Religion is based on blind faith.
Faith is an irrational emotion. It is not rational to sacrifice one’s own life for an unseen god. Nevertheless, religion has always existed throughout human history.
It has been mobilized to create a community and foster broader solidarity.
Or to materialize the realm of morality that cannot be controlled by laws and regulations. However, setting aside the details discussed by scholars, the truth of religion for the vast majority of believers was only one:
God exists.
Even the unreasonable circumstances of my own situation and the unexplained natural disasters are controlled under the will of the great god. The truth of the world that those who believe in religion long for lies there.
At times, this function of religion has been criticized for being misused by those in power. But no one could deny the fact that the existence of the divine is sustained by the desires of the believers.
Thus, the proof of God’s existence became the fervent wish of all religions.
The Heavenly Deity Sect was no exception.
All believers wanted their faith to be rewarded. They hoped that their sacrifices and prayers would not be in vain. And they believed, more than anyone, that at the end of this cruel reality, salvation awaited them.
Therefore, now that they have witnessed the miracle with their own eyes, how could they not kneel?
A brilliant radiance descended from the sky. The warm sunlight embraced the rain-soaked ground, and the believers drenched in rainwater shed tears alongside the raindrops.
Were these the people who tried to burn an innocent woman?
Even the Pope knelt with no sign of daring to rise. For the first time in decades since becoming a cleric, his body trembled with shock and joy at the response given by the Heavenly Deity.
Left like this, he seemed on the verge of fainting.
Tears streamed down from his eyes, which had lost their light. No, it was not only the Pope; the tens of thousands of crowd were in a similar state.
In front of a single human.
Everyone bowed their heads, creating a magnificent scene of worship.
In this holy image, which would one day become one of the great records of the Heavenly Deity Sect, there were only two individuals standing on the ground.
I-an and the Holy Lady.
Looking at I-an, who stood frozen with a dazed expression, the Holy Lady quietly asked in a low voice.
“Are you confused?”
The golden gaze, frozen in shock, turned toward the Holy Lady. It seemed he had forgotten her existence for a moment.
It was overwhelming, as if the miracle shown by the woman was too great.
I-an still stood there in a daze.
“Ah, yes. Yes…”
“Or are you displeased?”
I-an closed his mouth instead of answering.
He needed time to organize his thoughts, regardless of which way it was. In fact, he felt no particular emotion toward whatever reaction the crowd exhibited.
He was simply grateful for the fact that the Holy Lady had returned to life.
Even if it was due to the will of the Heavenly Deity, which had plunged the world into a pit of fire.
But upon reflection, he felt a sense of confusion. Those who had once shouted to nail the Holy Lady to a cross must be mixed in with this crowd.
The Pope, who led this, and the leaders of the Holy Kingdom who had tried to sacrifice the Holy Lady were also not free from their sins.
Yet they bore faces that indicated they had instead obtained salvation.
While I-an hesitated, the Holy Lady broke into a slight smile.
“Humans are cowardly beings. The more anxious they are, the more extreme their behavior becomes… They wouldn’t hesitate to trample on a dog that has fallen and become muddy. They want to believe that justice has been upheld.”
“Really…”
Not knowing what to say, the man struggled to respond before the Holy Lady continued.
“That is why I love humanity.”
She said this.
“Isn’t it interesting? That the faith toward humans resembles to some degree the faith toward God… Even if an answer does not come immediately, I believe that one day they will make the most brilliant decisions.”
It was a confession spat out with a gentle smile.
It was not a lie.
A vague compassion and affection resided in the Holy Lady’s eyes. She seemed to genuinely feel pity for them.
Weak and not strong enough.
Cowardly beings who could only blame others for their responsibilities.
Seeing that gaze, I-an suddenly found himself curious and asked back.
“…What does the Holy Lady think?”
It was a question devoid of even the honorific “you.”
It was not the attitude to show to one who had just ascended to the status of a saint. The man realized his error a moment too late, but as always, the Holy Lady did not seem particularly concerned with earthly etiquette.
He simply gazed quietly at the Holy Lady, who knelt among the logs.
“Judgment and mercy are also the will of the Lord… how could I know?”
It was an answer that felt knowingly vague.
However, I-an did not press the Holy Lady further. He genuinely believed that her words were correct.
Now the remaining choice was the Holy Lady’s.
To place herself on the logs and inquire of the Heavenly Deity’s will within the furnace.
It was a miracle she had accomplished on her own.
Naturally, the price for that miracle should be hers to bear. The man felt sufficient joy merely from the fact that she had returned to life.
