The Chosen Path

Sometimes, for certain individuals, it might not be fate that finds them, but rather they who choose their own destiny.

As the Holy Light illuminated the sky, patterns of light suddenly emerged on the back of Anto’s hand.

He felt as though his arm was being seared by an unseen force, yet he steadfastly endured, continuing to wield this newfound power.

The Holy Light formed a protective barrier in the sky, then descended upon the village like a gentle snowfall.

Under the radiant glow, everyone felt their accumulated battle fatigue and wounds beginning to dissipate.

Weapons touched by the light began to shimmer with a similar luminescence, while the dark creatures bathed in its glow lost their previous ferocity, becoming visibly weakened.

At this moment, Ilivy, a Knight of the Holy See, raised her war blade and roared:

“Now is our chance!”

“Under this divine blessing, crush them all!”

“This is our only opportunity!”

“The time for a counterattack has arrived!”

Led by the knight, warriors, revitalized from their exhaustion, surged towards the weakened foes.

These undead creatures, stripped of their vitality by the radiant light, became mere fodder, easily felled by a single blade.

Beyond the barrier, the Demon Lord’s army, reacting instinctively, scattered and retreated continuously before the immense Holy Light barrier, which proved far more terrifying than any elemental bulwark.

“Is this the power of the Holy Light… or rather, the Holy Flame?”

Facing the miraculous golden snow and all that unfolded before him, Tikka’s expression grew subtle.

He seemed to finally understand why so many on the continent had once believed in the Holy See; the Holy Flame truly manifested miracles.

“This power… if it were to fall into the hands of those fanatical Pope loyalists, the continent would surely be plunged into turmoil once more.” Mula remarked at this moment.

“While we anticipated something, this is clearly far beyond our wildest expectations.”

“That’s why those in the Council realized they had to control this individual.”

“Setting aside his strength, his mere political significance is enough to drive everyone to madness, not to mention this power—the most effective force against the darkness.”

“He alone on the border is equivalent to a thousand armies.” At this very moment, Tikka sighed, continuing:

“When he revealed this power… it was destined that he could no longer choose his own fate under your protection.”

“Do you understand this, Teacher Eric?”

“Has he prepared himself to bear the weight of all this?”

****

As the light emanated, the entire village received its blessing, transformed by its influence.

Even the women and children hiding in the village basement witnessed this spectacle, and as the golden snow drifted in, some knelt, trembling, assuming a posture of prayer they had not held in ages:

“Oh, great God… You have finally… answered our prayers.”

Those people wept uncontrollably, while others felt a profound numbness.

This was the moment, after centuries, when God’s grace descended upon this village; even those who had not previously believed in Him now found themselves involuntarily questioning His existence.

However—

Might not an entity that reaches out in despair to pull humanity from the mire be regarded as a deity?

No one could have imagined that this miraculous spectacle originated from a mere boy, nor could they have conceived that this boy had never considered himself a god, nor even a servant of God.

Under the radiant light, the last remaining enemies lost their vitality and collapsed to the ground.

The surrounding dark creatures had already scattered and fled, moving away from the village and ceasing their advance towards Linders.

This light persisted until a single beam of radiance pierced the darkness in the sky, heralding the arrival of dawn.

Amidst the ruined eaves and broken walls of the largely destroyed village, people watched the dawn break, and a scout, rushing back, reported:

“…They really have withdrawn… no further attacks, those enemies… have left the forest!”

“We succeeded.” The first person stammered, stunned.

“We held back a tide of tens of thousands of corpses!”

“We succeeded! We saved our village! We… we… we triumphed!”

“Victory!!!”

Cheers echoed through the weary crowd, and an atmosphere of joy began to spread.

Those who had hidden in the basements emerged, joining the warriors in the streets in dance, all reveling in the elation of survival amidst shouts and cheers.

Ilivy watched it all, a touch of tenderness gracing her features.

“Long live the Knight! Long live Xinka Village!”

Suddenly, someone clapped her on the shoulder, then joined the throng cheering around her.

Ilivy was somewhat surprised, but Tikka, standing nearby, shared a similar sense of accomplishment:

“Allow yourself to be a little happier.” Tikka said at this moment.

“This is well-deserved; this is the victory we earned… be happy.”

“Mm.” Ilivy felt the gratitude of the survivors, as women and children adorned the soldiers with wildflowers and colorful strips of cloth found on the ground.

These were the true heroes, the ones who had protected everything.

“We actually… won.” Mula lowered her bow at this moment.

She had spent the entire night perched atop the bell tower, defending this last bastion with her arrows, and now, all she desired was a place to finally get some proper sleep.

