Chapter 174
There was one thing every player needed to tattoo into their skull if they wanted to play LOST like a normal human being: they couldn’t become a criminal.
In general, the NPCs treated players, or Regenians, with a sort of “they’re from another world, so we’ll let a few things slide” leniency. However, that only held as long as a player stayed out of the crime zone. The moment someone crossed into actual criminal activity, the entire game genre shifted under their feet. It was already a nightmare to get on the bad side of a single regional lord, because once that happened, entering that lord’s territory meant getting kicked out at the gate.
If someone managed to earn the title of wanted criminal, things escalated to a whole new level. An adventurer who was supposed to be out hunting monsters would instead become the prey being hunted by bounty hunters across the continent. It turned the game into a brutally realistic survival sim.
If a player’s goal was a “criminal role-play run,” or if that player was one of those twisted degenerates who enjoyed the fantasy jail lifestyle, then maybe it made sense. Otherwise, there was absolutely no reason to voluntarily fling oneself into a hell where normal gameplay became nearly impossible.
Do-Jin had never planned to do anything that stupid, but now, other people were forcing him into this situation. One formal report to the Celestial See was all it took to turn his status into “Traitor.”
The world wasn’t officially in an all-out war. However, that was only because of various geographic and political complications. In every other sense, the Shadow Principality and the vampires were enemies of humanity, and the Celestial See was the institution that twitched at the mention of a vampire.
“Well, this screws up my entire plan,” Do-Jin mumbled while clicking through posts about himself, getting more irritated by the second.
[The stone thrown into the pond hit Do-Jin!]
[What exactly is the Celestial See? Here is everything that will happen if they catch him!]
[A deep dive into medieval torture and witch trials!]
[The greatest crisis in Do-Jin’s career! An analysis of his downfall after angering a religious powerhouse.]
A few days ago, searching his name only brought up things like the Floating Continent, the Forgotten Temple, or high-level quest analysis. Now every result looked like it came straight out of a conspiracy forum. In the end, someone else’s misfortune always tasted sweet. If these news reporters could chew on it and spit it into views and ad revenue, it tasted even sweeter.
“I wanted to postpone dealing with the Celestial See until way later.”
Do-Jin was originally going to track down the Trail of the Cult of Ruin. He knew this investigation would lead to something on the vampires’ curse. Looking at the bigger picture, he was ultimately trying to prevent the world’s destruction.
The ones with the answers were on the Cult of Ruin’s side, not the side of the Church of Creation. Right now, Creation’s “Voice of the Star” was gone, and the institution was stumbling around blind. Trying to work with them now would be pointless.
“The Cult of Ruin has buried its tracks so deeply it’s almost supernatural. If the Celestial See or the Empire even twitches, those lunatics will just dive deeper underground.”
This was exactly why he had planned to play the cards in his hand at the right time, when he had more leverage. Now the entire order was scrambled, and thinking about it made his head hurt.
“Hmm... It’s not like they are going to storm in here and arrest me right this second. I should watch how this develops and figure out the next step,” he calmly decided.
***
The Grand Assembly Hall of the Church of Creation’s Celestial See was filled with tension thick enough to choke on. The Saintess sat at the head of the chamber, and the cardinals lined the long table beneath her.
“That is exactly why we warned against summoning those outsiders into our world in the first place.”
Cardinal Birman raised his voice toward Saintess Mariola. The cardinals aligned with him nodded just enough to show support without being obvious.
Mariola let out a quiet sigh. O Star above...
When the voice of Bella had still been with her, no one would’ve dared raise their voice at the Saintess. As the one who conveyed the will of the Star, she had once been an untouchable, sacred figure, holding more reverence than the Holy Emperor himself. That era was long gone.
A “Saintess” who could no longer hear the Star was no more than a political figurehead with a vote. And the Holy Emperor, the man who had placed her in that seat for his own political goals, was now facing the end of his life.
“I warned you,” Birman snapped. “I said those beings dragged from another world, those creatures who die and rise again, could be dangerous. I asked whether you had truly heard Bella’s voice.”
“Cardinal Birman, how dare you be so disrespectful to the Saintess!” Another cardinal rose in outrage.
“Silence,” Birman barked. “This matter is far too serious to tiptoe around. It’s entirely possible the Saintess misheard or misunderstood something.”
“M-misunderstood? This is blasphemy. You’re attempting to profane the sacred.”
“Blasphemy? You want to call it blasphemy? Then let us examine something together.” Birman leaned forward like a beast baring its fangs. “If the Saintess truly heard the voice of the great Bella, who has remained silent for so long, then explain this. How is it that one of the chosen outsiders brought into this world according to Bella’s will is now fraternizing with those vile vampires? Does that make any sense to you?”
The cardinal who had defended the Saintess fell completely silent. Accusing Birman of blasphemy had given Birman the perfect opening. If the Saintess was right, then the Star was wrong. Since the Saintess existed only to deliver the Star’s words, that was the same as claiming Bella herself had erred. No priest alive could answer “yes” to that.
Saintess Mariola closed her eyes. Your Holiness...
In truth, the Saintess had never heard the voice of the Star, not even once. She had only repeated a lie because the Holy Emperor ordered her to do so. Now, the Holy Emperor was bedridden by illness and clearly nearing the end of his life. Birman was behaving that way because he was already aiming for the seat that would soon be left empty. Once he became the new Holy Emperor, would he allow her to exist?
The Saintess was a lifetime position. Once someone became a Saintess, she remained a Saintess until her death. This meant the only way to replace her with someone obedient was for her to disappear entirely.
