The Fiend's Creation System

The Church’s Revelation

Julius brought Eisha around the city. While touring around, he found out that the city’s name was Redgrove City. It was a city located within the territory of the Hyrule Kingdom.

It was a rather developed outlier city that closely bordered the Shifting Hallows. Normally, an outlier city wouldn’t be so developed but because of the elves that lived nearby, it was a hub for transportation and trade.

Before the city lord had soured the city’s relationship with the elves, there used to be a large number of elves living in the city and they used to let the humans pass through their forest safely. 

At the present state, however, the city was bound to decline because the elves now refused to trade with any human merchant and they attacked all human caravans that passed through their forest. The forest used to be a major trade route but it was now blocked by the elves. 

The decline of the city was inevitable and it could be seen how important Julius was to the merchants guild since there was still a human that was able to maintain good relations with the elves.

Of course, Julius was not a human and he had no plans on trading any of his elven-acquired goods with the people of the city. The only things he was willing to trade were the monster materials that he acquired from the Shifting Hallows that the elves didn’t want.

Julius was a little uptight while roaming around the city because of his previous traumatic experience as a child. However, their presence didn’t alarm anyone as he and Eisha were treated just like any other person. After getting used to it, Julius felt that it was nice to just roam around like an ordinary citizen.

It was much, much better than his last outing to a city where he was nearly assassinated just because he was the prince that no one accepted. While walking around, he and Eisha soon passed by a church and he noticed that it belonged to the Holy Light Religion.

“Tsk, it’s spread out even here…” Julius said with a frown.

Just as he was about to go on his way, one of the clergy preaching nearby walked over to him and Eisha.

“My child, you are without the blessing of the True God that shines a holy light upon all of creation. Would you like―”

“No.”

Julius looked at the clergyman with unmasked disgust in his eyes. He despised those that put faith in the Holy Light Church since he already knew about the true face that was hiding behind the ‘holy’ mask that they put on for the public.

Being prosecuted by the church and having fanatics come after his life when he was still a child, what was more unholy than that? 

The two-faced religion disgusted him and the people that would even fall for their trickery were even more revolting. It was because of this religion that the people he was supposed to rule over hated and despised him.

The man saw the undisguised look in Julius’s eyes and was about to say something, but Eisha quickly pulled Julius away before the clergyman did something that he would immediately regret. Another word from the ‘pious’ man and Julius would have ripped his tongue out.

Through their connection, Eisha was able to notice the dark thoughts swirling in Julius’s mind and she preemptively prevented that. 

“Honey, let’s get going. We don’t have much time left since we have to go home before dark!”

“...Mhm.”

Julius nodded but there was a dark look on his face. When he returned to the Empire, he was definitely going to raze the church to the ground and purge all of the believers. 

“Honey, don’t let that foul thing spoil your mood…”

Julius sighed heavily and said, “I’m sorry. You know that I really hate that shoddy excuse that they call a religion.”

“Yes, yes. Now let’s go~!”

The clergyman watched as the couple walked away with a dark look in his eyes. He turned around and began preaching once more with a smile on his face.

Julius had been eyeing the man the entire time and when he saw the quick change in demeanor, he scoffed. Eisha reprimanded him by slapping his arm.

“What?”

“Hmmm…”

“Fine, fine. Let’s go. I don’t wanna stay here anymore. The aura around this place is uncomfortable.”

*****

On the other side of the continent at the Church of Holy Light’s Holy Kingdom, the Church’s Saintess received an oracle the moment Julius had stepped within Redgrove City’s church grounds and was exposed to the blessed halo it was emitting.

The Pope of Holy Light was immediately notified of this event.

“Your Holiness, the Saint has received another revelation!” An acolyte reported.

“Tell me.”

“The one who brings the light of darkness has appeared.”

The Pope sighed before saying, “This is just the same cryptic revelation as the last one. According to our calculations, it was the Ephalerith Empire’s former crown prince who was the one mentioned in the revelation and we’ve already had the current crown prince deal with him.

