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The Perseverance to Survive in this World – Part 06

The Pope, the pinnacle of authority and the highest religious leader of the Church, nodded upon hearing the report of their victory over Einbiest in the second battle.

“If they can eliminate the demi-humans, proceed with Project Angelization.”

“Understood,” said the archpriest. “What should we do about those who failed to become angels? They’re losing their sanity and becoming dangerous.”

When in the presence of the Pope, they knelt and bowed their heads. Their dark brown hair was neatly trimmed just above the eyebrows, and the hair at the back was carefully styled in the shape of a U from the ears to the nape of the neck.

Light from outside did not penetrate this room in the Tower, but numerous candles flickering on the walls provided illumination. Gems embedded in the ceiling sparkled like stars.

“Sic them at the demi-humans.”

“Pardon?”

“To kill demi-humans is to serve the gods. If they were to give their lives in pursuit of this noble mission, they would surely receive the gods’ blessings.”

“…”

“What are you hesitating about, Archpriest Luvain?”

Luvain, with his sharp eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, blinked repeatedly. “Understood.

“Good. Also, tell Ranna to hasten. I stationed them here in the Tower for that purpose.”

“I will.”

Luvain exited the room. He entered the corridor, where sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating the white-painted passage brightly. He walked along, frowning at the contrast between light and shadow.

Angelization is nothing but alchemy-based sorcery. They’re merely fusing humans and birds, creating chimeras. Their mobility and combat abilities may have improved, but more than half of them are failures. Besides, what’s the difference between them and demi-humans?

Naturally, he wouldn’t utter such thoughts in front of the Pope.

They volunteered for these experiments, and he wants to set them on the demi-humans? Throwing them away like they’re defective products? His Holiness has gone mad.

As he issued orders to his subordinates, he couldn’t help but worry about the future of the nation and its religion.

Among the archpriests, Luvain was remarkably young, still in his late twenties. Since childhood, he had possessed a detached personality, showing little interest in others. Even when witnessing knife fights among adventurers, his expression never changed. Adults around him used to say that he would one day become someone important.

Luvain’s ascent to the position of archpriest was marked by an overwhelming amount of coincidences.

His father had been a rural priest, and from a young age, Luvain had accepted that he would work for the Church in the future. He even excelled in theological school.

After graduating from theological school and becoming a friar, Luvain was recruited by the Church in the holy city of Agiapole. Shortly after starting his duties, while running an errand inside the Tower, he overheard an argument between two priests. One was a central priest, the other rural.

In a discussion about the teachings spoken by a certain saint, the rural priest appeared to be winning the debate with his verbosity, but upon closer scrutiny, it became apparent that the arguments he presented were extremely far-fetched.

“Excuse me…”

Luvain inadvertently spoke up and systematically refuted the rural priest’s arguments like a machine. Deeply grateful, the central priest appointed Luvain as a deacon, keeping him by his side.

The priest was a man of character, but he struggled to navigate the political landscape at the heart of the organization and remained a relatively obscure figure within the Tower. Despite this, Luvain never displayed dissatisfaction and dutifully served for several years, praying together with him.

Subsequently, the priest was granted the title of Honorary Archpriest for two years in recognition of his years of service to the Church. As the name suggested, the position was merely titular and did not come with any real authority. Still, Luvain worked diligently for the man.

He had no hidden agenda. Luvain was simply devoid of desire. He possessed no more than a typical sentiment to repay favors and assist the less fortunate. Referring to him as a saint would be presumptuous.

However, given that no one else referred to the Honorary Archpriest as ‘archpriest,’ he found it particularly gratifying that Luvain did. And even this honorary archpriest had one weapon at his disposal: his previous mentorship of a regular archpriest, not an honorary one. Before his two years’ term as an honorary archpriest was over, he visited the archpriest he had mentored and asked them to take Luvain under their wing.

The archpriest, seeking young and loyal followers, decided to bring in Luvain. The young man had served the honorary archbishop for many years without once turning his back; the archpriest believed he would never betray him.

