Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

2.3. Temple Cleaning - The Burden of Proof is on You

A yellow flash tore through the Bishop Dysian.

Flora's face spotted a crooked grin. She had been looking forward to expelling the dolt, but now she felt like a villain for excommunicating him. Or at least for having so much fun doing it.

"I, I, I, " the former bishop mumbled. All pompousness had left him. Only a deflated husk of his former self remained. "I've spent my life serving Evailyn. I don't deserve this."

"You should have done a better job convincing me of your dedication. You have only shown me how uncooperative you are," Flora said icily, but her heart went out to the broken man. She already regretted using her power on him. With a deep breath, she steeled herself.

Feeling calmer, she noticed that besides his attitude and body language, nothing had changed.

Name: Hannes Dysian

Class: Bishop

Level: 1 (250)

Rating: B

RGS: 3

Even his class was still Bishop. Flora didn't know what she had expected, maybe not an "Enemy of Toasters" tattoo on his forehead, but at least something to signal he was no longer part of the church.

Then Dysian began to sob. Nomizo awkwardly patted his back while Zander glowered at Flora. Even the jolly Abbott Irden glanced at her disapprovingly.

"Alright, maybe I botched it up. But if you really have the best interests of Evailyn in your heart, I'm sure she'll take you back when you pray for it." Now, Flora felt not only like a villain but like a supervillain. To distract herself from the misery she had caused, she soldiered on. "However, I wonder why I can't see anything on him about the ex-communication. Or why I can't see to what Goddess the rest of you belongs. Shouldn't you wear at least some logo of the church or something?"

"We stopped wearing the insignia of Evailyn because our esteemed Pope said it would be noninclusive to non-believers... maybe you could explain it better, Pope Razo." Ceart said evenly. However, Flora could feel the spite between the words.

The Pope cleared his throat and held a long-winded speech that Flora's bullshit filter sifted into "Because I wanted".

"Would it be possible for a priest with another faith to wear the holy symbol of Evailyn?" She asked. Razo's flimsy excuse, coupled with him not chanting Evailyns creed, lead Flora to a crazy possibility. What if the Pope himself wasn't part of the church?

"Yes, but you would lose levels in Faith. You can wear an additional insignia to show your respect to another god, but it has to be evident to whom your worship belongs." Irden explained, then he chuckled. "I did some missions together with the lads of Hrana under their banner. I suffered under Faith loss until I covered my breast with Evailyn's symbol. The food was worth it, though. Even their road provisions are excellent."

"Everyone of the clergy should wear Evailyn's insignia," Flora stated. "Of course, we should show off our pride and affiliation. Furthermore, I require proof that you all worship Evailyn."

"Now, you are questioning our faith?" Zander spat.

"I do. It's pretty common to accuse somebody of our own faults. We hate the most in other people what we loathe the most in ourselves. So please prove to me that you are part of the church of Evailyn." Flora smiled wrily. "Hey, Dysian. On the positive side, you already passed this test. I wouldn't have been able to excommunicate you if you were part of another church."

The portly bishop groaned and sat down with his hands covering his face. He didn't seem to appreciate Flora's attempt to lighten the mood, and she didn't fault him.