Volume Five: Return from the Other Side - Chapter 401: Flower of the Blood Sea (1)

Confession Hall.

In the doctrines of the Divine Law Cult, this is a place for clergy who have committed serious transgressions to repent and cleanse themselves of their sins.

To put it bluntly, it's a prison specifically for holding clergy.

In fact, it has an even more important purpose: as a trash can.

For millennia, almost all high-ranking members of the Papacy and their cronies who lost in power struggles were imprisoned here under the guise of "repentance," confined for life. This was their final resting place, their grave. Now, all those imprisoned here are more or less connected to the political enemies of the current Papacy leadership, and even several who lost their battles for the throne to the current Pope have died here.

However... well, there are always exceptions. Right now, deep inside here, there's a guy who has absolutely nothing to do with power struggles.

In a private room deep within the confessional, separated by metal railings of unknown material, Yang Yujie, the Chief Templar Knight currently being punished, lay sprawled on a single bed, looking utterly relaxed. Although it was more like a damp, moldy haystack than a bed, he still appeared content, as if on vacation.

So much so that the guards patrolling the corridor couldn't help but wonder—was this man the criminal or were they the criminals? But despite their thoughts, none of them dared to provoke Yu Jie. After all, he was the second strongest fighter in the Holy See after Tian Lu. If they didn't handle things properly and really angered him... then things would be troublesome.

In fact, the guard and Yu Jie got along very well.

Before being locked up, Yu Jie had hidden several packs of cigarettes on his person and distributed them to the guards, quickly building relationships with them. The price was that he accidentally ran out of cigarettes, and Yu Jie had to chew gum again.

Now, he lies on the haystack, chewing gum and humming a little tune.

"... What an impressive aura, buddy."

"Oh?"

Yu Jie turned slightly and saw his neighbor through the metal bars. He was an old man with white hair who used to be an ambitious man who wanted to overthrow a certain Archbishop and take the throne himself. After his failure, he was imprisoned here and has been imprisoned for nearly twenty years.

"You're awake, old man?"

"Hmph, heaven knows how much more peaceful sleep this old man can get..."

"By the way, what did you just say? That I have an aura?"

"Yes."

"Old man, you're joking. I am, after all, the Chief Templar Knight; of course I have an aura to maintain—"

No, I didn't mean that.

Whether serious or simply to pass the time, the old man moved closer and carefully examined Yu Jie through the railing.

"I always felt there was something... very different about you, unlike those so-called young talents. You are someone who has truly experienced many great things."

"... Well, I guess so, considering I spent some time in places like that before."

"'That kind of place'?"

Seeing that Yu Jie seemed lost in thought, the old man became curious. He had only learned about Yu Jie from the guards' idle chatter in the confessional. It was said that he was incredibly powerful but disregarded the law, and as for his past, he knew nothing at all. Yang Yujie's origins were almost entirely a mystery; where he was born, what kind of life he had led before, and even his exact age were unknown.

Yu Jie scratched his head, a slightly embarrassed expression appearing on his face for the first time.

"Well... actually, I used to belong to a certain... how should I put it? Anyway, a very troublesome organization."

"An organization? What's its name?"

"It doesn't have a name, so everyone just calls it the organization."

"What the heck... You didn't just make this up, did you?"

"I'd rather it were just made up. It would be best if a place with eight or nine monsters equal to or even surpassing the Heavenly Law didn't exist."

"Tch, so you're saying you were in such a powerful organization back then?" The old man looked incredulous.

"Hmm... sort of. I joined without really knowing what was going on, and before I knew it, I'd become Special Class Combatant! The benefits are really good, you get whatever you want, endless money and good cigarettes. If you perform well, the boss will even grant you an extra long life. There's not much to do usually, and most of the things he asks you to do feel like he's just 'forcing you to do something'."

"How can such an organization exist? If that's the case, why did you switch sides and join our Divine Law Cult?"

"It's not changing jobs, it's... uh... if we're going to classify it, it's more like defection."

"Ah?"

The old man looked at Yu Jie strangely.

Yu Jie sighed deeply.

"It's alright to tell you. I was just coasting along, but one day, I accidentally—really, very accidentally—discovered a secret, a shocking secret about the Leader's purpose that he had been hiding. If this secret were to be revealed, the entire organization could collapse... So, feeling a sense of crisis, I secretly slipped away during an outing."

"This guy is definitely bragging," the old man thought.

But young people like to brag, so let him be.

"So, the key to that organization's survival is in your hands?"

"Yes, but I still don't know whether I should release this information or not. If it's released and causes a high-level uproar and the boss gets furious, it will definitely turn the world upside down, and that will be a real problem. We must not act rashly before we are fully prepared."

"Yes, yes, yes... You're amazing, you're amazing..."

"I don't know when the organization will come knocking to silence me, so I'm searching for people who can stand up to the organization and tell them this secret... as a last resort against them."

"Yes, yes, yes... but I think that organization you mentioned, no matter how powerful, can't be more powerful than the Divine Law Cult."

