Volume 9, Chapter 25 – Differing Opinions (Part 1)

After the meeting concluded and the decision was made to prepare for war against the Empire, the bishops and Lin walked out of the main hall together. Yisi took this opportunity to hide in the shadows, intending to wait until everyone had left before entering the hall to ask Atwood some questions.

However, things don’t always go according to one’s will. As Lin, the last one out, emerged from the main hall, she suddenly stopped, looked towards the pillar where Yisi was hiding, and frowned. She waited until all the bishops had departed before slowly walking towards Yisi’s location, facing her with an expression of surprise mixed with uncertainty about what to say.

“Why are you here, Yisi?”

Is a dragon girl’s perception really that sharp? Though Lin probably doesn’t count as a dragon girl. She can only partially transform, and normally only has a few scales on her cheeks. She could pass for human.

The awkwardness of being discovered made Yisi look troubled, scratching her cheek.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I just wanted to come find Atwood to ask some things… Hearing the conversation was purely an accident.”

“Tsk. So you saw everything? Never mind. Even yesterday… yesterday’s events were known to you, so hearing our conversation doesn’t matter much.”

When mentioning her crying in the dead city yesterday, Lin very obviously averted her gaze from Yisi, her face showing both embarrassment and what looked like shyness.

Is it because she usually wears a mask, so it doesn’t matter if her expression changes, and she forgets about it when the mask is off? Or is she actually just bad at bottling up her feelings?

This is bad. Isn’t this characteristic practically inviting me to bully her?

When it came to suppressing her expressions, Yisi considered herself an expert. She had a feeling Lin would be very fun to tease.

“But if you’re looking for Atwood, I think it’s better to give up now. You heard our conversation. The Gospel prophesied that the Empire will move against us. We need to prepare for both war and retreat. Atwood will be interpreting the Gospel’s prophecy for a long time to come. Setting aside whether Atwood would even see you, even if he were willing, I wouldn’t let you in. Things are at a critical point; the interpretation of the Gospel’s will cannot be interrupted by anyone. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Ah, I know.”

If she hadn’t gone with Lin deep into the dead city yesterday, she might have thought Lin was being overly strict about just asking a few questions. But after knowing that an entire city’s population had died because the Gospel’s will was defied, thinking that way would undoubtedly be inconsiderate. Lin just didn’t want the past tragedy to repeat itself. After all, no one could be sure that the few minutes she might take up of Atwood’s time wouldn’t lead to a major catastrophe in the future, like a butterfly flapping its wings causing a storm two weeks later.

Lin seemed stunned for a moment that Yisi agreed so readily, then her expression turned apologetic, and a low hum came from her throat.

“I’m sorry… I feel bad just sending you back like this. Would you like to see our training grounds? I need to go there later.”

“Training grounds?”

“Yes. To prevent the tragedy of ten years ago from happening again, we took control of the Chloe royal family when we moved the capital. Although on the surface this country is still ruled by the royals, any noble with even a little status knows that it wouldn’t be wrong to call the Duchy of Chloe our Divine Religion’s country. So, the place originally used for training Chloe’s soldiers is now under our effective control. There’s an academy there that we use to cultivate Heroes… perhaps calling it an educational facility is more appropriate. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a real academy. If you go, they should respectfully call you ‘Teacher.’ Would you like to go?”

She didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Since she’d decided to observe the Divine Religion, seeing the place where they cultivated Heroes wouldn’t hurt.

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“…How could I refuse such respect?”

Soon, under Lin’s guidance, the two arrived at the training grounds.

Contrary to what she had imagined, the training grounds weren’t on the outskirts of the capital but occupied a large open space between the capital and the noble district. If viewed from high above, one would see a ring-shaped area devoid of any obstructions between the King’s castle and the noble district. That was the Kingdom’s soldier training area.

Following the King’s Avenue, the two passed into the interior of the training grounds, which required permission to enter. Along the way, they could see many soldiers drilling on the field—most were using scarecrows as imaginary enemies, practicing thrusts with long spears. Judging from the sweat on their foreheads and necks, they must have been training for a long time. Additionally, not many soldiers were using magic. Anyone whose magic power exceeded level 5 according to the [Omniscient Map] had a blue ribbon, imprinted with the Duchy of Chloe’s flag, tied around their arm. Yisi observed that these individuals received much better treatment than ordinary soldiers.

