Volume 9, Chapter 41 – Those Who Part Ways

“Lin, your interpretation was not mistaken. The Gospel did indeed assign Red and Purple to assassinate the Emperor of the Norta Empire, Gloria XVII. Although no time was specified, I believe the sooner, the better.”

When Lin brought the prophecy-altered Gospel before Atwood, Atwood, seated in the main hall, hesitated for a moment before confirming Lin’s interpretation.

Lin’s purplish-blue eyes gradually widened, her expression filled with disbelief.

“Atwood, are you certain? Asking Red and Purple, the Hero’s attendants, to assassinate Gloria XVII? There’s no chance of success from the start! How could the Gospel send the Hero’s attendants to their deaths! If Red and Purple are gone, how can I possibly overcome the crisis alone in the future? There’s simply no reason for such a command!”

“Lin, this is completely unlike you. We shouldn’t defy the Gospel’s will. You know this best, right?” His already gray eyebrows furrowed, an unshakeable resolve appearing on Atwood’s aged face. “Have Red and Purple come here. I have something to say to them.”

Silence fell. After a long enough time had passed, Lin slowly accepted the reality—she hadn’t misinterpreted the Gospel. Its mandate was indeed for Red and Purple to assassinate the Emperor.

“…I understand. They should be on their way to inform you.”

“No need, Lin. We’ve already heard.”

Just as Lin was about to turn and find Red and Purple, Purple’s voice suddenly came from the entrance of the main hall. Standing beside her was Red. The two had been standing behind the door for a long time, overhearing the entire conversation between Atwood and Lin.

First nodding to Yisi, who was beside Lin, Purple and Red walked step by step up the stairs leading to the Gospel, came before Atwood, and knelt calmly on one knee.

“”Purple (Red) receives the order and respectfully awaits His Holiness the Pope’s instructions.””

“Red… Purple…”

Red and Purple ignored Lin’s call, keeping their heads lowered, awaiting Atwood’s command.

“Thank you for your hard work. Rise. The Gospel rarely gives such clear instructions. Since you heard the previous conversation, I won’t say much more, only some points to note for this operation.” At this point, Atwood turned his resolute gaze towards Yisi and Lin. “Lin, you leave first. Cardinal Yisi, please return as well. This is my command as the Pope of the Divine Religion.”

“…Yes.”

“Okay.”

Responding to Atwood’s words, Yisi and Lin exited the main hall. As if having expended a great deal of energy, the moment she stepped outside, Lin’s body went limp like a broken clockwork doll. She covered her face with her hands, squatted down by the wall, and let out a long breath.

“Lin? Are you okay?”

Yisi, coming out after her, slowly closed the door.

“…I’m fine. It’s just the weakness from activating the magic circle earlier. Let me rest for a moment, and I’ll be alright.”

Lin is putting on a brave face.

Besides the consumption of magic power, she was mostly exhausted mentally. Anyone in Lin’s position would be frantic yet helpless. Not only had she sealed Clarence, who cared for her, but she had also personally brought the Gospel, which decreed sending her friends to their deaths, before Atwood. Even hell probably didn’t offer choices so absurd and desperate.

Perhaps what she had said to Clarence earlier—”As long as I haven’t completed my mission, I cannot face those who died because of me”—was just a form of self-hypnosis. She was trying hard to make herself accept the reality. And now, it was a mixture of regret and self-blame.

Frowning at this contradictory existence, Yisi took a step forward. After their previous argument, she already knew that no amount of persuasion would work on Lin and understood the reason for her stubbornness. But precisely because of this, she felt even more pity for Lin. Squatting by the wall, covering her face with her hands, she looked just like a small animal licking its wounds alone after being injured.

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“Lin…”

“Let me be alone for a while, Yisi. Don’t come near me.”

Her voice held no excitement or anger, no sadness or sobbing. The only thing palpable was an indescribable weariness, like that of a striver disappointed with everything.

Perhaps she doesn’t want to develop a habit of dependency. If Lin accepted her comfort now, she would only become increasingly inseparable from her. For her, as the Hero, having someone she could rely on was dangerous. If the Gospel were to move against that person, she would collapse. From the moment she became the savior, her life and emotions no longer belonged to her; she was destined to be alone. In a way, the choice Lin faced now was very similar to Andrea’s back then. But Lin and Andrea were different. Andrea couldn’t face her responsibilities as queen, while Lin had been walking the path of the savior from the beginning, with no turning back.

