Chapter 39

If there’s one thing the Lord has taught me,


it’s that we are, in fact, nothing.

On a starry night, gazing at the countless stars pouring down, I am reminded once again that each of those stars is, in fact, its own sun.


From a distant place, even the sun would appear no different from a star. It would be just one among the countless stars in this universe.

Before meeting the Lord, my knowledge was shallower and smaller than a frog in a well, but after meeting Him, I finally understood how vast the world is.


Just because a place is beyond the reach of my hand doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Even if we were to bring just one of those many suns, it would be far larger than the crust we live on.

On this small piece of land,


we humans, who cannot live in the sea, cannot stay in the air, and cannot live underground, are merely surviving on this small space called the ground, on this continent smaller than the smallest star.


When you think about it, what meaning does our life have?

When enough time passes for a star to burn out and die, there will be no trace that we were ever here, as if we never existed in the first place.


Perhaps even this continent and our small world will shatter and scatter. I don’t know. Humans aren’t meant to live for such a distant future.

‘So help each other.’

And love each other,


and strive for a better future, because we must live.


No matter what the future holds, people must live in this moment.

‘And love.’

Even I, as a human, cannot turn this world into paradise.


Only the Lord can do that.

But I can prevent it from becoming hell.


I can ease the suffering of those in pain. I can gift time to those who cannot live long. The Lord gave me such power because He believed it was not meaningless.

‘How much longer can I stay?’

As I stroke and tidy Roka’s hair while she sleeps, I fall into thought. The night is deep, and the moon has risen. And today, we walked all day.


Yet, sleep does not come. Drowsiness does not invade me. Of course, this is not a good thing. At least, not for me.

It’s a good thing that my soul is gradually becoming fuller,


but my fragile body cannot withstand this change. The change is now irreversible, and I can only delay it. The backlash from using countless miracles has only just begun to show.

‘Milky Way blooming night.’

I didn’t want to write this,


but I had no choice. If I hadn’t used it, only I would have survived.

‘As expected, I couldn’t hold on.’

The moment I used that miracle, my body cracked.


The cracked vessel became even more fragile. Miracles that I could have easily withstood before now accelerate the wear and tear of my body. Little by little, very little by little, I am gradually approaching ascension.

There is no pain. That’s a good thing.


Far from pain, a sense of enlightenment and euphoria sometimes surges.

So the Lord does not restore my body.


Because He wants me to ascend to His side.

But fearing ascension and not saving those I can save is even more ridiculous.


That day will come anyway. As long as I don’t use the Milky Way blooming night again, using other miracles won’t dramatically hasten that day.

“I wish I could stay until I see you grow up properly.”

Even if I ascend to that high heaven, I won’t be able to comfort you like I do now.


I don’t know how much time I have left, but I pray that there is still plenty. Lord, please let me finish what I must do before I depart.

*****

“Vampires are a bat-like race that is not treated well by either humans or demons. Sometimes they betray humans, and sometimes they betray demons, so they are not trusted by either race.”

The next morning.


We started heading towards the nearly depleted territory of Duke Vlad. Of course, after a simple breakfast of bread, butter, and goat cheese from the cabin.

Vampires are a race that has survived by siding with humans when they are strong and with demons when they are strong. You shouldn’t think of them as merely despicable.

If they were just despicable, they would have gone extinct or settled on one side long before they could live for so many years. The fact that they are still walking a tightrope means they clearly have the skill and status to do so.

“So, although the Saint would never do such a thing, it’s better not to provoke them with words. Especially you, disciple, you need to be careful with your words.”


“Who’s a disciple?”

Roka had a pouty expression but didn’t actively deny it.


The master and disciple relationship formed overnight doesn’t look very good yet, but I have no doubt that time and the Lord will resolve it.

“Stop there. Are you wandering merchants or adventurers?”

A little further on, we saw a soldier’s outpost. Even the House of Duke Vlad can’t surround the entire territory with walls, so they usually station soldiers at the entrances to guard against outsiders.

Even though the spring wind blows, it’s still winter, so the soldiers were all wrapped in thick coats. They even wore long-brimmed hats and bird-beak masks, covering their faces tightly. The weather isn’t that cold today, so it’s strange.

