Chapter 12: Chapter 12 - The Church of Eternal Light

Chapter 12 — The Church of Eternal Light

Rain continued through the night.

Cold water struck the rooftops of Erald while thunder echoed faintly beyond the mountains.

Inside the meeting hall, nobody felt relaxed anymore.

The excitement from my "miracle" had faded.

Now only tension remained.

Because everyone understood the same thing.

Something had changed.

Not just inside Erald.

Not just for me.

Something larger had started moving.

And somewhere beyond this tiny village...

other gods were beginning to notice.

Dorian stood near the window watching the rain silently.

Elena remained beside me with crossed arms, deep in thought.

Chief Rowan looked exhausted.

Honestly?

Same.

I leaned back in my chair while staring at my phone screen.

29% battery.

The most terrifying number in my life currently.

Still, the charging experiment earlier kept replaying inside my mind.

Faith coins as energy sources. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Technology reacting with divine authority.

The possibilities felt endless.

And that scared me almost as much as the gods did.

Dorian finally broke the silence.

"You should leave soon."

Chief Rowan immediately looked alarmed.

"Leave?!"

The merchant nodded calmly.

"The longer a newly awakened god remains stationary, the easier they are to locate."

Makes sense.

Patterns create targets.

Elena frowned slightly.

"He still lacks a stable foundation."

"Then he needs one quickly," Dorian replied.

The two stared at each other for several seconds.

Interesting.

They argued differently than normal people.

Very controlled.

Like experienced players moving pieces across a board.

I sighed softly.

"You’re both talking like I’m already involved in some divine war."

Silence.

That silence answered enough.

Wonderful.

Dorian turned toward me.

"You already are."

The rain outside intensified.

Thunder echoed again.

The merchant walked back toward the table slowly.

"Major churches maintain balance through influence and faith distribution."

I blinked.

"...Faith distribution?"

Elena answered quietly.

"Large divine factions regulate smaller territories."

Oh.

That sounded suspiciously close to monopolies.

Dorian nodded.

"A powerful church prefers stability."

Of course they do.

Stable believers equal stable power.

Simple economics.

The merchant continued calmly.

"A new god appearing outside official systems threatens that balance."

I rubbed my forehead tiredly.

"So basically..."

I looked toward them.

"...I’m an unlicensed religion."

Dorian stared blankly.

Elena looked confused.

Right.

Wrong world for that joke.

Still, Dorian surprisingly smiled slightly afterward.

"In a sense... yes."

Honestly?

That made the situation sound way funnier than it actually was.

The hall doors suddenly opened.

One of the hunters rushed inside breathing heavily.

"Chief Rowan!"

Everyone immediately became alert.

The hunter swallowed nervously.

"Riders are approaching the village."

Dorian’s expression darkened instantly.

"How many?"

"Six."

Elena stepped forward sharply.

"What banners?"

The hunter hesitated.

Then answered quietly—

"White sun insignia."

The atmosphere froze.

Dorian cursed under his breath softly.

Interesting.

First emotional reaction from him so far.

Chief Rowan looked pale.

"The Church of Eternal Light..."

Ah.

One of the major factions earlier.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful timing.

Elena immediately looked toward me.

"You need to hide."

I blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Dorian nodded seriously.

"She’s right."

Wait.

Hold on.

I accidentally became a god like three days ago and now major churches are already hunting me?

This world moved way too fast.

The hunter continued nervously—

"They’ll arrive within minutes."

Chief Rowan looked panicked.

"What do we do?!"

Dorian’s mind clearly accelerated instantly.

"Do they know about Kaiser specifically?"

The hunter shook his head.

"No idea."

The merchant relaxed slightly.

"Good."

Elena frowned.

"That doesn’t mean they aren’t investigating."

Dorian nodded.

"True."

He looked toward me carefully.

"The Church of Eternal Light specializes in divine orthodoxy."

That sounded unpleasant already.

"What does that mean exactly?"

Elena answered quietly.

"They believe divine authority should remain controlled and structured."

Translation: They definitely would not enjoy my existence.

Fantastic.

The saintess stepped closer to me.

"They tolerate lesser gods only when those gods remain obedient."

Ah.

Religious politics.

Of course.

Dorian crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"If they discover a new authority emerged independently..."

He didn’t finish.

Didn’t need to.

Honestly, I was starting to miss normal Earth problems.

Taxes.

Traffic.

Internet arguments.

Not divine factions potentially deciding whether I deserved existence.

The hunters outside suddenly became noisy.

Hooves echoed through the village streets.

The riders had arrived.

Dorian moved toward the window carefully.

I followed beside him.

Six armored riders entered Erald through the rain.

White cloaks.

Silver armor.

Sun-shaped symbols glowing faintly on their chests.

Unlike normal soldiers, spiritual energy radiated around them visibly.

Holy knights.

Or something close.

The villagers quickly moved aside nervously.

Fear spread through the streets immediately.

