When I first encountered the saint, the strange aura emanating from her was no mere illusion. Just to be sure, I drew her into my own domain, now that I had become a god, in an attempt to shake off that alien energy. As I did, the strange energy that had enveloped her body dissipated.
‘…From her reactions, it seems her senses have vanished.’
Could that strange energy be exerting such a negative influence?
It was impossible to think that a being like the saint hadn’t attempted to heal herself; naturally, the conclusion was that it was something even her abilities couldn’t remedy.
This raised a question.
Why couldn’t she resolve her own divine energy?
I couldn’t pinpoint the source.
To be more precise, there was no way to find it.
If I kept her close a little longer to analyze that strange energy, I might uncover something… but she was a saint.
Indeed, the saint of the Holy Empire no less.
While there was no way to fight against other gods, any political conflicts that might ensue between nations would be troublesome.
‘If I were to take the saint with me… the Holy Empire is likely to wage war against the Trelinia Kingdom.’
At the end of the day, the one serving Trelinia Kingdom was none other than Jörmungandr, myself.
Naturally, if I were to take the saint away, it would undoubtedly lead to the Trelinia Kingdom being held responsible.
Thus, completely detoxifying that strange energy was out of the question.
And I gained further confidence in this when I met the saint in person.
‘She’s quite powerful.’
It was overwhelming.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt a sense of pressure.
That was to say, the master of that strange divine energy was formidable.
‘Goddess, or perhaps a Demon God?’
She was the first goddess and the creator god who had birthed this world.
Moreover, they were likely the ones who had brought me here.
For that reason, I couldn’t carelessly meddle with that aura.
There was something quite significant imbued within it, and it was possible that trifling with it could lead to adverse effects for the saint.
‘Within my domain, she is safe…’
But outside, I couldn’t guarantee her safety.
Furthermore.
‘There are more than a few who are searching for this saint.’
I could hear frantic cries echoing through the cave.
Those clad in splendid silver armor of the medieval era were searching for the saint who had vanished without a trace.
Yet.
“Could you… please stay with me? Just for a little while… please…”
[…….]
I looked at the saint clinging closely to me.
She was trying to feel Jörmungandr’s touch with her whole body, continuously rubbing and stroking herself against me.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
Despite her desperate efforts, she also knew.
That I couldn’t keep her by my side.
One cannot serve two gods at the same time.
Different divine essences have a tendency to reject one another.
Moreover, there are complex interests entangled between gods, and some gods cannot tolerate having their followers believe in another deity.
Perhaps it would be different if it were a weaker god.
But the Holy Empire that had been built across kingdoms solely on faith to a god, let alone its saint…
I had to consider the political implications.
“Please… I can’t bear not feeling anything anymore…”
My scales grew wet.
The sobbing of the little girl echoed throughout the cave.
‘What an annoying army.’
I can’t stand being so helpless without doing anything.
And she’s just a girl.
A still young girl who has lived in agony for over a decade, deprived of her senses.
I could see it clearly.
The horrifying scars that covered her body.
Scars that would prompt others to recoil in horror were to me just a cry for help from a girl desperately struggling in pain.
So, I was angered.
‘What is that Goddess doing?’
She was her follower.
Not just any ordinary follower, but the saint, personally chosen as the “God’s representative.”
How could they leave such a saint to suffer like this?
Had they been neglecting her since she was very young?
I couldn’t understand.
Sure, I didn’t know what that goddess was up to.
Perhaps she was incredibly busy.
Maybe she was saving countless beings in a place I couldn’t even perceive.
But.
[Someone who can’t protect what is in their own arms has no right to possess it.]
“What?”
The saint tilted her head while buried in my embrace.
Seeing that, I made a vow.
I didn’t know what that goddess was doing, but I wouldn’t ignore those in need of her assistance.
I was curious too.
What on earth was that strange energy?
It was more overwhelming, more oppressive, and stronger than anything I had faced before, and it sparked a sense of pride within me.
What would happen if I fought against that energy?
