Chapter 15. Faith and Trust (7)

“The eye of the storm.”

The next morning.

That was the thought Yuri, lost in contemplation, came up with.

We, who were putting canned meat, almost pickled in salt, into our mouths, paused for a moment and looked at Yuri.

“No matter how huge a typhoon is, it’s ultimately the air around it that’s spinning. The center will be empty, so the sky will look clearer.”

She was saying that it would be the same even if it were a storm of magic power.

In fact, she probably wasn’t sure. Since magic power is not air or liquid, we don’t yet know exactly how it moves.

“There must be demons who caused this world to be destroyed.”

Gloria, who had fallen into deep thought after hearing Yuri’s words, offered a response.

“Where are those demons?”

“Probably inside that storm.”

Mari replied to Gloria’s words.

“I haven’t seen them directly since the world was destroyed. For a while, they were breaking things, but then they disappeared. Maybe they got tired of destroying the world.”

“…….”

Watching Mari, who spoke gloomily and then shoveled more meat into her mouth, I asked Yuri again.

“So, is it okay to continue listening to the rest of the story?”

“No, well, it’s nothing special. Last time, when I went to the beastman country-“

“Beastman?”

Yuri’s words were cut off by a voice that suddenly interjected. Our gazes turned to Mari again.

“Ah, sorry. I only heard about them in stories. I see. Since you can travel between worlds, you interact with such beings.”

She would be even more surprised if those princesses were staying with me at the nunnery.

And even more so if she knew about the things happening every night.

What would happen after I disappeared?

Faina and Perti thought they owed me a debt of gratitude. I don’t know if they truly believed in the being called ‘God’ in our world, but they always bowed respectfully whenever they saw me.

Was it a thank you for letting them be with the person they loved?

……What would my world be like after I disappeared? No, maybe I don’t know yet. While Si-yun spent two weeks in this world, not even a day had passed in the world we lived in.

Or perhaps, for some other reason, time had become twisted and too much had passed.

Or maybe, demons invaded during that one day.

Thinking about it sent a shiver down my spine. Doesn’t it mean that the time demons have and the time we have are not proportional? Demons might be able to create an army of billions and invade our world if they wanted to.

“Hmm.”

Mari shrugged, perhaps realizing she had interrupted the mood by intruding so suddenly. It seemed like she meant for us to continue.

Perhaps it’s because she’s seen people after such a long time? Her conversational skills might have become a bit rusty.

“So, you couldn’t use your holy power right away back then either, right? It was certainly a great power, but it’s true that it was hindered by the magic clouds overhead.”

Aha.

“So, you think I might be able to receive holy power if I go to a place without those clouds?”

“Yes. …Honestly, I don’t know if you can create a gate with holy power. But who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen.”

We have to do something.

Otherwise, we’ll just be trapped in this world forever. That’s why Yuri is suggesting we try something.

“That’s suicide.”

Mari said flatly.

Mari, receiving our gazes, swallowed a mouthful of purified water and continued.

“It’s not that I didn’t try to go there myself.”

“…….”

There’s no reason to ask why.

Even though there was only one person left to protect, Mari would have wanted to kill the demons. They had made the world like this, and made the Saint she risked her life to protect unable to open her eyes forever.

She would have wanted revenge, but… even that Saint, the being called a goddess in this world, was beyond her power.

Mari, whose usable holy power was likely not as much as Anna of this world, found it difficult not only to cut down demons but even to get close to the storm.

“Didn’t you guys also run away from there?”

Mari said.

Yuri and Gloria slightly lowered their heads. Davi remained expressionless.

Davi’s condition returned quickly, even though she only rested for a day. According to Gloria, she used magic to prevent the three of them from falling, so perhaps it wasn’t as bad as parting the sea.

However, even with Davi there, they couldn’t completely deal with all the swarming monsters. It was the same when I had my power, and even when Si-yun, who handled holy power similarly, was present.

Not to mention Ria’s holy sword.

“If you go and lose your life, I have no intention of stopping you-“

“There is a way, though.”

This time, however, I interrupted Mari’s words.

To be honest, I found it a bit unpleasant to hear.

It’s not like Mari is to blame. Mari did her best, and she simply knelt before fate, unable to do anything about it.

Rather, for staying by the Saint’s side without collapsing in a world that has become like this, her mental strength can be said to be extraordinary.

It’s natural for me and Ria to become like that after a few years.

But still.

I didn’t want to hear my Ria say such things, to have her face and voice like that. Because my Ria would never give up on the future, no matter what happened.

……Yes, as I said yesterday, even if it means abandoning the lives of others.

I placed a small stone I picked up from the door yesterday on my palm. Even if it wasn’t as pretty as a pebble, it could certainly become a ‘holy artifact.’ I’ve even made sand into holy artifacts before.

I infused holy power into that piece of concrete.

I quickly felt dizzy. The stone in my hand glowed slightly.

It wasn’t as bright as what I could do in my original world, but it would be enough to defeat monsters when needed.

I’ll have to think about how many I can make per day.

“If we make as many of these as possible, that should be enough. We still have time. Not even a day has passed in our world.”

……Unfortunately, this probably won’t be enough to heal the Saint. After all, the holy power I can summon at once is limited, and when transferring holy power to an object like this, some is lost.

Perhaps if I keep making stones like this and use them all at once, I’ll eventually have enough power to heal her, but no one knows when that will be.

And in the meantime, our world will also disappear.

Although I don’t particularly like it, I have some feelings about my existence. And about how people see me.

A child who suddenly appeared in the world without parents. Although the timing is not far from the gate incident, it would naturally seem like a gift from ‘God’ to people.

No, it was actually like that. I was the one sent to that world for that reason in the first place.

The ‘Anna’ of this world lost faith as the world crumbled. That probably wasn’t Anna’s fault either. But faith, in the first place, depends on the heart of the person who gives faith.

What would people in my world think if I suddenly disappeared without a trace?

Wouldn’t they think that God has abandoned them? If they lie in church, it would be a big problem. Because people would lose faith even more.

If the power of the being above disappears, then the protective shield that protects the world itself will disappear. That future will be no different from this world.

“…….”

Mari’s eyes looked at the stone.

She probably thought similarly to me.

If I keep making these stones for years and stay in this world to heal her continuously. Perhaps Anna of this world could be saved.

“……I’ll help you.”

So, I said to Mari.

Ria looked at me. She seemed a little nervous about what I would say, but I have no intention of sacrificing myself.

Nor do I intend to just abandon her.

“If the sky clears up, I might be able to use my power a bit more. If, by any chance, a way to return to our world appears-“

I looked directly at Mari. To make my words as believable as possible, I absolutely did not avoid her eyes.

It wasn’t a lie in the first place. In the original world, I could have surely fixed her.

“Then, I might be able to save your Anna.”

All eyes were on Mari.

“……So, you’re telling me to rush into something that might or might not succeed, relying on just that small hope.”

“I won’t tell you to do it right now.”

I said.

“We have time anyway. Since we need to make as many of these as possible.”

I said, holding up the temporary holy artifact I had just made.

Mari fell silent.

The gazes of my companions turned to me again.

At least the gazes of my companions were like, ‘Let’s try it once,’ which was a little reassuring.