67
Chapter 67
"You know what, Saint?"
Hearing her voice and realizing the nature of love brings back old memories.
Of the time I was imprisoned in Tartarus, the deepest dungeon of the Babel Tower.
[What do you mean by that?]
"The way I used to dismiss your rambling about love as total nonsense."
[Yes, I remember every moment I spent with you, Joker.]
Does love have energy? Does it have a shape, a mass, or mana?
Back then, I answered that it didn't.
But it does. I didn't know it then, but I know now. Why? Because I experienced it myself.
To touch one person's heart is a simple task. Humans are beasts of change.
To touch a demon's heart is a difficult task. Demons are driven more by nature and instinct.
To touch my heart? I considered that nearly impossible. Even the Lord and Cheonwoong failed.
But the Saint succeeded.
Therefore, I acknowledge love. I pay my respects to the Saint who made me an Apostle of Love.
Of course... this is strictly a subjective form of love.
"Ahaha, that's a very kind thing to say."
[Not at all. But why are you bringing this up now...?]
"Because I'm about to start exploring that very love."
[Pardon?]
"Saint, do you happen to know of Saint Iroel?"
At the words spilling from my lips, the sound coming through the rosary falters. She paused, as if recalling something.
[Saint Iroel... are you referring to the Reformation Saint?]
"Yeah, the one who was the King of Humans' lover. Or rather, the one the King of Humans loved."
[She is quite famous. Once she decided something was right, she pushed it through until the very end... She was a Saint from approximately 300 years before I was born.]
"Do you happen to know much about Iroel's life? I was alive while she was, but I spent most of my time in the Demon Realm, so I didn't know her very well."
[I have read about her in books... but why are you suddenly asking about Saint Iroel?]
I can feel a certain sharpness in the Saint's question. It's as if sharp thorns have sprouted.
I know why she's acting this way. It's jealousy. Iroel was a woman too, so she's likely wondering if I'm planning to keep Iroel by my side, just like I did with Aru and Beatrice.
"Ahahaha! The sight of you getting jealous never fails to make me laugh!"
[P-please answer me! Why are you mentioning Saint Iroel all of a sudden!]
"Haa... it's been a while since I've laughed this hard. Saint, I know what you're worried about, but you can put those fears to rest. The Iroel of this era is already dead. It's currently Imperial Year 414. She's been gone for a long time."
[Ah... I see. I was foolish enough to forget.]
The Saint's voice shrinks, perhaps embarrassed that she felt such a vulgar emotion as jealousy. If we were still trapped together in Tartarus, I would have teased her relentlessly, but it's a shame. My time on the phone is quite limited.
[Anyway, to speak in detail about Saint Iroel, she is famous as the Reformation Saint, as everyone knows. She was especially considered the Continent's Best when it came to her drive to get things done.]
The Saint didn't forget that fact, and she quickly returned to the original topic. Now that she knew I didn't intend to personally meet Saint Iroel, there was nothing left to hold her back.
[Are you aware of the Holy Church's marriage system and the history of its changes?]
"I heard that the Holy Church originally didn't allow priests to marry. On the grounds that a priest serving God must be pure and chaste."
[Yes. However, following the Messiah's doctrine to 'be fruitful and multiply,' the Church allowed clergy to marry starting from Imperial Year 114. But... as with any religion, the Holy Nation gradually declined and became corrupt. Filthy priests violated the doctrine of having only one spouse and frequented brothels, and the Church, consisting mostly of such priests, overlooked it.]
She speaks calmly, yet there is a faint sadness in her words. The Saint is like an incarnation of the Lord's doctrine. Confessing the stains in the history of the Church she believes in cannot be easy, even if she wasn't the one who committed those acts.
But the Saint does not hide it. The most significant part of her values is continuous self-reflection and repentance. She moves forward by correcting and ruminating on the sins of the past. That is who Saint Maria is.
Saint Iroel had harbored similar thoughts.
[However, not everyone lived a life soaked in pleasure. Saint Iroel demanded reforms from the corrupted Church early on, and eventually, using her authority as a Saint, she went as far as changing the doctrine. This was the major event after Imperial Year 394, where lust among all clergy within the Church was strictly forbidden.]
"That's why she's still called the Reformation Saint."
[Yes. Many believers left the Church due to the reforms at the time, but as a result, the purge was successful. The Holy Church returned to the piety and discipline of its early days. Consequently, by the time of my birth in Imperial Year 700, the Holy Nation was considered one of the most virtuous nations on the continent.]
That is why Saint Iroel is still beloved in the future. To the point that she is called the greatest cleric since the Messiah, alongside Saint Maria.
[That's not all. When the Empire announced its plan to annihilate the Demon Beast Forest to the continent, most nations complied, but Saint Iroel alone opposed it. Her reason was that the forest was part of the natural ecosystem and the only home for certain beasts. When the Empire still tried to push the plan through, Saint Iroel eventually went to the forest alone.]
