episode_0210

“Dio V Runner-nim… are you really sure about this?”

“Hm? Is there a problem, Yuria?”

“No, it’s just… that woman… she’s been sitting by the makeshift memorial altar for a week now… Are you really going to just leave her like that?”

Yuria pointed at Viola, who had been sitting by the makeshift memorial altar for a week, staring blankly into space, and asked Dio V Runner if it was truly alright to leave her like that. The truth was, though the Saintess who should have been fighting them had seemingly lost her mind, Yuria was somewhat displeased to see Viola, who was responsible for the deaths of those whose belongings were at the memorial, sitting right beside it. Dio V Runner sighed deeply and replied.

“There’s no other way, Yuria. Didn’t you hear what people said? If we try to drag that woman away from the altar, she screams strangely and sheds tears and snot. She even starts having seizures, so I have no choice but to conclude that this is unavoidable… Besides, well… I’ve actually seen something like this before, so I don’t particularly want to object.”

Dio V Runner replied that he couldn’t help but understand Viola’s behavior as he saw someone he had seen before overlap with Viola’s image. Yuria, too, understood Viola a little, as she had made a mistake in the past herself. Just then, some children offered Viola water, and Viola carefully accepted the water the children offered and began to drink it. Dio V Runner crossed his arms and said,

“It seems her mind has improved somewhat. She’s started accepting food and water from the children… I still remember it vividly. When we brought her food or water, she’d have seizures and couldn’t eat properly… *Sigh*… I think I should ask her again.”

“What? But if we approach her, she’ll clearly have another seizure… Are you sure it’s alright?”

“Probably.”

When Dio V Runner decided to approach Viola, Yuria worried if it was truly alright. Dio V Runner shook his head, giving an ambiguous “probably” as an answer. A moment later, Viola lost consciousness while sitting in her chair, and Yuria began to scold Dio V Runner for needlessly approaching Viola and triggering her seizure.

“I told you! Are you really sure?!”

“Ahem…”

“That’ll probably last a while. That level of self-reproach isn’t easily resolved in a week.”

As Yuria was scolding Dio V Runner, Cecilia, who had been watching, sighed with her arms crossed. Yuria and Dio V Runner turned their heads towards her. Cecilia, looking at the unconscious Viola’s eyes behind them, scratched her head and said to them,

“Now that she truly understands what she’s done, the shock to Viola will be immense. It was the same for me. Whether it’s for a year or ten years. Once she realized it, Viola’s shock will be beyond imagination.”

“But it’s difficult… As long as that woman is the only sane Saintess, there’s no way to uncover the Church’s conspiracy.”

“…Would it be alright if I took care of Viola? The elves are outside right now. So, you two guide the elves.”

“…Alright, I understand. Let’s go, Yuria.”

“Oh, yes… Dio V Runner-nim…”

When Cecilia offered to take care of Viola, who had suffered the same pain, and asked Dio V Runner and Yuria to guide the elves to the resistance, they deliberated and finally agreed, quietly leaving the area. Cecilia saw Viola trembling and shedding tears even while unconscious, so she sighed deeply and stroked Viola’s hair.

“A human who has lived less than I… if her shock is greater than mine… when did you start making mistakes…?”

“Ah… ahh…”

Seeing Viola, who was only groaning in her unconscious state, unable to even hear her question, Cecilia felt so deeply sorry for Viola that she forgot that Viola was the Saintess of the hated Church. So, Cecilia ended up nursing Viola by her side until she regained consciousness, massaging her trembling legs and arms, which twitched with small seizures, and wiping away her tears. Time passed again, and dawn broke. Viola opened her eyes and recalled what had happened during the day.

“Ah… someone… came… Ahh…?”

Viola remembered losing consciousness when Dio V Runner approached her because the screams of the victims had echoed in her mind again. She was perplexed to see a blanket covering her body. Then, feeling a presence beside her, Viola looked over and saw Cecilia sleeping soundly in a chair she had brought. Viola was startled and tried to tremble, but then she saw a wet cloth in Cecilia’s hand. Viola realized that Cecilia had been nursing her by her side and was dumbfounded.

“A demon… nursed me…? Why…? Huh…? My head…”

Viola, realizing that her disheveled hair was now brushed and tidy, simply couldn’t understand the situation. According to her knowledge, demons were evil beings filled with malice that harmed humans. But contrary to her knowledge, Cecilia, a demon, was nursing her, and it was utterly incomprehensible. However, for Viola, who had realized that all her actions were wrong, it was merely a temporary question. Viola now well knew that the Church had committed unimaginably evil acts.

