6. Becoming a Priest. (From here, it’s a remake.)
Fernandez barely understood Vaitas’ words. It was a very, very deceptive trap, and for the demons who were drunk on victory, it would be an unexpected ambush.
And it was an extremely cruel act. It meant erasing all the souls from the failed timeline dimension. That would soon…
[The same soul cannot overlap in one being. The souls of the main temple will be replaced by the souls of this world, and the world will regain peace.]
“Madness! The so-called God of Justice would do such a thing…? Erase all the souls of one dimension? Not satisfied with losing the war, now even such a massacre? If you had the power to do that, why didn’t you try it earlier?”
[The power of my daughters. And with the divine energy of the fully unsealed Temple of the Gods, it is possible. You will become our dagger, and thus we will tear the fabric of the world and restore it. Therefore, save my four daughters. And harvest the faith of the material world to unseal the Temple of the Gods. If you do so, your soul and your son’s soul will be saved.]
Vaitas spoke with a strong temptation, as if a demon was whispering. Fernandez was lost in thought. It was possible.
If all the gods of the Temple of the Gods gathered their power and sacrificed the spirits of the scattered lesser gods in this world. And if he became the catalyst.
It was hard to see it as magically impossible. He was swayed by his thoughts and by a desire even greater than those thoughts.
My son. My poor son, cruelly sacrificed.
“…What happened to your four champions?”
[They abandoned their status as lesser gods and fell to the earth. They lost all their once mighty power that even surpassed demigods, became mortals, and are suffering on the earth.]
“So, save them?”
[Correct. Save my daughters scattered across the world. Even if they have lost their divine power, they possess rare talents in the material world. Therefore, my daughters are the well of assistance I give to you.]
“That’s not enough. If this is a horizontal world, it would have already rotted to the core.”
A deal. Fernandez laughed as he thought. He was notorious for not making unequal treaties even with the most evil demons.
The maestro of demon contracts. If someone were to write a demon summoning textbook, he would undoubtedly be the first author.
No god could beat him with deals and contract terms. Even as Fernandez thought this, Vaitas still wore a sly smile.
‘You damn bastard.’
[Speak your desires.]
“Power. My magic. Even after abandoning dark magic, it should be at a level where I can still be respected.”
[You shall have it.]
“Authority. Enough to do what I want and not be hindered in what you desire.”
[It shall be so.]
“Power. I am, after all, your representative. Shouldn’t I have some proof of that?”
[I have temporarily bestowed upon you, and this is the first power I give you. I will have my daughters assist you, and that is the second power I give you.]
“No, this god really. Where are you trying to slip away? Let’s not confuse the purpose and the process, shall we?”
Vaitas laughed at his words, drew a spear, and threw it at him. Before Fernandez could react, the spear had already pierced his heart.
[You will never fall, rest, or find peace until your mission is fully completed. This is the first power I bestow upon you.]
The burning spear’s heat made his soul burn and wither vividly. Fernandez knelt and screamed.
“Gaaaaah!!!”
-Thud!
Another spear appeared and pierced his back. Kneeling, screaming, Fernandez clawed at the ground.
[I have bestowed upon you, and thus you have become my representative and that of the Temple of the Gods. You will never collapse, compromise, or be content. This is the second power I bestow upon you.]
Fernandez barely understood what he was saying amidst the agony. Those words meant that he was being appointed as a champion, an apostle, of the Temple of the Gods, sacrificing his own status.
He bit his lip and swallowed his scream. Every time he opened his mouth, he felt the spiritual structure decomposing and scattering.
[The deal is done. As you wished.]
‘Appointing me as an apostle? Daring to mix divinity into my spirit?!! Can you handle it!!’
“Grrrrrrrr!!!!”
[Yes. I place the hope of the Temple of the Gods upon you. I rather look forward to your performance.]
“Grrrrrrr!!!!”
Fernandez grabbed the dirt, bit into it, and swallowed his scream. It couldn’t get any worse. In the intense pain of his soul’s structure being scrambled, he repeated to himself.
Vaitas could read his thoughts anyway. No need to say it out loud. And if he opened his mouth, it felt like his soul would be pulled out through that passage.
‘To gamble with my son and your daughters is downright vulgar…!’
As he muttered this to himself, Vaitas chuckled and waved his hand.
At that moment, Fernandez’s soul fell into an endless abyss. Vaitas looked down at him and said with a smile.
[Raise the military flag, Fernandez. You are now free from Faijashi’s shadow.]
*
Marco was a veteran inquisitor who had burned or executed countless demons, heretics, and witches. As an Enmagika, he had personally experienced many unbelievable miracles and sorceries with his own eyes.
“Oh… oh…”
But at the same time, as a priest of Vaitas. Marco couldn’t stop the hot tears and sighs from overflowing.
It had been about 30 years since the Temple of the Gods was suddenly sealed. In this era where the connection between the Temple of the Gods and the material world was severed, and demons and heretics ran rampant.
