Chapter 62

At this moment, deep in Cave in the mountains of Jötunheim, Scandinavian Island, all is silent except for the occasional dripping of water. The ground is covered with slippery moss, soft and yielding underfoot; each step is taken with utmost care, lest one slip.

The older generation says this is the lair of a dragon that has been sleeping for hundreds of years, and that its awakening would bring disaster.

Centered on this mountain range, these mountains are terrifyingly high, with jagged cliffs and towering peaks stretching endlessly, sharp blades that cut through the blue sky, crowned with snow all year round, resembling columnar jointed cliffs formed by clusters of thin pillars. Apart from those who can only use Magecraft, only a few wild beasts dare to roam on them.

However, the Fire Dragon that once dominated the countless treasures there was now dead, its chest torn open by sharp Claws, and its heart no longer beating.

Before the corpse stood a gigantic Werewolf, cloaked and hooded, its entire body stained with thick dragon blood.

"Phew, finally killed that Fire Dragon. Now I don't have to worry about it harming people anymore."

At this moment, the Werewolf smiled, ignored the treasure in the Cave, and walked out. Perhaps sensing something, he looked towards the distant starry sky.

"So, the reason I'm here isn't just because of that, my great god. Is that the Warrior you acknowledge, the one who released the Rune?"

A spirit that descends to the Present World realm, possessing the Flesh of a wolf.

One of the heroes celebrated by Volsunga Saga, a man said to possess power comparable to the great hero Sigurd, a valiant warrior who annihilated the Sigurd race, and the older brother of the dragon-slaying warrior Sigurd who died before his birth, the hero Simfitri.

124: The earth belongs to you, the sky belongs to me.

That night, the fog was extremely thick in the capital Scandinavian Island, Geatland Capital.

The partially waned moon cast only a sliver of silver light, seeping into the clouds.

At this late hour, there was no sign of pedestrians on the street; a frozen silence permeated the darkness.

However, the composed, dark-haired man couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

Looking at the simple entrance to the Royal Palace, this was the first time King Beowulf had invited this Missionary from the Eastern Rome to come here.

However, the man also knew the reason, after all, the message he was conveying also included the name of the person he had met once before, the one who had been with the Dead Apostle known as the Princess that day— Avia.

Out of some interest, the man inquired a little about the name afterward and discovered that it was the same person who had accompanied the Huns to Milan, the Western Roman capital, as well as the person who had slain a dragon alongside Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero, in the Rhine River... He wasn't sure before whether they were the same person.

But now it's certain that it's the same person, because Beowulf has announced that the Kraken and the water North Sea Kraken Water Demon Grendel are both dead, thanks to this Avia who doesn't resemble Huns.

Augustine didn't care that he was Huns, because he was born into Berbers family in North Africa. Berbers was not the self-designation of the ethnic group, but rather a name given by outsiders, derived from the Latin word for savage.

As the successor groomed by the Cardinal Constantinople in the Eastern Rome Constantinople, Augustine was not born baptized into the Church. During his formative years, he studied rhetoric and rhetoric, and initially Faith to Manichaeism.

But as Augustine grew older, in his theological debates with Manichaeism priests, he discovered that these priests were all eloquence and no real knowledge, and were unable to answer his questions.

The most crucial reason why Augustine abandoned Manichaeism and chose the Church was an event that happened to him during his travels to Alexandria renowned for its philosophical flourishing—

One day, a black-haired boy was taking a walk in the very center of the city. He heard that the founder of the Church had given a speech here hundreds of years ago, which might explain why philosophical discussions here were so lively.

Yet, in that instant, on this vast land that seemed to overwhelm everything, Augustine heard a voice.

The voice seemed to be a cry from the soul, or perhaps a sacred word engraved on this land many years ago.

"Then when? Why not end this sordid past right now?"

"Know that you must not indulge in revelry and drunkenness, nor be lustful or dissolute, nor be quarrelsome or envious, but rather clothe yourselves with the Son of God, Jesus Christ."

After uttering those few words, seemingly out of nowhere, the young man fell into deep thought. All around him, in Alexandria, everything remained the same, as if he were the only one who had heard them.

Subconsciously, he took out the most common New Testament in the city, and read the line on the cover that was long since eroded by time and could only be barely recognized. He read it aloud, just like the voice that had spoken.

"Beauty and goodness are inseparable, because both are based on form; therefore, people often praise good things as beautiful as well."

Grace does not destroy nature; it merely completes it.

From then on, Augustine turned to the Church and was baptized the following year in Rome, the capital of the still-undivided Roman Empire.

However, this period of prosperity was short-lived. A year after his baptism, the vast Roman Empire split apart due to the increasingly fierce struggle between papal and imperial power.

