Chapter 250 – Ep.17 – Waiting
“That’s enough. Thank you.”
Helen, blushing bright red, says. On the blood-red beach, waves quietly roll over, bringing screams from the deep sea.
“There will be no one to punish more.”
“Yes.”
At the end of an unusually long day, Helen sits down on the sand for a moment to relax.
The bloody smell that stings her nose gradually fades. Her sense of smell had become accustomed to the smell of her death, and she no longer felt repulsed by it.
“Now I want to fulfill the rest of my wishes. How long will it take?”
Everyone who caused trouble to my father was punished with his own hands.
Now is the time to give rest to all things.
Let’s erase the world where suffering is rampant. If the universe returns to nothingness, everything will end, and no one will be hurt anymore.
“15 years.”
Shin, who is dyed bright red, puts a very specific yet ambiguous period in her mouth.
“Hmm. 15 years.”
“Yes.”
To endure another 15 years alone in this rotten world where my father does not exist.
It’s definitely going to be a really long and tedious period. Nevertheless, Helen bows her head and pays homage to God without making any complaints.
“Yes, I will wait.”
Instead, she poses her question to a god who doesn’t seem much different from her.
“… But God, is it okay if I ask you a few questions?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you punish me?”
On the beach filled with moonlight,
Two girls covered in blood.
Not far,
However, the two of them sitting next to each other, not too close, are looking at the stars floating far away in the sea.
“Why me?”
“I don’t respect you, and I have no intention of following you anymore. Besides, I’m planning to destroy the world.”
“I see.”
“I don’t even know who you are. I have lived my whole life to serve Raphael and the Order.”
“Yes.”
Blood blows mixed with the salty sea breeze. The blue night sky falls on the red-colored sea, giving light.
Ironically, peace abounds in a place full of only death.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
“Is that so? You are merciful.”
“No. I’m his mom.”
“Yes?”
“The Raphael you just mentioned. She’s my daughter.”
For a moment, Helen’s eyes turn to God. Rather, the horns, which are said to be a characteristic of demons, are visible in her eyes.
At first, Helen thought she was a demon. The god of demons who came to save him on behalf of Raphael. For a girl who lost everything anyway, it didn’t matter who reached out to her.
However, upon hearing her somewhat unexpected words, Helen bursts into laughter.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“But why did the person who is Raphael’s mother come to help me? And not Raphael?”
“Well, I’ll tell you about that later.”
It is a very bitter smile for a young girl to have. Just a reflective smile, thanks to her forgetting for a moment what happened to her father.
“15 years later.”
“15 years.”
The girl is lost in thought.
“Is it okay if I ask why it’s been 15 years?”
“No.”
Her own future and the stories she will experience at that time.
“You will find out when you get there. 15 years from now, if you still have the same feelings then, I will destroy the whole world.”
“You’re testing me. My feelings won’t change.”
“Hmm, that’s right, the wish was too big, so there was a need for some balance.”
The red god speaks. Her bright smile is pure and beautiful. The gaze falls upon Helen as if looking at her beloved.
“But I’m rooting for you. Until the time comes, live the way you want to live. Other people probably won’t remember you. You’ll start over.”
With that said,
“Let’s live like that and meet again later.”
Helen is the only one left on the beach of the Holy Kingdom.
—————————————-
“Stop now.”
In the midst of one nightmare after another, Helen pleads with Delrin.
Countless scenes pass by Delrin’s vision. Still, he never lets go.
“That’s it. Now I’ll tell you.”
Even though Helen tries to pull her hand away with more of her strength, Delrin refuses to leave the bloody hand alone.
“… I’m not as nice or gentle as you think. I don’t know what more you want from me and why you keep getting caught up in stories. You have to go now…!”
As Helen said,
“My family is waiting, Delrin.”
Even though everyone is waiting,
“I lost. The warrior broke my determination to destroy the world. Now, let’s go back.”
He encounters all of Helen’s memories.
“… These are stories that are not worth watching anymore.”
————————————-
It is not clear how much more time has passed. Helen is lying lazily on a sofa, sipping her drink one after another.
