We Must Unite (2)
"The Faith of White is a faith practiced alongside the Divine Beast. Fundamentally, all of our sacred techniques are meant to synergize with our allies. So then, what is the virtue of White?"
"Harmony."
At the apprentice priests' answer, the priests of White nodded in satisfaction.
It meant they had learned well at the academy.
The apprentices had spent a short time at the Papal Palace with their senior priests, learning practical skills from the bishop.
Even as apprentices, they would be deployed in the field—there was no such thing as doing things half-heartedly.
Especially this year, the expectations were high thanks to the abundance of talented individuals.
Above all, there was the Saint.
"We might even be able to deal with the Demon King this generation."
The bishop of White smiled contentedly.
"Correct. In White, the priest does everything through their Divine Beast companion. The priest is a master who empowers their Divine Beast through the sacred technique of 'Command Word.' In a virtue that values affinity and synergy, what kind of being is a Divine Beast?"
The apprentices answered confidently, as if it were obvious.
"A friend we walk with…"
"A galbi buddy to grill and eat together."*
(*Korean BBQ ribs)
"…?!"
At someone's answer, all the priests' mouths dropped open.
Wh-what did he just say?
Galbi?
The apprentices and priests all turned toward the child who had answered, their expressions horrified.
There stood Isaac, looking utterly bored out of his mind, and beside him were a flustered Shuri and the rest of Team Blue.
The bishop of White smiled and asked again gently.
"…Prince Eshua, what did you just say?"
"Oh, my apologies. I misspoke."
"No worries, that happens. So then…"
"It's not galbi. I think it's ribeye steak."
YOU CRAZY BASTARD—!!
Shuri and the Team Blue members screamed internally.
This insane bastard! And not just anywhere—he said that in front of the priests of White?!
White.
The faith that brings forth miracles through voice.
Since priests use their voices to summon their Divine Beasts and manifest power, they essentially live their lives with those beasts.
Which means… to put it simply, they are all extreme animal lovers. When it came to anything related to Divine Beasts, they were the first to step up.
And in front of those very animal lovers…
Galbi? Ribeye steak?
He's dead meat.
Of course, Divine Beasts generally only follow those with pure hearts, so the priests of White were inherently kind.
So maybe—maybe—they would overlook Isaac's thoughtless comment…
Except the senior priests of White were literally collapsing right now??
But the bishop of White simply smiled kindly and said:
"Well, that's one way to look at it. Some Divine Beasts do resemble livestock, after all."
"...!!"
To think he accepted that answer!
That's the White faith for you.
They also pursued good like Blue, but unlike the strict, austere, and disciplined Blue, White's people were exceedingly gentle!
Yes! At least this won't hurt our evaluations. We can recover from this!
Sure enough, the bishop smiled and asked Isaac another question.
"Then what about fantastical or chimera-type Divine Beasts that don't resemble livestock?"
"They make rare leather carpets."
"HEY!!!!!"
This time, Team Blue couldn't help but yell out loud. And upon hearing that answer, the bishop smiled faintly…
Then collapsed.
Thud!
"Bishop!!"
"P-please, get up!"
The senior priests rushed over in panic to lift the bishop up.
It seemed he had barely endured the "galbi" comment… but "carpet" had done him in.
Thanks to that, the priests of White fell into collective mental breakdown.
"What's with that kid?!"
They had been quite excited upon hearing that Isaac Eshua would be training at the Papal Palace.
Normally, apprentices were split between the Papal Palace and the Imperial Palace for their training.
"For a priest, training at the Papal Palace is better—but I'd heard even the Emperor was paying attention to him, so I thought he'd go with the Imperial side."
Of course, they had no idea that the head of Blue had quietly slipped his name into the Papal Palace list in hopes he'd fail the apprenticeship.
In any case, they had personal hopes—but more than that, this was the future leader of White!
"Didn't the Cardinal of White specifically say to watch over him?"
There were even rumors that he was a Saint, so it might really be true.
But not only did he say galbi and carpet, he looked utterly bored during vocational training!
"…That kid came from Blue?"
And that's just it—Blue, of all places!
The most rigorous and morally disciplined faith, following the holy doctrines of the Crusade to the letter!
They whipped themselves like the winter sea to avoid being swallowed by demons. Truly unshakable in the face of any temptation.
…Any temptation whatsoever…
"Isaac, want some chocolate?"
"Yeah, I'll eat it."
…Any temptation…
"Isaac, when we get back to the dorms, want me to introduce you to a pretty noona? She works at a BBQ joint and she's killer."
"Nice. I'll eat (meat)."
…Any temptation!!!
"Isaac, want to play cards back at the dorm?"
"Sure. Let's bet money this time."
Good Heavens. What kind of heretic is this…!!
"Hey, this isn't even just Blue's problem anymore!!"
"Right! Greed, lust, materialism! He's trying to break the top three priestly taboos all at once!"
By that point, the priests of White were shaking their heads internally.
"That child's never going to achieve Pentagon status."
"Well, the Eshua family did ask us not to go easy on him and make sure he fails…"
Now it made sense why the Eshua family made that kind of request.
With a sigh, one of the priests raised their hand.
"Then we shall begin the Pentagon of Harmony."
"!"
The eyes of the gathered apprentice priests sharpened. Especially those of Naizer Sephet and the priests following Red—they shifted instantly.
"Blue's team will fail here for sure."
