episode_0021
by fnovelpia
done.
Kalt was happy in his heart.
Judging by the atmosphere, it was clear that Aria was trying to confess her problems.
Kalt remained silent and let Arya continue to speak.
“I am… I am not a person who can be called a nun. However, I am a person who has too much.”
“What do you mean?”
“….”
Aria remained silent as she took off the white glove she was wearing on her right hand and showed her palm to Kalt.
“that!”
Kalt was surprised.
Aria’s palm had the red symbol of the God of Light engraved on it.
It is by no means an ordinary pattern.
That was stigmata.
The stigmata is said to be given only to priests and nuns who are loved and chosen by one of the few gods in the world.
Priests with stigmata are called papal candidates for men and saint candidates for women.
Those who had stigmata all possessed a great deal of divine power.
But how could it be that Aria possesses stigmata?
For Kalt, it was an unexpected harvest.
“It’s stigmata.”
“Yes, it’s stigmata. It doesn’t suit someone like me… I don’t know why God gave me stigmata. I… I….”
Clenching her fists, Aria spoke to Kalt in a trembling voice as if she were confessing.
“The more I pray… the more I use divine power… the more I doubt God.”
‘what?’
If you use divine power, you will doubt God.
What on earth does this mean?
For a moment, Kalt thought he had heard wrong.
“If your doubts about God continue to grow, it becomes difficult to exercise your divine power. This… this is my problem.”
Kalt immediately began analyzing Arya’s confession.
If you use divine power, you end up doubting God.
This does not mean denying or doubting God itself from the beginning.
If you continued to doubt God, you would not be a priest but a devil worshiper.
Then the most important point.
‘Why would I end up doubting God if I use divine power?’
“Mr. Aria.”
“…yes.”
When Kalt called, Aria flinched and trembled.
Like a child trembling for fear of being scolded for making a mistake.
“First of all, thank you for sharing your concerns. It must have been difficult to talk about. I’m glad that you trusted me so much.”
“Mr. Kalt….”
Arya was worried that Kalt would be angry when he heard about her problem.
What kind of nonsense is that?
Have you been hiding this important thing all this time?
You say you don’t believe in God, but are you still a priest?
I can’t attend a hopeless party like this.
I was nervous that something like that would come out.
However, Kalt spoke to Aria as kindly as when they first met.
Kalt’s kind voice penetrated Aria’s frightened heart.
“Aria, why do you end up doubting God when you use divine power? Is there some reason?”
“…yes.”
“Do you know Nellis and Scarlett?”
“Yes. So Mr. Kalt, please listen too.”
Aria put her hands together again and began to tell her story.
◈
As a child, Aria was just an ordinary child with a kind heart.
Just a child living peacefully with his parents in the village.
What was different was that he was a child who went to the church in the village every day and always prayed to the God of Light, even if only briefly.
The reason was simple. Just a fairy tale that my parents read to me at bedtime.
After hearing the story of the hero who sealed the Demon King under the guidance of the God of Light, he prayed to the God of Light with a pure heart, thanking him for bringing peace to the world.
As a child, Aria thought vaguely.
Because there is a God of Light, we will continue to live in peace.
But young Aria’s thoughts were cruelly trampled.
-Krraaa!
“Aaaah!”
“Hey, it’s a monster! Everyone, avoid it!”
“Ahh! My, my arm! No! Eat my arm… ahhh!”
“Daddy! Daddyaaaa!”
“No! Honey!”
“It’s a lie, this is all a lie. Why are you giving me this billion—!”
Monsters attacked the village where Aria lived.
Monsters that would not normally be near the village invaded and began to ravage the village.
The village’s old man, who smiled kindly, was torn apart by the monster’s teeth.
A famous lovebird couple in town was eaten by a monster.
The friends who were protesting to stop praying and go play had their bodies pierced by the monster’s sharp claws.
For Aria, the daily routine that she hoped would continue for granted collapsed.
Holding Aria’s hand as she couldn’t move due to shock, her parents hurriedly took her into the house.
Aria’s house had a basement that served as a mini liquor storage that Aria’s father built as a hobby.
“You and Arya are hiding here! You must never come outside!”
“But honey!”
“Don’t even make a sound under your breath! Okay!”
Aria’s father hid Aria’s mother and young Aria in the basement and blocked the entrance to the basement with furniture.
“Mom…Mom. Why, why….”
“Aria, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“B-But, Kane, Grandpa Kane, Auntie Ruin, Uncle Davin, Mina, Paula, and Jake….”
“It’s okay… Everything will be okay, Arya. Let’s pray. If we pray to the God of Light, he will surely save us.”
He felt his mother’s arms hugging him tremble.
‘pray… .’
