And again, I had no choice but to skip school.
…Well, I had expected this. There was no way I could just brush off what happened this time.
The truth about Arlil hasn’t been publicly announced yet, so it’s not a well-known incident, but the fact that all the witches who had tormented humanity for the past 500 years have been neutralized couldn’t just go uncelebrated.
When I faced the witches one by one before, I used the excuse of being a student and that the war was still ongoing, so I didn’t hold any victory ceremonies. But capturing all the mid-level officials who played crucial roles in the demon army was on a whole different level.
After all, I was right there beside them every time we caught those witches. Not just standing by, but playing a key role many times, so…
Even the Central Church, which usually backed down when I said I didn’t want to, was desperately asking if we could hold a victory ceremony with the saint attending this time, leaving me no room to refuse.
Plus, the public reveal of the missile that wiped out two witches in the last battle was also a significant event. With that missile’s existence, human society could respond decisively to the demons.
So, yeah.
“This victory belongs to all of human society.”
It’s only natural that I’m here in the 1st District giving this speech.
“Thanks to the countless soldiers guarding the wall day and night, ever vigilant against invasions, and the citizens supporting these soldiers—everyone, we’ve achieved this valuable victory.”
Even without raising my voice, the sound flowing through the microphone got amplified, reaching even the terrifyingly large crowd gathered in front of the Central Church.
It’s astonishing I’m not stuttering while talking in front of this many people, considering I used to think singing in a karaoke in front of friends was humiliating. In fact, the sheer size of the crowd made it hard to feel real.
At least this outfit I’m wearing today is much less revealing than what I wore during the canonization ceremony. Compared to then, I had almost no reason to feel embarrassed.
There was no glowing halo behind my head this time, as I didn’t want to put pressure on anyone. But luckily or unluckily, the veil that went on a holy power binge last time was radiating a faint golden light without me even trying to use holy power.
…There was a reason it was kept under strict custody at the Central Church. Maybe in the distant future, after I’m dead, it might end up hanging in some kind of museum. Better than having to see it while I’m still alive, I suppose.
“But we still can’t let our guard down. We mustn’t get complacent. There are still demons lurking far beyond that wall. We can’t predict how they might invade our home next after losing their power. But there’s one thing we know for sure.”
The prepared speech was nearly over. In a regular press conference, I could’ve just rambled on without preparing anything, but in an official event like this with a massive crowd, my brain doesn’t work that well without a little prep.
I took a deep breath and continued.
“We, who nearly lost our home after being attacked once before, will be thoroughly prepared for the next assault. We will NOT let ourselves be powerless like the first time. Like when we fought and defeated the seven witches, we will once again protect our home.”
I said this in one breath.
I didn’t have to shout, but the audience gathered to see me erupted into cheers all at once.
What great timing! It felt like no matter what I said, the sound from the speakers would be drowned out by their cheers. My ears were buzzing as if the sound was hitting me like a wave.
Thanks to this, I missed my cue to read the last part where I had to invoke the names of the gods; Amen!
Well, the gods would probably forgive me for this.
*
In the back of that still energized crowd, heavy vehicles started to move in the distance. It was the parade intended for some of the soldiers from the previous battle. This wasn’t a display unit trained specifically for the parade; it was a move using soldiers and equipment that had actually participated in real combat, so the troops didn’t march perfectly in sync, nor did their body postures match.
But then again, having been rolled around on the battlefield myself, I felt a distinct strength in those mismatched formations. These weren’t just show-off soldiers; they were true veterans who had held their ground against countless beasts and demons.
Since the vehicles were also taken from those stationed at the wall, there were signs of wear, like scratches and slightly faded paint. It looked like they’d been cleaned up nicely but certainly didn’t have the freshness of just-off-the-line vehicles. And that just added to their dignity, showcasing that they were surviving war machines.
…And amidst that parade, there was a particularly peculiar group.
Trucks loaded with elongated missiles. Not your typical truck, but military vehicles with missile launchers on the back. Yet, they looked somewhat unusual for military trucks.
Unlike the other vehicles, which were painted to blend in with the battlefield to avoid detection, these trucks looked brand new, as if they were just painted yesterday, and carried missiles decorated in white and gold that were quite flashy.
And there were several of these trucks moving in a line.
These were the new weapons that had wiped out two witches in the recent battle, erasing the highest number of magic points in a single shot in history.