Stopping the hand she was about to place on Lin’s shoulder, Yisi forced a light smile, straightened up again, and simply stood beside Lin, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

The corridor was so quiet it felt like even a pin drop could be heard.

“…Are you going to do as the Gospel says?”

The answer would surely be ‘yes.’ Although asking this question now, when Lin had already made her decision, seemed cruel, only by making Lin repeatedly answer ‘yes’ could she adapt sooner to a future without Red and Purple. This was the path Lin had chosen. For Yisi to divert it based on her personal will would be heartless, unreasonable, and shameless. The only thing she could do now was help Lin recognize the road ahead.

The answer was as expected. Lin nodded but didn’t remove the hand covering her forehead, keeping her face hidden in shadow.

“Yes.”

“What will you do afterward? Red and Purple go to the Empire, where will the rest of you go?”

“Stay in the Duchy of Chloe, prepare for war. At the very least, we have to hold out until Red and Purple’s actions yield results. The Gospel wouldn’t act without reason. There must be a reason why it wants Red and Purple to do this.” Lin paused for a moment. “Perhaps this is just part of the Gospel’s plan. After Red and Purple get results, the Gospel will give further instructions… If I kept Red and Purple here because of my personal feelings, it might cost even more lives.”

“I see.”

So she hasn’t lost her reason.

Then I can rest assured.

Yisi looked up at the ceiling. Due to lack of renovation for a long time, mottled marks dotted the surface, like stains on white paper.

“I carefully considered the Gospel’s words just now. You said, Lin, that its mandate was for Red and Purple to participate in the assassination, while all other members of the Divine Religion remain in the Duchy of Chloe, right?”

The sound of fabric rubbing.

Lin just nodded, without speaking.

Yisi continued.

“So I thought, since the Gospel only restricted members of the Divine Religion, then I and others who are not members—”

“No!” Lin abruptly raised her head, her reddened eyes filled with refusal. “You cannot go.”

“Why? The Gospel could have clearly said ‘No one except Red and Purple may participate,’ but it specifically emphasized ‘People of the Divine Religion cannot participate.’ Isn’t that saying that those of us who don’t belong to the Divine Religion can act together? If I go along, even if I can’t guarantee the assassination mission will succeed, I can at least ensure Red and Purple return safely.”

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“No! I will not allow anyone unrelated to the Divine Religion to get involved in this matter! Letting you overhear our conversation was already the utmost tolerance! I will not allow you to take pointless action!”

“I’m just analyzing rationally.”

“Those two alone are sufficient! There’s no need to involve more people! Yisi, you have your companions, your family! I—including Red and Purple—are all orphans without relatives. No one will grieve our disappearance. You live in a different world from us. You should live your life. Pity and sympathy are unnecessary.”

“I just wanted to help you out from the perspective of a friend.”

The moment Yisi’s words fell, Lin immediately cut in, her tone filled with finality.

“If you truly consider me a friend, then listen to me. Go far away. Don’t stay in the Duchy of Chloe. This place doesn’t belong to you.”

“Lin.”

“Enough! My mind is made up!” Lin stood up, her chest heaving with emotion. “You saw it too, didn’t you, Yisi? Purple and Red accepted this outcome! This is the resolve we followers of the Divine Religion made when we joined the church! If one day the Gospel tells us to die, not a single one of us will hesitate!”

“But deep down, you’re unwilling to sacrifice Red and Purple.”

“Yes. But such personal feelings are completely unnecessary! Even setting aside those who died because of me, just considering it from the Divine Religion’s perspective, if I were to shelter Red and Purple out of personal affection, what would the people below think? A follower who doesn’t obey the Gospel has no right to call themselves a follower! From the moment I shelter Red and Purple, I will lose the Gospel’s trust and never receive its guidance again!”

‘Losing the Gospel’s trust’ probably meant being unable to see its display, just like when she had looked at it earlier and saw nothing.

The corridor fell silent again, leaving only Lin’s unsteady breathing. The two quietly stared at the closed main hall door opposite them. After a long while, Lin spoke without warning.

“Do you find me unreasonable?”

“No. Compared to Pepe, your actions are much easier to understand. You carry the last wishes of those who died. Moving forward is the only path you have.”