That makes sense. If those who could use magic received the same treatment as those who couldn’t, soldiers wouldn’t think of spending their free time learning magic.

Following behind Lin, Yisi murmured, “You rarely see people using magic.”

“Those who understand magic are in the minority. For ordinary people, magic is something desirable but unattainable. Learning magic requires a significant initial investment of wealth and effort, and there’s no telling when you’ll actually learn it. You might spend all your money and still not master it. For those in the process of learning, it’s immense mental pressure. That’s why only nobles think of investing money in having their children learn magic.”

“I see. What about the academy for cultivating Heroes you mentioned?”

“Although there are some who can never learn magic, most eventually do. The money spent on them each year is a major part of the Divine Religion’s expenses.”

“I see.”

The conversation lapsed into a brief silence. It was then that some soldiers, having finished their training and resting, quickly ran over to Lin. Scratching the backs of their heads and grinning foolishly, they bowed repeatedly to her, their smiles full of respect and admiration.

“Lady Lin!”

“Thank you for your help the other day!”

“Damn it! I promised to give you a gift next time we met, but I forgot to bring it today because of training! From now on, I swear I’ll carry the gift with me everywhere!”

“Give it up, you! It’s just a sachet made of wildflowers. After being stuffed on you for a while, it’ll turn into a stink bag. Lady Lin wouldn’t want your stuff.”

“But those are herbs picked from the Vine Garden outside the city! My sister told me girls like things that smell nice. It would definitely suit a beautiful girl like Lady Lin.”

The young soldiers crowded around, expressing their thanks, making Lin blush. A red tint appeared on her beautiful face, and she quickly waved her hands.

“No… I just happened to pass by and give a little guidance. It’s not as exaggerated as you say. Your ability to grasp magic is entirely your own achievement.”

One soldier immediately puffed out his chest, his eyes widening.

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“How can you belittle yourself like that, Lady Lin! For an ordinary person to grasp magic, you can’t even get through the door without spending dozens of gold coins! The reason we could become magic soldiers in such a short time is entirely thanks to your guidance, Lady Lin!”

“If you hadn’t told us how to sense magic, Lady Lin, we would have remained ordinary soldiers for our entire lives!”

“Exactly, exactly! To be honest, at first, I believed what those people outside said, that Lady Lin was a man-eating monster, and I didn’t dare approach you. Now I know, those people are just jealous of Lady Lin’s strength! Lady Lin is kinder than even our human princess!”

Agreeing unanimously with this statement, the soldiers nodded repeatedly.

Yisi, observing quietly from the side, couldn’t help but smile.

It seems there are people in this world, like me, who aren’t afraid of those with demonic features.

Perhaps because she was rarely praised by so many people at once, Lin, caught in the middle, seemed at a loss, unsure even of what to say, looking quite flustered.

Normally, I should step in and help her out, right? But this is the kind of treatment Lin deserves. Back on Earth, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to interact with a beautiful girl like Lin in my entire life. It’s too strange that people in this other world dislike her just because of a few scales. Letting Lin experience this feeling of being admired won’t do any harm.

Only when the barrage of compliments began to trouble Lin did Yisi finally step forward, squeezing into the crowd.

“Alright, alright, Lady Lin has things to do today. If she’s delayed on the road for too long, her superiors will criticize her. You wouldn’t want to see your teacher get scolded, would you?”

“Th-That’s true! Hey, we should go! We can’t hold Lady Lin back because of us!”

“Yes! Lady Lin, we’re going back to training! Next time, I’ll definitely remember to bring the sachet!”

“Goodbye, Lady Lin!”

As the soldiers waved goodbye enthusiastically, Lin, finally free, nodded with a smile and slowly waved back—there was clear happiness in her voice.

“Yes, goodbye.”

Only after watching the soldiers get punished by their officer for leaving the training grounds without permission did Lin slowly lower her hand, her smiling expression gradually turning wistful.

Noticing this, Yisi deliberately used a teasing tone.

“Lady Lin, you looked so troubled just now, but now you seem reluctant to see them go?”

Lin’s voice instantly rose.

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“Wh-Where did you get that idea!”

“Ehh~ Doesn’t that reaction mean I was right? Lady Lin.”

“Uh… Umm…” Realizing her lapse in composure, Lin gasped and quickly covered her mouth, her face turning red. Her tone held a hint of petulant anger. “Why are you like Purple, Yisi? It’s too mean. Is teasing me fun?”