Unlike most Church members who chose to stay or return to the Western Rome Empire, Augustine chose to leave Rome and go to Constantinople.

When Rome split, of the 128 Cardinal of the Church, only three chose to remain in the Eastern Rome Empire: Ambrose, who insisted on the separation of church and state John Chrysostom, who believed in the equality of all beings; and Jerome, who studied the Bible and its commentaries.

Now, more than twenty years later, only Jerome remains to carry on the cause. After all, although the church has split, the Eastern Rome Church still recognizes the Rome Catholic Church, so it has not openly appointed cardinals in the Eastern Rome Catholic Cardinal, at most appointing acting bishops.

"So you've finally arrived, Augustine."

A clear voice rang out at the entrance of the Royal Palace.

In the black-haired man's line of sight, the young man's deep blue eyes looked at him and slowly greeted him.

"Long time no see, Avia."

Augustine bowed politely in greeting, as he was the one invited and should treat the inviter with proper etiquette.

Please come with me.

Avia nodded in acknowledgment again, and Augustine followed her, not entering the Royal Palace as originally planned, but instead heading to a high mountain outside the city.

After a while, the two of them quietly looked down from the mountaintop at the entire city and its surroundings. The silent night was illuminated by a light that seemed to come from nowhere, Gilgamesh brightly.

"Augustine," Avia began, "how many people in the places you've been have been to the Church Faith?"

"Um..."

Augustine was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Across Europe, within the two great Rome, most of them are like that, aren't they?"

"Yes, almost all of them."

For some reason, Augustine felt that Avia's words were sharp and incisive, and that his unique demeanor and actions conveyed a certain unwavering purpose.

"The Church is still too powerful."

Avia couldn't help but sigh as the Church she had built was now corrupted to such a state by that 'Savior'.

He is hostile to all major Magecraft organizations on many levels, and his stance is to destroy all mysticism except for himself.

To destroy the Church, it was necessary to directly kill Mabul Kihara, who possessed the Holy Scripture and was capable of severely injuring Kishua. According to the Grand Sorcerer at the time, even the Endless Ether Magecraft Cannon and the Moonfall of the Crimson Moon had been completely copied by him. The Od of Faith accumulated over hundreds of years was comparable to the infinite.

So even if they had the Moon Goddess Cannon, they would still be blocked. Typhon's mech might not be able to pass either, but they still found a way to solve the problem, since they caused it themselves.

"You, Augustine, even Novia would sincerely admire and respect you, but I feel sorry for the unfortunate Fate of Rome and the Church."

The black-haired man listened silently to the silver-haired youth's speech. Although from a religious perspective, it was undoubtedly Heresy, he inexplicably felt that it was only natural for this person to say such things, and that he shouldn't refute it.

"The glory of the Church, the culture of Rome, will not belong to the City of God, but will continue to exist in the Earthly City, because of you."

Avia smiled and pointed to herself.

"And I am here to destroy the Church."

125: The topic that should have been created by you

The fact that a mere Heterodox Faith dared to claim he would destroy the Holy Church is something that would make even a non-religious Magecraft instinctively laugh.

That is a vast organization that has been glorious for hundreds of years, Divinity Faith that will continue to exist even if Rome is destroyed, and has been so since its establishment. Neither the Dead Apostle, who are the mortal enemies of mankind, nor the Phantasmal Species abandoned by the Planet, are to be feared.

This prosperity will continue forever, and no one will be confused by what is taken for granted.

However, Augustine listened quietly, not taking Avia's words as a joke, and listened attentively until he finished speaking.

Then he asked Avia a question:

What is the City of God? And what is the Earthly City?

At present, neither the Western Rome Roman Empire nor the Eastern Rome Empire has suffered from the invasion of 'barbarians'. To be precise, these people are simply incapable of confronting the glorious Rome of today, and can only operate on the periphery of Rome. Naturally, the Rome remains impregnable and has never been breached.

"The glorious the City of God, whether it travels through time among the irreverent, lives by faith, or sits securely on the eternal throne of the Future, is not any tangible political organization, but an invisible one formed by the covenant of goodness in people's hearts."

"The Earthly City are the various organizations that people encounter in this life. The benefits and disadvantages are shared by both good and bad people. As long as one lives in this world, one will eventually die. Therefore, death itself is not the key issue. The key issue is what one's Fate will be after death, which will be determined by one's Fate in life."

"Whether we love each other, wage war, or kill each other in this life or the next, we will eventually reunite in the heavenly city to Judgment. The good will be rewarded, and the wicked will be punished, like the Republic in his youth who committed heinous crimes, or Cephalus, the tyrant who pursued the interests of the strong and ruled by the winner, who bullied and Thrasymachus others—they will ultimately be punished in the Last Judgment."

