My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 414 The Gods Are Dead
Many of the questions were answered after the person involved in this historical event, Danso, shared his experiences.

While the others were chatting with Danso about the story details and the specific background, Roland was thinking about the valuable clues provided by Danso.

Although he told a story that few people know today in order to explain the background.

To put it simply, during the Demon King War, the Holy See, which had gradually grown in power, under the leadership of its saints, destroyed the Ash Order's stronghold, severely damaging it and essentially rendering it unable to compete with its peers.

Now it has become just a roadside stall, with hardly any members being seen participating in any activities.

The Annihilation Cult received the same treatment.

However, their situation was slightly better because they were eliminated by the Demon King's army of the demon race.

Because they were in a hurry to fight humans, they didn't have time for a complete eradication, so some of their core forces and some of their sacrificial rituals were preserved. Now, at least within the Federation of Nations, they can still occasionally cause some trouble.

As for the Dark Apostles and the Forgiveness Society, they have developed relatively well in the past because they had some foundation.

Of course, we won't mention that now.

Following the events in Isfar, the Empire launched a nationwide manhunt.

Then came the unexpectedly smooth operation.

It took almost no effort to arrest a large number of the Night Apostles' followers.

The reason is quite simple: it seems that the group that was researching ancient witchcraft and the power of evil gods in Isfar's underground and ultimately triggered the catastrophe were all the high-ranking members of the Dark Apostles.

But to be fair, they were quite successful.

At least they managed to recruit a spy within the military, a nine-ring legend, something even the Chaos Brotherhood hadn't accomplished.

It's also possible that the Empire's one-sided focus on defending against the Chaos Brotherhood led them to overlook the traitors within other smaller groups.

In short, the followers of the four evil gods did not fare well after the war started by the Demon King.

Even the Chaos Brotherhood is no longer as glorious as it once was during the Absolution era.

In those days, many of the great nobles of the Holy Empire, and even the Electors, were followers of the Whispers of Eternal Silence.

But now?

As the Demon King marched from north to south, slaughtering his enemies, those pseudo-evil gods who used underhanded methods and rituals to accumulate the laws of the star rings to gain a semblance of divinity and divine authority were all wiped out.

They are still those four great enemies from beyond the heavens.

Or perhaps they are their followers.

After that war ended, they all disappeared or fell into decline.

The old order on the continent was completely overturned by the Demon King's army and the rise of the Knight King.

The loosely organized southern city-states were integrated into a powerful empire.

Outwardly strong but inwardly weak, plagued by constant internal strife, the Holy Empire, with its electors fighting their own battles, was thus destroyed, leaving behind only the conservative and closed-minded Federation of Nations as its successor.

The Holy See has spread its influence to almost the entire continent, and unusually, it has only ever focused on propagating its doctrines and fighting evil gods. Even when it occasionally gets involved in politics, it is mostly due to conflicts of interest with the Holy See itself.

Most of the time, the Vatican is very restrained and follows the will and doctrines of the gods.

After all... although the signal is not very good, the gods do respond to the prayers of believers, and there have been many recorded miracles and divine punishments.

What people do, Heaven is truly watching.

Of course, the most important factor is the existence of the mainland's historical research society.

This organization, dedicated to completing history, developing technology, and uncovering the truth, quickly developed into a powerful force comparable to the Holy See during the Demon King War, under the guidance of the God of Truth, whose existence is still unknown.

Moreover, it has close cooperation and ties with the empire.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Empire's magical technology has developed to such an incredible degree largely due to its ability to share technology.

If the technology they've shared is already like this, it's hard to imagine what else they're hiding.

If it weren't for a group of "amateurs" like Toran who suddenly realized that the key to magical technology lay in energy supply and energy utilization efficiency, this emerging trend of thought, along with the Empire's strict control over mineral resources, might have been sidelined by the Academy.

Whether it was Salah III, or his father and grandfather, the bloodline of the Knight King's family may indeed have something special about it.

For over three hundred years since its founding, the empire has never had a single incompetent ruler.

While some of them may not be considered brilliant or exceptionally talented, they are adept at maintaining the status quo and playing a sophisticated game of political balancing.

The recent upheaval in the capital was the most serious political event in the empire's three-hundred-year history.

But this is also a consequence of Salah III's efforts to consolidate the power of the nobility... well, I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Bringing his wandering thoughts back on track, Roland felt that the recent upheaval in the Papacy was definitely related to the Ash Order, or rather, to the Ash Lord they worshipped.

Because the state of the Papal City is too similar to that of Enva.

However, unlike Enva's invasion by the evil god, it was resolved by the King of Carrion Eaters and the peak Demon King.

