Chapter 75: The Will Of God

The bishops who stepped into the debate were all well-known figures.

Starting with Saintess Lucia Saint, who served the Goddess of Justice, Justia.

The Goddess of Hearth and Fire, Hearthia; the God of Festivals and Joy, Velas; the Goddess of Abundance and Earth, Demeter; the God of Lightning and Clouds, Raizel, and so on.

Numerous famous bishops serving these different gods were all seated together, collectively glaring at me with displeasure.

In their eyes, I must have looked like a sinner who should be sentenced to punishment by immediate hanging.

However, the sharp gazes weren't only coming from the bishops.

The citizens were in a frenzy, shouting that they would have brought torches to burn me if they were allowed to do so.

However, amidst the chaos, the Saintess calmly approached me. She extended her hand for a handshake.

The scene of our last farewell from a few days ago at the restaurant suddenly flashed in my mind.

"It's been a while."

A whisper escaped my lips in the same tone as back then, and Lucia, with an expressionless face, asked me.

"Have you... known this from the start?"

"......"

The citizens' angry voices echoed even more, claiming that the Saintess' hands would be tainted, so I silently let go of her hand.

One of the apprentices of the Archmage attending this debate acted as the moderator. He cleared his throat and took hold of the microphone.

It was a tool that utilized the user's mana to amplify their voice.

"Now, before we begin the debate, let me provide an explanation on the topic."

The subject of the debate was whether they would accept me as a Dark Mage; the Soul Whisperer.

Amidst the thunderous boos, calls for my immediate execution could also be naturally heard.

"To facilitate a smooth debate from now on, the Archmage will cast a silence spell in the debate hall."

Standing up from the VIP seat, a splendid magic from the Archmage unfolded.

Despite the audience shouting and opening their mouths, they were suddenly forced into silence, eventually succumbing to exhaustion and shutting their mouths.

Now, the debate hall had finally fallen silent.

The first speaker was an old bishop with deep wrinkles, devoted to serving the goddess Hearthia.

He opened his mouth after tapping the microphone with his fingers.

"I am Macdoren Firenche, serving the goddess Hearthia. Ladies and gentlemen, I am someone who believes that this debate, in and of itself, is unnecessary from the beginning."

Applause erupted from a corner at his intense yet firm statement. However, because of the spell, only actions were visible and no sound could be heard.

"What are your thoughts on Griffin Kingdom, which is always proud of its long history and tradition, and how it has reached this point?"

The eyes of Macdoren, whom I had considered completely aged, were still burning with passion.

He wasn't a bishop serving the goddess Hearthia for no reason.

"We have only come this far precisely because there are no Dark Mages. We sealed them off at the source—those are freaks who raise corpses, drink human blood, and exploit the souls who are meant to join God's side."

"......"

"To the Dark Mages, Griffin Kingdom is referred to as a barren land. They are afraid to set foot on our soil."

Thud.

Macdoren, who was determined to dampen our spirits on the onset, pounded the desk with his fist.

"That is why Griffin has remained safe; how its citizens are able to live sound lives until now. If we accept that man, the one called Soul Whisperer, other Dark Mages will undoubtedly begin to lurk in the sacred land of Griffin!"

It wouldn't end with just accepting me; gradually, other Dark Mages would start infiltrating Griffin.

It was certainly not a false statement.

Tsk, it turned into a hearing rather than a debate.

Because his emotions came out strongly from the beginning, it had created a space for criticism against me.

It was a calculated scheme from the other side, and the audience continuously visibly cheered, agreeing with Macdoren's words.

Once his turn finished, I finally had the opportunity to speak. I took hold of the microphone.

"I partially agree with the statement that we were able to come this far because there were no Dark Mages."

That was the reality, most Dark Mages were bizarre individuals to the extent that they could be called freaks.

However, there are times when even a poisonous plant could serve as medicine.

Now, considering that Griffin has grown to a size even greater than before, it was ready to use a Dark Mage as both poison and remedy.

"But there is no guarantee that the situation will be the same in the future. Are you aware of the odd phenomena occurring within the kingdom recently?"

Some bishops turned their heads as if those words had stung them.

However, Saintess Lucia paid more attention than anyone else to my words. She was indeed the frontline fighter against those odd phenomena.

"There was a case found in Eastsolar in the East region, where ten villagers died simultaneously on the same day, at the same time."

A massive screen made of mana appeared, displaying gruesome images of the tragic incident.

