The Charlatan and the Prophet

"You don't believe in the Holy Light? You don't believe I'm a Divine Favor?"

Ergons Tervalin felt a bit awkward, but Priest Ramses Bolton was even more so.

He had just felt like he had made immense progress, possessing great power, and was still in an indescribable state from the shock to his consciousness.

But when he caught sight of the short blade William drew, and Adamson's large fists clenched with iron gauntlets.

He suddenly sobered up a bit.

"I... or rather, no one in the Holy See believes in the Holy Light anymore."

Seeing Ergons waiting for his answer, Priest Ramses called his attendants in. To their extreme reluctance, he opened the large leather chest he had always treasured and never let anyone see, right in front of them.

Inside the chest were some bottles and jars, a coil of rope, a flint, and three... three-eyed fire lances?

The priest was about to crack. After the experience he had just personally undergone, with golden light erupting all over his body, he was truly bewildered. Looking at the items in the chest, his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Ergons felt even more complex. He pushed the priest aside and walked to the chest. The attendant wanted to scold him, but the priest stopped him.

He absolutely wouldn't mistake these things. The curved iron rod next to the firearms was a ramrod, the large leather pot beside it contained shot, the coiled rope was a slow match, the flint was easy to recognize, and he knew without asking that the remaining three jars contained gunpowder.

He had proficiency with firearms, so he couldn't be mistaken.

Although he had never seen these things before, either before or after his transmigration, the knowledge and experience used when adding to his full proficiency had already been passed down to him.

It could be said that no one in this room was more familiar with their use than he was.

"This is what you call the Holy Light? Isn't this thing a firearm? Is this how your entire Holy See acts blasphemously now? Do you really think the Holy Light won't punish you?"

Although Ergons Tervalin didn't even look up, his tone was mainly one of astonishment, but it scared Priest Ramses Bolton so much that he wanted to explain but couldn't speak.

The priest felt so wronged!

Because there hadn't been a divine miracle for one to two hundred years, no one from top to bottom in the Holy See had actually seen the Holy Light.

The Holy Light had almost become just a slogan, and firearms were a substitute developed by the Holy See to maintain its authority. How could someone in such a remote place actually possess the Holy Light?

Priest Ramses Bolton's thoughts became more and more chaotic, and he knelt down with a gulp.

Ergons suddenly felt something was wrong. He glanced at William, who was equally shocked, "That's not right. Didn't you say you'd seen a priest who could use healing Holy Magic?"

William was also dumbfounded. He removed his gauntlet and presented a large wound on his wrist to Priest Ramses Bolton, questioning him.

"Is it that you're incapable? Back when I was fighting in the legion, this arm was almost chopped off, and a priest healed me."

Priest Ramses Bolton felt even more ashamed, dodging and weaving, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

"That was medicinal powder for healing, extracted from magical beasts. Using too much will drain your life force."

"Go to hell!"

If Ergons hadn't pulled him back quickly, William Adena would have kicked the priest's head in.

After calming William down, Ergons looked down at the kneeling priest and his attendants. He also removed his gauntlet, rolled up his chainmail sleeve, and with William's short blade, cut himself deeply in the same spot.

As blood splattered, Ergons asked very calmly, "Shouldn't the effect of using the Holy Light be like this? I originally wondered why there would still be a scar. I didn't expect you to be a bunch of blasphemers. Look carefully."

He silently recited "Level 1 Permit" and used CTRL+H to instantly fill his health bar, regardless of his condition.

Golden light erupted from the wound, and as the light receded, the wound healed.

When the golden light disappeared, the deep, bone-revealing gash on his wrist had completely recovered, leaving no trace on his skin.

"Holy Light, Lord! Forgive me! Forgive me!"

After witnessing all this, Ramses Bolton and his attendants, filled with terror, kowtowed repeatedly and crawled to Ergons, kissing the tips of his plate armor boots.

Their mouths were bleeding from the sharp tips of the plate boots, but they didn't care, as their hearts were filled with fear.

Seeing their loyalty max out and their extreme fear, Ergons felt like he might have overdone the act.

"Alright, I can absolve you of your sins, and I can even make you, Ramses Bolton, my earthly representative. However, you must keep my identity a secret, or I will ensure you have no chance to even fall into hell."

"Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Hell?"

The two, who were initially weeping with joy, became a bit stunned upon hearing the word "hell" as they diligently wiped his plate boots with their saliva, tears, and blood.

Ergons Tervalin also inwardly cursed his loose tongue. The mythology of this world was very crude; it was simply the Holy Light shining upon the world, and returning to the embrace of the Holy Light after death.

Things like heaven and hell, it seemed no one had bothered to invent them yet.

There was no choice; he had to fix his own mess. So, he pretended to be merciful and continued, "Originally, every person who believes in the Holy Light is a child of my Holy Light, and will eventually return to my embrace.

I can descend upon any of my children at will. If I descend personally, it's as if I am present, just as this current body is my current vessel.

The mortal world is not worth it; the mortal world is hell.

People struggle and suffer in this world, and returning to the embrace of the Holy Light after death is your ultimate destination, that is heaven.

It is a land flowing with milk and honey, where there is no war, no suffering, and everyone can live forever in peace and harmony under the illumination of the Holy Light.

And those who can only sink and repeat in this cycle of reincarnation, coming to this mortal world to experience countless struggles again, that is hell!"

Priest Ramses Bolton's mind raced. The reason the Holy Light hadn't descended for hundreds of years was because no one truly believed in it anymore.

Or perhaps it had descended before, but was deeply disappointed with the Holy See, which didn't believe in it. He suddenly felt that this was his opportunity.

"What do you want me to do?"

Reverend Ramses Bolton asked eagerly, his eyes practically overflowing with fervor.

Ergons shook his head slightly, speaking with apparent disappointment, "Don't ask what the Lord can give you, ask what you can give the Lord. Don't ask what the Lord wants you to do, but actively think about what you can do for the Lord?"

"Reinforce, help Sir Davis Tervalin, the Lord's earthly vessel, and Tervain Village overcome the current crisis. Yes, you can."

The priest, eager to express himself, found his fanatical state led him to the only answer: "I can do it. I can persuade the Baron to send reinforcements. The Baron has Holy See officials by his side. He thinks the Holy See doesn't know he's playing dumb, but in reality, he's already been sidelined."

Ergons shook his head again. Although this was the outcome he desired, he had to continue his act of profound mystery.

At the very least, ideologically, it had to be elevated to a very high level.

"These petty squabbles in the mortal world are not my focus. What I care about is that it seems no one in this world truly believes in me anymore. Belief only exists among the poor, ignorant, toiling masses.

What you need to do is become the new Pope, to be my spokesperson once more. Of course, this process can be slow; it cannot be achieved overnight.

Those who occupy high positions and do nothing are not believers in me. I don't expect you to rebuild the Holy See from scratch, nor do I want too much upheaval caused by your becoming my spokesperson.

So, let's start with your first public manifestation tomorrow."

After sending away the priest, who practically wanted to kneel and serve him, Ergons Tervalin felt much more relaxed. He closely watched the besieged village on the map.

He would remain calm and wait until tomorrow, when preparations for departure were underway, to continue his plan. Only then would everything fall into place naturally.