Volume 9, Chapter 20 – The One Guided by the Gospel and the One Who Rebelled Against It (Part 2)

Unlike the outside, this mansion showed clear signs of having been cleaned. Although the floor wasn’t spotless, it wasn’t so dirty that dust would fly up with every step.

Upon sensing Lin, the Zombies inside the building voluntarily put down the tattered rags in their hands and bowed their heads stiffly to her. Even though their movements were far from standard, Yisi could tell that these Zombies were the same type of people as the nuns in the Divine Religion’s underground base who covered their faces with hoods. They were the followers who had been responsible for cleaning here in the past.

They haven’t forgotten their duties even after death?

The reason the living become undead, aside from being intentionally converted by necromancy, is only one other possibility—an unfulfilled dying wish. The obsession brought on by this wish is so strong that their souls cannot easily disperse, and so they become undead. Although nine out of ten such undead will lose most of their life’s memories, they will never forget that unfulfilled wish. They are just like those rebels pardoned by Andrea, trapped in the same place for their entire lives, doing the same things they did in the past. The only difference is that those rebels pardoned by Andrea have clear sentience, while the intelligence of these undead in the Divine Religion is extremely low.

As if turning the pages of an old story, Lin spoke in an exceptionally slow tone as she walked down into the shaft.

“You’ve probably noticed, but our Divine Religion used to live here.”

“Yes.”

Looking up at the shaft being cleaned by the undead, Lin’s gaze grew even more complex.

“…That was when I was six years old. When I was taken in by the Divine Religion, I already had the strength of level 50, but I couldn’t control this power. To make an analogy, it was like the magic within Alice’s body. Although she has pure and immense magical power, she cannot manifest it as magic. I was the same, except what I had wasn’t just magic; it was mixed with the aura of death.”

Her voice grew more distant, until it sounded as if she were talking about someone else.

“As someone with the aptitude of a Hero, I had all this power but couldn’t use it. Neither I nor the Pope at the time could allow that to happen. You might find it strange that I, having not even received the church’s education yet, was already thinking of contributing—when a person is saved from the brink of death, they will naturally think of doing something for their savior. That’s what you call ‘repaying a debt of gratitude,’ I suppose. Although I hadn’t reached the level 50 Hero’s domain, most people in the church believed I had the aptitude to replace Gran as the Hero. A child not even ten years old with the strength of nearly level 50, on top of having a dragon’s bloodline… just hearing it, I sounded more talented than anyone, didn’t I? And so, after getting my consent, the old Pope and all the Bishops at the time prayed to one of the two Gospels, hoping to find a way for me to control my power.”

That method must be related to the magic circle in the city.

Yisi guessed, but she did not interrupt Lin’s speech.

“However, the Pope and the Bishops received an unexpected answer.” As if the next words were too heavy to say, Lin paused for a moment to steel her emotions before continuing, “As it turned out, the Gospel proactively gave a method before the Pope even prayed. This meant that my existence was related to the Divine Religion’s primary objective: to save all living beings. The church had to complete this task, or it would lead to even more sacrifices in the future. As for the method… it required using the deathly aura gathered in the shafts throughout the city, and then sacrificing the life force and magical power of nearly one-third of the Divine Religion’s members at the time. Only then could the power within my body be transformed into one I could control.”

That’s too reckless.

“Are you thinking it’s too much?”

“Yes.”

Yisi nodded.

Rеаⅾ оn КаtReаԁіnɡСafе

“The Bishops at the time thought so too. Back then, the followers’ devotion to the Gospel’s will was not as absolute as it is now. They would weigh the pros and cons. A third of the members would have wounded the church to its core. Even if I had the aptitude of a Hero, it was just aptitude; it didn’t mean I was the Hero. But the Pope stubbornly pushed the request through. As a price, he would sacrifice his own magic and life force to replace some of the ordinary members in that one-third. The old Pope was already aged and had long intended to promote Atwood to be the new Pope. His choice to sacrifice himself at that time was just a matter of convenience.”