“Probably because they’re vampires.”

The Princess whispered behind me.

“Vampires are weak to sunlight. That’s why, despite having many powerful traits, they have never become the rulers of the continent.”

Vampires have the ability to control lower vampires as thralls, commanding absolute obedience. The Princess called it the power of domination.

Having the upper and lower ranks move as one is a tremendous advantage. Unlike humans or demons, who are not well united, vampires move like the limbs of their leader.

But all these advantages are overshadowed by the fact that they suffer fatal damage when exposed to sunlight. All vampires burn and disintegrate upon contact with sunlight, and even the strongest cannot overcome it. Even Duke Vlad Shimira himself would die instantly upon contact with sunlight, according to the Princess.

‘Then, are they risking danger by being here? To do what they must.’

Hearing that, the reason they are bundled up and covering their faces with hats became clear. They had no choice because sunlight is fatal to them.

“Adventurers, yes. Here’s our identification.”


“Priest…? What’s a priest doing here? There are no humans here for a priest to heal.”

The soldier shouted firmly.

“Leave. God rejects us vampires. We also reject God and His followers. If someone radiating divine power roams the Duke’s territory, it won’t be good for you or us.”

Are they just trying to drive us away? No, but there was desperation in his words.


He genuinely didn’t want to let us in. Of course, it’s natural that not many cities or villages welcome adventurers, but they usually tolerate them as long as they don’t cause trouble, so this is strange.

Adventurers are outsiders who spend money in villages,


and it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like money.

“Put the spear away.”

Then Roka grabbed the spear pointed at me and twisted it away. But at that moment, the soldier holding the spear screamed and retreated. A fierce flame erupted from his hand, and the soldier screamed and collapsed. I couldn’t understand the reason for his screams.

“Ahhh! The, the sun! The sun!”


“What’s going on, Hans?! Damn it, what’s all this commotion!?”


“Look at his hand. Ah, no, don’t take off the glove now. Let’s go to the dark room first.”


“Shoot the bow! Kill them!”

In the sudden chaos, the Princess and I were stunned.


What’s going on? But it seems Roka didn’t do it on purpose.


The child, also surprised, just opened her eyes wide and tried to say something.

“Ah, the power of the sun!”

The Princess finally realized something and shouted.

“That’s why you need to learn to control your power completely…!”

The magical power that flowed through the spear shaft happened to have the attribute of the sun, causing this mess. If Roka had intentionally released her power, it wouldn’t have ended with just a hand.

It wasn’t intentional, but magical power naturally flows from high to low. Roka’s magical power was higher than the soldier’s.


But under normal circumstances, it would have ended without incident. However, due to the vampire’s nature and the power of the sun, things escalated.

“Ha, shoot the bow? Shoot if you dare.”

All the commotion suddenly quieted.


A golden dragon had appeared in the sky, overwhelming the surroundings with the Princess’s magical power. Those who were about to pull their bowstrings stopped without realizing it.

“Only if you can bear the consequences.”


“Who, who are you…?”

The person in charge hurriedly ran over and prostrated himself.

“We didn’t recognize you and were rude. May we ask your identity?”


“Guests here to meet the Duke. My name is Ardein von Illumina. The First Princess of the Empire.”


“Ardein? That name is… Ah, no, that person is…”

The confused soldiers soon realized this was beyond their ability to handle, and one quickly ran inside to report.


The person in charge politely guided us.

“Please wait in the guest room for VIPs. We will report as quickly as possible.”


“Can I see the person who was injured earlier?”

I asked while comforting the startled Roka.

“It was this child’s mistake, so as her guardian, I want to take responsibility if I can.”

I don’t know why other great beings dislike demons, but at least my Lord does not. He treats all life in this world equally.

Only the undead, who should not be alive, are an exception. Except for that one exception where He grants salvation instead of healing, my divine power also has healing effects on demons.


Of course, healing both allies and enemies at the same time doesn’t work, so I usually only give divine power to allies, but I’ve healed demons who aren’t enemies multiple times.


This time won’t be any different.