I wish I could use something like a PowerPoint presentation like in my past life, but in this world, they could only display images like this on a screen of mana.

"And here is another. This is a corpse found in the western region, Fernan, with only the torso remaining. The limbs have been discovered in various locations across the kingdom in all directions."

These were murders that seemed nearly impossible to happen on the streets. However, what stood out was that, despite it being just a single person's body, the time of death varied according to the investigations.

"Another case was about a woman being tormented by a dead boy. He begged her and kept following her in Griffin. Your Excellencies, you are aware of this, are you not?"

Upon my words, the bishops pretended not to hear, feigning coughs.

"I have resolved this case that you all ignored and overlooked, just because you do not have Holy Power, Your Excellencies."

That was the truth, I solved this case a few days ago. Originally, the woman had visited the Church, but since they were unable to do anything, she risked her life and came to the Royal Palace.

"Currently, Griffin Kingdom is plagued by mysterious unsolved cases, and those that I have mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg."

As gruesome images continued to flash, the citizens gradually fell silent, and those who came with their children quickly covered their eyes.

"Although you have done well in keeping the status quo so far, there is no guarantee it will continue. There is already a trend of using Dark Mages for military purposes in neighboring countries, such as the Clark Republic and the Jerman Kingdom."

One thing that needed to be addressed in this debate was the fact that Griffin Kingdom had been excessively oppressing Dark Mages.

"If we persist in our ignorance, we are bound to face elimination."

As soon as I finished speaking, this time, a bishop serving the god Velas took the microphone.

"That's ridiculous!"

Now, the debate had turned into something similar to a hearing.

We took turns grabbing the microphone and exchanging words as if engaging in a verbal sparring match.

"Do you see this? It's a gruesome tragedy that could only have been orchestrated by a Dark Mage using corpses and drawing blood. And that's not all! The barbaric acts committed by Dark Mages are so numerous that we do not have enough time to showcase them all today!"

If the bishops were to continue clinging onto what the Dark Mages had shown them so far, and come after me...

"Let us not generalize hastily. Not all Dark Mages are the same. For instance, Coltman, a Dark Mage in the Jerman Kingdom, is a man who serves as an example to all with his virtuous deeds."

I would counter the argument that not all Dark Mages were the same.

"Have you already forgotten the tragedy created by Heralhazard two hundred years ago?! We must not forget the history of that day! The moment we forget the past of this land we tread on, our identity will be damaged!"

Two hundred years ago.

If he brought up the incident that became a decisive factor in the Kingdom's more aggressive suppression of Dark Mages—

"Even at that time, discrimination against Dark Mages was prevalent in the Griffin Kingdom. If there was more knowledge about Dark Mages back then, the Kingdom's Army might not have engaged in misguided operations, and ended up supplying bodies to him."

—Then I would also counter based on the historical facts of that time.

"We should not forget history. Indeed, you are correct. However, merely remembering is just regretting. We must learn, understand, and move forward; we need to avoid repeating the bloodshed our ancestors endured. And because we fear it, it should be our motivation to learn even more."

My throat felt parched, burning.

My eyes went to the bottle, but it was not yet time to drink.

"The God with the most followers in the Griffin Kingdom is the Goddess of Justice, Lady Justia. And the dead find solace in her embrace. You Dark Mages outright deny such a goddess."

If he wanted to emphasize religious doctrines...

"Do not go too far! We are discussing whether Griffin Kingdom needs a Dark Mage. The will of the Goddess is undoubtedly significant, but remember, the ultimate authority in this country is not Goddess Justia, but King Orpheus Luden Griffin."

I would counter with the authority of the Royal Family.

The situation continued to escalate as we exchanged points in our verbal battle. Even though the debate seemed favorable to me at the moment, what mattered most was the citizens' attention.

No matter how I continued the conversation and provided logical rebuttals, the citizens' disagreeable gazes did not dissipate.

Knowing that, even if it was forced, the bishops spat out accusations more strongly.

If the debate were seen as a small-scale battle, victory was continuously showing on our side.

However, in the end, what was supposed to be a debate had turned into a hearing, and it seemed obvious that the winner was leaning towards the Church.

Not everyone believed in gods.

Of course, there might be people among the audience who didn't believe in gods.

But there was no one here who liked Dark Mages.

The difference was significant, and despite my attempts to narrow this down, it remained an unbridgeable gap.

The more we spoke, the clearer the resentment towards Dark Mages in the Griffin Kingdom became.

Here, Saintess Lucia, who had been silent until now, slowly stood up and took the microphone.

