Chapter 531: The Invasion of Poland(2)
Chapter 531: The Invasion of Poland(2)
It had been half a year since Kate left, claiming she had a duty to fulfill.
She had departed before the Great Depression, even before winter break had begun, so she had been gone for quite a while.
Originally, she had taken it upon herself to act as my guard, much like Adelia. In fact, she had even thrashed a demon worshipper who had tried to ambush me.
However, after a meeting—or rather, an interrogation—with Grandfather Clark, and after listening to my advice, she had vanished into thin air.
I could take it in stride, but from the perspective of the Holy Nation of Savior, their eyes must have popped out of their heads.
In fact, I think I heard rumors to that effect. But even Savior couldn't do anything about Kate.
Not only had she personally dealt with a fallen Cardinal, but she was also being evaluated as possessing divine power on par with the Pope himself.
At any rate, Kate’s return meant she was likely returning to her post as my guard.
"A-Ah, hello. My name is Lora Luen..."
But Kate hadn't come alone. She had brought a young girl with her, who looked to be about ten years old.
The girl had brown hair and brown eyes. Her appearance, which held great promise for the future, caught my eye.
Since Kate had introduced her as her successor, she was bound to be no ordinary girl.
Just what had Kate been up to for the past six months?
"Hello there, little lady. My name is Isaac Ducard Maishal. Have you heard of me?"
I had to greet her, of course. I bent my knees to meet her at eye level.
At my polite greeting, Lora flinched for a moment before nodding vigorously.
"Yes... You're the author of Xenon Biography... right? I really, really love Xenon Biography..."
"Is that so? Thank you."
"O-Oh, no! It's my pleasure..."
Lora waved her hands in a fluster.
She looked like a nervous puppy whimpering, and a warm smile naturally formed on my face.
After greeting the girl, I straightened my knees and looked at Kate. She wore her usual gentle smile.
I had so many questions—too many, in fact. For now, it was better to bring them inside.
"Would you like to come in first? It sounds like we have a lot to talk about."
"Understood. By the way, is Mr. Clark..."
"Grandfather Clark is currently at the mansion. We haven't held the funeral yet."
"Ah. That is a relief."
Kate looked genuinely pleased. I had thought she and Grandfather Clark were on awkward terms, but it seemed I was mistaken.
"Would you like to see him?"
"Yes. I have things to ask him, and I wish to receive his guidance. I've realized over time that I still have much to learn."
"I'll ask him later."
"Thank you."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries at the entrance, I led the two of them inside.
"Wha!"
"Kyaaa!"
But as soon as we stepped inside, Ariel, who had been hiding, suddenly popped out to scare them.
Kate, knowing of her existence, only flinched slightly, while Lora let out a shrill scream and jumped.
As I wore a wry smile at Ariel's ill-timed prank, Mari scooped her up.
"Ariel. You shouldn't play pranks like that on guests."
"Doesn't Mommy do this to Daddy all the time?"
Ariel tilted her head and asked Mari back.
It was true; Mari did play those kinds of pranks on me quite often.
She usually said that because I was so stoic, every little reaction I gave was "delicious."
It seemed Ariel had learned by watching Mari. Naturally, Mari was flustered.
"T-That's... that's a prank Mommy can do because it's Daddy. You must never do that to guests. Do you understand?"
"Mmm. Okay."
"W-Wings? Is she... an angel?"
Lora asked Kate in a voice filled with utter bewilderment. Kate knew about Ariel, but this was Lora's first time seeing her.
Kate nodded and then looked at me. She seemed to be asking for permission to explain.
I nodded back, giving my consent. Kate then turned to Lora and spoke softly.
"Yes. She is a guardian gifted to Sir Isaac by Lord Hirt. As you can see, she shares Sir Isaac's blood, so she is also his child."
"Wow... An angel... It's my first time seeing an angel! Doesn't Jin turn into an angel in Xenon Biography too?"
