70. Abandoning God

Now that the noise has been taken care of, please lend me your ears, my fellow countrymen, comrades, and enemies, I will complete the sermon I promised you all.

(...Here it comes.)

As you all know, a few of the past higher-ups of the Church and I forcibly broke away from the Church and founded our own group, the God Eaters. I've come here today to tell you how this all came to pass, the reason for my defection.

It all started with a conversation three years ago.

Your Holiness, the damage statistics of the Calamity you had me investigate have come out. The relevant data was truthfully reported in yesterday's mail.

Dozens of towns razed to the ground, hundreds of people dead, tens of thousands affected... and millions of resource shortages...?

Yes, this could be the greatest crisis suffered by the Church since the ''First Calamity''. And as a result, this is also a time when our people need the Church the most.

My dear Holy Incantor, I agree with you. So, how do you wish to proceed?

I was hoping you would pass down a holy message, open the Church's cache and repository to the victims to help them survive the approaching winter, and allocate personnel to aid with disaster relief and reconstruction.

I'm willing to shoulder all responsibilities pertaining to reconstruction and do my humble part for you and the Church.

...Heh. You really are a saint, dear Guinevere. Fine, answer me one question, and I'll grant you the authority to do these things.

You can save the believers, but can you save the faith?

Your Holiness, I don't understand the question. Are believers not the carriers of our faith, our compatriots? By helping them, the fires of faith will surely be rekindled like never before.

Humans are narrow-minded creatures. Aiding them 99 times will not build their faith, yet they will voluntarily abandon their faith if we fail to aid them once.

Three millennia ago, the Church was always guiding humankind to preserve itself in the face of the Calamity. And where are we now? Humankind has not advanced in the slightest. Instead, they take God's mercy for granted and even resent Them for not saving everyone.

...So, it's time to remind them of a time when God did not watch over this world. My dear Guinevere, the fires of faith will not be rekindled in the hearts of believers, rather their bodies will be the kindling that ignites a new sun.

After that, I was transferred away from disaster relief. Instead of priests going to rebuild homes, there was the indiscriminate judgment of the Inquisition. ...From then on, the Church has been committing unforgivable, irreparable atrocities.

...

Three years ago... Didn't they say the border residents were arrested for following a cult?!

We never even heard of such a thing happening...

Of course none of these things reached your ears, Her Holiness has long controlled the narrative. But since this same conduct has continued to this day, I think some among you must have always sensed it.

(...Back then, Her Holiness rejected my statement...)

If God is really as Her Holiness has said, then this method is necessary to maintain Their authority and solidify Their influence. Must we really look up to such a god?

Shut up, don't say another word! This is heresy! Our God is all-powerful and loving, They would never bring harm to those who truly believe in Them!

If God is really all-powerful, then They would have punished me with death three years ago. We God Eaters have only one core doctrine: To consume God's flesh and blood, obtain Their powers, and do what They never could.

I don't want to rely on God's love or power or leave life and death up to Their will again. Now, I will extend an invitation to all of you.

Come with me, drink the blood of God, consume Their flesh, and take Their miracles into your own hands!

What an arrogant statement, rebel.

What an arrogant statement, rebel. Do you wish to shake the foundation of the Church with such words alone?

And you are?

Just a nameless servant of our God, a mere cardinal in the Church.

...Huh? This old guy... There's something off about him.

I can sense a magic item... the kind that's implanted into the body.

Hey, look at his eyes, Light is coming through them. I guarantee this is mind manipulation Echo Crystal technology. The manipulator... is cautious and cruel, completely removing themselves from the situation, but still able to control its progression.

Huh? Who are you talking about?

The only Church director of this operation, of course... Looks like she's completely unable to sit still.

Children of God, have you forgotten the first commandment of the Church?

To deny God's supremacy is the greatest betrayal against the Empire. Committers of this sin are punished with excommunication, never to be blessed by the Church again.

That's... true, that really is one of the Church's rules...

I-I only believed in the Church because I wanted to be able to pass through the Empire's borders... I don't need to get involved in internal religious disputes, right?

All this woman can give you is empty promises, only the Church can truly shelter you. ...So, everyone knows what to do, right?

Dispel your magic and cease resisting. This way, the only heretics requiring judgment will be the God Eaters, and the rest of the lambs who were led astray to this place may be forgiven.

(This... surely means immediate death.)

<See? No one really understands what you speak of so freely. Their approval is but a momentary impulse prompted by circumstance. Ultimately, these simpletons care only for practical benefits.>

<...Levia. You'd rather use a stand-in and transmission magic than confront me directly?>

<I admit that your performance today forced me to reckon with my own gullibility, but I hardly need to deal with a nuisance like you directly. You have the advantage of force right now, but all eyes here will bear witness to your choice.>

<So, what will you do? Why you strike out at ''me'' to silence me? Or will you just kill all Church members present, spilling their blood as a warning to your enemies and those you wish to convince?>

...

<The longer you delay, the more time we have to disarm the magic array. You may have won the battle, but I will win the war.>