All Aria could do was pray like her mother said.
More earnestly, more, and longer than usual.
Aria put her hands together and prayed to the God of Light.
A prayer that is not gratitude to God for bringing peace to the world.
Please save me, save me, the villagers, my dad, my mom, and myself.
Aria prayed and prayed again to be saved from the monsters.
While praying, Aria’s ears heard many sounds.
The sound of monsters barking and laughing.
The screams and wailing of the villagers.
The sound of villages crashing and burning.
Dad’s cries and screams.
The sound of something heavy falling from above.
The sound of mother sobbing.
As Aria heard the sound, she prayed even more desperately.
God, God of light.
Please save us, please save everyone.
Please defeat the bad monsters.
Aria prayed and prayed until she couldn’t even feel the heat rising from her right palm.
simplicity and honesty!
I heard the furniture blocking the basement door break.
Kwasik!
I heard the wooden basement door break.
-Kkeak! Kekekeek!
It was a goblin.
Three goblins with one hand covered in blood broke into the basement.
“Uh, mom….”
Aria stopped praying and looked at her mother.
Aria, who had no strength, ultimately had no choice but to rely on her parents.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Aria….”
Even though Aria’s mother was shedding tears, she smiled in front of her daughter and stood up trembling.
“We… can never lay a hand on our daughter!”
Arya’s mother rushed towards the goblin, holding a bottle of alcohol from the basement.
“Yaaat!”
“mom!”
The liquor bottle in his hand hit the goblin’s head and shattered.
But for an ordinary villager, that was the limit.
Two goblins nearby plunged their swords into Aria’s mother’s body.
“Big!”
One room, two rooms, three rooms.
The holes made by the knife in Aria’s mother’s body increased.
And Aria saw the scene before her eyes.
“No! Mom!”
The moment Aria reached out to her bleeding mother, the stigmata glowed.
A sword made of white light appeared in the air and flew towards the goblins.
-Knock!
The goblins pierced by the sword of light fell to the floor, bleeding.
Aria unconsciously used the Holy Sword.
But to Aria, it didn’t matter that she used divine power.
“mom!”
Aria went to the side of her mother, who was bleeding and collapsed.
“Uh, Mom! Mom!”
“Ari… ah.”
Aria’s mother, bleeding from a wound inflicted by a goblin, was slowly losing her life.
“Oh, no! Mom! Mom! Lord, you can’t die!”
“Aria… I’m glad you’re safe… Hey… Our most precious….”
The spark of life went out in Aria’s mother’s eyes.
“Uh, Mom! Mom! No! Wake up! Mom! Mom!”
Aria, who was in a panic, shook her mother, who was already lifeless.
Young Arya could not yet accept her parents’ death immediately.
Wooow!
A white, warm light arose from Aria’s hand as she shook her mother.
It was the blessing of Great Hill, which could heal even those with serious injuries.
The wounds on Aria’s mother’s body healed immediately.
but.
It was impossible to rekindle the spark of life that had already gone out.
‘Oh God! Oh God! ‘God of light!’
Aria prayed to God several times.
Please help mom wake up.
Please help mom open her eyes.
Although Great Heal was used several times, Arya’s dead mother was never revived.
“Haa, haa, haaaa! Haaaa! Haa, haa, haa!”
A divine power that was just awakened at a young age.
Even if it’s Aria with the stigmata on it.
Using Great Heal continuously was a big problem.
I feel out of breath due to the excessive use of divine power.
My mind continued to deteriorate and I felt like I was going to lose my mind at any moment.
But Aria didn’t stop.
“mom mom!”
I vaguely know her as a young Aria.
What happened to his father the moment the goblin came in?
The only family he has left now is his mother.
That’s why Aria didn’t want to admit it.
He didn’t want to admit that his only remaining family member was disappearing.
‘Oh God. God of light… !’
It was a time when Aria’s spirit was about to be chipped away at to its limits due to excessive use of divine power.
“Hey! There’s a survivor here!”
Adventurers entered the basement.
“What, this kid is using divine power.”
“The thing that’s fallen… is this child’s mother?”
“Wait. Kid, stop! Stop! You’re in danger if you use it like that!”
It was after Aria forcibly separated herself from her mother to stop her that she noticed the adventurers.
“Oh, no… Mom! Mom… Mom! Mom!”
“Did you use divine power on my fallen mother? No, wait a minute… this person is already dead.”
The truth that he never wanted to admit came out of the adventurer’s mouth.
“AA AA AA…!”
I didn’t want to admit it.
I couldn’t admit it.
However, Aria’s mind, worn out by the excessive use of divine power, had no strength left to deny the cruel reality.
“Aaaa!”
The last thing Aria remembered was her own wailing.
0 Comments