Chapter 434: The Saint and the Devil

Many islands laid west of the Gharast Kingdom.

Each of those islands had formed a nation, and those nations had formed an alliance that created the Western Union Roah.

The humans of this Western Union alliance, which established its first human King, Medick, were all proud and capricious. They didn’t compromise their faith. For this reason, even though their population had been somewhat influenced by the Great Holy Church, their folk beliefs still remained strongly intact.

In the past, the Western Union had competed for supremacy against the Gharast Kingdom in the east and Elizard in the southeast, but it failed. So far, the Western Union had not yet been able to reach the continent, and Roah had not been able to break free from its position as the ruler of the west.

However, in a sense, this was a blessing in disguise, as the impact of the terrible catastrophe had been minimal…

…If only the disaster known as a magical devilish being had not been born into the island nations.

Half of the island nations had already shed their blood and flesh against the invasion of the magical devilish being named Borgon. Altia…no, Ariene, the Saint of the Great Holy Church, spoke to her people in the Great Temple of Roah.

Her golden hair and swaying eyes could only be described as mesmerizing, and she attracted everyone’s attention.

「Let’s seek salvation. God will never abandon humanity. He will lead the heroes and save the earth together with the guardians…」

It was a melodious speech. Her pleasant melody melted into everyone’s chest like water and invaded their internal organs.

The response of the people after hearing Altia’s words was not in the form of a riot or applause. Everyone stood in front of Altia and silently wished for their salvation and hoped for their happiness. Their hands were tied together while praying.

Their ancestral land was stolen by a demonic invasion. Their parents were killed, their children were eaten, and their lovers were assaulted. Even though they were refugees now, they didn’t even know what their lives would be like tomorrow.

Everyone grieved and everyone went crazy. They could no longer remain mentally stable. But the Saint said she’d save them.

「…Just do a quiet blessing. I hope that everyone can find the greatest happiness. 」

Everyone was completely immersed in her voice, which had a great sparkling quality. No one raised their voices. They just prayed to the Saint. They were probably already unconscious.

Altia curled her lips slightly in satisfaction and turned the other way around. Although it was a necessary pilgrimage, she didn’t have the luxury of time. There were many things that she had to do. She crossed the stone floor of the Great Temple accompanied by two Cathedral Knights.

Then, the next moment, Altia twitched and raised her eyelashes. Her emotions disappeared from her golden eyes, but in a way that those around her wouldn’t notice.

A voice echoed in her head.

『What a sight I just witnessed. You don’t cease to surprise me. Well, I don’t mind. 』

It was Ariene’s voice, the owner of this body, her vassal and her chosen one. In fact, at this moment, Ariene was the only one who casually spoke to Altia even though she knew Alia’s true identity.

Ariene’s soul was stuck in her body, and she still maintained a strong sense of who she were. Originally, Altia had planned for Ariene to stay asleep for a long time. But she was different from the person she had seen at first, and she seemed to have a much stronger sense of self.

Altia nodded with her eyes filled with no emotions, and answered in a way that only Ariene could understand.

「I’m surprised too, Ariene. I didn’t think there were still surprises hidden in this world. 」

Altia pressed her lips lightly as she crossed the hallway.

Just now, she received a message from her own self. Through her vision, Altia saw the final moments of an old man.

He was a member of the Heraldic Order who foolishly lost the chance to live by refusing to receive her blessings. That in itself was not particularly surprising.

Humans were foolish and reckless. They often lost sight of the truth and threw their happiness into the ditch. They could even reject the Saint’s divine revelation that acted as their salvation.

Therefore, it were the words of the old man, and not the outcome, that made Altia raise her eyebrows.

I am…not in despair! I feel shame at the Gods who created this world. Humans will not be as ignorant as lambs forever! Someday, they will surpass even the likes of you!

Altia’s fingertips lightly drew a circle in the air.

He seemed way too certain in the way he professed such words. It was as if the old man was aware of the first myth, yes, the first cause of the world.

But he was just an old man. Altia narrowed her eyes while pondering.

He was nothing more than a worthless human being. With the previous collapse of the Heraldic Order, that old man had disappeared, leaving no trace of his name in history books, and having no influence on this world.

His soul was far from being heroic, and at best he could be considered a warrior. Was it possible that such an existence had reached the world, even if only in fragments? Was such a thing possible?

The questions were endless, and answers were nowhere to be seen. It didn’t make sense no matter how much Altia thought about it. One thing was certain. Killing him was the right thing to do.

What if that old man had connected the old myth and united himself with Lugis, Offal’s follower?

It would’ve been troublesome. Yes, it would’ve been, but not anymore.

「Alright. I have to do what I need to do, so let’s return to the Cathedral as soon as possible. Is that okay with you two? 」

In any case, Altia didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts. She had many things to do.

She had to awaken its soul, which was still sleeping at the bottom of the Great Temple of Roah. Besides, she wanted this body to be transformed as a holy body.

And above all, she had to destroy the Heraldic Order from its roots. Altia got convinced with this incident.

As expected, the doctrine of the Heraldic Order was too dangerous.

The Heraldics displayed many things that they didn’t know about, and in doing so, they were running towards their own destruction. It was like a desire for self-destruction. How could Offal know everything and let them go through it?

It was okay for humans to be ignorant and powerless. There was no need to struggle before hardships. It was okay to despair. Altia allowed that much.

After all, there was so much despair in this world.

No amount of justice or desperate effort would save them from this world. Those who weren’t heroes, no matter how noble their aspirations could be, would be immediately crushed.

No, even heroes and brave men. What could they do? They were burdened with the expectations of mediocre people and were left with an unbearable burden for the rest of their lives.

They couldn’t create something even though they had overcome terrifying hardships and had faced all sorts of enemies. And even if they accomplished something, eventually everything would be lost. It was the same when Altia’s Empire had disappeared.

In that case, it was better not to deal with anything at all. It was a relief to be ignorant since there would be no despair. It was a blessing to know nothing. That was the real meaning of happiness. People were bound to become unhappy once they gained knowledge.

Altia turned around and stared at the two Cathedral Knights after speaking. Two pairs of eyes showed agreement after a short delay.

「…I’ll fulfill my duties as a Cathedral Knight, Lady Songstress. That’s why I’m here. 」

Garras Gargantia answered in a monotone way while showing off his crimson spear. The reason why he looked slightly depressed was probably because he was dissatisfied with the current situation.

For him who wanted to be a mighty knight, the current situation was too complicated as he had to prioritize the Saint’s pilgrimage over the people who needed saving from the threat of demonic beings.

If there hadn’t been a direct request from the Saint, Garras would’ve stayed in the Cathedral instead of this place so that he could face the monster disaster.

Garras took a small breath, moved his gaze from the Saint and stared at the other Cathedral Knight. He had the same golden eyes and hair color as the Saint.

His golden eyes widened strongly. His left eye, which should’ve been lost in the past, was certainly there now.

…A magical devilish being. The hero Helot Stanley nodded while his eyes became darker.

「Yes, Saint Ariene. I’ll do that, what this world needs is justice and fairness. 」

The woman who called herself a Saint just showed a faint smile at this situation.

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Oh no! Helot Stanley got reborn as something dark and evil…Lugis will be shocked and furious when he finds out about this…The hero he once admired was now a demon.

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