How a Former Pastor Lives in Another World

20

Stigmata

Stigmata.

Another term for stigmata.

This wound, called the miracle of God, manifests only in saints, known as the proxies of God.

No, to be precise, one is recognized as a saint only after the stigmata appears.

“Really… a stigmata?”

“Yes. Father Moro said so. The stigmata are proven by the holy blood that springs forth from the wound now and then.”

“Crazy…”

Stigmata.

I’ve only heard ‘rumors’ of such a thing.

Father Johan, the spiritual mentor, told us that in the church, there are saints chosen by God.

“So it’s real… the stigmata.”

“Then, our Lady also had the stigmata.”

“Elizabeth of the Twin Axes?”

The Axe Sisterhood to which Jenny belonged had produced Saint Elizabeth.

Perhaps Jenny, a nun of the Axe Sisterhood, might know something about the stigmata.

“What exactly is the power of the stigmata?”

“Hmm~ I’ve only heard about it, so I don’t know the details, but I heard it can summon axes from thin air. Whether that’s the power of the stigmata, I’m not sure.”

Summoning type, is it?

I’m not sure how it differs from the power of authority.

“Anyway, having the stigmata means you’re recognized as a saint, right?”

“Isn’t that so? You’ve made it big. Even if you become a holy man, you can’t forget me, okay? I’m the one who healed Ray’s brother’s injury, remember?”

Jenny, with a sly smile. She doesn’t hesitate in her actions, knowing she’s a beauty.

“If you fight less with Aaron, I’ll think about it once you’ve made your mark.”

“Tch~ That annoying young master is still the same, even after a brush with death.”

Ray got up from his sickbed with Jenny’s support.

It seems everyone has broken or injured something in this incident; all the beds are occupied.

Since everyone has been provided with good facilities and private rooms, it’s certain that the Count has regained consciousness.

“Then… now that Brother Ray is up, let’s meet the Count.”

Father Moro didn’t ask anything about what happened that day.

He simply quietly celebrated Ray’s recovery and went to find the Count and the other members.

“I am Ralph Violet, the Count of the Borderlands.”

‘He’s quite different from before.’

Ralph Violet, the Count of the Borderlands, had a distinctly different aura.

He still had the strong demeanor of a leader of the North, but the wildness that didn’t distinguish friend from foe had disappeared.

However, he seemed weaker than before, evidenced by the fact that he greeted them from his sickbed.

Was it due to injuries sustained fighting the armed members of the Church State?

“Didn’t you heal the Count?”

“My healing authority only works on external injuries. I can’t heal internal damage.”

It seems the Count’s illness wasn’t due to the battle.

‘After all, even if he’s a sword expert, he’s been by the side of a lady possessed by a demon for half a year.’

Capricorn must have considered him, a sword expert and the Count, an important piece.

The fatherly love of a father who had been nursing his daughter by her side, Capricorn had slowly corrupted it.

“Vice-captain Ray.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Thank you for saving my daughter.”

“”……!””

Byeongyeongbaek bowed his head.

The iron-blooded Count of Byeongyeong.

The king of the borderlands with his own army.

His lofty pride bowed to the commoner vice-captain.

“I am indebted to you beyond repayment. I shall return this favor.”

“It’s alright, Your Excellency. I did not do it for a reward.”

“No, as the Violet Count of Byeongyeong, I cannot simply overlook this. The North does not forget a debt of gratitude.”

Ray secretly harbored expectations at the resolute determination to repay the favor.

It was a noble’s promise of repayment.

What could he possibly give?

“We shall send it after ample discussion later.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Discussion? Send? Why not just give it now?

He wanted to say that, but it seemed inappropriate to show impatience to a noble.

He would keep his word.

“Then, we shall return to the Holy Nation. Regarding the matter discussed…”

“I am fully aware. The Holy Nation has bestowed a great favor upon us.”

Byeongyeongbaek prepared the fastest and sturdiest carriage for the departing clergy.

It seemed they were ready to depart without further delay.

