187 – 36. Proof
Chloel’s embrace was warm.
He couldn’t stay in that embrace forever.
“It’s okay now…Chloel.”
“How can you do that? I heard a rumor that he’s losing his power… But does that mean it’s the Tower of Proof?”
…… Yes, the status of ‘proof’ was like this.
There was no reaction from the Pope, the three cardinals, or Namgoong Min, but proof is essentially like a witch trial.
Proving your innocence before God. It sounds really sweet, but how many people will actually believe that?
Even Cloel, who has deep religious beliefs, reacted this way.
Climbing the Tower of Proof is actually the same thing as excommunication.
“Didn’t you do well?”
“That’s it!… At least, if you had at least told me… I wouldn’t have been so worried.”
In an instant, yesterday’s events came back to the saint’s mind.
She approached the door of the orphanage where she and Eileen were staying, and the night she finally turned around.
That is why becoming a saint is possible with a bitter smile.
“I’m sorry.”
It was just a very late apology.
Chloel was momentarily embarrassed, shocked, and trembled at the saint’s bitter reaction.
Sigh.
“It was a lot… Difficult, wasn’t it?”
“……!”
I just quietly hugged the saint again.
It was different from the hug from just before.
If the previous hug was from joy, surprise, or urgency.
This time, it came from a truly regretful heart.
…… This was only possible because Chloe was Raphael’s ‘step-sister’.
And the saint gritted his teeth and endured that feeling of disparity.
‘What Chloe sees is not me. It’s Raphael.’
The ‘Rafael Martina’ she knows is her own brother, forever frozen at the age of 5……
“…It’s because of the promise.”
“……Did you remember?”
“Well, it was just a passing promise…But it was the first promise we made.”
Chloel speaks of a promise.
It was a promise to a saint, not the ‘real Raphael’.
While the real Raphael, who had entrusted all the duties of a saint to him, was sleeping.
The day when the saint, who had finished all his work for the day, looked up at the stars in the night sky from a hill.
──Huh? Raphael!
──…… Chloe.
──What’s going on? Usually at this time you don’t see it at all!
──hahahaha, I don’t know. Isn’t it because I have a lot of work to do?
──P, you are an orphan like me, but you act proud. Are you even a saint?
Memories of the days when Chloe mistook him for an orphan.
──By the way, he is a saint……
──…… Do you know about the saint?
──No? At all. About the same age as us? He is so high up that I have never even seen his face. I heard that you tour orphanages and slums…… When are you coming to our side?
──You are faithful.
Likewise.
Memories of the day when even the saint was mistaken about Cloel.
──Faithfulness?…… Well.
──Yes?
──If the saint comes to our orphanage, donations will increase and gifts will also come. I like that.
──…… Are you interested in the donations that will follow him, not the saint?
──I know. If the nuns at our orphanage heard this, they would be very scolded. Don’t worry, it’s Raphael, so I’m telling you secretly.
──……… Okay.
──But if I ever get a chance to talk to the saint…… There’s something I want to tell you.
──What is it?
──Ugh, that’s a shame.
──What are you ashamed of? What’s here isn’t a saint or anything, it’s just two orphans.
──That…… Go? Well, then let me tell you.
Why did I continue the conversation with Chloe?
Although she looked at her through Raphael’s eyes, it was the real Raphael who had been talking and playing with her. It’s not like me……
Even though I knew that. Why.
──I want to ask the saint for a favor.
──What is it?
──…… Ask for the orphanage to be abolished.
──……… Yes?
──Oh, I don’t mean to destroy our house! Just…… Please create a world where orphans like us don’t exist. So that no more children suffer like us…… I would like to ask you that. Hmm, maybe I was a little scared?
──………………
──Raphael?
──…… No, very……… Because those words are impressive.
These were not words that a seven-year-old child would say.
The real Raphael, who was praised as a saint, acts like a four-year-old child.
If he had not been a saint who inherited even a small amount of the memories and knowledge of previous saints, these words would have been incomprehensible to anyone in his age group.
If you had such concerns and thoughts.
What kind of life has Chloe been living?
──Raphael? Are you okay?
──…… I promise.
──Huh?
──I will definitely, definitely make Chloe’s dream come true…… I promise.
──hehehehe, thank you even if it’s just words. Good! Our promise!
──About… inside.
Will there ever come a day when I forget the promise I made that day?
That was a year before I was kicked out of the church in the name of going on a pilgrimage.
After that, on the pilgrimage, I encountered all kinds of human ugliness.
When you get scammed by a fortune teller.
Even when the real Raphael’s personality disappeared.
When he first found God.
I did not forget the promise of that day. I believed it.
I wonder if I will forget.
“I… Haven’t forgotten either. Continue.”
“Yes, I know…Raphael.”
So, that name you call hurts.
The ‘Raphael’ you promised was me, but he is not my brother.
Those are the only memories of me and you.
I feel like even that is being overwritten──
“So you said it? It’s ‘the first promise’.”
“…Yes?”
……… First, promise?
What does that mean?
There are countless promises made between the real Raphael and Chloe. What time and where should we meet, what should we play next time, let’s go there next time, let’s play with this this time……
It was just a small, childish promise, but it must have all been a promise.
Nevertheless, if you say it is a ‘first promise’.
“Well, what.”
“…You know, I…I actually knew.”
“Yes?”
“The Raphael I met when I was young and the Raphael of today are different people.”
“………!!”
Thump.
I quickly got up from my seat. The chair falls and makes a loud noise.
But it didn’t reach my ears.
Because all kinds of doubts were flowing in.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. It’s not like someone told me… Or anything like that.”
“So……how?”
