episode_0030

I ran frantically, my mind consumed with thoughts.

Ignoring the pain of needles piercing through limp arms and the throbbing ache from hastily lifted legs,

I simply ran towards the figure amidst the dust.

“Why on earth did you do that?!”

Even sacrificing just one leg would have been enough to cross over, so why did you block it instead?

I couldn’t fathom it.

The thought intensified as the dust settled, revealing a pale-faced Elise before me.

“..Elise.”

Unintentionally, a growling voice escaped me.

Didn’t I explicitly tell you not to come?

Why are you lying there in that state instead of me?

If it were an Elise who had matured to a certain extent, she would have easily thwarted it.

But not now.

Not at this moment.

What would happen if the current Elise, lacking in experience, skill, and physical strength, tried to defend against attacks beyond her capacity?

The result was right before my eyes.

A shattered shield.

An arm twisted at an odd angle.

Dented armor and a pallid face.

Blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Just as she barely survived a fate akin to a curse looming over her lineage, she collapsed before me with a face fading into deathly hues.

Gazing at Elise’s eyes losing their light, resembling the illustration of her death from countless rewinds, I closed my eyes and murmured.

“..Sola.”

– Twinkle

The scar on the broken right arm began to glow brightly.

“..Help me.”

As soon as I finished speaking, light erupted from the scar on her hand, enveloping Elise and me.

The broken arms slowly mended, the twitching thigh lightened.

Elise’s twisted arm found its place again, her pallor recovering in real-time.

Wiping away the blood from her lips, lost in deep thought, I pondered.

What went wrong?

The plan wasn’t perfect but yielded optimal results, or so I thought.

Including the final variable, two transcendents for one leg + a seven-evil spirit.

Wasn’t it a perfect deal?

However, just moments ago, Elise nearly faced death before my eyes.

If it weren’t for Sola, she would likely have perished without a doubt.

While there are clerics who use divine power within the sanctuary, they can’t compare to Sola, channeled through the scar.

Three contracts between Sola and me, each compelling the other.

The first one.

1. If Vihan encounters a threat he cannot handle on his own, he must seek help from Sola.

When Sola mentioned that condition, Vihan inwardly believed such a situation would never arise.

At least in this world, Vihan was close to being omnipotent and thought he could handle everything by himself.

But reality proved otherwise.

Vihan sat quietly, contemplating many things as he gazed at Elise.

[The deepest and widest arrogance feels confident in its deductions and laughs joyfully.]

Paying the price for his arrogance.

…

“This guy is really…”

Sola was honestly displeased.

It was good to have met Vihan.

A remarkable child who had endured the past and come to meet him.

Who could dislike those shining eyes filled with so much affection for him?

However,

“You’re so foolish!!”

Perhaps due to experiencing too much.

He had thought too much.

If you know the danger?

Shouldn’t you share it with someone and ask for help?

Must you always solve it yourself, causing harm to yourself in the process?

If you can’t explain it through politics, power, or logic, shouldn’t you at least ask yourself directly for help?

Despite being forced into seeking assistance under the first condition, Sola couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh at Vihan’s first plea for help.

Did he think he could handle all the previous life-threatening situations on his own?

Or even if he did resolve them, in such a state?

With arms breaking and legs lost every time?

Solara became angry at Beohan, who did not ask for help, and her fervor erupted when she realized that even the first request for assistance was to save someone other than herself.

“I, I’m like a stubborn bear!!!”

Fuming with anger, Solara swung her Solar Punch wildly, turning the divine ground into a mess before collapsing back in place.

Already frustrated, what made it worse was Beohan’s first contract condition:

1. Solara cannot participate in battles alongside Chilak.

The reason she couldn’t assist Beohan in the fight and could only watch from the sidelines.

Solara couldn’t bear the thought that Beohan used himself as a pawn to defeat enemies because of her.

How could she, as the first deity, wander the world feeling this worried?

Conflicted and grateful, she was also angry.

