Witch Troupe and the Undead

“Absolution…” Lilith pondered. If this were true, would it mean that the goddess worshipped by the Great Sin Society in those ancient ruins truly existed and still exists?

However, among the known deities, apart from the ancient Gemini goddesses of desire who may be involved in some of the realms of major sins, there are no deities related to the realm of "sin". Forgiveness and punishment are often two sides of the same coin, so the church, which controls the realm of punishment, will also be involved in the realm of forgiveness to some extent.

This is also why the Sin Masters don't have much affection for God. His priests and pastors always say that all people have original sin and that they can be forgiven by believing in God. But no one is more familiar with the concept of "sin" than the Sin Masters.

To absolve sins, one must possess the power to punish and judge them. Like two sides of the same coin, the ability to save lives implies a deeper understanding of how to kill.

The problem lies here: if the Holy Lord truly possesses this divine realm, then the gifts that detect evil and the departments or organizations specifically dedicated to punishing and eliminating evil must inevitably exist. And if such organizations and departments truly exist…

To be honest, given the intensity of the sinful fire emanating from those clergymen in the Holy See stands, if they were to unleash a "detect sin" spell, the red light would probably rise like a red sun in the capital!

"Hey, why don't we give this Horse-Headed Saint Lord some faith? What if it works? Anyway, judging from their propaganda, it's free." His companion thought that since it was free, there was no harm in believing. What if it really could absolve sins? It would be a permanent solution, much better than a purification potion.

“First, the other party must truly be willing to accept you and bestow this divine grace upon a casual believer who thinks, ‘It’s free anyway, so I might as well believe a little bit.’” Lilith said slowly, opening her palm as if admiring her slender, fair fingers, or perhaps counting to see if she had exactly five fingers.

"Secondly, the divine power that just erupted can be transformed into protective armor and a blessing of forgiveness, just like this priestess who firmly believes in her faith, or it can turn into flames of punishment, burning you to ashes without even a trace of your bones."

"In the end, they will lose, and if they lose, they will become demon worshippers. Our situation is already difficult enough, but at least we don't have a bunch of clergy chasing after us. You should know better than me what will happen to demon worshippers and their followers."

Sorcerers are not a profession universally condemned, at least not in the eyes of the lower classes. They are too secretive and difficult to detect in their actions. Coupled with the church's doctrine of original sin, it is even more difficult for many people to associate the bad deeds of sorcerers with them.

However, demon mages and hell sorcerers are different. Whether it's the visible demonic fire, the deformed and bizarre otherworldly summons, the terrifying monsters that can slaughter entire cities at any time, or the bloody and cruel ritual scenes, they can directly make everyone feel threatened and afraid, and then generate immense anger in addition to fear.

Moreover, there is a more serious problem. Since the systematic inheritance of the Great Sin Mage has been buried underground along with the ancient kingdom, most ordinary people, some nobles, and even a small number of church monks do not even know what the "Great Sin Ritual" or the "Sin Domain" are. Even if they see them in person, they would not recognize them.

However, almost everyone can tell what a Hell Warlock looks like and what style of spells and rituals they use, especially the Church Inquisitors. They even have to memorize thousands of elements and procedures of demonic rituals. This is also why many Hell Warlocks are former traitors from various churches who changed their professions—it is much easier for them to become demon worshippers than for ordinary people.

“Your followers are going to lose~” Roach looked at the dark horse, who shrank back. “Those aren’t my followers. I really just accidentally used my hand. I didn’t use any of that faith power. You have to believe me!”

“It’s no use if we believe you, it’s up to Miss to believe you.” Livia glanced at Old Ma again, her small face expressionless, her emerald green eyes conveying a sense of “the child is too old to fight in public.”

The other meaning behind this look is usually "I'll give you a good thrashing when I get home," and the intensity of this look will gradually increase over time at a slow but increasingly rapid pace, with new content added as new discoveries are made.

"Speaking of which, Lulua, why did the goddess bestow divine power upon them?"

"That's not a blessing, that's forgiveness. The goddess has forgiven them. The goddess has the power to forgive and pardon sins. Her divine power will absorb all the sinful magic within them."

Normally, this divine power would be transformed into some kind of punishment, imprisonment, or even a kind of seal. The grace of forgiveness comes at a price; otherwise, the Church of the Night would have been a training ground for outlaws. Even if certain sins can be forgiven once, it doesn't mean they can be forgiven every time, nor does it mean that nothing will happen after forgiveness.

"The glutton will have their excess appetite sealed; the thorns of envy will leave permanent scars; the angry will be forced to calm down or burned by rage each time. That's roughly it. In short, if they commit the same sin again, this divine power will directly turn into punishment or simply seal their ability to make the same mistake again."