Since coming to this world, it had been nothing but a series of monotonous days.
Everyone was weak.
That so-called Solitary Hero seemed feeble compared to me, and the Demon King, along with even the Azure Dragon, were no exceptions.
None of them could defeat me.
But.
‘This is the first time.’
Energy.
How long had it been since I was overwhelmed by mere fragments of energy?
Setting aside things that happened long ago, it had been a while.
I felt a surge of pride.
So, there was no need to hesitate.
[I will heal you.]
Your senses.
Jörmungandr is the root of it all.
I threw myself at the pitch-black aura swirling around the saint.
——Vwoooooom!
As Jörmungandr’s enormous body vanished into somewhere,
“…Huh?”
The saint stared blankly at the spot where Jörmungandr had just been.
* * *
“It has vanished.”
Cardinal Alba Ketros of the Holy Empire Eiros murmured while looking at the place where the saint had disappeared.
The saint had disappeared.
Even amidst such a significant issue, he remained calm.
Or rather, would it be more accurate to say he was cold?
With not even a change in expression, he exuded an eerie aura, like something had been suppressed within him.
“Is the Goddess the same…?”
Turning to check for the Goddess, he found that spot equally vacant.
“Jörmungandr’s doing.”
The cardinal arrived at a rational conclusion.
The saint had vanished, as had the Goddess.
And within this cave, only Jörmungandr could have executed such an act.
“Find them.”
“Yes.”
His emotionless word.
With that, all the Paladins scattered, thoroughly searching the cave.
Cardinal Alba Ketros leisurely followed behind, pondering what kind of ‘education’ he would need to give if he were to retrieve the saint again.
“I’m troubled. To think she would just vanish without our permission…”
Of course, this was entirely Jörmungandr’s fault.
As soon as they entered the cave, Jörmungandr had teleported the saint away, meaning she bore no responsibility for her disappearance.
She hadn’t even thought of leaving in the first place.
But that didn’t matter to the cardinal.
What was important to him wasn’t the ’cause’ of the saint’s disappearance.
What he valued was the ‘discipline’ needed to properly guide her. Regardless of her thoughts or whether she got caught up with someone else, that was of no concern to him.
Only the ‘result’ of her disappearance held significance.
This was the reality of the Holy Empire, Eiros.
A place that resolved everything based on ancient precepts, like a machine.
No one with human emotions existed among the ranks of the holy state anymore. Only blind adherence to the goddess remained.
Whether that was truly what the goddess desired or not, it was no longer important to them.
No matter the method, they believed it was for the goddess’s sake.
The cardinal, Alba Ketros, paid heed only to the ‘holy scriptures’ that allowed the current holy state to exist.
But.
“I couldn’t find her.”
“…….”
A paladin returned and reported.
With a deeply bowed head, he seemed to beg for forgiveness for his failure. The cardinal gazed at him quietly before reciting the rule.
“Rule 2, Clause 1: The mission to rescue the saint is more precious than life itself.”
Swish!
In an instant, the paladin’s head was severed.
Unaware that his own head had been cut off, it rolled peacefully until it collided with the cardinal’s feet. The cardinal watched the paladin’s lifeless eyes without any hint of interest and then kicked the head aside.
Thud!
As the splattered remains landed behind him, the cardinal’s cold gaze turned towards the depths of the cave.
“Saint… where have you gone?”
If she were to disappear any further,
“If you continue to ‘break the rules’… your delicate mind may not withstand it.”
The cardinal’s eyes glimmered ominously.
He began to step deeper into the cave.
The further he ventured, the more he saw paladins bustling about.
They looked like ants, silently fulfilling their tasks in accordance with established protocols.
“Have you found her?”
“Not yet.”
Boom!
But it was different.
They seemed devoid of any emotions.
Even with a comrade’s head exploding beside them, the splattered blood heating their faces, they continued searching for the saint without a change in expression.
That chilling, expressionless demeanor was as terrifying as monsters wearing human skins.
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