A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 213 : The Saintess (4)

As with all religions.

The Guardian Cross Order, arguably the largest in the Upper Plane, also had a Cult Leader who founded it.

...To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that his followers established the Order and appointed him as the Cult Leader, rather than him founding it himself.

In any case, the fact that he was the current Cult Leader of the Guardian Cross Order was an undeniable and clear truth.

'The Holy Son, Messiah.'

The savior revered by the Guardian Cross Order.

A hero who saved this vast Upper Plane from destruction in the distant ancient past, long before the Order existed.

It is said that he, who wields the greatest influence in the long history of the Upper Plane even to this day, left behind several prophecies for future generations before his ascension.

One of them was a prophecy about resurrection.

『…In the last days, many false prophets will appear and deceive many people, performing signs and wonders to lead you astray if possible…….』

『…However, no one except me and the one sent by my will shall attain resurrection. Even the multitude of stars in the sky are not eternal; they are but a fleeting twinkle that will eventually fade.』

His prophecy, proven by his own resurrection, became the truth believed and served by his followers, the Guardian Cross Order.

And as his prophecy foretold, no one but him possessed the 'Power of Resurrection'.

There was more than one fact proving this absoluteness.

The Constellations, the core pillars of the Order, boasted a status higher than any other being and wielded enough influence with their sole authority to sway the War against Demons.

But just as the Messiah had said, the proof was that none among them possessed an authority that encroached upon the divinity of resurrection.

Furthermore, the Order's magic, established and developed over thousands of years, had countless times tried to grasp the beginnings of resurrection, but never once had it even approached the concept, proving its sanctity.

The 'sanctity of resurrection' was not just an abstract concept that appeared in a flash of insight; it was a factual concept, verified and solidified multiple times throughout the long history of the Order.

Although the Upper Plane was a place where countless mysteries existed,

nowhere could the mystery of 'resurrection' be found.

Of course, this wasn't to say that no one had appeared throughout the Order's long history claiming to be 'the one sent by the Messiah'.

There were too many to count or record who had challenged that stronghold by citing the Messiah's prophecy.

The Holy Son, Messiah, the only one to have proven the reality of resurrection.

Stealing his name, these 'self-proclaimed Resurrectors' who claimed to be the resurrected one from the Messiah's prophecy would appear whenever the War against Demons took a slightly unfavorable turn or public sentiment grew restless, deceiving many.

Just as the Messiah's prophecy had said, false prophets arose and deceived people with signs and wonders.

However, all of them ultimately failed to prove they were the messengers of the prophecy.

Unable to prove their resurrection in person as the Messiah had done, they were eventually branded as heretics or witches and faded into the back alleys of history.

Such empirical evidence was bound to accumulate over the years.

Eventually, the times changed to the point where those who first claimed to be a resurrector were the first to be suspected of heresy.

It was ironic.

The belief they revered the most had become the most taboo word.

Previously, when U-jin had revealed his 'Regression' to the group.

『…I'm just saying this just in case, but don't you dare say that anywhere else. We're already being treated as serious criminals as it is…….』

Eliya's hasty conclusion of the topic and her warning were part of the same issue.

Mentioning that one was a resurrector was, in the eyes of the Order, tantamount to a grave sin.

No one who set foot in the Order Territory could escape the 'judgment of heresy'.

The reason the Saintess, once revered as God's representative, became a 'blasphemer' was in the same context.

'A self-proclaimed Resurrected One.'

Her deeds of traveling through all sorts of foreign and perilous lands damaged by the War against Demons to save people gathered more followers than anyone else.

The Order also acknowledged her personal abilities, bestowing upon her the title of 'Saintess'—a title no one had ever received before—and treated her as an equal to, or even higher than, the Pope.

However.

The moment she began to speak of 'resurrection,' the situation completely reversed.

From the Guardian Cross Order's perspective, the Saintess, who had been their most reliable and dependable figure, became the most dangerous element with the largest following since the Order's founding by mentioning resurrection.

She had become a 'self-proclaimed Resurrected One'.

The miracles and faithfulness shown by the Saintess were unparalleled, as evidenced by her many followers.

But the name 'Messiah' was too heavy to be easily granted even to her.

The concept, solidified over the ages, did not easily permit her the role of 'the one sent by the Messiah'.

Of course, that's not to say the Order blindly refused to listen to her.

