Good night.
Good night.
It was only after the sun had completely set that we returned to the Saint's Palace.
After buying clothes, we stopped by the bookstore I had originally planned to visit, checked out a few more street stalls that caught Elisia's eye, and ended up eating dinner outside before coming back.
Naturally, I had to feed her everything myself.
She ate snacks just fine, but having regular meals still seemed difficult because of her trauma.
It was a day off meant for me to rest alone, but in reality, there hadn't been a single moment where I was actually by myself.
Still, it wasn't all that bad.
Aside from constantly being on edge wondering if Elisia would cause an incident, I suppose you could say it was ordinarily enjoyable.
"Let's go out tomorrow too."
"I don't want to."
"Why?"
"I genuinely have a mountain of backlogged work."
"You can just not do it."
"I believe I've told you hundreds of times that I have to."
"You're no fun."
Elisia grumbled, personally hung every single dress box bought from the clothing store in my room's closet, and only then returned to her own bedroom.
Only after attending to Elisia's bath and finishing my own did I finally lie down in bed.
Perhaps because I had walked quite a lot for the first time in a while, my body felt heavy.
It wasn't physically strenuous, but I was mentally exhausted.
It felt like I would fall into a deep sleep the moment I closed my eyes.
'Still, there weren't any incidents today.'
Nobody died, no buildings were destroyed, and because Elisia was well-behaved, I didn't even have to use my Authority a single time.
It was a perfect day.
It was right at that moment.
Uuung.
The air trembled.
With my eyes closed, I snapped wide awake and immediately sat up.
A massive surge of divine power radiating from the center of the Saint's Palace was vibrating.
With each pulse of vibration, the holy relics hanging on the walls flashed with light and then went dark.
Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
There was only one person in this world who possessed this level of divine power.
The Saint I served.
"Elisia."
Without even having time to throw on an overcoat, I jumped out of bed wearing only my pajamas.
As soon as I stepped out into the hallway, the Saint's Palace was already in total chaos.
The nuns and priests responsible for managing the Saint's Palace were pouring out of their rooms, scurrying about in a panic with bewildered faces.
Being clergy members themselves, they had also realized that this phenomenon was caused by divine power.
"Everyone, fall back."
"Aide-nim!"
"I will handle this."
Without waiting for a reply, I sprinted toward Elisia's bedroom.
The closer I got to her bedroom, the fiercer the divine power became.
While it had felt like merely a vibration in my bedroom, here it had become so heavy that it felt like sheer crushing pressure.
With every step I took, it felt as though a colossal mountain was being stacked on top of my body.
My breath hitched, and my knees threatened to buckle.
Realizing that I wouldn't even be able to get close at this rate, I channeled the Authority I hadn't used once since morning and dashed toward the bedroom in an instant.
While the Authority remained active, I broke through the waves of divine power and reached the bedroom door.
I grabbed the doorknob intending to barge straight in, but the door was locked.
My Authority was about to run out any second now.
"Goddammit."
Forgive me, budget.
Apologizing to the door, I immediately kicked it down.
I feel like I haven't opened a single door normally lately.
Kwaang!
The door flew into the room.
At that exact moment, my Authority ended.
Immediately after, a divine power like a towering mountain and a vast ocean crashed over my body.
"Ugh...!"
I gritted my teeth against the pressure that felt as if it were crushing every bone in my body.
No, they actually were being crushed.
I was only enduring it thanks to my Tenacity Trait and Regeneration.
"How is it that not a single day passes without incident...!"
The inside of the bedroom was a complete mess.
Nearly half the ceiling had collapsed, and the glass windows were gone without a trace.
All the furniture arranged around the bed was shattered and floating in midair.
In the center of the room, the epicenter of all these phenomena, pure white divine power formed a massive vortex.
And inside that vortex was the sleeping Elisia.
"No...."
Atop the large bed.
Elisia was curled up in her pajamas.
The thin fabric of her black nightgown, soaked in sweat, clung tightly to her fair, smooth skin.
Her long, voluminous silvery-white hair was scattered in all directions over the bed and floor, and her slender neck and shoulders trembled violently with every breath.
She was causing all this havoc while asleep.
Just what kind of nightmare was she having for things to turn out like this?
"Stop it...."
While I struggled and groaned, making my way toward Elisia, she began clutching at her own neck.
Before long, her fingernails dug deep into her skin—which looked delicate but was tougher than anyone else's—carving red gashes into it.
"The stigmata...?"
As Elisia writhed in agony, I could see the stigmata hidden beneath the nape of her neck radiating a blinding light.
The stigmata was even spreading from her neck down across her shoulders and back, squirming like living insects.
I realized what was happening in an instant.
