The morning was young and so was the bright blue sky. Clouds filled such vast blueness with life along with the birds flying freely in the air, free of restraints and soaring high and low as they should. It was the start of a new day.
A few days have passed since Grey settled the deal with Gallen Village's Chief and as they have agreed on, they headed to the Merchants' Guild to settle everything. It was just like Grey had expected. He was buried with work and was questioned by the Guildmaster for hours.
It also didn't help when the Chief found out who Grey really was. Thankfully, he didn't change his attitude and only asked for a simple autograph. Needless to say, it was a tiring yet productive day.
The days after that, Grey and Yuna enjoyed their usual lifestyles. They took quests, practiced blacksmithing and alchemy, enjoyed their hobbies, and of course, spent time with one another, playing games, eating together, and cuddling. It was a peaceful series of days.
Chatter Chatter Chatter
Yet in such a peaceful morning, the loud and noisy chattering of the crowd could be heard overlapping everywhere. It was not even the market but in front of the church, yet such noise could still be observed.
"There sure are a lot of people, huh..." ［Grey］
"Un... Would everything be alright?" ［Yuna］
The reason was pretty simple. It was because Grey and Yuna, who were not any less famous than celebrities, were in front of the said church. People who were excited to see them gathered around, hence the sudden noisiness.
Grey wanted to have an audience with the priest to ask questions regarding the essence of creation, aether, and corruption that Leif couldn't answer. And since it was an audience that they needed, it was better to do it with the influence as heroes.
The two had already expected that it would cause a little bit of commotion nearby, but they didn't think it would be this much. The people were like fans who were waiting for their idols to arrive in a concert.
"Then, shall we head inside? More and more people are gathering by the moment. I'm afraid of what becomes of this crowd..." ［Grey］
"Un. I think so too..." ［Yuna］
Ignoring the crowd who stared at them, Grey and Yuna walked inside the church's premises beside one another. But their destination was not the same, they split up left and right as soon as they were in front of the main building.
Yuna headed to the nearby building, the orphanage, whilst Grey continued heading inside the main building, the massive doors welcoming him as soon as he arrived in front of it. It was not less than amazing.
Creaaakkkk
The doors opened and a heavy and lengthy creak resounded in the air. The inside of the church was even more amazing than what was outside. Even more amazing and awe-inspiring than those he had seen back on earth.
Light passing through the large side windows and seats lined up left, right, and center, creating a large array of seats for devotees to pray and converse to God. And at the far center, behind the altar was a large statue of a man who held a scale on one hand and a sword on the other.
"So this is how you look, huh..." ［Grey］
The statue was none other than a recreation of the God Grey had met. He only heard his voice and hadn't seen his face so he didn't know how accurate the statue was. It was entirely possible that it wasn't even close to what God really looked like.
Grey drew closer to the statue, and when he did, he noticed intricate details carved on the statue's body. They were high-level runes which are of the highest difficulty in enchanting that even he has not fully grasped.
"Light, darkness, life, death, and that one is... Chaos?" ［Grey］
Mumbled Grey as he continued to look at the runes carved on the statue. There were some pertaining to the elements found in nature, the divine beasts, and many natural aspects of the world. Most importantly, it entailed the creation of the world.
According to the book of genesis, in the beginning, there was only chaos. Light, darkness, fire, water, and all other elements intermixed with one another creating a mixture of something totally strange and indescribable.
Flick
The sound of a flicked finger echoed in such chaos and suddenly, all elements arranged themselves accordingly, creating their own dense clumps. A certain figure walked along the cosmos and observed the emptiness left behind.
Like a chef cooking meals and craftsmen creating furniture, that figure pulled those elements together to create harmony. First he used fire and earth to create the land and the magma running below it. He then flooded it with water to create the oceans and the continents.
What followed after were wind to create what belongs in the sky, ice which frosted the poles, light and darkness to create day and night, creating a perfect looking planet which is now the world of Merusia, but something still felt missing. There was nothing inhabiting it.
First, he shattered the life attribute into pieces, creating the plants and everything green, birthing a new element. He continued to scatter it in the ground to create all land animals, the sea to create fishes, to the sky to create birds.
God played around and created more and more, until he created Salfers, mirrored from a certain race he had seen before in the other God's dimensions. The species which split into the seven races which now dominated the world
Lastly, he poured mana in the world to make it more interesting, creating beasts, monsters, and magical plants alike. It also gave power to the people whom he grew to love. And so, everything was finished.
