Chapter 74: Those Who Can Never Be Forgiven (25)

I thought this adventure was quite comfortable and leisurely,
considering I had to turn all the water in the capital into holy water and burn it away,
or swallow mana stones because of some strange guys.

Walking on the snow-covered road was unpleasant and tiring,
but at least there was no threat to my life.

Also, spending time with the Hero wasn’t bad.

However, there were moments when I couldn’t let my guard down.

Especially when Laura and Natalia were constantly eyeing my womb,
or when I was offering my final prayers while being watched by the elves.

“It’s finally the last one.

There’s no need to be nervous.

You’ve practiced a lot, right?

It’s okay to give up if it’s too hard.”

“… Uh, yeah…”

Perhaps it was because I prayed too much in the cold winter air.

As I answered with a slightly cracked voice, I felt the gazes of the countless elves and Laura watching me.

The place I’ve arrived at now is on top of a large building with the World Tree right in front of me.

There’s nothing to obstruct my view, and the white forest stretching far into the distance is truly beautiful,
but Laura’s gaze is something I can’t handle.

“Are you cold?”

“Huh?”

I almost replied yes out of habit.

The reason I’m trembling now is because of the anxiety that Laura or Natalia might cut open my stomach at any moment.

So, despite my trembling body, I didn’t particularly feel cold.

In the first place, the clothes I’m wearing have strong warming magic cast on them.

But, not believing my words, the Hero puts a scarf around my neck.

There was something I wanted to say, but I forgot it all because of unnecessary embarrassment.

Kim Suhyun, if this b*stard wasn’t the Hero, I could accept his kindness without any suspicion.

As I thought he was unexpectedly handsome, my regret began to grow stronger.

“Thank you.”

Still, let’s repay his kindness honestly for now.

Thinking so, I hugged the Hero tightly and conveyed my gratitude.

The more I put strength into my arms wrapping around the Hero’s back,
the more clearly I felt his body temperature, which made me feel good.

I feel Laura and Natalia’s gazes from afar.

For some reason, Laura seems to be moving to a position where she can see me more closely, but let’s not worry about it today.

After all, I can just explain later that I’m not pregnant.

If they don’t believe me, I’ll even show them my hymen to prove it.

… I think I heard a sigh in my head for a moment.

Well, it must be a coincidence.

Confirming that the time was approaching, I waved to the Hero and began to move.

Suddenly, I heard the Hero coughing behind me.

He’s so busy worrying about others that he can’t take care of himself.

Maybe I should make him some porridge when everything is over.

I’ve never cooked before, but I feel like I can do it all well now.

“Welcome.”

“Please take care of me today.”

Mateis, who had been waiting for me at the appointed place.

This old man wasn’t even tired, as he checked my prayers every day and kept pushing me hard.

Especially when he saw the prayers I had to memorize today,
he said things like, “Are you sure the Saintess wrote this?”

How impudent.

If he had said that in the Holy Kingdom, he would have been arrested for blasphemy right away.

But well, there’s nothing I can do.

I have no choice but to work harder today.

I smiled slightly and decided to handle the prepared work.

As the quiet music sounds that came from afar ended, I looked at the World Tree.

Most of Lina’s power in the white haze forest has been awakened, so this is the last remaining one.

An adventure that was long if it was long, and short if it was short, is coming to an end.

Quietly pushing the many thoughts flashing through my head to one side of my consciousness, I began to close my eyes.

“May God bless those who lose, and protect them with various graces.

Heal the diseases of these poor people and grant them new life.”

Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I recited prayers other than burning the Holy Fire.

I’m too burdened to heal the wounds caused by mana,
and it’s not like the Hero party’s specs are enough to be defeated by mediocre enemies.

I feel like I’ve become a Tier 0 dealer every time a problem arises.

But even that is hard now that my body burns along with it.

Wait, what’s my use in this party anyway…?

Could it be that I’m useless…?

As I quietly recited the prayers and felt increasingly depressed, I suddenly noticed that the surrounding sounds had become quiet.

Opening my eyes slightly and raising my gaze, the sky began to darken, even though it was clearly morning.

Darkness cast over the top of the World Tree.

It was so cold that my body was trembling, even with the scarf the Hero gave me and the warming magic-infused cape.

“Huh…?”

“Saintess, what kind of prayer are you reciting…”

“What is this?

Why has it suddenly become nighttime?”

No, I didn’t do this?

Avoiding Mateis’ voice accusing me, I saw the commotion around me.

The elves were also panicking, as if they had no idea what was going on.

“Wow!

The Saintess is going to start a fireworks show!”

Except for one person, the idiot elf Caelia.

What a complete moron…

Is she just living because she was born?

It’s certain that she thinks I’m useless without the Holy Fire, but that doesn’t mean it affected the prayer.

What should I do now?

After hesitating for a while, I ended the prayer, but I couldn’t figure out what to do.

I felt like something was being gnawed away inside me.

The silence was only temporary; the surroundings began to fill with various noises,
but for some reason, it seemed like I couldn’t hear anything but my own breathing.

A woman who heals the injured, welcomes the poor with a smile,
and constantly runs around to save people, giving away everything she has as if it were natural.

