Chapter 480

The sudden suspicion of “sleeping with the enemy” was cleared of all charges thanks to Seilon’s desperate defense over several minutes.

However, the paladins leaving the barracks still had a lingering sense of distrust in their eyes.

I mean, who would believe the excuse, “I was just trying to confirm that I wasn’t harmed by the Light of Judgment”?

They only nodded and left out of respect for Seilon’s status and dignity, but it was clear that some very disrespectful rumors about me and Seilon would spread soon.

After the paladins left, I tried to cool my slightly flushed face and lit the cigarette I had left in the ashtray, puffing it furiously.

Seilon stood there for a while, unsure of what to do, just staring at the ceiling.

“*Sigh*…”

To be honest, I was a little nervous.

If Seilon had told the other paladins about my Holy Mark, he could have completely cleared the false accusations against himself.

If he had, I would have undoubtedly been officially recognized as a Saint Candidate of Astraea.

But Seilon, even while taking on his subordinates’ misunderstandings, didn’t say a word about the Holy Mark.

I’m not sure if he was worried about the chaos that would ensue if it were revealed or if he was being considerate of me for showing it only to him… but, well, I was grateful.

“…So, are you convinced I’m not a fake? Or do I need to show you again?”

“N-no, please! That’s enough…!”

As I slightly pulled the bandage wrapped around my chest to reveal the Holy Mark, Seilon, startled, bowed his head and begged me to stop.

The sudden shift to formal speech and the way he was sweating bullets was so funny that I laughed for a while, holding the cigarette.

—

After standing stiffly and taking deep breaths, Seilon finally seemed to calm down a bit and cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um… Median-nim? If I may ask, how did that Holy Mark come to be…?”

His attitude was so polite that it was like he was a completely different person from before I showed him the Holy Mark.

I guess that’s how devout he is.

Being the strongest in the Astraea Church Order means he’s offered that much in good deeds to Astraea.

I told him the story of how I got the Holy Mark.

Though, all it amounted to was why I opposed Wilhelm, and how I discovered it after being hit by the Light of Judgment and taking a bath.

He was particularly persistent in asking why I opposed Wilhelm, so I had to explain that part in more detail.

Since I’d revealed the Holy Mark, I needed to maintain at least a friendly relationship with him.

…And I kinda liked his personality.

If he had been like Wilhelm, I would’ve hesitated a lot more before revealing the Holy Mark.

Anyway, it wasn’t anything special.

I just packaged my thoughts appropriately and told him.

“For peace and stability, those with power must lead the charge to eradicate evil… I agree with that. I think so too. But Wilhelm was harming the peace and stability of innocent people under the guise of eradicating evil.”

That was why I rejected Wilhelm’s ideology.

Creating innocent victims while claiming to defeat evil was already a case of putting the cart before the horse.

“Think about it. Were those who lost their lives under his judgment really guilty enough to deserve death? At least, I don’t think so.”

I spun Durandal’s hilt with my right hand as I continued.

“Wilhelm probably became so obsessed with his beliefs that his means and ends got reversed. That’s why I stood against him. To me, order is about the weak and innocent living peaceful lives, and my justice is about protecting them from threats.”

I packaged it nicely, but it was my true feelings.

I mean, smiling faces are much better to look at than corpses and screams, right?

Besides, knowing full well that the world would fall apart if someone didn’t step up, I couldn’t choose any other path.

I couldn’t just trust Damien to fix everything like in the original story, given how much I’d already messed things up.

Just the beastmen’s invasion alone—if I hadn’t stepped in, Ryu-rik would’ve slaughtered everyone.

In the original story, there were only two happy endings, compared to like five hundred bad endings, right?

In other words, the probability of Damien achieving a happy ending on his own was 0.4%.

If this were a gacha game, fine, but with my and the world’s future at stake, trusting a 0.4% chance would be insane.

A mix of conscience, calculation, and guilt—this half-baked mindset was the belief I’d chosen for myself.

Was this enough to convince him?

