Chapter 462
information war (3)
angel).
An agent of faith who comes down to earth and performs miracles on behalf of God, who has difficulty projecting power directly into the underworld..
‘Hey, it's an angel?’
‘Wasn't he human from the beginning? Just in case···.’
The Pantheon management committee members gathered at the conference hall struggled to gather their wits and gazed at the transcendent figure radiating an overwhelming presence right in front of them..
The words spoken by such a being were more persuasive than anything else..
Of course, there was no law prohibiting angels from lying, but isn't this a place governed by laws that enforce only the truth as revealed by the chairman??
‘It is not that I forcibly ignored my special ability through force. The author definitely told the truth.’
The chairman could intuitively know that fact..
And above all, as priests who serve God and one of the most powerful men in the entire pantheon, they knew very well what the angel whose identity had just been revealed was doing..
‘A sacred oath of one's faith.’
Since I witnessed that moment with my own eyes, there was no way I could not believe it..
If what I just said was a lie, that angel would have lost all his divine power and become corrupted..
Naturally, the situation had no choice but to lead to a flow different from the original purpose..
From a place to investigate suspicious behavior that violates rules, to a place to hold a countermeasures meeting led by the person involved..
‘You're more obedient than I thought. After all, this method is the best for priests.?’
Heinrich, seeing the members of the steering committee listening to him, nodded slightly..
No matter how different the gods they worship, they are also seekers walking the path of faith..
There were not many people who could stretch their arms in front of the messenger of God..
‘···Not all priests have that tendency..’
Aren't those beings that are becoming a hot topic of conversation right now??
Pandemonium.
Although they were generally called 'followers of the evil god', there were not only those who worshiped an ominous god who sought destruction..
Fanatics who are self-righteous and arrogant, armed with the extreme ideology that only their faith is ‘real’ and everything else is just heresy..
Therefore, those who argued that the world should be purified through a holy war were also part of Pandemonium..
‘This is also the reason why they cannot easily unite and exist as a point organization. Because if we meet, we won't be able to tolerate each other and will fight..’
Because of their failure to rally together, Pandemonium had long been reduced to a convenient hunting dog that the Buncheonhoe could manipulate as they pleased..
Compared to that, Pantheon was a nobleman..
First of all, the common basic discipline itself begins with recognizing and accepting other denominations as equals..
‘In a way, the current situation can be seen as a result that was already predicted. As the entry barrier has been lowered for inclusion, it is natural for loopholes to arise..’
Fortunately, they did not reach the Council of 12, the leadership of the Pantheon..
No... to be precise, a being called a scribe rose to that position, but naturally lost influence as it was handled by his own hands..
If she was still there, things wouldn't have worked out so easily..
‘After all, people should live good lives?’
Heinrich smiled in satisfaction..
Looking at the steering committee members talking with serious expressions in front of me.
***
Shortly after a several-hour meeting with Pantheon leadership..
“ah! Brother Heinrich! It took longer than expected. How did you finish the business??”
The person who greeted Heinrich as he came out of the committee hall was Priest Jason, who had supported him throughout his trip to the Pantheon..
Heinrich, who had not yet officially joined the Pantheon, had some limitations in moving around on his own, so the person who had been with him the longest took it upon himself to guide him..
“There was one minor misunderstanding. All is well now.”
Heinrich, with a soft smile on his lips, nodded as if it was no big deal..
Then I glanced at him and opened my mouth..
“Come to think of it, Priest Jason said he was from the dimension of Tamaria..”
“Yes. I think you mentioned it in passing, but you remembered it..”
Passersby glanced at the two people walking while talking..
To be precise, it was to see Heinrich with silver hair and gold eyes..
Since he appeared so noisily, I couldn't help but become aware of his presence..
“I heard that the religious war is fierce there. The two major denominations are fiercely fighting against each other without backing down even an inch..”
“you're right. There is a holy war going on between the Church of Laxus and the followers of the evil god Russeni..”
“Even if the followers of that evil spirit come to Earth,···.”
