Chapter 27

"Human, who gave you permission to call me by my name!"

Albion, feeling rather displeased, said coldly, crossing his arms.

"Oh, so Lord Albion isn't human? Hmm, I see. Your customs are indeed different. You must understand, Teacher."

Nero laughed cheerfully, casually observing the proud Phantasmal Species. The thought that this being, who had just regarded her with pity, was now putting on such airs struck her as wonderfully strange.

"Ah, that reminds me, I have something to do. I won't disturb you and Lord Albion, Teacher."

Nero pressed her forehead against Novia's abdomen, then looked up at him. After saying this quickly, she released her grip, glanced at Albion, and then left of her own accord. She could already picture the look of gritted teeth on his face.

What a joke. He's just a pawn being used by Teacher. No matter how much he values me, he can't be more important than me. After all, Teacher controlled me with poison...

Nero understood that such thoughts were strange, absurd. She knew that better than anyone.

I'll definitely be called crazy by others. There's nothing I can do about it.

At that moment, Novia was staring intently at Nero, not Albion.

"Nero."

"...Yes, yes."

Hearing Novia's call, the girl turned around, her voice stiff as she answered and nodded.

Nero thought her thoughts had been exposed, her heart pounding uncontrollably. As for her blushing cheeks, the sun was so bright, she hoped it wasn't noticeable.

However, Novia wasn't considering these things. He spoke to her:

"I've always thought this: your singing has the power to bring happiness to people. It should be heard by more people, so you must keep working hard."

Watching the two gradually depart, Nero lowered her slender, golden eyelashes, pondering Novia's words.

After all, despite what was outwardly said, she was well aware of the effect of her concert during the Triumphal Ceremony.

...It really is better to suppress the urge to kill that guy. I'll let her have her moment of triumph for a few days.

She suddenly muttered softly, her fingers gathering magic. She retrieved the Golden Laurel that had been resting on Novia's head during the Triumphal Ceremony, her gaze intense. She gently stroked it and then placed it on her head.

I am the most important person in Teacher's heart. Nero has absolute confidence in this. This will never, ever change.

049: A Visit to the Burial Classroom and the One Who Has Not Yet Become an Ancestor of the Dead

The midday sun floated in the sky, casting an overwhelming presence of light upon all living things.

"I am Narubareck, the current leader of the Burial Agency. Greetings, Lord Novia."

The man whose right eye was hidden by his hair fixed his gaze upon Novia. Perhaps it was due to the incredible charm of Novia's deep blue eyes, which seemed to captivate the soul, that Narubareck involuntarily shifted his gaze to Novia's surroundings.

There were no other furnishings aside from a white wooden square table and four straw chairs. In the place where a mirror would normally hang, a silver copper cross was nailed onto a black line, encased in a tarnished wooden frame.

There was nothing luxurious here. The simplicity, coupled with the Miracles he had personally witnessed, spontaneously transformed this space into one of immense solemnity.

"Since you are here, you must have understood what I asked Kouhaku to convey."

"We shall naturally obey your decision, Lord. From now on, the Burial Agency will no longer operate independently but will follow your command. Personnel who are no longer needed have been assigned to all forty-five Provinces of the Roman Empire, and we will also recruit strong individuals from outside."

Narubareck could only offer a wry smile upon hearing Novia's gentle, smiling words. For the Narubareck family, this was neither a good nor a bad decision.

Each leader of the Burial Agency was a "Narubareck," a name passed down. Since its establishment, this leadership position had always been held by someone from the Narubareck lineage. Even the members of the Burial Agency never recruited outsiders, all to ensure absolute purity of faith and character.

Before this, they had maintained independence from Judaism. It was for this reason that even when the "King of Antichrist," Dolo, had demanded they assassinate Novia, they had outright refused. Narubareck believed it was a matter of doctrinal debate, with no reason to intervene.

However, during the battle in Jerusalem, the three minutes of Darkness Covered the Land made Narubareck realize that his lineage had made a grave mistake. Failing to assist the Lord's messenger was a sin worthy of death.

Just as he was contemplating how to atone for this sin, Kouhaku, who had brought Novia's request, happened to arrive.