There had been various discussions about what to name them. Divine Core, Holy Bomb, Great Magic Bomb, Great Demon Bomb, and so on. One person even tried to say “A gift from the Saintess,” but I cut them off mid-sentence.
In the end, it settled on “Holy Bomb,” a rather simple name. There were also debates about what to call the phenomenon of the two holy powers reacting and exploding, but that was more a scientists’ job to figure out.
As the parade of missiles came into view, the audience’s attention shifted to them. The government’s intentions struck the mark.
The speeches were mine to handle. Most of the event centered around the Central Church. After all, they deserved the credit. But couldn’t they at least let the military take the forefront of the parade?
There were knights plentiful on the battlefield, so what gives? I got a pouty, “In that case, let the government troops lead the parade,” plea.
And so, the government placed the Holy Bombs at the end of the military lineup, naturally diverting attention toward the rumored new weapon. The knights following behind them received less focus.
…I’d make sure to pay my respects to the knights later. They mentioned that they’d hold another event of their own at the church.
One keen man noticed my slight displeasure and bowed his head slightly toward me.
“Thank you for giving us the opportunity. The central government will never forget the efforts of the church dedicated to human society.”
Though he spoke very politely as if to console me, I couldn’t help but wonder why they treated me like this for the past 50 years.
Before I came along, the church had also been working hard in its own way. Sure, there were crazy ones like Kwon In-Soo, but even the Inquisition’s knight captain was directly dispatched across the wall to find evidence of magic points, and young nuns were sent over the wall to treat the wounded. The church was making holy water and trying to establish a welfare system.
And still, for not producing a saint for 50 years, they were practically ignored unilaterally by the government.
“I…”
Before I could respond, something strange happened in the parade.
It wasn’t something bad.
The knights marching in perfect formation turned to look at me. Those who halted momentarily all turned sharply in my direction and pulled out their swords, snapping into a salute.
It was a knightly salute.
All the knights holding their swords up straight turned their heads toward me.
As the vehicles slowly moved forward in front of them, the gazes of the gathered citizens shifted from the knights to me, following their lead.
“….”
I halted my speech and waved my hands high above my head to ensure the knights could see me. They raised their hands in unison. I couldn’t hear them from this distance, but it seemed they were cheering.
The citizens witnessing this followed suit, with cheers that erupted, even louder than before, enough to make my ears buzz.
“I’m fine,” I said, still waving at the knights. The knights withdrew their swords, sheathing them with fervor as they marched on.
“Those are the words they should be hearing.”
“….”
The cheers continued until the parade came to an end.
*
“Hoo….”
“That tired you out, didn’t it?”
As I sighed deeply and entered the building, Aurora followed closely behind and asked. Aurora wore the customary attire of the Saintess’s assistant. It seemed she’d fully adapted, as she showed no signs of being flustered, even after standing in front of so many people. Quite different from me, who had stood in a similar outfit at the canonization ceremony and had my memories wiped.
Maybe it was because she had spent so long wearing the nun’s outfit.
“No, not really…”
I didn’t have any physical issues. Though this ceremonial saint’s outfit was much heavier than usual, I’ve been traveling around various districts almost every week, and on non-travel days, I practiced in the duel club almost every afternoon. I was finally confident in my stamina; wearing a slightly heavier outfit for a few hours wouldn’t tire me out.
The problem lay in the fact that the tasks I had to take care of after this event were far from finished. In the past, as soon as the event ended, I would rush to the airport and head back to the 21st District, but now I couldn’t do that with so many things entangled.
I was about to sigh again and turned my head. There was Andrea, the director of the Inquisition. Though the denomination was still being administratively established, it seemed that such an important person couldn’t skip attending the victory ceremony.
Well, she had been involved in capturing witches several times.
“Let’s head to where the Witch of Resentment is. I want to check on how much progress has been made.”
All captured witches were managed by the Inquisition, as it made perfect sense. They were the ones responsible for overseeing the church’s sinners in general. Unlike the greatly reduced era of the past, the organization had been continually growing, so managing the weakened witches was well within their capabilities.
But if the Inquisition really moved under the Demon sect, it would fall under Rina’s jurisdiction, right? The Inquisition had imprisoned the witches, so those witches would fall under Rina’s authority. Well, Rina wouldn’t actively try to change anything, but, after all, Rina was a demon created by a suspicious witch. It meant witches would be under demons. Bet that would be a sore spot for them.