Her thighs were slightly visible through the slit in her nun’s habit, and she wore fiery red hair down to her chest.

At first glance, she seemed kind, but she had a strong will that wouldn’t even cause her to raise an eyebrow no matter what happened.

It was definitely someone else’s memories swirling in my head, not mine.

And another man, calling that woman ‘Lina’ and smiling brightly, began to appear.

Black hair and black eyes that cannot be found in this world.

It had colors very similar to Kim Suhyun’s, but the man was taller and had a clearer face.

What, really what is it?

Why do I feel nostalgic?

As I tried to shake off the feeling of falling deeper and deeper into the labyrinth the more I thought about it,
someone’s figure began to appear in the darkness.

An unpleasant laughter.

This man also had black hair and black eyes, and I thought he might be the man in the memories that were emerging now,
but I soon realized that I was wrong.

First of all, even the appearance was completely different.

“Is it really just as the Hero said?

It’s like you can see the future.”

“Of course.

How many times do I have to say it for you to understand?

The fact that this world is entirely in my palm.”

“If you know, you should do your job first, Diana?”

Instinctively, I felt that I shouldn’t get close to the black-haired man with an appearance that felt instinctively repulsive,
and the beautiful white-haired woman who didn’t suit him.

Thump- Thump- A loud sound was heard in my ear.

Is my heart beating this loud?

Along with that, I began to think deeply about the name Diana.

Diana, I’ve heard of it.

On the last day in the Holy Kingdom.

Maleus quietly approached me as I was packing my bags to meet the Hero.

He said that I should never, ever tell anyone else about this.

He couldn’t tell me the detailed reasons, but if I heard the name Diana, I should run away immediately.

The old man, who always laughed heartily,
spoke in such a serious voice that day that I nodded without realizing it.

“Diana… Diana…”

“Huhu, you’re a quick-witted Saintess.

Now that I think about it, was our Hero’s identity written in the letter sent to the Holy Kingdom?”

What nonsense are you talking about.

That was a letter exposing Kim Suhyun’s identity,
but I wanted to argue that way, but I couldn’t break my promise with Maleus.

My legs, which were immediately turning around and running away.

My breathing had already become rough long ago.

But Diana and the unpleasant man must have noticed my change, as they immediately began to block my path.

The dark energy flowing around me was definitely mana.

A demon?

Has the demon invasion started just like in the game story?

I also considered putting strength into my hand and burning the Holy Fire,
but I didn’t want to feel the pain of my body burning again.

Besides, the black-haired man’s gaze towards me felt so ominous.

Not the eyes of someone looking at a person, but the eyes of someone looking at a tool.

Watching him lick his lips slightly made me feel like cockroaches were crawling all over my body.

What do I do now?

Should I really burn it all away?

But I don’t want to be in pain anymore…

As I was agonizing countless times inside, I suddenly saw a familiar sword flying from afar.

And then a loud voice calling my name.

My own Hero, Kim Suhyun, has appeared.

“Suhyun-ah!”

“Quick, run away!”

I wanted to get angry at why he had only appeared now, and I wanted to cry that I was so scared.

But I couldn’t just sit down.

Someone’s body temperature was felt, lifting my trembling hand as the Hero bought time.

Raising my head without knowing what was going on, I see a bright golden ponytail.

Next to her is Laura, who has a dissatisfied expression but is still preparing a blink magic.

My body, which couldn’t move at all because I was scared, began to regain its will little by little.

Yes, I’m not alone anymore.

No matter how close the baby ending is, everyone is in the Hero party.

There’s no way they’d abandon me in this situation.

My body was still trembling, but I hadn’t given up on my will to live yet.

We run, unperturbed by the man’s interference, who cuts off the casting several times.

From Diana’s mouth, I heard the word Baek Minjoon.

This black-haired man’s name is Baek Minjoon…?

But that’s not a name from this world…

Come to think of it, Diana said ‘our Hero’ when she saw Baek Minjoon.

As my thoughts were chasing each other’s tails,
I clearly saw black mana drawing the form of a demon rushing towards me.

“Sera!”

Black magic.

If I get hit, it definitely won’t end with ordinary wounds.

It was already too late to pray, and Natalia had drawn her sword, but it seemed like I would get hit first.

Fortunately, there was a small shield in front of me.

If it’s Laura’s magic, it can definitely block it.

Then shouldn’t I prepare a blessing now?

At that moment, Laura and I began to make eye contact.

An gaze that seemed to glare at me, and also seemed anxious.

Thinking differently, it was also a look of panic because she couldn’t handle the magic properly.

And the shield, far from blocking the black magic that Baek Minjoon shot, was gradually disappearing.

“Huh…?

Could it be, the baby…”

No way, there’s no way that’s possible.

Why would Laura, who was trying to save me, suddenly do that?

But uneasy premonitions have never been wrong,
and Baek Minjoon’s black magic was flying straight towards my lower abdomen.

This is the baby ending, right?

The detailed parts were a little different,
but the development of a heroine suddenly betraying me and trying to kill another heroine was only possible with the baby ending.

The words that the baby ending wasn’t possible were about to come out of my mouth,
but I couldn’t finish speaking and was directly hit by the black magic.