Chapter: 607
In the early dawn, when it was so early that even prayers hadn’t started, Cardinal Cesare visited the church’s confessional.
Those who knew of his actions spoke of his thoroughness, saying he couldn’t even overlook his small sins. But the reality was slightly different. It’s not that Cardinal Cesare doesn’t repent.
He always sees himself as a sinner, so every day he offers his apologies to the heavens.
He petitions to be sent to hell for the wrongdoings he knows he must continue committing.
So, what’s different?
What comes after the confession is what changes things.
After finishing the confession, Cardinal Cesare doesn’t just leave the confessional booth.
Instead, he approaches the altar and places the necklace, marked by the touch of the great God, before it.
To confirm his sins with his own eyes, he gazes directly at everything, just to fall into hell.
“I didn’t want to see you this way, Cardinal Cesare.”
Knowing his sins better than anyone, the cardinal stiffened the moment he faced the Saintess and the hero’s necklace around her neck.
The very fact that someone possessing the true divinity has visited here meant all his sins were laid bare.
“…Well, I suppose I feel the same. Saintess.”
There’s no room for excuses, but it’s alright. There’s absolutely no intention of making excuses anyway.
“How could a faithful person like you commit such deeds?”
“I’m truly delighted that you consider me faithful, Saintess. So, I’ll respond, albeit clumsily. Because I am faithful.”
If he had held a half-hearted faith, he might not even have contemplated committing sins.
Had he been as wicked as those who died below, he wouldn’t have held such perplexing thoughts.
Because he was faithful, because he resolved to devote everything to the God, he chose his own sins.
“Let me make this clear: I won’t step back quietly.”
Recently, the reputation of the Saintess had soared high.
She was so renowned that even those who ordinarily couldn’t enter the holy land were welcomed.
So if she personally moved to veto him, it would cause quite a stir.
However, he anticipated this. As long as she possessed God’s divinity, he knew they would eventually have to face each other.
He prepared for what would come after being exposed, of course.
Even if she now claimed to be the true Saintess, it wouldn’t change the fact of his emergence.
Fools who cling to the past are far too many.
If he aimed for that point, dragging things out would be a piece of cake.
“Are you trying to rationalize it that way?”
Upon seeing the knight emerge from the shadows, Cardinal Cesare found himself at a loss for words. The knight, as white as the morning snow, was every bit a representation of the sins Cesare bore.
“Ruel…”
Why is the doll supposed to have been ruined by the Pope still intact? Could it be the Saintess?
“What difference does repeating ‘It had to be done’ make? Evil remains evil, wrong remains wrong, and sin is still sin.”
The words of someone who maintained their integrity during a time of chaos held true weight.
That’s why Cesare couldn’t easily counter.
He had believed he was doing the right thing, and was sure it wouldn’t waver. But now, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“Do you know why you hesitate to answer now?”
The silence was shattered by Ruel’s doll, or rather, Ruel himself.
“Because that’s not your belief.”
“No, I stand here solely by my own will.”
“Then tell me: that you are righteous. That your sins were inevitable! Go ahead and shout it out!”
Cesare didn’t agree frivolously with the Pope’s remarks. How could someone who longed to be embraced by God choose to walk into hell?
Yet Cesare couldn’t answer because the one pressing him was none other than Ruel.
If the person standing before him was another cardinal, Cesare might have deflected with a smile. Even encountering the Saintess, whom he had recently acknowledged, wouldn’t have thrown him off.
However, this man before him was different. The man who had chosen to be a holy knight and become God’s shield during the age when God and humanity were closely connected bore a weight too heavy to bear.
“How dare someone who can’t even hold onto their own convictions speak of sin!”
The weight felt as heavy as the sky on his shoulders, making it impossible for him to part his lips.
“Cardinal Cesare.”
At that moment, a voice filled with warmth like the sun reached his ear.
“I am but a humble Saintess. If you truly wish to repent, I will listen to your story.”
With the gentle voice of the Saintess, Cesare unconsciously took a step back.
If the weight he’d felt before pressed down on him, the light pouring forth from the Saintess brightened the shadows he harbored within.
It filled his heart with the guilt he had kept at bay.
“Ahhhh.”
Cesare tried to resist that light, but ultimately failed.
*
[Out of those who say they’ve given up everything, none can truly part with it all. It’s the same as saying they still have lingering feelings so long as they speak my name.]
[So, by acknowledging these lingering feelings with Ruel’s authority, I will have no choice but to seek refuge where I can. It’s a method I’ve used quite a bit in the past and it still works.]
