The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

*****

*****

Title: “Sins and Punishment (8)”

The Old Testament Faction’s priests voice their concerns to Dolores.

“Saintess! Do you know what you are doing at this moment? How can you read Quilt’s letters so recklessly? He was a devout follower of our faith! How can you disrespect the letter he left behind?”

“Moreover, isn’t this a conversation to be had with Archbishop Humbert? It’s confidential, confidential!”

“If you make such things public…!?”

They seemed concerned about losing the support of the New Testament Faction’s priests. It appeared that in times of crisis, helping the sick and comforting the afflicted residents would strengthen their image.

Therefore, the Old Testament Faction’s priests wanted to get involved in disaster recovery as soon as possible. Their dissatisfaction with Dolores and the New Testament Faction’s priests, including Mozgus, was due to this.

…But their dissatisfaction didn’t last long.

“Quiet.”

When Dolores cast her icy gaze, they froze in their tracks. It was the first time she, known for her warm and compassionate nature, had shown such a cold and sharp look.

It’s often said that when a gentle person gets angry, it’s even scarier. As Dolores uttered a single word, the Old Testament Faction’s priests were forced to stop in their tracks, one by one.

Following her stern words, everyone’s faces began to turn pale.

“Count Gorg: Murdered his bride who resisted during the consummation ceremony! Then imposed a hefty fine on the deceased priest’s family for his suicide! Resulting in their ruin! Offering a donation of one billion gold coins as atonement!”

“Madam Mosk: Illegally secured employment in the central bank for her sons through corrupt means, promoting many unqualified job applicants to get the job even though they failed! This, too, is atonement at two billion gold coins per son!”

“Director Gerassau: Embezzlement, fraud, and stock manipulation causing shareholders approximately 20 billion gold coins in losses and illicit gains! Atonement at 50 million gold coins!”

“Madame Pierre: Abducted and exploited underage boys with no place to go, subjecting them to sexual exploitation and illegal forced labor! Atonement at 150 million gold coins!”

“False Prophet Manimani: Intentionally spreading disease among believers, causing fear among the public and paralyzing the local economy! Atonement at one billion gold coins!”

Quilt’s rash decision to sell atonement at what price had now been revealed to all. Serious crimes that would never be forgiven in normal circumstances were being listed one after the other. In addition, the amounts paid as atonement were paltry in comparison to the gravity of the crimes. “Human face, animal heart.” How could someone dressed as a saint commit such atrocities? Even the priests of the Old Testament Faction, who had been protesting, began to doubt their own ears.

*****

*****

“Did we really sell atonement to those demons?”

“And at that price? Seriously, there must be some missing zeros.”

“Especially False Prophet Manimani, shouldn’t he get a death penalty?”

“I can’t believe it! How could Cardinal Humbert and Quilt do such vile things, even if it’s called atonement?”

“But the seals on those letters are unmistakably…”

The murmuring wasn’t limited to the Old Testament Faction’s priests. The unease spread to all common people of Quovadis.

“How could Quovadis do such a thing!”

“The corruption of faith!”

“Calm down! That’s an Old Testament problem! It has nothing to do with the New Testament’s priests!”

“Don’t put this on the Old Testament priests! It’s a problem of a very small faction!”

The murmuring grew even more intense. The priests now seemed ready to start brawling amongst themselves amid this confusion.

Amidst the chaos, Dolores continued to read the information provided by Night Hound. The documents detailed Quilt and Humbert’s dealings, the heinous practices of those ostensibly in high society, the misappropriation of donations meant for the church, covert transactions for political funds and illegal lobbying, and even connections with secret religious Factions in various regions.

Furthermore, they even sold items like scrap metal, pieces of wood, straw, and even pig bones as relics. It was revealed that each relic when bought, granted one year of exemption from purgatory. The number of such sold relics had already exceeded 30,000.

Upon learning all these facts, the public was shocked.

“…”

Even the academy’s young male and female journalists stopped their note-taking and had blank expressions.

A young saintess had exposed the disgraceful acts of faith that happened in the QuoVadis Clan.

Dolores kept goin on.

“I, Dolores of the New Testament, respond to the Old Testament’s factions teachings as follows:!”

Once again, the pens of the audience fell silent. The sound of scribbling notes echoed throughout the room. Mana screens were also flashing all over the place.

With a resolute voice, Dolores began her speech.

“First! When our Lord and Teacher says, ‘Repent,’ He means that believers should repent throughout their entire lives! Second! This statement cannot be interpreted as confession and atonement by the rite of repentance performed for the Lord! … Fifth! The Pope has no power or intention to forgive any punishment other than the punishment imposed by his jurisdiction or the church law! Sixth! The Pope has no power to forgive any sin other than declaring or confessing sins forgiven by the Lord. … Twenty-seventh! The teaching that ‘when money is thrown into the offering box, it rings loudly, and the soul escapes from purgatory’ is a human doctrine! … Forty-fifth! The person who takes money from many people who have been deceived by atonement preachers should, if necessary, sell all the church buildings of the main church to repay them to the Lord’s believers! … Ninetieth! Oppressing without addressing valid reasons for objections and using power alone is a mockery of the Pope and brings unhappiness to the believers of the Lord! … Ninety-fifth! By doing so, it is necessary to teach the Lord’s believers that it is not atonement but the Lord’s wrath to waste for the sake of atonement! … And much more.”

She smoothly read through the 95 points of her rebuttal without faltering, leaving even the opposition, the Old Testament priests, impressed with her eloquence. At the same time, Dolores felt a surge of energy. She thought back to what had happened earlier in the night, or rather, in the early morning.

The Night Hound. His presence had made her feel strong and sturdy. The strength, however, had vanished as if it were a lie. Her priestly robe, with its characteristic loose white skirt, had concealed her trembling, for which she was grateful.

Mozgus, who had been at her side, supported her. “A splendid rebuttal, Saintess. It was nothing but wise words! Mozgus is deeply moved.”

“…I’m not sure.”

Dolores recalled the events from the previous night, or rather, this morning. Night hound had said, “In the era of destruction, true awakening requires you to meet a genuine companion of the soul.” Awakening would lead to the resonance of the soul, emotional harmony, and a significant increase in divine power.

But how could she achieve this continuous awakening? Night Hound had disappeared, and she had no one left to ask, no one to test.

“They’re quite scattered, but in the past, the Old Testament saints occasionally spoke about words related to awakening. Don’t dismiss it as nonsensical rambling, but try to remember them better.”

Dolores still couldn’t grasp why Night Hound could be her partner and fulfill the condition for awakening. “Perhaps he’s the only one who came from the era of destruction and truly knows the meaning of ‘destruction.'”

Anyway.

The man chosen by Runes.

At this point, he was the only one who qualified to be the companion of her soul.

Dolores raised her head again and spoke softly.

“‘Night Hound.’ I must meet him again.”

And at that moment…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of mana screenshots exploding from behind was deafening. Startled, Dolores turned her head, and a swarm of journalists had crowded near her in the blink of an eye.

Journalists, speaking in unison, said, “Saintess has declared a ‘Holy War’ against Night Hound!”

*****

*****