At that moment.
The woman slowly rose from the logs. With her hands clasped together, her graceful movements as she walked were exceptionally beautiful.
It was as if the world was making way for her.
The ashes of the logs collapsed one by one, forming steps. With each step she took, the Holy Lady drew closer to the Mountain Court.
“Oh, ohhhh…!”
The Pope was by now crawling on his hands and knees from a high cliff, his face lying on the ground. As the Holy Lady moved, a ribbon of light undulated behind her.
A wing-like form, and overwhelmed with emotion, the Pope hit his head against the ground.
Thud.
That was the signal.
Thud, thud, thud!
As tens of thousands of people banged their heads against the ground, the earth trembled. The expression of the woman remained utterly serene amidst the artificial earthquake.
At last, her feet gently touched the ground.
Walking and walking, the place where the woman halted was right in front of the Pope.
The elderly cleric, bowing his head, asked with tears streaming down his face.
“T-this humble servant…”
He gasped between breaths riddled with emotion and regret.
“…what should I do?”
This was not even a plea for forgiveness.
It meant he would endure whatever punishment was meted out. Though he was not a decision-maker shaped by many years in the political arena of the Holy Kingdom, he was a cleric.
Before the miracle of God, he had nothing to say.
All he felt was deep gratitude that the faith he had cherished all his life had not been in vain.
The Holy Lady responded in a low voice.
“Rise.”
“But how…”
“Do you wish for all those kneeling here to become criminals?”
The Pope fell silent for a moment as if his words had been taken away.
However, what choice he was to make was nearly predetermined.
The Holy Lady’s words were filled with both carrot and stick.
The carrot was, of course, an invitation to stand up and face her as a non-criminal.
And the subtle threat that all of them kneeling on this plaza could become criminals was the stick.
It was not only the leaders of the Holy Kingdom who had wanted to nail the Holy Lady to the cross.
The mob, who had lost their reason, also desired to cruelly kill her. The Pope could not tarnish his position as a leader by turning tens of thousands of people into criminals.
As the Pope hesitated and began to rise, the woman finally bestowed upon him a faint smile.
“Is there a soul in this world who has not sinned? I had once taken pride in living without sin, but when I realized that everything had been achieved with the aid of evil’s hand… I was filled with despair and regret. I even denied and insulted God.”
With an expression of intense tension, the Pope simply listened to the Holy Lady’s words.
To think that an individual who had ascended to the rank of saint denied and insulted God.
It was only proper to control the information, but for some reason, the Pope could not bring himself to issue such a directive.
He was overwhelmed by the golden radiance emanating from the Holy Lady.
Or perhaps, the Holy Lady—turned away from the light—was simply too beautiful.
“I ask you, did you hate me? Did you deny me, viewing me as an enemy, and sought to nail me to the cross and hurl stones at me?”
“…Yes, I did.”
“Then I shall forgive you.”
It was a voice devoid of even a hint of reluctance.
Tens of thousands of eyes gazed at the Holy Lady in a daze.
“As the Lord did, so shall I.”
Leaving behind an indulgence for all, the Holy Lady turned her back as if the matter was finished.
Just as a flustered Pope was flailing his hands in the air.
“…By the way.”
The Holy Lady cast a fleeting glance behind her. Toward the Pope, no.
Toward someone who had yet to descend into the plaza.
A golden radiance floated above her pinkish pupils.
“Please put effort into rooting out the Dark Cult that has infiltrated the Holy Kingdom. The suitable person for this is… Archbishop Einadel?”
At the peak of the lofty mountain, an old priest stood at the edge.
Despite his small stature, he had a notably strong and impressive face. His blue eyes, which quietly gazed down at the ground, seemed at a glance to be devoid of emotion.
I-an then remembered his presence.
In the divided political arena of the Holy Kingdom, he was a figure leading the conservatives against the Holy Lady, who was at the forefront of the reformists.
Archbishop Einadel.
I-an had heard that name before.
From Leorick.
He had warned to be careful.
For quite some time, the elderly cleric remained silent. In fact, it was an absurd story.
No matter how high the Holy Lady’s status was, it was not comparable to that of the Archbishop. Even if he were to concede, he was addressing someone who stood at a comparable level, making it impossible to issue directives casually.
Moreover, a clear superior, the Pope, was present.
Even so,
“…I shall humbly heed your wishes, Holy Lady.”
Archbishop Einadel slowly knelt and bowed his head. The Holy Lady was no longer merely the figurehead of the sect.
She was a recognized saint of the Heavenly Deity.