"Two hundred years after that, it was revealed through the mouth of the King of Humans that Iroel had died in the Demon Beast Forest. The King said he loved her with all his heart. And the King really was a hopeless romantic, wasn't he? To the point that even after hundreds of years, when he emerged into the civilized world, he only reminisced about Iroel."
[I have heard stories about it. That is all I know. Was this helpful to you?]
The Saint asks cautiously. I unconsciously nodded toward her invisible presence and answered.
"Yeah, it helped. My faded memories have become clearer."
[I am glad. It makes me happy to be of assistance to you.]
Hmm, it really feels like bundles of memories are resurfacing. I dwelled on those recollections.
Was it twenty years ago?
At that time, Demon King Kanos stated that she would not invade the continent for the next 200 years.
The reason was that the continent was too weak compared to her to be worth invading.
While this was obviously great news for the continent, it created a different kind of headache.
The 'Hero Party,' which had been cultivated to prepare for the Demon King's invasion.
They are essential forces for a final battle with the Demon King, but if the Demon King refuses to fight, they are nothing more than money-sucking parasites.
Think about it. Hundreds of people are involved in raising a single Hero. Countless top teachers and education, as well as the luxury meals, housing, servants, and power that must be supported every year...
And it's not just the Hero. The mages, archers, warriors, porters, and various others in the Hero Party... nations must provide full support to each and every one of them.
Why? Because the Hero Party is noble. They carry the great destiny of saving the world. It is difficult to bring them down, even by framing them.
The Hero Party chosen by God is vile? Even if they are truly hideous humans, that fact must be suppressed. If the Hero Party, who are essentially the fantasy of the masses, were revealed to be filthy, it would directly impact royal and divine authority.
In short, they are a burden. It would be great if they could at least be used as military forces in a war, but the rule that the Hero Party only moves for the peace of the continent prevents that. After all, isn't the Hero Party formed by selecting the most talented people from across the continent for the Empire to train?
After contemplating what to do with these burdens, the Empire finally came up with a plan. The Demon Beast Forest, the cursed land and the place where dimensions between the continent and the Demon Realm distort, is a forbidden zone for the continental people.
They devised a plot to destroy that very Demon Beast Forest. To be precise, a plot to eliminate the Hero Party using the forest.
From the Empire's perspective, it was a win-win. If the useless, budget-draining Hero Party died, it could be packaged as a noble sacrifice, and destroying the forest would give them the prestige of erasing a blighted land from the continent.
However, that plot hit a brick wall from an unexpected place. Saint Iroel opposed it, claiming it was morally wrong.
After that, well... it's just as I discussed with the Saint earlier.
[Are you perhaps planning to meet the King of Humans?]
The Saint asks, as if sensing something.
"Huh? You figured it out?"
[Since he is the only one in the Demon Beast Forest during this era. You've made a wise decision. The King of Humans has no reason to interfere with the Human Realm, so history won't be distorted, and since he possesses immense power, recruiting him would be a great asset. And...]
"And?"
[The King of Humans is a 'man.' Hehehehe-.]
The Saint's laughter, which sounded oddly ominous, echoed in my ears.
"...."
What on earth turned the Maria I knew into this? Ah, right, it was me.
Hmm...
I start to think that I should probably bring some female companions along in the future.
At this rate, once I meet the Saint 300 years from now, she's going to become a total clingy mess, sticking to me all day.
*****
There is a hut made of wood. It isn't a hut that shows any particular aesthetic sense. It is a shelter that pursues only utility and simplicity.
Inside the hut, a middle-aged man sits staring blankly. He has a thick beard reaching down to his chin, and his massive, muscular frame is draped in animal skins.
His appearance is such that, at night, one might mistake him for a beast like a gorilla. However, contrary to that savage appearance.
"Love... did..."
He was uttering a clumsy but clear 'sentence.' It was the language of the continental people, something rarely heard from the monsters residing in the Demon Beast Forest.
In the savage's grip was a Silver Cross. It was a cross that held a soft, subtle light. The savage clutched it to his chest as if it were a treasure that couldn't be traded for anything in the world. Against a chest covered in muscle and hair.
"Today... hunting..."
Even though there was clearly no one around, the savage muttered to himself as he stood up. His immense height, which nearly reached the ceiling of the hut, stretched out.
It was a struggle to avoid forgetting language and letters. A purpose that no one unaware of the savage's circumstances would ever imagine.
Screeech-.
The crude wooden door, designed with vines and pieces of wood, opens. It was the moment the massive savage, who had to crouch deeply to barely squeeze through the small door, lifted his head under the pouring sunlight.
"Hello! I am Oscar from the Moonlight Wolf Association, which provides comfortable and convenient revenge for all those dreaming of vengeance! I'm just a sales employee for now, but I'm the employee who will one day become the president of the Moonlight Wolf Association!"
A man wearing a white suit, a white hat, and a white mask appeared before the savage. With arms spread wide, the man cheerfully and loudly shouted words that made no sense.