Ch.232Chapter 232 – Prayer and Patience

At the time when Kei and Rubrum were engaged in battle.

Chris was in a pure white room.

“I definitely entered the seal.”

Suddenly, everything around her had disappeared, and only she remained in this room.

As she slowly looked around, trying to figure out where she was, Chris’s hand trembled slightly.

“The stone tablet?”

The stone tablet was trembling on its own.

It seemed to be moving as if asking to be released, so when she loosened her grip, the stone tablet flew to the center of the room as if it had a will of its own.

“Why is it doing this?”

Chris quietly addressed the stone tablet.

As she tilted her head while looking at it.

A small voice echoed in Chris’s mind.

“…Pray.”

She quietly repeated the voice she heard in her head while looking at the stone tablet.

For some reason, the voice seemed to have come from the stone tablet.

‘No, it might have actually come from the stone tablet.’

Previously, when she was accepting Evgenia’s divine power, Kara’s consciousness had told her something.

That the stone tablet contained Evgenia’s will.

It was just a feeling, but Kara had said she felt that way.

And now Chris was feeling the same thing.

She turned toward the stone tablet and slowly knelt down.

Chris folded her hands and closed her eyes.

“I pray to the god, Lady Evgenia.”

She slowly recited the prayer that she had learned since childhood and had never missed a day.

She didn’t just say the words; she put her heart into them.

“…Believing that You will guide our lost and wandering paths, I shall become Your staff and guide those who wander.”

She recited the final verse of the prayer.

And as she wondered whether she should maintain her posture or open her eyes.

Chris felt pain.

‘Ouch?’

It felt like something sharp was piercing through her body.

Unable to open her eyes due to the pain, when she finally managed to, she saw a silver sword embedded in her abdomen.

“Blood…!”

Her white nun’s habit, torn and patched in places, was stained red.

Looking around, the scenery was somehow unfamiliar.

‘…This is clearly Count Metis’s….’

She wondered why she had been stabbed in the abdomen here.

Having lost too much blood, her vision gradually blurred, and Chris’s posture was about to collapse.

[Pray.]

The voice was heard once more.

As the pain gradually intensified, Chris unconsciously muttered.

‘In this condition, how….’

With her clouding mind, Chris protested against the voice’s instruction.

But perhaps because it was so ingrained in her.

Chris was folding her hands again.

Closing her eyes, she tried to forget the pain by reciting the prayer once more.

And, at some point.

The pain piercing her body disappeared.

‘This, what on earth….’

Chris couldn’t comprehend how the pain had melted away like snow.

As she questioned what that scene had been.

Chris was crying.

“Huh…?”

When she opened her eyes, this time she saw an old woman with closed eyes.

The old woman had her hands neatly folded and was lying with a peaceful face.

The surroundings had also changed from the mansion earlier to what looked like a small cottage.

‘She resembles someone….’

She thought the facial features resembled someone, but before she could place it, sadness overwhelmed her.

Loneliness and longing mixed together, causing tears to continuously flow from Chris’s eyes.

The sad emotions kept trying to break her down.

And once again, a voice echoed in her mind.

[Pray.]

Chris folded her hands again and recited the prayer.

Barely holding up her body that felt like it would collapse, she finished the prayer, and once again, those emotions disappeared.

And the next moment.

Chris felt her reason becoming numb.

‘Ugh….’

It was difficult to speak or think.

When she slightly opened her eyes, she saw a black-haired woman and what looked like miniature versions of her—girls—lying on the ground, bleeding.

Their luxurious clothes were covered in blood, and the luxurious carriage was reduced to almost just its wheels.

And this time too, for some reason, or rather, someone with a face she seemed to know was holding a sword and saying something to her.

She was losing her reason due to the grief and anger of losing someone dear.

If she let go of her mind just a little, she felt she would go mad immediately.

No, she might already be half-mad.

‘Must… pray….’

Before getting further entangled in emotions, she focused on offering a prayer.

Her mind began to clear again.

And then, her entire body began to ache.

“Ah…ah…argh?!!”

She felt nauseous.

She had a headache.

It felt like her blood was flowing backward.

Like an electric current striking her entire body.