In this era where good was trampled, evil prospered, and the people were corrupted by the incitement of false prophets!
With the brilliant radiance of the Temple of the Gods, a saint was being born!
“Oh… Lord!”
Marco looked down at the young boy praying before him. An overwhelming, immense spiritual fullness filled the entire room.
From the boy’s back and chest, an unmistakable dazzling light burst forth, and stigmata embedded themselves, burning into him.
The boy grimaced in pain, but still, he did not stop his noble prayer.
“The Lord is present, and our chains are finally broken. We are all saved. Magno Superlaudo (Praise with all your heart)!”
Marco knelt before the boy, Fernandez, and repeatedly made the sign of the cross as he prayed. The light slowly faded, and the spiritual fullness that proved the presence of God dissipated.
-Thud.
When the boy finally stopped praying and collapsed, unconscious. Marco looked at the boy’s sweaty face and began to organize his report to the headquarters.
*
His Holiness the Pope.
In a remote village on the outskirts of the Dane Kingdom, we have been graced with the glory of witnessing the presence of the Lord.
Forgive me for sending this letter first. In the trembling hands of this old man, filled with joy and fullness, it has been difficult to organize how to report this boy, clearly sent by the Lord, to the Church.
In this blasphemous era of apostasy, it is clear that the Lord has finally unsealed the gates and descended to bring the justice of the Temple of the Gods to our world.
Therefore, I wish to return to the Church with this boy. The nearest and most trustworthy monastery is the St. Bartholomew Monastery, so I request the convening of the Canonization Advisory Council.
…
..
Religiosa Enmagika, Marco Sunday.
*
Marco barely calmed his overwhelmed heart, stamped the seal, and carefully sealed the letter. With a cautious gesture, he took out an incense burner and lit the fire.
-Fwoosh.
A divine spell of Vaitas, a spirit messenger, appeared. The incense smoke intertwined in the air, and a blue spirit dove appeared, carrying the letter and flying out the window.
Marco watched this and quietly made the sign of the cross. As if blessing him, the sunlight outside the window shone brilliantly.
*
The messenger flew straight to the Inquisition Office.
I heard, and the next day, I arrived at the desk of the St. Bartholomew Monastery Head’s office.
“What kind of nonsense is this…?”
The Monastery Head, Beorn, pushed up his monocle and frowned. Already overwhelmed by the recent heresy incidents, he couldn’t make sense of what this crazy old man was saying.
However, Marco was a highly ranked Inquisition Officer with significant authority. Beorn sighed deeply and composed a letter to the Papacy.
Of course, after boldly removing all the fluff. Based strictly on the facts.
*
Recipient: Pope Paul IV.
Rank: Sub-1st Class.
Priority: Urgent.
Summary: Report of divine presence in the Sernerd Territory of the Dane Kingdom. (Reporter: Enmagika Marco Sunday), Request for assembly of the Canonization Advisory Council. Blessed Fernandez Sernerd is being escorted to the monastery.
We shall burn demons, heretics, and witches.
Final Approver: Beorn Shieldbane, Head of St. Bartholomew Monastery.
*
The Pope and the Canonization Advisory Council arrived at St. Bartholomew Monastery, also known as the Inquisition Office, half a month later.
By then, Fernandez had been unconscious for almost a month.
Fernandez slowly opened his eyes amidst a headache, hunger, stomach pain, and weakness.
*
With an instinct embedded in his soul, Fernandez checked his condition before opening his eyes.
His mana was still completely drained, and his muscles felt utterly powerless.
‘How much time has passed?’
His throat was dry. He cautiously opened his eyes. From the feel of it, he seemed to be on a bed, but he hoped this wasn’t hell or a prison.
-You’re awake.
Damn. Someone had been watching. He was in a stone building. The meticulously constructed stone walls left an impression—it was a modest room.
An old man with a twisted, evil gaze was looking down at him. He was a thin man with glassy, emotionless eyes.
And he was someone Fernandez knew.
“What’s going on here?”
-You can see me, huh? Interesting.
Faijashi Wildcast… the High Dark Mage Faijashi. A person who shouldn’t exist in this timeline. Moreover, isn’t that ‘myself’?
How am I looking at myself?
Fernandez slowly sat up, took a sip from the water cup by his bedside.
The cold water soothed his throat, and his rationality slowly returned. Assuming Faijashi’s presence wasn’t a hallucination.
The most plausible and most despairing guess was as follows:
Q1. Is Faijashi an independent entity from me?
Q2. Am I a pitiful experiment, deluded into thinking I’m ‘Faijashi’ due to his experiments?
Fernandez glared sharply at Faijashi and spoke.
-Am I not Fernandez?
“No.”
A2. No.
“Are you not Faijashi?”
-That’s also, no.
A1. Faijashi and Fernandez are independent entities.
“Hmm.”
Faijashi and Fernandez. Apart from being evil and extraordinary, their common trait was their love for riddles—both posing and solving them.
