Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

971 – Your donation warms the world – 6

Holy relics. As the name suggests, holy relics related to adults.

Of course, just as bean rice is rice, milk chocolate is chocolate, and human waste is waste, adding the modifier ‘s*x’ in front of it does not change the fundamental nature of it being a relic.

So, even though it is something that the deceased used while alive, it is something that is only a little bit sacred. That is the definition of a sacred relic. No matter how much you package and polish it, you cannot deny that it is something belonging to the deceased.

‘You want that?’

It’s confusing. The Archbishop of Ausen said he was just going to buy something related to me, but anyone can tell he’s going to make it into a relic.

Just a moment ago, you were lamenting that there were no relics to bury in the Archdiocese of Danis Cathedral, and you said that it would be okay to bury my belongings, which are related to the saint Danis. If that’s the case, then you mean that you will treat my belongings as relics.

‘Is that possible?’

My head started to feel hot. Not hot from anger, just confusion, my brain was racing.

If the emperor had said those words, he would have thought, ‘Ah! That yellow b*stard is telling me to die!’ However, since the archbishop would never say such a hideous thing, it is more likely that it was simply a last resort for the relics.

The problem is that I can’t understand that last move. If you need a relic, it’s normal to search through the adult’s paternal and maternal ancestors to find a saint who has a connection to Danis. There’s no point in asking for an item from a living person.

“Your Majesty. If I could offer what is mine for the sect, there would be nothing more glorious than that. But even if I were to offer the sect a treasure that is unparalleled on the continent… wouldn’t that just be a sacred relic?”

So I asked, full of questions.

Something related to me? I can give it to you. A treasure that I can attach a plausible story to? If I don’t have one, I’m willing to put my head together with the intellectuals of the church and make one.

But even if I donate like that, it is still a sacred relic. As long as I am alive with my eyes open, it can never become a sacred relic.

“The Holy One’s words are correct. An object used by the Holy One is sufficient to become a holy relic, but it will take several decades for it to be called a holy relic.”

‘No.’

The words “hundreds” rather than “dozens” rose to the top of my lungs, but I held back. That’s not what’s important right now.

“So, in the church…”

The archbishop, who was about to say something, closed his mouth.

As if he was wondering if it was okay to say something like that. As if he himself was questioning what he was going to say next.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Oh, yes.”

Then, he filled the empty teacup with tea and drank it heartily as if he was drinking beer after finishing his hard work.

I also touched my teacup, as it was not the appearance of a seasoned priest and politician. He was an archbishop who declared in front of the person concerned that he would turn the holy object into a holy relic. What on earth could be a statement that would make such an archbishop hesitate?

Surely you are not going to bury me in the cathedral basement? If I am buried alive, then from that moment on, all objects related to me will evolve into holy relics. It is a radical method that no human can think of, but it is also the most certain method.

“Lord.”

‘What the heck.’

After a while, the archbishop muttered bitterly and made the sign of the cross.

Should I run away now? Should I pretend this meeting never happened and run away to another country for three months? If I go to Armenia or Juve, I can probably get a meal. My former club advisor is here, so I don’t think he’ll treat me coldly.

“…What does the Holy One think of the holy relics?”

Unfortunately, before the idea could be put into practice, the archbishop opened his mouth.

I screwed up. I missed my last chance to escape, which was probably Enen’s.

“Isn’t this a relic left behind by a saint? Even if it is a relic left behind by a blessed person, I heard that if he is not elevated to the rank of a saint, he is treated as just a precious relic.”

However, I couldn’t ignore the archbishop who finally opened his mouth, so I gave the most standard answer I could.

Actually, I have nothing else to say besides this answer. How can we define a holy relic if it is not a relic of a saint?

“Most people know it that way, but strictly speaking, it’s a little different.”

“yes?”

Suddenly, my common sense collapsed.

What do you mean, the relics weren’t the relics of an adult? Then why are they relics?

“To be exact, only when a specific ceremony is performed on an object belonging to an adult can it become a holy relic. Even if it is an object left behind by an adult, if a ceremony is not performed on it, it is only an object to be respected, but is not officially a holy relic.”

“Yes, is that so?”

“Of course, if it’s an adult’s belongings, even if they’re trivial, they gather them together and hold a group ceremony, so it’s a meaningless classification.”

The archbishop let out a small sigh, stared intently at my face, and continued speaking cautiously.

“Was there anything strange in what I said?”

That is also a very difficult statement.

‘That’s strange.’

I racked my brain desperately over those words.

It is a very common-sense and short sentence, so there is no room for tackling or misinterpreting it. However, if the archbishop said that, it must mean that there is a gap.

…

…

ah.

“ah.”

“Do you understand?”

“I, Your Majesty. I mean, the thing of an adult. Whether that adult is alive or dead…”

“It has not been decided. In the first place, isn’t the name of an adult a name given to the deceased? There is no way there could be a provision that says that the belongings of a living adult cannot be designated as a sacred relic.”

I burst out laughing automatically.

It’s definitely not something to laugh about, but I found myself laughing.

