< 83. Realm of Distrust (11) >
'Asif?!'
That was an identification number for those who had committed such heinous crimes that the Committee itself would intervene and subdue them. It was a designation that no one had questioned the etymology of until now.
Did it mean what the scripture described, "the sinner who committed the greatest evil"?
'What is the prophet's true identity? Even if he's called Asif, he wouldn't have been a prisoner at least during the time of contact with that race.'
The Committee wasn't the type to let prisoners freely wander and engage in missionary activities in foreign realms.
'It's unclear how ancient the time described in the scripture is. The term Asif could have been used both as a common noun for a notorious criminal and as a proper noun for the prophet...'
The thoughts continued.
'It seems reasonable to assume it was before the prisoner system was established.'
If so, it would not be an excessive leap to think that the identification numbers later assigned to prisoners were influenced by that individual.
An important figure who left a mark on history in some way.
'Then, the naming of the first prisoner must have been influenced as well.'
Asif-1.
The identification number mentioned at the very bottom of the Committee's special mission list.
Min-jun's gaze fell upon the string of characters illuminated by the light.
((Confidential)) Obtained and submitted a fragment of the soul of prisoner identification number 'Asif-1'. Reward: 7 million dalants
He pondered deeply.
'No, considering the commonly used naming conventions... the number attached after the name starts from the second entity born. When it exists alone, in other words, for the very first existence, no number is assigned.'
Would he have been called 'Asif-1' when there was only one prisoner in the entire universe?
Or...
Would he simply have been called Asif?
'Still, there's no concrete evidence.'
As he considered various possibilities, the bishop began reciting the next sentence.
"The commoner, in awe and joy, said, 'O prophet, Asif, tell us, how shall we serve that great being? How shall we praise the primordial race?'"
"The prophet Asif replied, 'Through constant prayer, strike at their unconsciousness. Shake those buried in deep sleep. Make them gaze upon you. Let their dreamlike gaze rest upon you.'"
"The commoner asked, 'What shall we do next? After attracting their attention, what shall we do?'"
"The prophet Asif replied, 'An excessively sweet dream is hard to awaken from. Those you serve are immersed in the happiest dream; you must cloud it with nightmares. Thus, you shall make their sleep lighter.'"
"The commoner hesitated and asked, 'In the end, what will happen when they awaken from their sleep?'"
"The prophet Asif, smiling, replied, 'All falsehoods will crumble.'"
Min-jun realized that the worldview and content of the scripture he had heard from Yoheim did not match perfectly.
Rather than being in opposition, Yoheim's version seemed to be much more fleshed out. Probably, later doctrinal researchers had added various interpretations.
'If you select only the facts stated by the prophet, it's like this: The primordial race that existed from the beginning is now asleep, they have the ability to create anything through dreams, and when they wake up, falsehoods will crumble.'
The modern Dreamland sect had interpreted them as creators. The concept of 'anything' had been expanded to 'everything,' that is, the world.
Also, if this world is the result of dreams, then in relative terms, it's false, and thus the statement that falsehoods will crumble seemed to be interpreted as meaning the world would collapse.
'The ritual has ended.'
The bishop on the pulpit led once more.
"Finally, in your dream, we dream of you."
The priests chanted.
"Finally, in your dream, we dream of you."
The bishop, who had stood on the pulpit, returned to his room inside the building. Min-jun stealthily followed him.
And as the door closed.
"Huh! Wh-who are you?!"
The bishop reflexively tried to resist, but Min-jun was quicker.
Whoosh!
Shadows erupted from his back, enveloping the room completely, leaving no gap. Doors, walls, windows, and various furnishings were all obscured by darkness.
In the midst of this strange space covered by black waves on all sides, Min-jun stood with a dagger, watching the bishop. His barely audible voice pronounced the judgment.
"No matter what you do here, it cannot be heard, felt, or seen outside."
"You are...!"
Min-jun read the bishop's expression. It wasn't the look of someone confused about the identity of the opponent. It was a look of surprise from someone who knew who Min-jun was but couldn't understand why he was there.