If even one of the Pentagon virtues is failed, the team is disqualified. They're sent back to the Academy for retraining and must retake the exams.
Forget executing one of the Skull King's subordinates—there wouldn't even be a chance.
What the priests of White brought forward was none other than a ballot box.
"The faith of White performs miracles through the power of voice—Command Words—and preserves its teachings through oral tradition. The power of White, passed down through songs and scripture, is nearly invincible as long as the tradition is maintained. But if the chain is broken, it all ends."
"Demons and foreign nations know this, which is why they've tried to assassinate our oral transmitters and plant spies. But ultimately, we've endured thanks to faith and cooperation among companions."
"That's why White emphasizes harmony and trust!"
They pulled out voting slips—paper with two checkboxes.
"In White, we use votes to evaluate harmony."
"!"
"If the vote is unanimous for
The apprentices stirred loudly.
"That's all we have to do?"
"Man, that's easy as hell."
At the same time, Shuri sighed.
Of course. Grandpa had once said that you could pass this just by eating snacks with your teammates and taking naps.
"There's no rule against discussing it beforehand, either."
This dumb little vote? Like taking candy from a baby—if only!
There was a catch.
"In the Pentagon, the higher your grades, the better your placement."
The five virtue evaluations are graded as follows:
[King] – Irreplaceable
[Queen] – Worthy of guarding the nation
[Bishop] – A role model
[Knight] – A reliable protector
[Citizen] – Average
[Skeleton] – Unfit for priesthood
"Skeleton" meant failure. To get a perfect Five-Star record, you needed five Kings.
This year, there was even a special reward: the honor of executing one of the Skull King's elite subordinates, the Fourteen Demonic Generals.
"We need at least four Kings minimum."
Anyway, the first virtue, Harmony, was pass/fail rather than ranked. So even if you only passed, you were awarded a King… but after that?
"The other faiths won't be so forgiving."
White might be the sort to say "Our adorable juniors are already divine by existing!", but…
"Black is eccentric and difficult. Gold and Red are once again expected to be brutal this year."
It's almost unheard of to get a King from Gold or Red. Even Shuri's genius uncle, Rilai, only got four Kings.
Getting even one Queen was considered a big deal—most people finish with Knight-level scores.
That's why everyone tried so hard to secure strong teammates for high scores.
And this year, it wasn't just honor on the line—there were actual treasures at stake alongside the Skull King's execution. It'd be weirder if no one got greedy.
But the real trap of the Harmony virtue?
"The rules themselves are designed to tempt betrayal."
Why? Because if even one person votes
Logically, it would seem like no one in their right mind would vote "X," since everyone wants to pass…
"But those who vote 'X' can stay."
In fact, they're treated as "conscientious whistleblowers" and even rewarded by the Papal Palace with useful items.
In other words: betray your team, get cool stuff, and switch to another team—with zero penalty.
Now imagine what happens next:
"Hey, if you betray your team, we'll take you in. With the reward you get from the Papal Palace, we'll get even better scores together."
…that kind of backdoor deal would obviously happen.
And the faith of White—and the Papal Palace itself—not only tolerated this, but even encouraged it.
Why?
Because the true purpose of the Harmony trial… was to smoke out traitors.
There was a reason this was a pass/fail exam.
"To resist better offers, and stick with your team."
That's the real task.
"It means you must inspire so much trust and loyalty that betrayal becomes pointless."
That's the ideal. And more than anyone, Shuri had no intention of failing this virtue.
"If a direct heir of the Eshua family gets sent back in the first round, he'll lose his qualification as heir."
She couldn't afford to lose to her cousins aiming for the family headship.
And for some reason, Isaac also seemed dead set on joining the Skull King's execution event—well, no complaints if it motivated him.
"We'll get the best results!"
But watching them, Naizer Sephet snorted.
"Eshua, leadership? Trust? Please."
To be honest, the factional war within this year's apprentice teams was already over. Blue's team was the weakest.
Not in terms of competence, but because their interests were too misaligned. There was no way they could unite.
"More importantly, Eshua has nothing to offer."
They didn't have the overwhelming wealth or influence that other duke families had. Following them would just get you lumped in with a Saint who couldn't even beat the Skull King.
When it came time to choose faith affiliations later, Blue would come in last again this year, most likely.
"Well, I'm sure Shuri Eshua understands her place and is playing nice just to keep everyone appeased."
But friendship? Goodwill?
What use is bread-running and snacks? When it matters most, people seek overwhelming power and advantage.
"I failed to leak their info, but breaking up their team is inevitable."
Apparently Isaac had pulled some emotional stunt at a tea party and prevented any data leaks, but—
"There are three future retainers of our family in their team."
Three members—planted by Naizer—who would vote
Naizer had actually asked his father to rig the team assignments so these loyal agents would be embedded.
"You dare aim for the Saint's position? Like our retainers would ever follow Eshua?"
"One of them's even your childhood servant, right?"
Naizer grinned.
"Yeah. Shuri Eshua's probably all excited, thinking if she can win over just those few skilled ones, she might make it to the execution event. Too bad."
"Blue doesn't stand a chance."
"Right? She got so much attention at ordination, but when she fails here and goes back to the Academy—what an embarrassment. Pfft."
That's right. Blue would be eliminated here.
All that was left was for the bishop of White to open the ballots…
"Team Blue: Unanimous vote for
Yes! Look at that—unanimous for maintaini—wait.
"..."
…What?
Unanimous vote to maintain the team?!
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]