Ch.93A Person More Saintly Than Herself. (1)

[Do you have a plan?]

To Krauchel’s question, Olivia answered without looking back. Her tone suggested she didn’t even need to think about it.

“I’ll persuade them. One by one.”

[Is that all? I thought you had some clever scheme.]

She certainly wished she had such a clever scheme, but unfortunately, the only method that came to mind was the direct approach.

To gain shares in Esthie’s binding spell in exchange for helping the spirits find peace.

‘…It’s short.’

She already felt time was running out, even though she hadn’t properly started yet.

’80, no. Now 79 hours and 40 minutes?’

Olivia asked, “Krauchel, how much of a share do you have?”

Instead of answering, Krauchel stretched out his hand. A fragment slightly smaller than the king’s appeared.

[‘Death Knight Krauchel’s’ share is 0.3%.]

That’s a lot.

Though less than the king’s, the fact that the Knight Commander, who was essentially a stranger, had this much implied quite a bit. He must have held considerable affection for Esthie during his lifetime.

“Your words and actions don’t match, do they?”

[…Think what you will.]

Olivia shifted her gaze to Livga. Her gloomy expression suggested that Krauchel’s earlier words were still bothering her.

Olivia smiled secretly.

‘Keep worrying.’

Olivia intended to use this clue entirely to win over Livga. But unlike with Kiel, she had no intention of doing it halfheartedly.

Like with Melina, she wanted to make Livga someone who would be on her side no matter the situation.

‘Now the other returners will start making their moves too.’

To avoid execution, she needed to play her cards right here.

Just bringing Livga to her side would make things several times easier.

Seven out of ten continental citizens believed in the Goddess of Light, after all.

That way, she could secure religious justification.

It would mean one less card in Aria’s hand.

“Shall we get started?”

[I guarantee you, if you try to persuade them one by one, four days won’t be enough—even a hundred years wouldn’t suffice.]

Certainly, there was nothing wrong with what Krauchel said.

Looking at the spirits frantically flying through the air, it seemed difficult to even have a conversation with them, let alone help them find peace. How many of them would even be in their right mind?

In fact, losing one’s mind after becoming a spirit was normal.

Krauchel and the royal family were the exceptions.

“No, it’s possible.”

Instead of explaining further, Olivia grabbed Livga’s shoulder. Livga, who had been looking at Olivia with an unreadable expression, turned around in surprise.

“…Sister?”

“Could you spread some holy power around us?”

“…How much?”

Livga didn’t ask why.

She seemed ready to follow whatever Olivia asked.

“As widely as possible.”

“They’ll be startled if I do that.”

No matter if they were once human, spirits are clearly non-human entities.

And to non-humans, holy power was anathema.

If she suddenly spread such opposing energy, anyone would attack.

That’s what Livga was worried about.

“Trust me.”

Livga’s eyes wavered. She looked at Olivia with a complicated expression, then nodded as if she had made up her mind.

“…I’ll try.”

The holy energy emanating from Livga slowly began to spread around them.

Whoosh!

Black mist burned in the sacred flames. As Livga’s prayer reached its peak, the radiance of holy power grew larger.

[Hmm…]

Krauchel groaned. He probably felt strange about his own aversion to holy power.

He must have realized once again that he was no longer human.

Krauchel wasn’t the only one groaning.

The spirits that touched the holy power recoiled in shock. Their spiritual bodies seemed to be burning slightly.

But despite writhing in pain, they couldn’t rush at Livga.

Because the former Sword Master was protecting her.

“Krauchel.”

[I know without you telling me.]

Krauchel’s sharp gaze intimidated the spirits. Occasionally, some ignorant spirits would charge in, but after a few sword strikes, they lost their form and melted into the ground.

Livga asked in surprise:

“Did… did you kill them?”

[Spirits don’t die that easily.]

No matter how much they had lost their minds, they were once residents of Aquar.

Krauchel, who knew chivalry, wouldn’t have truly cut them down.

Krauchel stepped back from Livga, who was kneeling. His blue-green eyes glared fiercely at Olivia. After a moment, Krauchel’s voice echoed in Olivia’s mind. It was telepathy.

– What are you thinking? This will only deepen their wariness. Didn’t you say you would persuade them?

– You’ve become quite talkative. Are you worried I might fail?

– You…

He apparently didn’t expect her to respond with telepathy as well.

Olivia continued without giving him a chance:

– I will persuade them one by one as I said. But there’s no need to do that with Livga.

– …What exactly do you mean?

– Exactly what I said. I’ll only persuade the high-ranking officials who know the inside story. By my calculations, that’s about 20% of the total.

– And the other 30%?

– I’ll get Livga’s help.

Krauchel looked like he didn’t understand. That was understandable. In his era, there was no Saintess.

He doesn’t know what it means to be chosen by God.