It is said that it has been more than 20 thousand years since the world was created and ever since its creation, the one and only God, Namel, watched over the lands as it grew to how it is today, sending down salvation in times of need and sending down punishments to those who deserve it.
"Namel, huh... That idiot God never told me what his name was... Am I even in the right place?" ［Grey］
Grey asked himself as he continued to look around the church, admiring the images displayed over the painted windows and the paintings on the ceiling. He once again realized how impressive the church really was.
It was then that a certain thought came to his mind. He closed his eyes and concentrated heavily, focusing his thoughts on the statue before him. But time passed, yet nothing changed. There was only silence.
"It's a failure, huh..." ［Grey］
Utilizing telepathy the way he usually does, Grey tried to connect to God to see if he could communicate with him, but all his efforts were in vain. Just like the case with Kris and Aira, he couldn't call out to him.
Creak
Time passed and another creak echoed in the air. It was not the main door, but rather, a door by the side which leads to the inner buildings of the church. A man wearing a priest's garb excited, his eyes fixated on Grey.
The priest had a peaceful demeanor on his face, and as one would expect of a priest, he was judged "green" by Grey's eyes. One of the purest shades of green, in fact. It was then Grey knew that he could be trusted.
"Greetings to Your Highness, Hero of Alfrione." ［Priest］
Politely, the priest bowed his head towards Grey to show his respect. It was already what Grey had expected, but it was still unpleasant being greeted like that. Especially by a priest who are considered servants of God, even if that God was an idiotic one.
"Please raise your head." ［Grey］
"As you command, Your Highness." ［Priest］
As politely as he bowed, the priest raised his head as calmly as he bowed his, showing a smile at the end to greet Grey once again. He was quite different from what Grey had previously imagined. Not stern, but calm and friendly.
"Sorry for visiting so abruptly, I hope I didn't trouble you too much." ［Grey］
"There's no such thing, Your Highness. If anything, we feel honored that you visited us... Now, I heard His Highness has some questions to ask of me?" ［Priest］
"That's right, but... I don't think this is the right place to talk about it." ［Grey］
Grey looked around the place and the priest's eyes followed. There may only be a few, but there were still a handful of devotees praying inside. It would only disturb their prayers if they talked in such a place.
"Fufufu, Your Highness is right. If that's the case, why don't we head to the central chamber first? I believe it would be more comfortable there." ［Priest］
"Please and thank you." ［Grey］
"It's my pleasure." ［Priest］
Breaking the silence, the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the halls as Grey and the priest walked side by side. Other than their steps, it was deadly silent to the point you could hear your own breath, but it was relaxing, strangely enough.
After a couple minutes of walking, they finally arrived in what seems to be a mix of a library and a study room. There were a large number of books by the side, all of which pertained to theology and the likes.
Ranging from books which entailed the creation of the world, to records of saints and important figures of the church, and even theories about the foundation of the world. There were a lot of interesting picks to see. It was a good collection.
"Are you interested in them, Your Highness?" ［Priest］
"No, not really... I was just thinking that there sure are a lot of books here. There are even some I haven't seen in the city library." ［Grey］
"Fufufu. That is correct. Some of the books here are special properties of the Church that no other organization could contain. But if you would like, I can lend them to you, Your Highness." ［Priest］
"Huh? Is that alright? Won't the Church get enraged?" ［Grey］
"No, no, that isn't the case at all. While other places could not utilize them without permission, it is not forbidden to borrow them. As long as one does not destroy it, everyone could borrow it." ［Priest］
Calmness, confidence, and sincerity. Such emotions could be seen in the priest's eyes as he answered Grey's query. He then started to pour tea over his desk and prepared some snacks to go along with it.
Just like the priest has said, books pertaining to holy magic and techniques utilized by the Church can be learnt by everyone. While the Church is the one who holds the most knowledge about holy magic and the likes, there are also other factions who use it as well as they do.
The only problem was that understanding holy magic is quite an ordeal. Only the Church has the facilities and capabilities to teach it to the younger generations with great efficiency. It was the reason why many people thought the Church had monopoly over holy magic.
"Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sephir, the priest and the one in charge of this church." ［Sephir］
"Well, I'm sure you already know this, but I'm called Grey. It's a pleasure to meet you, Priest Sephir." ［Grey］
"The pleasure is mine, Your Highness." ［Sephir］
Just as the introductions were over, Sephir handed a cup of tea to Grey and offered him a seat. He was very courteous and polite that one would easily get along with him. A true model for excellence.