The current Burial Agency treated the visit of a True Ancestor Dead Apostle as a grave threat. After all, apart from their leader, they had no means to deal with a Dead Apostle of such high a rank. However, upon being informed that he was a former Fellow Believer and had come with Novia's request, they felt somewhat reassured.

But then, when they learned of Novia's demands, chaos erupted within the Burial Agency.

Novia's demands included:

From now on, except for the leader who must remain the strongest "Narubareck," all other members of the Burial Agency must adopt a meritocratic system. Members simply needed to be strong enough, possessing the ability to eliminate those who were inconvenient to deal with. Individuals of any background would be welcomed, even nominal believers.

Seven people, plus one person chosen by him, would form a new "Burial Agency."

Apart from these individuals, the members of the Burial Agency would no longer be required to be stationed in the forty-five Provinces of the Roman Empire to oversee newly established churches in major cities, deal with lurking Dead Apostles, and spread doctrine.

Novia's actions effectively dismantled the Burial Agency, which had followed the same lineage for so many years, naturally leading to inevitable internal disputes.

However, after careful consideration, Narubareck agreed without hesitation and came alone to express his sincerity.

He understood that Novia desired an absolute "demon-slaying group," one where all members could kill True Ancestor Dead Apostles. Furthermore, he hoped that ordinary people in various regions would have hope when facing Dead Apostles through simple means.

While the lower ranks of Dead Apostles could be considered akin to ordinary beasts, and one might not necessarily die if they mustered the courage to fight them, the problem lay in their humanoid form. This caused ordinary people to instinctively fall into a state of fear, making resistance difficult.

"Give me a list of those people, and I can contact the churches in various regions to relay the information."

Although Novia's words could be considered blunt, Narubareck felt no discomfort. Instead, he found it natural.

"Certainly. I have prepared one for you, totaling one hundred and thirty-five people. Please review it."

Narubareck took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Novia.

"Let me see..." Novia flipped through the letter and saw an unexpected name. He asked casually, "Speaking of which, do the names in your lineage all follow in succession?"

"Yes, besides the name 'Narubareck' which is held by the strongest person in the family, there are various other names that must be inherited through combat. For the sake of purity, the loser is executed."

"I see."

Novia had specifically asked this because he saw a familiar name on the letter that Narubareck had handed over—

Be-Zel.

Just like the twenty-fifth Ancestor among the twenty-seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles, he was a sword monk named Be-Zel who possessed the principle of 'sword' and had developed swordsmanship that could kill Dead Apostles.

He seemed to recall that this Ancestor, who was the teacher of Ciel and the nineteenth Ancestor, was estimated to have been a famous priest of the Church and the most outstanding swordsman of that era, who invented the Black Key around 300 AD. Perhaps the current individual was his ancestor.

"From now on, this rule will be abolished," Novia said, raising the letter and closing his eyes. "The losing party doesn't necessarily have to die. There will always be those who don't desire victory. Let them go anonymously and establish a monastery to adopt abandoned children. The Empire and local churches will provide certain financial support."

"Understood," Narubareck nodded. "Is there anything else you need me to do? I see you don't have any guards around you. Do you need me to—"

"No need. My teacher and eleven Apostles of Jesus Christ will be here in a few days. You can come and meet them with me then."

Although Albion, who had returned to the 'Spear' because someone had arrived, didn't speak, Novia knew without a doubt that he was watching intently. If he had agreed to Narubareck's request, Albion would definitely have been displeased.

The last time Novia saw Nero, Albion had bitten him again after he returned, but thankfully, it only left a tooth mark, not tearing off a piece of flesh.

"Yes."

"Oh, right. Help me find someone these few days. Her name is Locusta. She has green hair and should be living in the forests of Gaul, sustaining herself on mushrooms every day."

It was strange, Novia clearly remembered that this mushroom girl, skilled in using poison, was not well-received by ordinary people due to her mental instability, forcing her to live in the forest subsisting on mushrooms. However, with her knowledge of herbalism, she was hired for poisoning and extortion, and because her employers were influential people, she always managed to narrowly escape imprisonment. By all rights, she should have been easy to find.

Yet, he couldn't find any trace of her, which inevitably confused Novia.

"Hmm… someone? I understand."

