Ch. 113 I’ll do my best.
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 113: I’ll do my best.
“Thank you, Ian.”
After their conversation had reached a natural conclusion, Ian offered a prayer of blessing.
During the Festival of Descent, people from all over the continent flock to receive the Saintess’s blessing, and here, in this very place, someone of the revered bloodline offered a prayer.
It was an honor, a blessing.
Thus, when Leon expressed his gratitude, Ian simply shook her head. Her sorrowful expression was heartbreaking.
“Leon… I mean, I…”
“It’s been a great comfort, Ian. Please, cheer up.”
Leon forced a bitter smile as he spoke.
“…Can I ask what happened?”
The gazes of the three turned toward him.
Leon clenched his teeth and stared at the floor, as if recalling the past. His fists were tightly clenched, his nails digging into his palm and his shoulders tense; the weight of the past heavy on his back.
Just as his eyes seemed to sink into darkness,
Ian reached out and took Leon’s hand. With a soft release of tension, Leon lifted his head.
“…Like all the evil deeds in this world, it was the work of heretics.”
“Ah…”
“I was 12 years old. Thanks to the Holy Knights, I managed to survive and return, but as you can see… everything was already over. Those monsters used some kind of dark magic, so the only way to fix it is through magic as well.”
“So that’s why you were so interested in magical medicine…”
There was no room for the luxury of saving the world with the Saint’s staff. What mattered most was the flesh and blood before him. A medicine that could restore the body, even a little, or heal the mind. That’s the kind of magic he needed.
After learning the circumstances, Ian bowed her head.
“Just in case, let me say this: you don’t need to feel any guilt, Ian. Why would you feel that way? I owe so much to the Church. From the rescue to providing a corner of this treatment center. I’m truly grateful.”
“It’s the burden my ancestors left behind. How are you supposed to bear that…?”
“I’m not bearing it. I’m ignoring it. Please, don’t worry.”
Even as Leon answered lightly, Ian’s shoulders slumped, and her lips twitched.
Leon stared down at the hand he was holding.
“…If I’m being honest, there’s this story, you know? When villains harm people, and the hero fails to stop them, people blame the hero instead. When I was young, I felt that way. I hated the Holy Knights. Why couldn’t they save us sooner? Of course, I hated the heretics even more… but still, I was foolish.”
“…”
“But not anymore. I understand the influence the Church has on this land. I know how much good they do for the world, how important their role is. I truly respect and am grateful for them.”
Ian didn’t respond, only tightening her grip on his hand.
‘Is there really nothing I can do for this friend? Like my ancestors, who performed miracles and saved lives, is there nothing I can do?’
‘I never imagined they could do something so terrible…’
While growing up in the Holy City, she learned of the enemies of the Church and the bloody fate that they deserved, the things to which no mercy should be shown.
She knew that the Holy City takes in orphans who have suffered because of them, and that those orphans vow revenge and join the Inquisition.
But this is the first time she had seen it directly. The cruelty and evil of the heretics—this is the first time she had witnessed it, the first time she felt it in her skin.
It’s deeply unpleasant.
Both the delicate flower that was herself and the things that taint this beautiful world.
The things that plunged this cold-handed friend into darkness and stole the freedom of her longtime friends—they’re worse than vermin.
It’s unbearably unpleasant.
Ian’s violet eyes opened sharply.
At that sight, Leon couldn’t bring himself to speak anymore. His heart ached.
It had always been like this. This person, Ian, always tried to lighten his burdens. What could he, the insignificant being that he was, possibly say?
‘He is as beautiful on the inside as he is on the outside.’
‘Looking at him, I feel grateful, and yet, guilt washes over me.’
“…”
There was still something Leon hadn’t confessed.
Something he couldn’t bring himself to say.
‘It’s because of me that my mother ended up like this–‘
‘I hated the Holy Knights.’ What he had just said was slightly different from the truth.
In truth, it was hatred toward the Saint for punishing him so severely.
Leon swallowed those words and felt the warmth of Ian’s slender, gentle hand.
.
.
.
While the two were talking, Sugar and Riley had moved to a different spot.