"Old man, your vision is too narrow. Aren't there still the Revolutionary Army that can stand up to the Vatican?"

"Tch, you have no idea, the guard told me this morning that the Rebel Army leader had been captured!"

"So that's what you said!?"

A tea ceremony is underway in the Pure Courtyard.

The courtyard was as usual, as always, with premium tea and exquisite pastries.

But the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Three people sat around the small table. Besides Prayer and Ji Ling, who often drank tea together, Tian Lu had also joined them. It was rare for the three Goddess to gather together. The Brother Simon, who stood behind Prayer, and the knights who were performing the duties of the Guardian Knight in place of Yu Jie, all stood up straight, afraid of displeasing Lady Tian Lu.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the expressions of the three Goddess are different from usual.

Tianlu was in a good mood because Nid had been captured, and his expression was not as cold as usual.

Prayer didn't look as carefree as usual; instead, he appeared somewhat gloomy, and his smile seemed forced.

The spirit priest usually seemed the most ordinary one, but for some reason, she now looked more resolute, as if she had made up her mind about something.

"Hey, Spirit Sacrifice-chan, Tian Lu-jie, have some tea..."

"Thank you, Prayer Sauce."

Thanks, Prayer.

The three of them each picked up a cup of tea and sipped it, falling silent for a moment.

The atmosphere grew increasingly subtle, and the surrounding guards, including the Brother Simon, sensed this faint sense of unease and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Oh, right, Prayer- chan." The spirit broke the silence.

"How?"

"How's Yu Jie doing lately?"

"..."

"I think I've seen you go to see him before, more than once."

The spirit's expression grew increasingly grim.

"... Why do you ask that, Spirit Sacrifice-chan?"

"Because I only visited him on the very first day, I'm worried now—"

"Then why don't you go see for yourself!"

Prayer, a surge of inexplicable anger welled up inside him! Honestly! You're the one who's the main reason he got locked up! What kind of attitude is this?!

"... Huh?"

"... ah?"

The spirit priest and the heavenly law stared at the Prayer, whose volume had suddenly increased, with a puzzled look. The Prayer, realizing what was happening, hurriedly lowered its head and let its bangs cover its eyes.

"Prayer you..."

"... Sorry, I got a little carried away. Mr. Yu Jie is fine, and he gets along well with the guards."

"Oh... that's good."

The spirit priest breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, it's Yu Jie; worrying about him would be foolish.

The spirit still felt guilty for Yu Jie, but she was no longer swayed by feelings of regret.

She had made up her mind; there were some things she had to figure out, no matter what.

When he was young, Jert hoped to become a dashing and handsome paladin.

Those powerful warriors clad in armor were messengers of the gods, selflessly sacrificing themselves to rescue the Princess from the Demon King—his childhood understanding of paladins was limited to storybooks.

In response, adults would show a "I really can't do anything with you" expression and watch him grow up with warm eyes.

Of course, that was just a childhood dream, and in retrospect, it hardly counted. Born into a fairly wealthy family, he received his education at a public school of the Papacy. During his time there, he gradually realized that he was not a paladin because of his poor physical condition and weak mental strength, and that only those with Divine Spellcaster. So he had to give up.

After breaking up with his first love at the age of twenty-two, he started a business, running a small operation, constantly navigating the ever-changing market and the heavy taxes levied by the Papacy. At twenty-four, his business gradually stabilized, and he married a woman of average appearance but exceptionally virtuous character. Two years later, they had a son. As he slowly raised his son, he unknowingly turned forty. He used his savings to send his son to the Central Church College in Gloria for further studies. To his slight disappointment, his son didn't manage to establish any connections in that school filled with the children of nobles, wealthy merchants, and powerful figures. But disappointment aside, the fact that his son could gain some prestige there still made him happy.

When he was forty-eight, his son was twenty-two and married a woman who, like his mother, was of average appearance but very virtuous. By then, he had already given up on having his son inherit his childhood dream of becoming a paladin. He decided to hand over his stable business, which he had managed for decades and which was still not large, to his son once he was fully capable of standing on his own. When he was fifty, he had a granddaughter, and three years later, he had a grandson, which made him very happy.

In his later years, he and his wife moved back to their hometown to help their son take care of their grandchildren. Every day he would go for walks, chat with other elderly people like himself about their children and grandchildren, play chess with like-minded friends, and buy meat and vegetables to cook lunch for his grandchildren. The days passed like this. At the age of seventy-nine, his wife contracted a serious illness and passed away. After living alone for another ten years, he finally closed his eyes slowly under the sorrowful gaze of his children and grandchildren. His only regret before death was probably not being able to see his great-grandchildren.

This is what an ordinary person's life is like.

There was no smoke of war, no displacement, only mundane routines and helplessness.

It was a life I was destined to never have.

"--Cough!"

I snapped out of my daze.

Looking at the vast Blood Sea, I was momentarily at a loss.

How much time exactly passed? I only know that time in reality is very short—a second? A millisecond? A microsecond?

But... even though only a very short time has passed, why do I feel like I've lived a lifetime?