Chapter 226: The Ring on the Ring Finger
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: The Ring on the Ring Finger
The long, long night passed, and the sun rose.
Peace had returned to the Holy Kingdom.
Zero casualties.
The ruined city was restored so perfectly it was as if it had never been damaged.
Truly, a miracle of God.
A series of unbelievable miracles had occurred, yet no one questioned them.
They simply believed that God had bestowed these miracles upon them for their devout lives.
And so it was.
All that remained was to pass judgment in God’s name upon those who had so brazenly dared to invade the Holy Kingdom, but they had escaped in the chaos.
The prevailing opinion was to issue a continent-wide bounty for the Slave Reaper, but Elize took the lead in opposing it.
“A divine oracle has been delivered.”
“Ooh…! What did He say?”
“He said that revenge only begets more revenge, and that the world’s balance is maintained precisely because such villains exist.”
Even though the speaker was the Saint, anyone with a normal way of thinking would have raised some objection.
After all, he was a heinous criminal who had invaded the Holy Kingdom.
“Indeed… To think He had such a profound meaning. It is a notion we mere mortals could never have conceived.”
However, it was a well-known fact to everyone—except those involved—that their common sense was far from ordinary.
With an oracle brought into the mix, there was no chance of opposition.
Taking this opportunity, Elize decided to set right this disillusioning order.
“As the Saint of the Order of Balance, I command all believers. From this day forward, I forbid all groundless punishments and discrimination, including witch hunts, against slave traders and demonic beasts.”
“What do you mean, groundless? The very fact that they are witches is reason enough, Saint.”
“One cannot choose their origin, so how can they be condemned by birth alone? I, too, was once a lowly orphan, yet I have risen to the position of Saint. We must give them a chance as well.”
“To even equate yourself with such wicked beings is…”
“It is an oracle.”
The invincible oracle shield.
The believers had no way of verifying its truth.
And if they dared to harbor any doubt…
“Why is there no answer? Are you perhaps doubting the word of the Lord God, doubting me, His agent?”
“N-no, of course not. If it is an oracle, we must obey.”
Elize nodded in satisfaction.
“Then I shall leave the Holy Kingdom in your care and be on my way.”
“What? On your way? Where are you going?”
“This incident has made me keenly aware of my own shortcomings. As I am still lacking in enlightenment, I will travel the continent and return once I have grown into a worthy Saint.”
“You cannot, Saint! If you leave, what are we to do?”
“His Holiness has returned, has he not? He will watch over you.”
“But…”
Elize smiled sweetly.
“It is an oracle.”
*
Having thoroughly abused her authority as Saint, Elize declared she was embarking on a pilgrimage.
First oracle, certain victory.
The common believers were powerless to stop her. Still, unable to let her go just like that, they begged Antonius to dissuade the Saint, but…
“What can be done? An oracle has been delivered. Sigh.”
With even Antonius giving such a reply, the matter was closed.
After all the believers were dismissed, only Elize and Antonius remained in the temple hall.
Antonius was no longer in rags, but wore the traditional vestments of the Pope.
The clothes truly made the man.
Seeing him like this, anyone would recognize him as the Pope.
“I never dreamed you were His Holiness, Grandpa. Why did you hide it?”
Elize sat at the table, swinging her legs in a manner unbefitting a Saint.
“Because at the time, I was indeed an ordinary believer. I did not lie.”
I always thought something was strange. A certain dignity, not found in an ordinary old man, was evident in his every minor action.
It’s just that I never expected a former Pope to be begging on the streets.
Karami used to call Antonius a sly old fox, and now I think I know why.
“It seems Master knew who you were, Grandpa.”
“Master? Ah, that son of a bitch. Yes, that bastard figured out who I was the moment he saw me. I still don’t know how.”
Antonius clicked his tongue, looking displeased. Elize covered her mouth and giggled.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking how amusing it would be if the believers found out that the Father of the Church helped an infidel proselytize.”
Amusing? The mere thought is horrifying.
She’s the spitting image of her master.
Their sense of humor is certainly similar. The type who gets a thrill out of teasing people.
“So, did you hear the voice of God?”
