If one wanted to preach, then first, one had to craft a doctrine that was reasonable and internally consistent...
Why did it feel like a bottomless pit?
She then turned her gaze toward Loruze, who was standing in front of the table:
“What thoughts do you have on spreading the radiance of my Lord?”
As she asked, she casually continued flipping through the book in her hands.
However—
“God said, what you love is your life.”
Words written in black ink suddenly entered her sight.
For a moment, she was stunned.
A coincidence?
But just then, Loruze’s voice rang out, pulling her thoughts back to reality:
“Your Grace, I suggest maintaining the current situation and not making any moves. Consider your actions only after the envoy from the Cathedral departs.”
To this, Sylvia nodded:
“I understand that part.”
“What I’m asking about is the specific approach. After all, I’ve only recently descended upon this land and am unfamiliar with many matters.”
At that moment, Lakdevo, who was squatting on her shoulder, suddenly spoke:
“Caw!”
“Might I offer a humble suggestion?”
“Speak.”
The puppet girl’s fingers paused slightly in their tapping rhythm on the table.
“If possible, you could ‘fabricate’ a new divine image to replace the identity of ‘the Faceless’ when spreading the faith.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
Sylvia asked with interest.
“To the Orthodox Church, the level of concern for heretical gods and outer gods is not even on the same scale.”
“If you preach in the name of the Faceless, you’ll draw the full attention of all Six Major Churches.”
Lakdevo’s tone grew unusually serious.
“All of the Six Major Churches?”
Sylvia was slightly taken aback.
“That’s right.”
“Even if you’re spreading outer god faith in a small place like the City of Alova, whether it’s the local Church of Radiance or the Church of Industry and Machinery, or the War Church of the North, the Church of Law and Order in the South, the Omniscience Church of the Eastern Archipelago, or even the Church of the Earth Mother in the New World — all of them would view you as a grave threat.”
“Not only that, the God of Death’s followers, witches, and the servants of Spirituality — even though they have yet to form organized churches — would also investigate and do everything in their power to eliminate you.”
Lakdevo flapped his wings twice, speaking solemnly.
“That serious?”
Sylvia raised an eyebrow.
She had considered that the Outer Gods might be met with hostility, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
However, in that case...
She cast a somewhat peculiar glance at a certain plump crow:
"Then what about you?"
"Ka?"
Lakdevo’s expression stiffened, then he averted his gaze at the fastest possible speed and fell silent.
"Heh."
Sylvia chuckled lightly and did not press further.
There was definitely something wrong with this crow!
"Then let’s spread the faith using a different image. The danger level..."
Just then, Loruze spoke up hesitantly:
"Your Grace, wouldn’t that be a bit blasphemous?"
To that, Sylvia shook her head:
"It wouldn’t."
"My Lord is called the Faceless God, which means He does not have a fixed ‘appearance’."
"Endless change is one of the most important aspects symbolizing My Lord."
"Therefore, such an act cannot be considered blasphemous at all. You must understand, this is in accordance with My Lord’s will."
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Your Grace."
Loruze nodded respectfully, and Sylvia immediately sank into contemplation.
What kind of image should she fabricate?
What should the core of this new image be?
As she pondered, her gaze unconsciously swept across the back of Loruze’s right hand.
There, a pitch-black mark faintly shimmered.
It was Greed.
In that instant, she had made her choice.
Why not use the Seven Deadly Sins as the core and fabricate a new divine image?
The Seven Deadly Sins...
The Seven Sins...
With that thought, the tapping of her fingertips on the tabletop suddenly became cheerful:
"Based on the Authorities of the Seven Deadly Sins I created, I shall fabricate a new divine image—"
"The Lord of Seven Sins, how about that?"
After speaking, her gaze fell on Loruze, who stood before the table.
"The Seven Deadly Sins?"
At that moment, Loruze looked utterly confused.
"The ‘Greed’ bestowed upon you, and the ‘Pride’ granted to Isabella, are both among the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Apart from those, there are also Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, and Lust."
"They symbolize the seven unforgivable sins."
Sylvia gave a simple explanation.
"Ka!"
"Sounds just like an evil god!"
Lakdevo interjected.
"Indeed."
"But we can reinterpret this deity from a different perspective—"
"All mortals are born with original sin, and My Lord bears that sin on their behalf."
"The Lord of Seven Sins is a ‘merciful’ deity who takes on the seven original sins in place of mankind."
"This way, doesn’t the image become more positive?"
As her words fell, the room instantly fell into silence.
A few seconds later, Loruze finally responded:
"Your Grace, I think it’s feasible."
"Right?"
A hint of satisfaction crept into Sylvia’s voice as she leaned back in her chair. The plump crow perched on her shoulder flapped into the air and landed on the backrest—a backrest so tall that even with someone fully leaning back, their head wouldn’t be seen over it.
"Moreover, we can take this even further."
"For instance, today a newly born Apostle of the God of Death has emerged, so we can use that as a narrative anchor—linking the Lord of Seven Sins, this ‘newborn evil god,’ to that new Apostle."
"From what I know, most of the evil gods in this world seem to exist at the level of Apostles. Though they are among the strongest of them, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to allow for one unusual case that seems a bit less extreme."
As Sylvia spoke, Loruze nodded thoughtfully:
"Praise be to your wisdom, Your Grace."
"Now that we’ve set the tone, does this church have anyone good at refining details?"
The puppet-like girl tapped the table leisurely as she asked.
"Yes."
"Good. Then I’ll leave that part to all of you."
"Once the detailed plan is ready, bring it to me."
"Yes, Your Grace."
With those matters settled, Sylvia ran through her thoughts to make sure she hadn’t missed anything important.
And sure enough, something remained.
"Loruze, that angel from the Church of Radiance—how soon will they arrive here?"
"In three days at the earliest."
Loruze replied without the slightest hesitation:
"They’ll stay in the capital, Clionde, for a while, then head to the City of Vekonte to investigate, and finally sweep the surrounding area."
"Very good."
"Then we’ll need to make some preparations. For example, your task tomorrow will be to go purchase a divine statue."
"Purchase... a divine statue?"
In that instant, both Loruze and Lakdevo showed a brief moment of confusion.
"Your Grace, divine statues all possess sanctity and are distributed solely by the cathedral. There’s no other channel to obtain one."
"I know. I was just joking."
Sylvia said this with a calm expression:
"Shortly, I’ll go temporarily restore that statue in preparation for the angel’s visit."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Loruze nodded, but at that moment—
*Knock knock knock!*
The door to the office was being knocked on.