscilla, who was guided by The Only God? But no matter if that was the case or not, Theo was grateful not only to Priscilla, but to Siluca and everyone else who was helping him this entire time as well.

「No, Lord Theo, it wasn’t just luck or guidance from God that led you to becoming an Earl. You achieved that thanks to your own hard work and effort as well. It is also thanks to you that my position in the Order of the Crest increased even further. 」

Priscilla said while looking at the Archbishop with an annoyed look.

「The Order of the Crest has changed since the time it has been first established, Lord Theo. 」

Archbishop Tokano spoke to Theo as if he wanted to convince him.

「Has it changed? 」

Of course, all organizations change with the times. As far as Theo knows, the founder of the Order of the Crest died around 10 years ago, and the current pope was actually its second leader who took over after his predecessor’s death.

「When our beloved founder founded the Order of the crest, the Mages Association sent a group of mercenaries to dispose of it on the grounds that its doctrine was false and that making a religion based around Crests was against the rules established by the peerage system. 」

「I didn’t know that there was such an incident. 」

However, it wouldn’t be strange for the Mages Association to do something like that.

「Yes, it was an incident that almost went unnoticed by the entire continent. 」

「So, what happened then? 」

Since the Order of the Crest still exists today, it means that the subjugation attempt was a failure.

「Impressed by our founder’s persuasion, all the mercenaries sent to kill him have decided to convert to the faith of the Order of the Crest. 」

「Huh? 」

Theo makes a strange noise again.

「I’m sorry, but this story is just so unbelievable… 」

He hastily apologized. Maybe the mercenaries were simply captivated by the founder’s personality?

「There were two more attempts at subjugating our Order, but in each case they retreated without fighting due to the persuasion of the founder. Some more mercenaries were even converted tour faith in the process. These former mercenary believers formed a group of holy warriors whose task is the protection of our Order and its members. 」

「This is a huge failure on the part of the Mages Association. The reason this incident is not known to the world is probably because the Association was hiding it on purpose. 」
「That’s what I thought too, at the beginning. 」

He nodded, but the Archbishop’s expression darkened afterwards.

「However, that was the beginning of the change in the Church of the Holy Seal. The Holy Warriors gave away the huge amount of money they had saved as a donation to the Order, and thanks to that generous donation of theirs, The Order of the Crest could start spreading its influence across the entire continent.

「Has the organization changed as it has grown? 」

That’s actually a pretty common thing to happen.

「That’s right. Before I knew it, the founder was called the pope, and even though we were supposed to be treated equally, the disciples were also placed in a hierarchy of bishops, priests, and the like, just like in your typical religious organization. Our doctrine was also systematized and became theology. Dioceses were established, and cathedrals were built in various locations around the continent. 」

Theo knew about the rise to power and the rapid expansion of the Order of the Crest. Siluca was often angry and complaining about this, calling it the result of the gross negligence on the part of the Mages Association.

(But is that really true?)

Theo didn’t know why, but something in this entire situation didn’t feel right with him.

「Who became the second pope after the founder’s death? 」

Theo asked to find out.

「It was the leader of the mercenary group sent by the Mages Association for the first subjugation of the Order. 」

「I felt like that might actually be the case. 」

Theo frowned his brows.

「At that time, we, the founder’s disciples, were scattered throughout the continent to carry out missionary work. During that time, the first cathedral was erected by the current Papal faction, and after the founder’s death, an election was held during which the successor of the founder was chosen. My supporters and I claimed that Lady Priscilla should be made the next successor due to her being the founder’s daughter and the chosen vessel of the Holy Grail, but because we were outvoted by the majority of the other members of the order, we were unable to make it happen. 」

「I only wish to follow The Only God’s will. I have no interest in being the leader of the Order of the Crest as a whole. I’m not trying to be the Holy Grail, I’m not trying to be the Pope, I just want to be a regular priestess spreading the words of our God to the people. 」

Priscilla said to the Archbishop.

「I understand, Lady Priscilla. 」

The Archbishop nodded back at her.

「Even though many Lords have already converted to the faith of the Order of the Crest, it will still be a long time before we’ll be able to truly unify all the Crests. So until that day comes, we must continue our missionary work. 」

「But maybe that’s not what the members of the Papal faction at the cathedral want the Order of the Crest to be doing? 」

Theo’s anxiety only grew bigger.

「They’re also the ones who declared in the homily of the current Pope to the faithful assembled in the cathedral that the Holy Grail would soon be filled and the world is going to be saved by the advent of The Only God. 」
「Does this mean that this was their way of saying that all the crests are going to be unified by the current Pope? 」

「Maybe that was just their way of encouraging the believers to not let their faith falter in these trying times… 」

The Archbishop nodded his head bitterly.

「… but then the Pope himself said something else that caught my interest. 」

Theo silently stared at the Archbishop and waited for him to continue speaking.

「That he final holy battle will begin in earnest on the day when The Only God is finally going to be resurrected. 」

「What do you mean by that? 」

Theo asks the Archbishop, but it was also a question for himself. If the battle waged by the Order of the crest was the one to unify all the Crests and create a Grancrest, then what was currently going on the continent: the Great War between Factory Alliance and Fantasia Union should be exactly that.