“Phew, that's right. We are now in Pandemonium. Because he was lured by an evil spirit, he couldn't come to his senses even after returning to Earth. How sad is this??”
Jason Priest clenched his fists indignantly..
As if I sincerely regret the situation of those who sacrifice their body and soul to evil spirits..
“···I think so too. You have endured all kinds of hardships and have struggled to survive until now, but you are being played like a puppet without even realizing that you are being used..”
The two men sighed at the same time..
Although the objects they refer to are slightly different, the meaning of the words is not that different..
“But why are you suddenly asking that??”
“Oh, it's nothing special.”
While we were talking and walking around like that,.
Several people began to be seen waiting in front of the lodging assigned to Heinrich..
“I just wanted you to stop bothering me and disappear quickly..”
The priests from Outerica were busy receiving orders from him..
Heinrich looked at them with sunken eyes and spoke in a low voice..
“With the followers of that evil spirit.”
Then he stopped and smiled brightly at Jason..
“Even the dark guys behind them.”
It was a smile that seemed to be filled with personal feelings and seemed somehow cool..
***
a few days later.
One day when there was peace like the calm before the storm..
“for a moment! What is this? I am Sandro of the Fisker Church! If you do something like this, I think our church will keep quiet.?!”
It started suddenly.
Without any warning, a storm shook the entire Pantheon at once..
“Sandro Fermi. You are suspected of having conspired with Pandemonium on several occasions, starting with the murder of Ravin William three years ago..”
“···What bullshit? Suddenly being framed like this? There's no way I would have killed that guy who was my friend! ···Oh my? I get it. You guys are planning to use me as an excuse to take down our denomination.!”
“It's no use trying to act like a fool. We have already completed securing evidence and verifying it. Should I even mention the names of the priests who were murdered with the information you sold??”
“···It's no use trying to fool me with lies! You dirty bastards! Committee dogs trying to fill their stomachs!”
Of course, no one readily admitted to the charges..
Rather, the Pantheon Steering Committee just shamelessly raises its voice, claiming that it is an attempt to tame the affiliated denominations..
But that resistance didn't last long..
“······.”
Because there was nothing I could do other than exercise my right to remain silent in the face of inescapable and undeniable evidence..
When the situation got to that point, there was nothing even the church that was behind them could do..
It was not for nothing that the steering committee members remained silent until now even after hearing what Heinrich had said..
They not only succeeded in cross-checking the information provided about the traitors, but also uncovered additional crimes..
For security purposes, we do not hesitate to go to the trouble of going out on our own with only a very small number of people we can truly trust..
“How hard I have devoted myself to the church! You're just trying to throw me away for something like this.?!”
“Damn it, how did you notice? The aftercare was perfect.”
“This is bad. Immediately split off and join at point B.!”
in result.
We were able to achieve the result of arresting not only those who directly communicated with Pandemonium, but also those who took advantage of them for personal gain..
As it was a mission where the entire committee was risking their lives, there was no obstruction in the progress of the work..
‘indeed···. In fact, it's true that it looked sloppy so far..’
I didn't really feel it when I was floating around like a lazy lion, but once I made up my mind and started moving in earnest, I was generously showing my side as a world-class organization..
It wasn't a very long time, but I was amazed at the way they added additional research to information that had some holes in it and created a more perfect noose..
‘Since this has happened, we can expect a more active self-cleaning effect in the future. Just by doing that, we can greatly reduce the number of people who hang out at buncheonhoe..’
What was somewhat surprising as I watched this incident unfold was that those who sympathized with Pandemonium did not necessarily have a grand reason..
Of course, there were cases where people moved in that direction based on their own beliefs and believed that it would be more helpful to the denomination, but that was not necessarily the case..
‘I guess they dug into this to target that aspect from the beginning..’
Envy, jealousy, desire, wealth and fame, organizational interests, etc..
Although they were priests in name and appearance, they were also human beings, so they were easily swayed by that trick..
The biggest reason why it was possible was that this was completely separate from their faith..