“And then?”

“Under the Gospel’s guidance, the plan proceeded on schedule. The old Pope resolved to sacrifice himself, and the other aged Bishops joined him. This was a sacrifice to allow the new generation of believers to live on and continue to serve the church. The reason the Bishop you saw in Gota City was so young is simply because the older Bishops perished in that incident.”

“If that was the case, it shouldn’t have affected the people of the entire city, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The original plan wouldn’t have sacrificed more than a hundred people. It turned out this way because the Gospel’s will was defied.”

A suppressed fury entered Lin’s voice.

“Because the magic circle had to cover all the shafts in the city where the deathly aura gathered, and we had buried shafts under the entire capital, the magic circle had to extend throughout the whole city. Such a large-scale operation would easily be detected by the King of Chloe at the time. So, to put them at ease, we communicated with the King while setting up the circle. The process was very smooth. The King agreed to our plan and allowed us to proceed. At that time, the King acted no different from a follower of the Gospel. Although he had not been saved by the Gospel, he believed in it. However—”

A sudden killing intent entered her voice. Lin lowered her tone, her fists clenched tightly.

“When we had everything set up and were performing the ritual, the King of the Duchy of Chloe suddenly led his soldiers to destroy the barrier. They couldn’t defeat us head-on, but they could use their numerical advantage to destroy the magic circles set up in the city. The King believed that by doing so, he could eliminate a portion of us. Then, he would lead his soldiers into the underground and claim victory. He understood that His Holiness the Pope, the only one capable of cursing him to death, would be occupied. It was also the perfect time to eliminate our Divine Religion, the organization that made him so uneasy.”

“As a result… he paid the price for his greed. The power of death, gathered by the magic circle, overflowed without limit because the circle was destroyed. After being purified and concentrated countless times, the immeasurable deathly aura transformed into something that would instantly turn a person into an undead just by inhaling a tiny bit. The entire city, from the outside in, was gradually enveloped in death. No one could escape the deathly fog that hung over the city. Everyone—commoners, followers, nobles, the royal family, and even His Holiness the Pope… everyone… everyone became undead as a result.”

Overcome with emotion, Lin’s shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably, and her breathing became unsteady. Her scythe, dropped at the entrance of the corridor, clattered loudly. In the silent space, only the sound of muffled sobs remained.

She’s still just a girl, after all.

No, almost everyone is like this.

Yisi took a slow breath. No matter how much hardship one encounters, a person will keep their sadness bottled up inside when they are alone. Even if others ask, they will just smile and say it’s nothing. But if they meet someone who cares about them, and that person asks “Are you really okay?” just a few more times, the sadness can no longer be held back and will pour out uncontrollably.

Yisi picked up the scythe and handed Lin a handkerchief.

“I’m sorry… I asked such a question without thinking…”

With her back to Yisi, Lin wiped her face. Although her voice still held a choked feeling, her tone gradually returned to normal.

“…No, it’s not your fault. It’s mine… If I had just paid more attention.”

Rеаⅾ oո KatReαⅾіnɡCαfе

“Don’t take all the blame on yourself. You shouldn’t feel guilty just because you were the only one who survived. You must have realized it by now, right? The one who caused this whole tragedy wasn’t you. It was the Pope at the time.”

“—What nonsense are you spouting!”

Suddenly, Lin snapped her eyes up, glaring at Yisi. Yisi had the feeling that if she continued, Lin would attack her immediately. But even so, the truth was the truth. If she were the type of person who was afraid of offending others, then the situation with Pepe, and the situation with Andrea… none of it would have ever happened.

Her tone became solemn. Yisi said, word by word, “After all this time, you must know it yourself, right? Hasn’t anyone in the Divine Religion told you that if the Gospel’s prophecy is absolute, then the one who caused this whole tragedy was the Pope who forcibly went against the Gospel’s will? If that Pope hadn’t chosen to sacrifice himself, but had followed the Gospel’s plan and let that one-third of the ordinary members be sacrificed, then when the King of Chloe made his move, the Pope would have been free to deal with him. The cause of the tragedy was simply that the Pope defied the Gospel’s will. You just happened to survive.”