“Father!”

Just as they were about to leave, Lawrence, the son of Count Byeongyeong, approached the carriage.

“Your Highness. You should stay inside, given your health.”

Father Moro responded to Lawrence who had come to see them off.

“How could I not bid farewell to the benefactor of our house? Please forgive me for not being able to greet you with my sister, who has yet to awaken.”

“No, it is thanks to the young lady’s strong spirit that she bound the demon for half a year. She has done a great service for humanity.”

Father Moro’s words were more than mere consolation.

The great demon Capricorn was a very powerful demon. It was an act of resistance against such a demon for a whole half year.

This was certainly a feat.

“Lord Aaron, Miss Jenny, and Brother Ray. You are all benefactors of our family. On behalf of our family, I thank you once again.”

Lawrence bowed deeply. Aaron reassured him it was alright and helped him up, while Jenny seemed surprised to see a noble bowing.

“Well then, we shall take our leave. May the light of Savior Soltera be with you.”

And so, they departed.

The three could not hide their elated spirits as they chattered about how astonishing the event had been and how miraculous their success was.

“By the way… what will become of that noble lady?”

Suddenly, Jenny voiced her concern.

Aaron, knowing the ways of the nobility, guessed with a grim expression.

“It will be difficult for her to be active in society. Rumors cannot be stopped.”

“Hmm… It’s like she’s already married off.”

Jenny couldn’t outright dismiss it as merely the way of the nobility.

Rather, it was the commoners who reacted more sensitively to such issues.

Spontaneous witch hunts or heresy hunts often arise from the mob mentality of the common people.

“There’s no need to worry too much. Lady Ophelia has many other paths available to her.”

Other paths.

The three quickly grasped what that implied.

‘Slippery as an eel, that one.’

Ray surmised that a lot of discussions must have taken place between Lord Byun and Father Moro while he was asleep.

***

The mission report of the armed organization usually ends with submission to the immediate superior.

From support requests coming from various regions to the execution and process of the mission, and its conclusion.

Reviewing all of it takes a lot of time.

However, the witch trial mission in the northern border of the Albion Kingdom was immediately followed by a convocation of the grand council as soon as the report was submitted.

It was due to the decision made by Archbishop Dunwell, the head of the Inquisition, who even used his emergency convocation authority.

The high-ranking clergy of the armed organization, prompted by Archbishop Dunwell’s unusual emergency call, postponed their ongoing work to attend the meeting.

“What matter requires an emergency convocation in the middle of the night?”

The knight with long blonde hair… the Grand Knight of the Order of the Sun seemed quite displeased to be called away from his busy duties.

And he was not the only one summoned.

Director Isabella of the Solarion Choir.

Commander Amelia of the Healers’ Order.

The heads of the Armed Institutions all gathered.

Yet, Archbishop Dunwell did not speak of the main issue.

“Not yet. I have issued a summons to the saints and holy women, so we shall wait until all the remaining holy ones in the Theocracy have arrived.”

“Even the holy ones? Archbishop Dunwell, are you serious?”

The holy ones.

Those who manifest stigmata and perform miracles are considered extraordinary beings within the Theocracy.

They are the embodiment of Solterra’s miracles, untouchable by even the high clergy present, let alone the Pope himself.

And he has summoned them?

Of course, the Director of Eclipse, one pillar of the Armed Institutions, has such authority, but authority and execution are separate matters.

“Has the old man lost his mind?” murmured the Grandmaster of the Holy Knights when the doors of the Grand Council Hall opened, and beings with extraordinary holy power entered.

The directors all stood up at once.

They paid their respects to the miracles of Solterra before them.

“We greet the holy ones.”

As the high clergy of the Theocracy greeted them, they showed no particular reaction.

It was an everyday occurrence for them.

Among the greeted holy ones, a saint with brilliant golden hair spoke up.

“Enough. Let’s get started. If it’s something trivial, it won’t be fun.”

The brilliant golden-haired saint, known as the Golden Saint Erdio, among the holy ones of the Theocracy, a man counted among the foremost.