“I see. Is that Loiswell also difficult to handle?” Lin forced a strained smile. “Perhaps you’ve already figured it out, Yisi. I am the ‘Calamity That Brings Ruin’.”

“As I thought?” From the moment Andrea mentioned the ‘Calamity That Brings Ruin,’ Yisi had associated it with Lin. That deathly aura made it impossible not to suspect. “But how do you know you’re the ‘Calamity That Brings Ruin’? Doesn’t its power only manifest after death?”

As if trying to cast off all the despondency from before, Lin lowered her head and patted down her black gauze dress, a sense of release in her expression.

“If it weren’t for Bishop Fulun, I would be dead now. I told you before, right? Before being found by the Divine Religion, I lived in a coastal city in the Norta Empire. Although the previous emperor issued a decree forbidding discrimination against demi-humans, discrimination among the populace isn’t something that can be eliminated just by saying so.”

Lin showed a bleak smile, pointing to the cyan scales on her cheek.

“Being young and having non-human features, I wasn’t welcomed. I never knew who my parents were. Like those homeless wanderers and slaves cast out by their masters, I lived day by day, never knowing where my next meal would come from. Although I managed to survive one or two winters thanks to my dragon and monster bloodline, eventually, I encountered a time I couldn’t endure. —Maybe it was half a month, or longer? I hadn’t eaten proper food. My memory of that time is unclear now. Anyway, it was a winter afternoon. I collapsed in the snow. My body temperature and senses were being stripped away bit by bit. Then I saw layer upon layer of gray mist rising from my skin. At the time, I thought I was seeing hell, but I didn’t expect it was a precursor to becoming the Calamity. Later, my memory became a blank slate. All I knew was that when I woke up, the entire city had turned into scorched earth, filled with ruined houses. The smell of charred corpses… I remember it vividly even now.”

“Was it Bishop Fulun who saved you?”

Lin nodded nostalgically, the corners of her mouth turning up unconsciously.

“Yes. If it weren’t for Bishop Fulun, I would have frozen to death completely in that city. Bishop Fulun taught me many things. The first time I tasted sweet water, the first time I wrote, and the first time someone beat up those who mocked me for me… Compared to Atwood, Bishop Fulun was my true mentor. However, if you’re asking about the person who reversed my transformation into the Calamity, I can only say no comment. I don’t know why I came back to life either. When Bishop Fulun found me, I had already recovered. Perhaps it was the Goddess’s pity. Though I don’t think the Goddess would pity me, the one who destroyed a city. Every time I see those executed by beheading, I feel that no one deserves death more than I do.”

“…But turning into the Calamity wasn’t something you wanted, right? You also wanted to live. Becoming the ‘Calamity That Brings Ruin’ wasn’t your wish either.”

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“Although I’ve heard similar words many times, I still have to thank you, Yisi. Thank you.”

“No, I just stated the facts. And given our relationship, there’s no need for thanks over such small matters.”

“That’s true. Otherwise, I’d have to say ‘thank you’ every day. You’ve helped me more times than I can count.”

Lin couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Yisi leaning against the wall beside her. Yisi was also looking at Lin. They exchanged smiles, but not of joy. They were bitter smiles, encouraging each other to move forward.

Very emotionally, Lin exhaled all the heavy air from her chest.

“The reason I told you these things, Yisi, wasn’t to gain your sympathy. I just wanted to tell you—”

“The reason the Gospel chose you as the savior might be because you are the one who brings crisis to the world?”

“It’s wonderful that you understand, Yisi.”

Looking down at the ground, Yisi swayed her porcelain-like calves, thinking.

“That’s what anyone would normally think, right? Since death turns you into the Calamity, then just preventing your death solves everything. And if some unforeseen event in the future might affect you, then you have to increase your strength… Going on like this would be endless. Anyway, that’s the general idea, right?”

“This is just my conjecture. As for the truth, only the Gospel knows the answer. Regardless of the outcome, there’s only one thing I must do: act according to the Gospel’s instructions. To prevent the tragedy of the destroyed city from repeating itself, to do right by the predecessors who died, I must ensure I can receive the Gospel’s guidance. For that, I must have the resolve to face everything, even sacrifice… even sacrificing Red and Purple.”