In her rage and frustration, she eventually made a reckless decision.

“I can’t participate? Then it doesn’t have to be me!!”

As fiery as her name, Solar Solara.

She glanced at the consciousness of the girl she had brought to the divine realm while treating her injuries, covering her body with divine power… Phew… Let’s get started.

“Greetings, my child.”

It was the butterfly effect caused by Beohan.

…

What happens when a person dies?

Death is not the end.

While the mortal body returns to dust as its lifespan ends,

the soul either cycles back to form the world again or lives on the land provided by the gods above.

And thus we…

These were words from a book she read in her childhood.

Looking at that book, she remembered her father saying there is an afterlife, where we uphold goodness.

Elise had no regrets about blocking Beohan with a determined face.

Seeing the face of Beohan, who had decided on something detrimental, reminded her of the painful cries from that day.

However,

“Greetings, my child.”

It was somewhat bewildering to think that she had faced death in a single blow and that the divine had come to meet her.

Elise felt a sacred sensation enveloping her entire being.

Her mind grew hazy, feeling comfortable as if lying in a cozy bed.

She almost understood why bishops say that God embraces everyone.

In that comfort, another thought crossed Elise’s mind.

Then what about Beohan…?

Before raising her shield, Elise briefly resented the gods.

Why did they lead Beohan, who had suffered for so long, back towards the path of thorns?

Meeting the entity that held the answers, Elise, with a hint of disrespect, raised her head and asked,

“Why… why did you do that?”

Why did they steer his life, which had returned to normalcy, back towards the cliff?

Elise inquired.

Being the one who embraces all, how could they inflict wounds upon Beohan?

To Elise’s question, the god responded with a sad smile.

Before Elise could react, Solara spoke up.

“Why did you protect that child?”

“Because I chose to be his shield.”

Though shattered by a single attack, Elise never regretted her choice.

“In the past, didn’t he make you sad?”

“I knew it wasn’t his fault, I remember the light I saw in him long ago.”

Elise couldn’t bring herself to hate him.

In the past, present, and future,

“Do you want to love him… to protect him?”

Elise slowly nodded in response.

That was the only thing she could do.

Though her weak shield shattered in one blow, if given a chance.

To ensure he doesn’t bleed while walking the path of thorns once more, she wanted to protect him by his side.

Approaching Elise, Solara gently stroked her head and asked one last time,

“Will you not be my ■■■■?”

Upon hearing those words, Elise’s eyes widened beyond belief.

She quickly nodded her head.

From the moment she accepted the proposal, she knew that many things would change.

She would experience many things and inevitably reach a moment where she would lose something.

However, she dared to hope.

To stand by his side once again as a shield that could protect him, not a fragile shield that broke in one blow.

And to be able to repay all the debts owed to him.

In response to Elise’s vigorous nod, Sola smiled kindly and raised her hand, declaring,

“I declare here. My child Elise Dulliere is now a candidate for my ■■■!!”

At Sola’s declaration, something incomprehensible stirred.

Though unseen and unfelt, Elise somehow sensed her spine tingling.

Kneeling down, Elise accepted what was coming from Sola, capturing the merciful smile of the deity through the eyelashes falling heavily with sleep.

“Please protect that child…”

With everything I have.. Surely..

That was the last image Elise remembered.

…

Having asked the arrogant Jin responsible for the smug laughter inside to tone it down, Bi Han regretted his impulsive request to the White Thunder that sparked back.

Informing the High Elf holding Akat’s neck about the Dryad’s location, Bi Han turned his head back after saying they would meet again soon as the rumbling grew louder.

—!!!!!

There, Elise, who had just been treated alongside herself, was floating amidst a storm of tremendous divine power.

“Oh… Oh my god..!!!”

” “Oh my god..!!” ”

“Sola…”

What the hell did you do this time..?

Bi Han raised his hand above his throbbing head, feeling like he might go crazy even though he hadn’t clearly crossed any boundaries.