Sympathizing with Pandemonium did not mean that I lost my faith, nor did I violate the teachings of the church..
Because there was no such content in their doctrine in the first place..
Within the walls of the Pantheon, opposing the external enemy called Pandemonium was just a promise shared between the humans of Earth, and it had nothing to do with the gods of this world they believed in..
It was the same from God's point of view..
In the first place, even the distinction between good and evil gods was made by humans according to their own standards..
Most gods simply grant appropriate divine power to those who believe in them..
In particular, many people involved in this incident were discovered in a church that is located somewhere between good and evil gods..
Among them, there were some who came forward with the belief that it was really for the sake of the church..
In every organization—the so-called hardliners..
A fanatic who cannot accept that he has been pushed out of the mainstream factions on the limited stage of the Pantheon and has been reduced to one of the many sects, and who decides to do whatever it takes to revive the sect..
“It's been a while since this happened.”
“Pfft, Heinrich.···!”
For example, like the holy warrior Walter of the Quilladian Order..
“I owe you some thanks. If it hadn't been for our first meeting, I wouldn't have felt anything strange..”
“What are you talking about?···.”
Walter frowned and let out a questionable sound, but Heinrich had no intention of answering kindly..
The only reason I came here now was to check the traces he left behind when he was used by someone..
‘···also.’
And Heinrich, who was staring intently into the other person's eyes, was finally able to find the trace he wanted deep within..
A very subtle trace that even you would not have noticed if you had not observed it carefully with suspicion..
If I hadn't obtained crucial information through the Doctor, and if I hadn't gained confidence through later verification by my subordinates, I wouldn't have been able to find out until the end..
“You're asking me what you're talking about!”
Did he feel some kind of pressure when he saw Heinrich just staring at him without saying anything?.
Walter, who seemed to have lost his self-control and was excited, attacked him fiercely, but there was no way he could do anything about the subject that had already been beaten once..
“Wow!”
Heinrich looked at him indifferently as he fell to the ground and immediately turned around..
There was no need to do anything more here..
Even if you don't have to do anything, the Pantheon's executive force that is coming here will take care of the matter..
“···Huh, then let’s take a look at your face..”
Platinum-colored divine power blazing and blooming from his whole body..
Then, as I expanded my senses to the maximum, I immediately caught the sight of a presence..
In this Pantheon where various divine powers were constantly swirling around, it was almost impossible to distinguish just one sign, but for him, such difficulties were just a lot to worry about..
His body rushed to the front quickly..
***
A loud noise coming from afar.
Priest Jason, who was walking busily, frowned..
“Hey, what the hell is going on?.”
The entire Pantheon was in confusion due to the sudden incident..
Of course, since the Pantheon was clearly a union, it was prioritizing moderate measures, including requests for cooperation, rather than recklessly using force, but that alone was enough to make each denomination worry..
In a situation where the evidence was clear, I couldn't just protect them as if they were my own family..
“Tsk tsk tsk, there hasn't been a single day with good wind. There is not enough time to dedicate my body and mind to God alone..”
Jason stroked his short beard and clicked his tongue..
Then he shook his head and walked again through the dark hallway..
Whatever happened outside had nothing to do with him..
All I had to do was continue my religious life as I always did..
While I was paying attention to the outside world and only thinking about my own work,.
He was able to meet an unexpected person at the end of the hallway..
“Jason Priest.”
“No, you are not Brother Heinrich? What's going on in a place like this??”
He opened his eyes and looked at the other person..
A man who seems to glow from his face... no, he actually emits a halo and exudes a mystique that makes him seem like he is not from this world..
“came to see you.”
Heinrich slowly opened his mouth..
In a voice that was clearly tinged with chills, without any trace of sanity as before,.
“joker.”
He is a member of the Buncheon Society, who has hidden in this Pantheon and created a secret world by deceiving everyone from start to finish..
At the same time, followers of the evil god of Pandemonium.
“······.”
Joker met Heinrich's gaze with an expressionless face..
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