He flopped down into a seat in the Grand Council Hall and casually propped his legs on the round table.

“Erdio. That’s rude.”

“Oh, the radiant Holy Woman. Let’s just move on. You know where I’ve just been grumbling.”

“……”

At the words of the Golden Saint Erdio, the woman known as the Radiant Holy Woman modestly took her seat.

Her gaze turned to Archbishop Dunwell.

“Archbishop, please start quickly. I was in the middle of a mission.”

“I apologize, Lady Iris. I’ve troubled you amidst your busy schedule.”

Archbishop Dunwell noticed the scab on the hand of the Radiant Holy Woman Iris.

Old and freshly buried. The bloodstains clinging damply here and there on the black castle’s walls tell of what she has been doing.

“It was a matter that had to be reported. Moreover, everyone’s opinion was needed.”

Archbishop Dunwell carefully surveyed everyone present before speaking.

“Ninety-nine demons have become ninety-eight.”

“”······!!””

The bombshell dropped by Archbishop Dunwell elicited the same reaction from everyone.

***

Ninety-nine demons.

They speak of the ninety-nine evils that have existed on this land for a very long time.

Evil beings that create magicians and witches through contracts and accumulate their own evil deeds with the offerings they receive.

Since before the founding of the Holy Nation, the Solar Order has been opposing these evils.

But even after three thousand years of the Order’s history, the number of demons neither decreased nor increased, which in some sense meant immortality.

“What does that mean···!”

“Is it true, Archbishop Dunwell!”

Not only the heads of the institution but also the saints and holy women sent looks of disbelief.

The Archbishop took out a book and showed it to them.

“Is that······.”

“The ‘Book of Evil, Arcano,’ isn’t it?”

The Book of Evil, Arcano.

A book that seals away evils, it has been a means to contain demons sealed across the continent.

When a demon sealed within a piglet is brought to this book, it is absorbed, and its record remains.

Its name and weaknesses.

That was also the reason why the Order has been able to fight against the mighty existence known as demons.

“Here, fifteen demons are sealed. It won’t be long before there are fourteen.”

The Book of Evil is not an all-powerful seal. The demons trapped in this seal are only bound for as long as the piglet can live, and then they are freed by death.

This has been the method by which the Order has opposed demons until now.

And the existence of this seal book proves that demons are ‘immortal beings.’

“Our savior Soltera, through the first saint, bestowed upon this land the Book of Evil with ninety-nine blank spaces to seal all evil.”

That was the proof that there were ninety-nine demons.

But.

The vacancies have decreased. Now, only ninety-eight remain.

“Is that alone enough to conclude the devil is dead?”

“Of course, this is merely evidence to support the claim, Father Moro.”

At that moment, Father Moro, who had been waiting in the grand council hall, stepped forward.

He bowed to the high clergy and saints of the order and introduced himself.

“I am Father Moro, the armed priest of the Eclipse Agency.”

“Brother Moro. Please tell us everything you experienced on this mission.”

At the words of Archbishop Dunwell, Father Moro cautiously began to speak.

About heading north with the apprentice members for the witch trial.

About dealing with the heretics who blocked their way and revealing the witch’s identity.

About the suspicious activities of the Violet Byunghyang Marquisate. And facing the great demon Capricorn, who was on the verge of descending.

“The great demon Capricorn?”

“The fallen twelve stars…?”

Saint Erdio and Saintess Iris reacted gravely.

Among demons, the fallen stars classified as great demons are each considered a significant threat that the church must address.

Their descent is unlike that of ordinary demons.

They are legion commanders with armies from the demon world. Their descent signifies the implementation of hell on earth, and each time a fallen star descends, a great calamity unfolds.

“We succeeded in exorcising the demon from Lady Violet under the care of Soltera. The problem came afterward.”

Father Moro testified that Ray had killed the piglet possessed by Capricorn.

And then, Ray tore apart the vivid soul of Capricorn with his own hands.