In fact, it was a common trait among mages. Fernandez looked at Faijashi as if taking a high-level magic logic exam.
Those glassy, emotionless eyes. Yet, he sensed ‘interest’ in them. Faijashi seemed equally intrigued by the situation.
“It must be either the Soul or the Spirit.”
-Indeed.
“I hope it’s the Soul. If the Spirit’s quality degrades, recovery becomes difficult.”
-I hope so too. As expected of ‘me.’ Impressive.
Faijashi chuckled. Fernandez smiled back, stroking his chin.
The human psyche consists of four components. It can get more complicated, but from a modern magical perspective, it’s simply divided into [Soul], [Spirit], [White], and [Nature].
[Soul] is the foundational energy of the psyche, an independent mental core granted at birth.
[Spirit] is the quality of the psyche, refined through life experiences.
[White] is the totality of experiences, memories, and emotions throughout the psyche’s life.
[Nature] is the personality, temperament, and unique characteristics acquired by the psyche.
Fernandez quickly assessed the situation and looked at Faijashi.
According to Faijashi’s speculation, it seemed that his current self and his past self’s souls had split.
Then, what was the cause? Either he was suffering from schizophrenia, or Vaitas had played some trick.
“If only the Soul split, you wouldn’t be able to talk to me, right?”
-Exactly. It seems they messed with the White and Nature too. I couldn’t confirm since you weren’t awake. Care to recall?
Fernandez frowned, retracing his past. From being an exile of Sernerd to living as the Dark Mage Wildcast.
And all the memories of his past life—gathering demon worshippers, forming a heretical group, summoning demons, poisoning heroes, destroying nations, and sacrificing people as offerings.
His memories were intact. But the ’emotions’ that should have accompanied them were missing.
The intense moments, the exhilarating moments of revenge. His entire history was just mechanically ‘read.’ This wasn’t a good sign.
“My memories are fine. But there’s no emotional impact.”
-The White was replicated, and the Nature split. My memories are intact too, but I still have emotions. Damn, I envy you, Fernandez.
“I can’t tell if this is good or bad.”
Fernandez and Faijashi paused, lost in thought.
If they shared the same information, they would reach the same conclusions. They shared the same memories and thoughts.
The soul split was likely Vaitas’s doing. He forcibly extracted the parts deemed ‘evil’ from his psyche.
Then, a knock came, and the door opened.
“I heard voices and came to check. Young brother.”
Three people entered. Fernandez already knew them—the Inquisition Officer Marco, an old man, and a middle-aged man.
The old man had a warm, kind demeanor, dressed in modest monastic robes.
The middle-aged man had a massive build, wearing an Inquisition Officer’s uniform that seemed ready to burst.
“Who were you talking to?”
“I talk to myself when organizing my thoughts.”
The sharp-eyed middle-aged man scrutinized Fernandez. He glared for a moment, then shook his head.
“No smell of demons.”
“Meditation is a good hobby. Don’t doubt, brothers. This child is the one where Vaitas manifested.”
“Always doubt. That’s the first sentence on the Inquisition Office’s plaque.”
“Your diligence is always an example to us brothers.”
The old man chuckled, shaking his head, and looked at Fernandez. His eyes were filled with goodwill.
A look Fernandez had rarely received in both his past and current life. Suspicion grew in his heart.
Whether he knew it or not, the old man bowed slightly and spoke.
“Child. Blessed child. Are you regaining your senses?”
“With the Lord’s presence, my mind is clearer than ever.”
Fernandez’s mind raced. He didn’t know the old man’s identity, but his face was familiar.
And if he was familiar, it meant he had left a significant mark on his past life.
‘If he’s an old man when I was sixteen, then Delphi, Racoon, Orcis, Paul…’
Among those four transcendent beings, the only one who could accompany Inquisition Officer Marco and be treated as a superior was one!
‘Vaitas’s Pope, Paul IV… This is a good start.’
Fernandez smiled. A smile more sincere and innocent than anyone else’s.
“Father. If the Church will accept me, I wish to become a priest.”
“Magnificat (Praise)!”
-Clasp.
The old man tremblingly grasped Fernandez’s hand. He recited prayers, looking into the pure, faithful eyes of the boy.
Ah, it had been so long. The sudden closure of the Temple of the Gods, the 30 years of human civilization slowly tainted by the corrupt hands of heresy… As the vanguard of human civilization, the guardian of reason and doctrine. The old man was too old and tired.
“Praise the holiness of the Lord…”
Listening to the old man’s prayers, a deeper smile formed on Fernandez’s lips. The Pope, the Inquisition Office, the world 70 years ago…
Information swirled in his mind. Strategy, schemes, plans, tactics, traps. Life as a Wandering Mage was always intense and harsh.
Until he turned eighty. To him, life was like a high-stakes game of chess, each move a gamble.
Being canonized as a saint and becoming a priest under the Pope’s guidance. This would be the first step in his grand strategy. His unique way to save the world.
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