Everyone fell silent at Augusto's words.
"Blasphemy!"
The current Pope, his face red with anger, stood up abruptly and pointed his finger decisively.
"This is blasphemy! Even if you are one of the sages, how dare you speak such profane words about a legendary Hero!"
The Pope didn't stop there and continued to accuse Augusto. This reaction was expected. After all, the Void Hero was the 'Faith' of the church, even surpassing that of the Gods. Even though the Gods had abandoned this world, the legacy of the Void Hero endured, and his influence on the people of this world was immense. Even in hell, the Void Hero was a great figure.
For this reason, the church wouldn't allow anyone to tarnish the image of this miracle of the world, not even the sages...
"Watch your words! Blasphemy? Never," Augusto frowned. He knew what the Void Hero meant to the church, but Augusto was still his friend, and he was the one who had the utmost respect for the Void Hero.
"Hmph! If it's not blasphemy, then what is it?"
"You don't understand how terrible that evil energy is. Only the Void Hero can stop it. We must revive him."
The leaders behind the armies, who had never fought themselves, didn't know what they were facing. Those who had fought in the war were psychologically scarred by the chaos.
These leaders were selfish beings who used the fame of others to rule and accumulate more power, just like the church...
If the Void Hero were to return, it would mean the end of their reign. Their influence and power over the people would crumble.
Therefore, for the church and those who exploited the Void Hero, it was best that he never returned...
"Revive him? I've never heard such insolence. The Void Hero has already fulfilled his mission! He is in paradise now! Bringing him back to this world would be denying him his happiness!"
The Pope trembled with rage. To any religious person, it was an offense to desecrate the life of a legendary figure they worshipped...
If it weren't for the fact that Augusto was one of the seven sages, the Pope would have already ordered his execution...
Still, he endured the fury...
The Elven Leader, on the other hand, was quite interested in Augusto's proposal and asked:
"Mr. Augusto, how do you intend to revive the Void Hero? As I recall, 100 years ago, the Capital Witch tried and failed."
When the Void Hero exploded and his body was petrified at the end of the war, the seven sages gathered, and the Capital Witch, one of the seven sages, used dark magic to bring the Void Hero back.
After all, even though his body had perished, the seven sages wouldn't allow their savior and the planet's greatest being to enter the world of the dead. They wanted to bring him back and celebrate his victory...
Unfortunately, the spell failed. They didn't even have the chance to turn him into an Undead. The Void Hero's soul wasn't in the world of the dead, and there was nothing left of him...
Everyone panicked. They tried many methods to revive him, and all failed. The Void Hero's soul didn't exist. They even attempted to communicate with the Holy Trinity Goddess, as the Empress of Hell suspected that the Goddess had intervened in the resurrection and prevented them from bringing him back to the Material World...
However...
The Goddess had left the world, leaving behind one last Oracle:
[A Hero's life is tragic, and a God who falls in love with them suffers. The world is safe now, and they no longer need me.]
At first, they didn't understand what the Goddess meant, but the Capital Witch eventually did. She was the first to give up on reviving the Void Hero.
She realized that the Void Hero was gone forever, that even a God couldn't save him, and that the Goddess had left the world out of grief. Of course, there was also the possibility that the Goddess was lying, but no one considered it. The Holy Trinity was famous for being honest and had no motive or courage to lie. This loss plunged her into depression, and she became a recluse who refused to leave her home.
As time passed, the other sages lost hope and also gave up, except for Augusto. He hadn't given up yet and, after long research on souls, had created a magical formula capable of reviving the Void Hero even if his soul wasn't in the world of the dead...
"The Void Hero's soul was destroyed."
"That was 100 years ago! Things have changed!"
"And how have they changed, Mr. Augusto?"
"100 years ago, we didn't have the relics!"
The Relics were weapons, or rather fragments of the Requiem, that fell to the World 10 years after the war ended.
"If we use the relics together with Zeon's body, it's possible to revive him."
"Enough!"
The Pope could no longer tolerate this. He stood up abruptly and struck the table.
"Mr. Augusto, as a sage, I respect you, but even you will be subject to the laws if you dare to desecrate the sacred body and the relics. These are the only things the Void Hero left behind for all of us."
"I agree. I'm sorry, but using the relics is out of the question. And what if we fail and the Void Hero doesn't return?"
"I feel the same."
"So do I."
This time, it wasn't just the Pope. The other leaders also refused. The relics, after descending to the world, were controlled by the leaders of each race. After all, each fragment of the weapons was too powerful, and no race wouldn't want to possess them.
"He will return. It will work!"
"And what if he returns as an Undead?"
An Undead with cosmic power would be a nightmare for all the living.
"...."
Augusto said nothing. Seeing the opposition of everyone made him curse internally. These greedy and selfish people preferred the Void Hero to remain dead.
"Is it for the world or for yourselves?"
"Mr. Augusto, what are you implying?"
Everyone frowned at Augusto's accusation, but the Pope smiled, as if he found it amusing...
"Mr. Augusto, we know you were a friend of the Void Hero, and that you were great comrades in war. We understand that. But have you ever considered what the Worldly Holy Mother would say if you desecrated her son's grave?"
"…!"
This time, it was Augusto's turn to frown. After Zeon's death, all races united and agreed on a treaty to protect the family the Void Hero left behind.
After that, the Church crowned Zeon's mother as the Mother of Miracles. Without her, who brought Zeon into the world, the world would have been destroyed. Therefore, to the entire world, Zeon's mother and sister were untouchable. Even the Seven Sages joined in protecting Zeon's mother.
Both women had the hero's blood in their veins, the most noble blood in the world.
And being women, many men coveted them. Everyone wanted to be part of this legendary family. Even a commoner would change status overnight if given the chance. Fortunately, thanks to the seven sages, not everyone had the opportunity to see Zeon's mother and sister.
However, being the only family Zeon left behind, they were also worshipped by the people and had authority over the relics. After all, the fragments belonged to Zeon, and the relics were also docile in their presence.
"As one of the seven sages, Mr. Augusto, we will overlook your insolence, but this will reach the ears of the Worldly Holy Mother. She will be the one to decide."
The seven sages are noble beings, and it's not easy to strip them of their glory, but the Worldly Holy Mother could.
If she intervened, no one in the world would refuse. Of course, she wouldn't allow anyone to desecrate her son's grave.
And that includes Augusto...
"Fools, without the Void Hero, no one will be able to stop this catastrophe."
Augusto no longer intended to stay in this room, so he left directly, but before he could leave, the Pope's voice stopped him.
"No, maybe 100 years ago, we couldn't, but now things have changed...."
"...."
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TN: If my son becomes a priest, do I call him son or father?.. 🤔