Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Whereabouts of Prayer (5)
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Done.
Kalt cheered inwardly.
From the atmosphere, it was clear Aria was about to open up about her own issues on her own.
Kalt remained silent, letting her continue.
"I... I'm not someone who deserves to be called a nun. And yet, I possess something far too grand for the likes of me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"..."
Aria silently removed the white glove from her right hand and showed Kalt her palm.
"That's...!"
Kalt was stunned.
Engraved on Aria's palm was the red symbol of the God of Light.
It was no ordinary mark.
It was a Stigmata.
The rare mark bestowed only upon the few priests or nuns loved and chosen by the gods in this world.
Those with the Stigmata—men were called papal candidates, women saintess candidates.
All who bore it wielded immense divine power.
To think Aria had one.
It was an unexpected windfall for Kalt.
"A Stigmata."
"Yes, a Stigmata. One that doesn't suit someone like me... I can't understand why the god granted it to me. I... I..."
Clenching her fists, Aria spoke to Kalt in a trembling voice, as if confessing her sins.
"The more I pray... the more I use divine power... the more I end up doubting the god."
'What?'
Using divine power leads to doubting the god.
What on earth did that mean?
Kalt thought for a moment that he'd misheard.
"The more my doubts about the god grow, the harder it becomes to wield divine power. That's... that's my problem."
Kalt immediately began analyzing her confession.
Using divine power causes her to doubt the god.
That meant she didn't start out denying or doubting the god itself.
If she constantly doubted the god, she would have become a Demon King worshipper instead of a priestess.
So the key question was...
'Why does using divine power make her doubt the god?'
"Aria."
"...Yes."
Aria flinched and trembled at his call.
Like a child shaking in fear of punishment for a wrongdoing.
"Thank you first for opening up to me. It must have been hard to say. I'm happy that you trust me so much."
"Kalt..."
Aria had worried that Kalt would get angry upon hearing her problem.
That makes no sense. You've been hiding something this important? You can't believe in the god and still call yourself a priestess? I can't stay in a hopeless party like this.
She'd been on pins and needles, fearing he'd say something like that.
But Kalt spoke to her as gently as he had when they first met.
His kind voice melted into Aria's frightened heart.
"Aria, why do you end up doubting the god when you use divine power? Is there some reason?"
"...Yes."
"Do Nellis and Scarlet know too?"
"Yes. So please listen, Kalt."
Aria clasped her hands together again and began her story.
As a child, Aria was just an ordinary girl with a gentle heart.
A child living peacefully with her parents in the village.
The only difference was that every day, she would visit the village church and offer a short prayer to the God of Light.
The reason was simple. A fairy tale her parents read to her at bedtime.
After hearing the story of the hero who sealed the Demon King under the guidance of the God of Light, she prayed to the god with pure gratitude for bringing peace to the world.
Young Aria vaguely believed.
With the God of Light watching over them, they could live peacefully forever.
But that innocent belief of young Aria was brutally shattered.
-Kraaaah!
"Kyaaah!"
"M-monsters! Everyone, run!"
"Aaaah! M-my arm! No! Don't eat my arm... Aaaah!"
"Dad! Daaad!"
"No! Honey!"
"This is a lie, it's all a lie. Why would something like this happen to me—!"
Monsters attacked the village where Aria lived.
Creatures that shouldn't have been anywhere near the village invaded and began ravaging it.
The kindly smiling village elder was torn apart by monster teeth.
The famous loving couple in the village were devoured by monsters.
Friends who nagged her to stop praying and come play were pierced through by sharp monster claws.
The everyday life Aria took for granted crumbled away.
Her parents grabbed the frozen-in-shock Aria's hand and hurriedly pulled her inside the house.
Aria's home had a basement that her father had made as a hobby mini liquor storage.
"You and Aria hide here! Don't come out no matter what!"
"But honey!"
"Don't even make a tiny sound! Got it?!"
Aria's father hid her mother and young Aria in the basement, then blocked the entrance with furniture.
"Mom... Mom. Why... why..."
"It's okay, Aria. It's okay. It'll be okay."
"B-but Grandpa Cain and Auntie Luin and Uncle Davin and Mina and Pola and Jake too..."
"It's okay... It'll all be okay, Aria. Let's pray. If we pray to the God of Light, surely he'll save us."
