21 – The Redeemed Saint
The war between the Kareldeon Empire and other countries caused numerous casualties.
Flemea was aware of this too. She knew that if she continued to go to the battlefield like this, she might die too. She had been lucky to survive until now, but eventually her luck would run out.
But even so, she went to the battlefield without fear.
She led her tired body to the battlefield for the sake of the people she could heal. She prayed to the gods regularly and thought about how she could help people.
But her heart did not reach others.
The knights and mercenaries on the battlefield would grimace just by seeing Flemea’s face. Some would lament that they had drawn the short straw, but all Flemea could do was pretend not to hear them.
“If only I were a better person…”
She cried a lot. Not where people could see her, but in secluded places, she shed tears dozens of times. She resented herself a lot. Why was she a defective product? Why was there no one who needed her? She also lamented the fact that there was no one who truly understood her.
Even though she could perform miracles, she was despised by people.
As long as the system of assigning saints remained, she would continue to suffer. She had even considered secretly leaving the battlefield, thinking that it might not help these people. But even if she did, she knew that the church would send a defective product, a saint with similar abilities, to this place.
“Nothing will change.”
Even if she left the battlefield without permission, or died miserably during the war, another defective product would take her place. Whether she gave up or not, there was no answer in this situation, so she would do her best. Even if her body was broken, she would perform this miracle for them.
The heart of the shattered girl grew stronger with each passing moment.
Although there had been numerous casualties on the battlefield she had fought on until now, the battles that took place there ended in victory, regardless.
Unfortunately, in this particular battlefield, the knights and mercenaries of the Kareldean Empire suffered a devastating defeat. They unknowingly infiltrated the space where the enemies were lurking, and as a result, the majority of their forces were killed instantly.
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“Kill all the invaders!”
The enemy knights slaughtered the Kareldean Empire’s knights and mercenaries indiscriminately as they pushed forward. There were no survivors. The enemies made sure to pursue and kill anyone who was wounded.
Fleamia, who was in the rear, rushed to the battlefield.
“If anyone is injured… If there are any injured, please come to me! I will use my divine power to help you!”
Her calling was to save others. She believed that she had been chosen by the goddess for that purpose. In reality, she had intended to perform miracles by rushing out from a safe position to the front lines. But for some reason…
“Hey…?”
One of the knights grabbed Fleamia by the collar and dragged her away. It was the same person who had been frustrated after being labeled as defective just a while ago. His name was Gallard.
Knight Gallard dragged Fleamia all the way to the front lines and shouted in front of the enemy.
“What I have in my hand is the Holy Maiden of the Kareldean Empire. If you promise to stop chasing us, I will hand over this maiden.”
The enemy knight commander naturally did not accept the proposal.
“Hmm… It’s interesting, but why should we listen to you? We can just kill you and take the maiden.”
In an instant, Gallard cut off one of the Holy Maiden’s arms. The expression on the enemy knight commander’s face, Teckeloman, visibly distorted.
“What are you doing?”
“If you keep chasing us, I will kill the Holy Maiden.”
“It’s meaningless. Killing the Holy Maiden on the battlefield? That’s impossible.”
Finally, Gallard cut off the Holy Maiden’s foot. The Holy Maiden writhed in pain, but Gallard did not even flinch.
“This is not a bluff. The Holy Maiden is a sacred being. It is certain that taking a living Holy Maiden will be more beneficial to you than killing hundreds of us. Let’s make a deal. In exchange for sparing our lives, we will give you the Holy Maiden.”
Tekeloman’s expression began to cool.
“Disgusting bastards. I think I understand why the Kaorelden Empire has such a dirty reputation when I see you. Treating a saint chosen by the Goddess Luastra in such a manner. You will receive divine punishment.”
“You can only receive divine punishment if you are alive. This is your final offer.”
Gallard finally stabbed one of the saint’s eyes.
The saint groaned in pain, but Gallard only dragged Fleamia forward. The knights behind them held their breath.
Fleamia screamed towards the back.
“H… Help me, it hurts so much. It feels like my whole body is being torn apart. Please save me… Save me…”
The girl begged, but the men turned their heads away. The saint couldn’t use her divine power, so it was impossible to heal her wounds. Blood was draining from her body. It was excruciatingly painful, but what was more despairing was the expression on the knights behind her.
“Oh…”
Those who had tried their best to save the saint, were now willing to sell her to preserve their own lives. They considered it fortunate that there were negotiation means and were committing sacrilege under the pretext of being defective.
“Let go of the saint and get lost, you filthy bastards.”
When the enemy knight commander Tekeloman ordered, the surrounding knights protested.
“Knight Commander Tekeloman! No, we can’t just let her go after coming this far!”
“Be quiet. I will take responsibility for this judgment.”
Gallard slowly stepped back. Eventually, he and the other knights began to flee.
After watching all the men leave, Knight Commander Tekeloman approached Fleamia.
“Saint.”