I’m already regretting helping that bastard prince take the throne from his half-brother. Was it really that young boy who was the Light of Darkness? The revelation itself seems redundant in its meaning…”

This wasn’t the first time the Saintess had received this revelation. On the day when Julius was born, the Saintess received the same revelation. The Pope followed through with the revelation thinking that it was an omen of misfortune but now that he thought about it, the revelation may have been misleading because now, the Church’s influence within the Ephalerith Empire was diminishing with the current prince cracking down on all the church’s operations within their lands.

Previous revelations from their God always led to a favorable outcome for their church, but now, they may have misinterpreted the meaning behind the oracle. However, the acolyte had something more to say.

“Your Holiness, this wasn’t the only one she received. The oracle continues to a second part. It says, ‘The dusk of all existence approaches’.”

The Pope frowned when he heard the rest of the oracle. The oracle wasn’t over so it was no wonder that they hadn’t received the outcome they expected. However, the Pope was puzzled since this was the first time a revelation came in two parts.

“...Like the previous revelation, is there a guiding star that leads to the subject in question?”

“Yes, we’ve already found it.”

“Where?”

“There are actually 3 stars. One shining over the western continent and two over our continent.”

“Have you pinpointed the exact locations?”

“We’ve found one near the dwarven kingdom’s lands. The person in question may be a dwarf.”

“Hmm...it will be hard. Our influence doesn't extend to those demi-humans… And the last one?”

“It’s to the far south. The exact position isn’t known, but we fear that it’s in the Shifting Hallows.”

“The Shifting Hallows? The 3 stars are all hiding within difficult places… this may be a trial from our God. Send down the order, get our crusaders ready and send a few teams to investigate!”

“Yes, Your Holiness. About the Saintess…”

The Pope waved his hand and said, “Quickly install a new one. You should already know by now that once they’ve received an oracle, they immediately lose the power our Lord bestowed upon them.”

The acolyte nodded and said, “We’ve already acquired the perfect candidate. Please bestow upon her the Lord’s grace, Your Holiness.”

“Mhm. Quickly prepare her and send her over to the Ritual Chambers.”

“Yes.”

“Before you go, tell me. Who is this ‘perfect’ candidate?”

“It’s the former Empress of the Ephalerith Empire.”

“The former Empress? My, what a ‘perfect’ candidate indeed.”

The acolyte chuckled and said, “I knew you would be pleased Your Holiness.”

“Mhmm, definitely pleased. Go, quickly prepare her to receive our Lord’s Holy Blessing!”

“At once!”

The acolyte left the Pope and quickly went to inform the ArchBishop, who was in charge of the Church’s Crusaders, about the Pope’s orders.

Their first target would be the two closest to them. The star hiding in the dwarven kingdom and the one in the south. They sent two teams to each location, each team had 20 members in total, 5 Paladins, 2 Priests, and the rest being mercenaries and adventurers.

Orders were to scout the ‘enemy’ before bringing back information. After that, the targets would be put through what Julius had experienced in his childhood, or directly killed if the opportunity allowed it.

For a Church that was supposedly sacred and holy, the revelations they received always entailed the assassination or murder of an individual or group. Conflicts always arose whenever the Church received a revelation from their so-called God and large-scale upheavals ensued.

The best example would be the upheaval taking over the entire Ephalerith Empire. Due to the coup staged by the second prince, Caine Zweison de Ephalerith, the Empire was divided in two. 

One side supporting the Second Prince while the other supporting the Third Prince who was abroad and had a more legitimate bloodline than the Second Prince. Third Prince Charleson der Dreison de Ephalerith was now heading back to his Empire to reclaim his father’s throne and exact justice on the treacherous Second Prince who killed their father and brother.

War was looming on the horizon for Julius’s former Empire and it was also coming to him who had finally escaped to the far south of the continent.