"Won't that be too harsh?" Roach asked curiously. After all, according to the theory of the Great Sin Mage, these so-called "sins" are themselves symbols of civilization and wisdom. Without these things, it would just be a stagnant pool.

“No, because the boundaries of this judgment are very lenient. For ordinary people, eating a couple more meals won’t trigger the sin of gluttony,” Lulua said. “In fact, this kind of confinement and chaining is the correct way to use the sin domain.”

"Do as you please without overstepping the bounds..." Roach roughly understood the core of the Night Church's original doctrine: to be as all-encompassing as the night, including "sinful acts" in the eyes of the world; to do as you please, but there are certain bottom lines that cannot be crossed.

"For example, gluttons would have their inappropriate appetites sealed, such as the appetite for their own kind or for things they shouldn't eat. Normal desires for delicious and unusual foods would not be sealed, nor should they be criticized. That's why the Church of the Goddess was very popular on the mainland at that time!"

“That explains why there are so many statues and symbols of goddesses in ancient ruins, especially from earlier eras,” Roach said, stroking his chin. “Also, the research and technology in those ruins were indeed more…free than they are now.”

After all, back then, as long as you declared that you worshipped the goddess of the night, you could legitimately engage in all sorts of free research and inventions without having to consider the views of the church or the secular world.

Of course, the story of the lonely old god later including himself is another story. It also shows that this doctrine and divine power measures were indeed necessary. The result of not imposing any restrictions on desires and research was that the goddess herself was tricked.

“Then why…” Alessina pointed to the fading silver-gray light in the arena.

"Perhaps it's because the goddess felt they weren't truly guilty, but rather deserved a reward?" Blasphemy? Is blasphemy a sin?

Not necessarily. At least in the eyes of the lonely old goddess, these people were devout believers, but their actions had resulted in blasphemy. Therefore, with her domain and power, she made a judgment and endorsed it, absolving them of their sin of blasphemy.

Their actions will no longer be judged as blasphemy, and the resulting transformation of the great sinful magic into divine power is a reward or compensation for their steadfast faith.

“You can’t hold on any longer, heretic.” The Inquisitor leaned on his two-handed sword, panting. The silver-gray glow on his opponent was almost gone, so he didn’t rush to pursue. Instead, he focused on getting himself in shape, because in his experience, many newbies had died this way.

The enemy is on the verge of death, seemingly only needing one more blow to finish them off. So they rush in eagerly, squeezing out their last bit of strength, only to be killed by the enemy in the end.

Experienced judges will take this opportunity to adjust their own condition and carefully reassess the other party's condition. If possible, they will carry out the final execution after the other party has recovered some physical strength and power.

"Name? Heretic, you should not be unknown. You can radiate such divine power and brilliance. Your Lord is watching over you."

“Odvia, a village girl.”

"This doesn't sound like a village girl's name."

"No one would believe that a village girl's father would spend a huge sum of money—a silver coin—to travel dozens of miles to the city, and then pester a passing priest to name his daughter Odviya." The priestess smiled, her face unusually pale and unsightly.

"She should be called Margot (wildflower), Colette (a common village girl name in French literature), Jane, etc., but definitely not Odvija or Isadora."

"I don't think so~" The judge exhaled a breath of hot air, his depleted divine power gradually replenishing as he silently recited a prayer in his mind. God was indeed watching him. Multitasking was a basic skill for judges—those who couldn't simultaneously talk nonsense to calm down the unfortunate soul possessed by an evil spirit, recite an entire exorcism scripture in their minds, and check whether the treatment was appropriate were usually called "executioners" by their colleagues.

Because they can only choose to cut innocent people and evil spirits into pieces together, and then when they encounter a powerful enemy, they will die because they cannot buy time by talking to the enemy while recovering their fighting strength.

"Since the new alchemy professor in the academy can be named 'Roach' (a European carp, which as a person's name is similar to the names of servants and slaves such as herring, chair, and hammer, but of course, it is normal as the name of a horse), and no one has raised any objections, then it is not particularly difficult to understand why a village girl is named Odvia."

Very good, his divine power has recovered to about 5%. With just a little more, he can unleash his strongest holy flame attack. The judge silently calculated how much longer he needed to hold out.

"how about you?"

"Valeria (meaning strong and healthy, similar to X-Strong)"

"It doesn't sound like a judge's name either."

"Because I am the son of a farmer." The judge raised his sword, his divine power restored. Without further explanation, he filled it with holy flame and slashed down.

