Regressor of the Fallen Family Novel - Chapter 321
Chapter 321:
– Alter… Get ready for it.
– The pivotal moment of destiny…
– …The era has arrived.
– Awaken!
“Ugh!”
Surprised by the majestic voice that suddenly echoed in her mind, Ilia opened her eyes abruptly. She realized she had nodded off, still in her prayer position.
After staying up all night in prayer due to the recent upheaval in the church, it seemed her tiredness had finally caught up with her.
‘To fall asleep in such a way…’
Feeling a sense of urgency, Ilia straightened her attire and corrected her posture.
She planned to offer another prayer of penance under the statue of the sea and change deity, Amunda, whom she worshipped.
“Ugh…?”
However, she noticed her body felt strangely light.
Having experienced this before, she knew that falling asleep while kneeling should have left her feeling sore and stiff, yet she felt as refreshed as if she had slept deeply for days.
“What is this…?”
Perplexed, a smile slowly spread across her face.
When her body felt good, her spirits lifted naturally.
“Thank you, God.”
She believed that God had answered her prayers throughout the night.
But as she expressed her gratitude, the grand voice that had resonated in her mind resurfaced vividly.
‘Then, that voice was…?’
It was a voice she had never heard before in her life. Yet, it felt oddly familiar, and she couldn’t shake off the sense of longing it stirred in her.
In her dream, it felt like she had engaged in a long and meaningful conversation with the owner of that voice, but the details were hazy in her memory—only a few words stubbornly lingered, as if they were meant to be remembered.
“The pivotal moment of destiny, the era has arrived? Prepare for change?”
She muttered aimlessly, but those words still felt vague and uncertain.
Nevertheless, under the sacred glow where not even a face could be discerned, she felt an immense sense of solace.
“Could it be…?”
Boom.
At that moment, the stigmata engraved on her right shoulder started emitting the faintest vibrations, as if confirming her thoughts.
The divine energy emanating from it was much denser than usual, reinforcing her conviction.
“A prophecy… Oh, dear…”
She was overwhelmed with gratitude and sorrow simultaneously.
It dawned on her that she had been unable to fully grasp the divine message due to her own flaws.
With a sharp and painful realization, Ilia resumed her prayers before the statue.
“To my Lord who encompasses all things…”
But just then,
– Archbishop Ilia, the meeting is about to start.
A voice interrupted from the prayer room’s door.
* * *
“Today, the sacred light seems particularly…”
“Ah, just a misunderstanding.”
“Initially, the Saintess…”
The whispered conversations around her were already familiar. Yet, her thoughts were consumed by the prophecy she had only partially understood.
It felt like she had heard a multitude of words, but only the faintest and most uncertain ones remained in her mind.
And among them, a single, potent image of ‘crimson.’
To her, that color felt ominously ominous.
‘Something significant is shifting in the world. Or has it already occurred?’
Even the simplest divine messages were so perplexing that she couldn’t afford to speak casually about the prophecy.
Of course, even if she did, would the corrupt cardinals, who had once been the right and left-hand men of the former Pope, even consider her words?
As her thoughts trailed off, a sigh escaped her lips.
At that moment, a vaguely familiar voice resonated in her ear.
“What burdens you so, Lady Ilia?”
“Ah… Cardinal Tracy.”
A middle-aged woman, dressed in white robes like her, greeted her with a smile.
“It seems you are quite troubled on such an important day, so I thought I might reach out. I hope I haven’t interrupted your thoughts.”
Her gentle words provided some relief to Ilia’s troubled heart.
“No, it’s nothing. I’m simply grappling with many concerns, given the significance of the day. But you seem quite calm, Cardinal.”
“What worries could I have as a newly ordained cardinal? I follow you and Cardinal Austin, that is all.”
Tracy’s warm smile infused courage into Ilia’s heart.
‘They couldn’t have foreseen this unfolding, could they?’
Tenor Rainy. Sam Freeman.
The two cardinals, known as the former Pope’s right and left hands, had been delaying the election of a new Pope by raising numerous objections ever since the impeachment trial.
With public sentiment overwhelmingly against their faction, even though the power to elect a Pope lay solely with the cardinals, if one of them were to be named Pope, the backlash would be unimaginable.
– In the worst-case scenario, there could be a complete vote of no confidence in the church leadership, potentially leading to a Resolutium.
A complete overhaul of the church leadership by all priests and peasants.
That event had only occurred once in the history of the church, and the thought of it potentially recurring was daunting.
