Son of Man (2)

Is this turning a blind eye to evil, or not? Am I ruining everything because of my own selfishness, or not?

I’ll think about such questions slowly later. For now, I’ll only focus on the immediate problem at hand.

If I’m not qualified, God will personally take away my qualification.

I hope this answer isn’t wrong.

“Then Lost, could you not take him along?”

“…Titan?”

I was surprised not by the content but by who was speaking.

Titan has generally been the type to keep his words to a minimum in these settings.

He typically only answers when I ask him something, meaning he rarely offers his own opinions.

“As you know, my goal was to master aura.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Since I’ve achieved my goal, I have no reason to continue accompanying you on your journey.”

“Who taught you to threaten like that? Was it Nina?”

“Hehe, anyway, if you need my help, you should guarantee me some say in matters, don’t you think?”

“You bastard.”

Yes, he’s been getting a free ride.

Though we’ve given Titan a lot of help, he’s helped us considerably too, but…

To be honest, there’s nothing more I can do for Titan now.

On the other hand, there’s a lot I can do with Titan’s strength.

It’s burdensome to keep him tied down just because we’re friends, considering the position he holds and the responsibilities he has.

It’s ridiculous for a royal like him to travel just for a friend, and equally ridiculous to prevent him from returning home after achieving his goal.

Setting aside the fact that he’s an ungrateful, shameless bastard, there’s no way to stop him.

“Then make sure you keep a tight grip on the reins. That’s the minimum condition.”

“You’re presenting what should be basic courtesy as a condition. Or is this your way of being considerate?”

“Well, unlike some people, I don’t want to be a thankless bastard.”

“Hehe, I apologize.”

He’s learned some dirty tactics.

I didn’t have any particular feelings about Nina, but I’m starting to dislike her more and more.

Somehow I can’t seem to get along with any of the apostles except the Saintess. Don’t they all have issues?

Well, I suppose the Saintess wasn’t without her problems either.

Is this what they call being blinded by love?

-Wow! Welcome!

Hecate flies to the restrained Ratatoskr and waves her hand.

It’s amazing how she subtly confirms that she’s already decided to join us.

Is she cunning, or is her self-esteem just that high?

It’s a pity. And looking at her, I can understand what it means to learn from negative examples.

Claire might have ended up like that too if I hadn’t stopped her in time.

“Zzzik.”

-Oh?

Ratatoskr seems to know that the ghost called Hecate is quite an exhausting companion, and instead of speaking, he makes a beast-like sound and turns his head away.

But Ratatoskr is overlooking something too.

-Are you really trying to use voice echo in front of your senior when you’re just a newbie?

“Zik…”

Why do you think Hecate was impeached? It’s because of her terrible self-love.

When she stares at him with those hollow black eyes, even Ratatoskr, whose will to live is broken, can’t help but feel fear.

-That’s right, that’s right. Be good from now on, okay? Don’t try putting echoes in your voice in front of me just to create a mood. I can’t guarantee what will happen. Behave yourself.

Hecate is the third strongest and oldest trial.

She won’t let the seventh-ranked Ratatoskr disrespect her.

Even though they’ve both lost most of their power, she can’t tolerate it.

“I still haven’t mentioned whether I’ll take you with me, Senior.”

-You’re abandoning me?! Are you going to abandon me?!

“Well, it’s not exactly ‘abandoning.’ I never picked you up in the first place.”

-Waaaaaah!

So, aren’t we getting a bit ahead of ourselves in acting friendly?

I block Hecate with one hand as she charges at me, crying droplets of tears. Perhaps because her arms are shorter now, she can’t escape when I block her head with my hand. How pitiful.

“Lost, as I keep telling you, you’re smiling more brightly than I’ve ever seen.”

That might be true.

But it feels so good to have the tables turned, going from being teased to doing the teasing. No wonder the undead of Necropolis rebelled.

Hecate is honestly satisfying to tease.

“By the way, Vicarious Saint.”

As I was bickering with Hecate and lightening the previously heavy atmosphere, Nina, who had been hanging her head like a criminal, opened her mouth.

“We had a conversation that we didn’t finish last time. Although it may seem strange to bring it up now, I’d like to talk about it today.”

“Pardon? What conversation are you referring to…”

“About your existence.”

“……”

A silence momentarily falls over the meeting hall. I was silent because I was wondering what she was talking about, and Nina wasn’t the type to speak much in the first place.

And while the others were observing the situation without interrupting…

Even the one being who had been making noise fell silent.

-Nina, what are you…

“Oh my, Senior. You shouldn’t be doing that. You’re showing an interesting reaction.”

I grab Hecate’s tail(?) as she was flying toward Nina as if startled.

This is quite surprising.

To see Hecate, who’s always full of mischief, with a serious expression.

And with that serious expression, trying to stop someone from speaking…

Especially about a topic related to me.

“How should I interpret this? Hecate.”

-Ho, hoeeeee…

Isn’t this a strange coincidence?

Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to stop Hecate. Her power, not to mention her forces, was beyond my capacity to handle. But what about now?

Hecate has neither the power nor the ability to stop this situation.

Perhaps Nina was also counting on this situation when she decided to speak.

She had said.

-There are more people who know about you than you might think.

She said there are more people who know about me than I might think. My first memory begins with being picked up by my Master and Teacher and continuing my life.

Yes, I have no memories before that.

The trauma about “fire” that even I didn’t know, the truth about it, has remained veiled until now.

