-When Luke turned seven, he arrived in Calandra and drove away the plague from the world. He healed the sick, and Lydia’s (in previous editions, Scala’s) younger sister Io received grace. Before witnessing the miracle, Lydia, the daughter of Hubris, was foolish and did not understand Luke’s words, daring to doubt his identity and forgetting the promise made with him.
New Testament Paola Gospel 3:11-14
-Capture the scoundrels who dare to plot against His Majesty the Emperor!
The memories of my childhood that still linger.
-Lydia. Io. I’ve told you several times before that when the time comes…you must escape through the secret passage.
Nod nod
-There’s no time, Lydia. Quickly go out and find Hans.
Nod nod
-Lydia! You need to listen to your mother! There’s no time to waste like this!
-Now, the only one who can take care of Io is her sister, Lydia. Lydia, can you take care of Io?
…Nod
-Yes. My beloved daughter, Lydia. If it’s you, you can do it well. Hans will take good care of you. Please look after Io.
-I found them! They are here!
-Capture them!
Boom!
With the entrance of the secret passage closing, I could no longer see my parents.
Io and I escaped outside the passage alongside Hans.
We fled to another empire, “Calandra,” rather than “Nova,” the empire we lived in, to avoid being caught and losing our lives due to the charge of treason, and to not waste our parents’ sacrifices.
First time experiencing a foreign environment.
There was no longer the rich life I had with my parents; it was a life so hard I couldn’t even think of revenge.
About a year later, Hans, who was trying his best to keep us alive despite lacking resources, fell ill.
Then he never…got up again.
He worked hard without caring for his own health to take care of us…
Losing my parents, losing the castle, and now losing Hans, the last remaining person.
All I have left is Io.
Only Io, entrusted to me by my parents.
Now, to survive, I must gather strength to protect Io.
In that moment, I awakened.
My ‘Gift.’
A ‘Gift’ is not given to just anyone.
It is bestowed upon those chosen by the gods.
Some kind-hearted god who took pity on me and Io must have given it to me.
The ‘Gift’ I received was not an ordinary one.
Even as a child, it was a ‘Gift’ that could overwhelm and control adults.
So powerful that if seen by the powerful, it would be deemed dangerous and become public knowledge, yet because of its great strength, it could not be used in the open, making it a dangerous ‘Gift.’
I had no choice but to enter the world of darkness.
To survive.
To protect my only family, Io.
I tried hard, and I tried.
After about ten years, I finally became the head of a respectable information guild and successfully took control of the underworld in the imperial capital.
I still had a long way to go, and I lacked the power to take revenge on my parents, but I had finally gotten on the right track.
If I continued like this, avenging them wouldn’t be a complete dream someday.
Also protecting Io.
I thought so.
Until Io contracted the plague.
Io’s body began to rot at the tips.
I couldn’t believe it.
A very rare incurable disease.
The worst disease that no one, including the saint, had managed to cure until now.
Why did Io, of all people, have to get such a rare incurable disease?
…This can’t be happening.
You took my parents, Hans, and now you want to take Io too?
…If this is the case, why did you give me the ‘Gift’?
Was it not to allow me to survive?
Did you want to watch me struggle with despair after I worked hard with this power?
This doesn’t make sense!
The worst god.
I was foolish to be grateful to the god who gave me the ‘Gift.’
Well, would a god care about mortals anyway?
In despair and cursing the world, salvation came.
-Hello, Scala. Or should I call you Lydia? Lydia Hubris.
A boy who knows my real name and family, known by no one except Io.
And he is none other than the only son of Leopar, the strongest knight of the Calandra Empire.
With the information from the guild, he was just a boy deemed too weak for the Pulsreino family.
But the medicine he brought was anything but weak.
I paid a beggar suffering from the plague to test the medicine, and he was perfectly cured, jumping to his feet.
“…Is the medicine effective?”
