Ch.309EP.65 – The Knight Remember and Repay (4)

…Inanna saw it.

It wasn’t intentional.

It was something that naturally appeared the more she made contact.

The mystery of insight that one inevitably possesses when born as a god clearly showed her human memories.

As if she had seen it right beside them…

“Aren’t you going to run away? It’s merely someone else’s problem.”

“If I run away now, I’ll continue to be a coward. I fear future regret more than immediate peace.”

When the human man chose not to flee despite the old woman’s warning.

“I see. Then I’ll give you this. If that thing reveals its true form, this will help.”

“What is this?”

“Who knows? I’m not quite sure myself. On the first day I left the temple in my youth and set out on my journey, two sparrows delivered it to me.”

“…That sounds like a gift from the gods, elder.”

“Hoho, perhaps it is, or perhaps it’s the will of this bell.”

The moment the Star Song was cradled in the man’s arms.

“Ah, take this too. It’s nothing special, just a cloth I blessed myself.”

“…How can a self-luminous cloth be nothing special?”

“It’s merely cloth that I soaked in holy water for 50 years, imbuing it with the energy of the sun and moon. Anyone could make it with consistent effort and time, so it truly is nothing special.”

“…This is quite a heavy item, isn’t it? Perhaps the heaviest thing I’ve ever received in my life…”

She saw the moment when the plain cloth was created—raised silkworms, harvested their cocoons for thread, and blessed each individual thread over 50 years.

And then,

“…Why did you go that far?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you sacrifice yourself? Why didn’t you ask for help? Why did you shoulder all this burden alone?… You stayed in this land for 50 years because of the archfiend, not returning to the temple. And you did it all alone…”

She saw the moment when the man asked with genuine curiosity, and to such a question.

“I did. In my youth, I asked the temple for help. But there was no response, and I wandered because of it. Wondering what I should do. But at the end of my wandering, I found an answer. Instead of waiting for someone to help, I would do it myself. Rather than waiting for someone to change things, I would strive to do something myself.”

“……”

The old woman answered with a bright smile, and the man was speechless.

“But this is how it ends up. In the end, I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was pray. And now all I can do is thank someone who came to help. I’m sorry, for being so inadequate, for being so powerless…”

“Elder…”

“My strength was feeble. Terribly insufficient. I’m too inadequate to do anything. I’ve just grown old. I don’t even have the strength to clench my fist. So all I can do is ask for help and rely on others. That’s why I’m grateful that you came to this land… thank you so much.”

“…Please don’t do this, elder. You’re making me feel truly ashamed of myself.”

The old woman knelt down, and the man tried to help her up.

The man said he felt ashamed, and the old woman repeatedly thanked him.

“May the blessing of radiance shine upon your path.”

…That was the end of the conversation between the man and the old woman, and Inanna, who had seen it all.

[So, what’s the point?]

She still didn’t understand.

She couldn’t comprehend why that old hag knelt and made a request, or why the man was doing his best to fulfill that request.

Nothing made sense.

[Isn’t that stupid? Why sacrifice yourself to help someone else? It’s utterly foolish. Not even an idiot would…]

If you’re weak, you get exploited, and submission is only natural.

Rather than sacrificing for others, it’s better to ignore danger and live for your own pleasure.

That is the right…

“—That’s why you’ve been expelled from the kingdom you ruled, you disgusting creature.”

[You, youuu!]

Inanna’s eyes widened.

Confused by his words that seemed to read her thoughts.

Sure enough.

“Yes, living selfishly isn’t necessarily wrong. Sacrificing unconditionally for others might be foolish, and being kind isn’t always right. However…”

Crack!

“Someone like you who only knows how to run your mouth, who has lived your entire life parasitically clinging to others, has no right to judge others’ sacrifices, you disgusting fiend!”

[!!!!!]

His fist finally pierced through Inanna’s eye, and she writhed in agony without even being able to scream.

Something different from pain, an indescribable foreign sensation, burrowed into her eye, making her feel nauseous.

[[[Kuaaaaaaa……!]]]

A painful scream finally erupted through dozens of mouths, but before long…

Whoosh!

It began to subside.

It wasn’t Inanna’s intention.

Simply.

Rustle.

Petals, no…

The stem of a massive flower bud had covered Inanna’s mouth.

* * *

Crack!