This is the first time I learned that the Holy Relic is a name given only to relics that have been certified as genuine by the religious order.

And I also learned for the first time that if you perform a specific ceremony on an ‘adult’s object’, it becomes a holy relic. It doesn’t matter if the adult is alive or dead.

Because there is no related content in the doctrine or teachings of the Dawn Church.

‘Who would write something like that down?’

It is difficult to be certain because there are not enough records from the chaotic times of the religious wars, but at least after the Dawn Cult gained hegemony in the religious world, being a saint was the highest honor for the dead.

In other words, the belongings of an adult automatically become the relics left by the adult, and the ceremony is an act of granting authority to the relics, which is why they are called holy relics. Why would they necessarily include a clause like, “Only belongings of a deceased adult can be designated as holy relics” in this simple yet clear procedure? Even when cremating, there is no warning like, “Only the dead can be burned in a coffin.”

“Since the Holy One is alive and has become an adult, we are adjusting all the contradictory and insufficient clauses. One of them is the clause regarding the Holy Relics. So, since it has come to this, before we revise the clauses, we have come up with the idea of ​​designating the Holy One’s items as Holy Relics.”

If the priests of the past had known that the price of that carelessness would be the designation of a sacred relic by their descendants, would they have made such detailed provisions?

“Is that okay?”

“What can I do? Since things have already gone wrong, I should make the most of it.”

First of all, judging from the reaction of the archbishop, who is a current priest, it seems that he must have created a detailed clause. Even the archbishop who was trying to designate a holy relic right away could not hide his bitter expression.

If even the Archdiocese is like this, how much more bizarre must the growth of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the new Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith be? Perhaps the new Pope is soothing his bitter heart with wine, wondering why this happened right after he ascended to the throne.

‘What should I give you?’

After expressing my condolences to the Pope in my heart, I leaned back in my chair and fell into deep thought.

Since it is a situation where I can designate my items as relics, any item that I can attach a story to is fine. If I had given the coat I was wearing to the archbishop and returned, that coat would have become a relic.

However, it is a monumental object that will be the first and last relic (with a living owner) in the history of the church. It is even scheduled to be buried in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Daniès, a symbol of continental unity and peace.

You can’t just cover up something like that with a coat. Shouldn’t you use something that’s as plausible and meaningful as possible?

‘Meaningful things.’

But I was held back by the premise that it was a meaningful object.

Something that means something to me means that I’m using it in real time or that it’s something that I would be reluctant to pass on to someone else. If something like that were buried in the cathedral basement, it would mean I’d be giving it up permanently, and it’s not an easy decision to make.

‘The weapon used by Khagan?’

I had that thought for a moment, but quickly shook it off.

That’s Khagan’s stuff, not mine. Besides, Khagan’s weapons are on indefinite loan to Gerhard for research purposes.

‘Then my sword?’

Frankly, it’s such a waste. It’s a bit much to bury a sword covered in blood under a cathedral, a symbol of peace.

It’s difficult. It’s too difficult. The church can’t postpone the revision of the Baeknal Cheonnal clause, so a decision must be made as quickly as possible.

“Among the relics, there are also small items, such as the ordination certificate that the saint received while alive or a wooden cross that he made himself. Although their objective value may be small, they had great meaning to the saint, so their subjective value was highly valued.”

After thinking about it for a while, I remembered the advice the archbishop had given me. He said that the important thing is the message contained in the object, so if it’s really difficult, even a toy knife from my childhood would be fine.

The important thing is the message. If the objective value is low but the subjective value is high, it is okay. Among the relics of the past, there is also a certificate of appointment of a priest.

‘Don’t I have something like that?’

There is no ordination certificate for a priest, but there is something similar.

The problem is that it’s hard to find because it’s something that’s been thrown around somewhere in the house, but fortunately, if you ask the Emperor, he’ll make a new one for you. It’s for the Archdiocese of Danis, so wouldn’t he do something like that?

“Count. What did you just say?”

“I would like to receive a new letter of appointment that I received when I was first appointed as a member of the Inspectorate. Aren’t the appointment letters of officials kept by the Imperial Family?”

“No. That’s not what I asked.”

The emperor briefly touched his forehead at my answer.

“I will take that appointment letter… and bury it as a holy relic beneath the Cathedral of Danis?”

“Yes. It was possible for me to have the honorable and undeserving title of a saint because I was a noble and bureaucrat of the empire. Therefore, the appointment letter to a bureaucrat, which is like the first step for me, is the most valuable─”

“I will give you one of the swords that I have in the Imperial Treasury. Use it to cut the sky, sign it, and hand it over to the sect. Keep the appointment letter in the Count’s heart.”

“Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be a problem to bury the bird in the Archdiocese of Danis, which is supposed to be a place of peace?”

“At least it’s better than a letter of appointment. And a warning that anyone who disturbs the peace of the continent will be torn apart like the sky. If you think about it that way, it’s a pretty good excuse.”

It was a firm and plausible statement, so I quietly closed my mouth.

If you say it so firmly, no words can convince you.