Chapter 53

What methods are there for communication in situations where people speak different languages?

Usually, it takes a long time to study each other’s languages.

In fact, on Earth, religion has played quite a role in this sort of thing.

To evangelize those who don’t believe in God, one must understand their language. Usually, those in isolated areas haven’t shown any interest from the start.

Therefore, many who traveled to various countries in the past tried to stay in those places and translate the Bible into the local language.

The issue is whether there will even be a written language—or, honestly, whether the other party has a language at all that we could communicate with.

Above all, the church is currently in a bit of a pickle. We can’t convey the Bible properly when we haven’t even organized the version yet!

So, the people of this world came up with a much simpler method.

“There’s a common emotion that we see in the ‘goblins’ you captured,”

Han Yu-ri said, placing the report in front of her.

“Fear.”

She declared it with a slightly serious expression.

“That emotion is fear.”

“Isn’t it possible that this is the emotion they feel because of you?”

I asked seriously.

It’s not strange to think that way. My power is capable of scorching goblins in masses. No one could see flames roaring in front of them and not feel fear.

“It’s more like an older kind of fear.”

“Can you even tell that?”

“Magic power leaves traces even as time passes by. If the other party is a monster—while I can’t read their memories, I can at least sense strong emotions they felt a few days ago. And if that emotion lingered without interruption for a long time…”

Han Yu-ri pushed the report closer to me.

“This fear has been ongoing since before encountering the Saintess.”

“…….”

I read the report. Having learned a bit about magic, I still found it difficult to fully grasp all its specialized aspects. Still, the neatly concluded parts at the end reflected Han Yu-ri’s character.

“The goblins have been fleeing from something.”

“Yes. At least, that’s our understanding. They were coming down from the north—and it seems that this group is the vanguard. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

As she looked at me seriously, Han Yu-ri said,

“Some of the goblins had wounds from magic power. Perhaps, those in the vanguard were pretty carefully selected beings.”

Even monsters can suffer from magic power. It’s not just about fireballs or icicles made with spells.

People drink water, but if they stay too long underwater, they can die. They use fire to create warmth, but if it gets too hot, they can die. They breathe oxygen, but inhaling pure oxygen at too high a concentration can be dangerous.

“…They’ve escaped from something more dangerous.”

“Yes, that’s what we concluded.”

Han Yu-ri nodded with a serious expression.

I turned to look behind me.

There was Ria, standing like my bodyguard.

“…….”

The one feeling the summarized story led me to feel just one emotion.

What in the world is going on?

I made a few conjectures.

If the original story didn’t feature goblins, it’s probably because they were treated like any other monsters without distinction, meaning there would be no opportunity to read their ’emotions.’

The original story does speak of a ‘gate that was closed due to danger.’

However, it doesn’t delve into the specifics of where each gate is located. So, I can’t tell whether that ‘closed gate’ refers to the gate that led the goblins here, or if it speaks of the gate where that huge monkey appeared earlier.

Though it is mentioned that the Saintess had saved Lee Si-yoon, it seems that she’s probably referring to the time when he came to the church right before he was about to die, or shortly after that big monkey incident.

Likely, by the standards of the main story, goblins encountered hunters stationed in a certain place and were completely wiped out, leaving no knowledge about what lay beyond or why the goblins had come down.

And I began to think that the ‘object of fear’ might be one of those dangerous monsters that appear in the later half of the novel.

“…….”

The hunters concluded that it was worth investigating what that object of fear was.

Whatever that object might be, if it is indeed gradually approaching the gate, or has that potential, we must check if we can resolve it on our end.

If we can’t resolve it, closing the gate might just be an option.

After that, I went up to the rooftop of the building. A few hunters were there. They made eye contact with me, but didn’t bother to intervene. They just lightly nodded at each other.

I approached the railing and looked down. It was a small building compared to the ones in Hyehwa-dong, but lacking in illumination, so the darkness made it seem oddly tall.

There wasn’t a beautiful garden like before. Still, it was well-equipped as a break area.

Ria came to stand beside me.

She probably had questions after listening to our conversation earlier. But she didn’t initiate any dialogue, simply staying by my side in silence like a loyal escort.

