Gustekan Church

The **Gustekan Church** (グステコ聖教, *Gusuteko Seikyō*), also known as the **Holy King Church** (聖王教会, *Sei Ō Kyōkai*), is the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko's state church. It is a theocratic governing body that rules over the nation of Gusteko and sanctions the worship of spirits.

## Information

The Gustekan Church's teachings are based around Odglass, the Sacred Beast. Known as the Church's Benevolent Mother, she and many of the spirits in the country are the targets of a majority of the people's faith. Odglass is an exception among most spirits, as she acts friendly towards humans and views everyone in the Holy Kingdom as her children, despite how she spares little mercy for them. With the scores of lesser spirits and spirits that she controls, humans are able to live in Gusteko's harsh territory. Due to Odglass' aid towards humanity, the Gustekan Church was established. It is fronted by the Holy King, who is personally selected by the Sacred Beast herself. However, the Holy King is but an acting puppet; the Holy King Church itself holds true dominion over Gusteko. The Church also has an indeterminate number of archbishops within it.

According to what the Church teaches, all life is equal, for there is no difference in value between human beings. Regardless of this principle, slavery is an open secret in Gusteko, and despite how the Church makes it illegal, even the adherents who forbid it desire slaves. Their doctrine further says that the permafrost of Gusteko is a trial given to its people by greater beings—spirits—and the only way for one's soul to feel peace in the afterlife is to endure said trials. These teachings are a salvation to many in the nation, who are driven to believe in something higher as a result of the climate. Be that as it may, according to Noelle Tuérico, the Church's teachings are currently undergoing a transformation.

Among the Church's ranks are executioners for the faith, who are named the **Temple Knights**. Each member of the Temple Knights seems to train with their very own special set of weapons such as dual katanas, whips of different kind, twin snake swords, and others. All of them possess a unique Blessing that grants them partial immortality, allowing them to survive fatal strikes. This Blessing is claimed to be from the Holy King. They are also said to be on par with the Nine Divine Generals of the Vollachia Empire in terms of strength and skill. Moreover, **Itinerant Preachers**, a group of clergy serving the Church with the same type of Blessing as the Temple Knights, both spread the Church's teachings across Gusteko and take action against anyone who contradicts them.

In the past, the Church attempted to use curses to their advantage. They once made a secret division in order to create so-called “Curse Dolls” out of people, and the doll maker Holosseo Featherrun was appointed as its head. These Curse Dolls had a similar power to the Blessings of Temple Knights and Itinerant Preachers. They were used as a private unit for maintaining order and “purifying” the Holy Kingdom by exterminating other citizens under orders. In the end, this group ultimately collapsed after a majority of the Curse Dolls were killed by one of their own—the future Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert.

According to Omega, the Holy King Church protects those who side with their beliefs, and it has not changed over hundreds of years. Additionally, there is a figure in the Church who appears to have the jurisdiction to judge and punish others, dubbed the **Silver Blessing** (白銀の祝福, *Shirogane no Shukufuku*). It is unknown if this title refers to Odglass or if it is a separate being.

## Members

### Current

* Holy King
* Noelle Tuérico (Itinerant Preacher)

### Former

* Holosseo Featherrun (Doll maker) (deceased)
* Elsa Granhiert (Curse Doll) (defected)
* Sithonia Featherrun (Curse Doll) (deceased)
* Dorothea Featherrun (Curse Doll) (deceased)
* Saria Featherrun (Curse Doll) (deceased)
* Hildea Featherrun (Curse Doll) (deceased)
* Ornea Featherrun (Curse Doll) (incapacitated)
* Viktor Orcos (Temple Knight) (resigned)
* Macallister Parkin (Temple Knight) (deceased)
* Coatl (Itinerant Preacher, priest) (deceased)
* Zank Metley (Temple Knight) (presumably resigned)
* Mikli Yulitô (Temple Knight) (presumably discharged)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *To give an example, take the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko, a land covered in permafrost, where spirits were seen on a regular basis, there even existed a nationwide faith worshipping spirits, the Gustekan Church. Extreme regions were considered to be trials put forth by spirits, and the majority of the population believed in these teachings.* Re:Zero Prequel: Bonds of Ice, Chapter 2, Section 1.
2. ↑ *The simple fact that humans were able to live in Gusteko, which was covered by permafrost, was primarily due to the help of the myriad of spirits and lesser spirits under the control of Odglass.* Red Snowfall on the Orcos Domain Part 1, Section 3.
3. ↑ *The authority to decide the head of the Holy Kingdom and the Church, the Holy King, had been delegated to Odglass, and this tradition had been passed down from the beginning of the history of the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko. That format was unbreakable. Odglass had always been, and would always be, the Benevolent Mother of the Church. ――With the Holy King as their puppet, the Church would continue to direct the country.* Red Snowfall on the Orcos Domain Part 1, Section 3.
4. ↑ *In the Kingdom of Gusteko, the existence of "slaves" was an open secret.* Re:Zero Prequel: Apocalypse Girls, Chapter 1, Section 3.
5. ↑ *“The Holy King Church is the one that makes the rules for this country! The very people who forbid the slave trade want slaves!”* Re:Zero Prequel: Apocalypse Girls, Chapter 3, Section 2.
6. ↑ *According to the doctrine, the frozen earth and the cold wind were all trials given to the people by a greater being; the only way to give peace to one’s soul in the afterlife was to endure those trials――.* Red Snowfall on the Orcos Domain Part 1, Section 2.
7. ↑ *The harsh environment that befalls all its people equally drives people to the point where they cannot even stand without putting their faith in something more. In a reality such as this, people often turned to non-human beings for salvation―― in Gusteko, this faith was aimed at spirits.* Re:Zero Prequel: Apocalypse Girls, Chapter 2, Section 2.
8. ↑ *“Our teachings are in the midst of a transformation.”* The Witch's After Tea Party / One Wild Night Part 1, Section 2.
9. ↑ *Blessed by the Holy King, they were a select group of elites who were said to wield superhuman power―― it is rumored both inside and outside of the country that they were a group of talented individuals comparable to the Nine Divine Generals of the Vollachia Empire.* Red Snowfall on the Orcos Domain Part 1, Section 3.
10. ↑ *Itinerant Preachers had power in line with Temple Knights—known as the executioners of the Gustekan Church. To have the responsibility of traveling to various places to spread the teachings, you had to be prepared to punish anything that contradicts those teachings.* The Witch's After Tea Party / One Wild Night Part 2, Section 6.
11. ↑ *Dominated by an extreme permafrost, the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko is a land far too harsh for humans to exist in. It's exactly for that reason that the Church protects those who cling to their beliefs.* Thinking to herself, Omega smiled. *After all, the Holy King Church hasn't changed one bit in hundreds of years.* The Witch's After Tea Party / One Wild Night Part 1, Section 3.
12. ↑ *“Every action is judged by the Silver Blessing. If there is to be a punishment, then so be it.”* The Witch's After Tea Party / One Wild Night Part 2, Section 3.