Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 289 - 288: Great Hall of Radiance

Cathedral of the Holy Light, Great Hall of Radiance.

Pope Saint Ivan III sat on his broad and ornate chair, a holy radiance appearing out of thin air in midair, illuminating the few meters of space around the elderly figure, while the bishops of the Church of the Holy Light arranged themselves in an arc before Saint Ivan III. Apart from them, there were no other clergymen below the rank of bishop in the Great Hall—this was clearly a high-level assembly.

It was at this moment that Veronica pushed open the grand doors, and under the gaze of the bishops, she walked to her designated position—on the right-hand side of the Pope, in that highly revered spot.

The bishops nodded in acknowledgment to Veronica; no one showed any dissatisfaction with her "lateness," at least not outwardly. Veronica smiled and nodded back to each of them, exuding a warm and gentle aura, just like every day in the past.

"Ladies and gentlemen—everyone is present," Saint Ivan III began to speak, his voice old and raspy, yet it filled the entire hall, "let us commence."

Veronica glanced at the Pope—he seemed even older than before. Since the end of the last Day of Stars, the aging process of Saint Ivan III had accelerated significantly, with each passing day marking further decline. Now, he was a hunched and withered old man in his seat, seemingly on the brink of death by appearance. Only the occasional flashes of wisdom in his eyes and the constant aura of divinity he emanated reminded people of the powerful force he still held and the solemn majesty that rested at the pinnacle of the Church of the Holy Light.

The Holy Light manifested itself out of nowhere, shining upon the Pope. Veronica knew that this was actually a sign that life was nearing its end—that Holy Light was the divine radiance guiding the beloved to the realm of the gods, a bridge to the kingdom. When the Pope was fully enveloped by the Holy Light, it would be the day he eternally returned to the embrace of the Lord.

Yet, no one would feel sorrow for this, including the Pope himself: it was a symbol of supreme glory, having the "sacred phenomenon" of being shrouded in the Holy Light while still alive was considered the most honorable and fortunate event in the heart of any believer of the Holy Light. This required an enormously pious heart and an extraordinarily rare spiritual gift that could resonate with the source of the Holy Light. Therefore, Pope Saint Ivan III, wrapped in the Holy Light, bore a smile, his mood calm and joyful at all times. He smiled at Veronica and, in a voice not very loud yet audible to all, said, "First, let us congratulate the birth of a new living saint. Veronica has passed the Lord’s test, witnessed the kingdom’s radiance, and returned to this world. She is now the embodiment of the Holy Light, the Lord’s most intimate child."

This matter had already reached the bishops’ ears a few days prior, but today the Pope confirmed it with his own words. As a result, the prepared bishops applauded warmly, offering respect and congratulations to Veronica. Veronica, in turn, smiled back in gratitude and said serenely, "The Holy Light is with every one of us."

"The official celebration will be held tonight. Next, we must discuss the recent rampant activities of the evil cult followers," the Pope swiftly moved to the next topic, "these wicked beings are harassing the Lord’s followers, and their actions are the greatest blasphemy against the Holy Light."

One of the bishops stood up, wearing a tall golden crown, his face aged and imposing—yet, in Veronica’s eyes, he was no different from the other torches of the Holy Light: "Your Eminence, the evil cult followers’ activities are becoming increasingly rampant. Not only are they at the borders, but traces of them have also been found near the Plains of the Holy Spirits and even close to the royal capital. Most notably, the Eternal Sleepers, those dreamers, are elusive and cunning. They have conducted numerous appalling terror incidents in the western part of the Plains of the Holy Spirits, each time only being discovered after causing significant sacrifices."

"The Eternal Sleepers, with their illusions and lies, bewitch hearts, but the slyness of the heretics can only strengthen the resolve of the warriors of the Holy Light," another bishop stepped forward, "Your Eminence, we have hanged and burned thousands of evil cult followers in the West and North, and brought many more foolishly misled by heterodoxies to the inquisition. Our actions are inspiring—an increasing number of non-believers are recognizing the greatness of the Holy Light, and even heretics are seeking refuge with the Church of the Holy Light, particularly in the West where this is becoming more common."

"Heretics too can become children of the Lord," the Pope slightly opened his eyes, a smile on his face, "we welcome anyone’s conversion."

"The strengthening of our power is a good thing, but the warriors of the Lord also need worldly wealth to ensure they are well-equipped to fight evil," a third bishop stood up, speaking with a grave and solemn expression, "Your Eminence, the expenses for the newly expanded Holy Church Army are enormous, the paladins’ weapons and the combat priests’ artifacts are barely sufficient, we need to find ways to increase income sources."