"You know me?"
The bishop tried to maintain composure as he responded.
"Of course. You're an agent employed by Yoheim. To lead my father... the Grand Archbishop into eternal rest."
As a high-ranking member of the sect, it was natural that information was shared. The bishop stared at the flickering shadows and said.
"Our sect is supported by the great dragon. Even if it's you, if you harm or kill me..."
Dragons are among the races with almost no chance of awakening divine power along with elves. The former struggles with accepting the concept of worshipping a being greater than dragons, while the latter, unable to trust and suspecting even living beings, finds it hard to believe in entities whose existence is not fully proven.
Thus, dragons sponsor sects that can scratch their itch. A Kalieaeter, whose functionality and efficacy are proven, would not recklessly expel Dreamland. Moreover, her sponsorship contract is limited to the Earth diocese, so she doesn't worry about conflicts with the main sect.
"I don't plan to kill you. Just answer my questions honestly."
I won't kill you.
But I'm prepared to use extreme measures, even if it means friction with Kalieaeter.
Happy Bugs wouldn't work on clergy. Thus, primitive methods are needed, and torturing a clergyman is like chiseling granite with a teaspoon. So Min-jun suspected today would be a very long day.
The agent brandished the dagger and asked.
"Yoheim, where is he? And why did that person take the Grand Archbishop's head... what does he intend to do with it? Tell me everything you know."
The bishop's face contorted with complex emotions.
"Do you know something?"
"I'm the one asking questions."
"Are you planning to find Yoheim and hand him over to the main sect's aliens?"
"..."
Instead of answering, as he took a step forward with the dagger, an unexpected response came from the bishop's mouth.
"Alright, I'll tell you everything."
"...?"
Was he trying to evade the situation with lies? Min-jun glared at him, implying so, but the bishop denied it.
"I'm acting as the acting Grand Archbishop because I'm the most powerful in divine power among the remaining ones. It's an absolute criterion that no one can challenge. But that doesn't mean all priests follow me."
"So there's been internal division within the Earth diocese?"
The bishop confirmed with silence.
Only then did Min-jun understand why the Earth diocese's member who had been hindering Yoheim's tracking was trying to cooperate with him.
"You don't want the Earth diocese to part ways with the main sect of the outer realms."
"That's right."
A shadow of exhaustion darkened his face.
"That head... It's better to just hand it over to the heresy judges. Otherwise, the entire Earth diocese might be branded as heretical. We can discuss 'negotiation' afterward."
However, it meant that some priests had decided to risk everything to protect the Grand Archbishop's head and continue to help Yoheim evade capture.
Min-jun couldn't understand.
"Then why are Yoheim and his followers so obsessed with the head?"
"Because it is a symbol of a miracle."
He explained what happened after Min-jun killed the Grand Archbishop. Yoheim, in a semi-catatonic state, returned to Frankfurt holding the severed head.
"He repeatedly emphasized, even if he were to die, that the head should not be buried or cremated, but preserved. Yoheim made efforts to honor that request even after he went mad."
High-ranking bishops prepared the funeral while keeping the cause of death a secret. And then a miracle occurred.
"Did the dead alien wake up again?"
It was a dismissive question, but...
"..."
The bishop's eyes were trembling.
"Surely not, that can't be!"
Min-jun shouted in disbelief.
He himself had severed the head. At that moment, he had confirmed the soul leaving the body. Moreover, that race was not known for resurrection from decapitation.
The bishop spoke with conviction.
"The Grand Archbishop awakened."
He said the process was highly auspicious and grand. Eyelids and lips opened, and a sacred light, which could not exist in this world, exploded and filled the room. The high priests who witnessed the scene were all moved to tears.
"It was the radiance of truth that could not exist in this false world. Truly beautiful... It was the most beautiful brilliance I have ever seen!"
Upon hearing this description, Min-jun recalled something.
'Dalants?!'
