Chapter 97: Preparing to Head Back to the City
In my line of sight, on the field about twenty to thirty meters away, that radiant silhouette—riding a silver-saddled horned horse and shimmering under the moonlight—suddenly fell limp, plummeting off the horse’s back.
!
She’s hurt…
“Margaret—”
I stared into the distance where that golden light had vanished from my view, gritting my teeth. I twisted the flames in the air and shot toward Margaret’s position like a flaming rocket.
d*mn it…
The dashing horned horse continued trotting forward for a bit, perhaps sensing the absence of its rider. It let out a whinny and halted a short distance away.
I landed on the ground next to the horned horse, extinguishing the burning black flames, and sprinted to Margaret’s side.
“How are you! You…”
But as I got a good look at her, my words got stuck in my throat.
Margaret lay on the revived green grass.
Her pristine nun’s robe was tattered and burnt, blackened as if something had seared it. Her exposed arms, neck, and abdomen were just as bad. Her hair was a mess, the beautiful aquamarine hair scorched to a near gray, and her once tender white skin was now covered in blisters and black scabs. The golden light swirled over her wounds, and I could see gaping cracks that revealed raw flesh beneath.
She was in agony. Her delicate body trembled uncontrollably, limbs curled tightly, fists clenched, emitting low whimpers that sounded almost like crying.
How could this happen…
I felt a swell of panic.
I took a step closer, eager to see if I could help in any way.
“Don’t—don’t come any closer…”
Margaret cried out immediately.
She covered her face with one hand, struggling to prop herself up as she turned her head to the side, her voice trembling fiercely.
“I—I’m fine… uh… I’ll be okay soon, please wait… just a moment…”
As she spoke with great effort, the golden light surrounding her became even brighter, flecks of green glimmering within it, sparkling like fireflies and disappearing into her wounds, the radiant glow making me squint.
That’s a healing miracle…
If I remember correctly, Margaret’s healing miracle is incredibly powerful.
But she’s badly hurt… It looks like she’s even injured her face—will it heal completely?
“Are you really, okay?”
I rubbed my forehead anxiously as I asked.
“I’m fine…” Margaret answered softly.
She struggled to support herself, her head hanging low, hiding her face from my view, as she slowly sat up amidst the gentle golden glow.
“Did—did Nero… get away?”
“…Yeah.”
I answered lightly, turning my gaze back to where Cardinal Nero had fled. That spot was already deserted, only a dark and fiery blaze, like bl**d, quietly burning in the distance.
“Phew—”
Margaret exhaled a shuddering breath.
“Well, that’s good…”
Seeing her like this, there seemed to be a hint of relief.
Good? How could it be good…
Nero would definitely come back to k*ll me. I could still remember that murderous look in his eyes, as if he wanted to swallow me whole.
I felt bitter.
I could have chased him down…
He was nearly dead…
But I couldn’t voice that in front of the battered Margaret. I forced down the complicated feelings swirling in my mind and looked toward the direction where the Saint had descended.
In that faraway spot, I could still vaguely see the outline of the town consumed by flames.
“You were hiding in… the town before?”
“Yeah…”
Margaret took a deep breath, letting out a weak sound through her nose.
She kept her head down, her right hand quivering as it shielded her face. The process of healing her wounds seemed arduous, making her body tremble even more as if enduring something painful. Her speech became intermittent and weak.
“I wanted to go to the royal city to pass a message… but the war chariot, uh… broke down halfway, and I was injured by Nero…”
So that’s why you ended up here, huh…
The wide, open plains offered no hiding spots, so she had to retreat to the little town.
I clenched my fists.
“Are there any… people still alive over there now?”
Margaret didn’t really need my help; it seemed I couldn’t help her much either. If the town still had survivors, I should go rescue them first…
Thinking this, I then heard her murmur, “The town has long been… emptied. Before I got there, they had all been evacuated to the royal city by the guard, not even leaving behind a single livestock… don’t worry… I understand what you’re concerned about, there were no civilians… affected…”
Her answer caught me off guard.
Then, it suddenly made sense.
Of course…
Due to the Iron Guard, Victoria had mentioned they’d clear the surrounding towns and leave nothing for the enemy. Just recently I’d seen refugees being moved from the royal city, and it seemed this little town was one of them…
I truly felt a wave of relief wash over me.
“That’s great…”
So, Cardinal Nero must have known this, which is why he unleashed that reckless and terrifying miracle? He wasn’t as vile as I thought…
…Still, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a despicable fatso in my eyes.
If it weren’t for him, this wouldn’t have happened…
“You being okay is the best news, cough—cough!”
Margaret suddenly became agitated, launching into a fierce coughing fit.
“Cough cough! I thought you… you were dead… Miss Silvya… actually… before I came here, the Pope asked me to… my responsibility is to protect you, to guide you down the right path… You might not understand, but this is more important than anything else. I thought I had failed when you were struck by the goddess’s judgment and fell into the abyss without a sound…”
The golden light swirling around the Saint intensified. As the shimmering flecks continued to merge into her wounds, the blackened marks on Margaret’s body began to visibly fade, the scabs peeling away to reveal her soft white skin underneath.
