Chapter 95
Truma was satisfied.
He used Dalton’s mouth to convey his favor towards Reinhardt.
“Your faith is lovely. I have a duty to repay faith, so I will gladly do so. Your faith will be rewarded.”
Despite refusing the offer to beco a follower, Truma was satisfied.
‘He must have confird that my faith was genuine.’
Lies do not work on gods.
They can read the true intentions of humans and can also directly asure the depth of their faith.
In his view, Reinhardt’s faith was absolute.
It wasn't just an excuse made up to escape this situation.
He had judged that Reinhardt held a firm belief that Truma would not act against him.
‘Of course. It’s sothing I already knew.’
The basis for his confidence was experience.
The experience of having dealt with Truma and having seen the end of the story called Soul Calibur.
“Ppyi, ppyiii…”
At that mont, Bitdori made a sound like deflating air.
It was a sigh of relief.
Then, the light that Dalton had been emitting gradually dimd, and his eyes closed.
The youngest archbishop’s face beca peaceful. The atmosphere was as if he had fallen asleep.
‘Could it be?’
Reinhardt flinched.
For a mont, he thought Dalton might not have been able to withstand the burden of the incarnation, but fortunately, he was still breathing shallowly.
‘It was a bit risky… but this wrapped up very cleanly.’
Reinhardt looked at the peacefully sleeping Dalton with satisfaction.
This was a world where one could beco an archbishop just by hearing the voice of God.
What if one had directly received God's incarnation?
What if the god one served even borrowed one’s mouth to speak?
‘This is a cardinal.’
It was an achievent worthy of earning a cardinal’s position, and then so.
Of course, it might be difficult right away.
He was young, lacked experience, and crucially, to enter the main headquarters of a major order, one needed not just firm faith but sothing more.
But that too was only a matter of ti.
“…Sir Reinhardt?”
At that mont, Dalton’s eyes opened.
His pupils were half-dilated, as if he were trying to discern whether this was a dream or reality.
“Archbishop Dalton.”
“Ah, I, just now, surely, ah… Aaaah!”
What washed over Dalton next was overwhelming emotion.
He began to flounder in the waves of emotion. He trembled uncontrollably with a joy he could not contain.
‘…Yes, to beco a cardinal, you need this level of madness.’
Whether a mage, a knight, or a clergyman, it was all the sa.
To stand at the highest place in one’s field and willingly shoulder the burden of facing demons, a certain amount of madness was necessary.
A human who willingly walks into the fire, knowing they will burn to death.
That was the kind of hero this world demanded.
Archbishop Dalton took a long ti to compose himself.
He wiped away the tears of emotion that were streaming down and cald the trembling corners of his lips.
He looked at Reinhardt with a gaze of reverence.
“Sir Reinhardt. Truma has said that you are already as good as his follower. He also said that hollow constraints would only hinder your path.”
“That is a relief.”
“I was mistaken. I dared to judge the will of God on my own. Perhaps I was not pushing for what Truma wanted, but only for what I wanted.”
“It’s alright. We are human, after all.”
“Ah, Sir Reinhardt!”
Dalton once again shed tears of emotion.
“That’s right. It is because I am human that I made a foolish mistake. But I apologize, Sir Reinhardt.”
“The apology is sufficient. From now on, let’s have a more constructive conversation. Were there any additional words from Truma?”
“There were. As an archbishop of the Order, I will not spare any support for you. Also, I will relay this to the main headquarters in the capital, so that the fact that Sir Reinhardt has received Truma's choice…”
“No.”
Reinhardt hastily cut him off.
“There is no need to announce it. No, it must not be announced.”
“Pardon? But…”
“Truma would think so as well.”
Reinhardt emphasized it.
That Truma would also want it that way.
Of course, he wasn't speaking to Dalton, but it was a request made directly to Truma, who would be borrowing Dalton’s ears.
“Ah, ahh! You were right! I almost made another foolish mistake!”
It was the next mont that Dalton shouted as if having a seizure.
Another oracle had descended in that short ti.
‘He must an that if he’s going to support , he’ll do it properly.’
Truma clearly liked Reinhardt.
Not because he was an upright and good human.
Rather, he felt interest.
‘Because a re human dared to stand up to him. How many such humans could there have been in his lifeti? Most would be too busy trembling at a single word.’
But Reinhardt knew Truma’s personality.
And what he truly wanted.
It was a choice he could make because of that, and fortunately, this choice was the correct one.
“Sir Reinhardt. I will not dare to think. As Truma’s staff, I will move according to his will. And also.”
At that mont, Dalton continued. The way his eyes shone so openly was quite burdenso.
“Truma wishes for to follow your words! You have beco Truma’s apostle! A human who serves God, but acts according to his own will!”
“That… yes. I understand.”
An apostle of God.
Reinhardt knew the concept vaguely.
The clergyn of this world basically obey God.
They do not doubt His will, and what God commands, they will surely achieve.
They were, in effect, like a very loyal army.
One that would not even think of disobeying a superior’s order.
‘But an apostle of God is treated like a freelancer.’
But a human chosen as an apostle was different.
His will was God’s will, and he was a being who would sotis strongly express his own opinions to God.
‘Not bad. It’s not like I officially acknowledged it either.’
It wasn't as if Reinhardt had actually beco Truma’s apostle.
