NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36
Whoosh! I’m falling from a high, high place.
The light that was right in front of me is now so far away it barely seems real.
And just when not a single speck of light remains below me, I finally arrive at my destination.
It’s been ages since I came below the surface.
After all, I was the one filling this place with water.
Splash!
Huh?
It’s less like water splashing and more like water biting into water? The expression’s odd, but it’s closer to pouring water into a greasy place.
I became curious about it.
There’s something down in this wide, deep ocean that isn’t me.
And it’s trying its best to gnaw on me.
Ah.
I see.
Since I’ve left my spot, something else must have taken its place.
I wouldn’t mind being eaten at all. Go ahead, do as you please. I can still see the other side, so I’ll just focus there.
You.
Right now.
You’ve eaten my warmth?
No matter what you do, I wouldn’t care. You can munch on me all you want since I don’t feel itchy or painful living on the same ground.
But you’re after warmth?
Warmth dropping to this ground?
No way.
Absolutely not.
Originally, I thought I couldn’t move my body.
But that’s not it. I was just full in this vessel. Being whole doesn’t change whether I move or not.
But now there’s something different.
So I grasped it. So it can never steal my warmth again, so it can never do anything again.
Just as it devoured me, I swallowed it.
I completely dismantled it, ensuring it would never think to touch the light again.
And then nothing was left.
The gray figure within my memories whispers to me, asking if I’m a cuckoo. Huh? Can it be like that?
Am I a heretic?
But I don’t care. Whatever my identity is, warmth belongs to me.
I focused again on the world I was in. Even though I’m so far away, the connection remains the same. No, rather than saying I fell, it’s something different, isn’t it?
Hmm.
I don’t know.
I’ll think about it later.
First, I see the world through Joanna’s eyes. A pile of sand fills half of my vision. The sound of wind in my ears and a woman’s voice.
Through Joanna’s perspective, her arms and chest are punctured, yet she’s not dead yet.
But it’s a fatal wound.
Summarizing the breath and pain, there’s a hole in her lung.
Every breath is a struggle, and her nostrils are filled with the stench of her own blood.
But a woman’s voice I’ve never heard before comes out. Simultaneously, it’s the place Tisah is looking at.
From his viewpoint, a girl with a small stature but a large bosom stands there. Her hair isn’t purple but golden, and yet, I recognize the face well. Because I’ve seen it often through Joanna’s eyes.
Rebecca Rolfe.
It’s her.
No, not me; the real Rebecca Rolfe.
I thought her heart had been extracted and disappeared, but here she stands perfectly fine? But her state is strange.
There’s no light. Of course, there’s no warmth either.
Even through Yasle’s eyes, nothing is there. Wasn’t light a soul?
Or could it be that? The Swamp Man proposed by the philosopher Donald Davidson? Something that can resurrect without a soul? How unique. At least, I’m not inside of it.
Meaning, I can’t view it through her eyes.
But it seems Rebecca saw everything I did while I maneuvered her body. No, not just my actions, but she knows my thoughts too. She criticizes Yasle using memories only I know.
To be honest, it was quite funny when she imitated my speech.
Is that so?
Then you really hated Future Hope Church. So even when Joanna collapsed, you felt nothing.
Honestly, I have no reason to dislike Joanna, right?
And then silence fell.
At this spot, there are two people crying.
One is Yasle.
The other is Joanna.
Both are silently shedding tears.
Just then, a familiar voice shouted. It told Yasle to deal with the mess he made.
It’s Andrew.
He condemns Yasle for summoning such a monster, claiming it’s because of him that the world is falling into the hands of the evil god.
As those around him started to fill with hatred, that feeling prompted them to raise their weapons toward the weeping Yasle.
Yasle, who was shedding tears, stood up the moment weapons were aimed at him. And he lifted an oddly-shaped weapon.
Tisah is also making a face filled with hatred. He might want to glance at Rebecca or Joanna, but aside from Tisah, Yasle, and Joanna, no one else has received my blessing.
If you turn your gaze slightly, people in the underground temple are being slaughtered.
Yep. It’s finally breached.
The reason why Witga went outside with a large army two days ago is also one of the reasons this place was so easily conquered.
Moreover, Witga headed east.
But he didn’t descend down to the Ansellus Kingdom in the south. He’s following Andrew’s subordinates.
Meanwhile, the capital of the Ansellus Kingdom has ultimately fallen. There are barely any intact buildings; it’s as if a carpet bombing occurred.
The blessed ones fought, leading to the destruction.
And those who initiated it, Wide and his people, have settled in the royal castle, leisurely eating and drinking the plundered food. Far off in a corner from where they’re feasting, the bodies of mutilated individuals lie.
All were important people of the Ansellus Kingdom.
