================
An unprecedented upheaval struck the continent all at once.
The disappearance of Saintly Power.
Reports of blessings and radiance failing to manifest flooded in.
Upon receiving the news, the Cardinals of the Holy Kingdom scrambled to find a solution, as the void of Saintly Power would soon lead to the abandonment of faith and the fall of the Holy Kingdom.
They needed to pray to the God.
They had to find out why the merciful blessing had been withdrawn.
“What a bizarre calamity…!”
“To think Saintly Power has vanished, truly outrageous!”
Humans pray to God because a merciful blessing exists as a response. Many nations on the continent revered the Holy Kingdom because of the presence of blessings and Saintly Power.
A void had emerged.
As the Creator Deity’s blessing disappeared, the blessings themselves vanished without a trace.
This meant that all priests in the Holy Kingdom had regressed to mere commoners!
The seasoned and battle-hardened Holy Knights were still intact. However, with the disappearance of the Saintly Power they had honed alongside their combat skills, the Holy Knights suffered a tremendous drop in Combat Power.
This was unprecedented.
Could it be that the Creator Deity has departed from this world?
It was due to humanity’s original sin.
The foolishness of humans, who repeatedly indulged in greed and slaughter, had triggered the decay of faith.
Countless gossips and bards continued to chatter, but the exact cause remained unclear. Despite the Holy Sanctuary’s believers gathering to pray, only the silence flowed like still water.
“Your Eminence!”
“Please tell us the truth!”
“I heard that the Seraph Belashiel fell to the Disaster of Innocence! Is it related?!”
The tide of suspicion breeds doubt.
The Seraph had been defeated and went missing.
As the catastrophe, which the upper echelons of the Holy Kingdom had concealed, came to light, infighting broke out.
With the destruction of Saintly Power, pious faith was rejected. The bewildered believers of the Holy Kingdom held the upper echelons responsible for hiding the truth. They concluded that the cause of the Creator Deity’s blessing departing lay with the Cardinals.
Turning away from the revealed falsehood, the priests dissolved their ties.
With simmering rage, the Holy Knights chose to stand by.
Having solely relied on the Creator’s blessing and faith, the rapid collapse and division of the Holy Kingdom was akin to being thrown off a cliff. As the situation worsened without any response, the Cardinals sought help from the Hohenberc Family and the Second Saintess residing there.
*
“I’m sorry.”
“You went through a lot until now.”
“Daughters of the Sacred,
escape from your suffocating cage and enjoy the abundance of the earth.”
The voice of the Creator Deity reached all the Candidate Saintesses praying in the cathedral. It was a farewell message while offering a life of freedom. Upon hearing the sweet, maternal voice, the Candidate Saintesses shed hot tears as if they were the lone daughter left behind.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done. Henceforth, the Saintess Academy will be abolished.”
Boerun approached the weeping Candidate Saintesses, who were looking at the shining statue while praying.
He announced the dissolution of the Academy.
Then, he presented two choices to the Candidate Saintesses, who had grown up as the Creator Deity’s vessel.
A life of freedom.
They could live a new life while receiving lifelong benefits as former Candidate Saintesses.
A life as a Saintess.
They would formally become a Saintess and become a guide for the Holy Kingdom and its believers.
The majority of the Candidate Saintesses chose the first option that the Creator had first presented. After living a restricted life under the coercion of celibacy and abstinence, it was only natural to choose freedom that appeared like a one-in-a-million opportunity.
In contrast, some Candidate Saintesses, like Zebeline and Beatrice, chose to stay in the Holy Kingdom to become benevolent Saintesses. They had entered the Academy for unfortunate reasons but had later come to genuinely long for the role of a Saintess.
“Waaah…! Sniff!”
“Don’t cry, sister. The Earth Mother is only temporarily away.”
The twin Candidate Saintesses burst into tears.
Other Candidate Saintesses did the same.
The girls faced with sudden separation clung to one another or held hands, sharing their happiness and sorrows.
“Your Majesty, what has become of the Earth Mother?”
A Candidate Saintess with flowing red hair asked. The Earth Mother Gael had favored her immensely among the Candidate Saintesses.
Boerun let out a bittersweet smile in response.
“The Earth Mother has fallen asleep. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to her beloved believers during her time… She may not have shown it until now, but she was probably more exhausted than anyone.”
