For the common people of the empire, who had nothing to do with the power elite or the temple, the opening ceremony actually had only one meaning.
If the gates of heaven were to open, life would be better!
How happy would it be to live in a world where demons disappeared and God looked down on us?
Of course, not many people knew how to be happy specifically, but many imagined it because their expectations were high.
At least, there would be no danger of being bitten to death by a demon.
However, the problem was that the world was about to change.
“It seems to be coming towards our village!”
“Isn’t there anything else to bring!?”
At a time when the sun was halfway up, the people of the village around the temple were on high alert.
At the entrance to their village, there was a crude barricade made of miscellaneous furniture such as desks and chairs.
And behind it were people holding bows and arrows that they couldn’t even shoot properly, with sweaty hands.
“...”
Gulp. They must have been so nervous that even in the noise, you could hear the sound of someone next to you swallowing their saliva.
“What if the world changes! If we die before that, it’s over!”
The excited village men vented their anger.
They were going crazy. Up until this morning, they had been excited by the mention of the opening ceremony.
“Hey, the monsters are gathering! Near the village!”
That was until exactly an hour ago when they heard that.
A villager who had passed the cliff while visiting a distant village had discovered a group of monsters gathered below the village.
After that, the people were on high alert.
“Hey, will the monsters die on their own after the opening ceremony?”
They didn’t remember receiving such kind guidance. But they had to believe that it would.
Otherwise, they would have to eliminate all of those monsters, which seemed to number in the hundreds, to survive. It was a crazy, heart-wrenching thing to do.
But.
“..."
An hour passed.
“...?”
Two, or three hours passed, and there was still no news of the monsters.
“...Did I see something wrong?”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on the one who had first discovered the monsters.
Of course, they were hoping that they had mistaken their eyes. Then it would just end as an incident.
But the discoverer shook his head.
“How could they have mistakenly seen that black herd in the middle of the field?”
“Then why didn’t they come?”
“Did they go somewhere else?”
It was when the people were secretly hoping.
Tap, tap!
The sound of hooves could be heard from afar. The people’s faces turned pale.
“Oh, here they come!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The people’s eyes, holding their weapons, turned toward the hill ahead. And.
“...?”
The people stopped when they finally saw what appeared.
“One?”
“Is it a person?”
“A new era has opened.”
But soon his head remembered the line correctly.
“Then!”
The villagers looked up at him with sparkling eyes. Some people were murmuring.
“God will no longer just stand by and watch over suffering. The world has come where he looks down upon us.”
In fact, he was not a god, but a saint. Of course, he swallowed that last line.
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If the gates of heaven were to open, life would be better!
How happy would it be to live in a world where demons disappeared and God looked down on us?
Of course, not many people knew how to be happy specifically, but many imagined it because their expectations were high.
At least, there would be no danger of being bitten to death by a demon.
However, the problem was that the world was about to change.
“It seems to be coming towards our village!”
“Isn’t there anything else to bring!?”
At a time when the sun was halfway up, the people of the village around the temple were on high alert.
At the entrance to their village, there was a crude barricade made of miscellaneous furniture such as desks and chairs.
And behind it were people holding bows and arrows that they couldn’t even shoot properly, with sweaty hands.
“...”
Gulp. They must have been so nervous that even in the noise, you could hear the sound of someone next to you swallowing their saliva.
“What if the world changes! If we die before that, it’s over!”
The excited village men vented their anger.
They were going crazy. Up until this morning, they had been excited by the mention of the opening ceremony.
“Hey, the monsters are gathering! Near the village!”
That was until exactly an hour ago when they heard that.
A villager who had passed the cliff while visiting a distant village had discovered a group of monsters gathered below the village.
After that, the people were on high alert.
“Hey, will the monsters die on their own after the opening ceremony?”
They didn’t remember receiving such kind guidance. But they had to believe that it would.
Otherwise, they would have to eliminate all of those monsters, which seemed to number in the hundreds, to survive. It was a crazy, heart-wrenching thing to do.
But.
“..."
An hour passed.
“...?”
Two, or three hours passed, and there was still no news of the monsters.
“...Did I see something wrong?”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on the one who had first discovered the monsters.
Of course, they were hoping that they had mistaken their eyes. Then it would just end as an incident.
But the discoverer shook his head.
“How could they have mistakenly seen that black herd in the middle of the field?”
“Then why didn’t they come?”
“Did they go somewhere else?”
It was when the people were secretly hoping.
Tap, tap!
The sound of hooves could be heard from afar. The people’s faces turned pale.
“Oh, here they come!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The people’s eyes, holding their weapons, turned toward the hill ahead. And.
“...?”
The people stopped when they finally saw what appeared.
“One?”