After all, she was the first person since the Order's founding to receive the title of 'Saintess', and the miracles and abilities she had demonstrated were extraordinary.

The Saintess herself had accomplished enough to be placed just below the name of the Holy Son, Messiah, so even the Order thought that this time might be different.

But the problem was.

The only way to prove she was 'the one sent by the Messiah' was to prove she had the 'Power of Resurrection'.

As the term itself implied, there was also only one way to prove the 'Power of Resurrection'.

The logical progression was the same as that applied to the many figures who had been treated as heretics and perished on the execution grounds before.

All of the Order's laws.

Even the commandments they upheld as the word of God—the Order's judiciary adhered to the 'presumption of guilt' principle, but with one exception.

Regarding this 'crime of blasphemy,' a different logic was at play.

First, the act of connecting oneself to the Messiah was considered a 'crime of blasphemy'.

A simple and extreme logic: if you are truly the one sent by the Messiah, then resurrect your body in front of everyone.

It was a stance that had naturally formed as numerous self-proclaimed resurrections appeared and the scale of the damage they caused grew.

But it couldn't be helped.

The Messiah's words about his successor were only about 'resurrection'.

There was no way to prove the Power of Resurrection other than to demonstrate it in person.

From the Order's perspective, they probably didn't want to kill the Saintess, who had wielded unparalleled influence and elevated the Order Territory to another level.

But if nothing else, the Power of Resurrection was a sacred and inviolable domain.

The damage the Order had suffered throughout history due to self-proclaimed resurrections was also immense.

Some even said that if the self-proclaimed resurrections hadn't hindered the Order's unity, the Demon King's Army could have been suppressed before it grew so powerful.

To avoid setting a bad precedent for other self-proclaimed resurrections in the future, it was impossible to apply a different logic only to the Saintess.

From the Order's standpoint, no matter how much it was like biting the bullet, they had no choice but to apply the same standard to the Saintess and demand proof of resurrection.

...In fact, the Saintess herself had wanted it from the beginning.

Thus, the execution was the process for the Saintess to prove before everyone whether she was just another human, no different from the false prophets who had appeared before, or if she was truly the one sent by the Messiah, as she claimed.

And that execution was now not far off.

'...'

...Therefore, to Loxy's ears, U-jin's question sounded a little strange.

"Are you the 'reincarnation' of the 'Messiah'?"

It wasn't as if her saying yes or no would prove anything.

She was hanging on this cross because she had said so herself, so Loxy assumed she would just say yes anyway.

She couldn't help but think it was a pointless question.

If he was really curious about that, he could have just waited for the Saintess's execution. There was no reason to risk coming here when the execution was so close.

From Loxy's perspective, who knew well from experience that U-jin never acted without a plan, the current situation and question, which seemed nothing but impulsive, were incomprehensible.

Sure enough.

In response to U-jin's question, the Saintess muttered softly and nodded.

"...That's right."

"......"

"I doubt you came here without knowing that."

The Saintess seemed to be thinking the same thing as Loxy.

She seemed unable to understand why he would bother crawling all the way here just to ask a cliché and meaningless question like 'Are you truly the one sent by the Messiah?'

Especially since his identity was unclear due to his ridiculous self-introduction as a 'Demon and a half-demon,' making his intentions difficult to guess.

However.

From U-jin's subsequent actions, Loxy sensed something was different.

"I am the one from the prophecy, sent by the Messiah..."

Cutting off the Saintess, who was trying once again to affirm that she was the one sent by the Messiah.

U-jin shook his head.

Shake-shake-

"No. Not 'sent by'."

"...?"

The Saintess's brow furrowed for a moment.

"Saintess, I asked if you are the ‘reincarnation’ of the Messiah."

Loxy couldn't tell what the exact difference was between 'reincarnation' and 'being sent'.

She had, of course, heard the name of the Messiah, but as she was not a follower of the Order but a Demonic Species, it would have been strange for her to have dissected and memorized his prophecies.

On the surface, there didn't seem to be much of a difference.

But one thing was certain: the Saintess's reaction was different.

The Saintess, who had nodded easily at U-jin's first question, now gaped, unable to give a clear answer to his repeated question.

'...'

She didn't quite understand, but.

It seemed to have some other meaning.

Seeing the Saintess unable to answer right away, U-jin let out a smirk, raising the corner of his lips as he shook his head and asked,

"When did you realize it?"

"......"

"If I'm right, it seems it wasn't from the very beginning."