Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 30 The Way of the Gospel (Part 1)

"On the other hand, there is a shortage of personnel. The disaster on the Northern Holy See train caused us to lose forty-eight outstanding knights, three respected priests, and many clergy."

At this point, Siron bowed his head, made the sign of the cross on his chest, and whispered "Amen," and everyone followed suit, bowing their heads in prayer.

After the mourning period, Xiren continued, "For an organization to grow, it ultimately needs people. Without people, no amount of wealth or power can manage it. If people are still around, it can be rebuilt anywhere."

"Since you are all here listening to my rambling, it means you are now core members of the church. As is customary, I will confer holy orders upon you," Siron said with a smile.

Apart from Mathilde, who was on par with Celan, everyone else present had their own thoughts. Sam looked at the others with a blank expression, Aldridge seemed indifferent, Kyle and Fafnir were a little excited, while Logan still had a deadpan expression.

“Kyle, Logan,” Siren said.

"Here!" Kyle shouted excitedly.

He has emerged from the grief of losing his brother, but I've heard that he's been arguing or chatting intensely with someone lately, clutching the cross that Siron gave him.

"You two were originally my guards and those who accompanied me across the snowy plains. Now I bestow upon you the holy office of sixth-rank deacons, which allows you to wear white robes. At the same time, Kyle will concurrently serve as the captain of the personal guard, and Logan will concurrently serve as the captain of the Holy Light Knights."

Are you willing to be called to accept this holy office?

The two immediately knelt before Xilun: "I do."

"Are you willing to faithfully fulfill the duties of this sacred office with a pure conscience, and to build up this church with God's Word and sacraments?"

"I am willing."

Are you willing to devote yourself to prayer and Bible reading, to do your best in fighting and protecting, and to strive to obey and practice God's word?

"I am willing."

Xiren closed his eyes and placed his hands on their shoulders.

"In that case, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I, Siron Delrant, Bishop of the Cathedral of St. Lucia Winter, Diocese of Spesse, in the presence of all the saints and the Father, hereby confer upon you the ordination."

The light shone on them, and Xilun closed his eyes slightly.

The military offices within the Church are rather chaotic, with no clear hierarchical divisions. Generally, they only have the real power to "command a certain number of troops" without the title of clergy. Only the most outstanding among them will concurrently hold a formal clergy position.

Kyle and Logan, who were just low-ranking soldiers in a certain bishop's guard, have now become sixth-rank deacons, one in charge of the bishop's personal guard and the other in charge of the church's armed forces. This is a meteoric rise.

The current church uses a seven-rank system of clergy, which includes the Pope (rank 1), Cardinals (rank 2), Archbishops (rank 3), Bishops (rank 4), Priests (rank 5), Deacons (rank 6), and Aldermen (rank 7). This is quite different from what Xilun remembered before his time travel; it is more like a variant of the early medieval system of authority.

The seventh rank of altar priests includes many minor positions, such as doorkeeper, exorcist, plague exorcist, chancellor, and messenger, collectively known as the "lower rank of clergy." In many small churches, one is granted these positions by performing voluntary service for a period of time.

As the name suggests, the Royal Guard is generally established only by bishops and other clergy members to protect their own safety.

The Holy Knights are generally the armed forces of the archbishop. In theory, Xilun has no right to establish one, but since it's the end of the world anyway, no one cares whether it's in accordance with the rules or not.

“I can’t customize your clothes, but St. Curi has some deacon uniforms, which I’ll prepare for you later,” Siren said. The two men happily withdrew, and then Siren’s gaze fell on Sam.

“Sam,” he said.

The carpenter, who only had one leg, sat in a chair and said with a bitter face, "Your Excellency, I think I'll pass. Although I also want to be ordained, so I can show off my status, look at me—I'm illiterate, I grew up in the fields, I'm old, and I've lost my leg. I'm really embarrassed to take on the ordination."

“I have no intention of appointing you to a priesthood,” Siren said with a smile.

“Then…” A look of shame and disappointment appeared on Sam’s face.

Although the simple and honest man verbally refused, he still longed to be granted a holy office by the bishop.

“I plan to establish an ‘Evangelical Society,’ a non-governmental organization. The initial members will be you and four other women who clean the church.”

"Ah I……"

“Your task is simple: if someone has a problem at home, such as broken furniture, you go and fix it for them without asking for payment, and then give them a copy of the Bible. Also, organize Bible reading activities in the community during holidays or when you have free time.”

"Oh?" Mathilde's eyes suddenly lit up, and she leaned closer. "This is very interesting!"

Siren looked somewhat surprised and asked, "You're interested in this?"

“Yes.” Mathilde nodded repeatedly. “I’ve always felt that there is a strong force in the community. I’ve seen them unite and help each other in the working community, providing assistance free of charge, and even helping to raise children and organize education. They often organize football games, and they cooperate very well, fighting like soldiers on the field. But the big shots who are high and mighty never see these things, nor can they get involved.”

Xilun stared at the girl in shock, momentarily thinking she had traveled from another time.

But upon reflection, I felt relieved. After all, in another world, great people discovered this power around the same time and provided it with a framework.

Moreover, she almost revealed all her future plans at once—God Father, he originally just wanted to set up a reading group and didn't intend to mention a militarized organization!
“Well, that’s a good idea, but we need to take it one step at a time,” Siren said, looking at Mathilde expectantly. “Would you like to lend a hand?”

The abbot is theoretically on par with the bishop, although he has far less real power. He is not under the jurisdiction of the church, and his running around with Xilun is entirely out of respect for him, perhaps because they have trekked together in the snowfields—Xilun thought to himself.

“Okay!” Mathilde nodded repeatedly. “What do you need me to do?”

She was so straightforward that Siron felt a little embarrassed and asked, "What about your monastery?"

Mathilde shook her head: "Speyside was never finished. The monastery was only laid down, it was never built. And I was the only person in the entire monastery."

Siren quickly offered words of comfort, but Mathilde seemed completely unconcerned: "It doesn't matter. It's too much trouble to rebuild now, and it would make the workers work on the ground in the snow. Just treat me as an idle person."

“In that case… how about you take charge of managing the gospel? They really need someone with sufficient status and grammatical ability.” Siren said, scratching his head. “I’ll give you the operating funds, you’re in charge of using them, and then teach them to read and write and read the scriptures. If any members encounter problems, you can try to solve them, and if you can’t, come to me. How about that?”

　Thank you to Qinghe Jiufang, Dingdangmao Wuyu, BT Wujixian, Mozong-AK, Houtian Dashu, QiVqi, Changxiao Tianjun, uyluikuy, Bukui Wowo, Daoejun, iMaomao Yu, Wu*wei, Yishuihan-Tianxia, ​​Shuifengle, Haoyunlaiyahaoyunlai, aXiangrikui, and Weiwei Damowang for their generous donations.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)