Chapter 162

“That outfit looks like something out of a nun’s closet, yet somehow, it’s kept spotless.”

Maria’s clothing was a bit worn out like a nun’s habit, but someone seemed to have been consistently taking care of it because, at least, the color was as white as the clothes I wore.

Her head was neatly covered with a veil, so I couldn’t see her hair, but I had this feeling that it was blonde.

…Just like mine.

“Come to think of it, her name was Anna too.”

Maria said as she looked at me.

In a world that has crumbled apart, it’s just the Saintess and the Knight left standing.

If I were to overlap Anna and Ria in my mind, would that be too far-fetched?

“The name Anna is quite a common baptismal name. Don’t get too hung up on it.”

Maria added.

…Speaking of which, the name ‘Maria’…

“This person is…”

“…in a deep slumber. As you can see.”

“Can I take a closer look…?”

Maria nodded, but her expression didn’t show any excitement.

I cautiously approached the slumbering ‘Anna’. Her skin was pale, as if drained of color. Though a faint Saint Power flowed around her, that was all. The wound on her neck hadn’t healed completely.

Perhaps it wasn’t just her neck that suffered. The habit didn’t cover her body as much as in my previous life, but it still concealed a sizable portion of her figure.

She might have fatal wounds on her belly or chest too.

Had her blood already seeped out?

I stretched out my hand and tried to infuse my Saint Power into her neck. But soon, I became dizzy and couldn’t maintain it for long.

Looking again, it wasn’t just the Saintess that was clean. The clothes she wore, the bed she lay on. No, even this room was kept spotless. As if it wanted to declare that this world hadn’t crumbled at all. It felt like it wanted to reassure everyone that everything was alright.

How many years has it been since I had a decent conversation?

So, had this room been tidied up all this time? Though barely clinging to life, was it maintained with the hope that perhaps one day, she could awaken?

Then, what about this Saintess?

In a situation where death was certain, what kind of person held onto life like this?

“So, is there any hope?”

It was a flat tone.

“…I’m sorry.”

Honestly, I didn’t know. If I were to give it my all, maybe I could save this person. But at the same time, I had this feeling that it wouldn’t be easy.

“Yeah, that seems likely.”

Maria said.

“Your wounds. I’ve seen them on Anna before. If you want to save her in such a scenario, you might have to strive until your body fractures.”

Yeah.

I instinctively understood. If I sacrificed my life, I could save this Saintess. Just once, but I might reach the being above. But that’s all.

I would shatter in front of Ria.

That thought frightened me.

We had made a promise to owe each other’s lives to one another. Ria said she would only stay alive as long as I did.

What if that wasn’t the case?

I turned to look at Ria.

There was no expression on Ria’s face. But I knew the feelings hidden beneath that blankness.

She was just holding back because someone was in a situation that she might also find herself in. If she hadn’t held back, she would have immediately grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room.

“What on earth happened?”

“…Let’s talk outside.”

Maria said, as if she feared that ‘Anna’ would hear us from her bed.

We stood up from our spot and left the room.

Yeah, I had an idea of where Maria got her water from.

…She was drinking water that had already been contaminated, filtered and purified. Perhaps even the food. Because of that room.

For the first time since my reincarnation, a terrifying fear rose from the depths of my heart.

…

“I’ve heard that there are gods in your world.”

“…Yes, there are beings that ordinary people refer to that way.”

I can still feel it. It’s just that I can’t properly summon it.

Judging by how far away it feels, it’s likely that this power doesn’t properly reach to this world. Perhaps the being above only became aware of the existence of this world after I came here.

Yet, even if I wanted to help—it’s not going to be easy because of the thick layer of magic hanging in the sky.

Even the clouds made by demons dwelling in another’s body are tough to pierce through. I don’t think demons are on the same level as that being above, but the gap between ‘demons directly using power’ and ‘beings borrowing someone’s power’ is quite large.

I could somewhat understand why demons think of themselves as gods. Though I wouldn’t admit it.

“In this world—”

“There were no such beings here.”

