I picked up the 'Germonik Scriptures'
Simon gave me and flipped through the
pages...
The text was in an ancient holy script
with drawings in places.
It was damaged and hard to read.
I wondered what was written in it?
Then, I saw some words in a language
I recognized.
Somebody had written some notes in
the "Ikoku language"
Who could have done it?
Judging from the ink, the older notes,
were written years ago. But the newer
ones were written only days ago.
It smudged when I rubbed it.
The ink was not yet dry.
They were written by the same person.
I realized Simon had been slowly trans-
lating this book over the years.
...tried reading it by referring to
his partial notes.
It says, This is written by a follower
of St. Ajora, Germonik...
Germonik...?
I'd heard that name before...
Must've been in history class.
Then, it came to me.
Germonik was the disciple who betrayed
St. Ajora by selling him to the Yudora Empire......
It was amazing Germonik's book was
even still in existence!
Calming myself, I turned the pages.
Then, I found something more amazing
than the historical legacy in my hands.
I thought Germonik compiled St. Ajora's
words in this book. But I was wrong.
It's a record of St. Ajora's activities.
And not the St. Ajora we knew.
A record of Ajora, the human.
First off, St. Ajora is not human.
I'm not a true believer in Glabados
like Zalbag, but I do believe St. Ajora
was a 'Child of God' sent from Heaven
to save this troubled world.
Rather, I should say I did believe....
until I read this book...
It was the golden age, when many
airships flew all over the sky...
The day St. Ajora was born in Bervenia
of Lesalia, he stood up, walked to the
well and said.
'Calamity will come from this well soon.
We must seal it so people don't drink
the water.'
Days later, plague swept over Bervenia.
The people who drank the tainted water
died...
But the only family who believed him
didn't get sick and survived.
Since then, people called him 'Miracle
Child', 'Child of God'.
When St. Ajora turned 20, he became a
'Saviour', and was sent to Heaven as 'a
member of God'...
Long before Ivalice was united, it was
divided into 7 small kingdoms.
Zeltennia, Fovoham, Lionel, Limberry,
Lesalia, Gallionne, Murond.
As the kingdoms continued to increase
their territories, the wars continued.
In the several hundred years of war, an
ambitious young king was born in Murond.
Though he lead an army large enough
to cover Ivalice, the way to victory was
long and hard. Using the secret method
from an ancient book, the king tried to
summon a evil spirit and use its power.
But the evil spirit killed the king and
tried to destroy the world...
One Brave with 12 followers collected
'Zodiac Stones' from all over the world
and revived them.
They destroyed evil in an instant and
succeeded in sending the evils back to
Hades.
This's how they became 'Saviours'.
That's the 'Zodiac Braves' legend.
Ever since, every time the world is in
danger, they appear, save the world
and disappear.
When St. Ajora was alive, similar things
occurred.
The King of Limberry summoned an evil
Spirit to take over Ivalice.
The world once again fell into crisis.
St. Ajora collected 12 Holy Stones, just like the legend,
formed the Zodiac Braves and killed the devil.
But 'Heroes' are always a nuisance to
rulers of a country...
The Yudora Empire was afraid of Ajora
who was gaining power, announcing the
arrival of God's kingdom. Yudora sent
troops against one of his sect.
The priests of Fara, the largest sect
then, were afraid of Ajora's power.
He was caught and executed at Golgorand
Execution grounds after Germonik told of
His wereabouts for money.
But St. Ajora was a 'Child of God' and
the priests of Fara were smitten by an
angry God. After the execution, the base
at Fara, Murond sunken by various natural
disasters.
This is how St. Ajora was sent to
Heaven as a 'Child of God', and became
a 'Member of God'...
And that's all I know. Almost anyone in Ikoku
knows of the 'Myth' of St. Ajora.
But the St. Ajora in the 'Germonik
Scriptures' was a totally different person.
Ajora was not a 'Child of God', but a
human just like us.
An ambitious revolutionary who fought
to fulfill his dream.
Moreover, he loved peace and was not a
hero who risked his life for others.
This is what Germonik wrote...
A founder of an advanced new religion,
Ajora was a threat to the Empire.
But Ajora had another 'side' to him
other than being a priest.
He was a spy who entered enemy ter-
ritory agitating and gaining information.
Anyhow, Ajora was a threat to the
empire. The empire sent Germonik to
find proof that Ajora was a spy.
Yes, Germonik was also a spy of the
empire watching Ajora's activities.
They say Ajora tried to revive the
Zodiac Braves.
Germonik found some Holy Stones to prove it.
But, what does that have to do with
reformation?
I don't know if young King Limberry
really summoned an evil spirit.
At least nothing is written about it in
the book.
However, it's a fact that Murond met
with natural disaster and sunk into the
sea at the time of Ajora's death.
This is where Simon's notes were most
interesting.
They appeared to be his personal opinion...
"Despite rumors of its existence, no one
ever saw the 'Germonik Scriptures'.
I don't know whether the book tells the
truth or fabricates Ajora's great
achievements..."
"When I was a heresy examiner for the
Church, many examiners felt afraid to
show the people the book. The High
Priest probably felt the same because
everything the book said was true."
"After Ajora's death, the church had to
unite St. Ajora with God making him
divine. To do that, unsuitable facts had
to be deleted from history and St. Ajora
had to become a 'Child of God'."
"They were wise to use the Zodiac Brave
story, widely believed in Ikoku. It was
easy to make people believe the Zodiac
Braves led by Ajora killed an imaginary
evil spirit."
"When I read this book I lost my faith.
But I'm not sad... because it inspired
me to search for the truth."
"At the same time, I'm guilty for not
bringing it to light, even through I knew
the church was lying. Why?
Because if I told people about the book,
I was afraid they would take the
library away from me."
"I would have been devastated if the
library was taken away from me because
it satisfied my thirst for knowledge.
But, my curiosity got the best of me."
Simon spoke of 'An imaginary evil'.
But I sensed a scheme by someone other
than the High Priest, after seeing the
berserk power of the Holy Stones.