episode_0021

The war waged by the Kareldeen Empire against other nations resulted in numerous casualties. Flimia was well aware of this. She knew that if she continued to take the field like this, she might end up dead as well. She had been lucky to survive so far, but she knew her luck would eventually run out.

Nevertheless, she fearlessly took to the battlefield. Leading her weary body onto the battlefield for the sake of those she could heal, she prayed to God regularly and pondered how she could help people each time.

Yet, her efforts went unnoticed by others. The knights and mercenaries on the battlefield now grimaced at the sight of Flimia’s face. Some lamented that it was a lost cause, but all Flimia could do was pretend not to hear them.

“If only I were a better person…”

She cried a lot, often hiding her tears in secluded places. She harbored much resentment towards herself, wondering why she was flawed, why no one needed her. She also lamented the absence of someone who truly understood her.

Despite being capable of performing miracles, she was scorned by people. As long as the system of assigned saints persisted, she knew she would continue to suffer. She even considered secretly leaving the battlefield, thinking it might be more helpful to them. But even then, she knew that the church was aware of sending flawed saints, like herself, to this place, where regular soldiers and mercenaries were used as mere expendables.

“Nothing will change.”

Even if she deserted the battlefield without permission or died miserably during the war, her vacant position would simply be filled by another flawed individual. Whether she gave up or not, there was no solution. In such a hopeless situation, she decided she might as well do her best. Even if it meant breaking her own body, she would perform these miracles for them.

The girl’s heart grew tougher by the moment. Though numerous casualties occurred on the battlefields she had fought in, every battle ended in victory. Sadly, this time, the knights and mercenaries of the Kaelrendian Empire suffered a terrible defeat. Unaware they were walking into an ambush, they were swiftly annihilated, leaving no survivors.

“Kill all the invaders!”

The enemy knights rampaged, indiscriminately slaughtering the Kaelrendian Empire’s soldiers and mercenaries, pushing forward. No mercy was shown to the wounded; they were hunted down and killed.

From the rear, Flimia rushed onto the battlefield.

“If anyone is injured… please come to me! I can use my holy power to help you!”

Her calling was to save others. She believed she had been chosen by the goddess for this purpose. Indeed, she had intended to perform miracles by rushing from the safety of the rear to the front lines. But something happened.

“Hey…?”

One of the knights grabbed Flimia by the collar and dragged her away. It was Galard, the man who had recently despaired after being labeled as defective.

Galard, a member of the knighthood, dragged Flimia to the forefront and shouted at the enemy.

“I have in my possession the saint of the Kaelrendian Empire. If you promise to cease your pursuit, I will hand her over.”

Naturally, the enemy leader did not agree to the proposal.

“Hmm… intriguing, but why should we listen to you? We could just kill you and take the saint anyway.”

In an instant, Galard severed one of the saint’s arms, causing the enemy leader, Tekeloman, to visibly contort his expression.

“What are you doing?”

“If you continue to pursue us, I will kill the saint.”

“It’s meaningless. Killing the saint on the battlefield? That’s impossible.”

Eventually, Galard severed the saint’s foot. Despite her agony, she struggled, but the man did not flinch.

“This is not about showing off. The saint is a sacred being. It would be more beneficial for you to take the living saint than to kill hundreds of us. Let’s make a deal. In exchange for sparing us, I will give you the saint.”

Teceloman’s expression began to cool down coldly.

“You disgusting lot. I can see why the Kareldean Empire has such a filthy reputation by looking at you. Treating the saint chosen by the Goddess Luastra in this manner. You will receive divine punishment.”

“You can only receive divine punishment if you are alive. This is my final offer.”

Finally, Galard pierced one of the saint’s eyes.

The saint groaned in pain, but Galard just dragged Philemia forward. The knights behind them all held their breath.

Philemia cried out towards the back.

“H…help me, it’s too… too painful, it feels like my whole body is being torn apart, please save me… save me…”

The girl begged, but the men turned their heads away. Since the saint couldn’t use her sanctity, it was impossible to heal her wounds. Blood drained from her entire body. It was excruciatingly painful, but even more despairing were the expressions of the knights behind her.

‘Ah…’

Those who had tried their best to protect the saint were now trying to sell her to save their own lives. They considered it fortunate that negotiation was possible and under the pretext of being defective, they were committing sacrilege.

“Release the saint and get lost, you filthy bastards.”

When the enemy’s knight commander Teceloman ordered, the surrounding knights protested.

“Commander Teceloman! No, this far, we can’t just let them go!”

“Be quiet. I will take responsibility for this decision.”

Galard slowly stepped back. Eventually, he and the other knights started fleeing.