For reasons unknown, the stigmata had gone berserk.
Right then, amidst the overwhelming pressure, a tearful voice reached my ears.
"It hurts...."
It was a voice I had never heard from Elisia before.
It was small and fragile.
"Saint-nim. I'm coming."
Just taking a single step tore my skin and made blood seep through.
Now, the rate at which my bones were crushed and wounds formed was faster than the speed of Regeneration.
Still, I couldn't stop.
You must experience the True Ending.
Because I'm going to make sure you do.
"Elisia, wake up."
The moment I threw myself into the vortex and reached out to Elisia on the bed, her eyes snapped open.
There was no reason in her blue eyes.
She looked just like a mindless marionette, functioning solely as a system to protect her physical body.
Having opened her eyes, her hand flew straight toward my throat.
It was a movement driven by unmistakable hostile intent.
In response, I used my second Authority.
Time slowed down once again.
"I will be laying my hands on you for a moment. Please excuse me."
Dodging Elisia's hand, I dug into her embrace and wrapped both arms around her slender waist.
Immediately after, the Authority ended.
Kwaaaang!
Time began flowing again, and the explosive deluge of divine power pouring out of Elisia engulfed me as it expanded outward.
The divine power ripped my body to shreds.
My entire body repeatedly melted down and regenerated.
But Regeneration was losing the race.
I have to end this quickly.
"Snap out of it."
"Let go...."
"No."
"I said let go...."
As if she had briefly regained consciousness, Elisia commanded in a voice that was barely audible.
But since when did I ever listen to orders?
Absolutely never.
Lightly brushing off her command, I held Elisia tightly in my arms until the very end.
And then, I drew upon my final Authority.
Adjusting it very weakly instead.
So that the Authority could affect Elisia as well.
It was my first time trying this, but I didn't think I'd fail.
"What is this...?"
The Authority that began flowing out of my body was getting sucked into Elisia.
As much as the power of the Authority drained from me, it could no longer protect my physical vessel, causing my body to gradually start melting down.
In return, the raging torrent of divine power bursting from Elisia gradually subsided.
It was a contest of whether I would die first or the stigmata's rampage would end first.
And right before I was about to die, the stigmata finally quieted down.
"Cough... Argh... That hurts like a bitch. So, are you feeling a bit better now?"
Even as I coughed up blood and asked about her well-being, Elisia wrapped both arms around my neck.
I was anxious that she might snap it, but thankfully, she didn't break it.
I had no Authority left now, so doing that would actually kill me.
"I'm tired...."
"Then please sleep. I'll be right here."
Upon hearing my reply, Elisia pulled the arms wrapped around my neck and embraced me against her chest.
It seemed she intended to sleep just like this.
Judging by how drowsy her voice sounded, she wasn't fully lucid.
Wondering what to do, I decided to just stay still.
"If you leave, I'll kill you...."
"Who, exactly?"
"You...."
"I won't go."
"Mm...."
Gradually, the strength drained from Elisia's body.
Apparently, she was going to sleep in the middle of this disaster zone.
Instead of stopping her, I stroked Elisia's back and coaxed her to sleep.
"Good night."
"Mm...."
As if she was thoroughly exhausted, Elisia fell asleep the very moment she closed her eyes.
Having unleashed such an immense amount of divine power, even Elisia had no choice but to be drained.
Of course, I couldn't fall asleep.
Because I had no idea why Elisia's stigmata had run wild in the first place.
As long as I didn't know the cause, I had to stay on standby to prevent it somehow if there was any sign of the stigmata going berserk again.
"Saint-nim...?"
Just then, able to approach once the divine power had subsided, the nuns revealed themselves from beyond the broken door.
"Shh."
Looking at the nuns, I brought a finger to my lips, signaling them to be quiet.
Fortunately, the nuns understood my gesture and quietly stepped back.
Of course, judging by the intermittent cleaning sounds coming from outside, they seemed to have started working within limits they deemed wouldn't disturb her sleep.
'Why on earth did this happen?'
Looking at Elisia sleeping in my arms, I searched through my memories regarding stigmata rampages.
A stigmata is a mark left behind from implanting the power of a Sacred Artifact into the body.
As such, unless an issue arises with that Sacred Artifact, no problems should occur.
'Just what happened to the Sacred Artifact for something like this to occur...?'
The Sacred Artifacts consumed for the stigmata are all secretly managed within the deepest reaches of the religious order, though.
Unable to get any grasp of the situation whatsoever, the night passed by.
And then, the figure who seemed to be the root of all this showed up at the Saint's Palace on his own two feet.
"Aide-nim. Archbishop Bertion-nim has arrived to visit the Saint's Palace. Shall I let him in?"
So it's you?