So, to put it another way, Yasle’s wish has been fulfilled.
He’s apparently unaware that the wish of the one who commanded it has been granted; Wide is already speaking about his next action instead of waiting for the next command.
Yes. He knows that Future Hope Church has collapsed. He’s young, ambitious, and overflowing with confidence, but that doesn’t mean he’s a fool.
He’s been gathering information little by little, and Andrew’s subordinates have approached him before.
So, he’s anticipating it. Since he said so himself, it must be true. He seems to be close to his subordinates as he has chatted with them multiple times. He’s thinking of founding his own country.
Now, let’s return to the Scard Desert.
The underground temple and the towns around it have been obliterated. Literally obliterated. The Rasbe Kingdom and the Cogni Kingdom killed everyone without leaving a single person behind.
Of course, it’s not that nobody escaped unscathed at all.
But if they don’t intend to die, it’s impossible to continue calling themselves Future Hope Church. There’s no longer any future or hope in Future Hope Church.
The final battle between Yasle and the people of the Ansellus Kingdom has begun. Taking that opportunity, Andrew flees. I wonder what path he’ll take next. However, without someone blessed at his side, I won’t know anything about Andrew for a while. The blessed ones have all died while fighting Yasle.
Tisah and the people of Ansellus are fighting hard.
When the fight first began, they criticized Yasle, but now no one speaks.
Since fighting alone is already exhausting.
Yasle is powerful enough that they can’t even speak.
Meanwhile, someone approached the still prostrate Joanna. As the breath of wind escapes Joanna, and she slightly lifts her head, the face of Rebecca Rolfe appears before her.
However, her hair doesn’t shine purple but golden, and her eyes, instead of glowing purple, are an ordinary blue.
“You are not the Rebecca I know, aren’t you?”
Though it was nearly a whisper, Rebecca seemed to understand and nodded. She crouches nearby and gazes at Joanna.
“You’ll die like this.”
“Yes, I know.”
Rebecca seemed displeased with Joanna’s answer and knelt before her. She could at least extend a leg to a dying person, but instead, she sits in front of Joanna, who has her face buried in the sand.
Future Hope Church, which killed her and her family. It seems Rebecca harbors hatred toward anyone part of it.
“Why did you stupidly intervene? The moment that fearsome god obtained knowledge it absolutely should never have possessed, the role of this place was over. After all, you, or rather you more than anyone, knew what was inside this body better than anyone in this world, right?”
Then she spat, “Truly foolish.”
At those words, Joanna burst out laughing but then coughed violently and expelled a lot of blood before slumping down in exhaustion. Instead of responding to Rebecca’s question, she whispered.
“Did you watch everything?”
“Yes, I watched many things. I watched so many things. That one observes countless worlds with innumerable perspectives. Perhaps they are still watching now?”
Hmm.
That’s right. I’m watching. Originally, I’ve been watching the blessed ones without missing a moment. There may be differences in focus, but I’ll keep watching until the contract ends. That way, I can collect my dues, right?
“If so, then I should say farewell. Yes. I will be saying my last goodbye. I thought I could still see you at the last moment, but if this is the end…”
And Joanna spoke in a voice that was as tired as it had ever been, much like when we first met.
“Thank you.”
And then crackle, my vision turned black, and a small warmth flowed into me. But that warmth din’t warm my body for long.
Once again, the cold chill wrapped around my spine, making the warmth disappear as if it had never been there.
Just as usual.
It was.
Yes.
The first of my blessed ones has died.
Since she is a member of Future Hope Church, I feel nothing.
A gray figure is throwing a fit over there.
I know. I know.
But I feel nothing.
Instead, I became the nighttime sea beneath the starry sky and gaze up.
Until Tisah finally thrusts a sword into Yasle’s heart.
One of the twisted shards of countless lives belonging to Yasle burst out, circled around, and ultimately stabbed Yasle.
Cause and effect do have their way of recompensing.
It’s not about sin and punishment, but if you sow countless seeds into bare earth, one of them might sprout.
Huh?
Over here, breath is lost, and all senses have vanished, yet warmth didn’t come at once. So, I stretched out my hand.
A small membrane was wrapping around the light.
Such a foolish person.
After doing so much?
So I tried to take it all, but the membrane vanished the instant it touched me, so I just brought the light.
Then I fell downwards.
When I fall below the surface, the light offers warmth to me and then disappears. It doesn’t matter if it’s originally white light or darkened because it gave me a gift. Just like always, the warmth melts me slightly before vanishing as if it had never existed.
In the meantime, Tisah raises his sword and bellows a triumphant cry, and his companions join in the shout. In one corner of his gaze, Rebecca is gently laying Joanna’s body to rest.
Now.
The cult known as Future Hope Church has ended.