2. The Lord is with you (45)
When the saintess arrived at the director’s office, Guilford had taken out her sword.
The blade, placed on the pure white cloth, flashed with cool anticipation. He looked down at the sword without saying anything.
Those eyes were very deep. His eyes were filled with sadness and remorse, as if recalling old memories.
It must have been the sword she used during her mercenary days, the saintess thought so while opening her mouth.
“… … Director Guilford.”
“Ah, saintess.”
At the saintess’s low call, Guilford, who was looking down at the sword, looked back. He smiled kindly, as always.
The saintess stared blankly at Guilford.
The color caught in the spirit was clear. At least that meant he wasn’t a bad person.
The saintess basically did not trust people. She knew very well that no matter how kind she seemed, she was selfish, snobbish, and calculating at heart.
because he did it himself
However, the color reflected in the spirit eye was somewhat believable. The saintess’s spiritual eyes were as developed as her divine power, and she was able to notice the approximate level of the opponent’s personality.
From her point of view, Gilford was a very kind person.
It was for this reason that the two of them came alone without hesitation. Guilford’s personality was trustworthy.
With her eyes closed, the saintess quietly drew the sign of the cross over her chest. A benevolent voice escaped from her lips.
“Did you hear what happened?”
“… … of course.”
With a voice mixed with a sigh, Guilford said so. His expression looked troubled.
It was worth it, the saintess thought. It was an orphanage that had been operated with great care for a long time. I didn’t know it would be closed because of these circumstances.
But it was too dangerous to leave it like this. Guilford, the children in the orphanage, and the world.
Monsters in mythology could not be released on the continent. The saintess comforted Guilford with regret.
“Don’t be too sad, brother. The heavenly gods do not send trials for no reason.”
“… … It is an ordeal for no reason.”
The old man smiled bitterly when he heard that. Hearing the story of ‘Chunshin’, he seemed to have a lot of thoughts.
He wiped the sword with a cloth.
“Saintess, would you listen to this old man’s life story?”
The saintess looked at Guilford with a curious look. Every second was urgent. There was no such gap.
Guilford was not aware of this. Though she thought it strange inside, she shook her head with a sigh.
“I’m sorry, Director. Now is the time to make your choice… … .”
“I too grew up in an orphanage as a child.”
Light pink eyes stared at Guilford. Like it or not, he just kept talking.
It seemed that the saintess had no choice in the first place.
“I was pretty lucky, though. I met a great director, and the director, who happened to know that I had talent, asked questions and even taught me swordsmanship. So since I was little, my dream was to become an orphanage director. I wanted to become a wonderful person like the director and take care of the children.”
“… … You succeeded.”
While suppressing her desire to scold her for saying that she was busy right now, the saintess made an effort to agree. Because the image was precious.
Unnoticed, Guilford continued his life story. The eyes that looked at my sword, which had regained its brilliance, were vague.
“But life is not simple. I went up to Sword Expert, became a successful body for a mercenary, and returned to my hometown. But the orphanage I was living in had already collapsed.”
“… … Why?”
“It was a financial crisis. In the end, the director, who even borrowed loans, was killed by loan sharks, and the children scattered. This orphanage was built on that site.”
In the dark past, the saintess kept her mouth shut. The collapse of an orphanage was something that happened countless times on this continent.
There were many orphans in the world, and there were not enough orphanages. The more conscientiously managed the place, the larger the budget and the smaller the source of income.
So most of the orphanages that went bankrupt had excellent directors.
Like Guilford Orphanage.
“It was an orphanage that started out ambitiously at first, but I soon found out about it. How hard it is to protect orphans. Soon after, children began to starve one after another. Humans are cunning animals, so when they ate their stomachs, they even assaulted other children and deprived them of their meals.”
As soon as she heard those words, words flashed through her mind.
Ian’s friend once said that. He said that the management of the orphanage up until now was miraculous, and that even if the balance sheet did not match, it did not fit too well.
Gilford smiled bitterly and stored the polished sword in the scabbard at his waist.
“I thought then. Why the hell would the angels be like this? There are so many weak and suffering people in this world, so why do the good have to suffer more and suffer more?”
“Director Gilford, what the hell are you talking about… … .”
It was then that screams filled the orphanage.
The saintess looked out of the director’s office with bewildered eyes. I could tell just by hearing the faint sound.
It was a crisis now. There was no time to listen to old stories anymore.
The saintess urgently shouted to the director. Her body was already turned toward the door.
“There is no time for this! Director, hurry up and escape… … !”
“… … There is no need for that.”
However, at that one word, the saintess’ body stood still.
It was a very calm voice. Pale pink eyes full of questions turned to Guilford again. He was looking at the saintess with a nonchalant expression.
