Chapter 59: Stealing the Power of the Divine
"Melia!" Nyx's voice came.
"......"
Hearing her grandfather's voice, Melia puffed up her cheeks and let go of Ando, then ran over through the muddy ground.
"Grandpa, he was the one who mocked me first, and he was also the one who attacked me first!" She complained to Nyx.
"He didn’t use full force, it was just playful. But the Fixation Spell you used could have taken his life." Nyx spoke very sternly. "That was a very dangerous act."
"I gave you the Dance of Selene to protect yourself, not to attack your friends."
"He’s not my friend!" Melia said. "He's ugly and dumb!"
"Who taught you to speak like that..."
"Mr. Nyx, this matter is indeed Ando’s fault." Corleon, who had been watching the scene, spoke up.
"Priest."
Seeing even Corleon say this, Nyx let Melia off the hook.
What he saw when he arrived was Melia using the Dance of Selene to suppress Ando. Had she applied more force, Ando might not have died, but he would have been severely crippled.
The Dance of Selene, created by the legendary scholar Selene specifically for women, was not something a child could endure.
So he was very angry.
"Alright, Miss Melia, go clean the mud off yourself first. You don’t want to leave with your grandfather all muddy, do you?" Corleon sent Melia away, having noticed Nyx wanted to speak to him privately.
Melia looked at Nyx, and after getting his approval, she ran to the back of the church.
As she passed by Ando, who was groaning in pain while climbing out of the mud pit, she gave a loud "hmph."
After Melia left, Nyx looked at Corleon and said, "The lord no longer needs a scholarly advisor, and I didn’t even get to see him."
"That’s a pity," Corleon said.
"No, no need to feel pity. This lord is powerful, wise, and generous," Nyx said.
"Hmm?"
"Perhaps, Priest, you’d be willing to accompany an old man for a walk?"
"......" Corleon glanced at him and accepted the invitation. "Of course."
The Flower Church was no longer suitable for a private conversation.
"I still remember—it was thirteen years ago when I accepted Sir Helvin’s invitation and became his scholarly advisor." Nyx spoke as they walked.
"And the first task of a scholarly advisor was to inspect the churches in the lord’s domain."
"But I remember back then, the church had only Old Henry."
"Perhaps that day I was helping with an interment," Corleon said.
Old Henry’s half-heartedness was far from Corleon’s professionalism.
"Is that so." Nyx nodded and said, "I still remember—the sacred relic worshipped back then was just a stone."
"Yes, but I’ve already buried that stone along with the old priest," Corleon said. "It was his life’s faith."
"Faith?" Nyx laughed.
"Worshipping a stone? Believing in a stone? Telling the believers to put their faith in this stone, saying it will make them stronger? Then knocking their heads with your hand—bam, bam, bam—saying it doesn’t hurt at all, because the holy stone gave you a blessing?"
"......"
That was why Corleon later buried the stone together with the old priest.
"He didn’t have any faith, that old fellow. That was just the lord’s command," Nyx said.
"The lord’s command?"
"Yes. Sir Helvin had the Golden Lion—power enough to pierce through three hundred elites head-on. But he wanted a power that he could call his own, so he needed a way to grow even stronger."
"Why do you think a church needs to be built? It doesn’t produce anything, and it can’t fight." Nyx asked, but didn’t wait for Corleon’s answer before continuing. "Because it’s a way to steal power."
"Steal power?" Corleon looked at him.
They stopped at a slightly raised ground and looked back at the small chapel now enveloped by the newly built church.
"A long, long time ago—no one knows exactly when, not even most mages—the first church was established," Nyx said.
"But one thing is certain: it appeared only after the gods had vanished."
"In the age of the gods, there were already places similar to churches. They were called altars, or divine palaces. Of course, those things are long gone and no longer matter."
"Back then, it was the names of the gods that were worshipped. But after the first church, it was objects that replaced the gods."
"These were originally just ordinary items. But after being worshipped, under the priest’s supervision and the believers’ faith, they gradually gained mystical powers."
"Those under control are called sacred relics. Those not under control are called mysteries."
"Because we don’t understand why they possess such powers, we call them mysteries."
"But whether sacred relic or mystery, they are dangerous—just like that thing you encountered last night."
"That was forged from a mystery."
"That came from the power of the Lord of Dominion of Annihilation."
Nyx stopped and looked at Corleon.
"The so-called church, the so-called faith, is just a way to extract the gods’ power."
"The gods were born from faith, so naturally, faith can steal the gods’ power."
"So, Priest Corleon—whose power have you stolen?"
Corleon remained silent.
He understood what Knight Wolf was trying to test and also understood the true meaning of churches in this world.
"The lord is generous. He did not take the power that had gathered in the church, and instead entrusted it to the priest."
"If possible, I beg you to tell me. It is my duty as a scholar. As advisors to the lord, we must always be vigilant for accidents during the process of stealing power."
"After all, just a trace of power from such a being is enough to destroy a kingdom."
Nyx pleaded.
"This is the power of faith," Corleon said.
"The Lord loves all people. This is the gospel bestowed by the Lord."
Corleon did not lie.
He could be certain that this power did not come from the cross worshipped in the church.
Even the Light Orb merely condensed the Commandments and could only grant or retrieve them.
Ultimately, it was the believer’s own faith that drove the power of the Commandments.
Or rather, conviction.
However, there was disappointment in Nyx’s eyes.
He believed Corleon had lied.
But he also accepted it—believing no one could face such power without greed arising.
"Alright, if possible, I hope the priest will allow me to stay in the church tonight to express my gratitude to the Lord," he said. "After all, without the Lord’s blessing, perhaps Melia and I would have perished in that dungeon."
He wanted to observe further—to see whether the power would go out of control.
"The Lord will not turn away anyone who seeks goodness," Corleon said.
He knew the man wanted to observe more of the ‘Lord’s’ power and faith, but he hadn’t lied, nor was he afraid of being watched.
Moreover, he also wanted to interact more with this scholar.
Scholars held half the knowledge of this world. Corleon wanted to understand the world as much as he could.
"However, the church is too narrow and damp—perhaps not suitable for an old man to live in."
"It’s alright. I’ll only stay in the church tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone help me build a dwelling outside the church."