In this new role, Luvain worked diligently as well, and unlike other priests, he didn’t form factions with numerous deacons, nor did he harbor ambitions of becoming the next archpriest—he was far too young for that anyway.

However, the archpriest suddenly fell ill.

Once again, Luvain’s streak of lucky coincidences came into play. The priest who was expected to succeed the ailing archpriest had brought a woman from a brothel, and through an intense roleplay, severely injured her, resulting in a banishment to the provinces. The next priest in line for the position had been caught pocketing donations meant for an archpriest, earning him the disdain of his superiors.

While on his sickbed, the archpriest realized the truth that “people would eventually die, and at that time, neither money nor fame would be of any use,” something that could have been written on the first page of a holy scripture.

“The next archpriest is you, Luvain,” he had declared. “Your unambitious nature will make you a role model for everyone.”

Luvain, who had kept his distance from others for no particular reason, received an accelerated promotion, becoming an archpriest in his mid-twenties.

“Why did I become an archpriest?”

Even after becoming an archpriest, Luvain’s work ethic remained unchanged. He carried out his duties indifferently, quietly, and solemnly. However, the increased interaction with the Pope, the Church’s head, proved burdensome. All the archpriests disliked the Pope’s unreasonable demands, and in the end, Luvain ended up handling them all.

Dealing with the arrogant Knights Templar. Finding justifications for the Pope’s peculiar banner of demi-human subjugation. Providing compensation and responding to damages caused by monster attacks. Bailing out insolvent churches without tapping into the national treasury. Offering free treatment to impoverished individuals.

The last one proved to be the most challenging task of all. Many sought treatment, and free ones, especially, drew large crowds, depleting Luvain’s magical power several times a month. It varied from person to person, but in the case of Luvain, when his magical power was depleted, he would feel extremely nauseous and even struggled to breathe. His efforts earned him the moniker Master Healer, which only attracted more patients.

Labeling his activities as “free treatments by an archpriest” attracted too many people, so Luvain continued to provide treatments while concealing his identity.

On the flip side, the lucrative assignments that involved traveling to various places and offering prayers to earn substantial sums were all taken by other archpriests. This allowed Luvain to avoid resentment from fellow archpriests and stay clear of any conflicts among them.

And yet, his current task still proved to be more troublesome than the rest.

The Pope was pursuing cutting-edge research—the development of weapons of mass destruction. No saint in history had ever sanctioned such slaughter. The mere thought of his involvement in this made Luvain feel nauseous.

But someone had to do it. Even if Luvain ran away, another priest—an ambitious one—would run for the position of archpriest and create instruments of death. His options were limited.

“All I can do is make them create cures.”

These were the words of a man who had grown weary beyond his years. Words that went unheard.

---

News of knights sent by the gods routing the Einbiest army reached Hikaru during a meeting with the Quinbrand Empire’s spies.

“They lost? What about casualties?!” Hikaru pressed, panicking at the unexpected report.

“Calm down,” Lavia said.

“We don’t have the exact numbers,” said one of the spies, “but it appears the losses weren’t too severe. The Knights Templar pulled back without pursuing too far.”

“I see…”

Hikaru wondered if Jillarte was out on the battlefield too. She should be, given her position as deputy leader.

Calm down, Hikaru told himself. Worrying won’t help me right now. His current objective should help the frontlines. He placed a hand over his chest.

It’s okay. Stay composed. I need to do what needs to be done.

Hikaru assured the spies that he would deliver the cure, and they made preparations for its transport, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

“I don’t think you’ll be needed this time,” Hikaru said.

“Okay. I’ll wait at the inn,” Lavia readily agreed.

An infiltration mission was easier to execute alone.

---

Night deepened. It was now past midnight.

Street lamps cast their bright glow, but there were few people outside. Hikaru advanced silently, his Stealth at full power.

His destination was the Tower. The cure was kept in a storehouse within. While only a handful of Church personnel were familiar with the Tower’s interior, the imperial spies had managed to create a rough map.

“Let’s do this.”

Hiding in the shadows of the buildings, Hikaru stared at the floodlighted white walls, a rare sight in this world, and the spires.

His figure blended into the darkness.