Those eyes were deep and deep. I couldn’t look inside it.
It looked sad, and it looked painful. The saintess instinctively clenched her teeth.
“Director Gilford!”
“I am serious. There’s no need for that, lady. Escape is already impossible.”
The saintess’ brain was intricately tangled at that confident voice.
Numerous strings of thought deduced possibilities.
How could Guilford be so relaxed, and how could he treat the saintess with the attitude that he already knew what was going on?
The saintess’ mouth could not find anything to say.
In fact, the answer was already out there. However, no matter how much he rubbed his eyes and stared at him, the color of Guilford’s soul that was caught in his spirit remained the same.
Even so, she could no longer deny the possibility, and the saintess narrowed her eyes.
“… … no way.”
“It is my negligence.”
As if to apologize, Guilford’s gaze fell. It meant only one thing.
Mine, Guilford was Mine.
As soon as she realized that fact, the saintess became furious and cried out uncharacteristically for her.
“Hey, you devil! All you… Did you kidnap the children and make them like that?!”
“I couldn’t help it.”
It was a pitiful voice. However, the saintess did not feel sorry for him at all. Only the bloody tears of the child trapped in the lump remained in her mind.
Even so, the saintess’ eyes scanned her surroundings.
It was to find a way to escape. The opponent was a sword expert, even Mine.
It was difficult to deal with her one-on-one as she specialized in secondary. It was the same no matter how much the secret jujutsu of the Holy Kingdom was.
Whether or not he knew the heart of such a saintess, Guilford only continued to make excuses with a sigh.
“If this orphanage disappears, hundreds of children will have nowhere to go. I have prayed hundreds and thousands of times! Still, the proud angel did not respond. then they came It was a relationship from a long time ago.”
“… … The Dark Church!”
The saintess gritted her teeth and said as if she was chewing. The old man’s shoulders drooped.
“One per month, that was the condition. Then he said he would provide funding worth hundreds of gold every month.”
“So you sold it? Knowing how much they will suffer!”
“Then where was the Heavenly God at that time!”
The saintess, who had raised her voice, immediately shut up at the refutation.
Guilford looked as excited as ever. His eyes were blazing.
“Starve the children to death? The odds of an orphan growing up in this harsh world are less than one in a hundred! No one cares, neither the state, nor the temple, nor even the devas! How many times have you prayed, but is the angel really deaf?”
Facing that fierce anger, the saintess’ pale pink eyes shook. I knew enough logic to refute that statement theologically.
But how empty theological debate is before the weight of reality.
After hesitating for a moment, the saintess had no choice but to close her eyes tightly and recite the words she always memorized.
“Heaven only spares words. Human free will is… … .”
“Then you are not only deaf, but also dumb.”
The saintess’ eyes became bitter at the blatant blasphemy. But Gilford didn’t even care if she was angry or not.
He just bowed his head in a desperate voice.
“… … Lady, please. I don’t want to hurt anyone more.”
“Hasn’t it already been hurt countless times?”
“It saved hundreds of lives. Is it different from a saintess?”
The tearful saintess took a step forward. However, Gilford raised her head again, and her cold eyes made her speechless for some reason.
said Guilford.
“Doesn’t the saintess also intend to abandon the children of this orphanage? Because it’s a small sacrifice! For me, that little sacrifice was just one child I kidnapped once a month… I picked and chose, the children who have only a few days left to live anyway!”
“Do you think that sin can be forgiven?!”
“Is there anything as empty as a sermon without an alternative?”
It was a dingy voice. If the words had life, they might have already choked to death. Even Guilford’s face, as he squeezed out those words, was sunken.
“In that sense, we are all sinners. Hasn’t the world abandoned us? Even the saintess knows… Because I am an orphan!”
“So are we going to abandon the children too?”
“If you throw away one child, you can save hundreds of children.”
Then, without a word, Gilford drew his sword. And then I grabbed my wrist and cut it.
Blood dripped and gathered on the table. Drops of blood began to draw shapes, drawing random trajectories.
It was a magic circle. Seeing this, the saintess’ eyes were stained with bewilderment.
“… … That’s the reality. A reality that I and my children are in that is not described in the scriptures. So, please pretend you didn’t know for once.”
“What the hell is this?”
In response to the saintess’ question, who instinctively sensed something ominous, Guilford continued speaking in a weary voice.
“This is contract magic used by the Dark Church. It is a contract made by risking each other’s lives. Lies and expedients do not work.”
Facing the dark bloody magic circle in front of him, Guilford said so.
The saintess swallowed dry saliva.
Gilford was right in front of his eyes, and his eyes did not waver. It was an expression of intention to make a contract somehow.
It was a crisis of desperation.