She took another deep breath, her speech gradually becoming smoother.
“At that moment, I felt incredibly disappointed in the Church… it could have gone so smoothly… you clearly wished to befriend humanity… they couldn’t have not seen it… but they did it anyway, even at the cost of ignoring the new Abyss… they’ve known for a long time… Nero has always known the Abyss isn’t in the mud anymore, they are just waiting for you to come… their plan is to eliminate you one by one, making sure you never meet the new Abyss… isn’t it ridiculous?”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t notice their sneaky moves, I cough! I was… just thinking about the Abyss… I’m sorry…”
“It’s not your fault.”
I brushed away the hair sticking to my cheek and gently spoke to the remorseful Margaret.
“I’m fine. I am the Abyss. They’re not going to k*ll me… that easily.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
Margaret shook her head.
“You don’t know what kind of person Nero is… you have no idea how many Abysses have died under his miracle… you took the goddess’s judgment head-on; nothing survives that…”
I frowned.
“Is he really that strong?”
Even though I had a hunch about it, I still felt…
If Nero hadn’t used the Divine Reliquary in the end and if Margaret hadn’t been gravely injured, I feel like… I would have had a real chance of killing him.
“That’s not the point…”
Margaret seemed to sigh as she spoke.
“If we just measure by strength, it doesn’t reflect the height a Cardinal can reach… Cardinal Nero is truly remarkable… if we’re just talking about the destructive power of the judgment miracle, there are indeed two Cardinals in the entire Holy Church who surpass the current Pope… he is one of them.”
!
Above the Pope…
“When he was young, Cardinal Nero was one of the most celebrated Pope Knights. The gifts he received for his judgment miracles are almost unmatched, and with his decisive approach, he was later promoted by the previous Pope to Cardinal, given the title of the Archbishop of Ethanbel… Miss Silvya, how did you find Teresa when you faced her in the royal city?”
I pondered for a moment.
“Very strong… but she didn’t use her miracle.”
Upon hearing this, Margaret seemed momentarily taken aback.
“What’s wrong?”
I was puzzled.
“Nothing, just…” Margaret shook her head again, “I wanted to tell you, Nero is actually half of Teresa’s mentor… he was the one who recognized Teresa’s potential and brought her to the Western Continent to assist him in handling affairs.”
Ah…
I suddenly remembered, I had indeed seen this in Teresa’s records before.
“Teresa’s judgment miracle is very powerful, and apart from the blessings from the deities, it’s because of Nero’s careful guidance… so do you understand now? It’s very difficult to defeat him in a direct confrontation; he’s too dangerous. Even if we teamed up, our chances are still slim… the reason I don’t let you chase after him is precisely that. You can’t afford any more accidents. I won’t allow that to happen again…”
But…
Teresa is the Gate of Truth.
Suddenly, my eyes widened.
“Nero is a heretic…”
Connecting it to the scarlet flames released by Cardinal Nero earlier, the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn’t impossible; I looked at Margaret with a gaze full of suspicion.
“No, that’s not true.”
To my surprise, she outright denied it.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I can’t be sure. You can’t know anything for certain before it happens, but it’s not as simple as you think. The internal relations within the Church are very complex; the struggles between factions have been ongoing since hundreds of years ago and haven’t ceased, particularly after the election of the new Pope, the internal conflicts have intensified… it’s not something that can be clarified in a few sentences.”
Faction struggles…
So that’s why things have become like this.
No. The root cause is ultimately… because I’m not human.
I am the Abyss.
In the eyes of many, I am a terrifying monster. It’s likely that Cardinal Nero views me that way; in his mind, I must be an existence that has to be eliminated… just like all the countless things that crawled out of the Abyss, I am no different from the instigator of the Valen incident from two years ago; we are kindred spirits.
“Margaret.”
We are beings that consume everything; we are humanity’s most fearsome enemies.
“How many people in the Church… see me that way?”
“Just like Nero does.”
It was a crushing feeling in my chest.
Is it true that no matter how hard I try, no matter how many people I save… I can never erase such thoughts from people’s minds… I can only live in this false harmony every day. Once my identity is exposed, would those who are kind to me now look at me with the same attitude?
I think…
Probably not.
I looked at Margaret, sitting up straight even while injured.
Her wounds were healing fast; her trembling had stopped, and in such a short time, the previously horrid black marks had nearly disappeared.
Margaret fell silent, seemingly weighing her words. After a moment, she slowly took a breath.
“Miss Silvya, you really are special… I’m even starting to struggle to associate you with those monsters… I understand you’re feeling bad inside… I regret that this has happened, and I feel guilty; this must have lowered your impression of us greatly… but even so, I want you to understand one thing.”
“There are people in the Church who are against you, but it’s not about how they perceive you… some things might not concern you; they happen simply because the Pope wants them to, and someone will try to obstruct it. This reality can be quite uncomfortable, but I hope you realize… there are many supporters of you within the Church, and your actions truly affect how many people perceive you, like me.”
Margaret stood up.
“If you don’t mind, I hope you’ll come back to the royal city with me.”