Ultimately, they had decided to stall for time, hoping that public sentiment would cool off, leading to their final proposition of electing a new cardinal to fill the vacancy left by the late Cardinal Essel, who had died returning from McLain.
While there was an honorary cardinal in Ilia, she was a high priestess of the sea and change god, Amunda, before becoming one of the cardinals.
With Cardinal Klinsman still serving at the temple of Amunda, she could only remain an honorary member.
They had calculated that by that time, public sentiment would settle, but the newly appointed Cardinal Tracy, renowned among saints for her integrity and purity, had surprised everyone.
Someone with close ties to Cardinal Austin, her declaration during her ordination ceremony only fueled the growing unrest.
– I will not allow a fraud like Julio Umberto I to become Pope again!
That statement had triggered further revelations of corruption surrounding the two cardinals, namely Tenor Rainy and Sam Freeman, leading to the declaration of the election period known as the Imperatorium.
During the Imperatorium, cardinals were granted immunity from arrest, enabling them to shield themselves.
And now, with the end of that election period nearing, it was hard to predict what they, cornered, would do.
“It’s challenging, indeed…”
Although Tracy was on her side, there were still seven cardinals from the opposing faction.
“I can only hope they don’t nominate a Pope from among their ranks.”
“…Surely not.”
That would be the worst-case scenario.
Facing a complete vote of no confidence in the church, the church endured a hundred-year period before regaining the people’s trust and reclaiming its title as the center of faith on the continent.
At that time, the name of the saint had become widely known as Honor, a symbol of corruption.
And it ushered in a dark period until new saints and saintesses emerged, and the church was rebuilt.
In the name of the nine deities, the present-day saints and the name Noviens served to remember the nine saints.
‘I cannot let that worst history repeat itself.’
At that time, the corrupted high priests faced the wrath of the populace and were ultimately killed.
If they had no desire to die, neither Tenor Rainy nor Sam Freeman would resort to such drastic measures.
“Please keep your spirits high, Saintess. Everyone looks up to you and Cardinal Austin. You must be courageous.”
“Yes, of course.”
Cardinal Tracy’s words reignited courage in her heart once more.
“Right. For now, I should just focus on what needs to be done.”
Ilia promised herself that she would concentrate on the current church crisis, setting aside her uncertain thoughts on the prophecy.
Although she didn’t notice the slight decrease in the power behind her stigmata.
“It’s been a long time, Saintess.”
As she entered the council room, the Hall of Glory, Tenor Rainy greeted her with an awkward smile.
His thin lips, which sometimes appeared assertive and at other times cunning, twisted as his brown hair had noticeably grayed since before.
It was evident that he had experienced a significant amount of stress recently.
‘You reap what you sow.’
Yet, Ilia felt no sympathy for him, having no intentions of sacrificing the future of the church.
She formally greeted Sam Freeman, who similarly appeared haggard, yet she smiled sincerely only upon Cardinal Austin’s entrance.
And that sentiment was reciprocated, further intensifying the icy atmosphere of the gathering, where a total of ten cardinals, including the honorary cardinal Ilia, were present.
Perhaps sensing the discomfort around them?
“The time for the Imperatorium is running out. We should be deciding soon…”
Tenor Rainy initiated the conversation to break the cold tension.
The focus naturally shifted towards him, yet what slipped from his lips took Ilia by surprise.
“The seven of us will relinquish our right to elect a new Pope for the sins we committed in supporting the former Pope, that imposter.”
“Yes!?”
Caught off guard, Ilia unintentionally raised her voice, and Tenor looked at her with a grave expression.
“However, we wish to put forth one condition.”
As expected.
There was no way these individuals would retract so easily.
Austin stood up for Ilia, noticing her hardened expression.
“…Please, tell us.”
“In exchange for giving up our rights, we would like our past sins to be forgiven. We request immunity.”
And with that, Austin’s face stiffened, while Ilia could barely contain her outrage, rising to her feet and exclaiming.
“How can you propose such absurdities! Do you not fear divine retribution for the crimes committed as priests! If you have any shame, you should accept the consequences of your actions!”
Ilia was genuinely embarrassed for them.
How could those meant to represent God’s will be so shameless?
If they faced death and stood before God, everything would be exposed. She couldn’t fathom their stance on priestly corruption.
“Yet they acknowledged their own sins! Bishop Austin, after the election, we must…”
“…During the Imperatorium period, a cardinal’s words are protected by immunity. We should hear them out.”
