226 – Aria’s trials as a saint (3)
A place where you can overlook the testing grounds at a glance.
I looked down at Aria, tied to her chair as a sinner.
Is there such a thing as a sinner?
This is the ordeal of a candidate for sainthood who can only see the Pope.
I am probably the only criminal in history who watched it from a VIP seat like this.
It was a great honor… But it was like death.
I was uneasy because Aria was constantly calling my name.
And now.
Arya is lying on her knees on her bare floor in despair.
The third trial, [ Despair ].
I don’t know what pain she is going through.
To an outsider, she just appears to be lying face down on an ordinary marble floor.
That’s because that ordeal is a ‘hallucination’.
It is visible only to Aria.
It is a hallucination that brings up her most painful worries from deep within.
What on earth made Aria fall into such despair?
She was lying face down on the floor, shedding bloody tears.
I have no choice.
All I could do was watch Aria.
It was completely unexpected.
This is how Aria reached her third trial.
This is usually impossible.
She is no different from a broken person without mental care.
But now Aria is…
She was clearly different from what you see in her games.
Rather than the good side, it is the crazy side.
‘I’m definitely obsessed with something.’
Her mind has collapsed and she is blindly chasing something.
It makes me think that if Aria were in that state, she might become a saint.
‘If she becomes a real saint…’
I weighed the pros and cons for a moment.
It’s not a bad development.
Aria, who originally had to put a lot of effort into raising her, is now standing on her own as a saint?
That in itself is a huge benefit.
However.
There are two things that bother me.
The first is the existence of Dave.
I don’t know why, but he definitely wants something from Aria. Moreover, its hostility towards me.
This guy has to be dealt with somehow.
The second possibility is that Aria is the ‘culprit.’
If she still tries to kill me, and she becomes a saint in that state, her threat will increase even more.
However, there is no major concern.
Even if Aria becomes her saint, it will not be difficult to deal with her.
‘… Not bad.’
Aria becoming a saint at this stage is definitely not a bad thing for me.
At least we can remove the suspicion that the Pope is receiving right now.
Therefore, what is important right now is one question.
Can Aria overcome her third ordeal?
The most cruel ordeal [Despair].
There is no such thing as failure in this ordeal.
It’s just that her mind collapses and she becomes a ruined person.
Success depends on the end of the ordeal.
After [Ordeal of Despair] Is over, how sane can you remain in that despair?
And will it be possible to cross the stairs of divine power and reach the place where the Pope is?
If she reaches it, she will become a saint.
“…….”
The light that signaled the end of the third ordeal twinkled.
Aria was lying on the floor far away, unable to aim at her body.
— Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Her moans could be heard all the way here.
It was closer to the voice of an animal than a human voice.
Whatever Arya’s condition, her ordeal is over.
— Kugugoogung!
The walls surrounding her all sank.
If Aria raises her head, she will see where we are.
A situation where all you have to do is create stairs with divine power and climb up them.
But Aria collapsed in her seat and collapsed.
Bloody tears flowed from her eyes and soaked the area around Aria.
A constant black energy was blooming around her.
It was divine power discolored by despair.
The emperor, who had been watching quietly, opened his mouth.
The room rang like a predator growling.
“God is dead.”
God died in front of the Pope.
This is clearly a remark that constitutes disrespect.
“… What does that mean?”
It was natural that there was some anger at the Pope’s answer.
Nevertheless, the emperor’s attitude was confident.
“I saw priests like that many times during the war. They cried out for God, but at the end they all made that kind of face. It was as if there was no God in this world.”
He laughed lowly.
It was a laugh that was almost like ridicule.
– Wiggler
The Pope’s hands trembled slightly.
Tension enveloped the conference room for a moment.
“That’s very rude…”
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The moment the Pope opened his mouth to say something.
— Faaat!
Pure white light filled the surroundings.
Streams of divine power pouring in ceaselessly.
It wrapped around Aria like rain.
— Kugugoogung!
The path became pure white stairs.
From where Aria is to here.
Everyone’s eyes were focused on her.
Aria raised her head and looked at this place.
No.
She was looking exactly at me.
With a face red from dried bloody tears.