After watching the men leave, Knight Commander Teceloman approached Philemia.

“Saint.”

“Please kill me.”

Philemia no longer groaned in pain. Without wiping away the flowing blood and tears, she spoke with a smile.

“Please let me die while still maintaining my purity.”

On the battlefield, the words of the women captured as prisoners were a common sight. Flimia simply smiled brightly. That smile held nothing but emptiness, devoid of any joy.

“Tsk.”

Tecelomon shouted to the knights behind him, leaving the fallen saint on the ground.

“Retreat.”

“Commander Tecelomon! The saint… we must take the saint with us. It is our duty.”

“The ambush was successful enough, and we have killed many knights of the Kareldean Empire. If we just cut off the ears of the dead, no one will reprimand us.”

“Even so…”

Facing hundreds of enemy soldiers, leaving the saint behind was unthinkable. However, Tecelomon spoke firmly.

“She’s defective. Even if we take her, we won’t be able to use her properly. With her legs, arms, and eyes severed, we can’t even take her to public events. Allowing a worthless saint to use elixirs is out of the question.”

“T-then why did you send the enemy soldiers away in exchange for saving the saint? Why…?”

“Because I don’t want to become the same kind of monster.”

Tecelomon emphasized once again with a fearsome expression.

“I am a knight.”

As Tecelomon gritted his teeth, the other knights fell silent.

“Let’s go.”

He glanced at the saint for a moment.

“I’ve seen you a few times on previous battlefields. You exhausted yourself, performing miracles until you fainted. I chose to save you today because I believe your life is more valuable than killing them.”

Finally, he casually tossed a potion onto the ground.

“It’ll stop the bleeding if applied to your wounds. If you’re lucky, you’ll live; if not, you’ll die.”

With that, Commander Tecelomon left the saint on the battlefield and turned away. It was the greatest kindness a man could offer to a forsaken enemy saint. Although the saint’s faithful efforts had not worked miracles for her allies, she had worked a miracle for herself.

Thanks to the kindness of the enemy commander, she had been spared, and obtaining a potion to staunch her flowing wounds was a miracle. But at the same time, she had suffered wounds that could not be washed away.

A motionless arm, she would never be able to pray with both hands again. A motionless leg, she could no longer tend to the wounded on the battlefield or roam the vast world. An unseen eye, her vision now limited to half the world ahead.

Fortunately, the girl managed to return from the battlefield to the base. The empire didn’t inquire about the saint’s injuries, merely confirming them and silently confining her to a shabby house.

It was later revealed that this place was where defective saints were sold. It was also later that they heard the cries of knights who had to sell unsellable saints to the main temple.

It all started after that day when Flimia stopped believing in the goddess Lluasta. Instead, she began seeking salvation in the community, needing a savior to free her from this hell, as she could no longer escape with her arms and legs.

After hearing Flimia’s story, Choi Yebin clenched her fists tightly. “There is not a single lie. It’s all true,” she affirmed, unnecessarily. I could tell by the way Flimia looked at me desperately that what she said was true.

For the first time, I felt so filthy. And for the first time, it felt fortunate that someone’s world was constantly filled with war, corpses, and blood due to the existence of mass slaughter magic.

Whether her salvation lay in escape or revenge, I could perform miracles. This was the place for such conditions.

I took out an elixir from my bosom and offered it to the girl. “Drinking a potion won’t help. You don’t have to waste it on me.” Despite the girl’s refusal, I slowly tilted the vial and began pouring the elixir into her mouth. “Ah… What…?” The elixir, another name for a miracle-working potion.

Her severed arms and legs began to rapidly regenerate, and her vacant eye sockets started to restore themselves. The numerous scars and self-inflicted wounds that covered her body also began to vanish in an instant.

Her world, once seen only in part, returned to its original state. Hands that couldn’t be grasped began to touch each other. The skewed balance started to right itself as a new foot emerged to match the injured one.

The girl wept like a child. Then, she knelt down, finally clasping her hands together in earnest prayer.

In gratitude for the miracle performed by the administrator, she said, “Thank you… truly… I am so grateful… I will follow you for the rest of my life. If you ever wish for me to die, I will gladly do so. If there’s anything you want from me, I will do it…”

McDerrath cut the girl off abruptly. “If you are truly thankful, then live freely now. I will help you to do so.”

As McDerrath spoke, light began to flow around him momentarily.

[To the protagonist within this novel, perfect trust has been gained. The 24-hour penalty is immediately lifted for this particular novel. Warp back into the original novel is possible at this moment.]

The system’s message echoed in my mind, but I ignored it. There was still something left for me to do here.

For the devoted saint, it was a time for miracles. For those who had lost faith, it was a time to bring despair.