Chapter 139: In the name of the Holy Spirit

Francis Bachenan the Twenty-Second, revered as the Holy Lady of the Bachenan Holy Kingdom, came to hear the rumor that had recently spread.

“Are the Messengers of Grace wandering around the Dior Empire?”

Priests who offered aid were usually called Messengers of Grace.

However, the problem was that the Bachenan Holy Kingdom had not deployed them at all in recent times.

At that, High Priest Gerdin Pelion, the Holy Lady’s right hand, opened his mouth.

“It is said that a Messenger of Grace passed through Poltaz, Ratpadon, and the Glonia Territory in the southeastern region of the Dior Empire.”

“But we never sent a messenger. And in those parts of the Dior Empire, of all places…….”

“That is correct. They are lands that have become hellish due to the Empire’s blunders. For now, I did not deny their inquiry.”

“Why did you do that?”

Francis furrowed her brows at the High Priest’s decision.

But even after seeing her reaction, he did not waver.

“The northern half of the continent is in turmoil. Several regions are turning into deserts under inexplicable curses. In a time when many believe the goddess’s grace is lacking, I judged there was no need to deny it.”

“But this wasn’t our doing! Do you mean to tarnish the Holy Lady’s prestige?”

The successor to the Holy Lady was determined at birth—one who was born with divine power innately.

After a long period with no successor following the previous Holy Lady, Francis was discovered.

Not long after, the Holy Lady passed away, and Francis ascended as the Twenty-Second Holy Lady at a young age.

“We must grasp even a single straw.”

“How can you say that! As a member of the Holy Kingdom—!”

As Francis continued speaking, her eyes shone white.

At the same time, her body stretched as if seized by convulsions, lifted into the air, and then a completely different voice flowed out.

[The pitch-black darkness shall descend like a sun that does not set……. The Avatar of Flashing Light shall return at the end of a long journey and sweep it away!]

A clear yet unfathomably deep voice.

Gerdin Pelion’s lips trembled uncontrollably.

“A-a divine oracle!”

When the voice ended, Francis slowly descended to the floor.

Startled, Gerdin supported her and called for help.

Francis was immediately laid upon her chamber bed.

It did not take her long to wake.

As soon as her eyes opened, she saw Gerdin and asked:

“High Priest……, what happened to me?”

“A divine oracle was bestowed.”

“……An oracle?”

“It was similar to the one that descended about eight years ago.”

Gerdin unfolded the parchment someone had brought.

Written there was the content of the oracle given roughly eight years earlier.

[The sun that faded in pitch-black darkness……, the one who lived there shall return.]

The meaning had been incomprehensible.

Thus the Bachenan Holy Kingdom had sought scholars from various nations to interpret it, but nothing had been learned.

Of course, they paid attention to changes across different countries.

They wanted to find any phenomenon that might match the oracle.

But even after eight years, they had nearly nothing to show for it.

“What was the message this time?”

Although Francis had received the oracle herself, she did not know its content.

The deity descended into her body, spoke only what needed to be spoken, then vanished.

“It was: ‘The pitch-black darkness shall descend like a sun that does not set……. The Avatar of Flashing Light shall return at the end of a long journey and sweep it away.’”

“It really is similar to the previous one. Pitch-black darkness……. What could that possibly mean? Could it be connected to the strange events happening across the continent?”

Everything remained tangled and complicated.

Francis let out a deep sigh and pushed her long hair back.

“Who could be the Avatar of Flashing Light? I……, wonder if it might be someone who succeeds the goddess of lightning and wrath, Rainias, just as the Holy Lady does.”

The Bachenan Holy Kingdom worshiped Zigasis, the goddess of the sun and blessings, as their chief deity.

Of course, they worshiped other gods as well, though with different emphasis.

Upon hearing the phrase “Flashing Light,” Gerdin had thought of Rainias, who symbolized lightning and wrath.

“The High Priest’s thought also makes sense. Especially if the Avatar of Flashing Light appears like I did—as a saint.”

“But if our interpretations were correct, traces should have appeared in some country. And the person mentioned in the first oracle—‘the one who lived in the sun that faded’—we have no idea who that refers to.”

Should they consider it an error in the oracle?

Even after all their deliberation, they had no answers.

“What if the one just mentioned and the Avatar of Flashing Light are the same person?”

“You mean the one who lived in the sun that faded is the Avatar of Flashing Light?”

“If the true purpose of the oracle is what was given this time, then I think that might be right. Though we do not know who that person is.”

The most crucial parts remained a mystery, leaving Francis and Gerdin troubled.

Then Francis began organizing her thoughts one by one.

“What matters immediately is the lands that are deteriorating. Could that be the ‘pitch-black darkness’ spoken of in the oracle?”

When the oracle first descended, it had been hard to grasp.

But now, with the situation somewhat clearer, the line seemed easier to interpret.

“In truth…… earlier, we received word from those who had been studying the initial oracle.”

“What news is it?”

“We found the record of the prophecy in which the phrase ‘pitch-black darkness’ was explicitly mentioned.”