This must be what they call survivor’s guilt.

When a person survives a disaster, they will afterward instinctively believe that they could have done better, that they could have helped more people survive, and that their failure to do so is what led to the others’ deaths. Some even wish they had been the ones to die, or feel that they should have died along with those who met misfortune. Even if, in reality, the survivor had nothing to do with the disaster, they will still think this way. For example, a sailor who survives a shipwreck, when the entire crew perishes before his eyes, will think that if he had gone down to save them, they wouldn’t have died. Therefore, he is the one at fault; it was his lack of effort that caused their deaths. Even if, in the eyes of an outsider, these events had nothing to do with him, he will instinctively take the blame upon himself, believing he only survived because of the sacrifice of others.

Yisi’s tone softened slightly.

“That’s why you all established the doctrine of never defying the Gospel. And that’s why, when Atwood invited me to the church, you were so resistant. You’ve known the cause of that incident all along. Why do you still take the blame on yourself? It was all the Pope’s fault.”

“…You bastard!”

Sss-rip.

With the sound of tearing cloth, the sleeve of Lin’s right arm tore open without warning. Immediately, a fist covered in scales, like a dragon’s claw, shot toward Yisi’s face.

Thud.

Like a fist hitting a wooden plank, the dull sound of impact echoed in the silent air.

Yisi had caught Lin’s punch in her palm.

I am just a bystander, not Lin’s friend. I have no obligation to be her punching bag. The only reason I pointed out the problem so bluntly was that, as a bystander, I couldn’t bear to watch it anymore.

The strength from Lin’s fist in her palm gradually weakened. Yisi released Lin’s semi-draconic fist. She had guessed Lin might have a half-dragon transformation ability ever since she saw the dragon wings on her back, so she wasn’t surprised.

“Are you done being angry? You’re not a child anymore. As the Hero, as the savior entrusted with the hopes of the entire Divine Religion, if you can’t even get over this hurdle, you’ll only be failing the undead outside who have placed their hopes in you. Even though they’ve lost their ability to think, they still remember their acknowledgment of you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have watched you go like elders. You know this too, don’t you? You carry their hopes on your back.”

It was precisely because she carried such a heavy burden that the girl before her seemed even smaller. But this was a responsibility Lin could not escape. From the moment she took on the lives of those followers who became undead, she was no longer living for herself. It was just as Evelyn had decisively refused Laxy’s (the Mana Source’s) offer to sacrifice herself for Evelyn’s freedom. Living on while bearing the lives of others is a heavy, suffocating burden.

Reаԁ oո КatRеаԁіոɡCаfе

Of course, Yisi also knew that Lin wouldn’t be crushed by this. What she was showing now was just a weak side of the usually dignified Hero. Everyone has moments like this, including herself.

Yisi couldn’t help but remember when she had stolen the necklace that was so precious to Andrea. Faced with Andrea’s kindness and helplessness, she had been wracked with guilt, unable to confess to Andrea that she was the culprit. She had been weak then, but Andrea had forgiven her.

Is the reason I can’t stand by now because I was forgiven back then? Yisi silently watched Lin, who had lowered her head and was sobbing. For Lin, only when the Divine Religion achieved its goal, protecting humanity and all life on the continent from disaster, could she stand before these undead with a clear conscience and say that she had not failed their expectations.

After a silence so long it felt as if time had been forgotten, Lin gradually reversed her dragon transformation, taking deep breaths to steady her emotions. Just as Yisi had thought, Lin wouldn’t be crushed by this. She had simply, finally, found an opportunity to vent, using the anger from Yisi pushing the blame onto the Pope to pour out all her pent-up guilt and self-recrimination.

