Volume 2, Chapter 53 – The Holy Revelation Crest and the Truth Behind the Fallen

In a room no larger than thirty square meters, a silver-haired girl with twin tails, dressed in a bright blue dress, sat facing a man around thirty years old, wearing a priest’s hat and holding a sacred staff.

The late-night hour was exceptionally quiet, with only the faint sound of shoes tapping against the wooden floor. The subtle aroma of tea filled the room, mingling with the warm orange-yellow light reflected from the wooden beams, adding a touch of lingering warmth to the winter night.

The two guards Daniel had brought with him had already left the room, leaving only Yisi and Daniel inside.

After calmly sipping her tea, Yisi spoke first.

“Archpriest Daniel, are you here to verify my identity? If so, you can take a look at this.” She placed the crest given to her by Owen on the table and slid it toward Daniel. “I am not a priest, but the person who gave me this crest said that with it, I can move freely within the Church’s sphere of influence.”

“This is… the Holy Revelation Crest?”

Daniel took it in his hands, examining it several times before his expression suddenly changed. He immediately stood up from his seat, crossed his arms over his chest, and bowed deeply to Yisi.

“Please forgive my earlier rudeness, esteemed Lady Yisi.”

Huh? What? Is this crest actually something incredible?

If this were a comic, a string of question marks would surely be floating above Yisi’s head. She forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor.

“No need for that, Archpriest Daniel. Please, sit down.”

“Of course.”

Gone was his earlier air of superiority—Daniel’s expression was now filled with reverence, which only deepened Yisi’s curiosity.

“Vice-Archpriest Owen of the Niru Diocese, who gave me this crest, didn’t explain its significance. Is this Holy Revelation Crest really something worthy of such respect? After all, Owen is only a vice-archpriest, while you are an archpriest. Shouldn’t you outrank him?”

Since he held a higher rank, he must have seen this Holy Revelation Crest often and thus shouldn’t be so surprised.

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Daniel, with the demeanor of a scholar, respectfully explained.

“If it was given to you by Lord Owen, then I must show you even greater respect. ‘Archpriest’ is merely an abbreviation—my full title is ‘Archpriest of Ymir Church, City of Celtic,’ while Lord Owen’s full title is ‘Vice-Archpriest of Ymir Church, Niru Diocese.’ My authority is limited to a single small city, whereas Lord Owen oversees an entire diocese. Naturally, I cannot compare to him.

“As for the status of the Holy Revelation Crest, within the Church, there are only six types of bestowed crests. Excluding the first and second—the Holy Mjölnir Crest and the Holy Gospel Crest—the third is the Holy Revelation Crest. It is only awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to the Church, and only a diocesan bishop has the authority to grant it. Its status is equivalent to that of a diocesan archpriest.”

In other words, this crest was given to Owen by the Bishop of Niru. But wasn’t the Niru Bishop being held hostage in the Pescia territory at the time?

Yisi had no way of knowing that Owen had already been assassinated by the fallen angel Samael. Unless the Bishop of Niru could secure resurrection approval from the Pope, she would likely never uncover the truth.

Still, confirming the value of this crest was good news for her. It had been a waste to treat it as an ordinary priest’s crest before.

“Is there a difference between the Holy Revelation Crest and an ordinary priest’s crest? The patterns look quite similar.”

“Indeed. Please try channeling magic into it.”

As if afraid of damaging it, Daniel carefully handed the crest back to Yisi with both hands. When she infused it with magic, an icy surge of energy flowed from the crest into her body. The slight stinging sensation made her stop.

Rubbing his hands together, Daniel leaned forward eagerly.

“Did you feel yourself grow stronger?”

No, my hair is still fine.

Suppressing the urge to retort, Yisi checked her status. Her original magic points, 4270/4270, had now become 4280/4270, and a new status called [Magic Overload] had appeared—meaning her magic had exceeded its limit.

Noticing the change in her expression, Daniel placed a hand over his chest and began passionately extolling the Church’s virtues.

“This is a magical artifact only the Church can produce. Forged from divine relics through complex craftsmanship, it is an orichalcum-grade weapon. By channeling magic into it, one can significantly enhance their elemental perception for a time, unleashing power far beyond their usual limits.”

As he spoke, Daniel pointed excitedly at the crest in Yisi’s hands.

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“Look! On the back of the crest—when you channel magic into it, the true form of the Goddess will appear—Hm? Why did you stop?”

“The magic flow felt a bit uncomfortable.”