A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience. The bloodthirsty spectators were already prepared to see a priestess being cleaved in two vertically, but they still had to pretend to be terrified.

Holy flames collided, and the rising golden flames illuminated the judge's astonished expression. The feeling from the blade was as if it had struck an incredibly flexible piece of rubber—a unique reaction to the power intended for heretics striking their own people.

The remaining blade's own power was utterly useless against the armor enhanced by divine power; it didn't even scrape off a single piece of iron. The Inquisitor felt the divine gaze still emanating from him, meaning that God... was simultaneously focusing his gaze on two opposing individuals, one of whom was a heretic who had previously worshipped demons!?

"Holy crap!" Lilith, who had remained calm, immediately stood up. The Great Sin Mages beside her also stood up. The strange divine power on the priest was gone, as were the Great Sin Fire and Hellfire. What remained was the power of the Lord of Light, just like the Inquisitor's.

"What the hell are you doing up there? Get the hell down!" the audience in the back shouted angrily. "It's just getting exciting, and you guys are standing up and blocking the way!"

"Holy crap..." Gregory rubbed his eyes, took off his hat, and scratched his M-shaped head. "This is an eye-opener!"

The Holy Lord of Light glanced at him from the edge, ignoring him. This was to be expected; he hadn't caused any trouble, he was just an ordinary passerby watching the show—if anyone was going to settle scores, it would be that flat-chested dwarf first, since she not only watched the show but also interfered.

"?" Livia's eyes widened involuntarily. This was something beyond her comprehension. The demonic power of the Black Horse had been completely banished, and the power of faith that had been without a master had been recognized and transformed into true divine power of light.

Golden, feather-like patterns unfolded on the girl's forehead as if they were real, like outstretched wings. Her long, messy, reddish-brown hair, common in border villages, gradually turned into a brilliant gold from the roots.

"Lord!" The archbishop was dumbfounded. He had considered many possible scenarios: the judges would lose and be forced to admit defeat to the heretics; the heretical demons' conspiracy would succeed and the church's power would be suppressed; the judges would win and these heretical demons would all be burned at the stake, thus rebuilding the church's authority; or the heretics hiding behind the scenes and the evil gods they worshipped would be exposed, thus launching a religious war.

He had considered all of these possibilities, but the one he hadn't considered was that the other party might actually be radiating the power of a Holy Lord, and not only that, but also perform a live "Ascension to Sainthood" for everyone in the arena.

Those feather-like patterns are "holy markings" or "holy stigmata," symbols of agents and saints. This means that the other party's faith is firm and pure, and is personally endorsed by the Holy Lord. In a world where gods and divine power truly exist, no clergy member would dare to deny the power and identity of such a existence, no matter how many interests are involved.

Especially in front of so many people, including nobles well-versed in theology, government officials, college professors, astronomers from the observatory, tourists from various countries, and adventurers, the news would soon spread to all nations at an explosive speed.

Because the "ascension" ceremony is mostly a secret within the church, it is almost impossible for outsiders to witness it. The few exceptions are in those battlefields that can be described as "revelation" or in those disasters that can even be called the end times, where legendary heroes are seen by the gods because of their great deeds and faith, and are ascension to sainthood.

In other words, let alone the empire, most people on the continent, except for the high-ranking church officials, and even the lower and middle-ranking clergy, only knew about ascension from legendary epics and bedtime stories. And now, in the arena, in front of at least five or six thousand people, a person who was judged to be a heretic and cultist was ascension to sainthood in front of the church inquisitors.

The archbishop could already imagine that some of the Holy Lord's branch churches were already starting to revise their doctrines overnight and elevating this woman to the status of their own saint—sainthood is not just an honor, but also a component of power in a world with truly extraordinary power—she could truly wipe out the entire mid-to-high-end combat force of a medium-sized diocese.

After all, they are all using the power of the same god. The moves taught by the same master cannot be broken. On the contrary, she can act on behalf of the god's will and temporarily strip away the holy magic and blessed power you are using.

The golden feather patterns had spread to his neck, and his hair had turned completely golden. Golden feathers spread out from behind his ears like the wings of a soaring angel. The intense divine power caused the holy flames on the Judge's Sword to be subdued, but it did not disappear completely. On the contrary, the divine power was flowing into his body at an even faster rate.

"The Lord did not... blame me?" The judge's expression was somewhat strange. "On the contrary... I received more blessings...? Lord, what do you mean!?" However, the deity did not answer, but remained silent, and silence can also be a way of answering.

In the stands.

