568 – The Forgotten Council – 2
A god of vegetation who became curious about a sudden change of events, and a god of the sky who was just happy because his power increased despite the change.
– I wasn’t that kind of personality to begin with… But I guess I’ve changed as I’ve gone through many things.
Konstantina’s voice was clear with a hint of regret, and she nodded without thinking.
Certainly, what the eternal blue sky has experienced over the past few years has been nothing short of spectacular. As a nomadic faith, I was enduring the fact that I was being pushed out by the settled faith, but the annihilation of apostles, priests, temples, and sacred objects in an instant was enough to make even the most indifferent god feel indignant.＜ Br﹥
But to be indignant is to be indignant, and to be annihilated is to be annihilated. The eternal blue sky, which has squandered everything, maintains believers by making me an honorary priest in order to exist as a god, and gains faith by clinging to someone else’s symbol, the World Tree.
‘It was very difficult…’
The eternal blue sky took on sympathy so quickly that it was unrecognizable.
Of course, it was not an easy life by anyone’s standards, but I never expected that I would crave survival to this extent. It definitely felt like it was extravagant when I first saw it, but now I can’t even see a fragment of that extravagance.
‘This time, a council was held at the Dawning Church.’
Anyway, I shared the information I found with the two gods.
– Council, it’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.
– Ah, I remember that too. It was a group of Enen children gathered together and talking, right? But what does that have to do with us?
Even the eternal blue sky began to take interest in the word council belatedly.
Great council. It has the power to make even gods with extremely developed survival instincts look back.
‘It is said that the council decided to acknowledge the existence of gods other than Enen.’
– …Yes?
– Huh?
The two gods’ reactions were similar.
A voice that seems to doubt what it heard, a silence that seems to not understand.
– Us?
The first god to break silence was the eternal blue sky, who seemed to have been driven by instinct rather than intelligence.
‘Yes.’
– In the Church of Dawn?
‘Yes.’
– …Why?
‘I don’t know that either.’
Go ask the Pope, not me.
The two believers responded that there was nothing to be said about the Dawn Church’s recognition of paganism. This is an issue that was initially pushed by some progressives, including the Pope, within the Church of Dawn, so it would be even more strange if a god outside the Church knew the reason.
And what is more important than the reason is the result. After winning the religious war, the Dawn Church, which insisted on monotheism, recognized the existence of other gods and decided to respect and achieve harmony with those beliefs.
[The sacred 5th Enestiye Council, hosted in the name of the 172nd Pope Waldsack 37 of the Dawn Church, was concluded under the holy blessings of the Lord. ]
The Dawn Church’s proclamation, which began with a blunt sentence, was hung up in churches across the continent a few days after I visited the World Tree.
[As a result of discussions among the servants who follow the Lord’s teachings for the sake of the continent and the spirit of all people, they came to the conclusion that it is difficult to fully realize the Lord’s will with the current denomination. Accordingly, the denomination wants to break away from the existing policy and move forward. ]
Instead of all kinds of rhetoric, ‘we have changed.’ A simple sentence. Because it was such a concise sentence, it goes without saying that the leaders of each country were nervous. This means that serious issues were written without any need for flowery language.
In fact, every single thing written in the proclamation was enough to shake up the existing order and common sense,
[ Masses, which had previously been held uniformly, are now left to the discretion of local priests, taking into account the culture of each country. The Holy See checks whether the Mass is inconsistent with doctrine and does not get involved further. ]
[We objectively investigate the events that occurred during the religious war and determine whether there was unnecessary bloodshed and excessive acts of force during the process. If the denomination is responsible, it will formally apologize and compensate the descendants of the religious community that suffered damage. ]
[Recognize and reconcile pagan beliefs and functions. They do not ostracize others because they are pagans, and they do not ignore the faults of their compatriots because they belong to the same religious community. ]
[The right to be elected as Pope is expanded to all members of the Dawn Church. ]
In particular, it was no exaggeration to say that the entire continent was split in half and arguing over these four issues.
“Is the mass different for each region? Is it left to the priest’s discretion? Can that be called the Mass of the Dawn Church?”
“What about apology and compensation? It was a natural action to establish the correct faith! To put it bluntly, the pagans were more than the Dawn Church at the time, not less!”
“Acknowledging paganism means giving up faith! No matter how you put it in plausible terms, you are denigrating the authority of the only Lord!”
“The right to be elected… All believers…? Then, if the emperor of the empire recruits pro-imperial cardinals who have the right to vote, doesn’t that mean he will also serve as Pope?”
A backlash that the council’s decision was destroying the denomination.
“Inflexible uniformity can cause opposition and confusion. What could be better than being able to respond to local public sentiment without going against doctrine?”