The prophecy of the Bachenan Holy Kingdom, spanning up to the 22nd generation, had been preserved even before the kingdom was founded.

Naturally, every time a prophecy was issued, it was reviewed and interpreted using contemporary records and historical materials.

This time, however, the content was so obscure that it took an unusually long time.

About eight years…

“Tell me what it says. What does ‘pitch-black darkness’ mean?”

Gerdin hesitated for a moment before answering the question.

“The record was from before the first Holy Monarch. And the meaning was interpreted at the time it appeared when a certain being arrived on the continent.”

“A being?”

“…It was the Demon race.”

On the continent, humans, elves, and dwarves were the dominant races living as individual species. Other minority races existed, but generally, peace was valued.

But the Demon race was an exception.

Records of the Demon race had ended thousands of years ago.

Still, the description of the Demons in the record was unbearably cruel.

[Beings with pitch-black skin who fill their bellies with human blood and flesh… The land they descend upon will be soaked in the stench of blood…]

This prophecy was issued before Demons first appeared on the continent. At that time, no one understood the meaning of its content.

Until tens of thousands were slaughtered by a single Demon…

The record was utterly horrifying. Even hearing the report from the priests, Gerdin found it hard to believe.

Francis spoke in a trembling voice.

“Really… you mean Demons? But the ‘pitch-black darkness’ was recorded just eight years ago.”

The record from the first generation that had just been confirmed showed that Demons appeared three years after the prophecy was issued. Now, five more years had passed.

It would have been unsurprising if they had already appeared.

“In any case, that is the interpretation according to the records.”

“Could it be… that the strange events happening on the continent are related to that being?”

She barely wanted to speak the name ‘Demons’.

“It’s possible… but as far as we can confirm now, they are only recognized as natural anomalies. The Empire is responsible for them.”

Several kingdoms were experiencing desertification. About twenty percent of the affected land belonged to the Dior Empire.

The extent of the damage was significant even for the Empire, making it difficult to assign absolute blame.

Of course, the cause was unknown.

But if the reason was the Demons, the focus had to be there.

“Should we investigate through our believers in the Empire?”

“Most of them were dispatched there when the land was becoming desolate. But they could not uncover anything.”

“Then what about dispatching the Paladins?”

Paladins of the Bachenan Holy Kingdom wielded sacred swordsmanship unlike ordinary knights.

Their bodies could be enhanced or healed, making their skill superior even to knights of the same rank.

“The Empire or other kingdoms might lodge complaints.”

The problem was that they were the Holy Kingdom’s main military force.

They needed caution, as their movement could be perceived as a military maneuver.

“How about sending a high-ranking priest as a separate envoy?”

“Or perhaps we could send the Messengers of Grace via the Mineta Kingdom and Boluzan Kingdom to reach the Dior Empire. That would appear natural.”

“Oh…! You mean using those unidentified Messengers of Grace currently moving through the Dior Empire?”

Francis asked, and Gerdin nodded.

“Exactly. The outer territories of the Dior Empire would likely have lowered their guard because of them. Of course, we could enter directly, but it’s necessary to be cautious and also check the situation in the other kingdoms.”

Gerdin was not the second-in-command of the Holy Kingdom without reason.

His long years of service in the Kingdom had firmly supported the Holy Monarch.

“That seems like a good idea. And please allocate as much of the necessary funds for the Messengers of Grace from the Kingdom’s treasury as possible.”

“But in doing so, it may cause some inconvenience in maintaining the prestige of the Holy Monarch.”

The Bachenan Holy Kingdom and its temples operated on donations from each kingdom and the faithful.

In a continent run by a single religion, the Holy Kingdom wielded considerable influence.

But in recent years, kingdoms struggling with desertification had significantly reduced their donations.

“I don’t care about that. What matters now is the people living on this continent.”

“…Understood. We shall proceed accordingly.”

“I want to have one of the five High Councillors accompany the Messengers of Grace, along with Sir Lassen Heitz.”

“I understand regarding a High Councillor. But Sir Lassen is the Commander of the Paladins. He must remain in his position protecting the Kingdom. That is impossible.”

Paladin Commander Lassen Heitz.

A Swordmaster of advanced rank and a Paladin capable of wielding sacred energy.

He always stayed near the Holy Monarch, protecting both the Kingdom and her.

Naturally, Gerdin, as a High Councillor, could not permit it.

“This is an important matter. I do not want them to fall into danger in any way.”

“I think the same. But what is most important to the Kingdom is the Holy Monarch—you.”

“If there are no believers, the Kingdom is finished. And at this rate, the Kingdom’s survival is at even greater risk.”

Francis’s eyes, always perceived as youthful, sharpened.

It was the first time she had shown such an expression.

Gerdin, who had watched her since she was a child, felt proud.

“Your command shall be carried out, Your Holiness.”

“Thank you. Then who will be the High Councillor?”

“Perhaps Marianne.”

“High Councillor Marianne? Hmm… Yes, she would be truly suitable.”

“I shall make the request.”

After answering, Gerdin quietly left Francis’s room.

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