It was a symbolic scene showcasing that the leadership of the Holy Kingdom had wholly shifted to a single woman.
“…‘Holy Lady’.”
The Holy Lady murmured this and chuckled softly. It was a look of satisfaction, as though she had only now felt content.
And once again, the Holy Lady’s path resumed. The man positioned at the end of that path was I-an.
He bore a somewhat awkward expression.
Tens of thousands of gazes moved in accordance with the Holy Lady’s steps. I-an found himself standing at the center of countless eyes alongside the Holy Lady.
Directly in front of him, the Holy Lady placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath.
It was a tense appearance that had never been seen before.
I-an smiled faintly, parting his lips.
“Holy Lady…”
But before that, the woman’s finger pressed against I-an’s lips.
I-an had no choice but to gaze at her with a perplexed expression.
Whichever way it went, the woman took a deep breath and quickly continued.
“I-an, until now I was ‘Holy Lady.’ I had no name. I simply lived as if I were an emotionless human to fit that status. For a purpose, I would sometimes turn my eyes away from evil and sacrifice.”
The woman’s confession was met with silence from I-an.
He simply looked at her with an expression indicating he was somewhat relieved.
“But you changed me.”
The golden radiance that had been floating around the woman was slowly dissipating.
The Holy One, who had stood beside I-an, flashed a subtle smile. Eventually shaking his head, he stealthily took a step back and left.
Thus, only two remained in this place.
“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? Emotions are not permitted for the ‘Holy Lady.’ It is a position where one must make the most rational and logical choices. So at first, I was scared and confused. My feelings were growing to an irreversible extent.”
It was the true heart of a woman trapped in a shell.
As tens of thousands held their breath, they leaned in to hear the unfolding backstory.
“But ultimately, you… you…”
The woman’s hand tightly grasped the silver rosary hanging around her neck.
A mist of tears glimmered in her pinkish eyes.
She smiled gently.
“…you saved me.”
Not just today.
When I first met you, I thought there existed a foolish noble who cared for commoners.
I pretended to be indifferent, but I was truly impressed. I realized that there are those who do not care about status.
Since then, you have repeatedly saved the world as if it were a matter of course.
Today, you saved a woman who was about to be nailed to the cross.
From the flames and from the woman trapped in the shell of ‘Holy Lady,’ you rescued her and placed her here.
How could I not love you?
So, the woman found it difficult to calm her trembling heart.
“I am not the ‘Holy Lady.’ That is merely one of the many titles by which I am called. I need something more fundamental.”
“What is it then…”
“…A name.”
Moistening her parched lips with saliva, the Holy Lady spoke as if she had made a decision long ago.
“Please choose it for me. Because you made me no longer the ‘Holy Lady.’”
I-an looked momentarily stunned at that request.
Then, he swallowed a smirk. The name that sprung to mind was one of only a few.
With a light breeze in his voice, I-an retrieved a name he felt he had seen somewhere.
“…Lucia.”
The name of the woman who would one day be his lover, scribbled at the end of a love letter from the future. I-an, now smiling softly, asked,
“How about Lucia?”
“Lucia, Lucia…”
As if to imprint the name in her memory, the woman repeated it several times.
And a clear smile blossomed on her lips.
“Alright, Lucia. I like it.”
Is it finally over?
Just as I-an breathed a sigh of relief.
A single step, frozen in place, was taken.
It was Lucia. The light in her pink eyes was mixed with a hint of tension and flutter.
She had thought for a long time.
Once I shed the shell of ‘Holy Lady,’ I must be this way.
Before tens of thousands.
In front of the Pope, the Holy One, and the many power players of the Holy Kingdom, I will prove.
I am no longer a mere ‘Holy Lady.’
I am an emotional being. I am no longer an empty existence living up to a shell.
So let’s do what a ‘Holy Lady’ could not do.
In just one second.
As breath intermingled, the woman’s lips met the man’s in a sudden kiss.
At that moment, the golden light in her eyes widened.
It was the same for the tens of thousands of people. Their eyes were as wide as they could be.
With the man retreating, the woman’s body pressed against his.
In the collapsing scenery, the woman who had received her name finally smiled with satisfaction.
Yes, this is what I wanted.
Proof of existence.
The next day, throughout the continent, rumors circulated like wildfire.
There were no exceptions. Everywhere people were abuzz with this moving love story, and soon the romance between the hero who would save the world and the Holy Lady became renowned to the point that no one remained unaware.
Far, far away.
The Rainelle Clan and the Yuridina Clan, even the Imperial Palace.
A new wave was approaching.