As a devoted fan of Xenon Biography, Lora even mentioned details from the side stories.
Of course, angels were beings that could never be born due to the personal circumstances of the gods. This was a point I had mentioned in the novel as well.
"You know your stuff. Why don't you two say hello? Ariel?"
"Hi!"
"H-Hi...!"
Unlike Ariel, who greeted her energetically, Lora gave a timid response. We watched them with fond smiles.
"I'm sure there's much to discuss, so please, have a seat. Lora, you sit next to her."
"Thank you."
"T-Thank you."
Since guests had arrived, Adelia headed to the kitchen. Delicious cookies would be served soon.
Besides, there was much to talk about. As soon as we were settled, I wasted no time in questioning Kate.
"May I ask what you've been doing all this time? You said Lora is your successor, but I have so many questions."
"Ah. Yes. Well, what happened was..."
Kate gave me a detailed account of her activities over the past six months.
First, she explained that Lora was a child victim of demon worshippers.
She had been severely abused in a village where the entire population had fallen into demon worship.
Come to think of it, I did remember hearing news about an entire village being seduced by demon worshippers.
The news had been somewhat buried by even more horrific events afterward, but it had still been a huge shock at the time.
'They say demon worshippers mainly target remote villages or slums.'
I had heard that they preyed on the impoverished and those in areas with severely limited traffic.
This was possible because of the era we lived in and the lack of smooth communication.
It was impossible to keep an eye on every small village and slum, and there were places where the hand of the state simply didn't reach.
"Lora. Could you show them your back?"
"Yes."
At Kate's request, Lora turned around and began to lift her clothes slightly.
I flinched at the sudden action, but before long, my jaw dropped in horror.
"My god..."
"How could they do this to a child..."
Lora's small back was covered in all sorts of scars.
There were marks from whipping, burn scars, and even indentations from being crushed by blunt weapons.
They were clear signs of torture. If there were this many marks on her back alone, it was likely even worse elsewhere.
I had been letting it slide lately because their activities had quieted down, but it was certain that demon worshippers were a breed that could never be tolerated.
"As you can see, Lora had been abused by parents possessed by demon worshippers since she was young. Even after her rescue, she would ask when she would receive her 'revelation.' Her corruption had progressed to a severe degree."
"If her corruption had progressed..."
"It means her soul was being stained by darkness."
For some unknown reason, demon worshippers were beings beyond the reach of the gods. As I had mentioned several times, the fallen Cardinal Bark was an example.
The problem was that no one knew the principle behind it. Was it because of the 'sorcery' they primarily used, or was there another reason?
However, there was one commonality that all believers agreed upon: their souls were 'corrupted.'
Like dropping black ink into clear water drop by drop, the soul becomes increasingly murky until the water is eventually filthy.
Naturally, one would have no idea what was hidden inside that water.
"Normally, a soul that has undergone corruption must be purified immediately with Holy Fire, but..."
Kate said this as she looked at Lora with pity. If it had been the old Kate, she would have proceeded immediately.
But she hadn't. Instead, she had designated Lora as her successor, much like a knight taking on a squire.
"As Sir Isaac said, Lora is someone who committed 'sins' against her will. She was forced into it."
"..."
"So, I worked to help her overcome it. Because there is no soul that God cannot save. I stayed by her side and prayed with her, over and over. And then..."
She then placed her hand on Lora's head and continued in a proud tone.
"I received a revelation from Lord Luminous. The light streaming from the window pointed directly at Lora. It wasn't a false revelation, but a true one."
"Then the corruption..."
"Yes. The corruption was completely washed away. It turns out that those whose corruption hasn't progressed as far as Lora's can be purified through prayer rather than Holy Fire. The Order only realized this belatedly."
"You've done something truly wonderful."
It was an immense growth compared to her past self. I was genuinely impressed.
Before this, Kate had been a person who perfectly fit the idiom 'blindly following the crowd,' on top of her fanatical tendencies.
