Croix's Oath as a Priest

A slightly refreshing night breeze blew across the grass as spring transitioned into early summer, creating tiny ripples.

Dekan gently pressed down on his hair, which was being combed by the wind, and gazed at the bright starry sky above the world, feeling the wind caress his cheeks.

You're back.

Tomorrow I can say "I'm back" to the rising sun and "Welcome back" to the setting sun.

Dekan lay sprawled out on the lawn of the Croix family yard.

He kept his eyes open but didn't stand up for a long time.

My thoughts were still lingering in that dreamlike ninth-tier Shadow World.

It has spanned six Shadow World to date.

I personally experienced six different stages in Delois's life.

Even though Dekan never regained any of his memories of being Delois, he felt that he understood everything about Delois —his feelings at every moment and his every transformation.

Even though their different life experiences have led to subtle differences in their personalities and ways of handling things.

But Dekan knew that some fundamental things hadn't changed.

That's enough.

As for the specific memories of those Holy Kingdom, they were mostly filled with sadness and pain.

Let them drift away with the wind.

But.

For Dekan, the experiences he witnessed on this journey back to the Holy Kingdom were far more than just intelligence.

If one does not understand the value of what one possesses at this moment.

Even if you find someone who cherishes you, it's all meaningless.

"..."

I lay there gazing at the starry sky over Royal Capital Norton quite a while.

Dekan finally sat up from the grass.

He didn't do anything else immediately, not even rushing into the mansion to find his close friend Kloisco, tell him "I'm back," or tell him about the past of the Holy Kingdom.

He sat on the ground, slowly raising his hands to his chest, clasping his ten fingers together, his senses still somewhat dulled.

"Goddess Tike, Goddess governs reincarnation and destiny."

The feeling of new life was like a warm and gentle breeze, and vitality flowed within him.

"Even now, this world is full of things we don't understand."

"Sometimes we are too clever for our own good, have illusions, and get stuck in obsessions."

He seemed to be saying the words he hadn't been able to say to the Goddess in the end.

It was the answer he found from the end of Delois's life to the end of his life.

"Being tried to be hurt, and then hurting others with your own hands."

"Perhaps on that day, Delois was so desperate that he wanted to die. Perhaps he really almost took that step."

"However, he also desperately wants to live because of the memories Clodia left him."

"This is contradictory, yet also reasonable."

"This world, which is utterly awful to Delois, is a world full of good fortune to me... both bad and good things happen. This is the law of all things, nature, cycles, and destiny."

Dekan closed his eyes, as if murmuring, or perhaps praying.

"But what I believe now is that as long as you maintain a kind heart, things will always turn out for the better."

"Fate is ultimately determined by people."

Even if bad people come to good places, good people won't go to the bad side.

In Dekan's observations over several years traveling between the real world and the Shadow World.

Even in this life, a demon chose to succumb to depravity and become a bishop of the Resurrection Church.

There are also those who were demons in their past lives and have become kind humans in this life.

Whether one is human or demon is ultimately a personal choice.

Dekan's soft voice had now become much firmer:

"Goddess Tike, I swear to you once again that I will become your codex, your blade,"

It is often said that a strong oath will gain stronger divine protection, but the corresponding price is being dragged into a life of suffering.

Dekan recalled what Clodia had once said to Delois.

This was Clodia kept nagging in the ear of an impatient Delois, and it later became something Delois would often say to his friends.

Dekan knew without guessing that on the night Clodia fell into eternal sleep, Delois must have been making the same prayers and reciting the same vows as he was now.

However, their feelings were completely different now.

Because this time, under the gentle guidance of the Goddess, he has already achieved an incredibly wonderful life.

From the moment he met Cornelia, there was nothing in this life that he would regret.

What was once something Delois wouldn't even dare to dream of has become Dekan's daily routine.

"I am willing to dedicate the rest of my life to this: my time, my labor, my life, everything I have."

This is my way of repaying your kindness and your grace.

Rather than as a price I'm willing to pay.

"As your priest, I will sweep away all evil spirits and protect this world of all living beings, which is enveloped by your compassion, to the very end."

"Even if the enemy is a god, I will forge ahead without hesitation, no matter the cost."

Dekan made the strongest oath he could think of.

Perhaps making such a vow to the deity who controls reincarnation and destiny will indeed create a fulfillment more terrifying than any magical contract.

But as he ultimately concluded during this long journey.

This has always been the case from Delois to Dekan.

Uphold your beliefs, strengthen your will, and take control of your destiny. This time, we will surely reach an ending where no one has any regrets, only a beautiful story.

I seemed to hear the voice of the Goddess Tike, still silent but with a soft laugh.

Dekan instinctively looked around.

The empty courtyard made him realize even more clearly that this was the present world, no longer the place where he lay dying.

In the final moment of sending Dekan back, the Goddess may have exhausted her power and temporarily disappeared.

Perhaps she is still watching over the world under that shimmering starry sky, with silent love and compassion.

Even though it remains unnoticed by any living being, it never tires or gets annoyed.

Suddenly, a light appeared beside Dekan.

A hazy, warm, and soft light.

This left Dekan somewhat dazed.

It wasn't until a moment later that he realized he wasn't seeing the Goddess's radiant light in the darkness.

Instead, Croix, the owner of the mansion, noticed something, turned on the lights in the courtyard, and walked out of the mansion, looking in surprise in the direction of Dekan.

"Dekan... you're back?"

Croix seemed so shocked that her voice became quite hoarse for a moment.

"Long time no see, my old friend."

Dekan smiled and tilted his head.

Besides the gentle smile, his eyes were filled with a myriad of emotions from their long-awaited reunion.