“… … .”
Stasia was staring at the blood Lucia had given her.
The promise was made. There was only hesitation. The reason is not different.
“It will be irreversible.”
This will decide everything. I don’t know what her conclusions will be.
But this is the last time.
After this time, she should not worry any more.
With this one chance, she should be able to give a definitive answer.
“great.”
Stasia made up her mind and lifted the vial containing the blood.
Opening the bottle, she finally reached out cautiously for the blood.
* * *
Emperor’s throne room. There is only a sense of desolation in the place decorated with gold.
Despite the odd circumstances, Antares was killing time there.
“Tsk.”
He was calculating the situation.
I drew the most credible future by matching the rumors and information I heard from time to time in my head.
“… … I ended up letting go of an old friend.”
In the finished painting, Stolas did not exist.
maybe he’s dead
In the first place, he was a human who repeated the herd. He was a man who did not want to borrow the hands of others.
A human who always tried to do things with his own hands at a decisive moment.
“It’s unfortunate.”
A group of humans that Antares likes.
That’s why it’s a pity. that’s why it’s beautiful Antares closed his eyes in the midst of two conflicting emotions.
Antares, who had closed his eyes for a while and put the puzzle together in his head, suddenly smiled.
“Clap… … . Okay, have you decided?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It was Stasia who appeared in the silent audience room. She looked around for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said:
“To be alone in a place full of assassination dangers like this… … .”
In response to Stasia’s humanity-filled response, Antares replied with a wry smile as well.
“What, they don’t have the confidence to do that. Even if you give them this much space, they get scared and can’t do anything.”
“Shouldn’t you take care of His Majesty’s prison body above all else?”
“What’s the point of taking care of a body that’s about to abdicate?”
You don’t even need to calculate it.
Antares did not have much time left.
“Okay, would you like to hear the answer?”
That’s why I asked.
What choice did Stasia make? I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from her mouth.
“I intend to oppose this purge planned by His Majesty.”
“yes? how?”
“… … .”
Stasia spread her wings.
The tips of reddish-red wings made of blood aimed at Antares’ neck.
“There is only one way to bring this situation to a clean end.”
“Clap… … .”
Antares did not blink an eye even in the face of such a threat.
He just looked at Stasia.
“… … .”
With that alone, Stasia felt an indescribable threat.
She has the upper hand in both strength and circumstances, and she is the one holding the knife to his throat.
Even so, it was her side who had a cold throat. The weight is extraordinary.
The weight of the karma accumulated by Antares.
It is the weight of the irreversible conviction of those who have shed their blood for the country.
“I am… … .”
Stasia continued her conversation with her wings retracted.
Also this doesn’t work Mere threats cannot convince him.
“I intend to break the chains Your Majesty has placed on everyone.”
“Then how can I connect them? A country is a community. We need a chain named Ideology.”
“It doesn’t have to be a chain.”
A conversation like walking on thin ice.
“Then how will you succeed them?”
“Reach out your hand. You have to hold their hands with a warmth you won’t want to let go of.”
“You only have two hands. How many people can you hold with those two hands?”
“Can’t those who hold my hand reach out to others and connect everyone’s hands that way?”
“Clap.”
Antares laughed improbably. It’s an obvious laugh.
“Because I couldn’t see you, I became a dreamer.”
“… … .”
“Connect hand to hand. that’s a cool word But hands are different from chains. What if someone let go of your hand without you knowing?”
That’s what trust is. You can come back to betrayal at any time.
Even if hand after hand becomes one, if someone in the middle shakes off that hand, the country will be divided.
And letting go of that hand is so easy. It is so easy that there are even those who let go of their hands without even knowing it.
“Chains are a necessary evil. They need control more than warmth.”
Didn’t you often see a child who didn’t know anything right away let go of his parents’ hands?
Didn’t the child who let go of his hand without knowing anything collapsed in loneliness like a sailboat left in the open sea and burst into tears?
“Warmth is the law that gives comfort. Comfort breeds complacency. It is also people who give birth to desires in that comfort and ease.”
Aren’t people able to shake off their hands for so many reasons?
Isn’t it human to shed tears because you let go of your hand in an instant and can’t hold it again?
Not all human beings can be wise. If not abandoning everyone, someone has to carry the lacking human beings.
“When they put the saw through the chain. i know who they are The vibrations will come from the chains I hold in my hands.”
The chain is tight.
Even if you want to be liberated, you are not so weak that you can shake off it.
And above all.
“If that happens, making the chain even harder, or hitting the neck of the person connected to the chain. Simple.”