It was just that Dalton misunderstood it that way, and Truma had set the stage for such a misunderstanding to occur.
“Archbishop Dalton.”
“No, Sir Reinhardt! I am but a humble Dalton!”
“…Yes, Dalton.”
“Speak!”
Dalton sent an extrely burdenso gaze.
With a montum that suggested he would risk his life to accomplish whatever order Reinhardt gave.
‘I didn’t want things to go this far.’
Reinhardt’s original plan was to make Truma incarnate and, through him, elevate Dalton to a high position.
He hadn’t planned to achieve it so quickly either.
He had intended to summon him slowly, over a long period of ti, but…
‘It’s spilt milk now.’
Reinhardt had suddenly gained a loyal and competent subordinate nad Dalton.
At the sa ti, he had also gained a reliable backer nad Truma.
Then he paused.
Having thought that far, Reinhardt raised an eyebrow.
‘Then isn’t that a good thing?’
Co to think of it, there was nothing bad about it.
If he could command a clergyman like Dalton with a single word?
It ant he had one more card he could easily use whenever he got involved with the Order in the future.
“…Yes, let’s do this. Dalton. We will not tell anyone about what we just experienced. No, to be precise, I an the parts related to .”
“Understood, Sir Reinhardt. I will not let a word about you escape my lips.”
“But you must tell what happened to you. That Truma incarnated, borrowed your mouth to speak, and borrowed your eyes and ears to see and hear the world.”
“Yes, then I will reveal it. I will prepare a natural reason so that no inconvenience befalls you.”
Dalton was prepared to tell a lie willingly.
Co to think of it, it wasn't strange.
He was a man who would do even worse things with a wide smile if Truma ordered it.
“Also… Sir Reinhardt! Truma has said!”
Another oracle followed.
To Reinhardt, who was listening intently, Archbishop Dalton said in a heavy voice, as if declaring.
“…Let that child bask in plenty of light.”
It was clear whom Truma was referring to.
Bitdori.
It ant that to properly raise the young spirit of light, sufficient photosynthesis was needed.
***
Truma’s oracles finally stopped.
His final intervention was to provide a thod for Bitdori's growth.
Having obtained a clue for growth, Reinhardt moved on to his next business.
“Dalton. Do you know the na Aslan?”
“I will find out.”
“He should be a priest serving Truma. He’ll be sowhere in the Order.”
This business was about [Aslan].
A na he had seen in the community, and one of the strong protagonist candidates revealed by the developer, Skylines.
“I will find him. What should I do after I find him?”
“If possible, please escort him to Serigel.”
“Yes, I shall do so. I will carry out your words swiftly.”
Dalton himself was even more proactive.
Given his position and attitude, it wouldn't take long to et Aslan here.
“Are there any other instructions?”
“It is not an instruction, but a request. Also, no. That is sufficient.”
“I am one who serves Truma, and you are the one chosen by Truma. To , your words are the sa as Truma’s words.”
“…I understand. There are no further instructions.”
Only then did Dalton smile broadly.
He looked greatly satisfied, as if this was his rightful place.
“I must hurry. I may be away from Serigel for a while.”
“Are you going to the capital?”
“Yes. I will visit the main headquarters and tell them what I experienced today. As you instructed.”
He had received a divine incarnation.
In addition, he had received oracles several more tis.
If the higher-ups of the Order heard about it, it was a situation that would make them freak out.
‘Maybe when I see him next, he’ll really be a cardinal.’
Even if he didn't beco a cardinal right away, he would surely be in the running for a cardinal candidacy.
As long as one had faith.
And as long as one had God as a backer, even a newborn baby could beco the pope in the ecclesiarchy of Soul Calibur.
“It was truly a blessed ti, Sir Reinhardt.”
Dalton stood up from his seat and bowed deeply to Reinhardt.
It was an extrely polite posture, as if he were facing his own god.
‘Go on, do it. What can I do? We’ve co this far.’
Reinhardt gave up and accepted the bow.
He thought that if he bowed back, Dalton might just slam his head on the floor.
‘With this, for now… it’s pretty much over.’
The situation was finally concluding.
He had unexpectedly faced an incarnated Truma and had beco able to command an archbishop like a limb.
On the side, he had also found a clear way to help Bitdori grow.
“…”
The tension that had risen to a peak was finally receding.
Dalton, with a wide smile, finished his preparations to leave for the capital.
Reinhardt saw him off.
He watched Dalton get into a carriage at the temple entrance.
And right after the carriage left.
“Bitdori.”
“Ppyat?”
“Shall we go sunbathe?”
“Ppyiiit!”
Reinhardt, along with Bitdori, headed to a place where the noon sun was shining down.
He spread out a spot on the rooftop above the commander’s office in the Taton Knights headquarters and lay down.
It was a place where he could lie down and bask in the sunlight all day without worrying about the gazes of others.
“…How is it? Do you think it’s having so effect?”
“Ppyat? Ppyii, ppyiii!”
Bitdori seed to be trying to explain what he was feeling in his own way.
But he couldn't understand what he was saying.
‘I don’t know what he’s saying, but.’
In any case, it was certain that he looked happy.
And he seed subtly more energetic too.
‘Well, it’s a solution given by a god.’
At this point, he had no choice but to trust and follow.
Thinking that, Reinhardt closed his eyes for the first ti in a while and enjoyed the leisure of midday.
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