But Ilia’s anger didn’t spill over to her allies, as she acknowledged her own mistake upon seeing Austin’s composed demeanor.
“I apologize, Cardinal.”
“There’s nothing wrong with youthful passion. That’s why we’ve come this far.”
With a gentle smile, Austin redirected his attention back to Tenor.
For a moment, Tenor, who seemed to have aged years in mere seconds, forced a dry smile as he continued speaking.
“At my age, I only believe what I can see. After all, I only seek a peaceful end in this life, so all I ask for is that assurance.”
It was a disappointingly mundane speech for someone who should be a spiritual leader.
That line caused Austin’s calm expression to tighten.
“Is that truly the statement of someone claiming to be a cardinal? Truly, how far you have fallen, Tenor Rainy.”
“To me, you all appear foolish. You stake your lives on a god who lacks any substance. I would rather trust in gold.”
“…You speak without any caution. Those meaningless words will not be forgiven by merciful gods!”
“Merciful? Hahaha. Bishop Austin, do you truly believe the gods are merciful? They created a world where children are born only to perish from starvation and illness!”
“Enough!”
“What will you do if we refuse? The church will crumble without us!”
In response to Ilia’s outburst, Tenor did not halt his diatribe.
“You assume the blame rests with all of us!”
Ilia couldn’t contain her voice once more.
“You are the ones who have brought this upon yourselves!”
But Tenor persisted.
“Holding contemporary individuals accountable for ancient sins—a dreadful form of collective guilt! What mercy can there be? If they were truly merciful, divine beings would spare such judgment.”
“What kind of blasphemy are you uttering? Your words are an offense to the heavens themselves!”
“You are the ones who have nurtured deluded followers! Surrendering your lives to an unseen god! Someone who doesn’t even acknowledge your existence!”
“Enough! No more blasphemy, Tenor Rainy! Your intolerable words have no place here!”
“What will happen if you refuse? Without our cooperation, the church is doomed!”
Even as he raised his voice, Ilia’s restraint broke, and she cried out.
“Every bit of this unfortunate calamity lies on your hands!”
As she shouted, Tenor might have taken a tactical pause at the mention of his calamity-ridden negotiation.
“You need not look ahead. We are facing our adversaries. How could our cooperation not lead to ruin?”
Her voice trembled once more, yet Tenor remained unyielding.
“While you may present the situation as a tragic comedy, we do not underestimate anyone who stands against us! And there is no justification for any of you to demand mercy!”
Ilia was resolute not to submit before the likes of him.
As fury clouded her mind, she recalled her dream once more—a sense of urgency mingled with the spectral sounds resonating through her soul.
“Enough! Focus on the sins you have committed!”
But no matter how much she objected, there was no visibility in their closed-off exchange. Tenor only grew bolder in his choice of insults, accompanied by curses exchanged back and forth.
The impending clash seemed inevitable.
Each cardinal consumed by their ambitions lacked sound judgment and restraint, and their gleeful glances towards one another spoke volumes.
“On what terms do you seek immunity? What else do you demand?”
Austin pressed once more, determined to stem the tide.
Rainy folded his arms, pondering the moment, and responded, “This… after the election process, and only then can we discuss repentance. What do you desire?”
“Hmm?”
The atmosphere was heavy; it seemed all eyes turned towards her, seeking a response.
Yet before she could express her disdain, Tenor leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips as he sensed victory was within reach.
“Should we await one of the legendary prophets from your tales?”
With each word exchanged, Ilia felt her patience nearly wearing thin.
“It is not the time for this discussion.”
Then, they fell silent.
As she maintained her composure for the meeting, she considered their past and conveyed their grievances to Austin.
He also seemed to be growing serious—the spark beneath his brow flickered ominously.
“While we will not openly mend things, we could agree to a pledge of allegiance, something formal.”
There was no response. Meanwhile, Tenor Rainy’s gaze remained fixed, ensnared by the silence.
Silence reigned in that moment, keeping the atmosphere tense.
Then a thought tugged at Ilia’s mind.
“After some clarity from today’s chaos, we will discuss it further, so let us at least define what ‘repentance’ must entail.”
In the greeting of their newfound resolve, she turned to Austin once more.
Hesitantly, he nodded in agreement while Tenor glanced at his fellow cardinals, causing a wave of anticipation to rise once more.
“Well, we could attempt it.”
As the titles transformed into agreements, Ilia felt some comfort as the undercurrents of their discussions flowed.
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