Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Chapter 144: A family bound by collective faith

Nelliel couldn’t help but make a strange face as she heard him.

’Just what did he experience for his attitude to change so significantly?’

It had barely been four days since he was captured and brought here, yet those words alone made it clear how devout he had become in that short amount of time.

’Was that rumor... really true?’

After today’s trial, a rumor began to spread among the believers. A rumor that after the fragment of Truth fused with him, the boy got a glimpse of the Progenitor of Life directly and that was the reason behind the strength of his faith.

She had initially dismissed those rumors as nothing more than bullshit those poor fools had invented to make sense of the situation somehow. But now... she was not too sure.

Looking at his palm, the boy muttered.

"I’ve become a priest now. I have gotten closer to the Truth." Then he turned to her and asked. "Is there a way for me to get even closer to him? Oh, could you explain how this hierarchy works? I don’t know much about it yet."

Nelliel furrowed her brow.

’He doesn’t know? Then why did he even attempt the trial?’

She sighed and opened her mouth.

"At the lowest is a believer, someone who worships the Truth. Believers are permitted to live in the underground settlement and attend events, but that is all. Above them are the priest candidates. They are like apprentice priests and have a set of tasks they have to complete, but they aren’t considered to be completely part of the cult either. After them come the priests. Priests are responsible for running the cult and organizing things. They make up the core of the cult and are responsible for making important decisions."

She paused and thought for a bit.

"There is a position above the priest too, the position of the high priest. But nobody has become the high priest in the last two generations. I don’t know the conditions one needs to fulfill to become a high priest either."

The boy tilted his head.

"What about the Prophet? What is his position in the cult?"

She blinked in confusion but soon came to a realization.

"Oh right, you don’t know. The Prophet’s significance has nothing to do with the position he holds in the cult. Technically, he is a priest, just like you. There is a different reason why he has so much authority."

She remembered finding it strange in the past. But she knew better now.

The boy asked another question.

"Why is he called the Prophet, then?"

She smiled casually.

"Because of his power. He can look into the future."

It was a power that had saved the cult several times. They might’ve long ceased to exist if not for him. So it was no wonder that the Prophet of Truth was given so much authority and was respected by everyone.

Hearing her answer, the boy paused.

She noticed a strange sharpness in his gaze. But it disappeared the next moment, making her question whether she had imagined it.

And then... they fell silent.

The boy went back to gazing at the cracks in the sky.

Nelliel opened her mouth but hesitated. The words simply weren’t coming out. But then she took a few deep breaths and voiced what she had wanted to say.

"You know, it would be good if you could try to get along with the others instead of sitting here alone like this. I know that you may not like them considering what you went through, but—"

"That’s not it." He shook his head. "I would love to get along with them, and I don’t hate anyone here. But I’ve noticed that many of the priests and priest candidates aren’t too fond of me being near them. So sitting here alone is the most I can do for them."

Nelliel couldn’t help but stare at him after hearing that.

’Maybe I was wrong about him...’

It was clear to her now that he was different from how she had expected him to be. He was very mature for his age. Probably more than even herself.

’He doesn’t need my help...’

Having realized that, she understood that coming here had been pointless.

But just as she was about to stand up and leave, he spoke to her.

"You are the first person to approach me, and it made me happy. I would like to know more about you, if possible. Things like how you came to believe in the Truth, or... your name."

Her eyes widened in realization.

’Damn! I totally forgot to introduce myself!’

From his perspective, a random stranger suddenly came and sat next to him. Then they began giving him pointless advice that he didn’t really need.

’Ugh, so embarrassing.’

Moreover, he was a priest now, and she was only a priest candidate. She was supposed to treat him with respect.

"Ahem, ahem." She pretended to clear her throat. "I am priest candidate Nelliel. Sorry if I came off rude and disrespectful before."

The boy shook his head.

"Not at all. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Then she turned to the sky and slowly opened her mouth.

"...As for how I came to believe in the Truth, it’s not much of a story. I used to live in a village at the borders of the kingdom and Feralscar. My parents had passed away when I was young, but the villagers raised me. They showed me such care that I never missed my parents. But all that changed two years ago."

She felt her eyes grow moist. Her voice also grew weak.

"A vampire attacked me when I was playing outside. The villagers killed the vampire while he was sucking my blood, and I wasn’t injured in any way. But... the attitude of the villagers had changed. They wouldn’t let me inside the village, saying that I was tainted after the vampire drank my blood. I stayed in front of the village’s fence, starving. And I really would’ve starved if Uncle Rolf—I mean, Priest Rolf—hadn’t found me and taken me in."

A wry smile appeared on her face.

"But that experience taught me a lot. I learned that no matter how strong the bond, it will crumble in due time. The only exception is the bond of blood; they are the only real family."

She sighed.

’Ah, I blabbered too much. He must be feeling sorry for me now.’

But as she turned to him, he, too, was looking at the sky. With the sun no longer present, the sky had turned dark, filled with countless stars twinkling in harmony.

He opened his mouth and spoke in a calm, even tone.

"I am not sure I agree with you there. The family I was born into wasn’t much of a family. I was never treated with ‌the love and affection that those villagers gave you. And under the same circumstances, they would’ve abandoned me just as those villagers abandoned you."

He paused.

"But seeing this place, held together by the collective faith, I couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe I could also become part of this family. Maybe I could also experience the bond that I never had."

He turned to her and looked into her eyes.

"Nelliel, I would be really happy to have a younger sister like you."

The moment those words entered her ears, she froze.

Even though he had said it with ‌an expressionless face, those words sounded so sweet.

Only now did Nelliel realize that she also wanted something like that. She didn’t want to be an older sibling whom others could depend on. Instead, she wanted someone she could depend on.

Tears suddenly rolled down her cheek as her lips stretched into a smile. She slowly opened her mouth.

"It would make me happy too... Brother..."

This was the day Nelliel came to know that behind that expressionless face hid a person who was filled with warmth.

And so, time continued to pass, flowing like a river. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months.

And just like that...

...Five years passed.