“Please kill me.”
Fleamia no longer groaned in pain. She smiled and spoke, her blood and tears flowing freely.
“Please, let me die while maintaining my purity.”
According to the words of the women captured on the battlefield, it was an obvious and predictable outcome. Flemea simply smiled brightly. However, her smile was hollow, devoid of any joy.
“Tsk.”
Teceloman let out a sound and shouted to the knights behind him, leaving the fallen saint on the ground.
“Retreat.”
“Teceloman, Commander of the Knights! The saint… we should take the saint with us. It will be our accomplishment.”
“The ambush was successful enough, and we killed many knights of the Kaorelden Empire. Even if we just bring back their ears, no one will criticize us.”
“Even so…”
The saint who faced hundreds of enemy soldiers in battle. It was unthinkable to leave her behind. But Teceloman spoke firmly.
“She’s defective. Even if we take her, we won’t be able to use her properly. With her missing limbs and eyes, we can’t take her to any public events. It’s pointless to allow the worthless saint to use elixirs.”
“Th-then why did you send the enemy soldiers in exchange for saving the saint? Why…?”
“Because I don’t want to become the same monster.”
Teceloman emphasized once again with a terrifying expression.
“I am a knight.”
As Teceloman said this with a vicious smile, the other knights fell silent.
“Let’s go.”
He glanced at the saint for a moment.
“I’ve seen you several times on previous battlefields. You exhausted yourself and used your divine power for the sake of others until you collapsed. The reason I chose to save you instead of killing hundreds of enemies today is because I believe your life is more valuable than theirs.”
He threw away a potion he had brought with him as if discarding it on the ground.
“If you pour it on your wounds, it will stop the bleeding. If you’re lucky, you’ll survive, and if you’re unlucky, you’ll die.”
With that, Teceloman, the commander of the knights, turned away, leaving the saint on the battlefield. It was the greatest favor he could bestow upon the abandoned saint of the enemy.
The sincere efforts of the saint did not bring miracles to her allies, but she achieved a miracle for herself.
Thanks to the kindness of the enemy knight commander, she saved her life, and obtaining a potion that could stop the bleeding was a miracle. However, at the same time, she received wounds that couldn’t be washed away.
A severed arm that no longer moved.
She would no longer be able to fold her hands and pray.
A motionless leg.
She would not be able to go to the battlefield and tend to the wounded. She would never be able to run freely in the vast world again.
An unseen eye.
Her vision would only be able to capture half of the world from now on.
Fortunately, the girl was able to crawl back to the base from the battlefield. The empire did not inquire about how the saint got hurt. They just sent her to a shabby house without saying a word.
It was later that she found out that the place was where defective saints were sold. The knights’ cries that they had to sell the injured saints as scrap parts to the large signboard came later.
It was after that day. That was when Flimia no longer believed in the goddess Luasta.
Rather, she began to hope for salvation from the community.
She needed a savior who would help her escape from this hell.
Because she could no longer leave this place with her own arms and legs.
— — —
After hearing all of Flimia’s stories, Choi Ye-bin clenched her fist tightly.
“There is not a single lie. It’s all true.”
Choi Ye-bin told the truth about the words Flimia spoke. It was an unnecessary action. Because I could see from the desperate look in Flimia’s eyes that these words were true.
It was the first time. I felt so filthy.
And it was the first time.
It was fortunate that there existed a mass slaughter magic in me, as it meant that someone’s world was constantly filled with war, with countless corpses and blood piling up.
Whether the salvation she desired was escape or revenge, I could perform miracles. This place was where such conditions were met.
I took out an elixir from my pocket and handed it to the girl.
“Drinking a potion won’t help. You don’t have to waste it on me.”
The girl refused, but I slowly tilted the bottle and began pouring the elixir into her mouth.
“Ah… uh…?”
The potion that performs miracles. Another name for elixir.
Her severed arms and legs began to grow back in an instant, and the empty eye sockets began to regenerate. The wounds and self-inflicted scars that covered her body also started to disappear instantly.
Her world, which was only half visible, returned to its original state. Hands that couldn’t be held started touching each other. The tilted balance began to align as she gained a new leg to compensate for the injured one.
The girl cried like a child. And finally, she knelt down, clasped her hands together, and prayed earnestly.
In gratitude for the miracle performed by the Administrator, for her salvation.
“Thank you… really… thank you so much… I will follow you for the rest of my life, Administrator. If you ever want anything from me, I will do anything…”
McDuras interrupted the girl’s words.
“If you’re truly grateful, then live freely now. I will help you do that.”
As McDuras spoke, light began to flow around him.
[To the one who has reincarnated in a novel, I have gained complete trust. The 24-hour penalty for this reincarnation in the novel is immediately lifted. You can now warp back into the original novel.]
The system message echoed in my mind, but I ignored it.
There was still something left to do here.
To the saint who had been devoted to the end, a miracle.
To those who had lost their faith, a time to bring despair.