I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 173



173 – The Meeting (8)

A man walked through the Hybras temple.

Thump, thump. The pale sand seemed to leave a trace as it pressed down, but then the river of death quietly flowed in and erased the footprints.

The man looked into space.

There was nothing floating in the sky of the new world. There was no moon, no stars, no clouds.

Because Hybras is a god who originally has no interest in the secular world.

All he manages is a river to wash away the soul and a huge cradle for rest.

His new ministry was supposed to be filled with nothing but cold loneliness.

But now it was different.

In one corner of the new territory, a deep green coniferous forest stood. In the middle of it, a pure white snowfield and a shabby hut were built.

Hybras did not visit the hut, but he did not allow the river to invade the place either.

A sight that would have made a man’s eyes fill with anger if he had seen it.

But the man was looking ahead, but not looking ahead.

What he was looking at was the end of some cause and effect. It was something he had to achieve even if it meant giving his all.

Hebras called the man.

“Are you going, Sonarque?”

“… … God. You know that the girl’s prayer is wrong… … Because of this sin, I will one day meet my destruction… … Perhaps you will punish me… … Nevertheless, I must pray to you for this wish… … Please give me back my time. I can endure my destruction, but not his sorrow… … .”

Hebras shook his head.

His voice had already outgrown Sonarq.

Some past or some future was already so full of Sonarq’s mind that it left no room.

Originally, God did not have a specific form.

What does death look like? Order? Faith?

Since gods are originally concepts without substance, they are not beings with any form as humans imagine.

That is why even humans who follow God imagine an image that fits their own biases, but no one can completely observe the image of God.

But the man who was advancing to the shrine. Sonark’s miserable state was clearly revealed.

Basically, it looked exactly like a man. The large horns made him look like a demon, and the black robes he wore made him look like a priest.

The problem is that his whole body is exactly half.

Sonarq’s left leg belonged to a strong man, but the other leg was nothing but bones.

The god, who had only half of his strength left, continued to move forward somewhere.

Hybras left his farewells, knowing they would be out of reach.

“Farewell, Sonarq. God who loves humans.”

* * *

The meeting between the Emperor and Kamigin lasted a total of four days.

The reason for taking so long was because of the elderly emperor’s physical problems and also because he wanted to take his time and slowly resolve the talks.

You could say that this is a sign of efforts to achieve meaningful results in many ways.

However, the results did not turn out as expected.

The high-ranking nobles did not want to bear the political burden of actively dealing with the demons, and the low-ranking nobles were reluctant to do so out of concern.

In particular, the Saint of Faith strongly pushed for negative opinions. Achleon also showed a somewhat skeptical stance, effectively ending the Pantheon’s declaration of full-scale opposition.

As the emperor was unable to push forward actively, the talks ended up ending in a lackluster manner.

There is still one more day left in the talks, but if things continue this way, they will likely end in a breakdown.

It seemed as if Grand Duke Illencia was even considering not attending tomorrow’s meeting.

In the end, all this meeting left behind was a complicated political battle.

It seemed like no one laughed at the end.

Except for one person.

“It seems things aren’t going well with the Abyss Demon King, Your Majesty.”

“… … So you knew that too.”

“I want to make sure you don’t misunderstand, I didn’t tail you or anything. It’s just that Temes’s grace is widely spread throughout this world.”

“Don’t worry too much. I don’t plan on driving out the Order’s followers from the palace, even if I don’t say so. They’re too spread out for that. It’s better to be careful of just one person than to be careful of so many.”

“Okay, then. So, can I consider you to have made up your mind now?”

Saint Achilles smiled kindly.

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Although he looked like a saint, as if he were painted in a painting, it was impossible to shake off the feeling that he looked artificial.

The crown prince quietly closed his eyes.

Karzan Edelmar knew.

A beautiful smile is not just about looking perfect.

A slightly more imperfect appearance than that. For example, hair that is a bit messy because it has not been properly organized, and emotions that are not hidden.

A beautiful smile is not something that is orchestrated in the head, but rather it is created when the facial expression moves first and then the joy is realized.

That kind of smile was the kind that no one wearing a mask like himself or Achilles could ever produce in their entire lives.

A girl who has what even the Crown Prince of the Empire and the Saint of Order don’t have.

After all, he needed to protect Ellis.

“Yes. I’ve made up my mind. There’s something I can never give up.”

“That’s the law for everyone. Just as I have to keep the order of Temes, let’s keep what we have to keep.”

“… … Is Ellis really going to be okay?”

“Didn’t I tell you? It will not be I who will heal Lady Ellis’s body, but the gods of the high heavens. If I pray to the heavens through Temes─ ‘Light’ will descend upon Lady Ellis.”

Achilles spread his arms wide.

In the Crown Prince’s view, the emotion he harbored was ecstasy.

All priests feel great joy when they see the God they believe in with their own eyes.

From that perspective, Achilles could be said to be a very ordinary and common believer.

The heavenly gods perform miracles directly at his request. Miracles that are on a different level from those that use merely the divine powers that have been handed down to him.

That excitement was something that ordinary people could never understand.

Even now, Achleon was so happy that he almost shed tears.

But in the Crown Prince’s eyes, his belief seemed like madness.

“You said it was an incurable disease. You also said that I would never see the light of day. For us humans who live in the grace of heaven, it is a disease that prevents us from walking under the sun. How cruel and pitiful that is!”

“Don’t speak of Alice’s story so carelessly.”

“But Your Majesty, there is nothing to worry about now! Under the guidance of the light, Lady Ellis will open her eyes. Her sick body will be healed as if it had been washed, and the sunlight will only warm her.”

Thump. Just hearing it made the crown prince’s heart race.

How could I not wish for it? If only Ellis had been a little healthier, we could have had a little happier time.

She would not have suffered, and I would not have suffered from this terrible loneliness and anxiety.

Two people, a man and a woman, appeared in the crown prince’s mind.

A cold-looking beauty with silver hair and red eyes. And a black-haired knight who reminded one of a ferocious beast.

It was the Grand Duke of Illencia and Count Bertus.

In his view, Sirien Illencia was of the same species as himself.

A person who lives wearing a mask. A woman who looks at others like chess pieces and can make harsh judgments whenever necessary.

She too was born a ruler and was destined to live as a ruler, just like herself.

– I have a favor to ask you. Is that okay?

– I’m fine, but Your Highness will know everything you tell me.

But Grand Duke Illencia was different from him.

There was already someone by her side who had infinite trust in her.

Someone you could always rely on. Someone who would protect you instead of targeting you when you showed weakness.

The crown prince searched for such a person his entire life, but was never able to find one.

– Did you hear? At this debutante ball, Grand Duke Illencia… … .

– The love between those two was so intense… … !

Besides, she already had love.

When was it?

I once had a chance meeting with those two and had a meal together. It was a day when Ellis was particularly energetic.

That day, Karjan Edelmar felt a strong shock. It was as if he had discovered a new world.

That woman who seemed so cold-blooded had eyes that said she couldn’t stand being in love.

He gave meaning to every little action, and smiled happily whenever their eyes met.

‘What was different about me!’

I thought that a person like me would never be able to enjoy such happiness.

I thought I would spend my whole life struggling in solitude and then face a cold, lonely death.

He considered it his destiny.

But that wasn’t the case for Grand Duke Illencia.

The warmth she enjoyed seemed so warm and comfortable.

The warmth gave the crown prince a cruel hope.

The Crown Prince needed warmth. That’s why he couldn’t give up on Ellis.

“What do you wish for?”