Volume 9, Chapter 9 – The Sorrowful Pretender

Soon, under Lin’s direction, Yisi and Lin both finished bathing and changing their clothes. They sat facing each other at a low table with tea and snacks. Although some… delicate things happened in between—Lin came out barefoot after her bath wearing only a bath towel, leaving Yisi at a loss for where to look—Lin at least had the common sense not to change clothes in front of someone else, so nothing happened that would make Yisi face the wall.

It felt like a sleepover party.

Her gaze inadvertently fell on the fair skin exposed beneath Lin’s loose nightgown, and Yisi politely averted her eyes. She’s probably about the same as Evelyn, maybe a little smaller. But for a sixteen-year-old, her development is already quite good, much better than Camilla’s and mine.

“Well, let’s sit here for a while until the maid brings our clothes. Please forgive my poor hospitality.”

“No, no, I’m already very grateful for this.” To be honest, just seeing Lin in a bath towel was worth paying for. Cupping the teacup with both hands, Yisi brought up the topic, “Why does that man named Gran target Lin? Aren’t you both members of the Divine Religion? Even if he’s a Bishop and doesn’t have to be respectful to everyone, it shouldn’t go so far as to target Lin, right?”

“Must you know the reason, Yisi?” Answering a question with a question, Lin looked directly into Yisi’s eyes, her bewitching face unusually serious. “Before I answer, I must make it clear that if you intend to act against the Gospel, or rather, against our future actions, I will still consider you an enemy, even if I cannot defeat you. I am the Hero saved by the Gospel, and this body is driven only by the Gospel.”

As she finished speaking, a complex look flashed in Lin’s eyes. Yisi was certain it wasn’t hesitation at being unable to strike her, but something else, something hidden much deeper.

Though probing further wouldn’t bring her any benefit, she had nothing else to do while staying in the Duchy of Chloe. Getting to know Lin might serve as a topic of conversation to pass the time.

Yisi replied with a deliberately relaxed smile. “It’s fine if you don’t want to say, Lin. I was just thinking of passing the time by getting to know your Divine Religion, since Pope Atwood didn’t give me anything else to do.”

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“…What on earth is Atwood thinking… Never mind. It’s not really a secret within the church. After I tell you, I hope you won’t tell anyone outside.”

“Okay.”

After receiving Yisi’s nod of assurance, Lin, who was sitting upright, relaxed her posture slightly, her expression softening. The sight of her holding the wooden cup with both hands, combined with her nightgown and the semi-dry black hair behind her, gave a gentle and approachable impression.

“Gran hates me because I took the position that originally belonged to him.”

“Took his position? Aren’t you the Hero? Gran is a Bishop. The two positions are completely different.”

“No, he became a Bishop after I became the Hero. Have you ever heard the legend of the Savior, Yisi?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll start from the beginning. There’s a story circulating in the outside world that the Hero is an orphan from a distant seashore. To find this Hero, who was recorded in the Gospel as living by the sea, the Divine Religion spent over ten years. This isn’t an empty rumor; it’s a true story. The information the Gospel gave at the time was very vague.

The description of the Hero was only three points: living by the sea, having no one to rely on, and being very conspicuous.

There were countless people on the continent who met the first two criteria, and even with the ‘conspicuous’ condition, the scope wasn’t narrowed by much. The followers at the time didn’t know how to interpret the word ‘conspicuous.’ Did it mean famous? Or physically striking? Or perhaps having physical or magical abilities far beyond the ordinary? Because the scope was too broad, the followers could only bring back everyone who met the conditions and screen them one by one.”

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“Didn’t the Gospel mention having scales on the face, or having dragon’s blood?”

“No. The Gospel’s guidance is often vague. That’s why someone with a strong affinity for the Gospel needs to become the Pope, specifically to interpret its instructions.”

Although she didn’t understand why there would be such a thing as ‘affinity’ for just reading a book, Yisi simply waited for Lin to continue.