-Vicarious Saint, there are some things better left unknown.

“You’re unusually serious. But, Hecate, if it’s related to me, I should be the one to decide.”

Since Hecate addressed me as ‘Vicarious Saint’ instead of ‘Junior,’ I respond with a name befitting that.

She was already an uncomfortable person, and now she’s even hiding something about me.

-I suppose so… If you insist, I won’t stop you. But, Vicarious Saint, isn’t your current life already happy enough?

“It sounds like you’re saying I won’t be able to be happy after hearing this.”

-Perhaps there’s a chance of that. I’m sorry for hiding it. But I thought it would be better for you. Surely, not just me, but the person who sent you here…

“……”

Hecate knows a lot of facts that I don’t. That’s because she’s lived a life too immeasurable to count.

I learned about the existence of Malice from her and received the answer that Belial might not be my only enemy.

The events unfolding around me. The trials that have started to intertwine, and the existence of my Teacher who could move one of them.

Indeed, ignorance is bliss—how true that saying is.

“So, you even knew about my regression.”

Come to think of it, there were quite a few beings who noticed my regression.

King of Darkness Belial, who inferred it solely based on his confidence in his own plan and its failure, and Eremus, who knew through the influence of corrosion engraved on my soul itself.

The 10th and 1st trials respectively.

If we were to consider their lifespans, they’d be considered ancient.

If that’s the case, Hecate, who has walked an equivalent amount of time, might have had some method as well.

“But I need to know. Even if it leads to a conclusion that will torment me more and disrupt my current happiness, I still need to know.”

-Well, I suppose so…

Hecate, who was about to fly toward Nina, now deflates completely.

I also let go of Hecate’s tail. As expected, Hecate didn’t offer any further resistance or interference.

She just looks at me sadly.

“Senior, don’t worry. What I’m offering is merely a clue. The decision is up to the Vicarious Saint.”

-But the result is obvious, isn’t it? Nina, you knew that. As did I.

Hecate sighed deeply, and Nina extended a letter as if she had prepared it in advance.

“In there, there’s a clue about you.”

“…May I ask one thing?”

“Yes.”

“If it’s something significant enough for Hecate to try to interfere, why did you decide to reveal this to me?”

Because you think differently?

Or is it related to her intentions that I still can’t fathom?

Honestly, I’m not sure if this is atonement, consideration, or a trap.

“I just thought it’s something you might want to review considering the path you’ll be taking.”

“I see.”

However, I think it’s better to know than to not know.

After all, if it’s related to me, I should be the one to accept it all.

-I hope you don’t change.

As I accepted the letter, Hecate flew over and stroked my head.

It’s a bit unexpected, but…

“You were indeed called a Saintess during your lifetime.”

-Hoeeee, what does that mean?

Her touch felt warm even though she was clearly a ghost.

*     *      *

I didn’t immediately open the letter Nina gave me. It was because of the nerve-wracking ghost beside me.

It’s pressuring to have her watching with a tense expression.

And it’s not just Hecate.

“Aren’t you going to check it?”

“…I’ll check it slowly a bit later.”

“I understand.”

Nina also urges me to check the letter she gave.

The same goes for my other companions.

Titan peeks at it from time to time, and Claire sends overt expectations my way.

Línea can’t sit still, alternating between clinging to me and moving away.

Hey, isn’t everyone being too much?

“I need mental preparation too, you know?”

After chasing everyone away and even somehow detaching Hecate from me.

At dawn, I finally decided to open the letter.

Well, I wonder what kind of amazing content is written in it to cause all this commotion.

With mixed feelings of anticipation and worry, I opened the letter and…

“…A map?”

There was only a “clue” inside. This is, well, there’s no need for the tension. It’s not even time to be tense yet, so why did everyone…

The mark on the map is a building symbol.

It’s a symbol indicating a temple. Moreover, it depicts a temple of considerable size.

I suppose the intention is for me to visit this place. But there’s something strange.

“Hmm? But this place…”

I immediately compared the map I had with the map enclosed in the letter.

After checking, I finally understood why this was a clue.

“Isn’t this Skadi’s domain?”

<One Who Halts Steps>

Skadi

This place, named after the goddess of winter, has an environment befitting its name.

The northernmost, coldest part of this world.

The starting point of a freezing world. No one knows the root cause. Whether it’s a natural change or artificially created by someone.

The only certainty is that it’s a place where people cannot set foot.

Even the Crowley family, who can be considered royalty among magicians, would be like candles in the wind there.

A place rendered uninhabitable due to the influence of a trial. I’ve never heard of a temple being there.

“No, that’s not it…”

Such an environment makes it easy to conceal.

To protect something? Or to hide something?

If neither of those, then.

It might be to prevent something.

*     *      *

In the ruins of a temple.

A girl was praying alone.

Stained glass scattered light, illuminating the girl.

Shadows and diffused light make it impossible to distinguish her face or even the common color of her hair.

As if her face had been forgotten.

As if her symbol had been forgotten.

Yet, the girl, ruminating on regrets, decided to pray.

“Ah, I see. It has come to this after all. Why do you wish to leave me with lingering attachments? Why do you hold such attachments to me?”

The shadows recede.

The brilliant light pouring through the stained glass fades.

Gradually, the girl’s form revealed itself.

“My…”

The praying girl slowly stretched her hand toward the sky.

As if what she desperately longed for was there.