“No matter how you say it…Even when you were young, there were times when your speaking style completely changed. When you used informal language and when you used polite language. That’s when my doubts started.”
“……………….”
“At that time, I didn’t pay much attention to it. But… The day you suddenly disappeared, you had gone on a pilgrimage. It wasn’t until you came back that I realized that you were a saint, Raphael.”
“…I’m sorry about what I was hiding…”
“What do I have to be sorry about? Of course I should hide it. However, Raphael, when you came back like that, you were always treating me with respect…Always.”
Speech style.
It was a blind spot I had never even thought of.
High-ranking priests who knew the difference in speaking style knew about the saint’s secret, and ordinary believers only heard the honorific expression.
The real Raphael speaks informally, and the saint speaks politely.
Among those who did not know the truth, Cloel was probably the only one who was able to meet both of them.
“At first, I was very confused and avoided you. It felt like my stepbrother from when I was little had disappeared.”
“……………….”
“But as I grew a little older, I realized that you…Are Raphael, the person we made a promise with that day. And that you are struggling to fulfill that promise.”
It was also at that time that she began studying theology to become a nun.
Because I wanted to be of strength to him, even just a little bit.
“Do you know what? It’s only been a year since I saw Raphael speaking informally, but it’s been over 10 years since I saw you speaking respectfully.”
“……….”
“I knew that you were avoiding me. I knew that you were a burden to me. But I didn’t want to leave your side.”
“……………….”
“I’m sorry, I was late in confessing. But I also lacked courage. And only today… Did I gain that courage.”
“…Chloel.”
“To me, you are the real thing.”
The answer is.
It doesn’t come out…… Didn’t
For some reason, my throat got clogged.
For some reason…… Tears flowed.
“Yes, Raphael. Can you tell me your name? Your real name.”
“……Do you mean your name?”
“Yes. Let me hear it.”
Name. Name. My Name.
That’s it, it was decided.
“Raphael…Martina.”
“…That’s really your name.”
“……It’s my younger brother’s name, the first name I had, and the first name my brother gave me. That’s enough…That’s enough.”
“Yeah…That’s right.”
Chloel closed her eyes for a moment.
And.
“Hello, Rafael Martina. My…Younger brother.”
“……Chloel, older sister.”
“Okay. Call me that.”
Ah. I see
This is what Eileen meant.
‘Yes, I don’t believe in God, but…’ ….’
Because I believe in the promise of that day.
That will be my faith, trust, and faith.
…… For a while, no voice was heard from the drawing room.
It’s just that someone sheds the tears they’ve been holding back for so long.
*
“…It ended well.”
“After all, you all saw it in advance through , Right? It’s Namgoong Min, after all!”
“……Well.”
Even when I was forced to play that game because of my younger sister’s bullying.
I have never seen anything like the story of Rafael Martina and Cloel Martina.
It was my first time, and I was very anxious.
[Character Event: – Rafael Martina
Raphael Martina, a saint blessed by God, is a fanatic who believes in God.
But what is God?
An omnipotent being who can achieve anything? Or is it a refuge that only provides peace of mind?
Even people who believe in the same god have different thoughts, so how can one rashly determine the god a saint believes in?
A fanatic who believes in God. At the same time, a heretic who doubts God.
Rafael Martina confessed to you the contradictions she had harbored within herself.
How will his fate unfold?
Event Goal: Help Rafael Martina make a choice (this is the final goal!)
Remaining period: Until you come down from the Tower of Proof.
Achievement reward: Depends on Rafael Martina’s choice.]
[Raphael Martina was chosen after your help.]
[Raphael Martina denies God!]
[Clear the suspicious route! Compensation will be provided based on the results of your choice!]
[The ‘Hidden Ending’ has become possible as a reward for clearing the suspicious route!]
[‘Developer’s Room Key’ provided!]
“…I think it ended with a good result.”
Key to the developer’s room.
This is the room I looked for so long in the first semester, and the place where Jisoo is assumed to be now.
I searched and searched, but couldn’t find anything, so I actually gave up. I never thought it was a place that could be reached in the hidden ending.
‘If you have this key…… ‘Is it possible to go to the developer’s room?’
And there I met Jisoo.
The ending──
“Namgoong Min…”
“Aileen?”
“…Are you leaving?”
Ah.
For a moment, I forgot .
Eileen, who had such a confident expression on her face, grabbed my collar with an expression that seemed as if she would collapse in an instant.
‘I’m leaving, La.’
It certainly wasn’t a big problem when I first came to this world.
Because survival was urgent, and the event in front of me was urgent.
But, solving character events, building friendships, uncovering the dark side, and meeting Jisoo again……
From Noble mtl dot com
After going through all of that, I came to this point.
With a ‘hidden ending’ that you have never seen before.
‘I…’ ….’
Of course, I thought I had to leave.
No matter how miserable and painful life was in the original world, Jisoo was there.
But she is also in this world. And you can only meet them once you reach the ending.
‘I am.’
What on earth do you want to do?
Will I stay in this world or will I leave?
…… I was still confused myself.
“…First of all, I want to pay back everything I owe in this world.”
“If I pay you back…?”
“All the debts, both emotional and financial, that I owed…?”
Oh, wait a minute.
Now that I think about it, I owed Rio 1 trillion last time, and didn’t I owe him 2 trillion ‘dollars’ this time?
You also wrote a waiver to give up your body, I guess?
“Uh…….”
“…Namgoong Min.”
“Eh, Eileen?”
“Would you mind borrowing money or something else from me…?”
“Aileen…!?”
First of all, should I repay the money? … ?
2621 Trillion won?
Really?
…… How tall is he?