With her head down, not looking at Yisi, Lin spoke in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible.

“I’m sorry…”

“Ah, it’s fine.”

It’s a good thing I was the one standing in front of her. If it had been anyone else, that punch would have seriously injured them.

“You’re… not hurt?”

“No.”

“I see. Let’s keep moving. The Gospel sent me here to retrieve something.”

“Okay.”

Without much more conversation, the two walked silently down the corridor. After arriving at a grand hall identical to the one where Atwood had met Yisi, Lin took a deep breath. Using her excellent vampire night vision, Yisi faintly glimpsed the tear tracks on Lin’s scaled face. Her black bangs were also damp with sweat from her emotional outburst. The cold impression she usually gave was, at this moment, replaced by an isolated vulnerability.

“Let’s go in.”

After saying this, Lin walked forward on her own, arriving at the center of the altar where the white stone pillar should have been. Now, all that stood there was a single, unmoving Nightmare Knight in full armor. The knight’s hand was tightly clasped around a dark-red gem.

It’s filled with the aura of death. This is the core of the magic circle that covers the city.

Lin slowly explained.

“This was the Divine Religion’s countermeasure after the incident. To prevent the deathly aura and the undead from wandering into the outside world, we sent people to repair the barrier where the aura was thinnest. As for the core area, I, being unaffected by the aura, was put in charge. The broken barrier’s original purpose was to collect the deathly aura and concentrate it in this gem. The deathly power in my body was also supposed to be poured into this gem. As long as I carry it, I can use its power at any time. Unfortunately, the ritual was only half-completed. Although I can control the power in my body now, the effect is far worse than expected.”

Rеαԁ οո ΚαtRеαdіոɡCafe

“Are these undead, who were once followers, still guarding this place because of their obsession, their desire to complete this ritual?”

“Yes, and no.” Lin walked up to the Nightmare Knight. The red glow in its eyes suddenly brightened, but Lin was not afraid, continuing to answer Yisi as if nothing had happened. “The followers guarding this shaft were almost all members who participated in the sacrifice. The Zombies you saw cleaning upstairs were not part of that. They were just caught in the wave of deathly aura. The reason they aren’t crazed like ordinary undead is that they believe they have not fulfilled the Gospel’s will, so they will continue to clean until the moment I take this gem. It’s been ten years. The residual deathly aura outside will no longer affect the surrounding human settlements.”

As Lin spoke, the armored Nightmare Knight moved. It slowly and stiffly reached out a hand that looked like a withered branch. Like an elder comforting a junior, its fingertips slid from the top of Lin’s black hair down to her cheek.

Lin let out a long breath, her voice taking on a more commanding tone.

“You have all completed your mission. You may rest in peace now.”

The Nightmare Knight slowly tilted its head, as if in confusion, but also as if seeking confirmation from Lin.

Is it really okay?

Lin, reading its meaning, nodded. Her commanding tone softened, becoming full of emotion, as if she were standing not before an undead, but her own family.

“It’s alright now. The deathly aura outside has been purified. Leave the rest to me. I will fulfill the Gospel’s will and lead humanity and all living beings away from disaster.”

“Uu…”

The Nightmare Knight made a sound like wind whistling through a door crack and nodded stiffly. Even with its expression hidden under the helmet, the two onlookers could feel the approval it was emitting. It opened its clenched fist and slowly presented the dark-red gem to Lin.

Lin silently reached out and took the gem in her palm.

Then, she poured magic into it. The gem emitted a red glow.

It was a success.

Immediately, the Nightmare Knight in front of them began to change. Starting from its head, it rapidly turned into scattered dust, like an accelerating, weathering stone.

Her features twisted uncontrollably once more. Lin lowered her head as imperceptible tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the floor.

“Goodbye… Bishop Fulun…”

Only afterward did Yisi learn that this Bishop named Fulun was the one who had rescued Lin from the brink of death and had been the person in the Divine Religion who cared for her the most.