“Tore apart the demon…?”

“What does that mean…?”

It seemed that no one understood. And rightly so.

A soul is an intangible entity without material form.

To grasp and tear it with hands?

“Are you saying the demon perished because of that?”

“I too… could not be certain. It was my first time seeing a demon perish. But…”

A seat in the Book of Evil, Arcano, had disappeared.

Because of this, Archbishop Dunwell had no choice but to conclude that the demon had been annihilated.

“It can’t be…”

“Could it be that a demon has been annihilated?”

The directors and the saints, none seemed to believe it as they sighed.

It was an unprecedented event in the three thousand years of the church’s history.

“What is the name of the subdeacon who killed the demon?”

“Ray Anderson. He’s the subdeacon who recently joined as an apprentice.”

“…Ray.”

“Subdeacon Ray Anderson?”

“The brother who called upon the Holy Spirit and received His power during the initiation test.”

“No wonder he stood out from the prayer meeting.”

All the directors knew of Ray Anderson.

He was the talk of the initiation test this time around.

However, the saints who were on missions outside were unaware of Ray’s existence.

“What’s all this fuss about this Ray fellow?”

At Erdio’s question, the directors each gave their answers.

“He’s an excellent brother. He even has a record of vanquishing a sorcerer before coming here.”

“A prodigious composer and a brother of deep faith. Ha, if I had known, I would have definitely recruited him for the choir.”

“A brother with resolute will and pure character.”

From the commander of the Paladin Order, the choir director, to the director of the Inquisition.

Amidst such high praise, Father Moro was conflicted.

【You… believe in another god?】

The words Capricorn threw at Ray.

Jenina and Aaron, who were blocking Byungchangbaek, seemed not to have heard, but Moro heard it clearly.

He didn’t know how the conversation went afterward, but Ray didn’t seem to deny it.

Should he report this?

But Ray had achieved the feat of annihilating a demon.

And above all… for Ray, there was.

‘At least, I cannot speak of it in front of this person.’

Father Moro looked at the saint who was silently observing the directors’ praises.

The radiant Saint Iris.

The cruelest light of Lord Soltera.

Father Moro reported further on the tangible achievements and real evidence that Ray had accomplished, rather than the devil’s misleading words.

“Additionally, stigmata have been engraved on Brother Ray Anderson.”

“”······!!””

This revelation once again plunged the council chamber into astonishment.

“Stigmata?”

Stigmata are the proof of sainthood.

Within the countless history of the church, only a very few exist who can perform such divine miracles.

How many vile acts have been thwarted by the Golden Saint and the Radiant Saintess present here?

A saint is an agent of God and a guardian of humanity.

“It is the first time on earth that a demon has been annihilated. Surely, it must be a miracle arranged by Lord Soltera.”

“Although the stigmata have not yet been awakened, there is a high likelihood that he will be reborn as a saint in the future. That is why I have convened you all to make this proposal.”

Archbishop Dunwell’s words focused everyone’s attention.

“We will control the information about Brother Ray Anderson and expand progressive support until the stigmata are awakened. It’s not only us who know the news of the demon’s annihilation.”

Ninety-nine demons have become ninety-eight.

This fact is most keenly felt by the demons themselves.

They will seek out the one who annihilated the archdemon through their contractors, the sorcerers and witches.

Golden Saint Erdio, who had grasped the crux, asked,

“How do you plan to control the information? There are not a few who have witnessed Ray Anderson in the north.”

“The information will be controlled by our Eclipse. Lady Iris… I entrust this to you.”

“Lady Iris…”

“Sigh…”

Upon Archbishop Dunwell’s proposal, the directors sighed, but soon straightened their postures.

If that Radiant Saintess, the inquisitor of the Eclipse, steps forward, then control will surely be assured for the time being.

“Then I must prepare ‘that.'”

Archbishop Dunwell did not deny Golden Saint Erdio’s words and nodded.

“Please prepare the ‘Golden Star’ that will protect Brother Ray Anderson.”