As she spoke the last words, Lin’s voice trembled slightly again.

“Lin, I want to ask you something.”

Lin quietly turned her face away, wiping her cheek with her sleeve, then turned back to Yisi.

“…What?”

“If someone had survived in that coastal city or the dead city back then, what would you do?”

“I cannot resurrect the dead. But if there were survivors, I would spend my entire life begging for their forgiveness.”

If such a person existed, Lin would probably see them as the embodiment of all the dead. No matter the cost, even if that person asked Lin to do things that insulted her dignity, Lin would carry them out due to guilt, to atone for the sins she committed.

After a long pause, the tightly closed main hall door finally creaked open. Red and Purple emerged. Upon seeing Lin outside, they immediately broke into bright smiles, devoid of any gloom.

“Lin!”

“Lin, why are you still waiting for us here?”

Lin opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but upon seeing the smiles on their faces, she gradually shrank back, her expression tightening, lips pressed together.

Seeing Lin like this, Red burst out laughing, playfully nudged up beside Lin, and bumped shoulders affectionately.

“No need to make that face! It’s not a big deal.”

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“How is it not a big deal!”

Taking up Lin’s argument, Purple, looking quite mature, placed her right hand on her chest, curled her lips, and joked nonchalantly.

“Oh dear, to see Lady Lin looking so worried before I die, I have no regrets! Ah! If Lady Lin could give me a kiss, I’d definitely give it my all! Maybe I’d kill the Emperor in one go!”

“Purple…”

“Haaah.” Putting aside the joke, Purple sighed as if annoyed by Lin’s lack of resolve. “Lin, you’re overreacting. On the surface, it seems like Red and I have no chance, especially against Gloria XVII. Facing guards from the realm beyond heroes, we have no chance of winning. But that’s just on the surface. The Gospel wouldn’t act without reason. Since it told us to go assassinate, there must be some hidden circumstance, or rather, a possibility of success. For example, maybe Gloria XVII’s guards suddenly have something else to do, or are away on a mission. Or maybe when we go, the guards and the Emperor aren’t together. The Gospel is omniscient and omnipotent; this is just something it calculated.”

Too optimistic.

Succeeding in the assassination was one thing; escaping successfully was another. Even Yisi could guess that these two had almost no chance of returning.

“Exactly, exactly! Lin, you worry too much! It’s called being blinded by concern.” Red waved her hand dismissively, seemingly genuinely unconcerned about the mission. “We’re leaving tomorrow. Considering the distance from the Ducal Capital of Chloe to the Norta Empire’s capital, including travel time, if nothing unexpected happens, we should be back in half a month. During this time, you have to guard the home well, Lin! Don’t let us come back to find it gone! Hahaha!”

“And remember to sun the quilts and pillows! When I get back, I definitely want to hug Lin to sleep! Half a month without Lin-energy replenishment, I’ll wither away!”

“Eh, Purple, you’re too selfish! I want to join too!”

Their attempts to lighten the mood received no response. After the liveliness died down, the joy on Red and Purple’s faces gradually faded. They looked worriedly at the silent Lin, who just stared quietly at them, her brow furrowed with sorrow, grief, guilt, and apology.

“Lin…”

“Don’t feel sad for us. We’ve long been prepared for this day. Lin, don’t miss us too much.”

“Uu…” Finally unable to hold back the overflowing emotions, like a collapsing dam, years of accumulated feelings burst forth at this moment. Lin, catching the other two completely off guard, suddenly lunged forward, embraced Red and Purple tightly, buried her head between them, and sobbed softly. “Red… Purple… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

The two froze for a moment, but were quickly infected by Lin’s emotion, their features gradually contorting. Letting tears flow freely, they comforted her, gently stroking Lin’s black hair over and over again.

“Lin, acting like this… isn’t it making… making us sad too…”

“Lin, although I’ve always said you’re our hope, at this very end, I hope you can forget us. I don’t want to become your burden, like those people in the dead city. Just seeing you sad for us now… I’m already content.”

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t do anything… I’m sorry…”

Sobbing, Lin could only repeat apologies over and over.

Yisi, who had quietly moved away, clutched her collar tightly, then quickly let go.

Let’s go.

Now is not the time to stay here.

Leaving the three behind, Yisi walked slowly away from the underground base, her footsteps echoing click-clack in the corridor.