But it didn't make sense.
If his soul had been infused with dalants, Min-jun would have confirmed it long ago. Moreover, how could something remain in a head from which the soul had already departed?
The bishop continued.
"Yoheim, overwhelmed with emotion, spoke to the head of his father, asking if it had been revived by divine miracle. He asked what the head had seen in the moments of death. And whether it would continue to stay with us."
But the revived head of the Grand Archbishop, instead of answering those questions, said:
Why... am I still on Earth?
Min-jun's gaze grew fierce.
"The Grand Archbishop... seemed to expect that his body would naturally be guided to his home dimension."
Yoheim and the priests interrogated the head, and the Grand Archbishop, still not fully conscious, eventually spoke. What followed enraged Yoheim and several other bishops.
For a long time before his death, he had been waiting for a certain cycle. As the time approached, the alien was tormented by the obsession that he must return to his home dimension, and his anxiety evolved into madness.
His primary goal was to return to his home while still alive.
"What cycle are you talking about?"
It seemed the alien had muttered something about a cycle before losing his life.
"He said that a cycle would come when the sleep of the sleeping gods would become shallow. Hearing that, we were shocked. Up until then, he had never mentioned such things to us, not even to the laypeople or the priests. Moreover, there was nothing about it in any of the scriptures he had meticulously copied and handed over to us."
As the questioning continued, the head revealed the truth.
"The mad Grand Archbishop had killed three high-ranking priests in such a horrific manner to offer sacrifices. He hoped that the gods would perform a miracle and send him back to his homeland. Thus, he aimed to set foot on his home land before the cycle came."
"No matter how mad he was, such a method..."
The bishop shook his head.
"The three who died were all taken in as children and raised like his own... in fact, they were like his own children. What could be more dreadful than a father who sacrifices his own children to the gods? Moreover, all of them were priests who had received the gods' blessings. He thought that such a sacrifice would attract the gods' attention and bring about a great miracle."
The unease and concerns Min-jun had felt about their doctrine manifested through the madman's actions.
"But eventually, Yoheim intervened, and the Grand Archbishop met his end. From what we heard after his resurrection, he seemed to accept his final moments with joy rather than despair. He had considered death as a second-best option for returning to his homeland."
"I can't understand."
"The best option was to return alive, but if that wasn't possible, he thought he should return even in death."
The agent's expression hardened.
"Yes, that was expected. He believed that the closure of the home dimension would be lifted shortly after his death."
"Was the Grand Archbishop that important? Then why didn't they lift the closure and summon him earlier?"
"It didn't seem to be intended that way. It was predicted that the dimension's closure would reveal some kind of anomaly once he died, and the means to identify that cause were..."
"Lifting the lockdown and summoning all the kin from other dimensions?"
"Yes. They expected that if he was already dead, his body would be sent to the home dimension. That's all the head told us. After his resurrection, he fell silent again, having had no further thoughts."
Min-jun tried to calm his throbbing headache and asked.
"So, where is Yoheim now?"
The bishop, with a tired expression, provided an address.
"Yoheim is trying his best not to let the Grand Archbishop's head be taken by the main body, believing it to be proof of the miracle. Despite being of the same faith, he feels that Earthlings are being discriminated against. The main body is ignoring all our inquiries about hidden doctrines like the 'cycle' and is only making unilateral demands for the head."
In their view, the Grand Archbishop was a hypocrite who had concealed parts of the doctrine for decades. Naturally, there were suspicions that there might be more secrets beyond the periodic shallow sleep of the gods.
That was the reason some priests were angry with the head and the alien main body.
"Under the gods, all believers should be equal, yet the main body and the Grand Archbishop discriminated against us simply because we are not of their race."
Racial discrimination against believers.
"They are unwilling to fully transmit the truth. Do you know why the aliens are so obsessed with the head... and what they are preparing for the coming cycle?"
Min-jun did not speak a word in reply.
I'm planning to find that out myself from now on.
< 83. The Hell of Disbelief (11) > End