"Wait, does this mean that the Holy Lord Church is really going to put up a horse head?" Leslie noticed the blind spot. Everyone looked at the black horse that was almost petrified. This made the little witch a little unable to hold back. She wanted to laugh at the thought of putting up a horse head in the church, but when she saw the old horse, her face instantly darkened and her lips twitched.

Chapter 232 Explosion: Sociology

"Should we still fight the next battle?" The princess looked at her advisor, who hesitated noticeably. According to the agreement between the two sides, there should have been three battles, but now such a big thing had happened in the first battle, with one side becoming a saint in front of everyone.

Of course, the cathedral might still insist on continuing the fight, but that would be pointless, because their ascetics and inquisitors would never lay a hand on their own saints.

"It seems unlikely that a fight will break out..."

"Ugh~" the princess grumbled. Clerics fighting was indeed unsightly, but it was better than nothing. "Oh no!" another aide screamed from outside the door. "A large group of believers are heading towards the Imperial Cathedral! They're all carrying statues of the Horse-Headed Saint!!!"

"How could it be... so fast?" This speed is quite astonishing.

"Great!" The princess was overjoyed. She thought everything was over, but she didn't expect there would be a special episode.

"We arrived at the scene immediately..."

“Yes, Your Highness, we should arrive as soon as possible and have the Imperial Guard and the town guards…” Before the staff officer could finish saying “prevent a conflict between the two sides,” a voice that made one’s vision go black was heard: “Have the Imperial Guard and the town guards clear the scene, and also prepare the best viewing platform for me!”

"Your Highness, wake up! These are tens of thousands of believers, most of whom are ordinary people from the capital! And the cathedral is a strong supporter of the royal family. Wake up!"

“Oh right…” Freya seemed to have regained her senses, but everyone quickly realized that it was just an illusion. “A group of ordinary people really can’t fight against clergy. Here’s what we’ll do: have the Royal Guard Knights find some new recruits and squire infantrymen, take off their coats, change into ordinary clothes and blend in. That way, the fight won’t look too bad.”

"..."

"..."

"Do you think the situation isn't critical enough, isn't serious enough? Whose side are you on? A spy sent by foreigners?! To ensure bloodshed and that the conflict doesn't subside too quickly, you're even planning to ambush more people within these protesting believers?!"

"Then why don't you have a few sharpshooters lying in ambush on the roof, so they can shoot the leader with an arrow when the two sides are arguing?" the aide said irritably.

"Is there such a way? Lord Clay, you're really clever!"

"...I was just saying that out of anger, Your Highness!"

"I think this is a great idea. Besides, it's not certain that a fight will break out. The cathedral should agree to accept the Horse-Headed Saint, right?"

"If that's the only reason, then it's certainly possible. But the problem is that this new saint wants to reform the entire sect. Do you understand the seriousness of this matter? The Holy City isn't far from the Imperial Capital!"

Although the Church does not have an organized military force within the Empire, the Holy City's influence is not low, and the individual combat strength of the saints is only at the mid-to-high level. They will still die when faced with a human wave tactic.

Not to mention, the church has more channels of propaganda and its own saints. From God's perspective, it seems that there is nothing wrong with this, or that God will not deprive the saints of the church of their power for this reason.

If the Church declares the other side to be the devil and insists on launching a war of inquisition, then this matter will not end so easily. Moreover, this matter also involves the question of which side the aristocratic class is more on.

Among the nobles, some colluded with the cathedral and shared its profits, while others, though not deeply involved in its affairs, hoped that the church's treatment and service fees could become more affordable. After all, money doesn't just fall from the sky for them.

The crowd in the arena receded like a tide, only to converge again on the "Sky Square" in front of the cathedral. Most of them were just there to watch the spectacle; their view of faith was simply that during festivals, they would receive bread and water mixed with grape juice.

Of course, they might also display religious images in their homes and pray for divine protection when things go wrong, but in reality, they may not have even read a single page of scripture—or they may be completely illiterate.

The other group consists of genuinely devout believers. The saints' ascension to sainthood has convinced them that the insects in the cathedral have betrayed their faith, and they are now demanding an explanation from the church.

Not only did they hold this attitude, but some ascetics and priests from the neighborhood chapels were also mixed in, making it a genuine internal religious conflict.

Roach and the others mingled in the crowd. Running around in such a chaotic crowd was not a wise choice. It was safer to move with the flow of people and wait for the crowd to disperse before making a move, especially since one of them was a little witch who was completely lost in such situations.

At that point, it wouldn't be her who would be in danger, but rather the people around her. Livia sat on the back of the black horse. The horse's tall body largely compensated for the witch's short stature, preventing her from being trampled or tripped by the crowd. However, this did not change the tense mood that Livia was experiencing, pulling at the brim of her hat, her face pale and her whole body trembling.

