Chapter 455
"Besides, even if he is some dangerous person, aren't you here?"
Maria knew nothing else, but one thing she was certain of.
This woman... is incredibly skilled in combat!
With Maria around, I really don't need to worry too much.
This made Maria tilt her head slightly.
After Warfarin expressed her stance, the man who had been feigning unconsciousness gradually lowered his hand.
He was spared from death because of this.
This made Maria lower her eyes slightly.
"I will."
"You definitely will... that's just the kind of person you are."
Warfarin blinked.
She pulled open the other person's clothes, examined them carefully for a while, and then frowned.
A moment later, she stood up.
"You stay here and watch over him for a while, I'll go to the warehouse to find some medicine."
After saying that, she ran off without looking back.
Maria calmly pulled out a chair from the side and sat down in front of the other person.
"So... how long are you planning to keep pretending to be asleep?"
"... You discovered it?"
The man slowly opened his eyes; his dark pupils looked somewhat frightening.
But Maria showed no surprise; she simply looked at the other person.
So... you're a wanted criminal?
"... no."
Although the man was injured, he still seemed to be of sound mind and spoke quite logically.
He looked at Maria, observed her for a moment, and then suddenly noticed.
"Are you the woman who was here a few days ago?"
He spoke, revealing Maria's identity.
Clearly, he was present when the little girl got into an argument with someone a few days ago.
Maria didn't deny it; she simply tilted her head and looked at the other person.
"What's wrong?"
"... nothing."
The man hesitated for a moment.
He had only mentioned it casually, and he hadn't expected Maria to give such a direct answer.
After speaking, they naturally fell silent.
Maria, however, was somewhat curious about the other person and continued speaking.
"You, too, are committed to the war?"
"Um."
The man looked up at Maria, appearing very serious.
"Only through war can we find a place to survive!"
"Um?"
You might find it hard to understand.
Looking at Maria, the man gradually realized that she was not Sarkaz. After a few moments of silence, he continued speaking.
"You might not believe it, but... I saw that lady when I was a child."
"Maria?"
"Yes."
The man nodded seriously.
"I met each other when I was a child, during my family's exile... I also met Dr. Warfarin."
"At that time, we were still at war... All of our homes were destroyed, and we had no choice but to wander."
"If it weren't for that lady's help back then, I wouldn't be alive today!"
The man spoke earnestly; to him, the woman who had saved him and his family in his childhood was an undisputed hero!
"From that moment on, I realized that woman would be the savior of us Sarkaz!"
The man's words became increasingly excited as he spoke.
But Maria had some doubts.
She did save many people back then, but...
"What does this have to do with war?"
Maria tilted her head. "Could it be that you heard that Maria preaching war to you?"
"... No."
Hearing that Maria was always referred to as Maria, the man turned his head to look at Maria.
Clearly, to him, Maria's act of addressing him by his first name was blatant disrespect.
But he didn't say much in the end, he just kept talking.
"But I sensed it from her actions!"
"Feelings?"
"That woman clearly possessed such formidable power; if she truly wanted to negotiate, she was perfectly capable of directly overpowering the Allied Forces, defeating them, and then engaging in proper negotiations... But she didn't. In the end, she chose to lure all the Allied Forces into Kazdel and annihilate them all!"
The man's words became excited, his wide eyes filled with fervent emotion.
That's 400,000 people...
A full 400,000 people!
Just standing together, they represent an overwhelming and enormous number!
Even so, she still managed to annihilate them all single-handedly!
No one was left alive!
Isn't that enough to illustrate the point?
"That lady also felt that there was no point in negotiating with people from other countries; only war and killing could create opportunities for the Sarkaz!"
The man continued speaking, looking at Maria.
Maria kept her head down, using the shadow of her hat to conceal her appearance, and the man, having waited for so long, did not recognize her.
He just kept talking to himself.
"I have never had any interaction with that woman, nor have I ever met her in person... But even so, I could still feel her resolute determination and will at the time... Even she believed that there was nothing to talk about with the Allied Forces. We are not as strong as her, nor do we have her amazing wisdom, so we chose to follow in her footsteps!"
"I know you might think our ideas are too extreme, too crazy, but history will prove us right! What we're doing is the only thing that can truly save the Sarkaz!"
"Only war can win the future for the Sarkaz!"
The man became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and his tone grew more and more aggressive.
But perhaps due to excessive emotional excitement, he soon began coughing up blood.
Warfarin, who was returning with the medicine, frowned upon seeing this scene.
But she only glanced at Maria before hastily beginning the treatment.
Maria also got up, preparing to leave.
But even at that moment, the man looked at Maria again and spoke earnestly.
"The glory of the Sarkaz... will never fall!"
"..."
Leaving the room, Maria gazed at the moon gradually aligning with the moon overhead and rubbed her temples.
She never imagined that the other party's madness was actually caused by what she had done in the past.
But at that time, Maria really didn't have many other options.
She couldn't possibly stand by and watch 400,000 lives, each possessing the power to summon Great Ones, flow into this world.
The Blood Healing from Yharnam alone caused a devastating disaster. Maria didn't even dare to imagine what would happen if those people were allowed to spread throughout Terra.
The best-case scenario is that these people turn Tailai into a land of Catastrophe; the worst-case scenario... is that because they didn't fully master the ritual, they summoned even more indescribable monsters, turning it into a living hell!
Maria doesn't have a way to erase specific memories from everyone... so even if it means killing, she absolutely will not allow anyone to leave Kazdel alive!
However, this action was interpreted by another group of people as Maria deliberately trying to kill these Allied Forces.
Such ideas have become increasingly intense and barbaric over the century since Maria's passing.
This made Maria sigh.
At that time... what should I have done to be considered the right thing to do?
Maria let out a soft breath, looked around at the city where only shadows remained, and closed her eyes.
A moment later, a subtle sensation stirred her nerves.
She turned her head slightly.
In the darkness right there, where even the moonlight couldn't reach, a man was standing.
He remained silent and made no gesture; his only distinguishing features were his jet-black halo and wings...
"It's been a long time, Ms. Maria."
The priest bowed slightly, his words long and full of emotion.
A century later, he never imagined that he would actually see the other person again.
"It's you."
Upon seeing the priest before her, Maria turned around.
She did remember the other person.
An idealistic priest, in an era before the Sarkaz were open to the world, as the most unpopular Laterano among the Sarkaz, he resolutely guarded the Banshees's capital, trying to prove to the world that the Sarkaz were not inherently evil.
Only...
He ultimately failed.
Maria recognized the other person's ideals and beliefs, and therefore granted them a second life.
Maria had assumed that the other person would be assimilated into a madman or a beast over a long period of time.
But I didn't expect that.
"You're still the same as before."
Maria blinked, her words tinged with surprise.
The priest could only manage a wry smile.
"I've changed a lot, madam... I'm no longer that innocent little child I once was."
"Yeah?"
Maria stood still.
Bathed in moonlight, her white hair and skin exuded a goddess-like softness, forming the opposite extreme from the shadows surrounding her.