All the world's hatred now shifted from Tesilid to Ailette. The commandment which held him captive had been lifted, so he took on a bolder attitude.
The man asked, "On what grounds?"
Tesilid knew they would hardly offer him a good reason for this accusation, much less any proof.
"Is it because she turned into a Demon Lord and deviated from the faith for a short period of time?" Tesilid continued, "She saved the world. In fact, she only turned into a Demon Lord as a consequence of killing Inferinos. But look at all of you. Every one of you owes your life to her." He addressed the cardinals, who had gone silent. "And yet, you accuse her of heresy despite her sacrifice!"
Much to Tesilid's surprise, he noticed the anger rise in him as he defended the Divine Emissary. For all this time, he thought this emotion was lost to him because, whenever he was wronged, the feeling always dissipated like ashes in the wind soon after. But now, those ashes turned into embers that kindled the flames of anger in him. But someone interrupted his monologue.
"No."
It was Muriel.
"That is not why we accuse her of heresy, Master of the Holy Sword. We have solid proof of her crime."
Her declaration immediately silenced Tesilid. Solid proof. That was hardly what he was expecting to hear. Meanwhile, Muriel appeared confident, the cardinals nodding their heads as if to endorse her claim.
"Proof?"
"Yes, and I'm sure you've seen it too, Master of the Holy Sword."
Even though he had lived 117 lives, Tesilid found himself baffled by her words. He'd thought that all this talk of heresy had been nothing more than an excuse to frame someone on false charges, but apparently he had assumed wrong. Was there really proof of Ailette's heresy? What was he supposed to do if the charges were actually true?
Tesilid took a deep breath and filled his lungs with air. But instead of exhaling, he waited for Muriel to continue before he allowed himself to breathe again. Although he didn't speak, there was a burning question in his gaze.
His desperation pleased Muriel. So, she decided to show him mercy and enlighten him. "We all saw the gates to the Divine Realm on the Litennial Plains. Master of the Holy Sword, do you know the name of that gate?" Muriel answered herself. "It is called the Gate of the Pantheon."
Tesilid's eyes grew wide in shock. This was something Ailette had missed, but anyone born to a monotheistic world knew the name couldn't be right. And Muriel had seen right through it.
"The divinity that emanated from the door was not uniform, which means it was a mixture from that of many gods," she explained. "The Pantheon, quite literally, serves all gods."
Tesilid let her continue.
"But to acknowledge any god other than the Strict Order and Goodness is clearly an act of heresy." Muriel then reached her conclusion with a stern look on her face. "Therefore, Ailette Rodeline is a heretic."
As Tesilid listened to her in silence, his chest finally released the air from his lungs once the verdict was clear. The handsome young man stood as still as a statue, making it seem as though time had stopped for him. It was impossible to read what Tesilid Argente was thinking or feeling behind the man's emotionless face. There was a tense air about him, but the cardinals didn't realize they were breathing more carefully than usual as well.
Then something broke the silence.
"Ahhh..."
A silent voice that sounded like something between a moan and a muffled scream stirred the air. The handsome man ran his hand down his face but stopped midway, making everyone think he must be hiding his despair behind it. The world already knew of his relationship with the Divine Emissary, or the heretic who had once been called so, through the events that took place on Doomsday.
Hundreds of the holy kingdom's subjects were brought into the courthouse of the Last Judgment back then, and it was the words the young woman desperately cried out when the master of the holy sword was about to sacrifice himself that officially established their relationship in the eyes of the public.
On the Litennial Plains, hundreds watched on as the young man brought her back to her senses with a kiss. And what about the way he reacted when she was pulled into the gates of the Divine Realm? The holy knight's usual composure was nowhere to be seen.
Tesilid Argente slammed the gates and cried out in desperation as if he had lost everything that meant anything to him. Anyone who had eyes to see and ears to hear could tell she was his lover, someone he cherished more than his own life. The Strict Order and Goodness had a tendency to put His followers to the test, the most common type of which involved forcing His believers to sort out their list of priorities. So, God revealed His abusive love for Tesilid once again through Muriel's lips.
"Sir Tesilid Argente. You will remember that the master of the holy sword is not the only title you carry."
The man did not answer.
"Heathen judgment officer, I command you to execute Ailette Rodeline in the name of God."
He was completely lost for words. The Strict Order and Goodness was demanding him to prove his faith by killing the only person he truly cared about.