The lead rider removed his hood slowly.

A man around his thirties.

Sharp face.

Golden eyes.

Not natural.

Divine blessing.

Definitely.

The moment he entered the village—

the atmosphere changed.

Heavy divine pressure spread outward.

Not overwhelming like Seraphine.

But disciplined.

Controlled.

Military-like.

The man calmly observed the village.

Then his gaze stopped.

On the small shrine children built for me.

Ah.

Problem detected.

The knight narrowed his eyes slightly.

Dorian muttered quietly—

"That’s Commander Lucien."

Even Elena’s expression hardened.

Apparently important.

Commander Lucien slowly climbed down from his horse.

Rain slid across his white armor while spiritual light flickered around him softly.

The villagers lowered their heads nervously.

Lucien’s gaze moved across the crowd calmly.

Professional.

Cold.

Then he spoke.

"We sensed unusual divine activity in this region."

His voice carried effortlessly through the rain.

No shouting needed.

Authority alone handled it.

Chief Rowan stepped outside carefully.

"Welcome to Erald, commander."

Lucien looked toward him briefly.

"You are the village chief?"

"Yes."

The commander’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Has a divine manifestation occurred here recently?"

Straight attack.

No wasting time.

Dorian quietly stepped away from the window.

"They already sensed the energy fluctuation."

Elena looked toward me immediately.

"You cannot reveal yourself."

I frowned.

"Running makes me look guilty."

"Because you are suspicious," she replied instantly.

Rude.

Again accurate.

But still rude.

Outside, Lucien continued questioning Rowan.

"Reports mention purification miracles."

The villagers became uneasy.

Ah.

Rumors spread incredibly fast here.

Chief Rowan hesitated.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous hesitation.

Lucien noticed immediately.

His golden eyes sharpened.

"You’re hiding something."

The divine pressure around him increased slightly.

Villagers stepped backward nervously.

Interesting.

So major churches used intimidation naturally.

Classic authoritarian structure.

Dorian glanced toward me carefully.

"If this escalates, the commander may inspect everyone personally."

That sounded extremely unhealthy for me.

Because unlike villagers...

trained divine authorities might instantly recognize how abnormal my existence was.

My blue divine core pulsed uneasily again.

Like instinct warning me.

Danger.

Real danger.

Elena suddenly grabbed my wrist softly.

"This way."

Before I could answer, she pulled me toward a side hallway quickly.

Her hand felt warm.

Dangerously distracting timing honestly.

We moved through narrow shrine corridors while voices echoed outside.

Elena finally stopped inside a small candlelit chamber.

"What exactly is the Church of Eternal Light?" I asked quietly.

Elena closed the door carefully first.

Then answered softly—

"They believe gods should guide humanity through order."

"Sounds reasonable."

"It would be."

Her blue eyes darkened slightly.

"If they didn’t eliminate everything unpredictable."

Ah.

There it is.

The real issue.

I leaned against the wall thoughtfully.

"They kill new gods?"

"Sometimes."

Well.

That’s concerning.

Elena stepped closer quietly.

"Most independent divine authorities either join larger churches..."

She hesitated slightly.

"...or disappear."

The room became silent.

Rain echoed softly outside.

I studied her expression carefully.

"You’re worried."

Elena looked away briefly.

"Obviously."

Interesting.

Not suspicion this time.

Genuine concern.

Very dangerous for my emotional stability.

I smiled faintly.

"You know, where I come from, people usually buy flowers before worrying this much."

She blinked.

"...What?"

Right.

Wrong world again.

Still, Elena unexpectedly laughed softly.

A quiet laugh.

Warm.

Human.

And suddenly the tension in the room weakened slightly.

God, that sound was unfairly beautiful.

Elena noticed me staring.

Her expression shifted awkwardly.

Then footsteps echoed outside suddenly.

Both of us froze.

Voices approached the corridor.

One belonged to Dorian.

The other—

cold.

Controlled.

Commander Lucien.

Ah.

Fantastic.

Dorian spoke calmly outside.

"The village experienced minor spiritual instability. Nothing more."

Lucien’s voice answered immediately.

"A purification miracle is not ’minor instability.’"

Sharp man.

Very sharp.

Their footsteps stopped directly outside the chamber.

Oh no.

Elena immediately grabbed my sleeve and pulled me backward into deeper shadows.

Closer than necessary honestly.

Very close.

I could feel her breathing now.

This was definitely not helping concentration.

The chamber door slowly opened.

Light from the hallway entered the room.

Lucien stepped inside calmly.

Golden eyes scanning everything carefully.

Dorian followed behind him.

The commander’s spiritual presence filled the chamber instantly.

Heavy.

Disciplined.

Dangerous.

My divine core reacted violently beneath my chest.

No.

Stay calm.

Don’t react.

Lucien slowly walked deeper into the room.

Closer.

Closer.

Then suddenly—

his golden eyes narrowed.

Directly toward our hiding place.

Ah.

He sensed something.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.