Chapter 66
“I don’t believe in the alternative you’ve shown me.”
Her voice was firm, decisively denying the future Bargan saw.
However, Bargan squinted his eyes slightly and observed.
It took Diphelia some time to respond, and Bargan noted every tone, inflection, and subtle reaction.
To him, there seemed to be no room for doubt.
The illusion cast by the organ was effective.
Diphelia spoke.
“I am a follower of Yggdrasil. The name ‘Saint’ not only suits my nature but also allowed me to receive baptism sincerely believing and worshiping the deity.”
“I am well aware.”
“You showed me a different future than the covenant. By understanding the meaning of my letter, I conveyed the reaction through the covenant.”
Bargan, knowing the entire original story and the content of the novel he had read, easily saw through Diphelia’s intentions.
“The reason for sending the letter was primarily to restrain you if you were plotting something… dubious. I received the covenant to observe you, so do not act recklessly. That was the intention. …However, you gave me a response that easily defied expectations.”
Diphelia continued, her voice expressing utter disbelief. It was inconceivable.
“It was hard to believe the response you sent. It was nonsensical. In this modern age, I am the only saint… why would you…?”
Did he know the contents of the covenant?
And why did he reveal it without concealing it?
“The abilities of a saint cannot be realized alone. They must go through the formal process of baptism at the church, and that name remains in the church. Therefore, there is nothing I wouldn’t know.”
Yet Bargan deciphered the entire contents of the letter.
Moreover, he tried to deceive her by suggesting another possibility.
“I am still curious. How were you able to interpret the contents of the covenant letter entirely? Can you see the future, or is it something else unknown to me? Even if so, what purpose did you reveal it to me for?”
Diphelia turned her head sideways.
The front was pitch black, nothing visible, yet she held onto one thing with all her might.
“Even if I cannot know anything, I am a saint. A follower of Yggdrasil. The future you showed me may seem different from the prophecy, but to me, it only appears as whispers of a demon trying to deceive me.”
She conveyed her firm resolve.
Bargan, reading her subtle reactions one by one, could fully appreciate them.
“So, a complete being.”
A smile formed on Bargan’s face.
“An unknown being appearing after my death.”
He didn’t mention it.
Is he trying to avoid it?
Bargan continued.
“You must have seen clearly. What kind of creature it was.”
“That… “
Bargan moved closer to her face, his hand gently cupping her cheek. A slight tremor traveled up his hand.
“Saint. Your eyelids are quivering. Are you so afraid, clinging to your beliefs even when facing a future tainted with fear.”
Even if following that path leads to a hellish future.
Are you still willing to take that fragile step?
Bargan’s voice was light as a whisper, but to Dipiellia, each of his words weighed heavily on her.
“You tried to pass over mentioning that being. How ironic. Is it because you favor your beliefs? Or… is your so-called faith partial, accepting some parts and disregarding others as you please.”
“N-no… that’s not it.”
Her previously steady voice began to waver. The image she had maintained was slowly crumbling.
“You are suspecting what that being is. That’s why you’re afraid.”
That is.
The nemesis of heroes.
An absolute evil that plagues humanity.
“Why would such a being appear in your prophecy? What was Yggdrasil trying to tell you? Let’s assume your prophecy is correct. Then, what do you think will happen after what you saw.”
“……”
“Can you stand against that complete being, the ‘Pope’ of the Church?”
The Pope, a zero-risk entity.
Known in the world as a disaster that even the prophets bow to.
A being that makes mountains disappear with a slight gesture.
An absolute ruler who splits the earth with a light step.
A being said to have existed in the distant past. The appearance of that absolute being in the prophecy is known to have vanished from this world in the past.
However, it is presumed to still be alive, positioned at the top of all risks, named the zero-risk entity that commands them all.
When Bargan died and that complete being revealed itself, people fell into chaos and fled. Whether heroes or students, they all perished like insects. Only a few, including Alicia and Artellion, managed to survive.
…Surviving was a miracle.
“Speak, Saint.”
“……”
Dipiellia, who had remained silent, bit her lip slightly before speaking. A faint voice emerged.
“I… can face it. I have to face it.”
Speaking as she reinforced her resolve, it grew stronger.
“I’m a hero. The protector of the world…! If not us, then who can stop it…? We must fight and win.”
“Even if it means many lives will be lost because of that choice? Even if your beloved comrades and acquaintances are ruthlessly trampled upon, are you okay with that?”
“…If it means there are people who can be saved because of it, then yes. That’s why I became a saint, aiming to become a hero!”
Listening to her determination blossoming with courage at the end of fear, Vargan, as if concluding his evaluation, nodded his head.
Clap! He clapped his hands, changing the mood.
“Alright, then there must be something we need to touch on here.”
Diphyelia couldn’t understand his satisfied smile.
“What was it that I embedded in the music box I gave you?”
“Your false portrayal disguised as the future.”
“No. Instead of such vague answers, give a clear description. What did you see?”
She hesitated to speak, then opened her mouth.
“…It was you, free from the pact, killing that being.”
Vargan chuckled.
“Yes, it was a scene of you, just briefly out of the pact, cutting the throat of that being who brought you all sorts of fears and tossing it as prey to the devourer.”
What Vargan had embedded in the music box.
Not the original story.
Not the novel he had read.
It was a new development of the future he would lead.
“Saint, you who believe in the pact, think that the future bestowed upon you by the god is the best. Therefore, turning away from the sweet future I showed you and deeming me a villain.”
