Chapter 26

Chapter 26 The Maiden of Silgay Below

On the bumpy village road, the maiden, who had washed away her bloodstains, wore a delicate light-colored dress and conversed with the unreliable swordsman walking beside her.

“So, I slept! Four days?!”

I stared wide-eyed at Carlos.

“Hmm, impressive.”

The bearded swordsman shrugged his shoulders.

“I was, recovering my strength…”

“How are your injuries?”

“… Much better.”

“Oh, so quickly recovered? Impressive.”

Casually praising him felt insincere, and I didn’t feel like responding to him.

“Do you not want to go to the bathroom?”

“… It’s none of your business.”

I glared at him, annoyed. This guy never took anything seriously. In this era, no one would ask a woman such a question, yet he did so casually, as if it were nothing.

“During the time you were unconscious, your grandmother and that little boy Barry came to see you. But that white dragon watched you too closely, so they didn’t dare approach. Do you want to see them first?”

“… I’m scared.”

“Why are you scared?”

“I don’t know.”

“… Say, little Shil. What do you plan for the future?”

“Not sure yet.”

“The Holy Church has revoked its order to hunt you down, but you’ll have to come with me to Fosel soon… that’s the headquarters of the Church in Silgaya. The Pope wants to meet you. Is there a problem with that?”

“Yes.”

Carlos frowned.

“What’s your issue? My previous words weren’t just talk; the Pope will grant you the honor and medals you deserve.”

“It’s a trap.”

“… Are you stupid? If we still wanted to kill you, do you think you could stand here talking to me? You’d be dead a hundred times over.”

“White Dragon, protect me.”

“Just relying on that dragon won’t stop the Church. Let me tell you, I had to put in a lot of effort to get this opportunity. You must go, no discussion.”

“No.”

“You foolish woman… Alright, considering you’ve only just been born. I’ll tell you clearly, the honor personally bestowed by the Pope is the highest award in this world. When the time comes, if you open your mouth, money, or beauty… handsome men, you can have whatever you want. I’ll even give you a large estate and a hundred servants. Tsk tsk, the outside world is exciting. Just enjoy yourself; every day, you’ll have a carriage to take you wherever you want. This is princess-level treatment. How about it, if you’re interested, we can leave tomorrow?”

“Not happening.”

“… Then what do you want? Stay here and be a country girl?”

“Yeah.”

“Cursed, narrow-minded woman…”

Seeing Carlos in such a rage made me very happy.

For those who bullied me, how could I let you get your way so easily?

If you tell me to go east, I’ll go west.

Proudly thinking to myself, suddenly someone called my name.

“… Little Shil?”

Carlos and I turned our heads. Grandma Claire walked over unsteadily.

“… Grandma.”

I lowered my head, not daring to look into her eyes.

“It really is Little Shil. Grandma thought she was seeing things, dressed so beautifully… When did you wake up?”

“Just now.”

“Come, let Grandma take a look.” Grandma Claire touched my arm and examined me from head to toe, “Still hurting?”

“No.”

I slowly shook my head.

“Grandma heard everything from Barry. With injuries like that, how could there not be pain…”

“I don’t hurt anymore. Grandma, as long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”

“Dumb girl, Grandma was still in the town church then. What could happen… It’s all my fault. If I had brought Father Merlin back earlier, maybe I could have helped Little Shil… Elia wouldn’t have…”

What Grandma said snapped me out of my reverie.

Elia…

That was something I deliberately avoided recalling since the moment I regained consciousness.

If possible, I would pay any price to bring her back to life.

I truly wanted, wanted very much, to see that slender and cheerful girl again.

“Don’t blame yourself, Grandma.”

I sniffled, trying hard to hold back my tears.

“Don’t blame yourself, blame me… It’s me, I didn’t protect her… It’s me, I didn’t notice, she just ran ahead of me… I just wanted to save Allen… Really, I didn’t see her… Sob… It’s all my fault. It’s all because I was careless, I didn’t see her… Sob… I didn’t see her, sob, I could have saved her… Why did she come back for me… Sob… Why did she run ahead of me… Sob… Allen also died… Sob sob…”

In the end, tears couldn’t be held back.

As I spoke in fits and starts, I wiped them away desperately with both hands.

All that remained in my heart was endless regret.

“Dumb girl, don’t cry. You saved Barry and so many people in the village; you’ve done a great thing already. You’re Grandma’s pride…”

“Can I… sob… still call you, Grandma?”

“What kind of question is that! I’ll always be your grandma.”

Grandma Claire gently hugged me.

I rested my head on her thin shoulder, breathing in the comforting scent of her body.

“Thank you, Grandma.”

Beside us, Carlos looked up at the sky.

Cloudless, a deep blue.

“Grandma, I want to… see her.”

…………

Not far from the village, in the wilderness.

The graves were freshly built two days ago, and those lying here all perished in this disaster.

Most of the deceased had no bodies; they simply erected stones or used two broken wooden boards to make simple crosses with inscriptions, serving as tombstones.

This way, it gave the spirits of the dead a place to rest and provided a remembrance for future generations.