“……”

Therefore, Viola quickly realized that everything she had learned from the Church was wrong, and she had no choice but to admit that demons were different from what she had known. Viola looked at the sleeping Cecilia and began to shed tears again. Soon, she covered her eyes with both hands, feeling confused inwardly.

‘Everything I learned was a lie… They never wanted help in the first place… The divine power changed me strangely… So… so what should I do now…? What should I know…? I’m dizzy… It’s painful… Save me…’

Viola, who had received a distorted education from the Church since childhood and whose emotions were manipulated by divine power, was too late to understand a normal person’s life. She now had no idea what to do. Instinctively, she knew she couldn’t follow the Church’s path anymore, but rationally, she had no idea where to go. Viola prayed for help inwardly, her head throbbing as if it would burst. As if knowing Viola’s feelings in her dream, Cecilia muttered in her sleep and embraced Viola. Viola felt bewildered in Cecilia’s arms, then her eyes closed on their own, and she fell asleep, thinking inwardly.

‘It’s warm…’

Viola stayed at the resistance base for three days, cared for by Cecilia. Of course, during that time, she could not leave the makeshift memorial altar. If she tried to leave, she felt as if the items placed on the altar were resentfully asking if she had forgotten them. However, Viola’s mind was not at ease. Friends or relatives of the owners of the belongings on the makeshift memorial altar were present at this base… At first, they also greatly resented Viola.

“That cursed Saintess… How long is she going to stay inside…? Just looking at her face makes my stomach churn…”

“What’s the point of her just sitting there? Honestly… Just like those bastards who turned the world into this mess…”

For some unknown reason, Viola, the Saintess who was tantamount to their enemies, brazenly stood next to the makeshift memorial altar. It was a torture that made the bereaved families’ stomachs churn. However, as time passed, Viola continued to reflect on her mistakes, and when she realized that everything was her karma, her face hardened, and tears streamed down. This actually made the bereaved families more perplexed. Later, as the children and Cecilia began to approach Viola, the bereaved families still hated Viola, but they began to pity her. Thus, it became the tenth day since Viola had settled at the base. Cecilia, worried that the Church’s power had grown outside, was still caring for Viola today.

“Haaah… The Church’s power seems to have grown… Oh, no. I shouldn’t say such things in front of her… I’m sorry, Viola.”

“……”

“How are you today? Are you feeling a little better? Oh! You seemed to be crying all night, should I get you some water?”

On the tenth day, a flower crown was placed on Viola’s head. The children had made the flower crown and put it on her. As she began to sweat, Cecilia wiped her sweat with a cloth and asked Viola if she needed water. Viola then turned her head towards Cecilia, who had been caring for her for ten days without showing any displeasure, and spoke for the first time.

“Why… are you…?”

“…!! You… you just spoke…?! Are you really alright now?!”

“Why… are you taking care of me…?”

Cecilia was startled that Viola had spoken to her for the first time in ten days and asked if she was alright. However, Viola did not answer her question, only asking Cecilia why she was taking care of her. Cecilia then slumped down onto the chair she had placed beside Viola to nurse her, scratched her head, and said,

“I, too, have regretted my past, just like you…”

“Regret…?”

“To be honest, it might be different from yours, but… I used to…”

When Cecilia said that she also had regrets like Viola, Viola listened intently and asked again. Cecilia then recounted her entire past. How their peaceful existence was annihilated by angels and other races, with only a few survivors, and how she had held a grudge and harmed humans even in later generations. However, thanks to Zeke and Aria, she realized that retaliating against future generations was nothing more than an act of venting anger and murder, and she explained that she regretted her past actions.

“My remaining kin left this continent and scattered across other lands. Having gained enlightenment, I told them not to harm future generations anymore, and everyone, like me, regretted…”

“Huuuugh… Ugh… Haaaah… Haaaah!”

“…? Vi… Viola? A… are you alright?! Viola?!”

Viola, who had heard all of Cecilia’s story, remembered how she had truly, unknowingly, denounced Merzel as a fallen angel, and turned pale, beginning to tremble. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her tears started falling, moistening the ground again. Cecilia, seeing Viola’s condition worsen again, urgently wiped her sweat with a cloth and said,

“A-are you alright?! Should I stop talking?! Do you want some water first?!”

