Let There Be Light in Deharem Mansion (4)
“My apostles… Listen to my voice.”
The words spread across the courtyard in a calm, resonant echo.
Landis had never seen anything like the figure suspended above him. His throat tightened. When he finally tried to speak, his voice trembled.
“G-God… God of Light…?”
The elf looked down at him with a tranquil smile.
His trembling told her everything she needed to know. He believed that he stood before the deity he worshipped.
Good. The groundwork is almost complete.
She spread her hands in a gesture of benevolent majesty.
“What your heart tells you is true. I have borrowed the body of a slave and come down to this world.”
“Ah…! Great Karatias!”
Landis realized, with horror, that he was looking up into the face of God.
How could he have shown such disrespect?
He let his sword fall, dropped to both knees, and bent his head in reverence.
The sight pleased the elf immensely.
“My poor paladins,” she said warmly. “I have watched your journey from the heavens. You came from Jedo all the way to the County of Pelgaroin, enduring hardship for my sake. How could I call you anything but my apostles?”
Landis and his companions pressed their hands over their hearts.
They were overwhelmed to hear that God had witnessed their suffering.
In truth, the elf had made an educated guess. The holy knights were attached to the imperial religious establishment, so it was reasonable to suppose that their journey had begun near the seat of imperial authority. Their order also held physical hardship to be a form of devotion; a demanding march was entirely likely.
There was no heavenly knowledge behind her words.
“But…”
The elf let the warmth leave her voice.
“I am deeply disappointed in you.”
The effect was immediate.
The paladins' faces twisted with anguish, and they threw themselves facedown on the ground.
“Forgive us!”
“Please, my God, grant us a chance to repent!”
“We were wrong!”
None of them knew what they had done, but none dared question the declaration.
Landis was equally stricken. Yet he wanted to know the nature of his failing. Without that, how could he repent properly?
He raised his head with care.
“Karatias, light that guides our lives, present in the humble belongings of the poor and the treasures of kings… We humbly ask what we have done to offend you.”
“Your conduct was rude and ignorant.”
The elf's rebuke sent his gaze straight back to the ground.
“You deserve punishment,” she continued. “But for the sake of your devotion, I will forgive you this once and explain.”
“Th-thank you!”
Landis bowed so low that his forehead struck the earth. The other paladins followed their commander.
Once they had finished, the elf softened her voice again.
“My apostles, did I not teach you to place faith above doubt? Is it not a sin to let suspicion guide your actions?”
No one answered. Their silence was agreement enough.
“Then what have you done today? You accused Theorad Deharem, an innocent man, of heresy. You even drew your swords against him.”
Landis looked up in astonishment.
“Viscount Theorad… isn't a heretic?”
“Of course he isn't. He was raised beneath my light, and his faith has not wavered. Even from my heavenly throne, I have watched his devotion.”
“Then… why did the senior clergy declare him a heretic?”
The elf fell silent.
Landis believed he'd made another terrible mistake and lowered his head again.
She, however, was searching for a convincing answer.
How do I persuade these fools to leave?
After a moment, a suitable lie occurred to her.
“It was a test of your faith.”
“A… test?”
“I arranged circumstances that would make you suspect Theorad. Even surrounded by apparent evidence, you were meant to keep your judgment clear and your faith steady. It seems I expected too much.”
She sighed mournfully.
“Have you not been taught that accusing an innocent person is a grave sin? Why could you not pass such a simple trial?”
Guilt settled over the courtyard. Some of the paladins began to weep.
Their devotion had overwhelmed their judgment. The deception was working.
“If you understand your wrongdoing, repent and make amends. Rise, my apostles, and leave this mansion. Return to your appointed duties and tell the whole world that doubt is a sin.”
“Yes, my God! We will remember!”
Landis rose as though eager to obey before she could say another word.
He turned to Theorad and bowed.
“Viscount Theorad, forgive me! One day I will repay you for the injustice we've done.”
“Ah… Yes. Of course.”
Landis bowed once more and hurried away.
The other paladins approached Theorad in turn, asked his forgiveness, and followed their commander out of the courtyard.
When the last of them had gone, Theorad released a long, exhausted sigh.
