Chapter 420: Mourning
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 420: Mourning
"Like hell I was the one getting bent over! I’m always the one doing the bending, alright?"
Muen stood up with a distorted expression, rubbing his backside.
The dizziness in his head was gradually fading, but the pain in his rear remained. From the lingering force of the impact, Muen could practically visualize the perpetrator’s teeth-gritting expression as they committed the deed.
Dammit, who did that?
Don't tell me that wretched old loli is hiding somewhere again, watching this for a laugh.
Or perhaps...
The image of that iconic golden door flashed through his mind. Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, Muen immediately didn't dare to follow that train of thought any further.
Stealing crops was the kind of business one had to keep low-key. Very low-key. Otherwise, it was far too easy to get thrashed.
Especially since he was currently standing right in the "farmer's" backyard. If they decided to shut the gates and slaughter the pig now, not even Jesus could save him.
At that thought, Muen swallowed the curses rising to his throat and straightened his clothes. He regained the elegant and composed demeanor befitting a nobleman, acting as if his previous pathetic state had never existed. He turned and casually surveyed his surroundings.
Inside the vast cathedral, the lights burned bright. The statue of the Goddess stood at the highest point, gazing down at the masses with eyes full of compassion.
People were already waiting in the rows of seats. Though they were few, they were all familiar faces to Muen.
Margarita and Paul.
Annie and Reta.
Fei'er and Thunder Spear.
And... Liya, who had just stepped out of the door and was peeking around curiously.
Plus himself.
Aside from Freya and Brian, who had sacrificed themselves in Cantville, all the Saintess candidates and their God-Attendant Knights were gathered once more.
There were no other outsiders present. The solemn atmosphere immediately made Muen realize the gravity of the situation, and his expression turned serious.
He locked eyes with Liya. She shook her head slightly at him, offering a reassuring smile that told him not to worry.
"You certainly took your time..."
Margarita, who seemed to have been praying just moments ago, rose elegantly from before the Goddess statue. She glanced at Muen, her narrow eyes squinting slightly. "Though it may be a bit rude, might I ask what you two were doing in there for so long?"
"W-What do you mean, 'doing'?"
Muen kept a straight face. "We didn't do anything at all."
"Mhm!" Liya’s face flushed slightly as she nodded vigorously in agreement. "We didn't do anything!"
"What's with that reaction?" Margarita gave Liya a strange look.
"It's nothing..."
"Ho ho, I smell something fishy," Fei'er remarked with a smile, yawning as she napped on one of the long benches nearby.
Muen ignored Fei'er and looked at the slightly frowning Margarita. He had a rough idea of why she was being so urgent and blunt with her questioning.
"What exactly are you trying to ask?"
"Naturally, I'm asking what you did inside that tower. Do I really need to repeat myself several times?"
"And I've already answered. We didn't do anything," Muen said, spreading his hands innocently.
Was she joking? Sending a full million people to meet the Goddess was the kind of thing he couldn't just blabber about.
Even if those million were sinners, such an act was absolutely unacceptable to the world, whether from a moral or legal standpoint.
Therefore, it had to remain a private understanding between him and the Church. Otherwise, if word got out, he’d be hauled onto the judgment seat and sentenced to death a few hundred times over.
"So, that sun constructed from Evil God flames and the falling of the moon... neither of those were your doing?" Margarita’s gaze was suspicious.
The Crimson Sun of the Evil God that had hung high in the sky, and the moon that had suddenly plummeted afterward, still left her with lingering fears. If they hadn't escaped quickly, they likely would have been turned to dust by the aftershocks of the collision.
"Do you think we're in league with an Evil God?" Muen continued to play the innocent.
"No, it's just that the Evil God's sun... it should have come from that one. But that being shouldn't have any connection to Cantville regardless. It could only have been brought in by an outsider. And at the time, the only two outsiders in the tower were..."
"That's a bit of a leap in logic, don't you think?"
Muen didn't panic in the slightest. Exercising the specialty of an excellent nobleman, he placed a hand over his heart like he was giving a speech, his face full of pure sincerity. "Heaven as my witness, I am a model noble youth of impeccable pedigree. Why would I sabotage my own future by using the power of an Evil God? Much less collude with one. Miss Margarita, you're overthinking things."
Of course he wasn't "colluding" with an Evil God.
He had simply fleeced several Evil Gods for all they were worth. As for a certain "Wilted Guy" who preferred to remain anonymous, describing him as having been "cuckolded" wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
"Is that so..."
Margarita stared into Muen’s eyes but found nothing unusual. She could only rub her temples and offer an apologetic look. "My apologies. As a candidate for the Church's Saintess, I can't help but be wary and curious about such matters. After all..."
Freya and Ai La Ze.
Looking at their status alone, they had no motive to collude with an Evil God either.
But a person, regardless of their status, is always a complex creature.