The bishops folded their arms, eager to deliver a final blow. They looked at her pompously.

Lucia and I locked eyes.

She had never expected that we would meet in such a situation, but after finding composure, she calmly spoke.

"I understand your intentions. Prejudice against the existence of Dark Mages has led the entire kingdom to reject and despise them without even listening to their stories."

"...."

"Furthermore, we need change. I agree with that as well. I, too, believe that depending on myself alone with resolving the odd phenomena across the kingdom is insufficient."

But Lucia added cautiously.

"However, can citizens truly believe in you? Even if His Majesty officially recognized you, breaking the deep-seated prejudice within us is not easy."

It might sound disrespectful, but as a Saintess recognized by God, she had the authority to make such statements.

"Soul Whisperer. I have heard about you being the one who soothes the souls of the dead. Even if we need you, there will be more people out there who won't welcome your touch warmly. It is because of the anxiety about what you might do to their deceased family, lover, or friends."

"...."

"Whatever you try to say here, you are still not a trustworthy figure in Griffin Kingdom."

Some bishops glanced towards the VIP section, to be precise, towards King Orpheus.

Even if he rebuked, shouting not to judge so rashly, they could not say anything in response.

However, he simply calmly gazed down at the venue.

"I agree, people here do not believe in me."

I nodded in agreement. Frankly, I didn't expect people to trust me through this debate.

I just needed a stage.

I took a sip from the bottle on the table. I could feel the slowly seeping wine oddly twisting in my stomach.

I took the microphone and stepped forward.

Looking at the Saintess, who was staring back at me, I cautiously asked her.

"May I ask how you became a Saintess?"

"....Goddess Justia chose me, and as evidence, I gained Holy Power."

The Saintess looked at me with a strange gaze as if my question was so out of the blue.

Satisfied with her answer, I nodded.

"That is correct. Lady Lucia, who used to work at the convent, was suddenly chosen by God. Thus, she obtained Holy Power and became the Saintess."

Buzz stirred like a wave among the audience.

If their sound hadn't been blocked, there might have been quite a commotion until I said my next words.

"She didn't show any particular ability. She didn't even show any significant achievement. And the citizens of Griffin didn't know anything about her."

"...."

"People lavish, respect, praise, admire, and place unwavering trust upon the Saintess simply because God chose her."

"Are you daring to insult God's choice?!"

"Who are you mocking with your mouth, you demon!"

"We finally see his true colors!"

The bishops behind the Saintess, thinking it was their chance, showed furious expressions and spat out venomous words.

They showed unyielding determination not to miss any opportunity to catch me for insulting God.

"What does this mean?"

Only Lucia met my eyes clearly.

This was my limit.

My insides were boiling, and my body was reacting against it.

I slowly raised my hand.

A brilliant white light radiated from my hand. It was very noble, and pure white.

It was something that humans considered as comfort, love, and also evidence from God— God's mercy that only one person in the continent could wield.

"H-Holy Power...?"

The trembling voice of Lucia, who could be called the owner of it, had vividly spread throughout the venue through the microphone.

The bishops were bewildered with dumbfounded expressions, the Saintess looked at me with eyes of disbelief, and the citizens froze in shock without any reaction.

And the corner of my mouth curled up into a subtle smile.

Religion was an unshakable faith.

There were occasional conflicts between science and religion in modern times, but in reality, the two had different tracks.

Science explored and changed, while religion was firm and unchanging.

When science discovered a new reality, it discarded the old one.

On the contrary, when religion found new circumstances, it would somehow fit them into the existing framework of faith.

The Gospel, in other words, was the truth.

They could never deny the Holy Power bestowed upon someone by God.

That was why I never felt burdened for a single moment coming to this place.

The citizens wouldn't accept me?

Of course, they would not.

But what could be done about it?

It was not my job to interpret my existence, give trust, and explain it.

That was the job of those sitting there with their bellies full, claiming they were following God's word.

"I am Deus Verdi, the younger brother of Margrave Norseweden, and among all Dark Mages, a soul-commanding Necromancer."

I introduced myself without much fanfare, but it was a self-introduction that would make anyone from Griffin Kingdom fume with anger, even if it was just for a brief moment.

"Not only that."

After that, I added a sentence they could never ignore.

"I am also someone who has been chosen by God."

In fact, I also let out a delightful laugh.

I gave you all a problem.

One which I didn't know the answer to either. But solving it was your job.

So, what was God's will?