Chapter 214: I Ask Your Eyes-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: I Ask Your Eyes-1
Even though she was in the room where she had lived for years, her mind was not at ease.
It wasn't because of the interrogation she was soon to face. The news that the Saint was to be executed had shattered her composure.
The Harvest Festival was a major holiday for the Order.
It was a day to gather the seeds sown in the spring, cook them into delicious meals to share, and give thanks for God’s grace.
But the joy that should have blossomed through shared food and stories was nowhere to be found; instead, a heavy silence had settled over the entire Order.
"The Saint is a devil?"
Maria muttered, her face vacant.
He had clearly been framed.
A wicked devil must have pinned its crimes on the Saint.
The entire Order was being toyed with by a devil’s scheme.
Executions were not carried out during the Harvest Festival.
The earliest the execution could take place was noon the following day.
If she was going to get him out, she had to do it tonight.
Maria looked out the window.
The moon had already risen; it was time to make a decision.
Getting up from her bed, she began to pace the room.
"No."
She was confident that she understood the Saint better than anyone.
His voice.
She did not believe that the gentle voice that called her name had changed.
"No."
His eyes.
She did not believe that the benevolent gaze that looked upon her when she woke in the morning had changed.
His smile.
She did not believe that his smile—which made her laugh just by looking at it, like the comforting rays of spring sunshine—had changed.
His body heat.
The warmth of his skin felt through her small palms had not changed.
His scent.
His sweet fragrance was no different than before.
None of it had changed. Of that, she was certain.
And yet, they claimed he was possessed by a devil?
That she was being deceived?
"No!!!"
With a sharp scream, Maria slammed her fist down onto the desk in her room. A crack formed in the center of the desk, and it split clean in half.
Paper, pens, and inkwells flew into the air from the impact before scattering haphazardly across the floor.
Maria stared blankly at her own fist.
She strode forward and stood before the door.
She felt a sudden certainty that she could twist this heavy door open right now.
She heard the sound of footsteps running toward her from outside.
Maria took a deep breath and placed her hand on the doorknob.
But even until the moment she applied strength to her hand, Maria could not find a clear answer to the question:
[Why is he the Saint?]
*
The Holy Knights and Inquisitors rushing toward Maria’s room were struck by the door as it went flying with an explosive boom, sending them tumbling down the hallway.
A clamor unbefitting the solemnity of Solacusia spread through the air.
"The prisoner is attempting to escape!"
It was the shout of a Holy Knight who had managed to keep his wits about him.
His alarm didn't last long, however, as the "prisoner" kicked him in the jaw and knocked him unconscious.
Maria passed the scene she had created and headed for the basement.
Upon arriving at the interrogation rooms where prisoners were kept, Maria easily found where the Saint was located.
He was in the deepest part of the prison, the place where the Order’s greatest sinners were confined.
"She’s here!!"
Had they realized because of the commotion above?
The corridor leading to the interrogation room was packed with Holy Knights and Inquisitors lying in wait.
Confronting those blocking her path, Maria threw a punch to the side.
With the sound of something exploding, a small hole appeared in the wall.
She reached into the interlocking construction materials and pulled out a single gray brick.
"Everyone, prepare for combat!"
A Holy Knight with a shield stood at the front, blocking her way.
She couldn't reach the Saint without clearing them out.
Maria pulled her arm back and stomped her left foot.
The brick was launched in a straight line.
—THUD!
With a heavy metallic ring, the lead Holy Knight was instantly blown backward.
Unable to withstand the stone's momentum, he became a projectile himself, flying back with the brick and sweeping up everyone who had been waiting behind his shield in the impact.
Maria ran inward, trampling over those among the fallen who were still conscious.
*
"Saint!!"
Maria tore the door off its hinges, and the sight of the Saint standing bound in chains inside the musty cell came into view.
"......"
Even at a glance, the Saint’s condition was not good.
Maria embraced the blood-soaked Saint.
A thick stench of blood was mixed into his sweet scent.
"Saint! I’m here. Please, open your eyes."
"Sister Maria."
The Saint, who had been closing his eyes, slowly called her name.
"You’re awake. Please, pull yourself together. We have to get out of here."
Maria said as she applied strength to the chains binding the Saint’s hands.
"You won't be able to break them."
The Saint, exhausted, spoke with certainty.
Just as he said, the chains didn't budge.
Maria pulled at the chains again and again, as if she couldn't believe it.
Where had that strength that had surged within her on her way here gone?