When I turned to gaze at Ria, she finally broke into a slightly incredulous smile and spoke.

“If you want to say something, just go ahead.”

“……I do want to say something, but I don’t quite know what that is.”

“Really?”

Ria shrugged her shoulders.

“Then wait it out.”

“Wait?”

“Until you speak.”

“……Why?”

“Um… there’s no particular reason.”

Ria gazed at me quietly before finally speaking up.

No specific reason.

I let out a short, hollow laugh.

Saying that makes her seem like a friend. Friends often chat without a reason. Or maybe, can I consider her a friend now?

“I don’t really know what I want to do.”

“You don’t know what you want?”

“No.”

What do I want to do in this world?

Proving atheism? Demonstrating that there’s no god in this world and that the being above isn’t a god to eliminate this government’s theocratic policies?

I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t like theocratic states, but I don’t want to deny the significance of religion.

Sometimes, that very existence brings comfort to people. It can become a reason to live, and—though I don’t particularly want to admit it—there are people who do good deeds for that reason.

If you only focus on harm, nothing gets resolved. That applies to atheism too. There have been dictators who established atheism as the country’s foundation and suppressed religions without distinction.

I didn’t want to create that kind of world either.

“Saving people?”

“That’s not something I do because I want to.”

I think it’s something I have to do.

Helping someone is a bit enjoyable. If even one of those I’ve helped smiles and thanks me, it feels like I made a good choice, and I feel proud.

But even so, work is work. It’s necessary. I have to do it to prove my beliefs.

If I can help someone, I must. If I make excuses and back off, I’ll just be a hypocrite.

I can’t say that I didn’t have that obsession.

So, is that why that being brought me to this world? To see if I would act like that here too?

“Well, I have power, and if I see someone hurt right in front of me, I can’t deny it. Not helping someone when I can is just… an excuse.”

“Really?”

Ria, who had been listening to me, turned away and leaned against the railing to look up at the sky.

Her red hair fluttered in the wind. The buildings, as well as the outside, were dim due to lack of lights, but her striking red hair stood out clearly.

The wind blew, her hair scattered, and with her white neck exposed beneath, I turned my gaze back to face forwards.

“Let me talk about what I’ve seen of you so far.”

Finally, Ria opened her mouth.

“You… look alive when you’re running around like that.”

“…Alive?”

“When you’re usually troubled by this and that, hating monotonous labor, and dozing off while praying—when it’s time to help someone, you’re like a different person, running faster than I could imagine. You’re sweating and all.”

Ria turned her gaze toward me.

“Though filled with worry, and scared whether you could do it, when it came down to it, you just ran to save someone as if you didn’t care about those feelings at all. Yeah, in those moments, it didn’t look like you were doing something you didn’t want to do.”

Ria laughed.

“Not doing what you don’t want to do is your freedom. However, not doing what you want because you don’t want to… isn’t that a bit off?”

“…….”

What I want to do.

What I don’t want to do.

I—don’t want to believe in a god. I’m not feeling it. I’ve been denying such power all this time even though I could openly receive it, and that’s why.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help people. At least, if someone is suffering before my eyes, I want to help them.

If an accident happens right in front of me, or just before it happens—

“……Ah.”

“Hey, what’s up?”

As I touched my forehead with my hand, Ria looked surprised and asked.

“It’s nothing. Just a passing thought. Maybe it’s due to stress.”

“…….”

—Anyway, yes. In that situation, I want to help. If I can.

For a long time, those two hearts had been colliding fiercely. I didn’t want to bear the heavy responsibility of being a Saintess, regardless of the main story. But—

—Yes. I don’t want to see people die.

If things are going to unfold that way anyway.

“……You’re right.”

“Well, don’t worry too much.”

Ria said while looking at me.

“You have your knight. You won’t be alone wherever you go.”

“…….”

Ria said that again.

That phrase stirred something in me. It’s… unavoidable. If a pretty girl says something like that, I have no choice.

I already know Ria’s character from reading the novel.

Even if she has a slightly dishonest side—I know she’s endlessly kind.

Perhaps, this behavior of hers is simply because she doesn’t want to leave me alone.