Chapter 5. Belief and Reality (5)

What methods are there for communication when languages are different?

Usually, it involves spending a very long time researching each other’s languages.

In fact, religion played a significant role in this on Earth.

To evangelize to those who don’t believe in God, one must know the language of the recipient. Typically, those who were isolated wouldn’t be interested in the first place.

Therefore, many people who went to evangelize in various countries in the past stayed in those countries and tried to translate the Bible into their languages.

The problem is, whether they have a written language or not- no, actually, whether they have a language at all, and whether such things would work on such a counterpart.

More importantly, the church is in a dire situation right now. The manuscript hasn’t even been fully organized, so how can the Bible be conveyed?

So, the people of this world came up with a much simpler method.

“There’s a common emotion seen in the ‘goblins’ you brought back…”

Han Yu-ri said, placing the report in front of me.

“Fear.”

Han Yu-ri said.

Her expression looked a bit serious.

“That emotion is fear.”

“Could it be that they feel that way because of me?”

I asked seriously.

It’s not strange to think so. My power is enough to burn goblins in droves. No one would feel fear after seeing fire burning fiercely before their eyes.

“It’s a fear that’s a bit older than that.”

“Can you tell that too?”

“Magic leaves quite a trace even as time passes. If the opponent is a monster- I can’t read their memories, but I can at least tell the strong emotions they felt a few days ago. And if that emotion has been continuous for a long time…”

Han Yu-ri pushed the report towards me.

“This fear has been continuous since before we encountered the Saint.”

“…….”

I read the report. Although I had learned a little about magic, it was still difficult to fully understand the professional domain. However, at the end, there was a neatly organized section, typical of Han Yu-ri’s personality.

“The goblins were being chased away by something.”

“Yes. At least, that’s what we understood. They were coming down from the north- and at least this group seems to be the vanguard. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

Han Yu-ri said, looking at me seriously.

“Some of the goblins had lingering injuries from magic. Perhaps, those vanguards were carefully selected individuals.”

Monsters can also be harmed by magic itself. Not necessarily by icicles or fireballs created by magic.

Humans drink water, but if they stay in water for too long, they die. They warm their surroundings with fire to maintain body temperature, but they die in excessively hot places. They breathe oxygen, but inhaling pure oxygen above a certain concentration can be dangerous.

“……They ran away from something more dangerous.”

“Yes, that’s what we concluded.”

Han Yu-ri nodded with a serious expression.

I looked back.

There was Ria, standing as if she were my bodyguard.

“…….”

After hearing that summarized story, I felt only one thing.

What in the world happened?

*

I came up with a few hypotheses.

If the reason goblins didn’t appear in the original novel was that they were treated as no different from other monsters and dealt with, then naturally, there would be no need to read the ’emotions’ of goblins.

The original novel does mention ‘gates closed due to danger’.

However, it doesn’t detail the location of each gate. So, whether that ‘closed gate’ is the gate where the goblins were found, or the gate where the giant ape appeared before that, I don’t know.

Although there’s a description that the Saint saved Lee Si-yoon, it’s probably referring to the incident where Lee Si-yoon first came to the church on the verge of death, or the giant ape incident that happened immediately after.

Perhaps, based on the main story, the goblins continued to descend towards the areas where hunters were stationed, encountered them, and were annihilated. After that, what was behind them, and why the goblins descended, would have become unknown.

And I suspected that the ‘object of fear’ was those dangerous beings that appear in the latter half of the novel.

“…….”

The hunters concluded that it was worth investigating.

Regardless of what the object of fear is, if it is truly approaching the gate gradually, or if there is a possibility of it doing so, we need to confirm whether we can resolve it.

If we cannot resolve it, simply closing the gate is also an option.

After sunset, I went up to the rooftop of the building. There were a few hunters there. They made eye contact with me, but didn’t try to interfere. We just slightly bowed our heads to each other.

I went to the railing and looked down. Although it was a smaller building than the one in Hyehwa-dong, the lack of surrounding lighting made the building seem strangely tall due to the darkness.

There was no pretty garden like there was there. Still, the lounge areas were well-equipped.

Ria came and stood beside me.

After listening to our conversation earlier, she must have had something she wanted to ask me. But Ria didn’t try to talk to me. She just stayed silently by my side, like a faithful bodyguard.

When I turned my head and stared at Ria, Ria finally opened her mouth with a laugh as if she found it absurd.