Then finding out who tried to cut the chain is simple.
It will take time to cut the chain, and the noise will not cease until it is done.
It’s also easy to set an example for them so that others can’t touch the chain.
“You know? It is impossible to make everyone happy.”
Because someone’s happiness means someone’s unhappiness soon.
“But it is possible to unite by making everyone unhappy.”
Establish complete control.
show an example
It makes everyone so unhappy.
It’s okay though. Because people can find happiness even in misfortune.
Because humans are creatures that can heal each other’s wounds.
Because both ugliness and goodness can sprout in any situation.
“There is nothing simpler than making justice by evil.”
That’s the conclusion Antares made.
The most ideal country created by compromise in reality.
Necessary evil.
“Are you still going that way? A road where you can only see a little in front of your eyes?”
“… … .”
The decision has already been made. But it was difficult to put those words into my mouth.
Antares’s question melts his life. That’s why I couldn’t give a quick answer even when I had already given a firm answer.
“Whoa… … .”
So Stasia took a deep breath and looked back at her memories.
He shook off his hesitation by recalling the reason he had decided to do so.
“Yes.”
“good night.”
Antares nodded.
I didn’t ask why.
He decided to respect Stasia, who just decided to walk the opposite path.
the conclusion she reached. If I had been able to make that decision even though I had been watching Antares’ life from the sidelines, I wouldn’t be shaken in the first place.
“It’s Stasia. You are a dreamer.”
“Yeah.”
“The dreams you dream are extremely difficult, and eventually you will compromise one by one in front of reality.”
“Maybe.”
“Men are as foolish as they are wise, and you will not be able to treat them all the same after all.”
“Yes.”
“While there will be people you reach out to, there will also be people who will one day wear a chain in place of your hand.”
“… … It would be hard to say no.”
“But Stasia. It’s fine with that now. That’s all you need.”
Antares smiled softly.
It was the dust-like humanity secretly harbored by a human who gave up everything to become a monster.
“He who cannot even dream cannot dream reality.”
Humans are creatures that constantly run for their dreams. That humanity, Antares really liked.
“stargazer? It’s good. It is your job to compromise from that dream to reality. Nothing will change if you simply keep it.”
However, the ruler is the one who carries the country on his back. Protecting the country should be the top priority.
But don’t be so stagnant. A monarch must be cool, but there are times when you need to take risks.
At that time, there is a big difference between those who hesitate and those who do not hesitate.
“You can do it.”
“… … Will it?”
“How are you? Because I prove that you are worthy. There is no need to be afraid.”
Yes, because of the evaluation I made while looking at my entire life, I can calmly accept this moment.
“Is it because I deviated from the path His Majesty prepared for me?”
“It is not the road I have prepared. It is the attitude of a person walking the road.”
It will be comfortable if you walk the prepared path.
But even if you don’t, that’s okay. No matter what path she walks, she has been taught not to stop.
“Any way you can walk. Because I was raised that way.”
Antares showed Stasia the path she was on.
But I’ve never been forced to go that route.
He just showed his back going the way.
“You will become a monarch who may falter but will never fall.”
Was the path you were going on always comfortable? no.
No road can be easy. That’s why Antares showed it. The figure of a person walking on a path that is not a path.
How can you move forward in front of the wind and rain that even cuts you down?
“Now take me down. That will make you a firm person. It will overturn the public opinion that it is a mixed blood between demons and humans.”
Antares does not make a single plan. He was always a flexible planner.
If the original plan works, that’s fine. Then you will be able to complete a much stronger empire.
But if it fails, that’s fine too.
If the plan fails, it will be the surest way to bring her out of the bondage of mixed blood between demons and humans.
That’s Antares’ plan.
the end he had planned.
“Stasia van Helios. From now on you are the emperor. So now it’s the emperor’s turn to do what he has to do.”
“Yes… … .”
The figure of a hero who brought down a tyrant.
On this day, the emperor of the empire was changed.
* * *
Around the time when the situation in the empire was rapidly changing. Arrieta was continuing her volunteer work.
“Whoa… … .”
Because she belongs to the Holy See, she cannot interfere in the affairs of the Empire.
Unlike Oz, who was almost like wearing a business card, the responsibility he had to shoulder was far greater than the strength he had.
So she prayed.
If she’s someone she trusts and loves, she’ll take care of it. I believed that and prayed for him.
“This is it.”
“Oops, thank you. Holy Maiden.”
“I’m glad it helped. ah! Still, can’t you push yourself too hard? The wounds may get worse.”
She still toured the field wards and treated patients.
