Volume Four: Fading from the World of Men - Chapter 366: Embers (3)
"Lord Prayer... are you alright?"
"If you're not feeling well, should my brother and I notify the doctor?"
The Brother Simon pressed for details, but Prayer simply responded with his usual smile.
"It's okay, I'm just... a little tired, I'll be fine after a rest."
"..."
The twin brothers exchanged a somewhat embarrassed look.
Even a fool could tell that Prayer wasn't in good shape.
His smile seemed forced, there were shadows under his eyes, and his face was noticeably paler.
She had been in a very low spirits ever since the Pope announced that momentous event the day before.
Perhaps it was because they were too surprised.
Even the Brother Simon found it hard to believe.
The Chief Templar Knight secretly took the Holy Spirit Goddess out of Gloria and even to Sadington City, which later became the center of the war. This was an unprecedented offense in the 1,500-year history of the Holy See! Fortunately, the Goddess returned safely; otherwise, even the Chief's life would not have been enough!
"I knew that so-called Chief was unreliable." "Rather than unreliable, he's just a madman." "Is he too confident in his abilities?" "I've never seen him make a move." "He's all talk and no action." "I've always disliked his nonchalant attitude." "His Holiness the Pope is wise." "He deserves to be confined for a year." -- The Brother Simon heard these kinds of comments countless times within hours of the announcement. In fact, they couldn't help but secretly rejoice. After all, for the two who always followed the rules, Yu Jie, who disregarded the rules yet held a higher status than them, had always been the object of their envy and resentment. Even though they were fortunate enough to become the Guardian Knight of the Prayer, they couldn't shake their resentment. Now that they knew this guy was going to be locked up for a year, how could they not be happy?
But Prayer for her--
"Mr. Yu Jie... won't something happen if he stays alone for so long...?"
--I've been genuinely worried about Yu Jie.
This made the Brother Simon somewhat unhappy.
To be honest, the way Prayer now is a little scary.
Her pale golden hair had lost its former luster, and her slightly long bangs partially obscured her eyes. Her usually straight back was now somewhat hunched, and she was bowing her head, muttering to herself. If they didn't know that this was the Prayer Goddess, they might have mistaken her for someone possessed.
"Why... I usually only see her when I'm having tea with the spirit, but now... Mr. Yu Jie definitely didn't do anything wrong, so why is he the one who's being hurt... If the Spirit Sacrifice-chan is at fault... wouldn't it be enough to just punish her?"
Wouldn't it be enough to just punish her?
The two brothers felt a chill run down their spines the moment they heard those words.
Is this really what the innocent angel I've always served would say?
Is this truly her heartfelt opinion? Or just a simple complaint? No, no, no—or rather, Prayer if she even possesses the capacity to "harbor malice towards others."
Besides, Prayer is ultimately just a girl without any combat ability. Even if something really happened to her mindset... it shouldn't be enough to make these two powerful Templar Knight feel terrified, right?
"Um... Lord Prayer?"
"... Um?"
"Although this is just my personal opinion, you can have a good talk with the High Priest, and that might help resolve the issue—"
"Don't mention her to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"--!?"
The two brothers were utterly shocked.
If one could explain away the past by claiming to have misread it, then this time, the ear-piercing roar and distorted face of the Prayer could not be ignored no matter what.
"Grown ups...?"
"... ah!"
Prayer, who had suddenly lost control of his emotions, also came to his senses and was stunned.
"No! I, I won't..."
He was about to explain himself when his voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz.
"I... never mind, I'm tired. I'm going back to my room to calm down..."
With that, he hurried into his bedroom as if Prayer, leaving the Brother Simon staring at each other in bewilderment.
She slammed the door shut, Prayer collapsed onto the bed as if all her strength had left her, her full breasts heaving violently.
"Waaah..."
Honestly, how could I have said such strange things in front of my own Guardian Knight?
Something dark was flowing through my heart.
That was a feeling I had never experienced before.
I was only worried about the Chief, so why did I get so agitated when I heard the name of Spirit Sacrifice-chan?
"It's not entirely the fault of Spirit Sacrifice-chan..."
Is it really not her fault?
Mr. Yu Jie did not choose himself because of her existence.
All I could do was watch from the sidelines.
There must be some hidden reason why they secretly took the sacrificial spirit out.
Even his punishment wasn't because of himself, but because of his good friend—
"--But are they really friends?"
"!? The Supreme God?"
A sudden feeling of "wavelength matching".
After revealing the location of the Rebel Army leader last time, the Supreme God once again initiated a dialogue.
"My lord, I don't understand what you mean..."
