chapter 28
heinrich (1)
“Go through.”
“thank you. Well then, go ahead!”
Heinrich greeted the guards outside the capital city and went inside.
Thanks to Heinz who prepared the necessary things in advance, we were able to enter without difficulty.
‘Actually, I’m skeptical about whether it’s okay to come in here…’
It was enough to run into a vampire of Jinhyeol casually near the capital, so the credibility had to be lowered.
‘But in the Kingdom of Thalia, there is only one temple of the God Church here. There are temples and prayer places everywhere…’
If you wanted to be a priest or a crusader, it would have been fine to find a suitable temple, but to become a paladin belonging to a special position, you needed to come to the temple.
It takes too much time to visit a temple in another country.
Because I wasn’t sure that the method I had in mind would always work.
‘I’ll try it quickly and if it doesn’t work, I’ll have to find another way.’
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Just in time, “Avatar”‘s death cooldown has ended, and new entities can be created, so the Earth’s work should be left to them.
An environment where Heinrich could devote himself to this was created.
I went to the temple of the denomination that asked for directions.
A large temple on the outskirts of the capital.
It was the place where the great first steps of the Paladin Heinrich would begin!
***
‘There was a time when I thought so…’
It wasn’t difficult to belong to the Lord’s Church.
He went to the temple and donated a huge amount of money saying it was all his possessions, and expressed his ambition to become a paladin.
one month like that.
As a trainee, I am receiving training as a crusader at a training facility outside the temple.
“Wow, Heinrich! Today’s training is over, how about a drink?”
“Oh, Max. I’m sorry, but not for a while. The exams are just around the corner.”
“Always work hard. By the way, did you say you wanted to be a paladin? tell me to work hard If it goes well, don’t forget me.”
After a while, Max chuckled and waved his hand and disappeared.
I looked at the back, sighed, and walked to the temple library.
From combat training to studying, there were not one or two things that had to be learned.
‘Actually, being a knight is not that easy.’
Originally, the knights were not of the semi-noble class.
The paladin was no different.
It was even more difficult because I wasn’t even a believer from the beginning.
In order to become a paladin, I had no choice but to acquire the basics and officially become a crusader, then be recommended and selected as a knight candidate…
The ceremonies and doctrines of the Shinju denomination, as well as the history and hymns, were full of unknown things, so it was hard to get a headache from studying at the right time.
The standards for becoming a Crusader weren’t very high, but I had to think about it after that.
‘But aside from the doctrine, just being able to learn combat skills professionally is a good enough benefit. Once you learn it, it will help you over and over again.’
As before, you can’t always rely on a different avatar whenever something happens.
Even in case the situation did not follow, basic combat skills were essential.
By the way, Heinrich also had an advantage in acquiring combat skills thanks to the “Golless”.
‘…before that, should I start studying the doctrine now…’.
***
One day, while he was focusing on training and studying, he suddenly felt the temple become noisy.
“What happened all of a sudden?”
After completing his autonomous training, he headed towards the entrance to the temple, where he found Max stuck in the crowd in the crowd.
“Max, it’s unusually noisy today. Why are you doing this all of a sudden? What do you know?”
“Oh, Heinrich! Well done! The Archbishop and the Paladins are here!”
Looking in the direction he was pointing, I saw a group of people entering the temple.
However, at the forefront of the group was a familiar person.
he doesn’t know me
‘…that person?’
A middle-aged knight in pure white armor engraved with the patterns of the Shinjuku Order.
He was the one who led the paladins and pushed Hans away.
Come to think of it, some of the Paladins who followed him were also familiar.
“The wonders of Archbishop Latius and Paladin Tuskin who have come from the main church! It must have been that he went out to perform some kind of mission with the Holy Knights and Crusaders of our temple, and then came back.”
‘…I think you know what that mission is.’
It must have been to catch Hans.
However, it has been more than two months since he collided with the denomination, and it is only now that he has returned…
‘Have you been chasing Hans all this time?’
After that day, Summoning Hans from Auterica was only for a brief moment.
To transfer the riches of subspace to Earth.
After the summons was lifted, he would not have been able to track them no matter what, but his tenacity was terrifying.
“The Crusader seniors who followed me have also returned, so should I go say hello?”
After that, I followed Max to get information, but I couldn’t meet them.
After a long journey, they needed time to rest, and they were not allowed to meet for security reasons.
But it was sad for a while…
The next day, the senior crusader gathered the trainees and declared.
“Soon, there will be a baptismal ceremony for those who have passed the standards among the trainees.”
murmur—
“Quiet, quiet! I know it’s still too early, but it’s decided above. We are going to select apprentice priests from among the monks as well as you, so please keep working hard for the rest of the time.”
When the senior Crusader, who had called for disbandment, disappeared from his seat, the trainees murmured again and began to converse among themselves.
“How many months are left until the baptism period? It would be great if we could become full-time Crusaders soon, but suddenly?”
“If the original schedule was shortened to this level, the burden would be great. Is there any reason?”
“…a sudden need to increase power…?”
Yeah, the schedule wouldn’t have changed suddenly for no reason.
Maybe it has something to do with the subjugation squad that returned yesterday.
‘Anyway, it’s a time-saving opportunity for me.’
Here at the Temple of Thalia, a new Crusader is selected through a baptismal ceremony once every half year.
So originally it was supposed to be two more months, but the situation suddenly changed.
‘Through the ritual of baptism, all mana in the body is converted into divine power… That’s the first step toward becoming a crusader.’
Becoming a Crusader shouldn’t be too difficult if you’ve been doing what you’ve been doing.
So I continued training as I had done until now.
I was able to take a seat in the baptismal ceremony without being overshadowed by my efforts so far.
