Chapter 477: D175. Two dead people connected
Only Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know.
Although this phrase often appears in rather illegal contexts, the Hero had indeed heard it before.
However, within the Church, this phrase is not accepted; those higher up and closer to the center of the Church Court often scoff at it lightly and add:
“No, Lady Saintess knows as well.”
In her presence, no secrets can be kept; in her eyes, all hidden things cannot escape. She, who knows everything like a God, is the Divine Knowledge Saintess.
Whether it’s ingeniously designed conspiracies or extremely hidden sins, as long as it goes through the Divine Knowledge Saintess, all sinners cannot escape judgment.
Murder, theft, corruption… even the Black Gate, known for its Space Magic and elusive movements, if targeted by the current Saintess, could not change its fate even if it fled to the ends of the earth.
The honors and legends associated with the current Saintess have almost exceeded the understanding of the Hero.
Not to mention herself, even if all of her father’s merits were combined, they would probably not match up to a fraction of this Saintess’s.
“The Kingdom has been able to maintain stability for so many years, the current Lady Saintess’s contributions are crucial and undeniable, and my father has also acknowledged this many times in public, giving high praise to Lady Saintess.”
The Fourteenth Princess spoke with admiration, her tone full of undisguised respect, before her expression grew somber.
“Although it’s not nice to arrange things against my own father, it is true that my father had a liking for women and had many concubines when he was young. Although it didn’t interfere with public matters—while to me, he was a good father—I often heard him being called a womanizing King during my inspections among the commoners.
“However, even such a father would never meet with that Saintess in private.”
The Fourteenth Princess said gravely.
[King’s Level, Profession (WarriorShooterThief♛MageMagicianPriest)]
D30+50=d30(14)+50=64
D6=d6(3)=3
Although his most favored daughter suffered from an incurable disease called Magic Dissociation, making even the most ordinary Professionals unattainable for her, the old King himself was a bona fide Legendary Thief.
The Thief Guild often gives off a dark and secretive impression, seemingly incompatible with the image of a King, but as a profession that seeks agility and flexible handling of things, a Thief is often not inferior to a Mage in versatility and convenience in daily life.
Considering the old King’s amorous history, and the attempts by a Noble Lady to think about using Mage Scrolls in a Thief-like manner, his choice of becoming a Thief was not so surprising.
But even such an old King, a naturally amorous Legendary Thief, was unwilling to converse alone with the current Saintess.
The Hero opened his mouth as if wanting to ask why, but then fell silent.
Actually, one just needs to think from his position to understand the answer.
Everyone has secrets they don’t want to be known, let alone a King, let alone a Thief, naturally tinged with some dark secrets.
But the Saintess knows everything.
She knows too much.
“Not only that, the Saintess also possesses the power of prophecy; she can sometimes predict a person’s future… including the crimes they will commit.”
The Cruising Bishop added solemnly.
Most prophecies can be interfered with and changed, but there also exists futures that cannot be altered and are bound to happen.
“While not one hundred percent accurate, the Saintess’s prophecies hold a power considered close to absolute prophecy; she alone can perform the Absolute Prophecy Ritual that would otherwise require the sacrifice of a Bishop.”
Here, the Cruising Bishop fell silent, finding it difficult to speak.
But eventually, he continued with a heavy tone.
“…This is something that only those of Bishop-level are permitted to know. Because of the Saintess’s ‘Divine Knowledge,’ once she predicts future crimes, even if the person is currently innocent, blameless—
“Based on the severity of the crime, the Tribunal might also choose to nip it in the bud.
“While there is significant internal disagreement within the Church about the correctness of this approach, it indeed exists.”
After listening, the Hero remained silent for a moment, then let out a light sigh.
“So, she is not well-liked within the Church, hence, you did not organize her rescue?” she asked, lowering her eyelids, unsure how to judge.
[Current Saintess’s popularity (Saintess +30, Major Perception Failure -30)]
D40+30=d40(40)+30=70
“Not unpopular… not exactly,” said the Cruising Bishop hesitantly, shaking his head upon hearing the Hero’s description.
Realizing her assumption, the Hero thought for a moment and showed a puzzled expression.
“That’s true, after all, Lady Saintess’s contributions and merits are genuine; even if feared for her abilities, there should be many people… respect her? follow her? In any case, she shouldn’t be disliked.”
All privacies and shadows cannot hide in front of the Saintess; despite the risks posed by such transparency, the Saintess has used this power to help others and vanquish evil.
With the Saintess’s achievements and reputation, the number of people she’s helped must be tremendous; even if her powers do make some wary, it’s hardly enough to make her disliked.
Moreover, aside from the high echelons of the Church, there are many more ordinary clerics who form the foundation of the Church. These monks and nuns may have never seen the Saintess, but they are well-informed about her deeds and some have joined the Church out of admiration after being helped by her.
“Putting it that way, indeed, it is hard to imagine the Divine Knowledge Saintess not having followers who would remain indifferent to her disappearance. Has the internal divide within the Church reached such a state?”
The Fourteenth Princess too realized this, her expression turning puzzled and cautious.
If the entire Church leadership did not welcome the Saintess’s presence, hence not deploying a rescue team, that could be somewhat better; in that case, the Church could still be considered a ‘whole’.