“No, you were right after all, Grandpa. I never heard His voice.”
God does not move. He remains still, right where He is.
He didn't turn away. Of course, I doubted Him many times, but my divine power never once faded.
What God gives is the strength to move forward. He doesn't lead you to the exit when you're lost; He hands you a lantern so you can find the way yourself.
Because if God did everything, that would be chaos.
“But there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why am I the only one who can wield divine power even after becoming a vampire? Everyone else failed.”
The girls who were experimented on. The clergy Elize turned into vampires.
None of them became like her.
They either died or became ordinary vampires.
“Child, have you ever denied the existence of God?”
“…I don’t think I ever have.”
She had resented and doubted God, but she had never denied Him. Even while doubting, she yearned for His voice and desperately prayed for salvation.
She believed that if there was a problem, the fault lay with her, the one drenched in blood.
“Then does that mean those people denied God?”
“It is natural for a child to resent their parents. A child is immature, after all. That, too, is a part of growing up, a trial to overcome.”
“…”
“They may stray onto a different path for a while, but no matter how long it takes, they will eventually reach their destination. And then they will realize what was in their parents’ hearts.”
As Antonius said this, he looked at Elize.
She now understood what his words meant.
“But if a child denies their parents, nothing can reach them. Not their voice, not their love. They will see it all as a nuisance.”
Vampires are vulnerable to divine power.
The moment they became vampires, they denied God and rejected His power, believing it would burn them to ashes.
Even though a child is always a child.
God doesn't change.
It is the humans who believe in Him that change.
In other words, Elize had doubted God, but she had never denied Him.
That was the long and short of it.
“I must ask a different question this time. Has your salvation come?”
Elize let out a dry laugh.
Such an obvious, unnecessary question.
“Something even greater than salvation has come.”
“It is a method I cannot comprehend in the slightest, but if you are satisfied, then I suppose that is enough.”
Elize’s expression was incomparably brighter than when they had last met. Antonius felt no need to say more.
“Master is calling, so I should get going. I’ll visit from time to time, and please, I beg you, live a long and healthy life. Because if you don’t, things might get troublesome for me.”
“You insolent brat… Just like your master. Get the hell out of here.”
If he could, Antonius would have gladly left as well, but he couldn't. His own heart had undergone a change.
‘So it’s a master’s duty to take responsibility for his slaves…?’
In all his life, he’d never seen a slave trader like that.
A slave trader, treated harshly everywhere he went, had stood his ground and kept his word. How could he, the Pope, abandon his flock again?
If the order was so fragile it could be broken by a single person, then it was right to fix it, starting now.
Seen off by Antonius, Elize left through the temple’s back door.
The thought of finally leaving this prison-like Holy Kingdom made her steps feel as light as air. It had taken so long.
Outside, Karami and the three other slaves were waiting for her.
“Are you all done talking?”
“Yes. I’ll come back from time to time. I’m a Saint, after all. I can’t just abandon my post forever.”
“So you’re going to keep being the Saint?”
“I can’t just throw away a position I worked so hard to get. There’s a mountain of things I don’t like, and it’ll be easier to fix them as the Saint. And also…”
I thought the girl who dreamed of being a Saint might feel some vicarious satisfaction.
For that simple reason.
“If it’s what you want to do, then you should do it. I think it’s a good idea, too.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
She knew now.
Karami would support her no matter what.
But while she was happy with everything, if she had just one greedy wish…
“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s making me nervous.”
“It’s nothing.”
Elize hid her hands behind her back, fiddling with her fingers.
The hard sensation of the ring on her finger.
Her only complaint? That the ring Karami had given her was on her index finger.
Just that.
‘You proved it yourself, with your own words, that you like me more than everyone else in the world combined, right?’
So isn’t it okay to be a little greedy?
Elize slyly slipped the ring off and changed its position.
Two fingers to the left.
From the index finger to the ring finger.
Yes, a ring definitely belongs here.
“If we’re done here, let’s get going.”
“We’re going to get her, right?”
Alfia thought of Snow White, who was in hibernation.
“We have to.”
The four main slaves were now gathered in one place.
What’s the difference between four and five, anyway?