“It is true that the denominations during the religious wars were accompanied by blood. It is even true that it was natural considering the circumstances of the time. However, acknowledging and accepting the karma of the past and recognizing it as just a glorious victory are two different things. !”
“Is our faith so weak that it collapses just because there are other gods? Our Lord is a god who reigns over gods! Even if we acknowledge paganism, our faith will remain strong!”
“No, it’s not that the emperor is trying to cause death from overwork, but he is also serving as the Pope. The Pope is a position that even the cardinals avoid.”
Advocacy that the council’s decision was correct.
“Baltassaac is not fit to be Pope! He is an evil spirit trying to destroy our faith!”
“Lord, have pity on the sacrifice of that holy shepherd! Please protect your old servant who accepted your will through the persecution of blind fanatics!”
The crazy Makgora, where there is no such thing as neutrality, shook the continent.
And when the entire continent entered Makgora, which did not discriminate between men and women, age, nationality, and status,
“I’m going crazy.”
The Emperor was lying down on his chair, drinking a bottle of vodka.
It seemed like he had really let go of his mentality, so he couldn’t turn it back on. If you make fun of the emperor in that state, a disaster could occur where he returns to the throne or the princess becomes a baby emperor.
“By recruiting cardinals to serve as Pope? By recruiting the majority of those stuck-up idiots? If that’s the case, are you crazy enough to appoint a pro-empire pope?”
“By nature, people are passionate about provocative material. Don’t mind that I’m speaking with emotion, not reason.”
Despite my consolation, the emperor drank vodka in silence.
Then you die, you crazy idiot. It’s just you and me here, and if I fall, I’ll be suspected of being the emperor’s assassin.
“Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If Jim recommends the Minister to be Pope—”
When I glared at him with a straight face, the emperor laughed.
“What Jim is feeling right now is exactly how the Minister feels.”
“…Sosin made a mistake.”
Thanks to the amazing Yeokjisaji, I was able to keenly experience the emperor’s mood.
I’m overwhelmed with work right now, but are you asking me to take on the role of the head of the continent’s largest religion? Where on earth did you send that b*stard, an assassin?
“Well, as the minister said, even provocative discussions will calm down over time. It may take a while, but we cannot go against the council itself.”
The emperor took out a new bottle of vodka from under his desk, was conflicted for a moment, and then put it down on the floor.
It’s a good choice. If you drink two bottles in a row, you will hear harsh words from the empress.
“The results of the Council have never been canceled. Even the Pope’s political rival, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declared that he would follow the Council’s results.”
“The intention of the leadership of the church is to be firm.”
“Yes. So, time will solve the problem. Even if the believers debate for a hundred days, it is the priests and cardinals who lead the denomination anyway.”
After saying that, the emperor handed me a piece of paper that was scattered loosely on his desk.
‘Ah.’
As soon as I saw what was written on the document, I sensed the coming future.
[ Northern culture restoration project ]
The amount of money and manpower to be invested in the North will increase exponentially.
Even now, the joyful sounds of the eternal blue sky will reach your ears.
“There is nothing to worry about in the Constantina faith as the World Tree and the elves are in a protection zone for other races, but the faith in the eternal blue sky in the north declined through the war. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to take this opportunity to restore it on a large scale?”
“You are right.”
He bowed his head and agreed to the emperor’s words.
From the perspective of Livnoman, who protects the will of heaven under the protection of Enen, the appearance of a new god may be a threat, but if pagan beliefs are restored under the leadership of the empire and made into a de facto state-run religious order, it can be used as a more solid justification for power.
As it happens, the traditional realm of the Eternal Blue Sky faith, the last priests are the territory and nobles of the empire. It can be restored as long as you invest money, time, and manpower.
“The blood of the royal family and the priests will be mixed, so nothing could be more fortunate.”
Those words reminded me of the Marquis of Barandiga in the north.
If faith is restored, will the nobleman evolve into a normal priest…?
‘It seems like Shati still has faith.’
In any case, it is also possible for Shati to succeed to the priesthood early. There is no law that says the title of marquis and the position of priest must be the same.
And when that happens, this strange situation where I am called an honorary priest, having dealt a final blow to the belief in the eternal blue sky, will end.
‘…Are you also moving your residence?’
Suddenly I became curious. If faith is restored in the North, will the Eternal Blue Sky move to a place other than the World Tree? If you have a place to serve yourself, there is no need to live under someone else’s symbol.
‘It is the eternal blue sky in the north.’
It’s natural, but it’s unfamiliar. The eternal blue sky in my heart is already an unemployed person clinging to the world tree and scratching his stomach.