episode_0186

A warm wind carrying the colors of the setting sun blew.

Her hair danced, her clothes fluttered, seemingly mirroring the trembling in Tier’s heart.

But her eyes remained steady.

“I keep… remembering the past. Even though I don’t want to, when I’m with Nari… I keep recalling those happy days.”

“The days when your parents were alive… your childhood?”

Wiping away the tears welling up in her eyes with the back of her hand, Tier nodded.

Then she gazed at the sky where fluffy clouds were gathering in the distance.

“I spent each day without a worry… just being happy, simply by meeting the gaze of the person I loved.”

“You had good parents.”

“…Yes.”

She couldn’t recall exactly what she saw, heard, or ate, or where she went.

But the overwhelming emotions of that time remained, burning hot like iron fused to metal.

Tier’s happy memories were etched not in her mind, but in her heart.

“And I’ve been reliving those feelings…”

“Because of Nari?”

“Yes… As a child, I was just a clueless tomboy, but now that we’ve met again—”

Even with her eyes closed, her vision swam with Nari’s image.

Even with her ears covered, Nari’s voice echoed in her mind.

Even with her legs drawn close, a tingling sensation surged through her abdomen.

“She’s become someone so beautiful, so captivating… someone I’d dedicate my entire life to.”

The mornings she woke up seeking Nari were so sweet and refreshing.

The days she spent thinking of Nari were thrilling and exciting.

The evenings she spent gazing at Nari were tender and poignant.

The nights she embraced Nari were passionate and ecstatic.

She wanted to cast aside all the sad memories, the painful wounds, all the bad things from her past.

She wanted to look only to Nari and live a happy future.

“Even after such a short separation, I miss Nari’s face so much I could go crazy. I want to run to her and fall into her arms…”

But.

“But then… what happens to the ‘Saintess’…?”

The Saintess of the Luminous Church is a special person, born with the greatest blessing of .

Spreading the warmth and kindness received from the Goddess to the weak, the poor, and the unfortunate is her most important duty.

In past generations, and the generations before that, the Saintesses all embraced this duty, dedicating themselves to easing the world’s suffering.

Healing the injured, feeding the hungry, and lifting up the fallen.

Thus, they established this era of peaceful tranquility without war.

In short, the Saintess is one who embraces the duty of .

After awakening to her powers, she must devote herself body and soul to the Goddess’s will until her death.

Naturally… serving a single ‘person’ is forbidden.

“I know… If I choose happiness with Nari, I will be stripped of my title as Saintess and never see you again…”

And not only that.

Publicly, she would be branded a selfish Saintess who abandoned her duty, scorned by the people.

Within the temple and the Church, she’d be labeled a coward who received a blessing and then ran away.

“If you were to abandon me… I wouldn’t reach out to you again, either.”

Tier was looking at the distant sky, so she didn’t see Lumine’s expression.

But she could tell how sad Lumine was, just from her voice.

A voice that was warm, yet tinged with sorrow, a voice that trembled faintly.

“Then what was my life up to now…? All my efforts, struggling to death to regain my lost happiness… was it all in vain?”

Losing the name of Saintess means losing the Saintess’s very existence.

The warmth of the Aiter Temple that reached out to her when she was on the brink of death.

The experience of learning magic and rituals through grueling effort and becoming a priestess capable of independent work.

The small smiles she received from people as she traveled the world spreading light as the Saintess.

All of it would be erased.

Unfortunately, the turning point in Tier’s life failed to act as a turning point.

It wasn’t a change of direction but an utter erasure of her previous life.

She buried all her precious memories to enter the temple and to work as a priestess after losing her parents.

And now… if she were to choose Nari here.

Similarly, she would have to bury all the painful yet rewarding memories of being the Saintess.

Choosing between life and death was easy.

She was a young child with many years ahead of her, and in her youth, she fiercely desired to live.

But this time… it was an incredibly difficult choice.

Whether she would continue her relatively fulfilling past, or create a new future guaranteed love, even if without happiness.

The pain of choice was nothing compared to the pitiful situation that forced her to make such a choice.

She poured out all those feelings before Lumine, the Goddess of Light she met for the first time.

