Chapter 313 – Confrontation
A large man kneeling in front of an altar with his upper body covered in numerous scars exposed.
“I confess my sins here and now…”
Is it to confess the sins of killing as many as those scars?
The sight of a man who seemed to be more suited to blood and slaughter than to religion or prayer, praying with his hands clasped together, made viewers feel quite complicated.
A bizarre appearance that feels barbarism and romance, nobility and profanity at the same time. It was either the most sacred feeling or the most blasphemous feeling, depending on the acceptance.
“…Give me the grace of the starlight, but save me from evil.”
That was the moment.
— Flash!
“Huh?”
A strange presence felt while earnestly reciting prayers.
Wolfgang attended the regular worship service held every Saturday whenever possible.
Although the head priest is a rogue believer who closes his eyes as soon as the sermon begins and wakes up at the end of the service, he tends to donate quite a lot, so he prides himself on having an excellent religious life.
Shortly after his first experience with Ophelia.
After literally being struck by a thunderbolt from a dry sky, he couldn’t help but take his relationship with the heavenly god more seriously.
Even so, the amount of donations he used to give has increased, and now he can easily cover the operating expenses of a parish with just his donations, and above all, he doesn’t fall asleep during worship services anymore.
‘Well, in a way, he’s no different from his father-in-law.’
Shouldn’t that be enough to bear the title of the saintess’s lover?
Regardless, Wolfgang was a member of the devout axis of worship, even to be evaluated objectively.
No matter how you look at it, the mistake of committing a saintess without overcoming desire in the Cathedral of Mercy, the first holy place and headquarter of the Catholic Church, was a serious blasphemy no matter how you think about it.
Uncharacteristically, he was kneeling down and praying.
Of course, I didn’t even think about hitting it with prayer in the first place, and I was even prepared to get hit by a few lightning bolts…
—Uuuuu… !
Right now at this moment.
The transfer taking place before Wolfgang’s eyes was of a kind he never expected.
“What the hell is this…”
Wolfgang swallowed his saliva at the rising tension.
A cold sweat dripping down the back and muscles that were tightly contracted. His keen sixth sense had a rough idea of what was happening, but his brain had a hard time accepting it.
A golden aura swaying above the small altar made of pure white marble.
The color itself looked similar to the royal mana at first glance, but that was something much more dense and containing a fundamental energy.
If light itself had a personality, would it feel like this?
Before long, the halo of light that shimmered above the altar slowly began to take shape.
[…]
It soon turned into a blurry female figure and stared at Wolfgang silently.
No, the expression of staring at it would not be very appropriate. I could only vaguely discern the appearance of a woman. Figuring out the true meaning of her existence was a realm not allowed to mortals.
I just felt that way.
Yes, that must be all.
—Trick… !
“Kuhhhhh…!”
Even that alone made Wolfgang shudder with an unbearable sense of guilt.
The feeling that the soul itself is shaken. The sense of helplessness I felt upon facing that being was more than that of being thrown into enemy lines completely naked, and I did not think I would be able to escape or fight at all costs.
And.
“Ugh, haha…!”
The image, which can be said to be a second personality for a knight, also began to escape Wolfgang’s control.
[Grrr… Hey hey… !]
A monster slumbering in the darkness runs amok with an irresistible fear. As if the existence itself would be denied if we faced that existence a little longer.
—Doo-kung, doo-kung!
Violent imagery soon affects the physical body, and the blood and qi are twisted and the five organs are twisted by the heart beating uncontrollably. The mana core, which has an output comparable to that of a dragon heart, is completely out of control, destroying his mind and body.
—Slurp… !
Eyes, nose, mouth, ears. Black blood dripping from every pore of his face. It wasn’t like this even when he faced the wrath of Kagan, the transcendent.
Wolfgang’s body was already in such a critical condition that it would not be strange if he died immediately.
“Kuhup…!”
That’s why I can’t die like this.
Wolfgang swallowed the rising cough and barely opened his mouth.
“Hey, celestial god…!”
It is a word that members of the Tenshinkyo Church say as a habit.
Now, the meaning has changed somewhat and is used like a joke even in trivial matters, but as it is basically a word calling out to God, it is naturally close to a saying with a sacred meaning.
