Chapter 163: In Your Eyes, Who Am I?

The Church of the Light is a newly emerged organization that has recently sprung up across the world.

The members of this organization usually refer to themselves as “Light Seekers,” hence their collective is gradually being called the Church of the Light.

The Church of the Light is said to have originated in certain regions of the Western world and in areas most severely affected by the Abyss invasion, namely the Wasteland and the regions south of it.

This organization is quite peculiar; they seem to lack a substantial base, do not possess any complex organizational structure, leadership, or officials, and even their doctrines are rather vague, almost cryptic in nature.

They can be described as a group of baffling individuals who have formed an equally baffling collective.

Yet, it is precisely this elusive organization—the Church of the Light—that has spread with terrifying speed, like a plague, from its core in the southwestern part of the world.

To make things even more astonishing, many times, new “Light Seekers” pop up in various areas on their own, even before the primary missionaries set foot there. It is simply unbelievable and incomprehensible.

As a result, in some small to medium-sized countries, the Church of the Light is often regarded by the authorities as a possible threat to their rule, and is categorized as a cult for suppression.

However, the “Light Seekers” seem completely unfazed by this; their actions are even more casual than that of the Goddess Church, which advocates freedom and equality. If they face exclusion from the authorities, they immediately leave and cease their local missionary work, as if… increasing their number of followers is utterly trivial.

Nevertheless, in certain regions where the Church of the Light is most popular, like the United Kingdom of Humanity in the west and the Kingdom of Azure in the south—two major powers strong enough to rank in the world’s top five—their attitude towards the Church of the Light appears remarkably friendly.

Although they do not outright help it develop, they essentially adopt a hands-off approach with no interference, even reaching a certain level of mutual coexistence.

Given the Church of the Light’s relaxed and simple internal and external structures and their exceptionally positive behaviors, it has quickly grown to a remarkably astonishing scale with a good reputation.

Today, the Church of the Light has become one of the largest religious organizations in the world, second only to the Goddess Church, and has even begun to gradually infiltrate the Holy Empire from abroad.

As a nation based on religion, the Goddess Church cannot simply allow other churches to wreak havoc domestically. Even though the doctrines of the Church of the Light and the Goddess Church are quite similar, they are, in fact, two entirely different organizations.

The Goddess Church worships the Light Goddess, Aurora, as the one true supreme deity and is built around the core belief in Faith-based Magic, with a clear hierarchical system, including three Saintesses and a Pope, divided by Holy Emblems.

In other words, it is an organization structured like a pyramid, with the Light Goddess at the top, divided into levels according to “Light Affinity.”

The fundamental difference with the Church of the Light lies in the fact that the faith of the “Light Seekers” does not point to specific individuals; rather, it seems to revolve around worshipping the abstract concept of “Light.” They lack bishops or archbishops; aside from a few “Apostles” responsible for preaching, the rest are basic followers.

It is quite loose, like countless stars in the sky, without any discernible core figure, making it even harder to target and eradicate.

While the rule of the Goddess Church might be stronger, it carries a serious issue: once its upper structure collapses, or if its sustaining framework—Faith-based Magic—faces problems, the followers it leads will immediately scatter, unable to form any effective organization or power.

Conversely, the Church of the Light is entirely opposite.

Thus, such a structure is more suited to the current situation in the eastern regions of the Holy Kingdom, such as the Sanos and Keller provinces, which are under demonic oppression with the church’s rule collapsing and the people displaced.

Moreover, due to the similar doctrines of both organizations, the Church of the Light has swiftly spread among those still directed towards the light in the areas currently ruled by demons.

“…?”

After hearing the Holy Knight’s brief description, the Priestess’s expression suddenly became somewhat strange as she vaguely guessed how this so-called Church of the Light emerged.

It’s developing so fast—much faster than I imagined. Who organized it? Could it truly be a purely spontaneous action as Edwina said?

The girl didn’t voice her thoughts but quietly posed another question.

“So, what’s the relationship between this organization and your sister, Fleidetrika Cecelia? Are they behind her disappearance?”

“This…”

Seeming a bit troubled, Edwina hesitated for a moment before quietly leaning forward, covering her mouth, and whispering conspiratorially.

“Actually, according to certain secret intelligence, someone spotted a woman suspected to be Fleidetrika Cecelia in a refugee camp in the Sanos province, but she… appeared as an ‘Apostle’ of the Church of the Light, preaching its doctrines.”

“?”

Seeing the black-haired girl suddenly frown in disbelief, the Holy Knight’s expression changed instantly, standing up nervously and flailing her arms in an effort to explain.

“W-wait! I know my sister very well! Her faith is incredibly firm and pure; she wouldn’t just so easily switch to another faith! Those people must have seen wrong! Or… or there must be some unavoidable circumstances! I beg Miss Vilyric to give my sister another chance!”

The odd confusion continued to pile up, and the Priestess couldn’t help but tilt her head.

“…What do you mean, give her a chance?”

Undeniably, Vilyric was somewhat surprised by the intelligence Edwina just mentioned, but ultimately, the rivalry between the Church of the Light and the Goddess Church, fighting over followers or even trying to kill each other, or whatever bizarre developments might arise from such conflicts—they truly do not concern the Priestess at all.

The emergence of this Church of the Light might indeed have some minor relation to her previous actions, but for goodness’ sake, Miss Vilyric never intended, nor took any actual steps, to help it develop.

Rather, she thought it troublesome and wanted to distance herself from it as much as possible.

As for whether the apostle appearing in the Sanos province is truly Fleidetrika Cecelia and what she has been through in the meantime… Vilyric was curious but felt it wasn’t her place to concern herself with the Judging Saintess’s affairs.

With this thought in mind, Vilyric suddenly became aware of a lingering question that had always bothered her.

“By the way, Edwina, in your eyes… who exactly am I?”

“Ah?”

The blonde girl, who was earnestly defending her sister, froze for a moment, then repeated the Priestess’s question as if trying to understand it better.

“Miss Vilyric… who are you?”

The Holy Knight contemplated.

Miss Vilyric is the embodiment of the Goddess, the sovereign and creator of all that is sacred in the world under the name of “Light,” the one true existence of countless followers’ faith—this is undoubtedly an undisputed fact.

Everything she has seen and experienced during her journey, including the existence of the Life Goddess, has sufficiently proven this.

A deity is the embodiment of a concept, the pinnacle of that concept; there is only one god representing a particular concept.

Although Edwina wasn’t entirely clear why the name the Goddess currently uses differs from what is recorded in the scriptures, or why she has come to the mortal world in such an identity, walking among people, it must have a profound meaning.

Edwina understood very well that the Goddess does not wish for the world to recognize her as a “Deity,” and has been interacting with the beings of the world using a face closer to “human” or “mortal.”

Thus, the answer she seeks would definitely not be something like—“You are the supreme and holy source of light.”

With her thoughts racing, Edwina had never felt her mind to be as agile as it was today.

Soon, she reached the most suitable response for the current situation, one most fitting to give to the Goddess and faith.

“Miss Vilyric is, of course, just Miss Vilyric— a traveler walking in the world… just a Priestess ~”

   

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