喵绅HCMOIC士网页版

Chapter 129

The Feast of All Saints.

A day for all the saints who have lived among humanity and returned to the embrace of God.

It is one of the most important festivals that the Church holds dear.

From the Empire’s perspective, it’s comparable to Triumph Day.

The Pope, who rarely makes public appearances, personally officiates the ceremony, and all dioceses across the continents hold simultaneous prayer meetings on that day, led by all the cardinals in front of the public.

It is a time to express gratitude to the saints who spread the teachings of the Light and bestowed grace upon us, allowing us to receive Goddess’s love.

It is also a time for self-reflection and a promise to strive for betterment in the future.

As it is such a grand festival, it’s only natural that there are many things to prepare.

This has always been the case for major festivals, but it was especially true for this particular occasion.

“The Church’s benefactor is coming! The Blessed one, beloved by the Goddess, is coming!”

“The one who recovered the Church’s lost sacred relic with a single divine strike, a noble young man who is nothing short of a champion of the Light!”

If the subject of these praises had heard them, he would have been shocked and protested, asking what they were doing.

But unfortunately, Karl had not yet arrived in the Holy See. He would probably be just finishing his final exams and receiving his report card around this time.

Therefore, in the Holy See, the hymn of praise for the one who recovered the relic and received Goddess’s love continued.

And, of course, the ones leading this were the high-ranking officials of the Church.

“Some are concerned that the name of Young Lord Karl Adelheit is being invoked too often.”

“What foolish talk. Calling out the name of our benefactor is no different from ultimately seeking the Great One. Didn’t the benefactor himself say, ‘Finding the relic was all Goddess’s will’? If even the benefactor follows the teachings of the Light, what is there to fear?”

Ordinary believers focus solely on the teachings of the Light. They simply follow its piety and faithfulness. However, that alone cannot lead this vast Church.

Those in higher positions must inevitably adopt a somewhat worldly demeanor. After all, they are rooted in this world, so ‘worldly’ is only natural.

“The conflict between the Empire and the elves has been mostly resolved and is now entering a reconciliation phase. Also, Lasker has acknowledged the Empire’s superiority in exchange for quelling their own internal turmoil. The Magic Kingdom of Avileshti remains, but they can read the current continental situation and won’t make foolish choices.”

“Brother, you are right. The chaos that reached its peak has now ended, and it’s clear that the fervor of those who earnestly sought the Goddess and followed the Light will gradually diminish.”

Religion, in the end, blossoms most brilliantly when human life is hard and difficult. People seek God when they are hungry and struggling, but who seeks God when their belly is full and their back is warm?

As religious figures, we feel sorrow whenever they suffer and lose their way. We also feel a sense of duty to guide them towards a brighter path.

However, at the same time, we can’t help but wonder if we could have achieved this level of influence without such turmoil.

Therefore, from the Church’s perspective, turmoil was essential.

Perhaps that’s why we joined hands with the Empire.

In fact, didn’t the Church’s influence rise every time the Empire waged war?

But such turmoil cannot continue forever. It shouldn’t continue in the first place.

Believers who call upon Goddess’s name and seek the Light should not wish for it.

After all, shouldn’t the world become a paradise where everyone lives well and laughter never ceases?

“We recovered the relic at such a time, and the benefactor is undeniably the Empire’s war hero. This alone should be enough to strengthen the hearts of our brothers and sisters.”

“How is the expansion of various facilities by the Empire progressing?”

“It’s steadily progressing in the name of the Church. We’re aiming to increase it by up to 30% by the end of this year, and we’re considering up to 70% by next year.”

Several influential nobles of the Empire established a pension foundation named after the war hero.

The Imperial Family then supported the foundation, firmly securing the hearts of the Empire’s people.

Not to be outdone, the Church also got involved, but that wasn’t enough.

The result was the expansion of various facilities, which naturally served as a focal point for expanding the Church’s influence.

In other words, if you think about it, the start of this positive change can be attributed to a single young man.

The person himself denies it, saying it’s embarrassing and asking if we can just pretend not to know.

But isn’t the world an absurd place that can be changed by the influence of just one person?

Yes, a world that changes due to the influence of a single person. That is precisely the utopia that the Radiant Church, gloriously invoking His name, ultimately aims to reach.

In the current situation, their benefactor, a true noble, was scheduled to visit the Holy See soon.

“We must show him a side of us that we won’t be ashamed of. We cannot disappoint the one who is loved by the Goddess.”

“Of course. How could we treat the blessed one who has made the Church’s name shine even brighter? By creating a positive impression, the perception of the Church will improve in the future.”

* * *

“Senior! Have a great vacation!”