“Is it a person?”
“Is it a person on horseback?”
What they saw was a person. And for a monster, it was a person wearing a white cloth that looked too sacred.
“That’s....”
“There’s monster blood... on it!”
Could it be someone who came to help!?
“Bring something to heal!”
“Is it a knight?”
Even as the people moved busily, the person on horseback was quickly approaching.
And the villagers who saw that sight slowly stopped their hands that were preparing healing supplies.
There was purple blood on the tip of the sword that he held high. It was definitely the blood of a monster.
“That person...”
“No way.”
Looking at their expectant eyes, the knight, no, the devil, draped in a sacred cloth opened his mouth.
“That... Ahem.”
What was his first line?
Though no stranger to acting, Ratley the Demon felt his lips go dry at the sight of such a holy-looking performance.
What they saw was a person. And for a monster, it was a person wearing a white cloth that looked too sacred.
“That’s....”
“There’s monster blood... on it!”
Could it be someone who came to help!?
“Bring something to heal!”
“Is it a knight?”
Even as the people moved busily, the person on horseback was quickly approaching.
And the villagers who saw that sight slowly stopped their hands that were preparing healing supplies.
There was purple blood on the tip of the sword that he held high. It was definitely the blood of a monster.
“That person...”
“No way.”
Looking at their expectant eyes, the knight, no, the devil, draped in a sacred cloth opened his mouth.
“That... Ahem.”
What was his first line?
Though no stranger to acting, Ratley the Demon felt his lips go dry at the sight of such a holy-looking performance.
“A new era has opened.”
But soon his head remembered the line correctly.
“Then!”
The villagers looked up at him with sparkling eyes. Some people were murmuring.
“God will no longer just stand by and watch over suffering. The world has come where he looks down upon us.”
In fact, he was not a god, but a saint. Of course, he swallowed that last line.
“H-has the gates of heaven really opened?”
One of the villagers asked in an excited voice. Ratley, who had completely regained his acting pace, nodded.
“That’s right. The group of monsters that were threatening this village have already been dealt with.”
“Oh...!”
Soon, a loud cheer rang out among the villagers who were quietly exclaiming in admiration.
“Wow!”
“Finally!”
Some people threw down their weapons, hugged each other, and cried.
“Oh my god, thank you!”
Ratley unconsciously said those words.
“Thank the Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“No, ahem.”
Ratley quickly recovered from his slip of the tongue.
“Since the Saintess successfully completed the opening ceremony, shouldn’t we thank her as well?”
“Oh, that’s right. That’s right.”
The villagers nodded at his words.
“Long live the Saintess!”
“Long live Beryl!”
One of the villagers asked in an excited voice. Ratley, who had completely regained his acting pace, nodded.
“That’s right. The group of monsters that were threatening this village have already been dealt with.”
“Oh...!”
Soon, a loud cheer rang out among the villagers who were quietly exclaiming in admiration.
“Wow!”
“Finally!”
Some people threw down their weapons, hugged each other, and cried.
“Oh my god, thank you!”
Ratley unconsciously said those words.
“Thank the Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“No, ahem.”
Ratley quickly recovered from his slip of the tongue.
“Since the Saintess successfully completed the opening ceremony, shouldn’t we thank her as well?”
“Oh, that’s right. That’s right.”
The villagers nodded at his words.
“Long live the Saintess!”
“Long live Beryl!”
Only after seeing that did Ratley smile with some satisfaction.
Similar things were happening not only in the village where Ratley was but also all over the continent.
This was because the gates of hell opened and the supply of magic became sufficient, so it became possible to deal with the group of monsters with just one or two demons.
And there were quite a few who made the same mistake as Ratley.
“Thank you, God!”
At those words, they made a slightly trembling expression, and then,
“Long live the Saintess!”
Those words were somewhat pleasing to the demons.
The name Saintess was not very pleasing, but after all, it referred to Her Highness, didn’t it?
Well, it was all thanks to her.
The demons smiled as they felt the flow of magical power surrounding their bodies to the point of overwhelming them.
The gates of heaven opened.
As soon as the gates opened, the god who came down from heaven told the Saintess, the ‘true representative of God’ present, to punish the corrupt priests present.
Saintess Beryl ordered the knights of the sacred family Vine, whom she had personally chosen, to punish them, and all those who dared to deceive God and seek their own glory at the altar were beheaded.
“As expected...! God was watching everything!”
Countless people who had been pressured to offer money at the temple or had been disadvantaged cheered.
While the gates of hell were closed and the temple was in power, no one was happy, whether they were the big or small merchants, nobles, or even the homeless in small cities.
However, even amid that joy, some felt strange.
“...God himself is looking down on them?”