I stood quietly before a stele. Grandma Claire and Barry stood next to me.

Beside me.

The inscription on the stele was scribbled and messy.

“My name is Elia, a kind and brave girl.”

It looked like it was done by Barry, because not only was it carved very poorly, but I also found a typo in the short sentence.

“Barry, you really did a terrible job.”

“…” Barry didn’t speak, he just smiled at me微微一笑.

In just a few days, the once somewhat childish little boy seemed to have grown up a lot.

The other stele nearby belonged to Allen, the calm and collected fiancé of Elia.

“Elia, Little Hill came to see you. Now you can rest easy, look, she’s perfectly fine.”

Grandma Claire clasped her hands in front of the gravestone, as if praying, but she said words that made one’s eyes water.

So I learned from her.

I don’t know if this will convey what I want to say to you, but…

Elia, I’m sorry.

A good girl like you should have had a happy life. There is still so much time ahead, many beautiful things haven’t happened yet. You were… about to get married, with someone who loved you, and you would have given birth to someone you loved the most.

But those damned monsters destroyed everything.

Elia, do you know, I am also such a monster.

I… have also ruined countless families like this. Perhaps among them, there were people as kind and brave as you.

I don’t know if this is punishment for me, to lose you as my sister.

I actually don’t know what to say to you… Oh right, Hymn, I’ve been learning it for a long time, now I’ll sing it for you?

May you be well in heaven.

Carlos sat without any dignity on a pile of earth not far away, gazing at the silhouette of the young girl.

He felt that he had made a very correct decision this time. This decision might affect the future of all humanity, even the entire world.

Pope, perhaps, the sky is about to change. He thought.

Soon, the cemetery echoed with the ethereal singing of the girl.

“When the bride enters the wedding hall.

The groom looks up, deeply gazing.

She’s such a shy girl.

Let’s put the groom and bride’s hands together.

The priest and family pray, conveying their wishes.

In this sacred place, expressing their love.

With love and pride, bringing her before God.

May God bless, may God bless.

May God bless, may God bless.”

…………

The night was serene, the crescent moon like silk, the sky dotted with stars.

The countryside was silent at night, the village road empty under the moonlight, only the shadows of houses and trees visible. The tranquil stream wound through the dense shadows of the trees, bathed in the silvery light of the moon.

Hill and Carlos sat quietly by the stream, watching the faint lights in the distance, listening to the gentle murmur of water flowing over pebbles.

“…Suddenly, I feel that staying here like this is actually quite nice. With nothing, there’s nothing to fight for.”

Carlos murmured.

“Bad atmosphere.”

I rolled my eyes at him, took off my shoes, and dipped my calves into the water.

I liked this cool sensation.

“The same question from before, do you have any plans?”

“…The monster said I am its kind.” I answered irrelevantly, gazing at the clear stream with some confusion, “Car… Pigeon, what do you think I am?”

“It’s Carlos.” Carlos laughed, not amused, “I’m not good at grand theories, but I have some thoughts to share. First, I believe that what determines you isn’t ‘what you are,’ but ‘what you do.’ I’m not someone who judges by appearance; I like to peel back the layers to see what’s inside. Yes, maybe you are its kind, but so what? Among humans, there are those who are hypocritical and vile. Compared to these people, I find the creatures of the Abyss to be much more lovable. So, the key isn’t what you are, but what you want to do… then, Little Hill, what do you want to do?”

Carlos’ voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a strange power. Something that had been entangled in my heart was instantly shattered.

The clouds dispersed, and the sky cleared up.

“I want to kill the monsters.”

“Then you are not one of them.”

“What should I do?”

Carlos smiled.

He lightly flicked off the grass stuck to his clothes, walked over, and extended his hand to me.

“What do you think of the suggestion of becoming a Pope Knight?”

…………

PS: End of Volume One.

What I want to say in this volume is very simple. It’s about why a monster hated by humans becomes a Pope Knight and even a hero to humanity.

Saying it’s the first volume, but this is actually just an introduction. It’s roughly equivalent to the “I swear I will never let something like this happen again” type of prologue in other works, which is usually covered in a few sentences or at most one or two chapters, but I used nearly 80,000 words.

Death scenes are usually unpopular in light novels. So, I didn’t write Elia as a very beautiful woman or a character with ambiguous feelings towards the protagonist. The significance of this character lies in her death.

To say it simply, there is no ambiguity or romantic drama in this volume. Because the protagonist just arrived in this world and is in such a monster identity, they themselves are confused, how could they engage in romance or ambiguity? That wouldn’t make sense.

So, except for Carlos, the earliest knight captain, and the old man in robes, none of the other characters in this introductory volume are important.

The important characters are the heroes mentioned by Ryan and Barry. These are the ones who will truly develop emotional connections with the protagonist.

I give this introductory volume a score of 50, with too many shortcomings.

The next volume is where the real story of the book begins. I hope I can write it精彩.

As for whether this book is about a lesbian relationship or marriage… neither.

If I had to describe it, it would be like the small pets of the Pope Knights…

Behind whom stands countless heroes…

That woman.

End.