"It's perfectly normal not to understand, my dear daughter..."
The voice of the Supreme God remained as gentle as ever, and just hearing it brought me immense peace of mind.
"You are too pure, child. Only the purest soul can ascend to heaven, but it is also the easiest to be tainted by the dust of the world..."
"Dust?"
"The human heart is the most unfathomable thing in the world. It is like a ferocious beast lurking in the depths of the ocean, or a demon hidden in the shadows. The human heart is the only thing that even the gods cannot control."
"Ah..."
"So, think about it: does someone who calls you a friend, yet possesses your beloved, enjoys the happiness that should be yours, and causes your beloved to be imprisoned, while acting as if nothing happened, really deserve to be called a 'friend'?"
You mean...?
Think about it carefully--
"--Think carefully about everything that has happened in the past, and then use the wisdom I have given you to see everything clearly, my child..."
The lady suppressed a laugh and continued speaking in the voice of "Prayer the supreme God in my understanding," trying her best to make her tone sound serious.
That's absolutely hilarious.
As expected, the Divine Law Cult, from the lowest-ranking laborers to the highest-ranking Goddess, is full of utter idiots.
No wonder Warrensding defected; this place, full of fools and stupid rules, was simply not worthy of her.
Finding the loopholes in the connection between the Prayer and the Truth Incantation, gradually infiltrating her own voice until she completely impersonated the so-called "god"—this work certainly took her a lot of time. But after completing the troublesome preliminary work, the rest was easy; manipulating a naive, immature little Goddess was a piece of cake.
"I'll handle the internal affairs, and I'll leave the external affairs to those equally foolish Revolutionary Army. Everything—it's all just a stage I'm using to welcome Warrensding back! You can entertain me with your puppet show, you fools!"
"--For you, everything is just a stage for your performance, isn't it, madam?"
Of course, Givinia didn't say it aloud; she could only think it in her mind.
After all, the moment the sound is made, the lady will immediately intercept it.
In fact, if a woman is willing, she can hear the "voice of the heart" of others, but she must be face to face with them.
Therefore, every time Givinia met with the lady or had breakfast with her, she had to prepare an hour in advance by using layers of projections to protect her mind. If necessary, she had to hypnotize herself and force herself to remain normal in front of the lady, even when she was exhausted.
It was very tough, but Givinia could endure it.
As long as we can achieve final victory.
Don't think everything will go your way, madam. Don't underestimate me, Givinia.
The so-called magnificence is simply repeating simple things countless times.
Just as accumulated sand forms a desert, and many drops of water form an ocean.
The same applies to rubble and debris.
The endless expanse of devastation, stretching for miles, was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. The wind whipped up dust from the ruins, and carrion-eating birds perched silently on the remaining city walls. From above, one could see scattered Black Ghost moving across the rubble—humans wading through a sea of stones and debris. Among them were Revolutionary Army, but most were ordinary people, displaced by this sudden calamity, forced to return to this place filled with both beautiful and painful memories once everything had calmed down. People used thick-soled rubber shoes to ward off sharp pieces of wood and stone, navigating streets that were both familiar and strange. Some searched for their former homes, while others, still clinging to hope, desperately called out the names of their lost loved ones. Their cries echoed in the deathly silence, fading away quickly into the stillness.
It was as if the whole world was telling the story of the tragedy that had happened here.
The edge of the city --
The once sturdy and magnificent city wall was mostly destroyed, leaving only sections of ruins. The Revolutionary Army cleared a space at the largest gap in the wall ruins—the superhumans destroyed the large stones, while the others used swords instead of shovels and pickaxes to clear the smaller rubble. They even leveled the exposed, trampled grass below, putting in a lot of effort.
But this land was not intended for setting up refugee camps, nor for storing supplies or serving as a command post.
In Sarington, far too many people have died for various reasons.
There had to be a place to hold people's grief, and that's how this place came to be.
Public cemetery.
Open to everyone.
Anyone who has lost a loved one or friend, regardless of whether their body has been found, can erect a monument and place a memorial tablet here to express their grief.
The situation is still volatile, and there is not much time to hold large-scale ceremonies or mobilize a large number of troops to search for the remains.
This is the only thing the Revolutionary Army can do at this stage.
Now, in the center of the cemetery, three people are standing quietly, while two others are sitting on stone piers a little further away.
Perhaps they were unknowingly influenced by the aura emanating from them, because the other soldiers and civilians did not approach this area.
It was as if this place was a sacred realm that outsiders were not allowed to set foot in.
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The next chapter will mark the end of Volume Four.