The bishops murmured among themselves until one stepped forward from the line: "Your Eminence, I propose increasing the amount of offerings collected in various churches and urging local leaders and wealthy farmers to donate more of their estates—they receive the protection of the Holy Light, it is only right that they give back more."

"This year, the Plains of the Holy Spirits and the West have had a bountiful harvest, commoners have extra money, before they are corrupted by this sudden wealth, we can persuade them to donate this surplus to the church in exchange for peace of mind. They need the church’s Holy Water and blessings to heal illnesses, dispel nightmares, they will not dare refuse the church."

Each of the bishops proposed their own opinions, all of which had valid reasons and arguments. Saint Ivan III did not interrupt, just listened attentively, and only when everyone was about finished did he glance at Veronica standing beside him: "What does our newly anointed living saint think?"

"Increasing offerings is not a long-term solution, nor is it a stable one," Veronica nodded, looking at the bishops, her voice gentle yet penetrating, as if it could directly reverberate in everyone’s soul, "worldly people will inevitably indulge in wealth, suddenly asking them to increase offerings will not make them grateful for the protection of the Holy Light, they will only first resent those taking their possessions."

Among the bishops, some agreed with Veronica’s view: "It’s inappropriate to exact extra possessions from those already converted to the Lord." "Indeed it is." "We should think of other ways..."

"We can require those who were attacked by evil cult followers, abandoned by Otherworldly God, and turned to our Lord under the protection of the Holy Light to pay an additional Indulgence Money," the third bishop spoke again, "They were powerless against the threats of evil cult followers because they believed in the wrong god, and only remembered to revere the Holy Light when they needed it, so ’atonement’ is only fitting."

Veronica couldn’t help but frown, "Won’t the Indulgence Money become a barrier, preventing those who want to convert to our Lord from entering?"

"We can determine the amount of Indulgence Money based on the convert’s wealth, such as a third or half of their property," the bishop said seriously, "This is also a test—everyone can afford the Indulgence Money. If, under these circumstances, they still remain stubborn, it only proves they are too miserly and foolish, or their commitment to our Lord isn’t strong enough. For such converts, keeping them out might be for the best."

The bishops expressed their approval of this clever plan, while Veronica just quietly observed, softly murmuring to herself, "Atonement money, huh..."

After a moment, the bishops’ discussion concluded, and the Pope made a decision: "Then it’s settled, the specific amount and execution of the Indulgence Money will be drafted by Bishop Talendius. Now, how is our missionary work progressing in various places?"

"Outside of Anzu, there’s not much change in our missionary work in various countries—Typhon has a deep-rooted War God Faith, each race in the tribal country of Augari believes in their primal gods, and the Highmountain Kingdom is most receptive to the Holy Light. However, due to the influence of elf culture, most there are shallow believers. As for within Anzu, influenced by recent activities of evil cult followers, our missionary work is progressing smoothly, with believers in the southern borders, West, and centre of the mainland increasing rapidly..."

"What about the northern and eastern areas?"

"Missionary work in the northern parts of the mountain range has also become much smoother than before. Although the Wilder Clan still refuses to publicly allow their members to convert, given the rampant evil cult follower situation, Duke Victoria Wilder has already relaxed restrictions on the activities of Holy Light priests within her territory. As for the eastern area... the situation remains poor."

Pope Saint Ivan III slightly closed his eyes, softly speaking to himself, "Duke Silas’s land, is it..."

"Duke Silas Loland is a firm supporter of royal power and quite resistant to missionary activities on his land. Not only are the Holy Light’s preachers restricted, but missionaries from other religions also face restrictions. We’re trying to find a breakthrough from his clan members... but with little effect."

"Duke Silas Loland has a strong grip on his family. As long as his attitude doesn’t change, the entire Loland Clan won’t waver," the Pope shook his head, "Don’t rush, let nature take its course. They will eventually understand that the Holy Light is the only salvation for humankind."

The bishops bowed their heads, instinctively looking at each other, but no commotion ensued.

"The Holy Light is humankind’s only salvation"—in public settings, this is a very sensitive statement, directly challenging the "Sacred Alliance" established by various religions seven hundred years ago. However, this is the Holy Light church’s internal Great Hall of Radiance, with no outsiders, so what’s the harm in saying it?

Moreover, everyone here shares this sentiment.

After most issues were discussed, Veronica looked at a bishop, "Bishop Meryev, is there any new information regarding that southernmost developing new region?"

The named bishop replied, "The church hasn’t invested much effort there, but recently a missionary has established a church there, and progress looks promising."

"Did that ancient duke allow the missionary to establish a church?" Veronica’s eyebrows slightly raised, "This is indeed good news—the Holy Light has illuminated the world once again."

"May the path of the Holy Light illuminate every corner of the world."