The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 908 - 469: The Sacred 22 Chimes_2

Chapter 908: Chapter 469: The Sacred 22 Chimes_2

Those riding atop tall horses, recalling the past members of the Senate, seemed to be jolted awake from a dream as they dismounted.

They stared with wide eyes and uncertain looks at Ivita, as though trying to confirm who exactly Ivita was, committing his figure and face to memory.

"Why would the bell of Saint Sophia Cathedral ring? He is but a pilgrim. Even if his entourage is large, it shouldn’t be like this. Is he really trying to bolster his political prestige?"

"This... It’s like what is described in history books, about ancient emperors returning to the Imperial City. The Sacred City has not seen such a lively event for a long time. Sigh~"

Ever since the Great Emperor of Ancient Civilization moved the Senate, knight class, and the Church of the God of All Things, along with the priests, over to the Empress of Ten Thousand Cities, the Sacred City had fallen into decline.

In the following years, emperors of the Holy Empire occasionally came here for their coronation, but each ceremony was more lackluster than the last, and the Empire too decayed.

This Emperor, Aoyue III, had ascended the throne under dubious circumstances, and was further suppressed by the most authoritative Pope in history, Innocent II, which meant Aoyue III had never come to the Sacred City for his Imperial coronation.

In other words, Emperor Aoyue III was actually lacking a crown, making his position even less stable.

Amidst the melodious bell tolls, the Hearthstone Witch who had been concealing herself with an invisibility spell grew apprehensive. "Your Grace, we are too close to the Church of the God of All Things. If we go any further, we’ll truly have to enter. Aren’t you afraid?"

Ivita rolled his eyes.

What do I have to be afraid of?

I’ve never even made a pact with Hell.

I am completely blameless, and the path of magic is in itself the path of creation by the God of All Things—I have even less to fear.

It was the witches who allied with Hell that the Church condemned as evil, and there were also some misunderstandings involved, which is why the witches were infamous.

Of course, the witches had committed their share of sins as well; they weren’t wronged.

Ivita was about to look up when he suddenly noticed a figure standing before him. This figure did not stand directly in front of him, indicating he was certainly not the incarnation of the God of All Things.

He stood at Ivita’s side, bowing their head to the God of All Things just like Ivita, meaning their status was equal, or perhaps Ivita was even higher.

An elderly voice spoke to Ivita, "Lord Ivita, to be treated with such honor at your age is enviable. Your heartfelt gesture of reaching out to the Church deeply moves me. If the prideful monarchs of this world were half as humble as you, many of the world’s problems could be solved."

"However, why would a person of your stature sully their hands?"

Ivita was startled.

That red-robed elder continued, "Why would you send minor demons from Subspace to invade Alsace?"

Ivita knew he couldn’t respond to this accusation; no matter what, he could not admit to it. "What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with me."

"I am but a faithful believer of the God of All Things. Nothing more. The sacred virtues of the God of All Things command my respect."

"To become a qualified monarch, I shall draw closer to the virtues of creation set forth by the God of All Things."

His words were not false.

From the diverse tolls that echoed throughout the city, Ivita was reminded of the images of divine creation he had seen in his Existential Abyss. The virtues reflected by the bell tolls indeed represented a state from the time when the God of All Things created the world.

Perhaps for the God of All Things, power was no longer of importance; such things could be there if He wished, or gone if He did not.

Virtue was power, virtue was music, and music was the genesis of life.

But mere mortals could not comprehend this, while Ivita, as a Marquis Witch, gleaned from the bell tolls the divine path trekked by the Gods above Gods during the initial chaos.

The old man sighed, "I see. It appears I have misunderstood you. Then, Lord Ivita, could you continue to uphold God’s virtues forever?"

"Even if an enemy were at the city gates, would you use God’s virtues to convert them?"

Ivita looked up and was momentarily taken aback, for he recognized the elder—it was Archbishop Antioch, the ruler of the Ferrara Duchy, and the Church’s greatest warrior faction leader.

Lord Ivita spoke truthfully, "To do the extraordinary, one must utilize extraordinary means. With a heart of humility and a sense of gratitude, perform thunderous actions to resolve matters."

Archbishop Antioch was pleased with Ivita’s reply.

He began to smile. "Lord Ivita, today we finally meet in person, though it seems there has been a shift in our statuses," he said.

"Indeed, you are a fine individual. To perform exceptional deeds with a grateful heart—admirable."

He tilted slightly, making a gesture of invitation. "I am the Pope’s envoy, please ascend the Pope’s carriage to welcome the cheers of the saint by the city’s residents," he offered.

"Accept the veneration from The Church and its followers."

Now the bells had tolled twelve times, surpassing eleven, yet they continued to ring.

Many were bewildered.

For such a protocol was beyond the ordinary.

Yet Ivita understood the reason, for he was a Spirit. In his pilgrimage to the Sacred City as a mortal, Saint Sophia Cathedral had to grant him a status befitting his divine nature.

The God of All Things is a Gods above Gods, a great being who created gods and mortals alike, predating even immortal matter with the Divine Immortal Spark.

However, even He had to give face to another Spirit.

The sacred bells chimed nineteen times before coming to a halt, three less than the Emperor’s tribute.

Those three tolls made Ivita sigh inwardly, surmising that those final three represented the three most important virtues in the creation of all things by the God of All Things.

If he could have heard them, he could have deduced and acquired at least a thousand World Truth Characters Runes, greatly enhancing himself.

Alas, he was not the Emperor of the Holy Empire, unable to have Saint Sophia Cathedral ring twenty-two times for him.

Ivita declined General Antioch’s kind offer, "I will enter the Sacred City on foot. No matter how powerful or wealthy, one must remain humble in the presence of the God of All Things, not daring to overstep even slightly."

Ivita continued to greatly boost his popularity and political prestige with the people of the Sacred City, his voice loud and clear, heard by all those around him.

After a minute of silence, an exuberant cheer erupted from the crowd.

"Humble Ivita, you are the rightful King, you may even be the rightful Emperor."

"Only with your protection can the followers of the God of All Things feel secure," they shouted.

General Antioch looked at Ivita with even greater admiration, not caring whether Ivita’s humility was feigned or not, for it is said to judge by actions, not intentions, for intentions are flawed in all.

Ivita turned to General Antioch. "Lord Antioch, please lead me to His Holiness the Pope. I wish to speak with him about Alsace and the Empire using the Black Death to attack the devout followers of the God of All Things—my nation. If they cannot be punished, then where is justice in this world?" he said.

His words gained the support and agreement of the pilgrims who followed him and the commoners of the Sacred City.

If even a hero like Ivita could not obtain justice, then how could they?

General Antioch gave a wry smile, thinking, Pope Innocent II, Your Majesty now truly has a worthy opponent.

Just let the two of you deal with it yourselves.

As if not having heard Ivita’s words, General Antioch smiled and said, "The Pope is very eager to meet you. Please come with me."

...

Sitting upon the papal throne within the Sacred City, Pope Innocent II looked down at the high-ranking clergy, minor Monarchs, and fostered heirs—princes and princesses from great nations who, having lost their parents to misfortune, sought his aid. Leveraging these fostered children, Pope Innocent II had secured the most potent papal authority in history.

Hearing the number of bells tolling, he looked down at the people with varying and obscure thoughts in their eyes and said with a smile, "So that’s how it is."

"Lord Ivita has become a Spirit. What an honor! This is probably the grandest ceremony the church has held in decades. Today, I am truly happy."