"But many times, we are caught in zeal and blindness, and fail to realize this."

He sighed, his orange eyes dimming, and his withering yellow hair losing its luster even more.

"Though you haven't been part of the Church for long, it seems you've studied earnestly. You should then know about the war led by the former Saintess, right?"

The former... Oh, right, the Divine Knowledge Saintess has already resigned from her position.

The Hero snapped back to reality and nodded.

What the Bishop referred to was, of course, the 15-year-long Holy War against demons.

"In that war, our sect was arguably the most zealous participant."

"At the time, the Evil-breaking Bishop followed under the banner of the Divine Knowledge Saintess, serving as the most powerful vanguard, wielding this broken sword, and striking down countless strong evils. The sword, once grown, shone more brightly than the midday Sun."

"But it was precisely this radiance that blinded their... our minds." The Evil-breaking Bishop sighed softly.

"Miss Hero, in the texts you've read, there should be records of the events that happened toward the end of the Holy War, right?"

At these words, the Hero's pupils shook, and she quickly recalled what she had read, then spoke slowly and gravely.

"...Although it's not described in detail, it mentions — it was persecution against the demons."

"Yes."

The Evil-breaking Bishop raised his head and closed his eyes.

"We raised the banner of slaying evil, using this sword to kill innocent people, offering fervent and bloody prayers to it."

"When it became apparent that an irreparable mistake had been made, the Divine Knowledge Saintess ordered a ceasefire. But by then, the broken sword had been dyed red with indelible blood rust."

"After the Holy War ended, the broken sword gradually shattered, and now nearly half of it has broken off."

"Our church utterly declined because of this, some people's faith crumbled, others left in disappointment, and the previous Bishop..."

[Fate of the former Evil-breaking Bishop 7+Depravity]

D10=d10(2)=2

"After coming to realize it, he spent the remainder of his life in atonement and asceticism, but until he passed away, there was no sign of the blood rust on the broken sword being removed."

"One can judge evil and judge righteousness — a sword drawn with reason and justice can also slay evil."

"But unilaterally labeling something as evil and then exterminating it unconditionally is nothing but folly lagging behind the times."

The Evil-breaking Bishop let out a long sigh and reopened his eyes.

[Expression of the Evil-breaking Bishop]

1.5. Accepting (Acceptance)

2.6. Helpless (Refusal)

3.7. Hesitant (Recommendation)

4.8. Gentle (Persuasion)

9. Solemn (Entrustment)

10. Great Success/Extreme Failure

D10=d10(8)=8

♛: Gentle (Persuasion)

[Persuasion of the Evil-breaking Bishop (Wants Saintess Candidate -30, Double Extreme Failure +50)]

D70+50=d70(25)+50=75

The Evil-breaking Bishop and the Hero both gazed at the broken sword placed on the high altar.

Even though it still emits a holy spirit light, the mottled rust on the sword makes it look more like a piece of scrap iron. Just from the appearance, no matter who looks at it, it hardly resembles a Holy Artifact of the church.

"From a rational perspective, from the standpoint of Ritual Magic, our forging made an extremely serious mistake."

"Slaughtering the innocent is evil, therefore the Holy Artifact deemed itself as evil, and its self-shattering was inevitable. Just like a broken mirror is difficult to restore, this is not a mistake that can be reversed by subsequent patching."

"And from an emotional perspective, from the standpoint of faith, the broken sword is even less likely to shed its blood rust just because of our atonement and repentance."

"The sin of killing a person is not something that can be pardoned with the goodness of saving another. Having once destroyed our own faith, no matter how many prayers are offered, the broken sword cannot be restored to its original state."

"After all, as clerics, the only thing we cannot deceive is our own spirit. Thoughts tainted with impurities cannot possibly forge the radiance of exorcism, can they?"

The Evil-breaking Bishop shook his head, yet showed a relieved smile.

He looked at the Hero warmly, candid about his own predicament.

"With the decline of faith, the shattering of this broken sword is only a matter of time. I fear I am the last Bishop of this church."

'Tsk, tsk, tsk, a waste is a waste, full of excuses. Why not just deem all alien races outside of humankind as evil and kill them all?'

A mocking laugh echoed in the Hero's mind.

Ignoring this other self's persistent maliciousness, the Hero hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking:

"Then, haven't you thought about relying on the Saintess's power? If you could get the support of the Saintess Candidate and attract a large number of new believers, maybe it could be restored."

The Hero, who had been listening attentively to the Evil-breaking Bishop's words, had already understood the dilemma he faced.

The deterioration of faith and the loss of followers is a vicious cycle.

The fewer followers there are, the more shaken those who remain become, and as the power of prayer becomes less and less, it becomes increasingly impure, making it impossible for the Holy Artifact to have any hope of restoration, leading even more believers to leave.

"...You noticed it right away, huh? Of course, that thought has crossed my mind."

Hearing the Hero's words, the Evil-breaking Bishop was somewhat surprised for a moment, then nodded with a touch of relief.

"But during our conversation just now, I also organized my thoughts in my mind."

"Does the existence of our church really hold enough importance to risk such a promising child like you, by gambling the qualification for Saintess in an attempt to make a desperate effort?"

The Evil-breaking Bishop said earnestly.

"After all, a Holy Artifact is merely a dead object, and countless pieces of equipment forged in failure happen every day. An idea that lags behind the times, dying alongside the church, has also always occurred.

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