“Huh…”
A sigh was heard from someone who could not be identified as the emperor or the pope.
She stood up holding on to the stairs she had made.
No, I fell while trying to stand up.
Then it crawled up.
“……”
I realized that there was one thing I was missing.
Aria was originally in a state of mental collapse.
Because it was already on the floor.
She was a child who was no longer at the bottom.
No matter how much her spirit collapsed in the aftermath of the [Despair Ordeal], There was no bottom for her to fall to.
“Ian…”
She slowly came up, leaving behind a long trail of blood.
Her appearance was too red to be someone who would become a saint.
One space.
One space.
Aria was climbing up the stairs like that…
—
I collapsed.
One step left.
◆
Even the emperor of an empire or the head of a religion would have rarely seen a scene like this.
The emperor asked the pope.
“So what happens?”
“… Unfortunately, we are eliminated.”
They were looking at Aria without any sign of being somewhat tense before.
“However, the opportunity should be given again. The next ordeal will not be that difficult. There is a different treatment for those who climbed the stairs.”
The Pope smiled bitterly.
And then he came to me.
“You’re lucky.”
“Is that so?”
The Pope waved the wad of paper in his hand.
“This is a report on you written by Inquisitor Osgar. This is the first time you have survived a witch trial under such thorough suspicion.”
“Are you acknowledging my innocence? Even though she was Aria and she never became a saint?”
“Yes. Didn’t that girl, Aria, prove it herself? She came all the way here calling your name. To be honest, she’s a little jealous. hehehe.”
Hmm, what should I say?
I’m glad my daughter is an idiot, the Pope.
The Pope exchanged a look with the Emperor.
“Is it okay if I release this person?”
“Do whatever is convenient for you. I know you too.”
“hehehe. It’s amazing at such a young age. To have met both the Pope and the Emperor.”
“If you ask me, yes.”
The tension that heated up not long ago is everywhere, and the two leaders are talking with the tension of being bad friends.
The Pope briefly gestured towards me.
Cheolkeong.
The bindings were lifted.
I turned his hand around a few times and shook his head.
I feel like buying something now.
Did the story about me become a catalyst?
The story of the emperor and the pope matured.
“How about reducing the number of troops deployed… Isn’t it time to crack down on each other’s homes rather than the border?”
“It’s something that has already come up in working-level talks. The plan was to return the troops deployed on the border to their respective capitals.”
“That’s right. As you know, our Vatican is also in quite a bit of trouble due to the recent factional fights…”
The meeting between the two was quite interesting.
Because we talked and revealed each other’s weaknesses without hesitation.
Is it a stereotype to think that a summit between leaders would be a bit more formal and formal?
Rather, I didn’t know if it was possible because we knew each other intimately.
Of course, the atmosphere was good, but it wasn’t a way of smiling and giving in to the content.
For example.
“We can reduce mercenary funding as suggested by the Pope. However, they do contribute to border security. We are worried about the safety of our people.”
We can take away the power, but what are you going to do? When the emperor asks this question.
“More healing priests can be deployed to Deus Church branches located in the Empire. Wouldn’t healing priests be helpful to local health? Instead, we want the church to be more active… “
The Pope made a counteroffer and made another demand at the same time.
The two leaders rely on the working-level staff for all details and only focus on the core stories.
My honest impressions are…
‘There were so many things I wanted to say, but how did I hold back?’
.
If we keep holding it in like that, even a small thing can turn into a big war.
Anyway.
‘With this, Shaleam Bridge’s efforts are in vain.’
The intention of Hwalamgyo was to create discord between the two countries and induce war.
However, with the current meeting, the possibility of war between the two countries has rapidly decreased.
This is the moment when one of the key goals for which I came to this Vatican through the ‘threat of death’ is resolved.
The witch trials are also neatly concluded.
All plans by Shaleam Bridge to start a war were blocked.
In a way, everything worked out neatly.
But at this point, it’s like always.
‘A situation in which everything works out well’ is difficult to come by.
“Oh, and Ian.”
“?”
“The Vatican has already sentenced you to death, Ian, regardless of the outcome of your witch trial.”
These were the Pope’s words.
“The Empire cannot agree.”
It was the emperor’s rebuttal.
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