Visit (2)
The Pantheon headquarters that I see for the first time since I came to assassinate the secretary.
Located on the outskirts of San Francisco, it was created in what was once a large forest.
This was something that could not be helped as priests worshiping gods from various dimensions and with various tendencies gathered together.
The conditions each of them needed were very different.
Isn’t it impossible for an environment that worships the opposite god of fire and an environment that worships the god of water to coexist?
They could not afford the area they were requesting inside the city, where land was expensive.
However, just because it was built in what used to be a forest, and because Pantheon was founded less than twenty years ago, does not mean it lacks infrastructure.
No, on the contrary, the surrounding area was showing such prosperity that it was hard to believe that it had only been built so recently.
‘In fact, it’s safe to say it’s a small city. ‘Because not only believers of each denomination but also those who wanted to benefit from divine power flocked here, and residences and commercial districts were created around it.’
It was a refreshing feeling to encounter that unique scene again.
However, there is something else that I am most concerned about right now…
“The security… is very strict, isn’t it?”
The level of security was so enormous that one wondered if this was indeed a place where priests gathered.
‘Wasn’t it like this the last time I came?’
Heinrich, who was looking outside through the car window, glanced around.
The number of crime prevention barriers that have passed so far is already more than a dozen.
It is at a level so high that even the transcendent cannot easily see it.
‘We haven’t even entered the headquarters yet.’
Since the outlying branch was open to outsiders, it was already well-protected.
Wasn’t that why they attempted to assassinate the target when he had completely left the area in the first place?
“Hmm, Brother Heinrich, who is from another world, may not know… In fact, there was a big change at headquarters recently. “I was staying in Korea, so this is my first time seeing it in person.”
Priest Jason sighed deeply and slowly opened his mouth.
The story he soon brought up was the sad news that one of the 12 Committee members, the representative of the Pantheon operation, was attacked and disappeared by a certain ‘heinous criminal group’.
“···I heard that all alert levels have been greatly improved since then. “It’s like closing the stable door only after the horse runs away, but doing so will prevent further damage.”
“Ah, I think I heard about it while working in Korea.”
“Because it was such a noisy incident. “After that incident, not only our Pantheon but also other organizations have strengthened their guard even more.”
Priest Jason sighs, as if he is in pain just talking about it, and says that he was also close to the missing priest.
Heinrich offered a prayer expressing condolences for the victims with a sad expression.
‘aha! ‘It was because of me?’
Even in the midst of such shameless behavior, I feel fortunate that my true feelings were not revealed thanks to “Persona.”
“Priest Jason? It’s been a while. In that case, the person riding with you…”
“ah! I was contacted in advance. Please come in quickly.”
Heinrich’s car went through several inspections and headed straight to the central area, where only priests could enter.
Along the way, I was able to encounter many awakened people with various abilities in addition to priests. One thing that was unusual was that most of them were dressed in unique outfits.
“America is the land of the free. Unlike Korea, more free hero activities are tolerated. Of course, that also comes with some responsibility.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Heinrich slowly turned his head and looked beyond the checkpoint moving away.
Starting with a giant wearing a green full-body jjoljjolgi, showing off his muscular body, to a female warrior wearing bikini armor that would seem to have extremely high defense if it were a game.
‘It’s the land of freedom…’
Certainly, compared to Korea, the degree of freedom of the awakened was higher.
The influence of the awakened people was much stronger, which had a great influence on not only the Pantheon but also the headquarters of the World Returnees Association being located in the United States.
‘The problem is that it has naturally become an environment where it is easy for criminals with special abilities to thrive.’
The person who emerged there was the so-called ‘hero’.
As a country where the privatization of firearms is allowed, the country has actively adopted a plan to maintain public order by issuing licenses for vigilante activities, beyond using supernatural abilities to protect oneself.
‘Did you say that excessive suppression, including murder, is a factor in deducting points from license issuance and renewal?’
The horse was no different from a bounty hunter in that he was paid based on his performance as a hero, but such a gimmick was very well received by American citizens who were passionate about heroes.
After becoming famous, it is not uncommon for people to release character products or enter the entertainment industry themselves.
In fact, it was almost like a combination with the entertainment industry.
“Im here. “This is the steering committee that decides the major affairs of the Pantheon, the religious union of another world.”
As if to break Heinrich’s thoughts, the vehicle that was moving forward smoothly stopped.