Although finding one person in the vastness of Gaul could be troublesome, it was quite easy for Narubareck, who could contend with a normal Ancestor of the Dead Apostles.

050: The Editing of the New Testament and the Key of Heaven

Pale snowflakes gently fell from the sky onto the city of Rome.

"I believe it is necessary to compile everyone's letters and writings into a new covenant, separate from Judaism, as part of the New Testament," Novia said slowly to the people before him.

For Peter, who was listening.

The word "Bible" carried a special resonance.

Because his fate had been decided then, beginning at the Sea of Galilee, a witness on the summit of Golgotha.

To the former Peter, that person was everything, and he had never imagined that person would one day leave him.

But on that day, they, the eleven Apostles, were forced to accept—

The Passion of Jesus.

To allow such an existence to perish was the act of a demon, an unforgivable sin.

For whom was that sacrifice made, and for what reason?

If asked, that person would surely say with a smile that it was so that the people of the world would be free from sin.

It was precisely because of this that Peter had closely followed Paul since then. Even though Paul had openly criticized him, Peter greatly admired him.

Because Paul, who had once opposed Jesus, was very capable and could spread the beliefs of his teacher, Jesus, throughout the Mediterranean and the entire Roman Empire.

By all logic, Peter should have resented Paul, for he was the one entrusted by Jesus and should have been the true leader.

However, Peter did not do so, feeling he was not qualified.

Because, out of fear, he had thrice denied his discipleship with Jesus when he was being interrogated by the High Priests of Jerusalem.

Even though he was later forgiven, Peter could not tolerate himself for calmly accepting such blasphemy.

The old man's cloudy eyes cleared slightly as he looked at the man who had invited them, these old fellows, to Rome to discuss matters concerning their teacher, Jesus. He was the child he had seen when he went to Paul's location. Now he had grown so much and had accomplished deeds far beyond theirs, avenging the hatred that had lingered in the hearts of all eleven of them.

Novia's purpose in having them come was quite simple: he hoped to have everyone's letters or writings compiled as part of the Bible. He also suggested that if possible, each person should be responsible for the basic construction of Christianity within at least one province, as it was currently growing too wildly.

It was truly dazzling. Peter slowly closed his eyes, thinking that perhaps he had been stimulated by the sunlight outside, causing tears to uncontrollably well up.

"This is how it should be…"

Peter took a deep breath and lowered his head profoundly.

"Hey, Peter, why are you spacing out like that? You're all grown up now, and this is a joyous occasion," Paul, sitting beside him, patted Peter's shoulder.

"I am truly very sorry."

Peter gently shook his head to prevent his tears from falling.

"You did nothing wrong. The mistake… was mine."

"Not at all."

"I publicly scolded you before, which caused you trouble."

"No, that's not it. I, whether before or now… definitely…"

In front of Peter's blurred vision was his teacher.

"…definitely…"

That person—

"You must be very happy. I've heard that Teacher Jesus encouraged you not to give up, to cast your nets again into the sea, to walk on water, to bravely face your own weaknesses, to follow Him on the path of the cross, to lay down your life for your brothers, and to tend His sheep. So please be happy, because the world needs more real people, not superhuman ones."

"You are the undisputed Rock, as reliable as stone. Paul and I have always thought so. We should all be like you."

Novia smiled as he spoke to Peter, who was on the verge of tears.

Seeing the silver-haired boy's smile before him, Peter suddenly felt like laughing, but if he laughed, the tears would just fall.

Once upon a time, Jesus had said to him:

"I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Now that you mention it, I don't really want to hand it over anymore. This gift.

Reminded of his teacher's words by this child, Peter's discouraged heart was once again lifted.

"Novia."

Peter's expression suddenly became serious, an expression that made people involuntarily quiet down.

"Please speak."

Looking at Novia, Peter saw a reflection of his confident self in the boy's sea-blue eyes.

The old man glanced at his hands, finally grasping the ordinary key hanging around his neck. He clutched it tightly in his palm as if to confirm its existence.

"I've decided now. I'm going to give this to you."

He wondered if his teacher would be angry. But in the end, this situation wasn't his doing, but Novia's. Still, knowing his teacher's personality, he probably wouldn't be angry.

Thinking this, Peter continued.