“Yes, Lady Lin.”

Very.

A beautiful girl’s shy expression is a treasure that gold cannot buy.

But teasing should be done in moderation, or it could easily lead to irreparable consequences. Yisi cleared her throat and started walking forward, changing the subject.

“Those soldiers seem to adore you, Lin.”

“Because I often pass by here. The living conditions in the Duchy of Chloe are poor. Apart from the magic soldiers, ordinary soldiers earn very little. When I couldn’t bear to see it, I would occasionally give them some pointers. Over time, it became like this… Before, only two or three people would come over. This many, today is the first time.”

“Eh, that means you’re becoming more and more popular. They’ll probably fall for your beauty sooner or later.”

“Please don’t make such jokes.” Lin’s tone turned serious. “I am merely their teacher. They wouldn’t think of me in a romantic way.”

“Is that so?”

Although she said that, Yisi didn’t pursue it further. Perhaps Lin had already sensed it—those soldiers didn’t see her as human. Just as Lin said, the soldiers simply respected her as the teacher who had guided them.

As for why Yisi knew this, besides the way the soldiers looked at Lin, the most obvious clue was what one soldier had said earlier: “Lady Lin is kinder than even our human princess.” Perhaps the soldier truly respected Lin from the bottom of his heart, but by specifically emphasizing the word ‘human,’ it showed that deep down, he didn’t consider Lin to be human like him.

She suddenly remembered what Gore had first said when facing Lin.

The hero who saves humanity is not human?

Those who wish to be saved place their hope in a non-human entity, but when that non-human entity wants to join humanity, it is rejected instead.

Feeling a touch of melancholy, Yisi suddenly asked as she walked slowly forward, “How do you see those soldiers, Lin?”

“A group of very cute, simple people.”

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“…Then have you ever thought about what you would do if, one day, the Gospel ordered you to attack them?”

“Kill them.”

The answer came without hesitation, devoid of any killing intent.

Yisi couldn’t help but frown. This answer was far from satisfying, although she knew it was just a difference in personal values. To her, the lives of everyone else in the world combined were not as important as the lives of her companions. But to Lin, the Gospel’s will, meaning the majority of lives, was what mattered.

Yisi changed the target.

“What about Red and Purple, Atwood, those soldiers, and me? All of us combined? Would you still choose the same way?”

Lin wasn’t angered by Yisi’s words. Instead, very seriously, she corrected her.

“No, you seem to have misunderstood something, Yisi. If the Gospel ordered me to kill Red, Purple, and Atwood, the three of them wouldn’t put up any resistance. Perhaps they would end their own lives before I even had to act, just like that bishop I executed in Gota City. As for you… Although I’m not a hundred percent certain, I would definitely find a way to make you fall asleep peacefully in your dreams without you noticing.”

“Oh dear, then I won’t dare to sleep starting today.”

“Even if you are a vampire, there will always be times when you can’t fight off sleep. Don’t worry, with my technique, you won’t feel any pain.”

As if very proud, Lin slightly puffed out her age-appropriately developed chest, her purplish-blue eyes full of pride.

“This isn’t about whether it hurts or not…” Yisi couldn’t help but spread her hands and smile wryly. After considering for a moment, she said what she had originally intended to say to Atwood. “These words were originally meant for Atwood. It might not be appropriate to say them to you now.”

Pushing the black bangs that had fallen onto her forehead back, Lin regained her serious expression.

“What words?”

“After returning yesterday, I thought a lot. One thing concerns the Gospel. If—and I mean if—if the Gospel is truly omniscient and omnipotent, shouldn’t it have foreseen the outcome where the old Pope would defy its will? In that case, it would mean the Gospel orchestrated the tragedy of the dead city, using it to bind you to its service for life.”

Saving the future seemed too ethereal in her eyes. Imagine, a person picks up the Gospel. Because it predicts a future disaster, the person who found it must take responsibility for the prophecy, spending their entire life devoted to it. It sounds noble, but for the person who found the Gospel, there was no obligation to obey its prophecy from the start. They could have just burned it and continued living their own life.

Before reaching the future, no one knows what it truly holds. Perhaps there is actually no disaster. Or perhaps, even if disaster strikes, the people who desperately struggle might not find salvation at all.

Just like the vanished Kingdom of God.