She doesn’t even bother pouring herself a glass, so she quenches her thirst with her own bottle, and when the refreshing taste of alcohol comes, she falls asleep. How many years have passed since she started living this debauched life?
Now she has no clear destination. Just to kill her boring waiting time, she indulges in entertainment that puts a strain on her lungs and liver. Of course, she heals even that right away with her divine power.
“Wow!”
The young woman who came next to him and was gagging lost her temper and screamed as if she was used to this situation.
“Archbishop, please stop drinking and smoking! What is this, this!”
“Ah, were you supposed to see me today? If I had known the Cardinal was coming, I would have cleaned it up in advance.”
“How can you live in a place like this, worse than a pigsty… Sigh…”
Having been newly ordained in place of an old and corrupt cardinal, she observes her own iron rules and takes a close look at her country.
There is quite a bit of Yudori, and yet he is as faithful as a sword. She seems to be trying hard not to follow the line of the dead cardinal and some archbishops. She cannot tolerate injustice, but because of her nature, she creates things that are tiring.
Helen chose her talent based on her abilities, but since she caught her eye, Helen ended up being her closest confidant.
Because there was no woman in the Holy Kingdom who could surpass Helen. In other words, she became her ultimate weapon just in case.
However, Helen’s lack of effort compared to her skills always seems to incur the Cardinal’s hatred. For her part, Helen seems irresponsible and lazy in not taking action even though she has the power.
“Come to your senses and wake up! Also, get some air!”
“Since things are like this, please at least send me into exile somewhere on the outskirts. I’ll go fishing and live quietly.”
“How many more times do I have to say this? Please make use of that ability and contribute to the country and the church? Even heaven is indifferent, why should a woman like this have this kind of power…”
No one knows Helen’s past, so there is no excuse for her to be treated as a lazy alcoholic.
People won’t know what you’re doing with alcohol and cigarettes.
Even in her newly started life, Helen cannot move forward, and she just stands still.
Over the course of 15 years, she endlessly reflects on her past.
Her life no longer works properly.
She was as good as dead on the day she gave her father away.
“…”
There are only a few things that move Helen.
An acrid cigarette that makes you forget reality even for a moment,
Strong alcohol that keeps you feeling hazy,
Red God.
“I will clean it up. Your Majesty, please go and do your work.”
“Please, can you please do that? There’s a limit to how much I can ignore! I’ll be back in exactly two hours, and if you keep doing this even then, I’ll really set you on fire and kick you out with bare feet, so I know that’s it!”
“Yes. Of course.”
For the first time in a long time, life comes to her eyes, and a welcoming smile returns.
Helen bowed her head and expressed her joy at the being next to the bookshelf that even the cardinal did not recognize.
She also smiles and waves her hand.
“How have you been?”
The moment the cardinal closed the door, God spoke.
“You’ve grown a lot. It’s starting soon.”
“You look the same as before.”
She walks lightly to Helen’s side, sits down on her sofa with her small body, and swings her legs back and forth.
“Helen, do you still wish the world would disappear?”
“Yes.”
They both smile and look at each other. The meaning may be slightly different, but one thing is certain: they have been waiting for each other for a long time.
“Then do you want to show your will?”
“I am love, and my companion is sadness.”
“Just like I helped you, he will help a boy. He is a boy who grew up in a different world than here…”
“Instead, sadness will hang you, Helen, and love will strangle the boy. We are inseparable.”
“You just need to find that child and join him on his journey to the Demon Continent. Help him get to the Demon Continent safely. Be his guide.”
“A little boy with nothing will go around changing the whole world.”
“Then now, it’s Sadness’s turn to grant you a wish. Just as my children did for you humans before, just as I did for you.”
“… But you can also make a wish on behalf of that child. You must keep this in mind. Even among the warriors who received God’s protection, only one person can make a wish in the face of sadness.”
“Love has already granted your father and his revenge.”
“If you want to end the world, no matter what it takes, make a wish on your behalf.”
“You know what I mean?”
Helen doesn’t bother talking about this or that.
She simply answered briefly with a smile.
“Of course, of course.”
