Hero (2)
"I'll be back, Your Holiness."
Sera bowed deeply, offering a polite farewell.
Her voice still carried a faint tremor, but after her conversation with Celestius, she seemed to have found at least a sliver of courage.
"Yes, come back safely. Don't get hurt."
Celestius smiled warmly and patted her shoulder lightly.
His gaze then shifted to the holy knight standing beside her.
The knight, clad in white armor etched with golden decorations, was tall and imposing.
His black hair was neatly groomed, and his blue eyes held a steely resolve.
"Sir Gabriel."
Celestius called the knight's name, his expression turning solemn.
"I entrust her to you. Sera is the hope of our world. Please protect her no matter what dangers arise."
In response to the Pope's earnest plea, Gabriel placed a hand over his heart and knelt.
"Worry not, Your Holiness. My holy knights will safeguard Lady Sera in the name of Luminaris, come what may. I swear it on my life."
His voice rang with unwavering conviction.
Behind him, five more holy knights in matching white armor knelt in unison, pledging their loyalty.
"We shall all be Lady Sera's shield!"
Their powerful voices echoed through the cathedral.
Each pair of eyes burned with unyielding determination to protect her.
"I believe in you, Sir Gabriel. And..."
Celestius paused, turning his gaze to Sera.
His eyes held deep affection mingled with worry.
"Sera, there will surely be frightening and difficult moments ahead. But as I said earlier, feeling those emotions doesn't make you a coward. Everyone faces terrifying times. What sets people apart is how they overcome them."
The Pope's voice was gentle yet firm.
"And Sera, you already have a memory of triumph. That courage from your childhood, when you stood firm before the adults for the sake of that little bird."
"Yes... There must be a reason Luminaris chose me. I'll make sure that horrific scene Your Holiness foresaw never comes to pass."
Sera's voice now carried a resolve far stronger than before.
"That's the spirit."
Celestius stroked her head with a kindly smile.
"But remember, if you ever feel like 'I can't do this anymore, it's too hard, I want to give up,' come back anytime."
"Pardon? But then our world..."
Sera asked in surprise.
"Hahaha, no adult pushes a frightened child to keep going. If it truly becomes unbearable, run away. We'll figure something out then."
His words brimmed with sincere warmth.
Like a real father fretting over his daughter.
At Celestius's words, Sera shook off the last remnants of her tension.
A Pope who worried for her like this.
And even in the face of a divine revelation from Luminaris, he told her it was okay to give up if it was too much—this compassionate heart.
She knew how blessed she was.
As the Pope said, no adult shoves a scared child forward?
Well...
As the youngest priestess, she had still met her share of people.
Among them were parents who used their children as money-making tools, those who exploited their kids for gain, and even adults who captured children to force them into labor...
She had witnessed countless shadows of the world.
Through the stories of children arriving at the orphanage and the pleas of those seeking the cathedral's aid, Sera knew how cruel the world could be.
Yet even before the despair of world-ending doom, the Pope held this mindset...
"Thank you, Your Holiness. I'll... do my very best. But if it really gets too hard..."
"Come back anytime. This place will always be your home."
Ah, so this is what it feels like.
Sera thought to herself.
Celestius's words finally sank deep into her heart: courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength to press on despite it.
"Then... I'll really be going."
Sera bowed deeply once more, and Celestius nodded.
"May Luminaris's blessing be with you."
Gabriel took the lead, guiding the holy knights.
Sera glanced back one last time.
Celestius remained in place, seeing her off with a benevolent smile.
I'll accomplish this and return.
She vowed never to return trembling in fear and defeat.
With that resolution etched in her heart, Sera stepped out of the cathedral.
"This place..."
The ceiling and floor were both crafted from obsidian, with a massive throne at the center. It was the Absolute's inner world.
"You arrived faster than expected. Impressive."
Turning my gaze, I saw the Absolute lounging on the throne with his usual bored expression.
His mere presence overwhelmed the entire space.
I blurted out what I'd been dying to say the moment I saw him.
"Absolute, I have a question. Why did you heal Beril's body?"
There was no real need for him to bother healing Beril's flesh. So why?
The answer turned out to be disappointingly mundane—utterly simple.
"Ha... I'd love to tell you to ask him yourself, but since his remnants are already absorbed into me... Fine."
The Absolute stared into the void for a moment, then his lips curled slightly.
A flicker of amusement crossed his face, as if recalling a fond memory.
"It was mere diversion."
"What?"
"Wasn't it entertaining for you too? Thousands of souls crammed into one body—like a beast. He said it was a decent way to stave off boredom."
In short, a father's desperate struggle was just a fleeting amusement to alleviate his loneliness.
Only now did I understand why Frost Flower called him the Destroyer.
For his entertainment, he could toy with lives without hesitation—the perfect mindset of this world's strong.
Others' pain, despair, even the screams of losing loved ones were mere pastimes to him.
And this was just scattered remnants of his power. What would the complete whole be like?
No need to imagine—anyone could guess.
He must have seen Beril like an animal in a zoo.
I'd hated zoos since childhood.
"Wow! Mom, it's a lion!"
My excited voice rang out, but right then, I saw kids my age throwing stones at the lion.
Without a shred of guilt, like it was a game.
That great beast from storybooks, king of the jungle, could do nothing against the stones.
Gazing through the bars, it wasn't a king—just a caged animal.
The lion's eyes back then looked truly sad.
Deep, dark despair, as if mourning everything it had lost.
From that day, I never went to another zoo.
"A zoo... Yeah, that's exactly how he put it."
The Absolute read my thoughts and spoke with interest.
"Throw stones, toss trash—they live as human spectacles, and the moment they show a hint of their nature and thrash about, they're put down. To me, Beril and those animals were the same."
There was no respect for life or pity in his words.
"Tch... Don't read my mind without permission."
"Can't help it. It just echoes in."
The Absolute shrugged.
Genuine helplessness flickered across his face.
"Your mind's pretty entertaining too. That pure kid pitying the zoo lion is now..."
He paused, flashing a meaningful smile.
"Heh, ironic, isn't it? You've ended up just like that lion back then."
"You saying I'm like that lion now?"
"Hm, a bit different? But why do I feel like you're the same?"
The Absolute stroked his chin in mock thought.
"Chasing the remnants I tossed your way... Doesn't it look like a trained lion performing tricks for scraps from the tamer?"
Me, like a lion?
Like the zoo lion...
Yeah, maybe. Thrashing about in someone else's game, possessed for amusement.
"But Absolute, I'm different from that lion."
"Oh? How so?"
"That lion accepted its fate and stayed still. I'm not. I'll defy fate, devour your power too. So get to the point. Why'd you call me here? What ability does this remnant hold?"
"..."
A long silence passed, then the Absolute burst into laughter.
"Kuhahaha! You really are fun! That's why I chose you!"
He rose from the throne, clapping.
"Yes, that arrogance! Lions charge the tamer and get shot... but you? Devour the tamer—no, the whole damn zoo that built the system. That's the fate of one who wields my power. You—"
"Shut up and tell me the ability."
My cold interruption cut him off.
His face twisted briefly, but he soon laughed with even greater delight.
"Kukuku... I called you thinking you had some feeble pity, but it was pointless. You'll know the ability once you leave."
The Absolute extended his hand, issuing his final proclamation.
"Devour the world, Astra."