“So now… we can finally cheer.” Mula said, letting out a breath.

She then picked up a small hammer from beside her and struck the bell with all her might:

“Dong—!”

“We’ve won! We’ve triumphed! Let’s cheer!!! Ahhh!”

Mula roared at the top of her lungs, screaming out all the fear she had faced atop the tower against the tide of corpses, and her feelings of powerlessness.

In that moment, her eyes welled up with tears.

Meanwhile, in the square, Eric, having been thoroughly tended to, sat to one side, speaking to the young man who had cared for him:

“Do you hear those sounds?”

“Those sounds… they’re all cheering.”

“Yes, after all, we survived.” Anto replied, sitting beside him.

Eric said, “They’re all thanking you.”

“No, they don’t know it was me.” Anto responded casually.

“A miracle simply descended.”

“You created all of this; this cry of joy, this victory, it was all born from you.”

“You protected this place.” Eric said with a smile.

“Isn’t this a great achievement?”

“Do you feel any joy from it?”

“…I don’t know.” Anto responded.

“I just felt… I did what needed to be done.”

“Is that so… I suppose.” Eric said.

“Do you want to leave now?”

“Before that knight and my friend come looking for you, they should still be held up by the villagers.”

“If you leave now, there’s still time.”

“If I leave, what about you and Hillevi?”

“…You don’t need to worry about that, do you… Ugh,” Eric said, attempting to shift his body but feeling immense pain.

Anto watched him from the side.

Eric then continued:

“Although your light is formidable… I believe my charred hand might be saved by regeneration, but with my magic circuits burned, even if they regenerate, they’ll be useless.”

“I estimate my magical prowess has been cut by more than half.”

“In some situations, it won’t be convenient for me to move either.”

“In that case… where do you plan to go?”

“Perhaps, the church.” Anto said at this moment.

“…If I am truly to shoulder that responsibility… I need you, Teacher.” Suddenly, Anto spoke, and Eric paused, taken aback, while the blond-haired youth before him stammered:

“…You are my teacher; your insight into things and other matters is far clearer than mine…”

“If, if I truly am to walk this path… a teacher is indispensable.”

“Truly, I might very much need someone by my side to guide me.”

“…Hold on, don’t you think what you’re saying is a bit outlandish?” At this moment, Eric’s expression turned peculiar.

“You plan to rebuild the Holy See’s order, and as someone who has been disrespectful to that God for ten years, you’re not only going to assume that identity yourself, but you’re also planning to bring me, an opposing Otherworld Traveler (TL Note: A person from another world, often a transmigrator or reincarnator, who may have differing beliefs or origins.), along with you.”

“The most incredible part is, you even want to hire me as your Holy See’s advisor.”

“Are you sure you don’t feel anything is amiss?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Anto suddenly retorted.

“Besides, you’ve already been a principal, a military mage, the Chief Mage, and a deputy village chief in this lifetime.”

“Is there a problem with adding a Holy See advisor now?”

“Heh, well, that certainly would be a rich resume.”

“Exactly.” Anto said with a laugh.

“And as you said, it’s not that the Holy See is inherently evil, nor is the Council inherently righteous.”

“Ultimately, what matters for an organization is the policy of its leader…”

“The Holy See has been shattered and suppressed, so this is precisely the time for radical change and reconstruction…”

“If there’s a way, perhaps we truly can… make a difference.”

“That would be a very significant undertaking.” Eric said at this moment:

“You, young man, are truly ambitious.”

“If the gods are unable to save this continent at this time,” Anto said, “then humanity must bear the heavy burden.”

“This power, by its very existence, should be used for this purpose, so… for me to shoulder it, there should be no problem, right?”

“I’ve mostly figured things out after this incident.” Anto said at this moment.

“I can no longer allow myself to be convinced to enjoy complacency.”

“Rather than being someone who always laments the inability to change anything and merely sighs at the world, I want to become someone who can strive for their ideals through their own efforts.”

“Mm, clear enough…”

“In that case, the old Holy See no longer exists, and you plan to build a new one on its foundations, though currently, you’re starting from scratch.” Eric said, then chuckled:

“Wow, the drama is cranked up to eleven!”

“Chief and sole advisor to the New Holy See?”

“That’s quite interesting.”

“I thought I didn’t have many years left, just rotting away in the village, and now you’ve pulled this stunt on me again… Heh heh…”

“Do you feel this is completely unrealistic?”

“It’s fine, all the things I’ve experienced over these many years have been unrealistic.”

“Most of them were quite insane…” At this moment, Eric extended his hand towards Anto:

“So, I’m willing to use what little time I have left to go crazy with you one more time, what do you say?”

“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”