"Now, back to the topic... What were you going to ask me, Your Highness? My knowledge may be lacking, but I hope I can answer your questions." ［Sephir］
"Well, this might be strange to ask, but... Have you heard of 'aether'?" ［Grey］
"Aether... If it's about pure mana, I know a little bit about it..." ［Sephir］
Grey was initially worried that their time would be wasted, but thankfully, Sephir at least knew what aether was. It was a bit surprising since not even the royal academy knew of it, but it was a welcome surprise.
"But where did Your Highness hear about it? It has only been a couple of years since its discovery in the Holy Nation, and even amongst priests, only a small number of us have heard about it." ［Sephir］
"A-Ah... I heard it from another priest when we were out in Ingrasia. It got me quite interested so I wanted to ask." ［Grey］
"I see... That does make sense. It's an interesting topic, after all..." ［Sephir］
It was a close call. Since God didn't specify how widely known aether was, Grey was having a bit of trouble how much he could talk about. Thankfully, Sephir wasn't a doubtful man and believed him easily. Though he does feel a little bit guilty.
"From what I know, aether is the complete opposite of corruption. If corruption is called the source of evil, then aether is the providence of God..." ［Sephir］
Slowly but surely, Sephir explained all he knew about aether to Grey, and as a bonus, corruption was even included in his explanations. From its discovery, to its theoretical purpose, Sephir talked about it without end.
Sadly, even with all the knowledge of the church, it didn't rival what Grey and Leif already knew of. In fact, some of the information was even wrong and contained missing parts. It was totally hopeless.
Still, Grey couldn't just barge in and say about everything he knows about it. Other than facing criticism from the researchers, he would also sound crazy since he had no evidence. On top of that, he would love to avoid antagonizing the church.
"That's all I know. I hope it was helpful." ［Sephir］
"No, it's more than enough." ［Grey］
Grey's chest pained as he lied to Sephir. He was explaining it so enthusiastically and politely too that Grey felt bad already knowing what he was talking about. It was a pity, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Then, how about the 'Essence of Creation'? Have you also heard about it?" ［Grey］
"The essence of creation... That's... Hmm... It's the first time I've heard of it. Did Your Highness also hear it from the same priest?" ［Sephir］
"No, I've read it somewhere, though I can't remember where. Sorry..." ［Grey］
"There's no need to apologize, but since it was a book... maybe there's some clues in here..." ［Sepir］
Sephir slowly stood up and neared the books near him, he then scanned through the titles to see any related contents, but his efforts were all for naught. There was not a single one which bore any resemblant meanings.
Of course there wasn't. After all, even Grey only knew about it when he entered the Labyrinth of Death. It would be stranger if people knew about it and he didn't. He has a God-gifted knowledge, after all... Literally.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you in regards to that topic, Your Highness. I'm truly sorry." ［Sephir］
"No, it's alright. You've helped me more than enough." ［Grey］
"It was myー Ah! Come to think of it, maybe they know something about it. If it's that place, I'm sure you can learn a lot of things there." ［Sephir］
But just when all hope was lost, a sudden idea popped up inside Sephir's mind. It was a place he had been to only a few times. The place which has authority rivaling that of empires and major powers alike.
"And that place is...?" ［Grey］
"It's the Holy Nation, Elvanel." ［Sephir］
Holy Nation, Elvanel, a small city-state located in the Central Continent, Noiren, west of where Grey is currently in, the Eastern Continent, Oiros. It is the home of the Pope and is also where the Church's headquarters are located. A place not many could freely enter.
Although small, its influence stretches far and wide due to its believers and because of it, it gained an authority which would not lose out to any major global powers, such as the empires and the guilds. A major player in the world of politics and economics.
The only problem was that it was very far away, taking months to a whole year of travel for normal people. Even if Grey and Yuna were to fly using Sirius at high speeds, it would still take more than a week.
"But, I don't advise Your Highness on going there for now." ［Sephir］
"Hm? Why? Is there a problem?" ［Grey］
"No, rather than a problem... It is more appropriate to say that the Church is still adjusting to its newfound powers. You see, Heiren, the Chief Paladin, had just broken through Calamity-Class." ［Sephir］
Grey's heart was shocked with surprise at Sephir's words. It was not just any trivial topic. It was something which could easily tip the power balance if not handled carefully and cause friction between countries.