Even more frightening was the feeling that her ability to think was disappearing.

‘Prayer….’

Just as she was struggling to fold her hands.

This time, the left side of her face began to heat up intensely.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

She screamed at the feeling of half her face burning.

When she barely endured it, a terrible hunger struck her body.

Somehow enduring that, feelings of loss, longing, and sadness dominated her mind.

And finally, her heart began to ache.

Her heart beat erratically and heavily, and a warning spread throughout her body that if her heart strained any further, she might die.

‘…Wait, heart?’

And only then.

Chris realized what kind of pain she was experiencing.

No, whose pain it was.

‘Lord Kei…!’

And as she traced her memories, she could also understand why her face felt like it was burning.

There was a man whose half of the face had been burned, though it had improved a lot now thanks to her treatment and Sera’s medicine.

Once that thought occurred to her, Chris finally understood the identity of the pains she had been feeling.

‘This pain was the pain of my comrades.’

And Chris could realize what kind of trial this place was testing her with.

‘Endurance.’

To endure and pray while experiencing the pain that her comrades, or others, had gone through.

That must be one of the conditions to leave this place.

And with the persistent pain in her heart, Chris shed a few tears.

She had expected it to be painful, but she hadn’t thought it would be this severe.

‘…So you’ve been fighting in this kind of pain all along….’

And, that wasn’t all.

‘Everyone else has also experienced pain and sorrow.’

With the persistent pain in her heart, she bit her lip, adjusted her posture again, and offered a prayer.

‘I must overcome this.’

She couldn’t break here.

For her comrades’ sake, she had to overcome the trial.

[Pray.]

As she composed herself and focused her mind.

[Pray.]

Feeling that something deep within her was gradually changing each time she felt pain.

[Become a god.]

Chris offered prayers and endured.

+

I cut his eye.

Over the face that already had three scars, there was now a trace of a dagger slashing across it.

As Rubrum’s eyeball burst, blood trickled down his cheek.

And, Rubrum was frozen.

I couldn’t tell if he had momentarily stopped due to the shock of the eye injury.

But he kept touching his eye, as if revisiting the fact that he had been wounded.

And I raised my body, which had been thrown to the ground, and slowly checked my physical condition.

Arms, they move.

Legs also move.

My heart was painfully racing due to the recoil from wearing the armor, but apart from that, I could move.

‘That medicine works well.’

If it weren’t for the medicine Sera had given me, I probably wouldn’t be able to move by now.

I picked up the halberd that had somehow been placed at my feet, and watched Rubrum’s reaction, preparing for what might come next.

‘He’ll charge at me.’

I don’t know why he retreated in the past, but that arrogant dragon wouldn’t retreat for no reason now.

He’ll surely charge again.

‘I can’t wear the armor again.’

My heart was already at its limit.

If I summoned the armor again, I might die instantly.

As such, if we fought again like this, I would be at a disadvantage, but…

‘Rubrum’s consumption is also significant.’

Due to the fierce battle with me, his armor was broken in many places and hadn’t been repaired.

It couldn’t be said that there was no consumption on his part.

‘I’ve figured out his habits.’

The fact that he would first teleport right in front of me when he moved next was a habit I had learned from fighting him multiple times.

I had already observed it enough through the memories of our fights and the recent fierce battle.

Even if I were to lose, I had established enough of a foundation to not go down easily.

And I had no intention of losing anyway.

‘Move.’

Read the precursor to his next action, and counter it.

With that thought, I observed Rubrum, who was absentmindedly touching his wound.

And finally, Rubrum moved.

[Kuh, kekekekekeke…!]

The first thing that came out was a laughing sound like grinding teeth, which I had heard before.

For some reason, a cheerful laugh spread around.

Thinking that he would come soon, I immediately turned the halberd backward.

The next moment, as I quickly thrust the halberd, its blade went toward Rubrum’s neck, who had appeared right in front of me.

-Kuung!!

With a heavy sound, Rubrum grabbed the halberd.

However, I had already let go of the halberd and was preparing to kick Rubrum.

And, the moment I looked into Rubrum’s eyes, I suddenly felt confused.

‘There’s no killing intent.’