***
“It must have been an unreasonable request, but thank you for accepting it so readily, Bishop of Cromville.”
“No, Archbishop Latius. Isn’t this what our denomination needs? And it’s good for our parish of Thalia.”
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Just before the rite of baptism begins.
Archbishop Latius, who led the Immortal King subjugation squad, was having a conversation with Bishop Cromville, the head of the diocese covering the entire kingdom of Thalia.
“The power of vampires was deeply rooted in the kingdom than I thought. Because of that, the damage to the subjugation team increased during the search process.”
“…I am only sorry. From the position of being responsible for the parish of Thalia, I should have taken measures in advance…”
“No, how could that be the fault of the Bishop of Cromville? It’s the board’s responsibility for not paying attention to everything in advance. In the future, I will do my best to increase support for the diocese.”
“Thank you for your concern, Archbishop.”
In the kingdom of Thalia, a small country on the outskirts, the influence of the Shinto denomination was not great from the beginning.
There is only one temple in the capital, as if the kingdom reluctantly allowed it.
The number of priests deployed across the country barely exceeded the minimum standard.
“In order to prevent the vacuum of power created this time, to check vampires, and to keep track of the descendants of the Immortal King, it is essential to increase the power of the denomination. Talking with the Kingdom of Thalia is over, so it will be easier in the future.”
There was some political coercion in the process, but it was unavoidable.
There was a strong opposition to whether vampires were being touched by the political circles, but they could not go against the will of the Godhead Church, which put a cause in front of it.
“Now I must begin the baptismal rite. As scheduled, I will help you with one hand.”
“…the Archbishop does not need to step in. With the help of the subjugation priests, there will be no major problems with the ceremony.”
Why is the rite of baptism held periodically for a fixed period of time?
In order to carry out the ceremony easily, a priest higher than a high priest was needed, and it was a great burden to them.
If it was done indiscriminately, the high-ranking priests all stretched out and no longer remained.
“It’s shameful, but it’s been over two months since we failed to track down the descendants of the Immortal King. I haven’t had a hard time working hard, but I hope I can be of some help.”
“If you have said that far, please. It will be of great help to the ceremony.”
While they were talking and moving, they soon arrived at a huge chapel.
It was in full swing with those to be baptized and priests preparing for the ceremony.
“ah! Archbishop Latius, Bishop Cromville. did you come All preparations for the ceremony have been completed. We can start anytime.”
One of the high priests in charge of the process found them and approached them and said,
Latius nodded and climbed up the chapel’s pulpit.
There, he received the gaze of hundreds of people, put his hands together, and offered a prayer to God.
“My lord. Children who want to imitate you have gathered here to follow your will. . . . grant me a warm hand and grace, and I pray that grace be with your children. [The Sanctuary of Blessing]”
After a minute or so of prayer, a silver glare with enormous divine power erupted from his whole body and colored the entire chapel.
The softly shining interior was creating a sacred atmosphere as if blessing everyone inside.
As everyone was admiring, the Bishop of Cromville, who was standing next to the praying Archbishop, stepped forward.
“The baptismal ceremony begins now. Come out in turn and proceed with the ceremony.”
Even though he spoke softly, his voice that spread throughout the space awakened everyone’s mind, and soon the full-scale ceremony began.
Dozens of high priests lined up in front of the pulpit.
Guided by the priest who helped with the ceremony, one by one came out and knelt before them.
“What is your name?”
“It’s Theron.”
“My lord. There is someone here who wants to be in your arms and become the light of the world. ······ Thus I ask you to follow the will of the Lord and to be a guide for those who are lost. Please grant this permission. Theron, do you swear to obey the Lord?”
“I swear.”
“Then pray to the Lord. God will answer your faith.”
The high priests knelt before them and placed their hands on the heads of those who offered their prayers and performed the rite of baptism.
The divine power that poured non-stop through those hands colored the body of the person praying.
And the Archbishop’s [Blessing Sanctuary] aided in the process, reducing the burden on the person conducting the baptism.
A baptismal ceremony held at the same time by dozens of people.
As time passed, those who were baptized began to radiate weak divine power one by one.
The process of creating a channel through which to receive divine power, instead of dedicating all of one’s mana to the god and becoming a body that can’t handle magic again.
After completing the ceremony, they stumbled because they could not adapt to the sudden change, and then moved to their seats with the support of the priests who supported the ceremony.
After a brief adaptation period, they will become members of a great denomination.
Bishop Cromville looked around the chapel where the ceremony was taking place.
The divine power exuded by those who had just been baptized was excruciating.
A level that could barely be called an apprentice priest.
Occasionally, there is a case in which one has the divine power of a priest-level or higher immediately after being baptized, but such cases were extremely rare.
‘I will continue to grow through prayer and mental discipline in the future. The more you develop your faith and mental power in the Lord, the stronger your divine power will be.’
While observing the ceremony, he immediately looked in awe at Archbishop Latius, who was spreading the holy dharma on the pulpit, and offered a prayer to God.
As he was in charge of the parish, he could not help with the sudden ritual, but seeing the archbishop, it seemed unnecessary to worry in the first place.
.
“Well?”
Bishop Cromville turned his gaze to one side at a sudden sense of divine power.
Archbishop Latius, who had closed his eyes on the pulpit and maintained the Holy Law, also opened his eyes and looked at the place.
harmonious—
He has just been baptized and is exuding divine power.
Its appearance was not very different from the previous ones, but there was one obvious difference.
“Huh, I must have just been baptized… Such a divine power. I will become a priest-general.”
Intermediate level between a regular priest and a high priest performing a ritual.
It was the divine power that Heinrich, who had just been baptized, had.