"Good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil consequences. The best life is one of good, and achieving the best life does not depend on anyone else. Whether you are in Rome, Milan, or Britain, as long as you do the good that God desires, your soul will eventually be redeemed, and even a prodigal son can return."

"The initiation declaration of the Holy Church should also be based on the covenant of 'good'."

When Augustine recovered from his surprise, his body trembled slightly.

As a believer and familiar with various philosophies, he naturally understood a great deal from Avia's two sentences in an instant. To non-believers, Avia's words seemed to be nothing more than proselytizing, but in reality, this argument was not only a theological viewpoint, but could also be connected with political philosophy.

In traditional political philosophy prior to this, the core concern of politics was real life, and religion was basically subordinate to politics.

This kind of political life encouraged people to pursue success and honor in their careers, but the distinction between the two cities negated the substantive meaning of traditional political life. In his view, the honor of the motherland, the gain or loss of political power, and the victory or defeat in war all became unimportant.

These all belong to the category of "Earthly City," and the visible Church is also defined as an "Earthly City."

Augustine couldn't understand why Avia, who hadn't been baptized according to custom, was saying such things, but at that moment, he only had one thought—

Is there anything else?

The black-haired man's expression clearly revealed his inner thoughts, his eyes fixed on the silver-haired youth.

"... Augustine, do you think this world is beautiful?"

The seemingly random question left the man looking puzzled.

What does this mean?

Do you think humans are beautiful? Gentle? Kind?

Augustine did not answer.

Avia looked at him and smiled.

"I understand... what you're thinking is unlikely, right?"

People are fickle and cannot remain Issei forever, a fact that Avia knew all too well.

Even if the City of God, as it is later proclaimed, defines the physical Church as an "Earthly City," those who eventually come to power in the Church will inevitably transform Church into a representative of the "The City of God." Thus, the Church will theoretically possess the highest authority over people, which is unavoidable, as human Desire will always increase.

However, the silver-haired youth's thoughts remained the same as on that day: as long as the most basic bottom line could be upheld, as long as this point did not change, that was enough.

Therefore, some things can only be done by others.

"Augustine, I have only perfected the beginning of this subject. Could you understand and complete the rest, so that the world may once again know the meaning of doing good?"

Avia paused for a moment, then continued.

Please.

Hearing his incredibly confident words, Augustine was somewhat taken aback and bit his lip.

If one is a believer, one should not have any connection with the Dead Apostle; if one is not a believer, why does one have such a high level of understanding?

Unable to understand, Augustine suddenly found himself unable to comprehend Avia.

But in that instant, the dark-haired man seemed to be transported back to the day he heard those sacred words in Alexandria. Before him lay the central square of Alexandria, and gradually, his features and appearance overlapped with those of that person—

"You are, no, I..." Augustine suddenly nodded, "I understand, I will complete... the task you assigned me."

"No," Avia shook her head, still smiling, and said, "Augustine, this was originally your subject, which is why I want to thank you, thank you for accepting it."

Avia's words were somewhat strange, but Augustine didn't pay much attention to them, only asking nervously for the first time.

"Do we really want to destroy the Church?"

"The Church must be destroyed no matter what."

Avia's statement originally came from Carthage, Cato Rome statesman. After the Second Punic War, Cato believed that Carthage Future become a threat to the Rome Republic and strongly advocated for Carthage destruction. Therefore, in any speech he gave to the Senate, he would end with the statement, "Carthage must be destroyed."

"Really... you won't regret it?"

"I have some regrets, thinking that I should have done things differently. However, there are other things that make me feel 'thank goodness I did it.' I'm not looking back from the perspective of gains and losses, but rather from the fact that when I had warm and kind thoughts in my heart and actually took action, I felt afterwards that it was really good to have done it."

The silver-haired youth turned his head to look at the dark sky.

Countless tears of light, the strings of the night tracing traces, a rare meteor shower streaking across the sky, its tail of light serene and profound.

126: I knew nothing about him before. (Please refresh)

The fact that a mere Heterodox Faith dared to claim the destruction of the Holy Church is something that would make even a non-religious Magecraft instinctively laugh.

That is a vast organization that has been glorious for hundreds of years, Divinity Faith that will continue to exist even if Rome is destroyed, and has been so since its establishment. Neither the Dead Apostle, who are the mortal enemies of mankind, nor the Phantasmal Species abandoned by the Planet, are to be feared.

This prosperity will continue forever, and no one will be confused by what is taken for granted.