435 434 Words: "The Witch and the Witch"




 Many islands lie to the west of the Kingdom of Garleist.

 In this area, each of the islands is a nation, and the nations have formed an alliance to create the Western Alliance of Roa.

 The people of the Western Alliance, who produced the first human king, Medik, are all proud and do not tolerate the bending of their faith. For this reason, the region has been influenced by the Great Sacred Faith, but also retains many folk beliefs.

 In the past, the Roar competed with the Garleist Kingdom in the east and the Eyriezard in the southeast for supremacy, but they have yet to reach the continent, and the Roar has not been able to escape its position as the ruler of the west.

 But in a way, this was a blessing in disguise, and the impact of this catastrophe was supposed to be minimal.

 If only the demons had not been born in the island nation.

 Half of the island nations had already shed their flesh and blood in the invasion of the demon Borgon. Alueno Artia, the saint of the Great Sacred Church, was speaking to the people in the Great Temple of Roa, her voice ringing out.

 The sight of her golden head of hair and eyes shimmering in what can only be described as ecstasy attracted everyone's gaze, and she said.

Let us hope for salvation. The gods will never abandon us. He will lead his heroes and save the earth with his guardians.

 It was like a song. The soothing melody melted into my chest like water and invaded my organs.

 What the people let out in response to Althea's words was not a frenzy or applause. Everyone just silently wished for salvation and happiness in front of her. They clasped their hands together and did nothing, but simply prayed.

 The demon invasion had taken her ancestral land, killed her parents, eaten her children, and laid waste to her lover. Now, as a refugee, he did not know if he would survive tomorrow.

 Everyone is grieving, everyone is mad. There is no longer any semblance of normalcy. As if to save them, the saint said.

"Just a silent blessing. I wish you all the greatest happiness.

 Everyone was immersed in her voice, which now seemed to glimmer. No one raised their voice, but simply prayed to the saint. They were probably already in a daze.

 Althea's lips lifted slightly in satisfaction, and she turned on her heel. Even though this is a necessary pilgrimage, it does not mean that there is enough time to spare. There are many things that need to be done. With two cathedral knights at his side, he taps his foot on the stone floor of the Great Temple.

 The next moment, Althea's eyelashes fluttered up. The emotions faded from her golden eyes, unnoticed by those around her.

 A voice echoed in her chest.

It's a rare thing, isn't it? I can't believe I'm surprised by you. Well, I don't mind.

 It was the voice of Alueno, his ward, his dependant, the owner of the holy body. In fact, she was the only one who knew Althea's true identity at this moment and approached her so casually.

 Her soul is with her, and she still retains a strong awareness of it. I had originally intended for her to sleep for a while longer. Unlike the image I had once seen, she seemed to have become much more self-aware.

 Althea nodded her head with her emotionally corrupted eyes and answered in a way that only Alueno could understand.

I'm surprised too, Alueno. I didn't think there was anything in the world that could still surprise me.

 Althea tightened her lips lightly as she continued to walk.

 Now there was a transmission from his own demon. Through his vision, Althea saw the end of an old man.

 I'm not sure what to make of that. That in itself is not really a surprise.

 Humans are always foolish and reckless. It is common to lose sight of the truth and to throw happiness into the gutter. Even more so if you're a pagan, you're likely to reject the revelation that could save you.

 Therefore, the cause of Althea's raised eyebrows was not in the fact, but in the words of the old man.

 --I don't despair one bit! I'm sorry, gods of the world. Humans are not always as ignorant as lambs!

 Althea's fingertips drew light circles and wavered in the air.

 The words were a little too good to be true. It was as if the old man had sensed the first myth, the first cause of the world.

 A mere old man? Althea narrowed her eyes as if asking herself a question.

 In the world he once saw, he must have been nothing more than a lowly human. With the fall of the heraldry, he disappeared, never to leave his name in the history books, never to influence the world.

 Their souls were not even close to heroes, but only heroes at best. Is it possible that such an existence has reached the world, even if only in fragments? Is such a thing possible?

 The questions are endless, but the truth has vanished into the dust. No matter how much I think about it, it makes no sense. One thing's for sure, it was a good thing to kill him.

 If the old man had found his way to the first myth itself and connected with Lugis, the family of Oufru...

 It was a bit of a hassle. That's all.

"I'll do what I have to do and return to the cathedral as soon as possible. Good, both of you.

 At any rate, there was no time to dwell on those words. Althea had a lot of work to do.

 I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.

 And above all, it was necessary to shatter the heraldry from its roots. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.



 The dogma of heraldry is too dangerous.

 It exposes things we don't need to know, and thus drives us to our own destruction. It's like the desire for self-destruction itself. I wonder if Ouful knows all this and is letting them go.

 Human beings do not have to be ignorant and helpless, they do not have to dare to face hardship. It's okay to despair. Althea allows it.

 After all, there is plenty of despair in this world.

 No amount of justice, no amount of crazy effort, will do any good. Those who are not heroes or brave, no matter how noble their aspirations, exist only to be crushed and shattered.

 No, not heroes, not brave men. How much more can they do? They're just ordinary people with ordinary expectations and a lifetime of unbearable burdens to bear.

 And even if they overcome terrible hardships and all kinds of pain and suffering to create something. It will always be lost. Just as your empire once vanished.

 Then it's better to face nothing. Let ignorance, despair, and knowing nothing bring you salvation. That's what happiness is. For once you have knowledge, you will always be unhappy.

 After Althea called out, she turned on her heel and looked at the two cathedral knights. The two pairs of eyes showed their agreement with a slight delay.

"...... I will do my duty as a cathedral knight in any way I can, diva. I'm here for that reason.

 You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

 For the man who wanted to become a supreme knight, the current situation where he has to prioritize the pilgrimage of the saint over saving the people from the threat of demons is too complicated.

 If the saint hadn't asked him directly, he would have stayed in the cathedral instead of here and faced the demonic beast disaster.

 Garrus let out a small breath and looked away from the saint to gaze at the other cathedral knight. He had the same golden eyes and hair color as the saint.

 His golden eyes open tightly. The left eye, which was once lost, now certainly exists.

 --Majin. Savior Herdt-Stanley nodded, his eyes growing darker.

"Yes, Saint Alueno. If the only thing this world needs is justice and good deeds. I'll do it.

 The saint, as she was called, only smiled a thin smile at that.