[No matter how much time passes, a human is still a human.]
[That’s a nice sentiment, but it doesn’t seem fitting coming from someone who’s borrowed the powers of darkness to endanger their mind.]
[…Shut up! Didn’t you agree too?!]
Grandpa and Garad listened impassively as Cesare wept and confessed everything, but I couldn’t sit comfortably with it.
At first, I had expected the old man to ramble like a crazy person and snuggle up to Phoebe, but reality was way too biblical!
Phoebe looked at Cesare and told him that while his sins were vast, the great God embraces even those, so He would grant him the opportunity to confess his sins, saying, “Confess your sins!” It sounds like the right phrase to come out!
How dull!
[Are you perhaps feeling jealous? You can’t do such things, can you?]
[Separately from being the Apostle of God, I’m sure admitting my sins would be difficult, since I’d probably charge in with weapons instead of begging for forgiveness.]
‘You don’t even need to say that aloud!’
Seriously, how could a grown adult melt down over such things? Totally pathetic~ ♡ I mean, who would enjoy hearing that in confession?!
Cancel that! Someone might actually enjoy it! Originally, it’d turn into a gathering for perverts unexpectedly!
‘You’ll see! I won’t forget this grudge!’
[What does it matter? My dark history is in the past. Go ahead and do whatever you want.]
[If you play along, I’m in! I was just really bored.]
Damn! Normally we’d be ready to kill each other, but now we’re like peas in a pod! A comrade is still a comrade, huh!? So annoying!
While I was bickering with those two elders, Phoebe finished her persuasion of Cesare.
It was way too hard to trust him, but at least I’d managed to detach him from the Pope.
“I never expected you to bring friends for this place.”
Unlike when they first met, Cesare greeted us politely in response to Phoebe’s question, but there wasn’t much valuable information in his replies.
“I’ve been in continuous contact with Your Grace, but I don’t know his exact location.”
“I know of the plans he’s laid out, but it’s difficult to say if the pact is forced upon me.”
“I’m sorry. Those under Your Grace are bound to him, so I cannot…”
Let me correct that.
There wasn’t any usable information.
Even though he was an insider, I knew more than he did.
I probably even knew more about the portions he couldn’t discuss because of the pact.
While it was good to have a collaborator holding a position like a cardinal…
Well, putting it bluntly, this guy is useless!
When he appeared as an enemy in the game, he was supposed to be much more troublesome! Is this like the law of ally debuffs?!
“It would be best for me to resign from all positions immediately, but it seems that there’s still something I can do for you, Saintess. Once everything is over, I will humbly accept punishment.”
In conclusion, everything turned out rather well.
My divinity was significantly restored, I gained a new collaborator within the Church, and I even gifted Phoebe a necklace.
It’s a bit annoying that the cardinal is useless, but that’s an unexpected bonus I didn’t wish for.
After parting with my friends, I moved toward the Alrn mansion while contemplating my upcoming schedule.
After resting for a day, the plan was to visit the place with the hero’s doll and then head straight to the island.
“Where on earth are you going around like that?”
An uninvited guest had come to the Alrn family mansion, causing some trouble.
“Is it fun to wander around with friends after attaching the term ‘fool’ to someone’s alias?”
Rene, who I thought I’d never see again, was nonchalantly facing me, despite Benedict glaring daggers at me from behind.
What kind of guts do you have? It’s totally normal to be a little scared when a troll shows this much hostility!
“That was a foolish question. It must have been quite enjoyable. She has such a good memory that she’s forgotten our previous conversation. It wouldn’t be surprising if I were wiped out of her mind overnight.”
Wow. She looks so expressionless, yet the emotions behind what she’s saying are brutally clear.
It’s not just damp; it’s like that musty, moldy basement you’d find in the rainy season!
To put it plainly, it feels gross!
“After we parted that day, I thought a lot, and I couldn’t stand that I was suffering alone. I’m the type of person who can’t bear being the only one at a disadvantage.”
“You sure are chatty. Do you want me to apologize that much? ‘Soooory!’ would I be forgiven then?”
“I don’t need such a pathetic apology. I just want to irritate you.”
Rene’s laughter, filled with anger that mirrored mine as commanded by our mothers regarding royalty and reputation, sent chills down my spine.
“DIE!”
The moment I witnessed Joy kick Rene’s cheek while hidden in the smoke, it became inconsequential.
“Hahaha! How’s that! You perverted scumbag! This is the hammer of justice!”
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