…And this was one of those ‘entangled matters’. By now, important figures from both the government and the church almost all knew that Rina was a demon, but it wasn’t public knowledge among the civilians.
While the new bomb was unveiled alongside news about the Demon God, Rina’s identity was still undisclosed. They only regarded her as one of the newly spotted nuns in my vicinity. Kind of like, ‘The Saintess’s new closest aide?’.
The actual ‘aide’ was continuously quiet, always trailed behind me quietly. When the work started, she usually teased me or spoke casually only in private. Is this really the ‘closest aide’? I think the reporters might’ve gotten that one wrong.
“This way.”
Andrea nodded and began leading the way.
“Is there any new information?”
“Well, it seems like Clara Sister isn’t willing to share unless you directly meet her.”
She can be quite picky about that.
But it makes sense; she couldn’t trust even her fellow witches, and especially not those she used to regard as enemies.
Ironically, I found it strange that I trusted her.
“Then let’s go hear it firsthand.”
“But, your Holiness. Meeting the witch directly seems…”
The old man Paul, following behind me, hesitated slightly.
“I’m the one who captured her.”
As I said this, Paul’s expression shifted to one of slight embarrassment. Hm, I hadn’t meant to make him feel awkward.
…Seems like I’ve been a bit on edge lately, what with all the busyness. Even when that government official approached me earlier, I nearly felt a flash of anger.
Maybe it would be better, just as Aurora and Linea said, to take a bit of a break.
But there are so many things on my plate right now… Is it really possible to have such a troublesome dilemma?
…Well, now that I think about it, I should wrap things up quickly today and take a break. Worrying about it every day won’t make the tasks finish any sooner.
That thought in mind, I followed behind Andrea.
*
And when I arrived at the interrogation room, I was holding my head in my hands.
“So then…”
As I spoke with a faltering voice, the Witch of Resentment opened her mouth in response.
“It means that even after coming to this world, the ‘sacrificial system’ didn’t stop for a while. Truly, they are persistent and brutal, those elves.”
Though she wasn’t an elf herself, she spoke that way about them. I raised my head and asked.
“But they wouldn’t have traded with the demons after coming to this world. That just doesn’t make sense. If the elves went beyond the wall to trade with demons, or brought demons in for trade, then ‘elves’ would hardly remain existent at this point, right?”
After all, it was the Witch of Resentment who had just become a witch. There’s no way this woman, who now harbored intense hatred for elves, would have allowed the elves back then to go unpunished. Besides, the demons who sought to claim the world wouldn’t just let them live.
“Yeah, right. If they did that, they could’ve just wiped out all the elves before Arlil even appeared. They just hid like rats, you know.”
Saying this, the Witch of Resentment slid a piece of paper toward me. The paper had a straightforward-looking language written on it, with lines in the common tongue below each line. It was likely a translation extracted from one of the books filled in the shelves of this interrogation room taken from the Elven Village.
I picked up the paper and began reading.
The content was so vast and lengthy that if I were to summarize it, it amounted to this:
The elves didn’t create saints one by one to begin with. Even the elves generated through genetic methods could barely endure the demon’s first night, and to maintain a saint properly, it took far too long to try that pattern one at a time.
So they sacrificed a large number of elves at once, and used the ones who survived.
…Additionally, there were still some elven saints remaining when escaping the Elven Village.
Most elven saints had little time left. However, why are they deemed saints? They could still funnel holy power into objects like I did.
Once more, they would plant the branches they’d temporarily cut and sacrifice one saint. Since there wasn’t enough time for the trees to grow, they would remain in that area, running away when the demons advanced.
In the end, they crossed over to this world while extracting as much holy power from the dying saints to consecrate other objects…
And the final remaining branches numbered three.
The last remaining stem, born from all infused holy powers and Arlil’s fruit, barely managed to bloom into the Arlil that now stands in the center of the Elven Village.
“…Did you know?”
I asked the Witch of Resentment, who lived through those times. She replied, “I had known that such occurrences happened while creating the saint. Yet, until now, I was genuinely curious as to how Arlil came to exist in this world, and I finally learned.”
“….”
I looked at the paper handed to me, then shifted my gaze toward another elf sitting nearby.
Remir, who was sitting there with dark circles under her eyes and an expression like she might throw up, quietly nodded in my direction.
Seeing her agreement made my forehead ache.
Seriously, what the hell were these lunatics hiding? Are they made of onion layers or something?
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