As I was about to voice a bit of a question, Maria interrupted and answered.

“If such a being existed, the one you just saw would probably be that kind of being.”

“Huh?”

“It all started with a skill user.”

When I blinked in confusion, Maria continued.

“Yeah. If we had to put it that way, she might have been similar to Siyoon. In the process of fighting against enemies, she discovered a new form of magic. A mist-like power that faintly glows.”

When I had seen moments ago, it was mostly white, but it was indeed oddly different from the Saint Power I used.

It wasn’t murky…but rather, it faintly shimmered in a ‘different color’.

Given a color, it would probably be a pale silvery hue.

“Healing human wounds, resolving monsters in one go. And she could somewhat fend off demons as well.”

“……”

“They called it divine power. Someone shouting that was probably the start of it all.”

I could see Ria’s shoulders stiffening as she listened to the story. The other kids, except for Siyoon who had likely heard the story already, were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and couldn’t utter a word.

“At first, there were tales of a divine envoy, but—Anna said that wasn’t the case. Well, it was indeed a baptismal name. But Anna never believed in gods throughout her life. She often scoffed at the idea that there was a supreme being above the heavens.”

As she spoke of the past, Maria smiled softly, as if reminiscing.

But that smile didn’t last long.

“But people did believe.”

Was that the problem?

Anna’s power slowly continued to grow. She herself still held no faith. But people believed so.

And finally,

“Before they knew it, Anna had become a goddess.”

Right. Eventually, she wasn’t just a ‘divine envoy’, but had ascended to the very position of ‘goddess’ itself.

The purest being in the world. A neat and beautiful woman. Cloaked in silver, extinguishing evil and protecting the people.

At some point—names referring to ‘Anna’ started to multiply. In every language of the world. And as that language spread, as churches were built and faith propagated, ‘Anna’s’ power continued to grow.

Yet, even that power couldn’t prevent the end.

The demon race invaded.

A twisted gate, like none had been seen before, appeared, sweeping through the earth and causing tsunamis.

As people’s lives vanished—the fewer the number of those who believed Anna to be a god, the weaker Anna’s power became once more. Even so, she was able to contend with the demons to some extent and could destroy several of them.

The ‘Era of the Goddess’ ended in an instant.

As Anna could no longer protect the people, there were those who began to criticize her. Those who abandoned their faith arose, and there were traitors. And with that, Anna’s power steadily weakened.

It was just like when she first gained her power.

Even so, she endlessly blamed herself and worked tirelessly to save the world. Maria had suggested fleeing several times, but ‘Anna’ remained steadfast until the very end.

“In the end, this is what happened.”

Severely wounded, Anna chose not to die. As a final act, she wrapped her body in her Saint Power and fell into a sleep that could last who knows how long.

…

I somehow felt a bit of that feeling.

It was not simply due to lingering attachment to life—

Perhaps it was regret.

If she had run away from the start. If she had thought it better to escape like Maria said.

…

“I’m not sure why you ended up here, but it’s such a pity. Even if I wanted to help, there’s really nothing I can do.”

“That’s…not true. We were the ones who suddenly appeared. We’ve already received a great deal of help.”

“Is that so.”

At my reply, Maria wore a bittersweet smile.

“Still, it seems something worthwhile has come up after a long time. I’m not sure how to get back, though I believe the chances of not being able to return are much greater, but I’ll help, at least.”

“Thank you. Truly.”

As I replied like that, Maria gazed at me for a moment before looking away.

…

Night.

Since there were people around, Maria said the night watch duty might be a bit less tiring.

She said she’d take the first turn herself. Since nobody would likely come anyway, she still felt the need to keep watch.

“……”

Ria and I lay down side by side.

There were probably many things Maria wanted to say too. Same for me.

But in this situation—there was no way we could share such stories.

After a quick glance at each other, we simply closed our eyes.

…Today had been a whirlwind of events.

Let’s just sleep for now and think everything through again when we wake up.

Falling asleep wasn’t that hard.

But dreaming good dreams was a challenge.