He then got out of the car following Jason Priest and looked at the building in front of him in surprise.
Unlike the temples with unique appearances that I had seen in passing so far, this building had an extremely ordinary appearance.
“This is kind of like neutral territory. “I heard that it was built in such a dull way that many people are reluctant to use a specific religious tone for no reason.”
Just hearing those words already made me feel tired.
Well, it can’t be easy to combine so many religions into one.
He himself was a priest who followed God, so he knew it very well.
Just by using divine power, you become imbued with God’s tendencies and become self-righteous, and then it becomes difficult to tolerate other methods.
“what? Are you Jason? “I thought he had finally died because I hadn’t seen him for a while, but he was alive.”
As if to immediately prove that fact.
They were just about to enter the Steering Committee building when an unfamiliar voice stopped them.
With a tongue-clicking sound filled with annoyance, which is not very favorable to anyone who hears it.
“···Wilter.”
Priest Jason looked back at him with a stern face.
Contrary to his clean-cut appearance, his clothes were loose, his hair was matted, and even the faint smell of alcohol was wafting out.
A person who would have been seen as nothing more than a libertine if it were not for his extremely trained body and brilliant eyes visible through the hem of his clothes, was approaching where they were with great strides.
‘Is the author also from a Holy Knight? Come to think of it, Jason was also a paladin.’
Heinrich watched with excited eyes as Jason engaged in a war of nerves with a man named Walter who had just approached him.
The skills of the two people he estimated were close.
Moreover, the gods they served seemed to have opposite tendencies, so it was not surprising that they had such a snarky relationship.
‘This kind of friction is not something I, an outsider, should take part in.’
He was definitely the one who came by invitation.
Taking sides just because of friendship could only make the problem worse.
As has been the case so far, this time too, they should resolve it among themselves.
“Pahat! So… I guess this is the person who calls himself a saint?”
—I was thinking that.
An arrow flew this way out of nowhere.
“It’s definitely amazing. I’m not sure if it’s necessary to make such a fuss and bring it out. Well, it was a mission that suited you well. “Running an errand to a small country you’ve never heard of.”
“…I am a guest representing the entire Pantheon, Walter. “Be polite.”
“entire? Who will you represent? At least I… have never acknowledged our Quilladian denomination?”
“Wilter.”
A man who openly laughs as if he was determined to start a fight from the beginning.
I knew it from the beginning.
Not all priests have good personalities.
Not only were the gods themselves sometimes violent, but even if they served the same god, not all of them had the same personality.
It is common for humans to show a dual nature, being cruel to others but gentle to their children, but what is even worse in the case of gods, who are at a much higher level than that?
“You’re doing a good job called volunteering, right? It looks like you’ve trained yourself quite a bit. Did you want to imitate a paladin? Foot, now that I think about it, I heard that his nickname was White Knight.”
“Wilter, this is your final warning.”
Since it was his first official visit, he came dressed in the robes of the main religious order, and because of that, he seemed to have mistakenly thought that he was from a pure priesthood.
Even so, I had no idea they would start a fight so openly.
And that too to someone who clearly possesses stronger divine power than himself.
‘No matter how deep your faith is, you’re still a believer of another god, right?’
Because it was such a unique experience, I wasn’t even angry.
In other words, he could be seen as a superior belonging to a completely different unit.
No, in some ways, it could be said to be worse than that.
This was a case of a different ‘dimension’ beyond just belonging to a different country.
“Looking at the video, it looks like he had a pretty great body. Tsk, were they all armor suckers?”
…But his relaxed attitude ended there.
Perhaps because he was annoyed at himself for not responding to criticism, he ended up crossing the line.
“I said it was my last warning. It’s a duel, Walter. “I want you to definitely change your habits today…”
“…Wait a minute, Priest Jason. Please wait a moment.”
“Brother…?”
He stopped Jason, who stepped forward with a stern face, and slowly took a breath.
I couldn’t just ignore what I said just now and move on.
Because that was Heinrich’s betrayal.
Heinrich glanced down at his arm.
Next, I looked at the chest, abdomen, and legs.
And no matter where I looked, I noticed again that the volume had significantly decreased compared to before, and I gently closed my eyes.
‘I never would have thought that an angel would have this side effect.’
angel.
A messenger who conveys God’s will.
The change that occurred to me now was a kind of racial characteristic.
Since becoming an angel, it has progressed slowly but steadily.
