Ch.120Ill Fate (3)

To put it bluntly, Maria has reached her limit both physically and mentally.

Even in physical duels, one naturally uses mental strength like fighting spirit and willpower, and in battles of mind against mind, physical energy is consumed to maintain concentration.

In other words, the difference is merely which side is used more, but both aspects gradually wear down regardless.

It’s only natural that Maria is exhausted after simultaneously engaging in combat and performing holy miracles.

Moreover, the enemies she has faced so far are beyond what a single inquisitor should handle.

Maria’s burden was said to be closer to ancient times when tribal chiefs also served as priests, rather than kings. Times when a leader’s single decision could reverse the fate of an entire community.

Kain bowed his head in shame.

He was the one holding the reins of their entire journey. Therefore, he should have naturally considered the burden and fatigue his companion was experiencing.

He had been complacent.

Kain had never worked with other inquisitors. Because of this, he had assumed that others worked as hard as Maria did. Yet what Maria had done until now was beyond dedication—it was closer to sacrifice.

But his inability to look at Elisabet wasn’t solely due to shame. It was confusion. A kind of dizziness, like vertigo, tormented Kain.

The person before him was clearly Maria. They had fought together protecting each other’s lives, had fierce arguments, but also shared happiness over alcohol and good food as comrades. Along with Lily, they had embraced each other, a precious person who made him feel he hadn’t strayed from the world’s orbit.

But the person speaking now wasn’t Maria. Even if it was her mother. The discomfort arising from her constantly referring to herself in the third person, like a stranger, was overwhelming.

“…Then when will she recover?”

Only after Elisabet’s words had stopped and a long pause did Kain ask.

“Even I don’t know that.”

Something seemed to snap. Kain stared blankly at Elisabet.

“The reason Maria has endured so well until now… there are several reasons, but the most important one is that she herself wanted it.

Since I’ve dwelled in this child’s body, I’ve never seen my daughter so happy. Maria’s days were always close to gray. But after being with you and Lily, they changed to vibrant colors.”

Kain dreaded what would follow.

“The real reason my daughter is truly exhausted is different from your assumption. It’s because of this child’s… my daughter’s innate temperament.”

“Temperament, you say?”

“I told you. An ordinary inquisitor couldn’t have endured this. But this child managed it. Sometimes she would forcibly ‘pull me out’… haven’t you noticed her power fluctuating?”

Kain searched his memories.

Indeed, that was true. Maria’s power had gradually strengthened. After the incident at Masada where Kain had stabbed her in the chest, she had shown increasingly powerful miracles.

Emmaus. Berta Village… Maria’s power had clearly been growing stronger. But why had she become powerless to the point of exhaustion in the Black Forest?

“This child is using her power in reverse.”

“In reverse…?”

“Maria…” Elisabet, wearing Maria’s face, frowned.

“This child could have become a witch stronger than me. It’s innate. An ordinary person’s body cannot contain two souls.

If everyone could do that, the world would function much more terribly. Can you imagine a world where everyone carries two completely different personalities?”

He couldn’t imagine it. Even thinking about it was confusing. He couldn’t even accept the Maria right in front of him.

“Light shines from above to below, but trees pull nutrients from below to above. The directions are completely opposite.

Yet my daughter handles the power of light, despite being born with the power of the life tree more than anyone else in the world. This child’s true power…”

Suddenly, flames appeared in Maria’s eyes. That same look she showed when angry. When enraged.

“If this child had entered her proper destiny, she could have overturned the world and more. In the Black Forest, this child confronted the nature she had been suppressing and restraining until now. What she wanted to deny. What she wanted to tear apart.

But what flowed through this child’s body… that longhouse was a sacred site of the Life Tree Order, and the ritual performed in its basement… though twisted beyond even my tolerance, was clearly a Life Tree Order ritual. This child absorbed all that energy.”

“Maria… is she really alright?”

“As I said, that child is fine. She’s just reflecting on the life she’s lived until now.”

‘What life?’ Kain wondered.

‘Maria hates even talking about her childhood. Didn’t she wander through alleys of confusion and denial…?’

Elisabet couldn’t possibly not know this. Only after a breath did Kain understand her implication.

That Maria had fallen into such intense self-denial that she couldn’t regain consciousness.

“It’s sad.” Elisabet turned her head toward the window.

“That a child who grew up with such great blessings denies herself. Maria couldn’t accept that she was the child of an inquisitor and a witch. She just wanted to live an utterly ordinary life.

But a great tree is ultimately a great tree. Eventually, it reveals its roots and trunk. And for my daughter, the time has come. The destiny to accept the elevated path. So.”

Elisabet raised herself up. Perhaps because the previous day’s memory was still vivid, she didn’t stand up hastily, but she could at least sit on the edge of the bed.

“So. Help my daughter step onto the path of her proper destiny, her noble fate. The leather strap… that’s what we need.”

“What exactly is the purpose of that leather strap?”

“It’s a wicked thing that binds this child’s power. But I cannot touch it. Because it was inscribed with love by this child’s father.”

“Didn’t you love Inquisitor Heinrich?”