She laid it all bare, until her lips were dry and her heart ached.

When she finally regained her composure after being so overwhelmed, there was nothing to be heard but Lumine’s ragged breathing.

After taking a moment to breathe and calm herself.

This time, a warm light emanated from behind her.

“Did you talk about this with Nari?”

“Yes, of course… But this is my problem. I’m the one who has to decide…!!”

Swoosh—

The light gently enveloped Tier’s body.

“But… love isn’t something you do alone, is it?”

“……!!”

At that moment, as if a sharp arrow had struck her head, something flashed through her mind.

Nari has an uncanny ability to know everything.

So she must know what is happening to Tier.

At the same time, she must have a vague idea of the future that will unfold depending on Tier’s choice.

That future, naturally, includes the repercussions of choosing love.

The love Nari offered was immensely large.

A love so great and overwhelming that it overshadowed any pain.

But pouring water into mud doesn’t wash away the dirt.

There are things that can be filled, and things that cannot be emptied.

Even though Nari said she would take responsibility for the future… did she really force Tier to make this choice and go through this painful experience?

‘No… that isn’t right…!’

The essence of Nari’s question was clearly to choose herself, not to abandon her life as a Saintess.

She remembered something she heard from Yuri.

‘Oh… this scar? I’m fine. I actually thought it looked a little ugly, but my sister says it’s pretty.’

Nari is someone who loves everything unconditionally.

She wouldn’t ask Tier to cut off her past.

And if it were Nari, she would surely…

“I won’t… let go of anything…!!”

Give the most arrogant answer with a serious expression.

Tier immediately turned to the light.

“You’ve found your answer, child…”

Lumine’s voice no longer trembled.

Or rather, it trembled in a different way.

It was a warm tremor, not of sadness or pity, but of happiness and admiration.

“I… I’ve received so much from the Goddess and the Temple. I absolutely cannot give up being a Saintess—!!”

“Naturally… you’ll hold onto love too, won’t you?”

Tier nodded vigorously.

And at that moment, the temple surrounding them began to crumble from the edges.

“Child, did you know? All Saintesses who have awakened to the light have hair the same golden color as mine.”

“Is… that so?”

Upon reflection, it was true.

Most of the priests and paladins around her had either blond hair or, at least, light brown hair.

No one had dark purple hair like Tier’s. That’s why she was considered unique and treated specially.

“Originally, sharing my light turns dark hair golden.”

“Then why…”

Rumble—

The temple pillars collapsed at a rapid pace.

Even knowing she wasn’t in danger, the fact that time was running out remained unchanged.

But Tier wasn’t flustered.

It was partly due to the composure that came with making her decision, but mostly because Lumine’s light before her soothed her soul.

“It’s because… even before giving you the ‘light,’ your heart was already filled with so much.”

In that moment.

Tier’s eyes widened.

Why, why had she forgotten?

The reason Tier’s hair was a deep purple was none other than…

Trickle—

‘Our Tier has such pretty purple hair, just like Mom and Dad—?’

‘U-huh—!! Same purple as Mom and Dad—!’

More than ten years had passed since they left, but they were still giving Tier a lot.

From that enduring memory… Tier realized many things.

“The reason I was weaker than other Saintesses… was because…!!”

It was only natural.

She had only been using half her power, hence the shortfall to other Saintesses.

Crashes—!

As the temple floor crumbled, Tier began to fall.

But warm light filled the area surrounding her.

For the first and last time, embraced in the arms of the Goddess she had longed for.

Tier began a new life.

“Open your eyes, child.”

. . .

She forced her eyelids open and saw the golden landscape of the Holy Kingdom once more.

Inside the temple, the ceiling was gone, and fallen knights littered the floor.

Nari was visible among them, waving her hand.

“Whew…”

A powerful surge of light mana.

Even though she had just been in the Goddess’ arms, Nari’s scent was distinctly present.

She realized anew the greatness of [Divine Word] magic.

However, its value only exists when used to convey the Goddess’s words.

To use it to brainwash followers… that’s inconceivable.

Just as she desperately sought a way to intervene.

Swirl—

A new color, not gold, began to emanate from Tier’s body.