She could feel her mother's arms trembling as they held her.
'Pray...'
All Aria could do was pray, just as her mother said.
More fervently, more times, longer than ever.
Aria clasped her hands and prayed to the God of Light.
Not a prayer of thanks for bringing peace to the world.
She begged to be saved, to save the villagers, her dad, her mom, and herself.
Please protect us from the monsters, she prayed over and over.
As she prayed, various sounds reached Aria's ears.
Monsters barking and cackling.
Villagers' screams and wails.
The village breaking and burning.
Her father's shouts and screams.
A heavy thud from above.
Her mother's sobs.
Hearing those sounds, Aria prayed even more desperately.
God, God of Light.
Please save us, save everyone.
Drive away the evil monsters.
Aria prayed so intensely that she didn't even notice the heat rising from her right palm.
Crack!
The sound of the furniture blocking the basement door breaking.
Splinter!
The wooden basement door shattering.
-Kek! Kekeke!
It was goblins.
Three goblins, their hands dripping with blood, invaded the basement.
"M-Mom..."
Aria, ceasing her prayer, looked at her mother.
Powerless, she could only cling to her parents.
"It's okay, it's okay, Aria..."
Even with tears streaming down, Aria's mother forced a smile in front of her daughter and stood on shaking legs.
"They won't touch... our daughter!"
Grabbing a liquor bottle from the basement, Aria's mother charged at the goblins.
"Yaaah!"
"Mom!"
The bottle in her hand smashed against a goblin's head.
But for an ordinary villager, that was the limit.
The other two goblins stabbed knives into her body.
"Guhk!"
One stab, two, three.
Holes from the knives multiplied across Aria's mother's body.
And Aria witnessed it all right before her eyes.
"No! Mom!"
The moment Aria reached out to her bleeding mother, the Stigmata glowed.
A sword of white light materialized in the air and flew toward the goblins.
-Krek!
Pierced by the sword of light, the goblins collapsed, spilling blood.
Aria had unconsciously used Holy Sword.
But to her, the fact that she'd used divine power didn't matter.
"Mom!"
Aria rushed to her bleeding, fallen mother.
"M-Mom! Mom!"
"A-Ari... a."
Blood poured from the wounds inflicted by the goblins as Aria's mother slowly lost her life.
"N-No! Mom! Mom! Y-You can't die!"
"Aria... glad you're... safe... Our most precious..."
The spark of life faded from Aria's mother's eyes.
"M-Mom! Mom! No! Get up! Mom! Mom!"
In a panic, Aria shook her already lifeless mother.
The young girl couldn't yet accept her parents' deaths.
Woooom!
A soft white light emanated from Aria's hand as she shook her mother.
It was the blessing of Great Heal, capable of mending even the gravest wounds.
Her mother's wounds healed instantly.
But...
It couldn't reignite a life already extinguished.
God! God! God of Light!
Aria pleaded with the god repeatedly.
To bring her mother back.
Please let her open her eyes.
Great Heal was cast multiple times, but her dead mother did not revive.
"Haa, haa, hick! Uuh! Haa, haa, haa!"
Divine power just awakened at such a young age.
Even with the Stigmata, using Great Heal repeatedly was too much strain.
Her breath came in gasps from the overuse.
Her mind frayed; she felt like she'd pass out any moment.
But Aria didn't stop.
"M-Mom... M-Mom!"
Even as a child, she vaguely knew.
What had happened to her father the moment the goblins entered.
That her only remaining family was her mother.
So she refused to accept it.
Refused to accept the loss of her last family member.
God. God of Light...!
Just as Aria's mind reached its limit from the excessive divine power...
"Hey! Survivors here!"
Adventurers entered the basement.
"What's this? The kid's using divine power."
"The one collapsed... her mom, huh."
"Wait. Kid, stop! Stop it! You'll endanger yourself at this rate!"
Aria only noticed the adventurers after they pried her away from her mother to stop her.
"N-No... Mom! M-Mom! Mom!"
"Using divine power on her fallen mom, huh. Wait... this person... She's already dead."
The cruel fact she'd refused to accept slipped from the adventurer's mouth.
"A-A-A-A-A-A...!"
She didn't want to accept it.
Couldn't accept it.
But her worn-out mind from the overuse of divine power had no strength left to deny the harsh reality.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
The last thing Aria remembered was her own wail.