Many gazes fell on him through the stifling air of the council. Some sympathized with his plight, others thought he deserved the punishment for falling for a heretic's ruse, and more still felt their fanatical zeal rise at the thought of a public test of another person's faith. Though their motivations were different, they all watched Tesilid eagerly to see what he would do next. Their gazes paralleled that of the being in the sky who passively observed the circus He put His followers through. If Muriel served as God's lips, the council of cardinals were His eyes.
The most handsome fool in the world removed his hand from his face under the revolting gaze of his onlookers. His expression revealed no emotions whatsoever as if he was wearing a plaster mask, but he couldn't hide how his eyes trembled with shock.
Muriel pressed down on his shoulder and instructed him in a somber tone. "Prove your faith by bringing an end to her heresy," she continued. "For only you can carry this out."
It was true.
If you end this life by dying with the Divine Emissary, the world will be saved.
It was his turn to answer. His deep voice stirred the air as he asked, "When shall I carry it out?"
The question was no different from a promise of subservience, which made everyone in the council acknowledge his faith and sense of duty.
Muriel seemed pleased as she answered him. "Get to Feronsa in three days. Be there by noon."
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"My grandmother told me about the decision yesterday. A day has passed since then, so he will be here at noon two days from now."
Bianca explained everything in a matter-of-fact tone, but it made my head ache and my heart grow sick. I didn't think the Gate of the Pantheon would be the skill that would label me as a heretic. I brought my hand to my aching head.
Bianca tried to make me lie down on the bed again, but I stopped her and took a deep breath. Everyone in the room had their eyes on me. They all seemed to be waiting for an explanation of some kind. I saw my grandfather, my mom, my dad, Ash, Edgar, and other servants of Heathfenrir castle who all happened to follow Voiceism.
"Child."
My grandfather called my name with a firm tone. His eyes seemed to say that everything would be all right and that he'd always stand by my side no matter what. His gaze reminded me of his commitment to be someone I could always count on. Once the initial pang of frustration passed, I felt a great sense of relief.
Oh, well. It was going to happen at some point anyway. I steeled myself and spoke in full confidence.
"Look, everyone. I am the Divine Emissary, a saintess who can use the Divine Advent through God's blessing. I have no intention to judge other religions. But technically, I would say the religious order of the Strict Order and Goodness are the heretics, not me."
I heard a chorus of gasps resound at once. They needed time to take it in, so I carefully watched their reactions.
"D-does that mean...?"
"Then, she wasn't spreading the word of the Strict Order and Goodness?"
"She was evangelizing another faith."
"I see..."
Their reactions were rather shocking. I thought they would react more violently once I came clean about my faith. Honestly, I half-expected one or two of them to throw dirty looks and label me a heretic, but no one did anything remotely close to that. Some of them even started nodding their heads as if everything finally made sense.
"That explains it."
"For some reason, I always felt a resistance of some kind whenever I heard the name of the Strict Order and Goodness."
"So, there was a good reason for it."
"Hear, hear!" my grandfather shouted, summing up the sentiment Ash, Edgar, and Bianca had already voiced.
In fact, some of them started confessing what they had suspected.
"Actually... I thought that might be the case... because my prayers were shut out every time I called out to the Strict Order and Goodness."
«Wow, that's Hilde for you. I would expect no less from the vice-bishop.»
I hadn't been expecting anything like this at all, so I could only blink my eyes in bewilderment until I managed to ask a question.
"Umm... Is that it?"
"What do you mean, Your Eminence?" Edgar asked as courteously as usual. His intense gaze made me feel strange.
"I'm talking about your reactions."
"Was there anything you were looking for in particular?"
"Not really... Oh! I get it. You don't have to worry about me. If you want to leave the faith, please feel free to do so."
"Why would anyone leave the faith?!"
The servants cut me short and blurted out once they realized what I was saying.
"You are the Divine Emissary herself!"
"Yes! You are the living proof of God's existence!"
"We are the true faith, and they are the heretics!"
The servants made their true feelings known. I sat dumbfounded for a while. But soon, I decided to go with the flow.
"Yes... I'm glad you feel the same way. For your information, the Strict Order and Goodness has abandoned this world and left it ages ago. So, why pray to an absent god when a new god is with us?"
"Yes! We put our faith in our god!"
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World feels greatly moved.â