A fanatic who did exactly as the Order told her and acted without hesitation if anything went against it.
The situation with the fallen Cardinal had been similar. Fortunately, I had received confirmation from Luminous himself; otherwise, she might have ended up killing an innocent person.
"No. If it hadn't been for Mr. Clark's advice and Sir Isaac's counsel, I wouldn't have even opened my eyes. I am truly grateful to both of you."
Kate remained humble despite my praise.
Could a person change this much in half a year? I almost doubted if she was the same woman I knew.
"Is Lora also going to become an Inquisitor, following in your footsteps?"
"Yes. Lora said she wants to save people who are suffering at the hands of demon worshippers, just as she did. To do that, she needs both faith and martial strength. But unfortunately, I am not mature enough to teach someone else. That is why I wish to seek guidance from Mr. Clark."
"Grandfather Clark will surely accept."
Even if he refused, I would ask him. Things like the funeral could be pushed back.
I could also play Baduk with Kate while I was at it. I wore a satisfied smile at her growth, which couldn't have been more rewarding.
"By the way, are you in charge of Lora's education, Kate?"
"Yes. I am in charge of the education of not only Lora but also those who were saved after suffering from demon worshippers."
"Then, Lora, what have you learned from Kate?"
I threw a sudden question at Lora. Lora, who had been nibbling on a cookie Adelia had baked, jumped in surprise.
She looked just like a startled squirrel, and a fond smile escaped me.
Lora then finished chewing her cookie and spoke quietly.
"She told me to get along with my friends. She said I must never use violence against them."
"I see."
"And she said the only ones it's okay to use violence against are monsters and demon worshippers."
"..."
Wait. Did I hear that right?
I blinked as those terrifying words came out of Lora's mouth.
I'd heard that somewhere before. Wasn't that the kind of thing a character who immediately comes to mind when you think of a 'fanatic' would say?
I hurriedly looked at Kate, and surprisingly, she also looked slightly flustered. It seemed Lora had answered incorrectly.
"Lora. That's not it, is it?"
"It's not?"
"No. The only ones it's okay to use violence against are monsters that are impossible to communicate with, and demon worshippers who are completely corrupted. Do you understand?"
"I'll keep that in mind."
It wasn't! So Kate was still Kate after all!
I let out a hollow laugh at the conversation that made my head spin just listening to it.
She might have fixed her 'blindly following' mindset, but it seemed that damn fanatical streak was impossible to cure.
Still, it was an undeniable fact that she was much better than before. That alone was enough to satisfy me.
'The reason she said monsters that are impossible to communicate with...'
No doubt it was because of Grandfather Clark. I shook my head and spoke quietly.
"...It seems there's no problem with her education. So, will you be continuing the education for the time being?"
"I plan to for a while. But once the demon worshippers start becoming active, I will stay by Sir Isaac's side. I only visited today because Lord Luminous requested it."
"Did Lord Luminous say anything else?"
"Yes. He simply asked that you visit the temple, saying he has something to discuss."
"Hmm."
I fell into thought after hearing Kate's words. She didn't know yet that I had received an ascetic task from Mora.
I wanted to reveal everything, but it might throw Kate into great confusion.
'I should let this slide.'
Cecile was also a devout follower of Mora, but she was nothing compared to Kate. No one fit the word 'fanatic' better than her.
Besides, she seemed busy lately, so it was probably better to keep this under wraps.
"Understood. I was planning to visit soon anyway, so I should go."
"Then, may I ask when you plan to visit?"
I slowly stood up from my seat and answered.
"Let's go right now."
Let's see what he has to say.
And so, without any hesitation, I arrived at the Temple of Luminous.
[The Holocaust...]
'Pardon?'
[May I ask when the Holocaust will appear?]
I received an unexpected question from Luminous.
[Before that, there is a place you need to visit briefly.]
'A place I need to visit? Where is it?'
[It is the place where an insolent fellow resides.]
'?'
Along with a request that I couldn't understand at all.