But if there are actually many within the Church who want to rescue the Saintess, yet are forcefully suppressed by another faction, then the sharpness of this conflict is unspeakably severe; if mishandled, it could even trigger a factional war within the Church Court.
“You both are not wrong; the Saintess indeed has considerable popularity within the Church. However, how should I put it, I also only realized this a few days ago…”
The Cruising Bishop’s expression was complex, having spent years traveling for his Third Ascension, hardly returning to the Church headquarters even once a year, and his training location after being promoted to Official Bishop was in the Border City, so he wasn’t particularly familiar with the central affairs of the Church.
“Just what?”
At the questions of the Hero and the Princess, the Cruising Bishop gave a bitter smile.
“The faction supporting the Saintess generally holds this belief: they consider themselves incapable of committing sins, never straying from the right path, and even if they approach the Saintess, they would never face the ‘Divine Knowledge’ judgement…”
The Hero nodded somewhat understandingly, seemingly grasping the idea.
“…At the same time, they absolutely trust the Saintess’s judgment, even if she prophesies that they would commit a sin, they would willingly devote themselves, for the Saintess is absolute in their hearts, incapable of any error.”
Hearing this, the Hero slightly agape, his mouth hanging open in momentary shock.
“I initially couldn’t understand why the disappearance of the Saintess was so overlooked, but thinking about it, it’s quite simple—those who dread the Saintess truly do not wish for her return; while her followers do not believe she would encounter danger, perceiving this simply as a trial, a test.
“Since the Saintess chose to disappear, her judgment cannot be incorrect, and this might even be a deliberate strategy by the Saintess, aimed at purging unstable elements within the Church…
“If a rescue team were to be formed, not only would those who do not wish for the Saintess’s return hinder it, but also those who think this would disrupt her plans.”
The Cruising Bishop covered his forehead, muttering a heavy and helpless sigh.
“How come I never noticed before… this Church really is full of eccentrics…”
The Hero gave the Cruising Bishop a strange look, once again understanding the bad impression his grandfather had of the Church.
[Saintess’s Influence, Critical Success!]
[Attitude of the Four-winged King]
D70+30=d70(69)+30=99
[Attitude of the Pope]
D70+30=d70(55)+30=85
[Attitude of the King (Neutral+20)]
D50+50=d50(5)+50=55
→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←
The conversation among the three lasted for a considerable time, to the extent that the Healer Association President wondered if the Hero was hiding any illness, coming over to enquire.
“And the dialogue with both of you was immensely enlightening.”
After the conversation concluded, the Cruising Bishop stood up and bowed, expressing his gratitude to them both.
“Especially you, Hero. Without your presence, I really don’t know what foolish actions I might have taken.”
After investigating and through this discussion, the Cruising Bishop finally pieced together the real reason behind the disappearance of the Saintess, which also led him to lament his initial impulsiveness and foolishness.
Otherwise, even if he really burned himself as kindle, conducting a ceremony to locate the Saintess, it likely wouldn’t have altered the current situation,
After all, finding where the Saintess was only the first step, the next steps involved secrets at the center of the Ancient Royal City, the scheming of the Black Gate, internal disputes among Church factions…
Simply knowing where the Saintess was trapped would be useless without knowledge of these, regardless of how significant the prophecy was.
“I really didn’t help much, just gave you a slight reminder. I thought I could get more information from that masochist, but I was blasted out as soon as I entered,” said the Hero sheepishly.
“No, if you hadn’t initially reminded me of the existence of the Black Gate, I wouldn’t have started this investigation. And not to hide it from you two, I actually did think before that the disappearance of the Saintess might have been preplanned by the Divine Knowledge Saintess, thus I hesitated to act and stayed here longer,” the Cruising Bishop laughed.
“But it’s also thanks to you, Hero, that we could confirm the situation of the Divine Knowledge Saintess. Although it’s uncertain if she’s trapped, at least she most likely didn’t vanish willingly. Without your insight, even if I scoured the ancient texts here, it would have been hard to make a decision.”
He said he would later go to the Holy City of the Church, trying to rally those who are not overly fanatic but lean towards the Saintess or believe in her prophecy, striving to stabilize the Church’s situation and create a favorable environment for the true Saintess Candidate.
Since he knew the current Saintess was not in immediate mortal peril, the Cruising Bishop was much calmer, stating that if the opportunity arises, he would propose to the Pope to form a rescue team.
“Mm, I will propose the same to my father,” the Fourteenth Princess nodded in agreement.
“By the way, Hero, before you leave, there is someone you might want to meet.”
Saying so, the Cruising Bishop asked the Hero to wait a moment, left for a while, and then brought someone both the Hero and the Princess recognized.
It was the Innocent, dressed in a nun’s clothes.
[Skills of Death’s Guilt]
1. Mind Parasite♛
2. Soul Split
3. Psychic Stagnation
4. Life Binding
5.1
6.2
7.3
8.4
9. Overflowing Sin
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
D10=d10(1)=1
[Death’s Guilt]
When the skill holder is murdered, a judgment of 4D Intelligence + 44 will be made against the murderer.
Based on the result of the judgment, the personality, memories, and emotions of the skill holder will be obtained by the murderer, becoming part of his soul, and cannot be split, erased, or diluted.
All sins can be redeemed, only the death of self is an irretrievable fault.
Thus, thou shalt repay, new life for the deceased.