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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Ah… I know who you are. You stopped me. You allowed me, who was withering away committing sins in agony, to die as a human.”
The speed at which her body was crumbling began to gradually increase.
Her two legs below the pelvis had already melted away, and her left arm was in a similar state.
Only her right shoulder, as if insisting it was not yet dead, kept twitching ominously, showing signs of something sprouting from the cross-section.
It probably wouldn’t matter if it was left alone, as she would find peace before a new right arm could emerge.
I silently listened to Lucia’s words.
“Kind one. Could you please show mercy once more and listen to the lament of this unforgivable sinner for a moment?”
Lucia asked in a trembling voice.
If this were a game, options to listen or not listen would have appeared here.
Choosing not to listen would end the event, while choosing to listen would continue the dialogue a bit longer.
However, there was no reason to choose not to listen after coming this far.
“I will listen. Please speak.”
“You are truly kind. I thank you for your deep consideration.”
Lucia gave a faint smile, but black liquid overflowed between that smile.
Because of this, it felt more like she was crying rather than smiling.
“In the past, I was a priestess dispatched to subjugate this dungeon. Dozens of devout priestesses set foot here.”
Her voice became more wistful.
“But this place was not one we could overcome with our power alone… After many sacrifices, we ultimately failed.”
Lucia coughed lightly.
Black liquid gushed out between her parted lips.
A gurgling sound of liquid boiling in her throat was heard.
After spewing black liquid several more times, Lucia seemed to finally be able to speak again, continuing in a much more cracked voice after completely emptying her mouth.
“I was one of those victims. When we had given up on breaking through the rune dungeon and were about to return to the surface, a monster suddenly attacked, and I fell off the bridge.”
Unfortunately, Lucia survived the fall without dying.
If she had died from the impact of the fall, she could have been seen as martyred as a priestess.
But surviving in this state was a fate worse than death.
“I, who should have certainly died, somehow opened my eyes again. And when I opened my eyes… it was already too late for everything to be undone.”
Sadness gradually filled her voice.
Her half-rotten face contorted in pain.
“At first, I prayed fervently to God. I prayed to save me from this agony… to bestow love and mercy on your follower.”
The sadness turned to melancholy.
The things she had done in the past, the blasphemies she had committed half-mad with pain.
Now that she had returned to being a priestess, it was difficult to even recall them.
“But God never answered my prayers, not even once. Most impiously, I began to resent such a God. I cursed, I hurled insults, I committed terrible acts that I dare not speak of.”
As if to prove that Lucia’s heart was wavering, the cross-section of her right shoulder began to twitch more violently.
Noticing the ominous atmosphere, Lucia stopped speaking and took deep breaths.
Her mouth only opened again after some time had passed and the twitching of the cross-section had subsided.
“My resentment continued for a very long time. Until you came, kind one, and allowed me to regain my senses through pain. I have committed sins that can never be forgiven.”
Her lips, smeared with black liquid, could be seen trembling.
“But you stopped me from further insulting God. You guided me back to the right path, allowing me to return as a human in my final moments and die as a priestess serving God. I don’t know how I, whose flame of life will soon be extinguished, can repay these graces I’ve received from you…”
Her head turned completely towards me.
Although her eyes were covered in black liquid and probably couldn’t function properly, I somehow felt as if she was looking straight at me.
“Kind one, you must have come from the Holy Kingdom. You used the sacred catalyst so freely, so you must be a very devout person…”
Lucia was mistaking me for someone from the Holy Kingdom.
This was why the event only progressed if the sacred catalyst in the boss room was used at least 3 times.
Only then would Lucia mistake the player for someone from the Holy Kingdom and make her next request.
It was impossible to progress if a different catalyst was used.
The exact reason was unknown.
There were only abundant speculations that it might be because it wasn’t Lucia’s own possession.
Of course, Lucia was completely unaware that the sacred catalyst she had dropped had been contaminated, and thus could be used even by those who didn’t believe in God.
“Kind and devout one.”
Her voice became moist.
Stumbling as if choked up, she barely managed to continue.
“Can I… return to God?”
Her words were mixed with sobs.
If her face had been intact, it would undoubtedly have been a question asked while wailing loudly.
“Even I, who insulted God, cursed God, and resented God… can I return as a priestess once more and be embraced in God’s bosom?”
With those words, Lucia tightly closed her mouth, waiting for my answer.
It was time for the second choice of the event to appear.
Yes. Or No.
If one were to choose ‘No’ here, she would cry out in sorrow, saying it was only natural, that how could a sinner who committed blasphemy, unable to withstand this pain, hope for salvation.
And the player could then either leave Lucia to suffer eternally or grant her rest by their own hand and leave the rune dungeon.
There were additional dialogues for each case.
If left alone, she would beg not to be abandoned like this, and if killed, she would express joy at finding peace while worrying about falling into hell.
“Yes,” I said.
But I had no intention of choosing that option.
“God will surely welcome the fact that you have returned to their embrace more than the fact that you committed sins.”
