Chapter 58: The Porter and the Saintess Reunite (E)

《There is no paradise for those who flee from sin in the pursuit of life, but there may be a paradise for those who stand and fight sin in the face of death. For those who flee to live, death awaits; for those who fight to die, eternal life is granted.》
– Excerpt from the Gaion Scripture, Chapter 1, Verse 1.

Could this truly be the path the Divine has guided her to?

If so, what does He desire?

Does He wish for her to repent, to look back on her sins and atone even now?

Yet, the current situation was far too tangled for repentance to untie.

And the one who had twisted everything into chaos was none other than herself.

Would it have been better if she had preserved her dignity as a human when Brikal threatened her life? Should she have revealed his wickedness through her death, allowing herself to be laid to rest in the Holy Church’s underground tomb?

Wait.

Now that she thought about it, even though her divine power had waned, she was still part of the Holy Church.

Could Brikal really have killed her so easily? As a saintess dispatched to assist the kingdom, her true allegiance was to the Holy Church, and she remained a citizen of the Holy Empire.

For Brikal to point his blade at her was akin to raising it against the Emperor himself.

‘Ah…’

At the end of this path, where she felt the Divine had guided her, Yuria realized just how foolish and sinful her actions had been.

Fear had clouded her judgment, leading her to an unwise decision that had dragged Emilia into ruin.

No matter how powerful Brikal had been, he was still just a king. Killing a citizen of the Holy Empire, especially a saintess, would have been unthinkable.

To realize this now, after everything, felt so foolish.

Brikal had been increasingly erratic after the Demon King’s defeat, but that small chance of survival had been enough to sway her.

And so, to save herself, she had thrown Emilia into the abyss.

That was the unchangeable truth.

Now, the Divine had answered her desperate prayers by guiding her to this estate where Emilia resided.

Surely, this must mean He wished for her to atone for her sins.

If that was the Divine’s will, there was no escaping it, no defying it.

The thought left her feeling hollow, filled with regret.

To arrive at Emilia’s presence after fleeing so far—what bitter irony.

If she was going to end up here anyway, she might as well have come willingly, with the intention to atone.

Thud. Yuria, her expression clouded with despair, sank to the stone floor of the sewer.

Her vacant eyes stared into nothingness.

Laferon approached her.

“I understand. You were threatened by Brikal, and you had no choice.”

“Even so… the fact remains… I ruined Emilia.”

“That’s an unchangeable truth, something that can’t be undone.”

Laferon’s firm words made Yuria bow her head even further.

At the edge of her downcast gaze, she saw her own feet.

They were filthy, stained, and bleeding from cuts—perfectly fitting for a sinner.

She rubbed them together, but the crusted blood and grime wouldn’t come off.

Giving up, Yuria stared at the flowing sewage and muttered.

“…Sacrifices for the greater good are expected.”

“Sorry, what?”

“It’s one of the vows we take as saintesses during our baptism before being dispatched. But… I broke that vow.”

“I understand. No one truly wants to die. Even here in the Rosell Duchy, where it’s prosperous, you won’t see many Skippers. But in the lands of lesser nobles, the sewers are swarming with them like cockroaches. Covered in filth, they survive in this cesspool. Humanity’s instinct to survive is truly remarkable.”

“…Remarkable? Can it really be called that?”

Yuria asked despondently.

Laferon nodded.

“Survival is the ultimate foundation of human progress.”

“Progress… Do sinners like me deserve progress?”

“Everyone sins, but few atone for their sins.”

Yuria glanced at Laferon briefly before lowering her gaze again.

Everyone sins, but few atone.

She knew those words were meant for her, and shame washed over her.

A saintess who broke her vows.

A cowardly human who stabbed others in the back to save herself.

A despicable wretch who fled instead of seeking redemption.

No matter how many insults she hurled at herself, it would never adequately describe the gravity of her sins.

Yuria looked up at Laferon again.

For the first time, her pale gray eyes were filled with sorrow—the sorrow of her wrongdoings.

“…What should I do? I don’t know… Please tell me…”

The saintess who had lost her way.

Her eyes could no longer see the path of escape or the way to atonement.

All she understood now was that every path would inevitably lead her to Emilia.

All roads seemed to converge at a single endpoint.

It was as though the Divine had granted her but one destination, the endpoint He allowed for a sinner guilty of blasphemy.

Laferon extended his hand to her.

“I’ll show you.”

Yuria stared at his hand.

And she understood.

She knew where this hand would lead her, and what she must do when she reached that endpoint.

Yuria muttered to herself in a daze.

