Holy City of Rance, the Grand Hall of Light.
With the exception of Belia the "Divine Radiance," Stone the "Four-Winged Knight," and Philibert the "Angel of Light"—all stationed at fortresses and unable to depart—every remaining member of the College of Cardinals had assembled. The oppressive aura radiating from several Legendaries was nearly tangible, filling the magnificent, resplendent hall with a stifled, frozen atmosphere.
"Your Holiness, the Arcane Council has ventured further and further into encroaching upon the domain of God. We can no longer hesitate, cower, or shrink from action—we must annihilate them completely before they truly grow powerful." Another titan of the Tribunal, Ezalo the "Guardian of Light," broke the oppressive silence, once again voicing his fervent desire to wage war upon the Arcane Council.
Pope Benedict II held his scepter and listened quietly to the request, then watched as Saer de, Cardinal of the Vaorite Diocese, rose to his feet.
"Your Holiness, the discovery of the new particle only overturns the atomic question within theology—it has absolutely no bearing on the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures. On this matter, numerous theological assemblies have in fact engaged in debate. It does not seriously affect the faithful, the rank-and-file priests, or the majority of bishops and cardinals. It merely shows that several of Your Holiness's predecessors misunderstood the doctrine. It does not diminish the glory of the Lord, nor Your Holiness's dignity."
Saer de was as still as a pool of water—seemingly clear yet unfathomably deep. His voice was even and unhurried, carrying the gentle feel of a spring breeze.
"Your Holiness, Saer de speaks with great reason. Ever since several of Your Holiness's predecessors began reforming theology, have we not always adjusted and revised it based on the fruits of the Arcane Council's exploration of the world? This sort of thing has happened many times before, and the vast majority of clergy have grown accustomed to our gradual drawing closer to the Lord. Why must we, this time, rush headlong into a full-scale war without any preparation—simply because of the damage wrought by the radical traditionalists within our own ranks?" Another cardinal, Estira the "Angel of Wind," quickly followed Saer de with her own opinion.
Many of the cardinals secretly cursed in their hearts at the words of those two: old foxes!
Indeed, successive popes had been continuously adjusting and reforming theology based on the latest arcane theories. Disruptive discoveries like the new particle had cropped up every few decades over the past two or three centuries, and the impact had never been particularly severe. They should have been long accustomed to it—there was no need to wage a great war over it, only to let other enemies who were watching covetously seize the opportunity to strike.
Yet it was precisely this repeated reforming of theology that had caused the Pope's prestige among the clergy to gradually decline!
The discovery of the new particle did nothing to diminish the glory of God, but it dealt a devastating blow to the Pope's image. Was he not supposed to be the sole representative of God on earth? Was he not supposed to be able to commune with the Lord and convey His will? Then why did he keep getting the doctrine wrong, time and time again?
Facing Saer de and Estira's barefaced lies, many cardinals lowered their heads without rebuttal. No one who stood in the Grand Hall of Light was any stupider than anyone else—what one said depended entirely on what position one held and what one wanted to achieve, not on what was actually true.
The weakening of the Pope's sacred and majestic image—who benefited the most from it? Undoubtedly, the members of the College of Cardinals! Just like with the Northern Church!
However, there were also many cardinals who stood on the Pope's side, and they one after another rose to declare that the reason they had not launched a full-scale war before was because their focus had been on the Northern Church, which had allowed the Arcane Council's strength to swell. They could not repeat the mistakes of the past.
When the dispute reached its peak, the Pope raised his scepter and declared with majestic authority: "The matter has already come to pass. What we need to do now is adjust the theological content as swiftly as possible, so that the vast majority of clergy will not be troubled by it. At the same time, we shall intensify pressure upon the Arcane Council, redirect our focus, and when the opportune moment arrives, deliver them a crushing blow."
Neither recklessly plunging into war nor simply swallowing the insult, the Pope struck a compromise between both sides. This, however, surprised his supporters considerably. In the history of the Church, wars truly fought to defend the glory of the Lord were actually quite rare—wars of conquest waged by popes to preserve their own authority, on the other hand, were commonplace, such as the centuries-long Northern-Southern Church War. His Holiness Benedict II had actually shown such restraint?
After announcing his decision, a faint smile hung at the corner of the Pope's lips as he cast a deep, meaningful glance at Saer de and Estira.
"Your Holiness, until the right opportunity arises, we cannot simply do nothing. That would make it impossible for the devout faithful to feel that we are defending the glory of the Lord. I propose that we identify the discoverer of the new particle as quickly as possible, place him on the purification list, and deliver purification through destruction." Ezalo the "Guardian of Light" made his suggestion.
Pope Benedict II nodded lightly. "Leave this matter to Philibert and the others."
Saer de, whose eyes had narrowed slightly from that earlier glance from the Pope, stood up once more. "Your Holiness, we must pay attention to the state of the clergy in the Holm Kingdom. The appearance of a radical traditionalist like Andrade is by no means coincidental—it thoroughly demonstrates that similar currents of thought have already emerged within the clergy of the Holm diocese. If we do not address it promptly, the consequences could be severe."
"Leave this to Valenshir and Bahaula to handle. They are both members of the College of Cardinals—devout in faith and capable of dealing with it." Benedict II was so calm that one might suspect he would never experience emotions like anger or anxiety.
Valenshir was one of the leaders of the ascetic monks, the embodiment of the most devout faith. Bahaula was a titan of the Tribunal, bearing the title "the Adjudicator." Both were natural choices for handling such matters—even if they were not currently in the Holm diocese, they would be reassigned there.
………
Holm Kingdom, the Cathedral of Radiance.
Philibert received the orders from the Holy City of Rance and the revised theological content.
"The section on atomic sanctity has been removed, and in its place, content has been added about how the Lord created many fundamental particles to constitute the world. It emphasizes that the Lord is the First Cause, the Prime Mover—having created the world, humanity, and all things, He does not directly influence the world's operation, but rather guides its development and purges evil through miracles and judgment." Philibert read the once-again revised theology to the three Cardinals—Bahaula, Valenshir, and Stone—in a calm tone.
Valenshir maintained the grief-worn expression of an ascetic monk. "Has the glory of the Lord been degraded to such a degree?"