“Haa… Haaah… I… I knew nothing… I really knew nothing and just spoke recklessly, just as they said… I… I… I’ve only done meaningless things until now… Haaah…!!”

“Vi… Viola?! Viola!!”

Viola began to anguish, saying she had only done meaningless things until now, and as Viola started having a seizure again, Cecilia urgently tried to restrain her. At the commotion, others secretly watched Viola, and Veronica, who had arrived at the base three days ago and had been secretly watching Viola from behind a wall, was also greatly perplexed and asked Merzel beside her,

“Heavens… For a Saintess to blame herself so much… None of the Saintesses who entered Provelitus showed such a sight… What happened?”

“No power whatsoever, let alone divine power, can be felt from that Saintess now. I don’t know what happened at that makeshift memorial altar, but… it seems she voluntarily abandoned her divine power.”

“…What on earth did she see that shocked her enough for a Saintess to make such a choice…?”

Watching Viola anguish greatly, scratching herself with her fingernails, others wondered what she had seen that had changed her so much. But they kept their guard up against her, just in case, and only Cecilia was physically restraining her seizure. After ten minutes, Viola regained consciousness and drank the water from the cup Cecilia offered her. Then she said,

“I was originally a war orphan… Then the Church found me when I was young and took me to the temple and raised me… At first, I truly wanted to become a Saintess, hoping that no more orphans would be created due to war, just like me… But after that… I lived forgetting my purpose…”

“So that’s why you didn’t strongly reject the children’s touch… Ahem… What was it… Your goal is quite admirable…!!”

“…It’s too late…”

As Cecilia understood why Viola didn’t reject the children’s touch and praised her goal as admirable, Viola bowed her head deeply, then shook it in that position, answering in a sad voice that it was too late. Then, embracing herself with both arms, she trembled and said to Cecilia,

“I realized it too late… This important thing… No, this obvious thing, though I didn’t know because I was suppressed by the power of divine energy until now… Still, it’s too late for me… Like an executioner, I killed people judged as traitors with these hands… Because of that, I created the very orphans I never wanted to create with my own hands… I’m ruined now… I… I can’t go back…”

“Viola…”

“Besides, for a brief time, I saw you and still thought demons were an evil race… I lived decades in such ignorance… What on earth… should I do now…? I don’t know… How should I act in a situation like this…? And how should things originally be…? What is truly right…? I don’t know… I don’t know… Ugh… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Viola dropped the cup she was holding, then grabbed her head with both hands, anguishing, saying she rationally couldn’t tell what she should do or what was right. As she kept muttering “I’m sorry” as if apologizing to the victims, the bereaved families watching felt a bitter sadness, realizing that the Saintess Viola was truly remorseful. Cecilia picked up the fallen cup and said to Viola,

“This cup. A while ago, some children and a few bereaved family members brought water in it instead of me, saying they were worried about you.”

“…What…?”

Viola was perplexed that the cup in her hand contained water fetched not by Cecilia, but by children and a few bereaved family members. Cecilia, seeing in Viola’s expression the same bewilderment she had felt when Zeke forgave her, smiled faintly and said,

“Not everyone, but… I too have sincerely apologized to the bereaved families… And then, some of them empathized with my past and forgave me… Just like Zeke…”

“Forgiveness…?”

“Yes… The people who fetched water for you… they told me they forgave you… Even the children who became orphans because of the Church…”

“Why…? What exactly is forgiveness…? I…”

Viola, who had learned through Cecilia that some people had forgiven her, looked at her hands and couldn’t understand it at all. In her eyes, her hands appeared stained with blood, and she utterly failed to grasp why the bereaved families had forgiven her. Cecilia then embraced Viola with both arms and said,

“I don’t know either… That’s why I was so afraid of forgiveness at first… But anyway, since they forgave us, as much as they forgave… shouldn’t we do something for them?”

“What… should I do…?”

“…At least we should help them build a future… And… promise not to fall into such a path again… Right?”

“…Ugh…”

When Cecilia suggested that they should do something for those who had forgiven them, and at least give them a future, Viola trembled, then wrapped her arms around Cecilia, who was embracing her, and began to cry again. Thus, the time of a war orphan, which had been stopped by Camilla’s divine power, began to flow again. Though it was partially broken, that time had finally started flowing again. As if someone… no, many people, had repaired it…