Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The last mask that Kelly possessed surprised them even more. Hodap, who knew very well the history of the Church, as well as its myths, quickly recognized the mask. His face changed immediately.
Hodap stuttered, “This, this wouldn’t be?”
Saintess Kelly unveiled the mask. “This is the Mask of His Lord Faross.”
Kelly raised the divine artifact into the air. The white mask sparkled, sending a dazzling rainbow halo into the light, causing all the people at the scene to look away with a sense of blinding dizziness.
All of the people at the scene fell to the ground. Everyone, including the Pope, started kissing the ground. Kelly spoke solemnly. “God pities humankind. After my ardent prayers, God not only granted me his artifact, but He also gave me the method of passing on divine incantations. Only faithful believers can master divine incantations to enter His Kingdom after death.”
The Pope was beyond himself. As he stood up, he couldn’t even hold his staff properly, as his entire being seemed to shudder. “Can I also use these divine incantations of God?” he wondered aloud.
Though Kelly did not like Pope Hodap, whose mind was permanently filled with filthy thoughts, his dedication to God was unquestionable. “Of course, as you are God’s representative on Earth, Pope of the Church of Light. But, this would require a grand ritual and many sacrifices. Though our sacrifices are nothing in the eyes of God, God has still expressed his pity and magnanimity towards us. Hence, it is out of the question for us to dedicate any less than our very best to Him.”
Only the faintly shimmering mask remained within Pope Hodap’s eyes. As he approached the mask, it was as if he could feel the eyes and presence of God. The Pope shouted loudly. “Of course. Praise the generosity of God. May your Kingdom prosper on Earth, as it does in Heaven. This is your nation. We will announce your existence to the world. The eyes of God have never left us, and He will continue to watch over humanity.”
“Divine incantations can only be controlled by the most dedicated believers. Disloyal believers will be roasted to death within the sacred flames, their souls doomed to eternal suffering in Hell. Your Eminence, please choose a list of your most dedicated believers to undergo this Saint Baptism ritual. Other than you, the first group of God’s Saints will number twelve people.”
Saintess Kelly put the mask back on and left. All of the clergy were beyond themselves. The usual displays of power from the Saintess were already overwhelming. Now that she had exhibited even greater divine abilities, and said that these divine incantations could now be shared with other disciples.
Everyone wanted to become one of the Twelve Saints, to become the true messengers of God, with existences that wielded the power of divine incantations, who were much closer to the divinity of God. These figures could even be guided to God’s Heavenly Kingdom after death!
The Saintess never interfered with the politics of the Church of Light, so Pope Hodap held the sole right over the list of candidates. Everyone started to devise their own plans immediately.
News about the Saint Baptism ritual immediately spread everywhere. It went beyond St. Sarl City itself, out into the entire Kingdom of the Church of Light, and to all the Cardinals, who were spread throughout many different countries. All of the people who received the news then began speeding back to St. Sarl City, in order to vie for the candidacy positions.
Everyone knew that these twelve people would hold the true power of the Church in the future, acting within the highest echelon of the Church of Light. Without the title as the Messenger of God, how else could one prove their piety and closeness to God?
All of the highest ranked clergy of the Church, no matter how far they were scattered or how important the matters they were dealing with were, dropped their things to head to St. Sarl, travelling both day and night. Although many people within the Church wanted to contain the news, the attempt to do so was completely futile. Though the date for the Saint Baptism Ritual wasn’t set yet, the candidacy competition was already in full swing. Returning a single day late meant complete elimination from candidacy.
Finally, Pope Hodap set the official day of the Saint Baptism Ritual to a day three months hence. It was the first day of the new year, which was also the day that the Goddess of Light, Maria, was said to have created the world. At that time, the entire Church would be in the throes of the festivities, and St. Sarl City entered its busiest day of the year.
Pope Hodap also invited the rulers of various large human kingdoms to the celebration in St. Sarl City. He did this to create closer diplomatic relations with these countries, as well as to display the might and influence of the Church of Light. This would also demonstrate that the theocracy of the Church of Light was legitimately recognized by God.
As the news of the Saint Baptism Ritual spread abroad, the rumor that Saintess Kelly had received a divine artifact also reached the ears of those in many human nations. All of humanity was shocked that Saintess Kelly had obtained the divine artifact of Faross’ mask.
This mask had a great influence, as it had been spread through legends by the Church of Light. All of the statues of Faross wore the mask. It was a divine artifact that always accompanied God, and now that it was possessed by the Church of Light. Who knew how strong its power could be?! Originally, Saintess Kelly already was a figure that struck fear into the hearts of the rulers of the human kingdoms. How powerful, then, was the Saintess now?
How terrifying would the Church of Light be after the Saint Baptism ritual, if it became even more powerful? Would the human kingdoms even have room to survive? All of the original rules of law and methods of survival may be shattered by the Saint Baptism Ritual.
With all of these issues on everyone’s minds, the Saint Baptism Ritual this year did not only concern the Church of Light, but would also directly affect the power balance of all human kingdoms. In an instance, as consciousness of the Saint Baptism Ritual spread, all of the human kingdoms began taking action in the shadows.
Rooney, who was in the capital of the Kingdom of Rosa d’Or, had just become the King. He had confirmed that he was receiving a baptism at St. Sarl City next year, where he would also undergo his crowning ritual to confirm that he was a believer of the Church of Light and a messenger of God. Yet before his baptism, he received another invitation from the Church of Light.
The Cardinal, who was posted to the Kingdom of Rosa d’Or, personally came to invite Rooney to the New Year celebration and the Saint Baptism Ritual at St. Sarl City, along with all the other rulers of the human kingdoms and their ambassadors, including the Emperor of the Crete Empire, the Emperor of the Batko Empire, and the Monarch of the Tuten Dynasty.
The original crowning ceremony was rescheduled for that day as well. The Cardinal believed that this was a great favor granted to Rooney by the Church of Light, to allow his crowning ceremony to take place on the same day as the ritual, which had such an intimate relation with God. It was the utmost honor.
Yet Rooney also felt a faint sense of unease. The bloodline within him was the blood of the God of the Sea. Would it really be okay to attend the Saint Baptism Ritual of the Church of Light? However, he couldn’t possibly refuse. The current Rooney could not resist the power of the Church of Light. Furthermore, this was his own crowning ceremony, which would solidify his position within the Kingdom of Rosa d’Or, a power move that would soothe the anxious nobility within his Kingdom.