Although Enva's magical environment is currently in disarray, it does not affect her normal life; she is simply unable to use some spells that require precise control.

But the situation in Papal City was even worse, and Roland knew very well where the problem might lie.

There is no method like that of the dragons and demons to stabilize and repair space.

"Perhaps the situation in Papal City is much worse than expected."

"...Assuming the situation in the Papal City is similar to that in Enva, it would mean one thing—the boundaries of the world have been breached."

“There is likely a huge cavity there, just like the one we just saw.”

Roland turned to Suren: "Suren, are there any powerful figures in the Holy See who have reached the divine realm like Mr. Sinos?" "How do the powers of those saints compare to the Lord of the Demon King's court?"

Suren pondered, "If I had to choose the most likely one... it would be His Holiness the Pope."

"He was not only the pope chosen by the cardinals, but also the first saint of the Papacy, the chosen one of the gods of the sun and justice, and the one who founded the Inquisition to strike down the power of heretics."

Roland remained silent for a while, recalling the King of Carrion, and then asked, "How is his health? Is he resilient?"

"Um, I mean, hypothetically, what if... how much longer could he hold out after months of battling the power of the evil god?"

……

The outcome of the talks left Clark deeply alarmed.

It even caused him to lose all the dignity and courtesy he should have had, and he hurriedly left the meeting.

As a cardinal, he knew many things that Suren did not.

They also understand why, even when the Vatican urgently needs manpower, it still maintains a certain number of personnel active outside.

The reason is simple: to ask for help.

Although the Vatican's decision-making body is now outdated and stubborn, the Pope still knows how to exercise restraint.

Although due to the Game of Thrones, and because the first pope did not want the papacy to have too much power and become uncontrollable, he set up many shackles, which prevented the papacy from being a one-man show.

But he can still make many decisions, such as sending some people abroad.

When the power of the Papacy is insufficient to stop the spread of disaster, and to prevent the catastrophe from spreading outward from the Papacy's city, they need support.

The powerful figures of the Papacy who are still active outside are one of the Pope's backup plans.

As one of the few saints in the entire Holy See who could maintain communication with the gods in heaven, the Pope once said something meaningful to Clark when he instructed him to take Suren and a group of high-ranking paladins away from the Papal City to meet in Isfar.

Clark still remembers the wise words spoken to him by the kind old man with small round glasses and a beautiful long white beard.

When the gates of the land of the dead close, the mistress of death no longer wishes to accept the souls of the departed.

At that time, humanity will welcome back their king.

He will reclaim what is truly important to him in the land watched by the gods.

"Go, Clark, this is the last thing I can tell you."

"These were the last words left by the God of the Sun before he fell silent."

"I've kept this a secret for a long time, but it's okay to tell you now."

“All the gods except the goddess of the earth and fertility, and the god of truth and wisdom, fell into eternal silence.”

"Neither believers nor saints who have received divine grace can receive their response anymore."

Clark saw the Pope's kind yet sorrowful smile before his eyes as he crushed a crystal in his hand.

Your Majesty, can you hear me?

The telepathic communication disregarded distance, reaching the Pope's ears in the Papal City amidst the dust suspended in the air by the crushed crystal.

However, this emergency communication method, which should have been foolproof, still failed to receive any response.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The visitor knocked politely on the door but did not enter until Clark responded.

"Please come in."

Clark had already sensed who it was through the magical reaction.

He was simply confused, so he didn't speak immediately.

Then came the Blood Lord Danso, the Great Sage Erebus, and his student Suren.

Before Danso could even greet him, Suren trotted up to Clark and explained, "Teacher, Roland has already guessed the current state of the Papal City."

"He said you should return to Papal City immediately to provide support."

Suren pointed to the three great demons beside him and said, "The demons seem to have the equipment to solve the problem, and they also have a stockpile of supplies."

At this point, Danso also bowed slightly, placing one hand on his chest and saying, "She's right."

"The demon race has long suffered from similar effects."

"But thanks to the stabilizer invented by the Demon Lord, we have always been able to stabilize the situation."

"The principle is similar to the method by which the dragon named Sinos repaired the sky—I am merely relaying Lord Roland's words. Please do not let my identity cause prejudice or lead to misjudgment."

“I have contacted the Gargoyle Court, and they will immediately transport a large stabilizer over via a griffin airship.”

“If needed, I can have them unload the goods in a city-state near the Papacy.”

"It's closer to fly there this way."

"However... this requires the cooperation and trust of the Vatican."

As Danso spoke, his expression changed, the slight friendliness he had shown earlier turning into a faint wariness and hostility.

"This cooperation was reached out of consideration for His Excellency Roland."

“If the Vatican does not want to accept help, we will not take the initiative.”

(End of this chapter)