The killing intent that had been charging at me until just now had completely disappeared.

While I was slightly bewildered, not fully understanding this guy’s intentions, Rubrum let go of the blade of my halberd and stepped back slightly.

And he turned his uninjured eye to look at me.

[…You actually managed to do it as you said.]

Rubrum spoke quietly, leaving the bleeding eye as it was.

[Until now, only two have ever scarred my face.]

Rubrum spoke quietly, touching the slightly smaller scar and the large X-shaped scar over the wound I had just made.

And he raised a finger to point at me and said.

[You are the third.]

Rubrum was looking at me with eyes that clearly showed interest, unlike before.

And from behind such a Rubrum, an urgent voice was heard.

“Master, your wound…!”

[Don’t make a fuss.]

His tone was cold, unlike when he had shown interest.

However, Lorona immediately knelt down, seemingly unconcerned.

[Go to my treasury. The medicine that alchemist woman made should still be there.]

“Understood.”

Immediately, Lorona and her sisters hurriedly left the room where we were.

And Rubrum quietly looked at me again and said.

[…Lower your weapon. I have no intention of fighting any further.]

After eagerly initiating the fight until now, this lacks any persuasiveness.

I looked at Rubrum slowly without relaxing my tension.

“What are you plotting?”

I’ll cut him again if necessary.

However, Rubrum truly seemed to have no will to fight.

His armor suddenly began to disappear, enveloped in light, and soon a handsome middle-aged man with red hair was looking down at me.

‘Polymorph, huh.’

I had seen Yuto use it once before.

It seemed he had used polymorph to match our size while deactivating his armor.

Nevertheless, he was still two heads taller than me, so he was looking down at me.

He was easily over 2 meters tall.

“I have no such plot.”

Rubrum spoke quietly.

“I have seen your strength well, so there is no reason for me to challenge you any further.”

Is he really not intending to fight?

I kept my weapon ready, wary of Rubrum.

And I quietly addressed Rubrum.

“…If you truly have no will to fight, then hand over Chris.”

After all, our original goal was to retrieve Chris and leave this place.

Hearing my words, Rubrum looked at my face for a moment and quietly said.

“I have no will to fight. However, handing over the suitable one is not my decision to make.”

“What?”

As I looked at him, wondering what he was talking about.

Suddenly, the sound of armor moving came from one side.

-Clank clank

“He’s here.”

“He?”

“The one who will explain why it’s difficult to hand over the suitable one.”

Rubrum said curtly.

As I was about to question Rubrum again about who that was, the clanking metal sound stopped.

When I turned my head, I saw a small armor that looked like something dwarves would wear, coming from the direction where the sound had been heard.

And before I could properly investigate its identity, the armor spoke first.

[Well, I’m seeing something incredible. That Rubrum in human form.]

The armor spoke with a slightly resonating voice.

Rubrum was just looking at him with his eyes, and when Rubrum didn’t say anything, the armor seemed a bit embarrassed.

“Who are you?”

When Eve’s voice echoed, the armor looked at her with slight surprise.

And after slowly examining her, he nodded as if understanding something.

[Indeed, the resemblance is uncanny.]

“I don’t know who you’re referring to, but could you introduce yourself first?”

At Eve’s words, the armor nodded.

And raising his hand to his chest, he said.

[I am Dvel, a former member of the hero’s party. I was asked by the suitable one to guide you to the seal.]

“Suitable one?”

I immediately questioned the term that seemed to refer to Chris, just as Rubrum had used it earlier.

And suddenly Rubrum moved.

“Guide the way, fake dwarf. Since we’re going there anyway, it would be better to change the location.”

[Well, I was going to do that… but why are you ordering me around?]

Dvel immediately protested, but Rubrum didn’t even pretend to listen.

And Rubrum immediately looked at me and said.

“We will change the location.”

He didn’t even ask for our opinion.

Rubrum quietly said, as if he had already made the decision himself.

I quietly asked such a Rubrum.

“Why should we follow you?”

“Because that’s how you can meet the one you want to see.”

And, saying that, Rubrum paused for a moment.

“You must come with me to that place.”

Turning his bleeding face toward me, he said.

“Because there are many things you need to hear.”