#859 A Saint's Authenticity

“The winner is Ritheseus!”

The battle was decisively won.

Ritheseus, a farm graduate, slaughtered all the heroes sent by the Pope and vanquished the remnants of the old regime that persisted even after the reforms.

As expected of Ritheseus, a proud graduate of our farm.

It was worth the trouble to have him come here.

“Impossible...! The Religious Order’s proud hero army, annihilated...?!”

Confronted with this reality, the Pope himself shudders, the trembling causing the arrow stuck in his head to wobble comically.

This means he can no longer win the President Fight, and his vulgar ambition of becoming the new king of the Human Kingdom is now at an end.

Originally, the winner of the fight was to be granted leadership of the nation, but could someone who fought through a proxy really transfer those rights?

He acted as if it were obvious, but if that were allowed, wouldn’t anything go?

Yet, without time to raise any objections, the Pope’s ambitions crumbled instantly.

“How can this be...? The church’s revival...! The divine protection from the great gods...! I am justice, the embodiment of absolute good, chosen by Lord Zeus himself. How could I possibly be defeated?”

Realizing his defeat, the Pope keeps wobbling the arrow lodged in his head.

Despite being a villain, he seems to have a certain grace in accepting his end.

All that’s left is for him to solemnly accept his binding and judgment...

“No! It’s not over yet...! As the holy representative of the gods, I cannot be defeated! That would mean good succumbing to evil!!!”

Correction, not so graceful.

Like many villains, he stubbornly clings to life, resorting to desperate measures.

“Oh! That’s it, you there!!!”

“Eh? Me?”

The Pope’s target was none other than the undefeated Ritheseus.

“Your efforts were splendid! Such strength should be utilized for the good of humanity! Hence, I hereby appoint you as my subordinate!!!”

“Huh?”

“You must be thrilled, honored, even! To become a direct subordinate of the Pope is the highest honor for any human! Accept your commission with gratitude!”

Ritheseus and everyone around him are dumbfounded by this sudden appointment.

“Gohohohoho...! With such a mighty warrior, victory is assured...! And if he relinquishes the throne to me, my kingship is guaranteed! What a brilliant reversal! Only a Pope could devise such a splendid strategy!”

“I respectfully decline.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

However, the Pope’s plan crumbled in a mere three seconds.

“Refuse?! Blasphemy! I am commanding you! To receive orders from the most sacred and venerable Pope is the highest honor of a lifetime! To defy that is to ruin your own life’s victoryyyyyyy!”

“As you ramble on, my decision remains the same. I dislike the Religious Order and the Pope.”

Ritheseus speaks firmly.

His usual indecisiveness when surrounded by women is nowhere in sight. It’s a rare display of his light novel protagonist’s assertiveness.

“I was born a commoner. We tilled the soil, and the yield directly affected our livelihood. Living like that, one can’t help but see the tyranny of the Religious Order.”

He’s unusually emotional today, isn’t he?

“Where I grew up, the land was barren, unable to yield enough crops to feed all the villagers. That’s why I was sent to serve in the lord’s mansion – to reduce the strain on our village’s food supply. It was much later when I learned that the magic used by your church was the reason the land’s mana was depleted, causing the soil to become barren.”

“Fuh...Hie...?!”

“So, even if I harbor resentment towards you, know that I will never respect you. I might obstruct your efforts, but I’ll never do anything that pleases you. And as for making you the new king, who would do such a stupid thing that would earn the hatred of everyone?”

Ritheseus’ rare outburst of anger is perhaps representative of the entire human race.

The lands of the Human Kingdom had always been barren, driving them to war for fertile lands. Only after the war did they learn that the Religious Order’s magic was the cause.

Now, the collective resentment of the humans made the Religious Order’s revival impossible.

Ritheseus directly confronts the Pope with this reality.

“Q-Quiet, you! The Religious Order is sacred! I, standing at its pinnacle as the Pope, am the ultimate in holiness! It is your duty to obey my command as a human created by the heavenly god Zeus!”

“What’s sacred about you? The truly sacred is elsewhere.”

Hm?

“The truly sacred is pure in heart... in actions, in existence, without a speck of corruption. Yes, the real saint is right here!!!”

Huh? Me?

Caught off guard by this sudden shift, I was stunned. Suddenly, all eyes were on me.

“H-He’s right! Indeed, Lord Saint is the most sacred being in this world! His deeds are monumental! And yet, his conduct and thoughts are chaste, without any trace of arrogance! Truly, Lord Saint is the most fitting to be called the most sacred being in this world! That’s why he’s the saint!”

Even Lord Dalkish joins in with his agreement.

What’s going on here? 

Thanks to that, even more attention is drawn to me, suddenly making me the center of the situation...!

“You, the saint...?! Impossible!”

Even the nefarious Pope turns his attention to me.

But I had managed to stay under the radar until now!

“The holiest being in this world is none other than me, Pope Quincedo, the emissary of the heavenly god Zeus! To claim yourself as a saint in my presence... What arrogance, what blasphemy! Such hubris will surely invite divine retribution!”

It feels like those words might just as well apply to himself, doesn’t it?

After all, it’s not like I ever claimed to be a saint. It’s just what everyone around me keeps saying...

“Realize the depth of your sins and beg for forgiveness from the world at once! Apologize for impersonating me, the truly sacred emissary of God, Pope Quincedo! And as penance, help me become the king with all your might!” 

“And why should I do that?”

No way, I’m definitely not going to help with that.

Everything with this guy is about his own glory and rise.

But then again, there’s no way to prove whether I’m a saint or not.

How can I shut this guy up?

As I ponder this...

“It’s self-evident that Lord Saint is a saint. Why the need to prove it anew?”

“Whose voice is that?!”

Accompanied by an aura of anger that seemed to terrify the very earth and sky...

It was none other than Sensei, the Lifeless King.

“Eep, a Lifeless King?!”

The crowd is a mix of those who know and don’t know Sensei, leading to chaos.

Recently, Sensei has become quite famous for appearing in the world of the living.

“You came here personally, Sensei?!”

“If it’s the Religious Order’s doing, then I must make an appearance. After all, I was involved with them a thousand years ago.”

Oh, yeah. 

Sensei, an undead king, has lived (or rather, been dead for) so long that he has forgotten his human memories. 

But since spending time with us, he has started to recall various things.

Meanwhile, the Pope, despite being paralyzed by Sensei’s miasma, managed to stammer out, “Y-You, involved with the Religious Order? Such a vile monster couldn’t possibly have ties to our sacred institution!!!”

“I, too, had my time as a living human. Back then, I was known as Thomack Moore.”

The moment Sensei revealed his name, there was a stir in the crowd.

“Thomack Moore?!”

“The rebellious saint recorded in history?!”

“The one who criticized the Religious Order’s corruption and was ultimately assassinated...?!”

“The lone conscience of the church...?!”

“To think he continued to exist as an undead until today...!”

You see, Sensei was a figure of great significance in history during his lifetime!

“Thomack Moore has been a beacon of hope for those oppressed by the Religious Order for centuries. He is most fitting to witness the Order’s final moments!”

Ritheseus speaks sternly.

“Heh, the end? The Religious Order is immortal...!!!”

“How pitiful, clinging to power. If you can’t face reality, then I have no choice but to present undeniable evidence.”

Sensei?

What are you planning to do all of a sudden?

“Proof is what you want, isn’t it? To show that Lord Saint is holier than a commoner like you? It’s simple. You claim to be sacred as God’s emissary. Then, let’s have God Himself testify.”

With that, Sensei waves his stave.

The sky darkened, the dimensions twisted, and what appeared next was...!