There were too many people in her eyes, especially strangers. Her innate sense of perception made it seem like there were countless wasps buzzing around her, and most of the onlookers were malice. It was like throwing someone into a nest full of venomous snakes and insects; no one could stay calm.

The witch's fear of strangers is not only a psychological problem but also a physiological one. She can clearly perceive the general emotions of the people around her and can hear the sounds of everything. When there are not many people around, she can actively ignore some parts that she doesn't want to hear. However, when there are a certain number of people, the impact of their thoughts will make her feel extremely fearful.

"May the goddess bless you~" Lulua clasped her hands in front of her, the stigmata spreading across her arms and converging on the amethyst runes representing the night carved in her palms. A tranquil and strange aura emanated from her.

She was also a saint, but due to the long-term absence of the divine throne, her body could not adapt to the powerful infusion of divine power, and the goddess did not bestow too much divine power upon her. It was as if she was a person who had been malnourished for a long time and was about to starve to death. For a considerable period of time, she could not afford to eat meat and fish and could only eat some porridge and side dishes.

However, no matter what, she is a saint. The greatest privilege of a saint is that the "gifts" they receive are comprehensive. They can use any ability that the god can possess and give. Therefore, even a martial arts practitioner can release the "Tranquility" effect of "Night Priest" with the help of specific ritual implements.

The veil of divine power descended like night, and Livia exhaled softly. The sound immediately diminished, as if it were coming from behind layers of water or other obstacles.

In the Church of the Night, the Tranquility spell is used as the opening move for various religious ceremonies, such as sacrifices. It envelops the sanctuary in the tranquil night, eliminating external noise and interference, while also shielding it from external mental probing and the effects of various mental spells. The most common occasion for this spell is the "Confession Room".

The Night Priests will accept all confessions and secrets and ensure that they will not be leaked. No matter how great your sins are, you can confess to them. Of course, the difference between the Night Priests and the confessionals of the Holy Church is that the Night Priests will only say, "The Goddess has heard, and she will keep your secret until dawn," but they will not say, "God has forgiven you."

Whether or not to forgive is a matter between the victim and the gods. Even when priests perform absolution rituals, they merely proclaim the goddess's will. Of course, they will not reveal your secrets and crimes unless you expose them yourself or someone else discovers and reveals them. This is one of the functions of Lulua and her Night Clan: to eliminate some of the most heinous criminals without revealing their crimes.

Anyway, Roach's feeling after hearing this was that it was less a confession and more a "surrender," exchanging the price of voluntarily admitting the crime and bearing the possible punishment from the Night Clan for the secret and the crime itself not being exposed to anyone other than the victim.

And there was indeed a considerable demand for this, after all, some people would rather go to the guillotine than have their own or their family's honor tarnished, and the Church of Night was an opportunity for them at the time, and ordinary sins would not attract the pursuit of the Church's Night Clan Inquisitors.

"What a useful holy spell! It's just that the lighting effects are a bit lacking," Alessina remarked. She wished she could learn this holy spell herself, as it would make her mercenary work much easier.

“...Most of the goddess’s holy spells don’t have obvious light and shadow effects,” Lulua couldn’t help but say. How could the goddess of the divine realm, who is “hidden,” “pardon/judgment,” “encompassing,” “darkness” and “night,” possibly create holy spells with amazing sound and light effects?

"Thank you~" Livia said earnestly.

"Ah, it's alright, you are the favored one of the goddess~ According to the divine decree..." Lulua smiled shyly, her long, elf-like ears blushing slightly. She seemed a little uneasy and almost walked with her hands and feet in disarray. However, before she could finish speaking, a loud bang came from ahead, and the crowd instantly became chaotic, like sardines startled.

"Bang!" Alessina kicked a heavy wooden sign on the side of the road. She hadn't brought any weapons with her today, so she had to use this as a shield.

"Boom!" A burst of flames erupted from a building, sending flying stones into the crowd and eliciting screams.

“A fanatic has made a move.”

"Which side?"

"Who knows which way it is?!" Thick smoke rose from ahead, and the crowd scattered frantically. Some of the believers hidden among the crowd were organized together with determination, using the simple tools and weapons at hand to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings. Some adventurers were also quickly trying to reunite with their companions, but many more were taking advantage of the chaos to loot and fish in troubled waters.

"Crash!" The shop window was smashed open during the fight. The flying glass shards and the goods on the ground made Roach's expression freeze instantly. He knew the broken window theory all too well. Once these goods hit the ground, this matter was no longer a simple religious dispute, nor was it just a small group of fanatics causing trouble.