Wolfgang trembled all over and shouted that.
—Paaah… !
The image floating on the altar flashed for a moment, and then a warm light passed through Wolfgang’s whole body.
OK.
“Uh…?”
The serious injury that had driven him to the brink of death was restored in an instant, as if time had been rewinded, and his entire body began to radiate more vitality than ever before.
“Unbelievable.”
I couldn’t believe it at all, so when I clenched my fists, I even felt a sense of omnipotence, like I could do anything.
It seemed like a dream, but the agony and fear of death that I had been through a while ago was too vivid. In the first place, it was absurd for a knight like Wolfgang to confuse hallucination with reality.
Then this too…
— Glance
Wolfgang looked up at the halo very carefully. Unlike a moment ago, I was able to distinguish the shape with difficulty, but I felt the dazzling beauty even in the blurry silhouette.
The moment when I was dazed by the light and opened my mouth.
[Little Wolf]
The voice of the woman of light began to resonate quietly in Wolfgang’s head.
A voice that can be heard by a man, woman, old man, or child, depending on who you listen to. It felt as if some transcendent being was directly interfering with his thoughts rather than communicating through language.
Wolfgang took a deep breath and replied.
“…Did you call?”
Although I was a little puzzled that God used a wolf rather than a sheep, which is a common way of referring to humans, there is no time to discuss such a trivial sense of incongruity.
[…]
Right after that, Wolfgang again felt as if the woman of light was staring at him.
Unlike a moment ago, that gaze was very strict and warm. If I had to compare it, it felt like the gaze of Arien, who silently criticized him for his mistakes as a child.
Yes, it was as if he was scolding a child who ran amok without knowing anything.
There was no direct communication, but her will gave him a vague idea of what the Lady of Light wanted from him.
“Sorry!”
Wolfgang simply bowed his head deeply.
The sin of committing vulgar blasphemy by daring to violate a saint in the sanctuary of a heavenly god. The crime of committing a disrespectful act of praying with the upper body undressed. Besides that, with the meaning of apology for various mistakes.
He didn’t list every word of his crime, but the Lady of Light was probably reading his thoughts.
Because she deserved it.
However.
[… ]
The Lady of Light shook her head slowly, as if she hadn’t come to rebuke such an insignificant sin.
After she left the altar and came closer to Wolfgang.
—Toouk
“Uh…?”
She touched his heart, which was beating wildly, and nodded her head.
“What…?”
The moment Wolfgang opened his eyes wide at the questionable action and expressed his doubts.
—Sssss…
As if to do so, her womanly figure began to fade rapidly, and soon she was completely scattered in all directions and was no longer to be found.
So, was this just a warning?
No, there were quite a few corners that were unclear.
At first, she thought, of course, that she was scolded for playing wildly with Ophelia, but just before she disappeared, she did something meaningful again.
There were still quite a few questions left unanswered.
“Is this over…?”
Even so, there was nothing Wolfgang could do.
I thought the priests’ words that God expresses his will in a way that is difficult for humans to understand were just an excuse to misinterpret the oracle.
I hope it’s really what it says.
“Whoa…”
Wouldn’t it be better to ask Ophelia what the hell the meeting meant?
Leaving behind his complicated state of mind, Wolfgang first let out a long sigh and took a deep breath.
— Jureuk…
I stretched out my hand and wiped his forehead, sweat was dripping.
Even though it was not the main body, but it was only facing the incarnation that appeared on the ground for a while, it consumed such extreme mental strength. Now his body was almost completely exhausted.
“If you’re not here to accuse me… Why the hell did he come to me?”
— Wheezing
Celestial Estella.
The moment he repeated the name of God in his mind, Wolfgang’s body began to stagger violently.
“Ugh…”
Leaving behind the strange hum in my ears. While staggering, Wolfgang managed to get himself up, and managed to get to the bed and collapsed beside Ophelia, who was sleeping.
This won’t cause her to worry unnecessarily.
Wolfgang stroked the sleeping Ophelia’s hair and closed her eyes.
“Ugh…”
“…From now on, let’s do it outside.”
* * *
[■ ■ ■, I will be waiting for the day to meet you]