I dashed out of the guild building towards the hideout where Io was hidden.
As quickly as possible, before it’s too late, to seize the chance for Io to be healed.
And as I poured the medicine into Io’s mouth, she stirred.
“Lydia?”
Io’s body returned to its original color as she sat up.
The red rot that had overtaken her body was now vibrant with life, completely healthy—impossible to believe she was just a patient on the brink of death due to the plague.
“Io… Io!”
I embraced Io tightly.
“O-older sister!”
It was real.
The medicine was genuine, and he, or rather, He was not an ordinary human. He was a great being descended to this land.
What did He say again?
I desperately recalled the moment I witnessed Him.
-You don’t have to be too surprised, Lydia. I have no intention of telling anyone about your true identity. In fact, I came here because I want to be friends with you.
Friends.
He wants to be friends with me…?
…Wait a minute.
If that’s the case, could the one who granted me this ‘Gift’ be… Him?
Did He bestow it upon us to pity us when our family fell?
And then descend to save us when Io was in danger from the plague…
It’s rare to hear about a god’s avatar.
Such tales are ancient, and the actual occasions of gods descending are few and far between.
Many theologians conclude that gods can only descend to earth by sacrificing something.
Additionally, every time a miracle is performed on earth, the divine essence that constitutes their existence diminishes.
So, did He sacrifice something and descend to this land?
And with the precious chance of that miracle… did He use it for us…?
Io contracted the plague, and I cursed it all.
And yet, He chose to sacrifice for us…
-I’ll come back a week later. If you like my gift by then, will you be my friend? Oh, by the way, I am Luke Pulsreino.
The last words He spoke flashed through my mind.
A week later.
He said he would come back.
How many days has it been since He came to the guild?
Checking the date on the calendar hanging in the hideout…today is exactly a week later.
Today.
Today?
This is not the time to be dawdling.
He might have already arrived at the information guild and is waiting!
I foolishly wasted a week just looking for beggars to test the plague medicine.
It’s the one who sacrificed for our salvation, and I’m late for breaking a promise.
Is there any more ungrateful act than this?
Without finishing my chat with Io, I ran to the guild building.
I completely threw away dignity and grace in my rush.
And upon arriving at the information guild.
I was relieved to learn from my subordinates that he had yet to arrive.
Phew.
Thank goodness.
If I had been late, I would have been unforgivably ungrateful.
I couldn’t dare let Him wait arrogantly inside the building.
As usual, I hid my identity and waited at the entrance.
And finally, He arrived.
“I was waiting, Lord Luke. Please come inside.”
I welcomed Him into the reception room and sent all my subordinates away.
“Did you use the medicine?”
“Yes… It’s so astonishingly effective that I could hardly believe it with my own eyes. To think it was possible to cure the plague.”
“I’m glad. Now, may I hear your answer from last time?”
The answer from last time.
It’s about wanting to be friends…isn’t it?
Thud
I kneeled before Him.
“I, Lydia Hubris, swear to serve you, Lord Luke, no, Lord Deus.”
Friends…?
How could I dare to befriend Lord Luke?
“I’ve always thought all the gods had abandoned us. That they make us fail at everything… But Lord Deus is different. You saved us. You were the only one who saved my sister. From now on, I will follow Lord Deus.”
Even though He saved us, He merely said “friends.” I would be grateful if He treated me like a servant.
Lord Luke remained silent.
Does this mean He’s displeased that I spoke His identity?
“…Could it be that I’m wrong? I thought Lord Luke was the avatar of Lord Deus.”
Did I have to pretend not to notice?!
Feeling like I had been rude to Lord Luke, I hung my head low.
“…Yes. In fact, you’re right. I didn’t expect you to figure that out.”
He spoke.
The way He said it implies…
“I see! So it’s true that Lord Luke is!”
That’s it! You completely accepted me as Lord Luke’s servant!
Thank you, my lord.
…I shall devote this humble body to you.
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