“…I see.”
Only sweet lies could cover the bitter truth.
Surely, the Earth Mother would no longer wish to see her daughters sad.
Thus, Boerun tried to smile while looking at the Candidate Saintesses, who were shedding tears.
One by one, the Candidate Saintesses who heard the Creator’s answer began to leave the Saintess Academy.
Choosing to break free from their suffocating cage and live a new life, the girls marched forward with steadfast steps.
“…She truly has left us. You always know how to leave people perplexed until the end.”
After notifying the daughters of the Sacred,
Boerun returned to his office, leaning on his chin as he exhaled a sigh soaked in loneliness.
His gaze wandered to the usually mischievous Creator Deity’s favorite tea time spot, filled with a mix of emotions.
Sorrow and self-disgust.
Multiple emotions swirled in his head.
The divine oracle bestowed upon the young priest who had been living a quiet life, raising children in a remote corner, led to him being elected as the leader of the Holy Kingdom for half his life.
“Why? Just because I liked you. Isn’t it better for a well-read rural boy to be the leader than greedy pigs who worship wealth and power?”
An unselfish, cheerful voice echoed.
Even though it was an event from 30 years ago, it was etched in his memory as if it had occurred yesterday.
It was tiresome.
And yet, on the other hand, he felt grateful.
The Holy Kingdom before his election was at a gloomy moment, facing decline under Cardinals and priests who revered wealth and power.
Had he left the corruption and fall of the Holy Kingdom unchecked, countless believers who had worshiped the Creator would have turned their backs on their faith and given up.
Perhaps he needed a pawn to bear the difficult and complicated tasks.
Yet,
for him, the Creator Deity’s oracle was a merciful blessing and salvation.
He reformed the Holy Kingdom and led countless believers down the path of pilgrimage.
Boerun, who took immense pride in this, still felt gratitude towards Gael, who granted him the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Thank you for everything… truly, you have worked hard, Gael.”
My God, my benefactor.
And my long-time friend.
I was genuinely happy because of you.
Boerun leaned back in his chair, a bittersweet smile on his face as he recalled the image of his departed benefactor.
*
The headache right after waking up is a punishment bestowed upon a drunken fool.
So, why am I—
in so much pain and dizziness even though I haven’t drunk?
Rising from bed, I felt a throbbing migraine as if sharp needles were mercilessly stabbing at me. I tried to press on my temples with my right arm, but it was a futile attempt.
“Edan!”
As I looked around, confirming it was my bedroom despite my disheveled hair,
the door swung open violently, and the stunning blonde-haired princess rushed in.
Ludmilla.
I gazed at the princess, whose red eyes were filled with worry and confusion.
“Are you okay? Do you have any pain? Any pain at all?!”
“Wha… not really.”
I waved my limp sleeves around.
My right arm.
It was hanging by a thread, all but gone.
Regeneration seemed impossible.
After all, it was burnt to a crisp from multiple explosions.
The shock and emptiness of the loss washed over me, but I held no regrets. The fact that I survived in the raging inferno of a railgun and heat pressure bomb as well as the flowing chaos of a hydrogen bomb was nothing short of a miracle.
“Edan! Edan!!”
After the Red Dragon, the White Dragon rushed in.
Wanting to confirm the patient’s safety, she jumped straight onto the bed.
Thud!
The girl with shimmering silver hair nestled in my arms.
As I watched Zebeline break into tears, I wiped the tears flowing down her pure white cheeks. I then gave an assuring smile to the teary-eyed Ludmilla.
“How many days have passed?”
“Ten days. It has been ten days.”
“…I must have really pushed myself this time.”
“Indeed.”
I had spent ten days in a vegetative state after suffering a devastating injury that resulted in the loss of my right arm. It’s only natural that Ludmilla and Zebeline were worried sick about me.
An arm.
I lost one of my limbs.
I succeeded in usurpation that ended the era of the Creator Deity. If the loss of my right arm is a divine punishment bestowed on the usurper who brought the age to an end, then I must accept it as a necessary sacrifice.
“The end of the world has been completely obliterated. This is reliable news from a vampire scout who went out to survey firsthand.”
“I see. Thankfully, it wasn’t in vain.”
Did she understand the meaning in my eyes?
Ludmilla nodded in response and answered.
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