The reason for choosing to strike a deal with an Evil God could be a desire to save someone even at the cost of one's soul, or it could simply be a tiny, twisted desire buried in the heart.
"I understand. Regarding these questions, you can ask the Church. With your status, you should be able to get an answer."
"True, but why do I feel like I won't get the real answer?" Margarita said with a half-smile.
"I'm an outsider; I don't get to decide that." The corners of Muen’s mouth curled slightly. "Besides, Miss Margarita, that's not what you're truly curious about, is it?"
"...Correct. That question was just a side note. Since you and Liya appeared here, that possibility isn't very high."
Margarita nodded, not denying it. Her gaze fell upon Liya, who had been very quiet this whole time.
Annie was even more direct. Seemingly unable to stand Margarita’s roundabout way of speaking, she stepped up onto a chair, bringing her eyes level with Liya’s. The two girls stared at each other, eye to eye.
The Holy Ceremony had reached this point, yet the suspense remained unresolved.
However, Freya had sacrificed herself, and Fei'er had voluntarily withdrawn. The final result rested on the three of them.
No, it would be more accurate to say it rested on Liya. In the eyes of Margarita and Annie—who had fought side-by-side just moments ago—the factor that would ultimately decide the outcome was what Liya had actually done inside that tower.
Whether she had... as they suspected, truly saved the indigenous people of that kingdom.
If that were the case, then no matter how much Margarita and Annie filled their crystals, they wouldn't be able to shake that result.
But...
"You don't have to be like this."
Facing their gazes, Liya suddenly gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
She didn't offer much of an explanation; she simply took out her own crystal.
The result was clear for all to see.
Because that crystal, despite having served as a medium for the Holy Light Baptism just now, was still stained with filth that had not vanished.
Like a dense black mist, it filled the entire crystal. Only a few pinpricks of light flickered pitifully within.
"This is..."
Both girls looked shocked.
They didn't know where this corruption had come from, but they understood that if the final evaluation depended on this crystal, then Liya...
"I wasn't able to save anyone."
The dim light of the crystal reflected in Liya’s eyes. Her voice betrayed no joy or sorrow.
"And so, I have lost my qualification."
*
After getting the answer they wanted, Margarita and Annie offered Liya a few words of comfort and stopped pressing her about Cantville.
Instead, these two, who were comrades-in-arms not long ago, began to glare coldly at each other, sparks practically flying between their gazes.
The atmosphere grew heavy. The two "Double A's" began to clash head-on, occasionally trading barbs like, "With a chest that small, you're better off giving up," or "If you become the Saintess, every bra shop owner on the continent will weep."
In short, it felt like a series of petty, mutually destructive insults.
"Since when did those two get so close?" Muen nudged Paul, who was watching the show from the side, with his elbow.
Paul’s face was slightly pale, and he looked utterly drained. "They went through a life-and-death situation together. Of course they're going to be close."
"Oh. Then why do you look so terrible?"
"Why else?" Paul said miserably. "I'm just a guy who swings a sword one hit at a time, yet I had to keep up with that killing machine. I was literally putting my life on the line. Unfortunately, for the sake of my lady, I had no choice but to push myself."
He let out a long sigh. "I've truly been squeezed until there isn't a single drop left."
"I understand, I understand." Muen patted Paul on the shoulder.
Paul turned in surprise, looking closely at Muen’s face. Seeing that he also looked completely spent, he patted Muen’s shoulder back with a sympathetic sigh. "We truly are brothers in suffering."
"..."
Muen’s mouth twitched, his expression turning odd.
He didn't think they were "brothers in suffering" at all.
Because while they were both "squeezed dry," the difference between their versions of being squeezed was sometimes greater than the difference between a scumbag and a simp.
*
The confrontation between the two girls didn't last long. As the Holy Light began to converge automatically, the Saintess, clad in a gown of pure, sacred white, finally made her appearance.
"Your Holiness."
Everyone bowed respectfully.
"My apologies for being late."
The Saintess nodded to everyone in greeting, her eyes—as gentle as ever—carefully scanning each person.
Then, her gaze fixed on a spot, as if looking at a certain Saintess candidate and her knight who were no longer there.
"A mourning for the deceased is not suited for this moment, yet let us still express our sorrow for the young girl who has returned to the Goddess's embrace to seek the one she loved."
The Saintess pressed her hands together and offered a soft prayer.
"She was a kind soul, a noble soul, a loving soul. Her deeds shall be remembered by the world. She shall be with the Holy Light, with us, and with the Goddess."
"With the Goddess."
It wasn't a particularly formal farewell, but everyone present was still moved by the memory of the Saintess candidate who had departed forever.
Even Muen, watching from the side, felt a momentary daze. He felt as if he had returned to the very beginning, to the first time he had met Freya in this very place.
Back then, the girl he had been so wary of had smiled gently and walked up to him.
"Mr. Muen, do you like flowers?"