At the same time as when Ellis first reincarnated into his new body, a great commotion was occurring within Lull’s main continent.

****

The Holy Empire of Pharseille.

Located within the heart of the Empire’s capital city, there existed a grandiose, all-white cathedral. Legend has it that the cathedral was crafted out of a single slab of marble by one of God’s most trusted apostles. Sharply pointed spires, narrow archways, and ribbed vaults, it was a building that heavily featured gothic architecture.

The all-white cathedral was very noticeable, towering well above all the other structures within the city. Even the royal family’s imperial castle paled in comparison to the cathedral’s size and extravagance.

The building’s highest point was a windowless spire that jutted out from the cathedral’s rooftop. Inside, an old man and a congregation of men dressed in white stared up at the sky with expectant gazes. Several hours passed before something finally happened.

Amidst the backdrop of a starry night, eight brilliant lights suddenly appeared. They streaked through the sky before descending onto the land below. From their trajectory, it was difficult to make out where exactly those lights had landed. For the men in white, this meant more work, but still, their faces glowed with excitement.

“All of you have witnessed the miracle of salvation. This is a grace bestowed upon us by God.” The old man spoke in a withered voice. There was a red symbol painted on his wrinkled forehead. He wore a set of baggy robes with a white and red color scheme.

The old man’s most distinct feature lay within his lazy expression.

“Yes, your holiness.” A man next to him replied. He was a young man with blonde hair and an excitable disposition. “It is our honor.”

The old man nodded. “With this, the eight heroes have officially descended. Go forth and collect them. We must make sure not to waste God’s gift. Lead them onto a path of righteousness and keep them away from corruption. Move forth!” He waved his hand forward.

“Yes, your holiness!” The group of men shouted in unison. They dispersed and hurriedly descended the watchtower.

On their way out, they encountered a middle-aged man standing beside the staircase. He possessed a chiseled face and flowing azure hair. If this was on Earth, such a hair color would have stood out, and while that was still partly true in Lull, it was a bit more socially acceptable. In fact, certain hair colors carried certain statuses.

The men in white bowed to the middle-aged man before they left. In response, he amicably smiled at those he passed as he made his way over to the center of the room.

The last to leave was the blond youth from before. After nodding to the two still within the room, he quickly shut the door behind him.

After everyone had left, the azure-haired man walked over to the old man. A pondering expression colored his face.

The old man glanced over at him. “You seem to have something on your mind.”

The blue-haired man clasped his hands and bowed. “Yes, Pope Vermeil. Indeed, something has been troubling me as of late.”

The pope nodded. “Speak.”

“The previous holy edict, did it not speak of nine heroes? Why are we only searching for eight?”

The Holy edict was essentially a message that came directly from their God. The edict was not something that everyone could receive. Only certain individuals with certain ‘blessings’ had such a privilege. These individuals were usually known as saints or saintesses. Within the white-cathedral, only three people qualified to be a saint. Pope Vermeil was one of them.

As for the latest holy edict, its existence was something well known within the church, but only a sparse few knew of its exact specifics. The number of heroes, what those heroes were, even the identity of hero itself, all of it had been previously kept under tight supervision.

Hearing his question, Pop Vermeil’s expression hardened. He stayed silent for a long time before he said, “No, after the first edict, God sent a second one. Something… something unexpected happened. There will only be eight heroes.”

“I-I see…”

Seeing the Pope’s current expression and noticing the oddity of the atmosphere around him, the azure-haired man wisely chose to drop the subject. He contemplated for a moment, before he lightly nodded his head and walked back towards the staircase.

Just as he was about to reach the door, the Pope’s voice suddenly called out. “Wait, Cardinal Bleu, I have a task that I need you to do.”

“What is it, your holiness?”

Pope Vermeil’s eyes narrowed. “The Unspoken Order… I need you to gather them up. I have a mission of utmost importance that I need them to accomplish.”

****

A month after the ‘Eight Star Lights’ incident.

For a brief period of time, the various nations of man experienced an uproar. Many others had also seen the eight lights descending from above and while they may not have known about the holy edict, they interpreted the event in their own unique ways.

Some viewed it as nothing more than needless commotion. Others saw it as a bad omen, while many more saw it as an important turning point for Lull. The last interpretation happened to be the one most prevalent throughout the mainland.

The Eight Star Lights signified a new era.

A small rumor circulated the countries. It spoke about how the eight lights had actually entered eight newborns during the night of the incident. For one reason or another, this information was heavily suppressed. Still, no matter how many people tried to control it, the rumors still spread.

Eventually, the existence of eight children blessed by fate became so commonplace that even regular folk living in remote villages knew about it.

****

Delna, the royal capital of the Holy Empire of Pharseille.

Within a certain room inside a certain white cathedral, there sat a withered old man with a red symbol on his forehead.

Standing in front of him was a young priest in black robes.

“Tell me of the news.” Pope Vermeil spoke as he popped a piece of yellow fruit into his mouth. His lazy eyes stared at the youth in front of him. “How goes the extraction of our heroes?”

“Yes, of the eight, we have successfully received seven of them into our ranks.” The young priest enthusiastically explained. A trace of nervousness could be seen on his face. “One of them turned out to be Pharseille’s crown prince.”

“Oh? I’m sure the Emperor is happy to hear that.”

The Pharseille Empire was the designated ‘Holy Empire’ of the continent. It shared an extremely close relationship with the Orthodox church. In fact, the Emperor was often blessed by the acting pope during his coronation. Without the Pope’s blessing, a Pharseille Emperor will not rise to power. In fact, such an emperor would never receive the proper recognition from both the empire’s citizens and from the fellow ruling class nobles.