It wasn’t a miracle, but a flower bud of inevitability bloomed from the connections and determination of countless people.

The beginning was the “horn” left behind by the bull.

A horn left by the bull that had suffered for eons under a demon who called itself a god.

That horn now resonated with Ihan more powerfully than ever before, emitting strength.

Like a seed that would bloom into a flower more magnificent and beautiful than ever before.

Dong-, Doong-.

The Star Song, honoring the will of the bell-ringer, emitted a resonance more powerful and vigorous than ever, becoming the rain to water the seed.

The stronger the song, the more enormous the seed would grow.

Whoosh!

And finally, there was a man’s “determination.”

The determination of a knight who had resolved to destroy the demon, the flames of his will burning brightly, made the horn, no…!

The sword left by the bull resonated.

Sword resonance.

Resonance isn’t merely the act of vibrating a sword.

The essence of sword resonance is awakening the will of the sword and unleashing its power.

And the moment Ihan thrust in that sword and began the resonance, he realized.

That a flower would bloom.

A flower more enormous and beautiful than any he had ever seen.

And so…!

“……”

Step, step.

Ihan turned around.

Without finishing it.

[Y-you…!]

The demon raged.

Feeling humiliated by the insolence of a human who dared to turn his back on her.

For a demon who had ascended to godhood, being disrespected by a mere human was an experience of unparalleled displeasure.

The demon flapped her wings, intending to bring doom to that impudent human…

Whoosh-.

[……?]

The next moment…, the demon saw her wings transforming against her will.

A flower,

A lotus bud was there.

Step.

Whoosh-.

As he took his second step, an even larger flower bud formed on her body.

Step.

By the third step, an even larger bud filled her mouth.

Step, step.

By the fifth step at once, her entire vision was filled with flower buds.

[S-stop, s-stop walking… N-no, n-nooo…]

Whoosh!

She squeezed out her final words, but even her mouth was blocked by flower buds, preventing her from even screaming.

Though his steps were infinitely slow, those steps spoke not of humanity’s doom but of her own.

Step.

“……”

After taking eight steps, he still didn’t look back.

Instead, he said,

“—Lotus Platform of Nine Grades.”

When Buddha was born, he took nine steps, and with each step, lotus flowers bloomed—

Ihan, believing his current steps were similar, mercifully told her the name of the steps that brought about her end.

Since he was walking steps derived from Buddha’s compassion, shouldn’t he show at least this much mercy?

“I’m too soft-hearted for my own good…”

Tap.

Ihan muttered as he completed his ninth step, and the next moment,

Whoooosh!

The blooming lotus flowers fully opened, covering the ground and vigorously scattering into the air.

[——!!!]

The demon’s scream, as she was about to dissolve and become new nutrients for this land, was buried beneath the blooming flowers, bringing an end to eons of suffering.

As long as her life force and soul didn’t completely exhaust, as long as she hadn’t fully paid for her sins, she couldn’t completely vanish…

It was, without a doubt, an extremely merciful judgment.

*

*

*

“……”

The nun who had forgotten her name was astonished.

One might say that after reaching eighty, there’s nothing left to be surprised about, and she had prided herself on maintaining composure no matter what happened.

“…I was wrong. It seems my cultivation is still quite lacking.”

The nun smiled as she stroked her wrinkled face.

To such a nun.

“Wow! Grandmother! What’s all this? Look at this! Flowers have bloomed in the river! They’re so beautiful!”

“…Yes, they are. Truly beautiful.”

A girl with a fresh smile approached, bouncing around excitedly, and the nun couldn’t help but smile.

The evil things are being purified.

With each flower blooming in the river, the malevolence that had troubled this land for so long would be eliminated.

The nun thought.

‘It had meaning. My efforts have been rewarded after all…’

…She had thought she didn’t live a life seeking rewards.

But seeing this sight, the nun realized she was greedy.

Yes, she…

“Huh? G-grandmother? Are you crying?”

“I’m just… just so happy, so happy…”

“Hmm? If you’re happy, why are you crying?”

“Good question, it’s strange, isn’t it? But now I understand.”

“?”

“That one can also cry from happiness.”

This was what she had wanted to see.

The nun was happy that her life hadn’t been meaningless, and she wept at the beauty of the lake of fully bloomed lotus flowers.

For there was no such thing as a meaningless life.