In the end, Diphyelia, following the pact, considers the future Vargan showed her as nothing but a dream.
It’s a contradiction.
She, who hopes to save people and wishes for more lives to be preserved, disregards the better future path Vargan sees.
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Because of the narrow-minded thinking that the pact shows the best option for humanity.
“Think about it, how ridiculous this is. A saint who should save people. Ignoring the choice to preserve even more lives!”
Diphyelia furrowed her brows in disbelief.
It’s nothing but your delusion, and what he’s saying now is a sophistry to escape his probing of his unknown stratagem.
“Then, let’s ask.”
Vargan turned her gaze away from the shadow where he had kept her bird. It took her some time to adjust to the light.
He continued speaking.
“If you could save more lives than what you saw in the pact, or if you could in the future. Would you be able to accept the future I showed?”
“…That’s unlikely. But if that were truly the case, should I follow your guidance?”
Vargan handed something to the saint.
It seemed to be a small vial that could be held in one hand. By touch, it felt that way. Diphyelia, once again in the clear vision of the apostle, confirmed what he had handed her.
He said, “It’s a ‘Godworm’.”
“Huh?… Why this… No, how can I…”
For her, who still didn’t understand, Vargan kindly added further explanation.
“Do you remember which passage from the pact I last mentioned?”
“It was a eulogy… honoring someone.”
“Right.”
Barugan’s pupils trembled for a moment.
A somewhat melancholic aura seemed to linger in his retinas.
Diphyelia witnessed that vibration.
“The subject of that eulogy was my fiancée, ‘Erika’.”
Her eyes widened.
Although it wasn’t like she could directly see it even if she strained, it was a natural reaction due to surprise.
Tiny hairs stood up all over her body. It felt as if her body was being tightly squeezed.
“T-That… That’s… impossible.”
Diphyelia’s mind raced. Rather than confirming the truth, first, the recent incident that had become an issue came to mind.
And then it clicked.
“S-Surely… at the theater you and Erika went to the other day…!”
“Yes.”
He revealed the brutal truth.
“In the midst of the connection you showed to Shintaku, Erika was being indoctrinated by the high priest of the Altiph Caliculaea, alone in the theater.”
…!
Diphyelia covered her mouth with both hands and swallowed her breath. Knowing what being indoctrinated meant, she felt a sense of unease creeping up.
“Erika found herself in a position where she had no choice but to follow Caliculaea’s orders, forcibly receiving the teachings of the goddess. However, Erika resisted fiercely. Even if there was a chance of becoming an Altiph, she refused to follow the goddess.”
Barugan didn’t know the exact details behind the scenes.
But with the information obtained so far, he could easily make an educated guess.
“…As a cruel twist of fate, Caliculaea, who had obtained information about her from another follower who had been following her for a long time, began to gradually, surely. dominate her body.”
He didn’t explicitly mention the connection between himself, Barugan, and that opening.
“In the end, Erika’s personality completely changed.”
Thus, the devout follower of Yggdrasil, Erika, becomes the ‘villainess’ and ‘high priestess of the goddess’, taking a significant role in the story, disrupting the protagonists and leading the tragedy of the academia.
“Then, on the day before being imprisoned and sentenced to death, she praised the goddess and lost her life.”
Barugan went to the prison cell where she was held, witnessing her worn-out appearance and resentment.
If this isn’t a tragedy, then what is it?
“…Huh… Kuh…!”
Diphyelia, with her mouth covered to prevent anything from coming out, began to sob. Even so, she shook her head in denial of Barugan’s words.
“Kuh…! There’s no way… There’s no way this… could happen…”
There were still elements she couldn’t fully accept from his words. The evidence that Erika was the subject of the eulogy? The basis for Caliculaea indoctrinating Erika?
And… and…
Desperately, Diphyelia raised doubts about Barugan. Otherwise, it seemed like her faith itself might be shaken.
“If you wish, I can provide more information. For example, who the other follower accompanying Erika is. Caliculaea’s…”
“Just a moment, just a moment! Give me some time to gather my thoughts…! To process the current situation in my mind.”
Barugan didn’t wait for her thought process to shift back.
“Diphyelia, I have already saved one life.”
The story was far from over, and there would be fluctuations in how I would handle Erika in the future.
“I will continue to save more people in the future.”
Oddly enough, to pursue my own happiness, I must completely eradicate the hostile Altiph of humanity. At least, I will end up saving more lives than what the future shown by Shintaku reveals.
“On the other hand, how about you?”
He said to her.
Following the divine trust is her will, her belief. She believes it’s the best way to move forward without any doubt.
…But, that.
“Isn’t limiting an infinite future and giving up all other hopes?”
“Well… uh… um.”
Diphyelia listened to Vargan’s words while catching her breath. It felt like everything she had ever thought was being denied, and the very structure she held dear was being destroyed.
Seeing the state of the holy maiden, unable to even close her mouth, Vargan decided to step back.
This wasn’t the time set aside to turn Diphyelia around in one go. She had lived her whole life praising Yggdrasil. To break such a strong faith, a considerable shock or blow was necessary.
…Just like with Erika.
Vargan, who was moving away, Diphyelia didn’t stop him. She continued trying to calm her rough breathing and organize the complex current situation. In her hand was the vial of divine insect Vargan had given her.
Throwing one last sentence, he stepped outside.
“Do not blindly worship the church, holy maiden.”