He still didn't understand quite what had happened. At least, for the moment, the immediate danger seemed to be over.
The elf looked down at him with renewed solemnity.
“Theorad Deharem, my faithful apostle. Why do you speak so harshly to your sla—”
“Enough of that.”
His weary voice made her flinch.
He grows more insolent by the day. That impertinent little toy…
Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. He hadn't actually done anything terrible enough to warrant a response.
The light behind her dimmed. Her immense wings scattered into shining fragments, and she descended to the ground.
When she closed her eyes and opened them again, they were red once more.
She straightened her maid's uniform and faced him.
“By the way, Master. What did you want to talk about earlier?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“You said that with the paladins' help, you might be able to speak to me on equal terms.”
Ah. He had said that.
But now it seemed doubtful that a hundred paladins would be enough.
How could anyone confront someone who mastered great spells with ease, subdued a grand duke of hell, and could impersonate a god so convincingly that holy knights fell at her feet?
The last flicker of hope in his heart went out.
His helplessness was so complete that, for once, fear no longer seemed worth the trouble.
“I… I've wished you would leave Deharem Mansion and return to your homeland.”
The elf's eyebrows twitched.
That was an unusually bold thing for him to say. He was beginning to wonder whether he'd finally pushed his luck too far.
She stepped toward him until they were nearly toe to toe, then tilted up her face.
“Master. Lower your head.”
“What? Why…?”
“Come closer.”
Is she going to say she'll go back?
It was an unreasonable hope, but he couldn't stop himself from having it.
He leaned down.
The elf stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear.
“I'm not going alone.”
Theorad froze.
Late that night.
The Temple of Balance, known as the Scales of Balance.
“My lady. I've returned from my mission.”
Landis knelt on one knee beneath the towering columns. Above the sanctuary stood a great stone statue of Karatias, the God of Light.
Before the altar sat Saintess Rastain, finishing her prayers.
Landis found himself struck once more by her appearance. Her long hair had never been cut and now fell in countless strands all the way to the floor.
A halo surrounded her head, casting a soft radiance around her.
They called that halo the Light of Life. It was said that those who carried wickedness in their hearts could not bear to look into its brightness.
Even Landis, who believed he had devoted his life to righteous deeds, could not look directly at the saintess's face.
Only His Holiness the Pope can meet her gaze…
His respect for the Pope deepened at the thought.
Rastain lowered her hands, her prayer finished.
“You've returned quickly. Did you use a warp gate?”
Landis bowed his head.
“Yes, my lady. I had something I needed to report without delay.”
“What happened?”
“The God of Light appeared at Deharem Mansion.”
The saintess's eyelids lowered slightly. She turned toward him.
“Appeared? In person?”
“Yes. My brothers and I saw the incarnation with our own eyes. You may examine our memories if you wish.”
“…That won't be necessary. I don't think you're lying.”
Rastain looked up at the immense stone figure above the altar.
What a fool.
Did he truly believe the God of Light had descended to protect a viscount accused of heresy?
More fundamentally, did God exist at all?
To Rastain, religion was a cruel joke sustained by human obsession. God was an idea; organized faith was merely another path to power.
Her own position as saintess was a symbol of the Holy See's hunger for authority.
If a just god truly existed, those who had corrupted the Church would surely have faced punishment long ago.
Still, Rastain had no intention of exposing that corruption to the world. She did not have the courage to confront the upheaval that such a revelation would bring.
The truth isn't what matters…
What mattered was the miracle people believed they had witnessed, and the faith that grew from it.
She remembered something the Pope often said and lowered her gaze.
“Theorad Deharem. Is that the name of the man this supposed god defended?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Then…”
An opportunity had presented itself.
Perhaps this man could help her stop the Pope's destructive influence. If the being at Deharem Mansion was truly divine, it would surely support the man it had defended. And if the apparition was false, Theorad might still have enough power and influence to be useful.
Rastain wanted to lift even a little of the shadow of war from the Empire. For that purpose, she would consider making common cause with the devil himself.
Having reached a decision, she spoke.
“Make preparations. It's time I went out for the first time in quite a while.”