“…There is no paradise for those who flee from sin in the pursuit of life, but there may be a paradise for those who stand and fight sin in the face of death. For those who flee to live, death awaits; for those who fight to die, eternal life is granted.”

Hearing her recite these words, Laferon nodded.

“A powerful teaching.”

“…It’s the opening verse of the Gaion Scripture. I think I finally understand why the scripture begins with those words.”

Even without her divine power, the Divine’s agent must still act as His representative.

She should maintain the dignity and character befitting her role.

Though she had believed the Divine no longer cared for her, leaving her prayers unanswered, she realized now that He had been watching her all along.

Instead of answering directly, He had guided her indirectly.

Her shame was overwhelming, making her feel unworthy of returning to the surface. But she now understood that this, too, was a trial—a test.

《When one flees from sin to save their own life, no paradise awaits them. Yet, when one stands and faces sin to die with honor, paradise may be found. To those who flee to live, death awaits; to those who fight to die, eternal life is granted.》
– Gaion Scripture, Chapter 1, Verse 1.

If this trial is abandoned as well, the Divine will surely guide His child to the path once again.

The weight of her sins—how great could it be?

From blasphemy to her disappearance that jeopardized the fate of the kingdom, it was all due to her foolishness.

By adding the sin of fleeing to her blasphemy, she had compounded her guilt.

But no more. She vowed to shoulder no further sins and to accept the consequences of those she already bore.

Having made her decision, Yuria took Laferon’s hand and asked, “What kind of person is Duke Rosell?”

Though she had met him a few times, she had never spoken with him directly.

She was curious about the man who, despite her transgressions, had graciously rebuilt what she had destroyed.

Laferon paused for a moment, contemplating her question, before offering a gentle smile.

“If the Divine were to descend in human form, I believe He would resemble Duke Rosell.”

“Ah…”

A soft gasp escaped Yuria’s lips.

Laferon, who had guided her to this place, already seemed like a messenger of the Divine. And now, she felt it might truly be so.

With newfound resolve, Yuria rose from the sewer floor.

If the Divine had guided her to someone resembling Him, there was no point in further fleeing.

The journey of a cowardly sinner like her could only end at the judgment seat.

“Yuria…”

Having just finished his paperwork, Rosell stood at the window with his hands behind his back.

His face was etched with concern, and the heavy expression did not fade easily.

The Saintess’s escape—it was an incident that could not be ignored.

If the Holy Empire were to learn of it, they might dispatch their armies under the pretense of searching for the Saintess or enforce indirect control over the kingdom.

The continent of Eledria.

At its center stood the Holy Empire of Bellarun, encircling the World Tree at its heart.

Naturally, the empire commanded immense power on the continent.

The Emperor of the Holy Empire, Pelliod, had long sought to bring smaller nations under his dominion.

However, in accordance with the Divine’s will for peace, the Holy Empire was tasked with protecting the World Tree and maintaining peace across the continent, preventing them from waging wars of conquest.

But with the Saintess having fled, this presented Pelliod with the perfect excuse.

He could begin exerting indirect control over Ellond, turning it into a vassal state.

It was a clean victory, a way to claim the kingdom without bloodshed.

The prospect of placing his own people in Ellond’s court without lifting a sword was undoubtedly sweet.

Thus, finding Yuria before the Holy Empire learned of her disappearance was critical.

Bringing her to the Holy Church before the situation escalated was the only way to mitigate the damage.

But before doing so, there was something Rosell needed to accomplish.

He had to pave the way for genuine repentance.

It was the least, and the last, thing he could do as a witness to these events.

Lost in thought, Rosell suddenly felt a warm embrace from behind.

“Master! Oh, no…!”

The familiar, fragrant scent was unmistakable—it was Emilia.

She had snuck into his study and hugged him from behind.

Though they had agreed to dispense with formal titles when alone, she almost called him “Master” out of habit, quickly covering her mouth.

Rosell turned with a soft chuckle.

“Master? Is that formal or informal speech?”

“I—uh… that’s…”

Flustered, Emilia’s face turned crimson as Rosell gently stroked her cheek.

“I was about to come see you anyway.”

“M-me? Really?”

“Who else would I visit, if not you?”

“Oh… but why?”

Rosell’s smile faded.

He would undoubtedly find Saintess Yuria and hand her over to the Holy Church.

But before that, he needed to confirm Emilia’s feelings.

“Emilia.”

The weight in his voice made Emilia’s smile falter, her expression growing tense.

“What is it?”

“The Saintess… has fled the Holy Tower.”

“…What?”

Hearing that Saintess Yuria, the very person who had plunged her into despair, had escaped, Emilia’s emerald eyes widened in shock.