Even in the game, I had never denied Lucia’s words, so how could I do so now after coming this far?
For reference, it was unclear whether Lucia truly returned to God.
That was something not mentioned even when thoroughly searching through the game’s item descriptions.
Therefore, depending on one’s perspective, both choices could be seen as lies.
But most people didn’t care about that and chose ‘Yes’ to let Lucia rest peacefully.
According to the 10th anniversary statistics, 93% of first-time clear users chose ‘Yes’.
“Ah… I’m relieved. To think that even a sinner like me would be warmly welcomed… God is truly… merciful.”
The smile on her lips deepened.
It was a very satisfied smile, without a trace of sadness.
“Kind one… for the favor you’ve shown… from the depths of my heart… I thank you. Although all I can offer… is mere verbal gratitude… I hope… that my sincerity… at least… reaches you…”
The bitterness and lament that had been thickly coated on each of her words had vanished without a trace.
Her voice had diminished to an almost inaudible level, but her breathing was much more peaceful than before.
Lucia moved her lips one last time.
“Benevolent Sun… Merciful Moon… This sinner… shall return… to your… side…”
With those words, her moving lips stopped.
Her chest, which should have risen and fallen with each breath, no longer moved.
I gently closed her wide-open eyes, covered in black liquid, with two fingers.
This action wasn’t possible in the game, but now it didn’t matter.
This was the best I could do.
It wasn’t mentioned in the game how to return Lucia to human form, and I didn’t have such power anyway.
After closing her eyes, I picked up Lucia’s sacred catalyst that had fallen nearby.
This was an item to be handed over to the Inquisitor later.
The event wasn’t over yet.
Turning my back on Lucia’s corpse, which had started to melt into black liquid, I moved towards the rune stele.
The one appearing up there would be well handled by the knight commanders and the Inquisitor.
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“Are you not worried about the safety of the esteemed guest?” Selene asked.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Selene questioned in a voice of disbelief, looking at the knight commanders standing comfortably without showing any vigilance.
It was strange to see them so carefree when something could pop out from anywhere at any time.
“The esteemed guest jumped alone into the rune dungeon. How can you-”
“Oh, you mean Delta?” Lize chuckled.
“We were at first, but then we remembered he had already explained everything this morning. We were a bit surprised that his expression about jumping down wasn’t a metaphor, but… It’s not like this is the first time he’s done something outrageous. We should be used to it by now.”
“…You mean he often engaged in such behavior before?”
“Oh, very often. Our lifespans must have been shortened by 10 years from being surprised by him. We’re going to bill him for it later.”
“…”
“I can guess what you’re thinking, but you don’t need to worry about Delta.”
Lize continued in a nonchalant voice.
“Delta has never failed to keep his word once he’s said it. Even though what we hear always sounds impossible and nonsensical, he somehow manages to succeed and return casually. It’s a loss to worry, you know?”
“It may sound preposterous, but he’s more than capable of keeping his word. He said he’d conquer the rune dungeon within 30 minutes this time, so he’ll show up soon enough,” Erica added, supplementing Lize’s words.
Hearing this explanation, Selene decided she needed to slightly revise her evaluation of Delta.
Wasn’t he supposed to be a new knight?
She couldn’t understand what kind of deeds he had been committing in his daily life to make the knight commanders react like this in such a short time.
…In fact, she felt she could understand a little.
After all, he was someone who had overwhelmingly defeated the Inquisitor of the Sun in a duel with superior skills.
At least his abilities were certain.
Putting aside his actions, that is.
“I’m not sure if we’re in a position to give you this advice, but you can rest now. Delta said monsters would appear after the scenery here visibly changes-”
At that moment, the ground rumbled and shook, interrupting Claudia’s words.
“…That’s what he said.”
The black liquid covering everything began to gather somewhere.
The vegetation and sky regained their original colors.
The sunlight shining down became much more brilliant.
Claudia gripped the handle of the greatsword she had placed on the ground.
Lize and Erica drew their weapons, and Iris pointed the tip of her longsword towards the place where the dark liquid was gathering.
“This must be the change Delta mentioned. Everyone, prepare for battle. It’s time to fight.”
“Could it be that black liquid?”
“It would be stranger if it wasn’t. It looks ominous at a glance.”
The black liquid that had gathered in one place transformed into the shape of a strange monster.
It was a six-legged beast with two heads and a flail-like weight attached to its tail.
Dozens of tentacles that had sprouted in a straight line along its spine wriggled disgustingly.
Its appearance was clearly saying, “I am a monster,” to anyone who saw it.
“Everyone. Prepare for battle.”
Selene gave a short and concise order.
The battle nuns uniformly raised their rapiers.
The monster looked around with its two heads, then smacked its lips as if savoring the taste.
Its tongue, extended out of its mouth, licked the surroundings as it passed.
“Heaven is for the faithful.”
Silver sacred power imbued the thinnest and sharpest silver rapier.
Those purple eyes burned coldly.
“Deliver hell to the unbelievers.”
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Not the unbelievers to hell?
Thx for chapter