Level is the most direct representation of a Saintess’s ability.

The fact that Livga, a teenage girl, is level 93 is entirely because of that.

– How?

– You’ll see.

Krauchel was looking at Olivia with complicated eyes. He seemed to be wondering whether to trust her, while also suppressing some expectation.

He must have realized from her words just now.

That he was included among the high-ranking officials Olivia intended to persuade.

“Should I do more?”

“Yes. Just a little more, please.”

Olivia stroked Livga’s head, then looked around with a confident expression.

Spirits that had detected the uncomfortable energy were hovering outside the range of the holy power. There were thousands of them.

Tssssss!

The spirits rushed in all at once. Like a crashing wave, they flew toward Livga simultaneously. Despite the pain of their burning spiritual bodies, they surged forward with the sole intention of eliminating Livga.

“Don’t draw your sword.”

[What?!]

Krauchel, who was about to unleash a sword strike, stopped with an incomprehensible expression.

[…You’ll die that way.]

“No, I won’t.”

Olivia slowly walked in front of Livga, then stood protectively before her.

Livga slowly opened her eyes.

There she saw Olivia’s back. There was no protective barrier around her. She intended to face the wave of spirits with her bare body.

But Livga couldn’t shout at her to run away.

The atmosphere simply wouldn’t allow it.

She had felt this emotion when she first met Olivia. A person who dedicates an entire day to others. When she realized it wasn’t pretense, how ashamed she had felt.

– Why do you try so hard?

To her childish question, Olivia had answered:

– Because if I don’t do it, no one will.

She would probably answer the same way now.

A person who treats all the world’s misfortunes as her own fault.

There stood someone more saintly than the Saintess herself.

And now, Livga had to acknowledge a fact she never wanted to admit.

‘I… cannot understand her.’

The fact that while she might understand Esthie, she could never understand Olivia.

The fact that she had to helplessly watch her sacrifice.

Olivia.

Her only family.

Livga gritted her teeth. Why was God so cruel to the good?

‘If only I could…’

Beyond her blurred vision, the terrifying wave was gradually weakening. The spirits, moving more and more slowly, eventually stopped in place.

[What is this…!]

[My, my mind?]

As the darkness gnawing at their minds peeled away, their submerged consciousness resurfaced.

They were spirits, but in this moment, they were humans with their lifetime memories intact. At least, that’s how they appeared to Krauchel. His blue-green eyes shook wildly.

[You are…]

“I told you it would be fine, didn’t I?”

Krauchel couldn’t answer. Olivia smiled once at the dazed Krauchel, then turned to the spirits.

“I am Olivia, Grandmaster of the Empire.”

Olivia’s voice resonated through the air.

“Would you listen to my story?”

The spirits, confused by their suddenly returned consciousness, all focused on Olivia at once.

“I cannot bring you back to life. I cannot understand your pain, nor will I ever be able to. But I can promise you one thing.”

Olivia didn’t hesitate.

This wasn’t a speech.

It was a plea, and also a consolation for the spirits.

“I will end your suffering today. I will help you finish your lives as humans, not as spirits.”

The tens of thousands of eyes held different emotions. But there was one emotion they all shared.

[So you’re just saying you’ll kill us again?]

One spirit asked.

“That’s right. I will kill you.”

Olivia didn’t deny it. After all, finding peace is just a nice way of saying the soul will be extinguished.

At Olivia’s words, the eyes of countless spirits wavered. The same was true for Krauchel and Livga.

[…Are you deceiving us?]

“Yes.”

[How dare—!]

Just as an angry spirit was about to shout, Olivia spoke:

“Hate me for killing you. Be angry at me for deceiving you. But in exchange.”

Livga vaguely knew what the next words would be.

“Please forgive your princess.”

Krauchel felt his breath catch. He momentarily forgot that he was already dead.

That’s how overwhelming Olivia’s will was.

She would bear it in their place.

If even the former Sword Master felt this way, it was easy to imagine how the other spirits felt.

The hostile atmosphere had now settled into a heavy silence.

[…Why would you go that far? You… have nothing to do with the princess, do you?]

“Just because there’s no connection doesn’t mean I can’t help someone who’s been wronged.”

Olivia smiled.

“I want to help both you and your princess. That’s all.”

How could killing people and consoling spirits ever be equivalent?

But the mage before them truly believed it.

Direct your anger at me instead, she said.

Hate me instead, she said.

And in exchange, please forgive Esthie.

No one smiled with her. But no one was angry either.

And after a moment:

[‘Fisherman Rain’ forgives Esthie.]

[‘Fisherman Yuraks’ forgives Esthie.]

[‘Gatekeeper Krvan’ forgives Esthie.]

.

.

.

[‘Knight Rodman’ forgives Esthie.]

[Your current share is 7.43%.]