Whenever such a thing occurred, it usually resulted in the changing of the Royal Family. Throughout all of Pharseille’s two-thousand-year long history, this had happened a total of five times.

“Yes,” the priest nodded. “The Emperor is quite happy that his first born ended up being one of the eight destined heroes. He has sent some congratulatory gifts over in celebration.”

“Good. His enthusiasm will be noted.” Pope Vermeil nodded. “What of the other heroes?”

“Three of the remaining heroes were of common birth. One is a citizen of Pharseille, while the other two come from neighboring kingdoms. Although these kingdoms are affiliated with the church, they showed hesitation when we asked them to transfer guardianship of the heroes to the church.”

“Hesitation?”

“Yes. Not the parents, but rather, the various nobles of the kingdoms.” The young priest let out a sigh. “Well, such reluctance is only natural. After all, who wouldn’t want to have a legendary hero stay within the confines of their nation? They do not quite grasp that it is only through the church’s guidance can the heroes properly bloom.”

“Nm… How was the problem solved?” Pope Vermeil asked.

“Ah, yes. Although they complained at first, they did not really put up much of a fuss. At most, our branch heads personally visited their royal castles.”

“That’s good.” A pleasant smile stretched the pope’s face. “Continue.”

The young priest nodded. “The other three were of noble birth. They were somewhat more troublesome, but after some coercion and gifts, the various families have formally transferred guardianship over to us. Still, they will occasionally kick up a fuss and demand to see their children. I fear that the nobles may attempt to control the heroes.”

The Pope slowly nodded his head. “The clergy have done a splendid job. Inform those busybodies that the church will guide and educate the young heroes as per the will of the Great One.”

“Y-yes!” The young priest’s shoulders slightly trembled. ‘The will of the Great One’… such simple words held vast power within the various countries affiliated with the church. “I’m sure that once those nobles hear of this, their demands and objections will immediately cease!”

Pope Vermeil ignored the youth’s enthusiasm and silently stared at him. After a while, he spoke. “You have so far only explained seven of them. What of the eighth hero?”

“That is…” He hesitated for a moment, before the young priest explained. “The eighth hero, she is a princess, the daughter of Merrack Kingdom’s King.”

“The Merrack Kingdom you say…” A thoughtful expression flashed onto the Pope’s face.

The Merrack Kingdom was one of the many countries that did not fall under the church’s jurisdiction.

The various nations of man spread throughout almost every parts of the mainland. Of those, only about half of the countries were actually affiliated with the church.

The northern and western areas of the mainland were known to be a land populated by barbarians. Most of the region was unexplored, and of the ones that were occupied, they were controlled by the various tribes and small nations. It was both a land of chaos and a land of opportunity.

The southern and central parts of the mainland were the regions primarily controlled by the Holy Church. They possessed the largest and most fertile lands of the entire continent. Finally, to the east, a collection of independent kingdoms that passively resisted the church’s teachings.

The Merrack Kingdom was a country located near the east. The reason for the east’s staunch resistance stemmed back to the distant past. Historically, the east was a region that was once ruled by a different god. For one reason or the other, no other religion was able to penetrate the hearts of the citizens that lived there.

In the present, the eastern countries were not very religious. They utilized a more meritocratic system. Additionally, in order to stand up to the church’s power, the various nations formed an alliance amongst themselves.

Merrack was one of the stronger nations within the alliance. It also happened to be located closest to the central region. In every sense of the word, Merrack was a border country.

“I see… we do have a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Merrack.” The pope said.

The young priest nodded. “Merrack has always stood opposite of Pharseille and the church.”

Pope Vermeil remained silent for a while, before he abruptly said, “I’m sure they have also been harboring pagans too.”

“Um…” The priest appeared confused at first. “That’s, no, Merrack is a meritocratic state. It has no religious affiliation and there has also been no signs of pagans making their moves within the country.

The pope shook his head. “No, I’m pretty sure the pagans are there. They hid it well, but I can tell.”

“That’s…”

Before the priest could continue, the pope interrupted him. He lazily stretched his limbs and said, “It’s a pity. Despite their flawed beliefs, Merrack was a good kingdom. It is unfortunate that they have been infested by those pursuing the evil path.”

“…”

“Send out the order. The pagans have taken root within the deepest parts of Merrack. The world does not need a kingdom that will harbor such dangerous cultists. What’s more, a young hero is also there. We need to save her before the pagans can get their grubby little palms on her.

“…” The priest did not know how to respond.

The old man carefully studied the youthful priest’s face. After a few seconds, he flashed a slightly lazy smirk. “With this, even if we accidentally destroy Merrack, those other countries of the east won’t have anything to complain about, right?”

“That is…”

The priest tried to respond, but the words would not form. He stared, tongue tied, at the man in front of him.

“What’s the matter?” Pope Vermeil locked eyes with the youth. “Did you not hear my order?”

The old man’s words immediately snapped the young priest awake. His shoulders momentarily trembled, before he saluted. “As you command, your holiness! I will immediately inform the Church’s first guard.”

“Good, off you go then.” Pope vermeil lightly nodded his head.

Without another word, the young priest hurriedly left the room. Soon, the old man was once again left in solitude.

“…”

Pope Vermeil stared out the window. He traced his bottom lip with a shriveled finger. “Heroes, huh?”