“That’s normal! Please, try it! Channel magic, and you’ll see the Goddess’s true form!”

Daniel’s flushed face and fervent tone made Yisi tilt her head.

…Is he the one who actually wants to see it?

Though the magic infusion caused a stinging sensation, refusing now would seem impolite. Yisi channeled a trace of magic again, and just as Daniel had said, a faint image of the Goddess appeared on the crest’s reverse side.

It depicted a young girl with radiant golden hair, dressed in a dark gothic gown, her eyes closed and a pair of angelic wings spread behind her.

She looked familiar, as if Yisi had seen her somewhere before.

Frowning, Yisi tried to recall, but just then, the image of the Goddess suddenly changed—the golden-haired girl opened her eyes, glanced at Yisi in confusion, then blinked playfully, closing her right eye in a cute, greeting-like gesture.

“Wha—?!”

Instinctively, Yisi threw the crest away.

“Lady Yisi, what’s wrong?”

“She—she moved! Did you see that? The Goddess winked at me!”

Daniel hesitated, then shook his head, looking at Yisi as if she were a fool.

“…Forgive me, Lady Yisi, but I didn’t see anything unusual. The Goddess’s eyes remained closed. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen her image so clearly.”

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A hallucination? But the memory of the Goddess winking at her was vivid.

It couldn’t be that an actual deity just greeted me, could it…?

Yisi shook her head. That was impossible.

Retrieving the Holy Revelation Crest and storing it away, she cleared her throat and steered the conversation back on track.

“Archpriest Daniel, what brings you here today?”

“Ah, my apologies for forgetting the main matter. There’s only one reason I sought you out today. Since you’ve been recognized by Lord Owen and have made outstanding contributions to the Church, I’ll speak frankly—I hope you will transfer the sacred art that heals the Fallen to the Church.”

Daniel’s expression turned solemn.

“Of course, the Church will not take your gift without compensation. You will be granted a status no lower than a diocesan bishop, with inexhaustible wealth, vast lands, and the reverence of all believers.”

So, Wells had already leaked the secret to the Church.

What a noisy insect.

Yisi frowned imperceptibly. Though she held no ill will toward the Church (in fact, she rather liked it), having her secrets suddenly exposed was irritating no matter the circumstances.

“Is this the Pope’s will?”

“I believe His Holiness would approve of my request. As for the reason… what I’m about to say isn’t classified, but I’d still appreciate your discretion.”

“Go ahead.”

Yisi placed her hands on her knees, adopting a posture of attentive listening.

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“The Church has never acknowledged this publicly, but the other two human nations—the Norta Empire and the Kingdom of Hels—have been secretly spreading it, so there’s no harm in telling you. The so-called Fallen are not actually demons who betrayed the Goddess.”

“Oh?”

“I understand you must have doubts. ‘The Fallen are betrayers of the Goddess’ has always been the Church’s doctrine. We preach this to uphold the Goddess’s majesty.

“The Goddess of Light should be omnipotent, capable of curing all diseases. And that is indeed the case. Even severed limbs, or the separation of soul and body—what mortals call ‘death’—can be healed or resurrected through the Goddess’s sacred arts. Though not all priests possess such skill, as long as it proves the Goddess’s love for her people, the Church fulfills its duty.”

Yisi mentally paraphrased: The Church uses healing magic to strengthen its influence, positioning itself as the Goddess’s representative to rule through faith. This was unsurprising, so she nodded for Daniel to continue.

“Yet there is one affliction we cannot cure.”

“The Fallen?”

“Precisely. Even if a Fallen is resurrected, the mark remains. Cutting away the marked skin, or even excising the flesh beneath, does nothing to stop the mark’s spread. Once it covers their entire body, the Fallen lose control, attacking others like frenzied demons. This is undeniably an illness.”

“Could it not be demonic possession?”

Daniel’s face twisted as if ashamed before he finally answered.

“The first and second Popes believed so, but when the third Pope ascended, he conducted in-depth research and concluded that the Fallen suffer from a disease, not possession.

“The proof is that the Fallen show no fear of holy water. Even when the Pope uses sacred arts reserved for his lineage, the Fallen do not burn. Yet those same arts make even Ouranos, the Sky Lord, tremble. The Fallen cannot possibly be stronger than him.”

Yisi crossed her legs and folded her arms.

“So, to protect the Church’s image, you hid this truth?”

“No. We hid it for the Goddess’s sake. Her radiance should cure all ailments, yet the Fallen defy this rule.”