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Chapter 31: Alice’s Faith

“What is faith, anyway?”

“It’s a kind of belief, admiration, and reverence—a deep-rooted, cherished feeling for someone or something beautiful.”

“Yeah, but whether it’s real or fake doesn’t matter much; it’s all about whether you personally believe in it.”

As the carriage rolled on, a stream of Holy Light believers passed by, while Roy racked his brain to find a good explanation.

Veszyra certainly has gods, but the deities I’ve seen so far aren’t all-knowing or all-powerful. They share the same loves and hates, desires and passions as humans, just carrying greater power and responsibility.

As for the Holy Light Goddess, she’s probably not that kind of creator deity.

If Alice suddenly started believing in the Holy Light, that would be troublesome.

Luckily, the little maid was just casually asking and soon lost interest in the people on the street.

It’s strange, though; the Holy Light Church is quite different from the religious organizations I’m familiar with from my two lifetimes.

Even cults strive to expand their organizations, spread their beliefs, and grow their influence to the point where they wish for everyone to worship their god and consider their faith the ultimate truth.

Yet the Holy Light Church is surprisingly zen.

After taking control of the Eastern Continent, the Church didn’t push westward. For the past two eras, it has only established a foothold in White Port, with local churches mainly offering basic medical and educational services without any further actions.

Respect is mutual.

There’s no frenzied pressure to force others to convert; instead, they freely help the people of the Western Continent. For this, Roy felt a bit of fondness towards the Church.

But whether the Church is trustworthy is another question altogether.

According to the Sage, there are a lot of factions within the Church, and there are serious differences between the Western and Eastern Continents.

Roy isn’t about to let his positive feelings towards a particular policy extend to the entire Church.

Sometimes Alice looks a bit dazed, and he genuinely worries about her being brainwashed by the Church, becoming a clueless pawn.

Little does he know, this worry is quite unnecessary.

After talking for a while, Alice remembers only the most limited content.

Faith is a beautiful feeling.

Expressing devotion to faith through kisses.

It’s a lot like being in love!

While Roy was busy observing the street, Alice quietly puckered her lips and tossed out a clumsy air kiss.

Even if he doesn’t know, that’s fine—after all, this is just her way of showing her devotion!

“Alice, did you just say something?”

“Nothing at all.”

Glimpsing the young boy’s expression, the golden-haired maid wore a satisfying smile, reminiscent of those faithful souls praying earnestly in the sunlight.

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White Port has a long history.

Legend says that during the Third Era, the Church allied with various factions to form a coalition here, and thus White Port earned the title of the Port of Hope, the City of Victory.

Many of the folks living in White Port not only are among the rare Holy Light believers of the Western Continent but also have a natural sense of superiority, believing that thanks to them, victory’s hope was brought to the Western Continent.

Even when facing nobles, the Church’s followers do not show special reverence, treating everyone equally.

For example, entering the city.

In many cities of the Western Continent, noble carriages enjoy priority privileges; no one dares to stop them. They receive preferential treatment when going to inns, taverns, or any places of consumption.

But in White Port, the Ainbrad family crest loses its power, and passersby pay no mind to it.

Though Roy can’t enjoy noble privileges, he doesn’t think it’s a bad thing to have a little equality.

If under the Church’s rule, everyone is equal and free, that would be quite impressive.

However, this fondness doesn’t last long.

After dropping off their luggage at the inn, Roy and the little maid headed straight to the outskirts of the Church to sign up for the preliminary selection.

“Anyone who earns the goddess’s favor and receives the Holy Light’s blessings can compete for the title of Saint, regardless of wealth!”

Such promotions were being spread by priests and nuns throughout the streets.

The whole Western Continent was drawn in by these ads, eagerly seeking the title of Saint—there were nobles, adventurers, and even those trying their luck, dreaming of sudden success after awakening the Holy Light.

However, as soon as they reached the outer church, Roy witnessed an entertaining scene.

“Get lost! Don’t block my young master’s way!”

“Your young master? Take a good look; I’m a direct heir to the Countship…”

“I don’t care who you are! Under the Holy Light, everyone is equal! Don’t obstruct my young master!”

A rich young noble, decked out in glimmering attire and with a robust build, pushed through the line with a gaggle of guards surrounding him.

Even the noble’s son from the Count’s family was rudely shoved aside, flustered and helpless.

“Seriously, what happened to equality and freedom?!”

“Under the Holy Light, everyone is equal, but my young master has contributed significantly and should naturally enjoy priority for the Saint selection!”

The rich young lord sneered: “No need for words.”

“Lowly, vulgar nobles always bully others based on bloodline advantages, lacking the respect due to the Holy Light’s nobility, as well as the pure souls of us serving the Holy Light! Speaking with them only taints our purity!”

“Rightly said, my lord!”

The Count’s son was left dumbfounded, only snapping back to reality when the wealthy young lord swaggered past him, angrily retorting, “You sound good, but aren’t you just bullying others too?!”

Roy shook his head.

Looks like the Church isn’t much better than the nobles; there are just as many unruly characters out there.

The name of God’s love for the world sounds nice, but even with the blessings of the Holy Light, there are still those who do wicked deeds.

Thinking of that, the pristine Holy City seemed a bit more ironic to Roy.

He trailed behind Alice to the end of the line, and after what felt like ages, finally reached the front to see a nun seated at a table, responsible for registration.

Even with a letter of recommendation from the Sage, the necessary procedures still had to be followed. Alice wasn’t an insider of the Church, so to participate in the Saint Trials, she had to start from the preliminary selection.

Yet, while going through the motions, Roy wasn’t interested in following the unnecessary plot points from the original work.

As they neared the nun, Roy suddenly pulled the little maid tightly behind him.

Before Alice had a chance to voice her confusion, a crude figure dashed by.

“Get lost! Everyone move for my young master…!”

It was the rich young lord again.

His guards, dressed as adventurers, roughhoused their way forward and shoved.

If Roy hadn’t stepped forward, according to the original story’s progression, the little maid would have ended up knocked down to the ground in a messy heap.

And then, as per usual, the bully would spew contemptuous insults at the pitiful maid while Alice would helplessly endure it.

Of course, eventually, Alice would use her strength to make this bully regret his actions and put him in his place.

The original story had these events to stir up player protectiveness for the helpless Alice, painting her as a Cinderella mistreated by a wicked stepmother, setting the stage for her upcoming triumph.

But Roy had zero interest in watching his maid get bullied.

As the guards approached, Roy didn’t flinch; he turned his shoulder slightly forward and delivered a real iron mountain bump with his sturdy body.

“Ahhhhhh!”

With a scream like a slaughtered pig, the adventurer-like guard crashed against him and rolled onto the ground, his five fingers broken.

 

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