No matter how much she struggled, the chains showed no sign of breaking.
"Sister Maria, look at me."
At the Saint’s call, Maria turned her head.
"You shouldn't be here right now. Please, run away."
"How can I run away and leave you behind!"
"Sister Maria, you cannot save me right now."
"What do you mean by that! Just wait a moment, I’ll take these chains..."
Maria picked up a rusted sword lying in the interrogation room and prepared to strike the chains.
"Maria Roen!!"
The hanging Saint squeezed out his strength and shouted.
At that command, Maria froze.
The Saint looked into Maria’s eyes and spoke.
"The execution is tomorrow at noon."
"There are people trying to save me. When the execution begins, they will cause a commotion, and those waiting in reserve will rescue me."
"Who on earth...?"
The Saint had no particular support base.
Where were there people to help him?
"They are people I recruited while I was away from you."
Maria’s brow furrowed.
"Sister Maria, do you not trust me? A Saint does not lie."
Even in his exhaustion, the Saint smiled. It was the face of someone certain he would not die.
"But... but..."
"Believe. You must believe."
The Saint emphasized faith.
"There is no chance of both of us getting out of here. We must wait for the moment tomorrow."
The Saint persuaded her; his persistent and serious persuasion caused Maria’s heart to waver.
"Then, truly, tomorrow at the square?"
Maria asked, as if to confirm.
"That’s right. When the rescue begins, you just need to help them, Sister Maria."
The Saint told Maria what she needed to do.
At that persuasion, Maria let go of the chains she had been holding.
The chains rattled and swayed.
"Now, go. Before more people arrive!"
As the Saint shouted, Maria turned around and began to hurry out of the basement dungeon.
Maria exited Solaruchia, slamming the swarming crowds into the walls.
Unlike in the interrogation room, her hands, which were striking people aside, were filled with a strength that transcended common sense.
The main gate of Solaruchia.
Under the full moon, someone stood alone to block her path.
Maria, who had been running with all her might, came to a halt.
"I have been waiting for you, Sister Maria."
"Chief Inquisitor."
Chief Inquisitor Lumen.
The pinnacle of the Inquisitors, who had made hundreds of sinners repent, stood before Maria.
Maria tensed her entire body, preparing for the fight to come.
She knew all too well that he was not someone who could be bypassed with a half-hearted attack.
"For an Inquisitor to abandon their faith for personal feelings... Or have you truly been bewitched by a devil?"
—THUD
The head of the weapon he held struck the ground, making a sound.
A giant axe—that was Lumen’s armament.
Maria checked her own condition.
Her body was covered in minor wounds gained while escaping Solaruchia, and she had no proper equipment.
"Take this."
Lumen threw something at her.
A massive greatsword wrapped in dirty cloth.
It was Maria’s own weapon.
The heavy greatsword flew through the air and landed at Maria’s feet.
Maria silently unwrapped the cloth from the sword.
Her massive greatsword revealed itself.
Maria gripped the sword with both hands and took a deep breath.
She recalled the nighttime training grounds she had shared with the Saint.
"Are you ready?"
Lumen asked. Maria’s green eyes stared straight at him.
"Yes."
The moment Maria finished speaking, Lumen vanished from her sight.
A silver object surged toward her from the front; Maria raised the flat of her blade to prepare for the coming impact.
But the impact never came.
Lumen, who had suddenly lunged to her side, swept Maria’s back leg.
"Urgh!"
Just as she felt her center of gravity shift, she fell backward.
"So, will you explain to me why the Saint is the Saint?"
Lumen’s calm voice drifted down over her as she fell.
"......."
Maria remained silent at the question that had remained unsolved since she left her room.
"I see."
As if understanding, Lumen pulled back the hand that wasn't holding his axe.
Then, he thrust it toward her face.
"You are the type who can only believe what you see with your eyes."
[For faith is like the air; it is realizing the reality of that which is not seen.]
Watching Lumen’s fingers heading for her eyes, Maria recalled the words of the Scripture she had transcribed long ago.
—SQUELCH
Along with the sensation of something soft being pierced, an intense agony struck her brain.
"AAAAAAAGHHHH!!!!"
A sharp scream tore from Maria’s mouth.
She clutched her face and rolled around on the ground.
Bright red blood gushed out from between the palms covering her face.
Lumen, clad in silver armor, looked down at her with an expressionless face.
Between her pale fingers, a mysterious green eye was pulled along with them.