As they did, Sugar recalled the entrance ceremony. The expression Leon had worn that day. The face of someone who had raged, asking why they were only now giving him strength.
A child who thought they had been abandoned by God, even as they grew into a mature adult, would find it hard to embrace faith. Leon’s past words made sense now.
‘12 years old…’
That was the year Sugar and Riley escaped the cult and were taken in by the Holy City. The two were the same age as Leon, so that was the year Leon’s mother was broken.
‘It’s because of me…’
Sugar clutched her forehead. The butterfly effect, the consequences of Sugar not following the original story.
Earlier contact with the cult and the subsequent escapefrom there. Louveci’s betrayal of the cult and Riley becoming an ally.
It wasn’t Sugar’s fault.
She knew that.
The ones at fault were the heretics who committed those atrocities, not Sugar, who was just struggling to survive.
Still, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Taking a deep breath, Sugar asked Riley,
“Leon’s mom… am I right about what I’m thinking?”
“What are you thinking?”
“Cedric told me. There’s a group that fuses humans and non-humans. Like the Beastkin we fought before. But this is different… I’m not sure how to put it, but it feels really crude.”
Like a prototype, a test product. They just threw everything together to see what would work.
In the past, they might have made things that way, but now, the Beast-kin felt more refined. Properly combined, with a sense of self, able to use magic. They’ve been perfected.
“…The Cult of Unity.”
“The Cult of Unity? Who are they?”
“When we were kids, after we escaped the cult, they barely had any presence… but they’ve been growing their influence since then.”
“They’re the ones who did this? They teamed up with the Shadow Cult?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
The evil god’s energy contained within the Gem Dragon’s crystal and the Beastkin guarding it.
The cultists they met back then said that the false apostles—things they didn’t even want to call apostles—and the corrupted apostles were behind it.
They called the opposing faction’s cultists ‘fuel’ and locked them in the crystal towers, committing atrocities. They didn’t know the details of the plan, as they had been persecuted and forcibly taken there.
‘…But did those cultists really not know?’
“Riley, I told you before that there were cultists in that crystal tower. What happened to them?”
“…They ran away when the Holy Knights entered.”
‘They’re really good at avoiding trouble. I almost want to learn from them.’
‘Will I never get to meet those people again…’
That’s all I know for now. I’ve roughly pieced it together.
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“No. I don’t know much either. Nothing’s certain.”
She understood, you wouldn’t want to cause confusion by sharing uncertain information.
Sugar resisted the urge to bury herself in Riley’s embrace. She wanted to sink into that broad chest and ease her frustration.
Don’t show weakness. No matter what enemy or force emerges, it doesn’t matter. Just destroy them all. Destroy them, restore everything and in the very end, as long as she’s the one standing, that’s all that matters.
“…Riley. I’ll do my best.”
Riley stared down at Sugar, who spoke with determination. Her fists clenched, her eyes filled with a serious light.
“Don’t cause any trouble.”
But there’s no need for that. You don’t have to push yourself. Just stay behind, or in my arms, where you belong. Enjoy a peaceful school life.
Riley pinched Sugar’s nose. Then, as she yelped and jumped, he lifted her up so she couldn’t resist.
“Are you two here? Let’s head home.”
“Let’s go eat! And do some shopping at the market.”
Leon and Ian, having finished their conversation, approached. Ignoring Sugar’s cries of ‘Someone put me down!’, they took the lead.
Sugar was carried by Riley as they moved.
“I hate this… I hate being dangled…”
“She says she hates everything.”
Poking. Dangling. The names Sugar gave to these actions. She named them to express her dislike, but Riley, who enjoyed these actions, showed no signs of stopping.
Leon and Ian, who had developed the ability to somewhat filter out the two’s bickering, continued their peaceful conversation.
“Do we have enough meat? We should probably buy more.”
“We got vegetables from the elders, so we don’t need to buy those. But we should stock up on food for the holiday. There are four of us, and we’ll need to eat every day.”
“Right? Let’s buy some snacks for Sugar too…”
“Why are you treating me like a child!?”
“Well… you’re like a little sister.”
“Then you all should put down the little sister…”
It was a peaceful moment.
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