“If you have something you want to say, you can just say it, right?”

“……I do want to say something, but I don’t really know what I want to say.”

“Really?”

Ria shrugged.

“Then, I’ll wait.”

“Wait?”

“Until you speak.”

“……Why?”

“Hmm… there’s no particular reason.”

Ria looked at me calmly and said.

There’s no particular reason.

Ha, I let out a short, dry laugh.

Saying that makes it feel like we’re friends. Friends sometimes talk about anything for no particular reason. No, can we already call ourselves friends?

“I don’t really know what I want to do.”

“You don’t know what you want to do?”

“Yes.”

What do I want to do in this world?

Prove atheism? Prove that there is no God in this world, and that the being above is not God, and erase the government’s theocratic policies?

I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t like theocratic states, but I don’t want to deny the significance of religion.

Sometimes, the existence itself gives people comfort. It becomes a reason to live, and- although I don’t really want to admit it, there are people who do good deeds for that reason.

If you only look at the harm, nothing will be solved. Even atheism is like that. There have been dictators who made atheism the foundation of their state and suppressed all religions.

I didn’t want to create such a world either.

“What about saving people?”

“That… it’s not that I want to do it.”

Because I think I have to.

Helping someone, even a little, is a joyous thing. If even one person who receives help smiles and thanks me, I feel like I’ve chosen the job well, and I feel proud.

But even so, a job is a job. Because I have to. Because I have to prove my beliefs.

If I can help someone, I must help them. Because if I make excuses and back out, I just become a hypocrite.

I can’t deny that I have such a compulsion.

So, did that being bring me to this world? To see if I would act that way even here?

“Because I have the power, if there’s someone injured in front of me, I can’t deny it. Not helping when I can help is just… an excuse.”

“Really?”

After hearing my story, Ria turned her body, leaned her back against the railing, and looked up at the sky.

Her red hair fluttered in the wind. Although the buildings and the area outside were not well lit, only Ria’s red hair was clearly visible.

The wind blew, her hair fluttered, and her pure white nape was visible below, so I glanced away again and looked straight ahead.

“If I talk about the way you’ve looked so far.”

Ria finally opened her mouth.

“When you run around like that, you have an expression that looks alive.”

“…An expression that looks alive?”

“Normally, you find everything bothersome, dislike repetitive labor, and even doze off during prayers- but when it’s time to help someone, you snap to attention with an expression that’s more alert than mine. Even sweating.”

Ria turned her gaze towards me.

“Even though you were filled with worry, and scared if you could do it, you ran with all your might to save someone, as if those feelings didn’t matter at all. Yes. In that moment, it didn’t seem like you were doing something you didn’t want to do.”

Ria smiled.

“It’s your freedom not to do what you don’t want to do. But, not doing what you want to do because of what you don’t want to do… isn’t that a bit much?”

“…….”

What I want to do.

What I don’t want to do.

I- don’t want to believe in God. I don’t feel like it. The reason I’ve been denying it until now, even though I could openly receive this kind of power, was for that reason.

But, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help people. At least, if there’s someone suffering in front of me, I want to help them.

If there’s an accident in front of me, or right before an accident-

“……Ah.”

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

When I touched my forehead with my hand, Ria asked with a slight surprise.

“It’s nothing. It just happens sometimes. Maybe it’s stress.”

“…….”

-Anyway, yes. In such a situation, I want to help. If I can, with all my might.

Until now, those two feelings have been clashing intensely. Regardless of the original novel, I didn’t want to take on the important role of the Saint. But-

-Yes. I don’t want to see people die either.

If things are going to unfold that way anyway.

“……I see.”

“Well, don’t worry too much.”

Ria said, looking at me.

“You have your knight. Wherever you go, you won’t be alone.”

“…….”

Ria said that again.

Her words made me feel strangely a little fluttery. That’s… unavoidable. If a beautiful woman says something like that, I can’t help but feel that way.

I already know Ria’s personality from reading the novel.

Even if she’s a bit indirect- I know she’s an incredibly good person.

Even this current situation is probably just because she doesn’t want to leave me alone.

We’ve been sharing the same room for quite a while, and more importantly, well.

Honestly, I don’t have any friends, do I?

There are people in the world who can’t just leave a loner like that.

In any case, she’s too kind-hearted.

I turned my gaze again and looked outside.

The mountains, devoid of any lighting, were dark.

Only the gate, far away, was emitting a faint light, like a mercury lake erected.