Calamity-Class, the level above S-rank, is a level achieved only by a handful of people. Even in the world, there are only five Calamity-Class Rankers, only second most powerful to the two Disaster-Class rankers.
With their power to annihilate cities with just a flick of a finger, they are considered National-Level threats which could destroy kingdoms if they so wanted. The appearance of a sixth one will wholly break the current balance.
While it is beneficial for the Holy Nation, the same couldn't be said to other countries. Even if they have no ill intentions, the others might perceive them as a threat. Chaos could descend at any moment during such a sensitive period.
Grey wasn't fully innocent either. Since Polaris, his and Yuna's familiar, had also just reached Calamity-Class, they are only on the same level of a threat as the others. It was in their best interest to keep it a secret.
"I see... I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Priest Sephir." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, anytime, Your Highness." ［Sephir］
With that, Grey's business with the church was concluded. Since even the priest had no idea about the essence of creation, there was no point in wasting time. He was about to take his leave, when he remembered something important.
"Ah, right... Priest Sephir, I would like to make a donation." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, that would be more than welcoー" ［Sephir］
Sephir who was just giggling to himself suddenly stopped, his expressions frozen and his eyes full of shock, disbelief, and confusion. Before him, there was a light blue crystal which had cloud-like mist melded inside of it.
He has been wondering what Grey would like to donate when he reached to his storage ring, but he never expected it to be like that. At most, he was thinking of a silver coin which is 1 thousand kiels, but who would have thought Grey would take out a sky crystal which is a thousand times more valuable. He was shocked.
"No, no, no, no! We can't accept such a large amount, Your Highness! Do you even know how valuable it is?!" ［Sephir］
"I know how valuable it is, and that's why I'm giving it to you. I know there are a lot of children in the orphanage. Use it to give the children something nice to eat." ［Grey］
"But Your Highness, even then, this is still too much..." ［Sephir］
"Hmm... If that's the case... Then how about this? Think of it as payment for your help today and if ever I need to ask something in the future, you can repay me by answering my questions. That's a fair trade isn't it?" ［Grey］
It was in no way a fair trade. The information Grey obtained today wasn't even as helpful. And it was not that Grey was generous, it was just a form of self-satisfaction to repay everyone who supported him in his past life.
He knew full well how hard it was to be an orphan. Thankfully, there were his relatives to support him until he could stand for himself. He wanted the children to feel that same support too. After all, it was better to spend money for the welfare of others rather than let it gather dust in the corner.
"Thank you, Your Highness..." ［Sephir］
"Haha, anytime!" ［Grey］
Leaving the still shocked Sephir to his own, Grey left the central chamber and headed out of the main building. He then headed straight towards the orphanage which was located a few distance away.
When he entered, what greeted him was a large group of children crowding around a certain silver-haired elf. She was telling them stories and they listened attentively. The nuns were watching warmly over them.
"Oh, Grey! Are you done with your business?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, sorry for leaving you alone." ［Grey］
Of course, Yuna immediately noticed his entrance and was the first one to greet him. Following Yuna's eyes, the children and the nuns also looked at Grey. Bright faces of excitement painted on their faces as soon as they realized who Grey was.
"It's Mister Hero!"
"Mister Hero! Mister Hero! Have you seen a dragon?!"
"Mister Hero! Do you have a sword?!"
Excited questions came flying here and there as they ran towards Grey with such vigor. Their eyes were shimmering brightly as if they had just seen their idols. Especially the boys, they were gung-ho about Grey's adventures.
"I-I apologize, Your Highness! Kids, please behave yourー" ［Nun］
"No, it's alright. Children should ought to be energetic, after all." ［Grey］
Grey was not bothered a single bit. Compared to when people stared at them on the streets or snag praises of admiration towards them, the curious inquiries and innocent excitement of such children was much more comfortable.
He couldn't help but smile as he observed the children's excited faces. It was then that he realized that he made the right decision. Compared to the children's bright smiles, a measly one million kiels was nothing.
"Then, how about we head back to where Miss Hero is. If you behave like good kids, I'll give you some sweets!" ［Grey］
"Sweets?! Really?!"
"Yaaay～!"
Cheers of pure and innocent happiness filled the air as Grey headed to where Yuna was. He then gave a number of handmade sweets and snacks to the children, making their faces bloom brighter.
Even the older children didn't shy away from them. While they were much more reserved than the younger ones, excitement was still evident in their faces. It made Grey and Yuna feel a certain warmth surge inside their hearts. It was an eventful day.
CHAPTER 160 END