Though unintentional, those words seemed to pierce Elisabet. Only after taking a couple of breaths did she regain her composure.

“…It was a fate that somehow became entangled. Yes. I loved him. But loving someone… doesn’t mean sharing the same thoughts. Especially regarding a child’s future.

I sensed it from when this child was kicking in my womb. That she would become a great child. That the life tree had finally borne its fruit…”

“Maria is my comrade,” Kain snapped.

“She’s an ordinary person, not some fruit or anything like that, and a skilled inquisitor. And like other people, she will choose which path to take herself.”

“What a ridiculous thing to say.” Elisabet laughed quietly.

“She’s a child who cannot be ordinary. A child who cannot live like other people. You know nothing about my daughter.”

“Just as parents don’t know everything about their children.”

“I’m not speaking as a parent, but as an inheritor of wisdom passed down through generations.”

“What use is ‘wisdom’ that has roots all rotten, gathers pitiful children to chant strange spells, and drives people mad with revenge and hatred?”

“That’s why they need to be restored.” Elisabet’s back straightened.

“The tree is sacred, but it shouldn’t be neglected. Someone must set all this on the right path. Maria, as the priestess of a new era, will correct what the order has twisted and distorted.”

Kain was breathless at these unexpected words. The order was twisted? What did this mean? Elisabet smiled wryly, as if she had already seen through Kain’s thoughts.

“You didn’t know. The reason the order denounced us as heretics, cultists, perpetrators of unspeakable evil, was to kill us.

We were ruling the world, but the order was just a small minority. To increase their numbers, the order joined hands with the Empire’s founder. They imposed a one-sided order, claiming only they were right.

Was it just here? No. No. The pagans of the west and north are the same. The Stone-Fire Faith is the same.

We… the Life Tree Order… we weren’t pushed aside because of our shortcomings and sins. We were pushed aside in politics and power.

So, we’re just reclaiming what was originally ours. Would you call that unjust?”

“I…” Kain shook his head. This was a story he was hearing for the first time, and theology wasn’t a subject of interest to him.

What made him hesitate to speak was the heat of anger and hatred. From Elisabet… from Maria’s body, heat rose. It was anger close to venom. A knotted grudge, a sense of injustice…

Snap.

Elisabet flicked her finger. The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. She just smiled, swinging her legs. Not a trace of hatred could be found there.

“I know you work for the Empire, but you’re not its spokesperson. So there’s no need to apologize. But… if you help me just a little. I can help you with what you yearn for.”

“Yearning,” Kain laughed hollowly. “Me?”

“Getting to your lover’s side as soon as possible.”

With a thud, Kain’s heart sank. Elisabet smiled mischievously.

“Deny it if you want. The reason you’re in such a hurry. Why your heart is so urgent. The reason you carry a water bucket every day is because you want to forget the empty space. Because if your body isn’t tired, you can’t sleep due to the frustration. Even though you have so much to do…”

Lily.

Kain had consciously tried to erase Lily. But occasionally, he had heard Lily’s laughter. There were times he lay awake all night after catching her scent in his sleep. Touch. Smile. Laughter. Joy.

“I can help you. Kain.”

“…How?”

“Help me use this body a little more freely. I promise. I won’t harm that leather strap. I’ll just adjust it slightly. If that happens… I will personally interrogate those heretics in that prison.”

Elisabet leaned forward. A subtle smile. Cheeks flushed bright. Lips exhaling hot breath.

“What you ultimately need is their confession, isn’t it? You want to hear their confessions to find clues, and leave this place quickly, don’t you? I’m saying I’ll do that for you.

You don’t have to do anything. Just show them fragments of what you’ve experienced, and they will… spill everything on their own. It’s not a bad thing.

Just let Maria rest a little longer. I’m just doing the work instead. Isn’t that good for everyone?”

Elisabet’s white hand touched Kain’s shoulder. Though it was a light hand, it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and Kain couldn’t move.

“If you need time to think, take as much as you need. I’m not in a hurry. But, if you make your decision a little faster, I’ll give you a very big gift.”

“What kind of gift?”

Finally, her other hand rested on Kain’s opposite shoulder. Though awkward, Elisabet stood leaning on Kain’s shoulders.

Her arms trembled, and there was no strength in her grip, yet he couldn’t shake her off. Even as her lips approached his ear.

“I can see it. Your former lover whom you killed with your own hands, still hovering around you. I will erase that woman forever. Not only that, I will free you from all the shadows that will come upon you in the future. Nothing will be able to frighten you.”

Beatrice. She could see that too? Elisabet’s body came so close they were almost touching.

“If you help me just once, you can live a new life. You will become a hero. You will save the Empire from crisis.

And you’ll live happily with Liliana. Making love all night, raising children who resemble both of you, growing apple tree saplings and living happily. Forever…

There’s not a single denial here. Nothing will go wrong. No bad deeds, no lies, no sins. You just need to help a pitiful woman.”

Kain didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Elisabet gently embraced Kain’s head.

“Now, isn’t it time for you to be happy, Kairos?”

A sweet future rushed toward Kain. Kain made his decision.