Despite sitting in a warm, candlelit chamber, Mariola felt cold seep down her spine.
At this point, the only option left is to bow my head completely and cling on to my position.
The Saintess had never been anything more than the mouthpiece of the Holy Emperor’s faction. If the Emperor changed, then so did her master. Survival required submission.
“I merely conveyed the will of the Star,” she said softly. “However, Bella’s intent is vast and deep. As a mere human, I cannot fully interpret it. The chosen outsider at the center of this matter may carry a new message intended for us. That is my belief.”
I wasn’t wrong. Bella wasn’t wrong. If there is a contradiction, the failure lies with our understanding, not the divine.
“Therefore, I believe we must uncover the hidden meaning,” she continued. “Cardinal Birman, if you would personally take charge of the investigation, it would greatly reassure me.”
I yield the investigation to you. I yield the interpretation itself to you.
It was less a suggestion and more a capitulation. The priests aligned with the Holy Emperor’s faction stared at the Saintess in shock, but she didn’t meet their eyes.
“If that is the Saintess’s will, then I shall conduct a thorough investigation,” Birman said, his voice soft with satisfaction. He hid his smile behind a mask of solemnity.
The moment he completed his investigation, whatever conclusion he delivered would be accepted as the will of the Star itself.
***
The Celestial See began its investigation into Do-Jin, and the trail led them from the Adventurers’ Guild all the way to Elthomagia.
Birman, who had always hated mages, seized the opportunity and contacted them immediately. Even if the Celestial See had lost much of its former authority, a mere group of mages wouldn’t pick a fight over a single Regenian.
Birman fully intended to throw a few barbed words their way. “What? A vampire? Do-Jin?”
The one who received the call was a Red Mage. He had been half-asleep at his desk and responded to the glowing crystal ball like he was mumbling through a dream. “Yes... Sorry, where did you say you were calling from again?”
The mage shook his head to clear his vision. The moment he registered the words “Celestial See,” he shot upright.
“My apologies. Could you repeat that one more time?”
As the details finally sank in, the mage began to sweat. From what he could gather, someone had reported an Elthomagia mage for colluding with vampires.
Honestly, that is completely possible.
Anyone who knew mages wouldn’t dismiss that possibility. The Red Mage, today’s unfortunate duty officer, said he would call someone higher up and asked for the caller’s identity.
“Cardinal Birman speaking. And for the record, I believe this is the third time I have explained this.”
The mage stammered an apology. “I have not slept in a week... no, that is not important. Yes. I will report this immediately.”
Birman, who had personally made the call just to enjoy watching mages panic, let out a quiet sigh. Mages were, as always, pathetic. The Red Mage was scrambling to activate another crystal when someone grabbed him by the shoulder. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the floor.
“I would like to hear the details myself.”
Sion had stepped out of her domain the moment she heard the name “Do-Jin.” Birman was thrown off by the sudden appearance of a woman’s voice. The fact that she spoke to him without a hint of formality only made the shock worse.
“Cardinal Birman of the Celestial See,” he said stiffly, emphasizing his title.
It was his way of saying, “I am not some lowly priest.” However, it didn’t matter to Sion.
“Good. Now speak.”
Birman’s insides twisted. First, the idiot at the crystal ball had been dozing off, and now this woman was talking to him like he was beneath her. Elthomagia or not, they were proving themselves to be nothing but a nest of arrogant spell-flingers. Still, Birman kept himself in check. Whining about respect would only make him look weak.
It will not matter once she hears the story. After that, she will have no choice but to bow her head.
No matter how insolent Elthomagia was, once they learned a mage had colluded with vampires, they would—
“A vampire?” Sion interrupted. “Ah... that story. Then what exactly did you intend to accomplish by contacting Elthomagia?”
That answer was wrong. Sion was supposed to be panicking, not brushing it aside. Now more than irritated, Birman insisted, “You heard me correctly. A mage belonging to Elthomagia has been reported for collaborating with vampires.”
“The person who filed the report must have too much free time. It’s laughable to see someone making noise over something that trivial.”
“Trivial? If the accusation proves true, this is a matter of great severity!” Birman’s voice cracked with indignation.
There was no denying Do-Jin had been spending plenty of time with the vampires, but so what? Sion only murmured, “A great severity, you say? What exactly is it you want?”
“We demand that he be handed over to the Celestial See for a thorough investigation. To be clear, we had no intention of blaming Elthomagia for this. We understand you cannot control the whims of every Regenian under your roof. However, your statement just now is deeply problematic. You speak as if colluding with vampires were insignificant.”
Birman pressed on, breath heaving. “May I take your words as the official position of Elthomagia?”
He expected an immediate retreat. No one spoke on behalf of an entire institution unless they were prepared to pay dearly for it.
“Of course. It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Again, the wrong answer echoed back. This time, Birman fully snapped. “I will remember your name. We intended to avoid making this into a public issue, but if this is your stance, then we have no choice.”
“Sion.”
Birman wondered if he had misheard.
“Sion Grace.”
The name hit him like a brick. He lost the words forming on his tongue.
Sion spoke again, each word slow and precise. “We will handle the investigation ourselves. The Celestial See does not need to involve itself.”
“Lady Sion, this is not a matter of pride. He is a Regenian. Over a mere outsider—”
“There is something you misunderstood. He is not simply a mage under our banner. And he is certainly not a mere outsider.” Sion’s voice sharpened. “Do-Jin is my disciple.”
If Do-Jin had heard that, he would’ve screamed at her to stop making things worse.