Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Abduction (2)
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Beston was a quick-witted man.
Thanks to senses honed to the limit as a knight, he prided himself on his sensitivity to changes around him.
And Beston thought:
Recently, the Saintess's condition has been off.
"Beston, it's fine if you go ahead."
"No, ma'am. My duty is to protect you, so I'll stay here until your prayers are done."
"But... you've barely slept because of me lately."
"I'm fine."
Late at night, the Saintess headed to the prayer room.
It was practically dawn, so the room was empty.
"It'll take a while again today. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm fine."
Beston forced a smile.
If he left her alone citing fatigue, he'd lose his job that day.
He had to be fine, whether he was or not.
"...All right."
The Saintess nodded and walked to the center of the prayer room.
She knelt before the statue of the god and clasped her hands.
"Please... lift the punishment you've placed upon him..."
It was the same prayer as always.
A deeply earnest plea to forgive someone's sins.
It had become her 'new routine' for nearly a month, without fail every day.
Of course, it wasn't strange for the Saintess to pray.
And prayers about sin made sense, given how often she encountered sinners.
"Please... grant me the strength to help him..."
So what Beston found strange wasn't the prayers themselves.
"Please... give me the courage to cut away this doubt."
He couldn't pinpoint it exactly.
The change was so subtle, it just felt hazy.
Regardless, the Saintess had changed.
Beston suspected this shift wouldn't be positive for the church.
"Hoo..."
The Saintess let out a long breath.
The hour-long prayer without a break was over.
Beston quickly approached to support her as she staggered to her feet.
"I'm fine."
The Saintess gestured for him to back off.
She stood on her trembling legs without help.
Beston waited quietly two steps away.
"Thanks for waiting. Let's head back now."
And so the Saintess's day came to an end.
.
.
.
The next day, Ortella headed to the Academy.
Her business was interrogating the demons. Since she hadn't finished last time, she had to continue today.
"Wait here."
"Yes, ma'am. Call me if anything seems off."
She stationed Beston at the entrance to the underground prison.
Normally, he'd insist on following, but this time he didn't protest.
It made sense. A 'succubus' was inside.
No restraints could fully suppress a demon's racial traits.
Even a holy knight would struggle against a succubus's charm.
But Ortella was the Saintess.
Born with resistance to mental attacks, she was safest going in alone.
She took a deep breath and descended the stairs to the basement.
Beston guarded the door.
"Oh, the cute little Saintess is back."
"Kuhaha! Failed last time and still not giving up?"
Two demons, bound and wounded.
Thick sins from countless lives they'd stolen showed plainly.
They showed no remorse or regret.
"I'll ask the same questions today."
Ortella stared at the two demons.
Her eyes, dulled of light, began to glow with holy radiance.
"Tell me everything you know about the Demon King."
No creature can fully control its thoughts.
Like how forbidding an action makes you imagine it anyway.
Ortella's interrogation exploited that.
Ask a question, then read the thoughts it provoked.
But...
Pzzt.
"Ugh."
Ortella squeezed her eyes shut.
Pain like an electric shock prevented her from using her blessing properly.
"..."
"What's wrong? Not working again?"
The succubus sneered.
Determined, Ortella tried a few more times, but the result was the same.
Blessings with complex, varied powers inevitably came with strict limits.
For Ortella, maintaining a certain level of faith was the baseline.
But the blessing wouldn't activate.
The implication was crystal clear.
"Doubting, are we, Saintess?"
"..."
Ortella hurriedly left the cell.
She climbed the stairs and opened the door.
"Are you all right, ma'am?"
"...Yes, I'm fine."
Failure.
She'd learned nothing.
Ortella couldn't even lift her head.
"Let's go. I have other business."
"Understood."
Her mind was a mess.
Why am I doubting?
No, more than that.
Why can't I shake this doubt?
That was when it happened.
Beston drew his sword.
...Looks like someone showed up.
Normally she'd calm him, but she wasn't in a good state today, so she let it be.
"You, who—"
Whoever it was, a scare would send them running.
Right now, she just needed to think...
Whoosh—
So, thinking.
Think, think...
Huh?
Ortella snapped to her senses.
She'd been grabbed by someone, whisked out of the Academy, and was now crossing a forest clearing.
'...Kidnapped?'
Kidnapped?
Me?
Getting past Beston?
Ortella looked at her kidnapper in bewilderment.
"Y-You...!"
It was a face she already knew.
The man who'd planted all her doubts.
It had been about ten seconds since kidnapping Ortella.
I was putting as much distance as possible between us and the Academy, carrying the Saintess.
"Oh, he's giving chase."
Tremendous killing intent pressed from behind.
A quick glance back showed her guard from earlier charging with terrifying momentum.
I'd run at full speed, but he hadn't shaken off.
Guess that's the minimum to protect the Saintess.
"Are you insane?!"
Ortella yelled from under my arm.
"What do you plan to do kidnapping the Saintess!"
"Something like that."
"This is a capital offense, you know?!"
I hadn't done it blindly.
For someone short on time, this was the fastest way.
"You know you won't get caught anyway."
"Ah..."
Ortella fell silent.
She seemed to finally recall who I was.
I gripped her tight and picked up speed.
"Wait, too, fast..."
It might be rough for her, but no choice.
Her guard was faster than expected, forcing this pace.
After two more minutes of running, the guard was out of sight.
"...I think I'm gonna puke."
"Want me to pat your back?"
"Just put me down. Please."
I carefully set Ortella down.
Her face screamed imminent vomit, but she barely held it in and caught her breath.
"So, need an explanation?"
"For the kidnapping?"
"Not that! Well, that too, but...!"
Ortella groaned, then spoke calmly again.
"How are you here? Aren't you supposed to exist only inside Roel?"
"I can come out sometimes. Can't stay long."
Explaining in detail would be tricky...
I vaguely pictured the avatar in my mind.
If she could read thoughts, this should suffice.
"Got it?"
"Pardon?"
She looked confused.
Ah, right. Ortella probably couldn't read minds constantly.
My bad for being curt.
"Read my thoughts. Too complicated to explain verbally."
Ortella's face fell into gloom.
No, beyond gloom—depression.
"I can't anymore."
"...Can't?"
"I can still detect malice or see sins. But anything more is too much."
Everything clicked at once.
That explained why she was still interrogating demons.
Once I grasped that, another question arose immediately.
So, why not?
"Something wrong?"
"It's nothing. Just a minor mindset issue."
Ortella brushed it off like it was trivial.
But come on.
Her face screamed 'I'm screwed'.
"Isn't lying a sin too?"
"..."
Ortella finally opened up.
I heard it all.
How her blessing worked, why it failed this time, what that 'doubt' was.
"The scriptures say God is always just and fair, that every judgment and blessing has reason. But the punishment on you is so unreasonable."
In short:
"...I was doubting. Whether God is truly fair."
I was the cause.
"It's not your fault. My heart shakes too easily."
Not my fault, sure.
I'm not doing this on purpose.
Still, it needed fixing.
"Ortella, listen up."
I decided to tell her.
The god you believe in and the bastard who did this to me are different beings.
Ortella was silent for a while.
She approached me slowly and took my hand.
It was the same prayer pose as before.
"See, what a kind soul this is..."
"..."
"Please forgive this one who lied willingly for my sake."
Damn it, she won't listen.