In this way, religion became a new driving force that supported Theo.
"Saya."
He raised his head toward his flesh-and-blood cousin, who had grown a little older than he remembered.
"I'm okay now. I've gotten over that day. So you should forget about it too."
"..."
"I too will no longer be obsessed with you just because you are my blood relative."
Saya also remembered her brother's face from three years ago, which had been distorted to the point of infinite confusion.
The faithful knight in front of her now had changed so much that it was hard to Imagine that he was the same boy who had been making such a painful sound that day.
"Now I can fully understand what you said. Maybe, we were meant to go down different paths from the beginning."
"What does that mean?"
"The Saintess is the one who will save this world. Assisting her is the will of the Goddess and the mission given to me."
Just as Saya found her place at Medea's side. Theo also found his place.
"Wait. Theo-"
The appearance of the brother resembled that of the High Priest Paul, who blindly tried to favor the Saintess.
Sava frowned.
"Don't you think something is strange? You were at that banquet too. The goddess's will? How can you be sure? The Saintess, that woman is a little strange-"
"Stop It! Princess Valdina, do you think I don't know that she great master deliberately putting the Saintess in trouble?"
Theo snapped sharply. Saya couldn't hold back either.
"Getting her into trouble? Do you know that the Saintess was trying to frame our Highness? That woman -!"
"Saya, if you're thinking of causing discord, then stop. No matter what you say, our faith will not be shaken."
“Theo!”
"What is clear is that the Goddess has chosen the Saintess. She is the only one we have been waiting for, the one who can save this world from the end."
Saya paused.
His brother truly believed that the Saintess was a savior sent by the goddess.
'How is that any different from the beliefs of those weightlifters you believed in?'
Saya swallowed the words that were about to burst out.
"So go and tell them. If your great master tries to slander the Saintess and shake our holy kingdom by colluding one more time."
Theo held his breath for a moment and looked at his sister coldly.
"You and she will both pay the price."
As if his business had ended there, he left without any regrets.
Saya felt dizzy for a moment as she watched her brother move away.
Still, they are only blood relatives.
Even if they cut ties, they couldn't deny even the slightest bit of affection.
It was already disheartening to see her brother again, whom she didn't even know was alive or dead, but to trust that wicked Saintess...
"Theo, what the hell are you..."
Saya's long sigh spread out beneath the thick fog.
But Saya didn't know.
Contrary to his previous behavior of ignoring his sister and turning his back on her, Theo's face was filled with confusion.
'It's the Princess's doing.'
Theo, who was present at the banquet hall, also witnessed the goddess statue suddenly shedding tears of blood.
While people were surprised and astonished, Theo's eyes were first drawn to Medea.
'Medea, it was that woman who did it.'
After that, the first Prince of Katzen appeared, and the situation changed in an instant.
In the worst possible way for Saintess Rachel.
"That can't be. That's fake. You саn't deny me. I'm a saint, how could..."
It was as if a spider's web was tightening around Rachel.
It was around that time that their eyes met.
"..."
The moment he faced those intense green eyes that seemed to be coldly piercing even from afar, Theo was certain. That all of this had been calculated at her fingertips.
Because he knows. Because he experienced it firsthand.
Three years ago. Theo, who didn't know what to do between the rebels and his sister, must have been as pale as a Saintess.
The Princess of Valdina did not avoid his eyes.
There was no wavering as if nothing would change whether Theo realized the truth or not.
No, did my existence have even the slightest influence on that woman in the first place?
In the end, he was the first to avoid eye contact.
His fingertips trembled. A fear he had forgotten welled up inside him.
It felt like he was the one entangled in a spider's web, not the Saintess.
So he did nothing, even though he revered the goddess and worshipped the Saintess so much.
His sincere faith, which he had built up over three years of going back and forth between life and death, ultimately failed to overcome the huge wall called Medea.
He was ashamed of his weakness and at the same time angry.
Why on earth can't I escape from the influence of that woman, Medea?
Then and now.
'I can't be shaken. I can't let that woman shake my life again.'
Theo bit his lip.
He tried hard to erase the small face that was clearly engraved in her mind and would not disappear.
"Theo, you have come at a good time. I must see the High Priest now, so you will escort the Saintess to her quarters."
Leonor, the commander of the Templars, spotted Theo and beckoned to him.
In fact, serving the Saintess is something that is only given to veterans among the Knights Templar.
Some of the more jaded knights knew that giving Theo that role meant that the captain trusted him so much that he was grooming him to be his successor.
"I only trust you."
The captain, who hadn't seen Theo hesitate, tapped him on the shoulder. He swallowed a sigh and nodded.
"Yes, Sir."
The confusion that had been swirling in his heart was hidden beneath the faithful and expressionless face of the young knight.
"Please take good care of me, Sir Theo."
Rachel smiled faintly at Theo.
Her blond hair sparkled in the sunlight. Her white skin glowed even more sacredly.
A splendid radiance, like the rising sun, seemed to hang over the Saintess.
'Who can say that this person is not a proxy?'
Theo felt a surge of rebellion building up in his chest.
There was also a slight sense of guilt about having eventually turned away from the Saintess out of fear of the Princess.
"Yes, Theodore, I will serve you until the day I die, according to the will of the goddess."
Rachel opened her eyes wide as if slightly surprised. Then, she smiled bashfully.
"Thank you. Sir Theo. I too will protect the people of this land and deliver the will of the Goddess until the day I die. No matter what hardships I face or how thorny the path may be, I will not stop."
Rachel's eyes briefly watered as she recalled recent events. However, she quickly blinked away the tears and spoke resolutely.
"That is the mission the goddess gave me, and the reason I am here as a 'Saintess'."
Yes, Saintess. I will go with you.
'Goddess, I will never waver again. I will follow your path alone.'
At that moment, Theo swore silently.
I would never again think of those green eyes or be shaken by that silent aura.
But as always, human oaths are shallow, and the future is full of chaos, and it is the law of humanity that you cannot see even an inch ahead.
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Oh nooo, Theo you are once again within enemy territory! Let's see how your story will unfold in the later chapters. So exciting!
ReplyDeleteTy for the translation!