"Yes, Your Excellency, I have indeed recently become a psyker," Eden answered Bishop Doni's question directly.
He noticed that when the bishop asked this, Bayev's expression remained unchanged, and there was no reaction from anyone around him.
This meant that his position was safe, and there was no need to hide anything.
Besides, there was little reason to fear the Church now—the Imperium's reach wouldn't extend to Urth anymore.
Upon hearing Eden's confirmation, Bishop Doni didn't seem overly surprised. He simply nodded.
He continued to smile, "It seems the psychic scan didn't lie. You must often hear the call of the Warp, which is not a good sign."
He went on to explain a few things about being a psyker and what to watch out for.
Eden listened attentively, but he couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency, I am a psyker. Doesn't that concern you?"
After all, according to the Church's doctrines, psykers were treated like mutants—a dangerous existence that needed to be controlled or eradicated.
Bishop Doni paused for a moment, his expression growing serious as he looked at Eden. "Do you acknowledge the God-Emperor as the one true god of this world?"
"Of course! I am the most loyal servant of the great God-Emperor!" Eden answered without hesitation, his voice booming with conviction, almost ready to shout his oath.
Whether he believed it or not, this was the only possible answer.
In the Imperium, faith in the God-Emperor was the ultimate political correctness, the only true path.
If you didn't believe?
Then you were a heretic, destined for judgment and execution!
"Praise the God-Emperor!" Bishop Doni nodded in satisfaction. "Faith in the Emperor is the only true path.
Every lamb that worships the God-Emperor should be treated equally, and more so, your body and soul have not been tainted. You are safe."
"Psykers, too, can earn the Emperor's favor. Look at the Astropaths—their contributions cannot be dismissed.
"They, like us, have given everything to serve the great God-Emperor!"
As he spoke, Bishop Doni's demeanor became more fervent. "In my view, it doesn't matter who you are, what race you belong to, or even if you are unclean. As long as you worship the God-Emperor...
"Then you are a lamb of the Emperor, a loyal follower of the Church!
"The Emperor's love is equal, and his light shines upon all creation!"
Watching the impassioned bishop, Eden finally understood.
This man was a fanatical believer in the God-Emperor, but his beliefs were even more radical.
Within the Church, there were many doctrinal factions, but most priests considered mutants and abhumans to be unclean, untouchable.
Bishop Doni had likely kept his radical beliefs hidden when there were others to watch over him.
But now, with Urth left to him as the last high-ranking priest, he no longer had to hold back. He could say whatever he wanted, and no one could challenge him.
He alone held the power to interpret the doctrine!
"What do you think, Governor?" Bishop Doni asked, slightly out of breath after his passionate speech. He seemed to be waiting for Eden's reaction.
The atmosphere became tense for a moment, but Eden quickly broke the silence with an enthusiastic response.
"Praise the God-Emperor! I understand now!" Eden played along, acting as if he had just received divine inspiration. "As you said, the benevolent God-Emperor equally protects all those willing to offer their loyalty!"
No matter how far-fetched the bishop's teachings were, Eden would express his support.
After all, he would need Doni's backing in the future to bolster his own religious legitimacy.
Within the Imperium, those without the approval of the God-Emperor—or rather, the Church—would find it nearly impossible to move forward.
"Praise the God-Emperor! I am honored by your understanding," Bishop Doni beamed with joy.
Most people who heard his views either didn't dare respond or outright condemned them as heretical.
Some had even threatened to have him burned at the stake.
Fortunately, Doni More was the disciple of a high-ranking archbishop, or he would have been executed long ago.
Though he had avoided death, as punishment, he had been exiled from the Holy Land and sent to the far-flung planet of Urth.
Now, as the only bishop left on the planet, Doni could finally spread his radical beliefs freely.
He even fantasized about converting Chaos Daemons or powerful xenos species into loyal followers of the God-Emperor.
He wanted to show the stubborn old men back at the Holy Land who the true loyal servant of the Emperor was!
"Alright, Governor, let's return to discussing your situation. Resisting the Warp's influence is no simple matter..." Bishop Doni said, once again taking Eden's hand, his face filled with compassion and a smile that was hard to refuse.
He continued to explain meditation techniques, ways to calm the mind and resist the corruption of the Warp.
Afterward, he had the cherubim bring out several blessed relics.
The relics, made from special bones and anointed with sacred oils, emitted a faint glow.
According to Bishop Doni, these relics had been blessed by the God-Emperor himself and were effective in resisting the influence of the Warp.
Relics of the Church were incredibly rare, cherished by the priests as if they were their very lives. They were kept in altars and worshiped day and night, rarely given away.
Eden was baffled by this practice. If something so valuable existed, why wasn't it being used?
Keeping these relics locked away in altars seemed like a waste.
Before his fall to Slaanesh's corruption, Eden had repeatedly requested relics from the Church, but had always been denied.
If he had possessed such relics back then, perhaps he wouldn't have been so easily drawn into the Palace of Slaanesh.
But now, things seemed to have changed.
"Are these relics... for me?" Eden asked, astonished as he looked at the precious items before him.
Were they really just giving these to him?
"Please, Governor, accept these gifts. There's no need to be modest!" Bishop Doni cheerfully handed the relics to Eden, almost as if he were afraid he wouldn't take them.
For a moment, Eden felt as though he were back home during a festival, with relatives stuffing red envelopes into his hands.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly..." Eden said, pretending to be humble, but his hands didn't stop moving as he eagerly took the relics.
As soon as he held them, he felt their weight and nearly collapsed under the burden.
So heavy!
Though his body was still weak, these relics were far heavier than he had expected!
It was hard to imagine how the elderly bishop could have handled them so easily.
Bishop Doni, noticing Eden's struggle, quickly steadied him, looking worried. "Are you alright?"
Bayev, realizing the issue, motioned for Carter to step forward and take the relics away.
Once he had caught his breath, Eden was reminded of how physically strong the native people of Warhammer 40K were.
Even an old man like Doni had such impressive strength!
The little incident left Bishop Doni flustered, and he repeatedly apologized to Eden.
In an attempt to make amends, he even offered Eden another high-grade relic—a finely crafted dagger, highly effective against Chaos creatures.
Eden accepted the dagger with satisfaction, but he couldn't help but wonder why the bishop was being so overly generous.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Something was going on, and Eden couldn't quite figure out what.
What could possibly prompt Bishop Doni to offer him such extravagant gifts?
(End of Chapter)
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