Those were the priests and paladins who had been kicked out of the temple before the opening ceremony.
It was natural for them to feel strange since they had devoted their lives to saving people with the mercy of the gods rather than for their own glory.
Considering that the gates of heaven had opened, it was so... that the world had not changed at all.
It was not that there was an overflow of holy power, and of course, the demons were disappearing, but it was said that the knights of Vine had done so.
“Something... is a little different from what I expected?”
They would meet in small groups and talk about such things.
However, before the gathering could gain strength, they dispersed.
It wasn’t because of external pressure. They had been startled by something simultaneously and had disappeared on their own.
Meanwhile, as the corruption of the temple became known to the world, this one sentence became deeply ingrained among the people.
Those who were not like priests who only pursued their own interests were all judged by God.
As the demons who had become stronger destroyed the entire colony of monsters, the number of monsters decreased rapidly.
The signs that had been put up saying that this was an area where monsters frequently appeared were now useless, so much so that they were worried that they could be used as firewood throughout the winter.
“I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 40 years, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a quiet dawn!”
The temple had always announced at certain times that “the number of monsters has decreased due to the monster extermination operation, so live in peace,” but this was the first time they had felt the monsters had decreased to this extent.
“Those rotten bastards made the announcement without even properly exterminating the monsters!”
The people who learned the truth were indignant, but on the other hand, they were grateful to the Saintess.
“Finally, a world worth living in is finally coming.”
People would go around saying such things, full of anticipation.
“Actually, I don’t think that even if the gates of heaven open, our lives will change much,”
One person said.
“If they lie and say that the gates are open even though they aren’t, how could we know the truth until we enter the altar? We’ll just think that they’re open.”
Similar things were happening not only in the village where Ratley was but also all over the continent.
This was because the gates of hell opened and the supply of magic became sufficient, so it became possible to deal with the group of monsters with just one or two demons.
And there were quite a few who made the same mistake as Ratley.
“Thank you, God!”
At those words, they made a slightly trembling expression, and then,
“Long live the Saintess!”
Those words were somewhat pleasing to the demons.
The name Saintess was not very pleasing, but after all, it referred to Her Highness, didn’t it?
Well, it was all thanks to her.
The demons smiled as they felt the flow of magical power surrounding their bodies to the point of overwhelming them.
***
The gates of heaven opened.
As soon as the gates opened, the god who came down from heaven told the Saintess, the ‘true representative of God’ present, to punish the corrupt priests present.
Saintess Beryl ordered the knights of the sacred family Vine, whom she had personally chosen, to punish them, and all those who dared to deceive God and seek their own glory at the altar were beheaded.
“As expected...! God was watching everything!”
Countless people who had been pressured to offer money at the temple or had been disadvantaged cheered.
While the gates of hell were closed and the temple was in power, no one was happy, whether they were the big or small merchants, nobles, or even the homeless in small cities.
However, even amid that joy, some felt strange.
“...God himself is looking down on them?”
Those were the priests and paladins who had been kicked out of the temple before the opening ceremony.
It was natural for them to feel strange since they had devoted their lives to saving people with the mercy of the gods rather than for their own glory.
Considering that the gates of heaven had opened, it was so... that the world had not changed at all.
It was not that there was an overflow of holy power, and of course, the demons were disappearing, but it was said that the knights of Vine had done so.
“Something... is a little different from what I expected?”
They would meet in small groups and talk about such things.
However, before the gathering could gain strength, they dispersed.
It wasn’t because of external pressure. They had been startled by something simultaneously and had disappeared on their own.
Meanwhile, as the corruption of the temple became known to the world, this one sentence became deeply ingrained among the people.
Those who were not like priests who only pursued their own interests were all judged by God.
***
As the demons who had become stronger destroyed the entire colony of monsters, the number of monsters decreased rapidly.
The signs that had been put up saying that this was an area where monsters frequently appeared were now useless, so much so that they were worried that they could be used as firewood throughout the winter.
“I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 40 years, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a quiet dawn!”
The temple had always announced at certain times that “the number of monsters has decreased due to the monster extermination operation, so live in peace,” but this was the first time they had felt the monsters had decreased to this extent.
“Those rotten bastards made the announcement without even properly exterminating the monsters!”
The people who learned the truth were indignant, but on the other hand, they were grateful to the Saintess.
“Finally, a world worth living in is finally coming.”
People would go around saying such things, full of anticipation.
“Actually, I don’t think that even if the gates of heaven open, our lives will change much,”
One person said.
“If they lie and say that the gates are open even though they aren’t, how could we know the truth until we enter the altar? We’ll just think that they’re open.”
Another person said,
“But who would have thought that life would be this easy? Isn’t this proof that the gates of heaven are open?”