“Unfortunately, the Pope at that time lacked sufficient affinity, and his interpretations were severely limited, which led us to make many mistakes and waste ten years in vain. During those ten years, the Divine Religion was constantly searching for and screening orphans who could be the Hero, absorbing them into the church. Because a candidate couldn’t be confirmed after a full decade, everyone at the time, including the Empire, thought our Divine Religion was crazy and that the Gospel didn’t possess the miracles they imagined. To temporarily quell the voices of our ally, the Empire, the Pope at the time provisionally designated Gran as the Hero.”

“But didn’t you say that as long as you follow the Gospel’s guidance, anything can be accomplished? Even without appeasing the Empire, you should have been able to achieve your goal in the end, right? What if confirming the Hero prematurely affected subsequent events?”

“If the Gospel were a convenient tool that answered whatever you asked, we wouldn’t have to struggle like we do now. When judging massive events, the Gospel needs a long time to analyze fate. If we suddenly change our final goal midway, the time it would take to change it back would be incalculable.”

“I see.” Yisi nodded thoughtfully. This could probably be understood as a cooldown period. “So Gran hates you because you took the Hero’s identity that should have been his?”

Perhaps out of guilt, Lin lowered her gaze from Yisi to the tabletop, her grip on the wooden cup tightening.

“Yes. The original Gran was perfect in every aspect, impeccable. In both character and strength, no one in the church could match him. He firmly believed he was the Hero and would become the future of the continent, just as the Gospel said—until my appearance shattered everything. The Pope at that time, due to old age, could no longer properly interpret the Gospel, so the later Atwood took over as Pope. At the same time as this power shift, followers found me in a coastal city far away in the Norta Empire and brought me back to the church. Then, because of this body of mine…”

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At this point, Lin pointed to the scales on her face.

“Because I was born with a bloodline that surpasses human limits, and with Atwood’s personal instruction, I soon surpassed the human Gran in strength. Thanks to my dragon bloodline, magic that takes a human half a year to learn, I could master in less than a week. My comprehension of sword skills was just as fast, if not faster. I can even use the Draconic magic recorded in the ruins. By the time Gran came to his senses from his own training, he was already far behind me. And so, Atwood made me the Hero. I took everything that originally belonged to Gran, which is why he resents me and refuses to acknowledge me as the Hero. As I said earlier, my becoming the Hero was not the Gospel’s will, but Atwood’s choice. Therefore, Gran is not violating the Gospel’s will, and he has always used this as a reason to oppose me, gradually becoming the person-not-person, ghost-not-ghost figure he is today.”

Perhaps thinking of the Gran from before, a hint of sorrow appeared in Lin’s purplish-blue eyes—a mourning for the hero that was lost.

Yisi sat up straight. “But isn’t this just being unreasonable? Since you’re stronger than him, it’s only natural that you replaced him as the Hero. Even if Gran isn’t the Hero, he can still contribute to the future of humanity. A guy like that has been blinded by jealousy and has lost his original purpose.”

“Perhaps it is as you say. Later, Atwood made Gran a Bishop, maybe also out of guilt. It’s precisely because everyone knows what Gran used to be like that they tacitly let him continue being unreasonable.”

It must be a feeling of sorrow, of being unable to bear casting him aside. They had placed such high hopes in him, letting him strive for a goal, only to suddenly shatter his ideals. Because she was an outsider, she could think Gran was being excessive. But for those who had witnessed it all, especially Lin who had taken Gran’s place, it was inevitable to feel guilt, even if it wasn’t her fault. This wasn’t something that could be judged with complete rationality.

The topic fell into silence. A wordless weight rolled across the low table.

Lin smiled wryly. “Hah, to invite you as a guest and then talk about such things… I really am…”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I started this topic. Oh, right, earlier I saw on your table—”

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“Ugh.”

“Hey, are you okay?”

Without any warning, as if stomach acid were surging and she was about to vomit something, Lin instantly covered her mouth. A layer of bluish, scale-like things slowly appeared on the back of her fair, jade-like hand.

Yisi quickly stood up and went around to Lin’s side. “What’s wrong?”

Grabbing the teacup from the table and gulping it down, Lin began to cough harshly.

“Ngh… Don’t mind me. The clothes should be here soon. I’ll go check. You wait here for a bit, Yisi.”

“Are you really okay?”

“This happens often. No need to worry.”

Without another word, Lin wiped the corner of her mouth, gently pushed Yisi aside, and got up to open the door.