“See you next semester!!”

Yes, yes. Go on now. Go. Stop saying goodbye! My lips are going to cramp up.

Finally, after the worst ordeal known as final exams, another vacation season has arrived. And the first-year juniors, in groups of three or five, came to say goodbye.

They’re probably doing this because I’m the future head of an influential noble family, the current Crown Princess’s brother-in-law, and a Medal of Honor recipient. It’s understandable when you consider the concept of power.

But that’s one thing, and this ordeal is another. Honestly, I know myself well. I’m not suited for politics or power. I’ll never be good at it!

Yet, the reason I stood here waiting… She’s finally here. Oh dear, look at her face.

“Selena. Welcome… Oh my, your face is a mess.”

“Huh? Really? But I put so much effort into my appearance!”

Selena, startled, frantically touches her face.

She then says she needs to check something and looks ready to dash off to the nearest mirror.

Afraid she might actually do it, I grabbed her hand and confessed the truth.

“I was lying. You look beautiful.”

“…Karl!!”

Selena pretends to throw a punch, saying I surprised her. She tells me to stop saying such nonsense.

But that’s not nonsense at all. It’s a natural reaction. There’s a reason why Selena is called the first love of all the male students at the academy, the heroine of the story.

Some people say you age ten years when you start grad school.

In fact, our senior, Marcus, has been lamenting his hair loss since last winter.

Selena, on the other hand, isn’t aging at all, and her beauty still shines. I think she would look more beautiful than most women even if she rolled around in the mud.

“You’ve become too smooth-talking! You weren’t like this before!”

“A little smooth talk gives you a sense of ease. Or maybe I learned it from the Four Musketeers?”

[TL/N: Author loves calling them names lmao]

Right, the Four Musketeers. Shulifen, Wilhelm, Alexander, and Joachim. After getting involved with them, I’ve picked up their unique quirks and smooth-talking ways.

Is it true that you become like those you associate with? I feel like my insides are turning black! Gaaaaah!!

“How’s grad school? Is it manageable? The professor isn’t making you do anything weird, is he? Are the other graduate students treating you well? They’re not bullying you because you’re a noble, are they? And—”

“Calm down, Karl. The professor is a good person, and so are the other graduate students. They don’t make me do anything weird or treat me badly.”

Why would fellow graduate students bully each other? Selena smiles and says so.

I couldn’t bring myself to say, ‘Sometimes people in the same hell create even more hell for each other.’ A good example would be the military in my past life… ahem, ahem.

“More importantly, thank you, Karl. I heard the news. They specifically mentioned only me as your companion.”

“Huh?”

“Honestly, I thought you might bring all the other girls too.”

“…Ah, that.”

I unconsciously scratch the back of my head.

I received a letter from the Church a while ago. It said I could bring companions to the Holy See for the festival. It didn’t matter how many.

Selena happened to have a bit of free time around that time. As soon as I heard that, I ran to her and asked if she wanted to go to the Holy See with me.

On top of that, to score some points, I also asked Selena’s grandfather if he wanted to come along.

And… Well, I thought about bringing Eloise, Lav, and junior Lefia too. But all three of them had their own circumstances, so it didn’t work out.

“The Holy See? Um, well, thanks for the offer, Karl, but I’m an elf. There might still be people there who are uncomfortable with me. I’m afraid you might get criticized for bringing me along. So, I’ll pass.”

Eloise was the first to decline, mainly because the elves were the ones who lost the Church’s relic. She said she would only go if there was an official elven delegation to the Church.

“Thank you so much, Senior! But, um! I actually signed up for summer classes! I’m so sorry! If you’re upset, I’ll cancel them right away—”

Lav, whose final exam results weren’t great, opted for summer classes.

Oh, and for the record, her final exam scores were better than her midterm scores. But she’s still doing this because Eloise got first place overall.

Lav seemed quite shocked by that. She said something about how the Imperial Army can’t be worse than the elves.

“Thank you so much for the offer, Senior Karl. But… I’m a bit hesitant. Even though I gave up my title as princess, I’m still from the Lasker royal family. I’m worried that if I go, the Empire might misunderstand me as a liaison between the Church and Lasker.”

Lefia, like Eloise, declined due to political reasons. Even though she gave up her title, she still cares about her homeland and is worried about potential misunderstandings.

In the end, my only option was Selena. So, the fact that I eliminated the other three for Selena’s sake is purely… Well, a misunderstanding on Selena’s part.

“I’m so excited! The Holy See! I’ve never been there before!”

“Oh, yeah. Me neither.”

But there’s no reason to tell her the truth. Honestly, it would be stupid to be honest here. Definitely!