Many agreed with those words.
It was proof that the gates of heaven had opened.
However, the decisive evidence was something else.
[God said that he had given us humans back our power.]
After the gates of heaven opened, the Saintess said this.
“Power...?”
At first, no one understood what she meant.
But soon they began to feel something strange.
Suddenly, without warning, the roof of a house exploded and flew away, and a large pit was dug in the ground as if a meteor had fallen.
And... when they learned that it was caused by their own neighbors, they felt even more.
“Your contribution is great.”
The Emperor had never had such a leisurely tea time recently.
It was natural since the entire country and the entire continent had been turned upside down by the opening ceremony.
In particular, the temple’s strong stance that worldly power could never interfere with the opening ceremony, and even the nobles were so noisy that they could not even properly watch the opening ceremony, perhaps because they were worried that the power of the temple and the imperial family would be added.
“No, Your Majesty.”
The one who answered him was his beloved cousin, Kenar.
Kenar claimed that he was a member of the royal family but not an outsider, citing the fact that he had been injured during the Orobas Banquet, and his argument was accepted.
Therefore, the temple could not prevent the knights of the royal family commanded by Kenar from guarding the outside of the temple.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have heard what happened at the temple properly.”
The Wmperor’s gentle gaze turned to him. Kenar bowed his head.
Sarak.
In the meantime, several thick reports in the Emperor’s hands were turned over.
The Saintess and Vine had sent a detailed report on what had happened at the temple.
The fact that they had sent such a report despite not having received such an order made the meaning clear. They had sent
it because they were fully aware that the royal family was concerned that Vine, who had recently become known as a sacred family, would grow in power.
In fact, they had sent it as a token of loyalty to the Emperor, telling him, “I have no other plans, so don’t worry.”
“I regret slightly keeping Duke Vine at a distance because of the distance.”
The Emperor muttered.
In fact, the distance was not the problem; he had been secretly keeping Duke Vine in check, but that was now a thing of the past.
“With the influence he has now, he could have enjoyed even greater power...”
The Emperor looked satisfied. Kenar nodded.
“He seems to be a man without greed.”
If Naberus had heard it, it would have made him roll on the floor laughing for thirty minutes.
They could not have known that there was no such thing as such an alien evaluation of Belled von Vine, a demon who was honest about his desires.
“But who would have thought that life would be this easy? Isn’t this proof that the gates of heaven are open?”
Many agreed with those words.
It was proof that the gates of heaven had opened.
However, the decisive evidence was something else.
[God said that he had given us humans back our power.]
After the gates of heaven opened, the Saintess said this.
“Power...?”
At first, no one understood what she meant.
But soon they began to feel something strange.
Suddenly, without warning, the roof of a house exploded and flew away, and a large pit was dug in the ground as if a meteor had fallen.
And... when they learned that it was caused by their own neighbors, they felt even more.
***
“Your contribution is great.”
The Emperor had never had such a leisurely tea time recently.
It was natural since the entire country and the entire continent had been turned upside down by the opening ceremony.
In particular, the temple’s strong stance that worldly power could never interfere with the opening ceremony, and even the nobles were so noisy that they could not even properly watch the opening ceremony, perhaps because they were worried that the power of the temple and the imperial family would be added.
“No, Your Majesty.”
The one who answered him was his beloved cousin, Kenar.
Kenar claimed that he was a member of the royal family but not an outsider, citing the fact that he had been injured during the Orobas Banquet, and his argument was accepted.
Therefore, the temple could not prevent the knights of the royal family commanded by Kenar from guarding the outside of the temple.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have heard what happened at the temple properly.”
The Wmperor’s gentle gaze turned to him. Kenar bowed his head.
Sarak.
In the meantime, several thick reports in the Emperor’s hands were turned over.
The Saintess and Vine had sent a detailed report on what had happened at the temple.
The fact that they had sent such a report despite not having received such an order made the meaning clear. They had sent
it because they were fully aware that the royal family was concerned that Vine, who had recently become known as a sacred family, would grow in power.
In fact, they had sent it as a token of loyalty to the Emperor, telling him, “I have no other plans, so don’t worry.”
“I regret slightly keeping Duke Vine at a distance because of the distance.”
The Emperor muttered.
In fact, the distance was not the problem; he had been secretly keeping Duke Vine in check, but that was now a thing of the past.
“With the influence he has now, he could have enjoyed even greater power...”
The Emperor looked satisfied. Kenar nodded.
“He seems to be a man without greed.”
If Naberus had heard it, it would have made him roll on the floor laughing for thirty minutes.
They could not have known that there was no such thing as such an alien evaluation of Belled von Vine, a demon who was honest about his desires.
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