—

After listening to me, Seilon remained silent for a while before hesitantly asking about the Life Force Technique.

Questions probing into Hersela’s past and my original sin.

Since I’d expected this, answering wasn’t too hard.

I told him a half-truth, half-lie.

“When I was young… I didn’t even think it was wrong. Attacking Westerners to elevate a warrior’s honor. That was all that mattered to a warrior of Ka`har.”

Lie.

“But… when I faced the slaves I’d created, when I looked them in the eye, something inside me changed. It just changed. For the first time, I felt that the things I believed were honorable… the things I’d done, were wrong. Unjust.”

Half-truth.

“At first, I thought it was just a whim. But that feeling… it only grew over time. Like a black stain on a white cloth. It never faded, only grew endlessly.”

Truth.

“I couldn’t bear it. If I stayed there any longer, I felt like I’d lose myself to that feeling. So I left my homeland and crossed over to the West. After that… I decided to save people to atone for my sins. That’s all.”

This was also the truth.

“…Are you disappointed?”

After finishing my confession-like story, I held the cigarette and stared at the ceiling, waiting for his response.

With each breath, the rising smoke mixed with my exhale and scattered.

—

“…I see. I understand.”

The silence didn’t last long.

A quiet answer. His tone was hard to read.

Saying he understood… probably meant he had no intention of pressing further.

That was a relief. Honestly, if he kept pushing, I wouldn’t have had much to say.

Feeling a bit reassured, I slowly looked down at Seilon.

And I was startled.

Seilon, as if moved by something, was kneeling and praying to Astraea.

“Goddess of the Scales, who protects order and upholds justice. Today, I have finally seen Your will…!”

…Seems my story hit him hard.

This reaction was… a bit—no, very—embarrassing.

Seilon’s attitude was so reverent that I didn’t mention what happened in the cathedral.

If he found out about that, he’d probably start singing hymns with tears in his eyes.

That would’ve been too much to handle.

—

To be honest, I had planned to use the Holy Mark to threaten Seilon.

If he didn’t back off, I’d go back to Lacey and reveal the Holy Mark of Astraea.

Three Saint Candidates, united in purpose, in the Holy Sun Alliance—one of them being a Saint Candidate of Astraea. Could they handle that?

Especially if I revealed that this Holy Mark appeared the moment I opposed the Astraea Church Order, it could turn the entire Church upside down.

It would clearly look like the Astraea Church had gone against the goddess’s will.

I thought I’d force him to listen to my demands through such threats… but I changed my mind.

After talking to Seilon directly, he seemed like someone who didn’t need such strong-arm tactics… he was flexible enough.

In fact, it seemed better not to use them.

The immediate effect would be clear, but I couldn’t even guess how the Astraea Church would react later.

So, the only problem left was figuring out how to withdraw these troops without resorting to threats.

So… I guess we’ll have to discuss that now.

A second method to resolve this situation amicably without revealing my status as a Saint Candidate to everyone.

“Are you done praying? Then let’s get back to the main topic.”

“At your command, Median-nim.”

Seilon, with one knee still raised, responded solemnly.

It seemed he genuinely acknowledged me after hearing my story… but his overly submissive posture was a bit too much.

“…It’s making me uncomfortable, so at least sit properly.”

Seilon shook his head.

“How could I dare show such disrespect before the Saintess chosen by Astraea?”

“I’m asking you to, so go sit down. Or at least stand up properly.”

I sighed and pointed to the chair across from me.

It was better than when he was hostile, but his excessive politeness was making me uncomfortable.

He probably wanted me to act as a Saint Candidate… but unfortunately, I had no intention of doing so.

“Earlier, you were calling me vulgar and all that, and now you’re worried about disrespect…?”

“Th-that, uh…! I-I’m ashamed! Please punish me for my rudeness…!”

Seilon groaned like a strangled frog and bowed his head.

…I didn’t mean to scold him.

After calming him down by saying there was no need for punishment, I finally managed to get him to stand up.