Whether or not the situation in the empire was in turmoil, there were still many people who were injured in the aftermath of the war.
This is the number of people even though most of the population has been evacuated.
Arrieta covered her fatigue with a smile and continued her activities.
In fact, treating people was not difficult.
It was something I had been doing for a long time, so I was used to it. Yes, there are other things that are really difficult. For example… … .
“Oh, our saintess. It’s a pity for such a rambler.”
“Yeah… … ?”
It was the power of information that cannot be underestimated by elderly patients who have regained their composure.
Most of the patients already know that Arrieta likes Oz.
Not only that, but he was also quick to hear the latest rumors.
“This time, what is it, cat? Did you draw and even seduce a cat? Say my daughter saw me f*cking on the roof.”
“… … .”
Information faster than the Empire’s official intelligence agency. In front of the high-speed communication network of the people who do not have to go through verification and do not have to move secretly, Arietta’s heart was just broken.
“Yeah, that’s right… … .”
frown with a smile
“Oh, you’re so masculine. Do you know how our saintess came to like such a guy?”
“Your face is smooth. Besides, what is that, where is the king?”
frown with a smile
“Still, it’s a pity for our saintess. How nice is our saintess?”
“That’s right. Ugh, what the hell happened to the saintess… … .”
Froze with a smile… … .
“… … I’ll be away for a while.”
… … I couldn’t help it.
know. I know.
Isn’t it a yard that has already been given permission?
Still, isn’t there a difference between knowing and understanding? She has done nothing wrong, but ruthless malice gnaws at her.
Even though she is a saint, she is also a human being. not so nice
She too is dissatisfied and sad. He is jealous and has a desire for monopoly. Rumors like that are nothing but poison to her.
“blood… … .”
Arrieta pouted her lips alone in a place where no one else could see.
“That is unfair.”
And Arietta expressed her dissatisfaction by tapping the stones that were rolling on the floor with her toe.
Even though she was a human being, it was the maximum resistance that she could do as a saint.
People who knew her normally would be astonished if they saw her.
“I also… … .”
I wanted to be with you.
I wanted to stand by Oz and walk in the direction he was heading.
The shackles of being a saint have never felt heavier.
Arrieta pulled her cheek. and said
“mmm.”
Severe words, harsh words, very harsh words.
… … Since she didn’t know how to speak, I tried to show her mood with a mumble.
Of course, that didn’t make the frustration in my heart go away.
“phew… … .”
Arrieta, who had been tugging at her cheeks and muttering like that, immediately sighed in embarrassment.
What is this doing?
During this time, even one person has to see more patients.
‘Let’s ask him to do something later.’
Arrieta made that promise and moved on again.
“uh?”
The moment I was going to find other patients like that.
“Divine power? but… … .”
Arrieta tilted her head at the divine power she felt up close.
Intense. It is a fairly intense divine power. Divine power to the point that even a fairly high-ranking priest couldn’t even extend a limb.
Anyone who possesses this kind of divine power must be at least a Cardinal.
‘But here… … .’
There can be no cardinals.
Even the high-ranking priest she accompanied was somewhat overreacted.
In the first place, the war did not happen only in empires. The whole world was invaded by monsters.
There is no way the cardinal would have left the papal court under such circumstances.
“Um… … .”
But I don’t know if things have been sorted out by now.
If the damage to the Vatican ＜Hedenia＞ wasn’t great and they came to support or welcome the saintess Arietta, it would have been possible.
‘I’m going to go see you first… … ?’
Arrieta cautiously headed towards the place where she felt the divine power.
“Do you understand? This is just a portent! A lot of painful things will happen in the future!”
the place you’ve been looking for.
Arrieta was finally able to find the owner of the intense divine power.
Not a cardinal.
It was an old priest. He was shouting and casting spells on the patients gathered in 5th order.
“One is fine! After that suffering, we will be able to carve out a new life! Our God will recreate this world!”
These were not the words of a priest who was supposed to be a support for others.
The moment he saw that, a word passed through Arrieta’s mind. They serve the same god, but their methods are too radical.
‘Heresy.’
Arrieta narrowed her eyebrows and grabbed the hem of her skirt tightly.
“Well? ah! You are here. I was waiting. The Saint of Hope.”
“you are… … is anyone?”
Divine power comparable to that of a cardinal.
A heresy with that much divine power couldn’t possibly exist.
“Okay, I guess I should introduce myself. Holy woman, vessel of God! My name is Orator Ragnar!”
A dagger prepared by Janus.
The [orator] of demagogues.
“I have come to preach the word of God.”
He was taking advantage of the chaos of the empire to move.