Of course, only the size decreased, but the physical ability did not decrease.
The force that can be produced per unit area has increased due to extreme compression, and the shape of the muscles has also changed to an ideal shape, so it can be seen as an evolution.
But this was never what he wanted.
‘Muscle loss! Muscle loss! ‘My wonderful muscles that I worked hard to build and maintain!’
In a way, Heinrich’s attachment to muscles was natural.
Unlike Harley, who could freely control his body and mold it as he wanted, weren’t Heinrich’s muscles the result of his own creation from start to finish?
‘How long have I had!’
—Thanks to the divine power doping, it didn’t take that long.
‘The result of all the hard work!’
—Thanks to “Mind Herb,” it wasn’t painful or boring.
‘It’s unfair to lose it like this… ‘Are you making fun of it?’
—That is absolutely true!
How much trouble did you have to bulk up again after that?
However, this damned racial trait did not allow his body to return to its previous state.
But what that person named Walter said now was a denial of all the efforts he had made so far…
“You said it was a duel. “Can I do that myself?”
“···Of course it is possible.”
“Are there any necessary procedures?”
“Even after all this, we are all people who serve God. “There is no need for any procedures other than pledging to compete fairly in the name of God and accept the results.”
“That’s good.”
Indeed, it was refreshing and I liked it.
Perhaps this is the secret to Pantheon’s ability to maintain its reputation over such a long period of time.
Of course, for that to happen, it was necessary to make the other person accept it obediently.
“under! A duel. Do you think I would accept that? “Whether I win or lose, it’s a loss, so why me?”
Even if the opponent’s sacred power was higher than his own, it was a great humiliation in itself for a saint warrior in a combat profession to duel with a healing priest in a non-combat profession.
For the Holy Fighters of Quilladia, priests were something to protect, not something to fight and defeat.
And Heinrich, a paladin, knew how to definitely provoke his opponent in times like this.
“Hmm, it looks like you were scared. Well, I understand. I need you to understand. But the Quilladia Church seems to have very broad doctrines?”
“under?”
A provocation in the name of someone who represents the religious power must never be tolerated.
Walter, who frowned without even thinking that he had started the argument, let out a laugh.
And then—.
——!
He stretched out his hand like lightning towards Heinrich’s face.
Of course, I really had no intention of hitting it.
I just wanted to show this fearless self-proclaimed saint the power of a true saint and the fear of a warrior who has reached the end of mastery.
That’s why…
Poop—!
He couldn’t help but stiffen his face as he felt the blow from his fingertips.
‘what?’
For the first time since coming here, he was embarrassed.
Again, I was planning on stopping right in front of the nose, but I didn’t really intend to hit it.
‘I failed to control distance?’
No, that can’t be true.
As always, his senses were perfect.
Then the other person is deceiving his/her senses… No, it can’t be that?
His mind suddenly became dizzy due to the sudden situation.
‘Damn, this wasn’t in the calculations.’
This was on a completely different level from the arguments we’ve had so far.
Even though the duel hadn’t even started properly, didn’t he suddenly end up making the save in the face of a guest who came to the Pantheon?
Looking at the semi-resilience felt in his hands, it didn’t seem like he had suffered much damage thanks to the divine power, but what was important now was the fact that he used his hands first.
‘···For now, I will step down from my position. We need to re-establish measures. Damn it, it looks completely broken.’
The Pantheon is a collection of numerous religious denominations.
Naturally, there were various factions made up of people with similar tendencies and doctrines, and those belonging to the 12th Committee were no exception.
Some time has passed since Adeline Schneider, who was a member of Committee 12, disappeared, so the election of the next member will be held soon.
If you want to fill that seat with someone from your own faction, you need to lay the groundwork now…
So he was embarrassed and couldn’t think deeply.
What tricks did the other person use to shake your sense of distance?
And before long, there was no time to even think about it.
Kwaaang—!
“Wow!”
Because the sudden physical shock shook my head.
I was momentarily dazed by a blow that went beyond recognition.
“You hit first. “So this is self-defense?”
Beyond the accident that is slowly starting to come back.
A voice was heard vaguely.
‘how?’
One question came to mind.
He soon found out why.
“So you said you were curious why I wore armor?”
It’s not like hair that gets so stiff that it doesn’t move easily.
“From now on, I will clearly and clearly engrave the reason for you, step by step.”
Through the conversation of a still lively body.
