My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 53
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 53
“How dare you point your sword at someone. My sword always points only at sinners.”
“Points at sinners? You’ve been serving a fake Holy Maiden, and now your eyes have turned into knotholes?”
“…What? Knotholes?”
Mary?
“A fake Holy Maiden has covered your eyes with false faith, and you’re a Holy Knight who falls for it. As a former colleague, I’m utterly ashamed.”
“…What,”
“And yet you point your sword at that person without any shame?”
“What kind of crazy talk is that?”
Just like Bellode who couldn’t continue speaking due to bewilderment, I too struggled to follow Mary’s words.
‘No, why are you acting like this. You’re the traitor, Mary.’
However, I wasn’t flustered by Mary’s shamelessness. The problem was that all of Mary’s words were subtly pointing at me.
“From the way you’re spouting such words, you seem to know who that woman is.”
Just like this.
“Finally, someone who makes sense.”
Since I had spoken up earlier, people’s attention was tremendous.
“Then let me ask. Who exactly is that woman?”
‘Strange words can’t come out here!’
In the moment I hesitated with anxiety, Mary’s lips finally moved.
“How foolish. This person is the true Holy Maiden.”
Immediately, words even more tremendous than I expected burst out.
…Mary?
“…Holy Maiden?”
And after that long silence, it was finally Bellode who put the period at the end.
“You’ve finally gone mad. Did you take some drugs while I wasn’t looking?”
No matter how I thought about it, it was reasonable suspicion.
*
“Earlier I was slightly swayed by the atmosphere, but now I understand. She was just a con artist.”
Bellode suddenly felt deflated.
“What have I been worrying about all this time?”
Recently, he had been searching for the woman before his eyes due to Yulia’s urging. Throughout that time, he felt uncomfortable because he worried whether he might hurt an innocent person.
‘But she was just a con artist. I worried for nothing.’
Meanwhile, Elpis was equally flustered.
‘No, why did she misunderstand like this? I never said anything to Mary?’
However, there was something that came to mind.
‘Could it be because of Kazen?’
This was a very accurate judgment.
The conversation that followed between Bellode and Mary added credibility to Elpis’s speculation.
“I’d like to return those words of shame to you. For someone who was once a Holy Knight to be played by the words of a mere con artist.”
“Foolishly, you cannot believe my words, Christian.”
“The foolish one is you, Linoa. I believed that at least your faith was real, but you can no longer distinguish between reality and delusion.”
“It’s natural since you didn’t see it.”
“Didn’t see what?”
“I saw it. A true miracle.”
…Oh, f*ck. Dear God.
Around this time, Elpis muttered in a small voice, but fortunately no one heard her.
Even during this, the conversation between the two continued.
“You saw a miracle?”
“I’ve seen the moment when all things in the world were purified. That day, not only the land and air tainted with dark magic were purified, but also the misguided beliefs of the wicked.”
“Such nonsense.”
“It’s all true. What filled the world was holy light, and under that curtain of light, no impurity could exert its power.”
From Mary, who spoke in a dreamy, ecstatic tone, blind conviction could be felt.
“Do you even know what you’re saying right now? Such a thing is impossible.”
“I am merely speaking of what I saw as it was, so there is no falsehood in this.”
Eventually, at this confident declaration, everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward Elpis.
‘When did I ever purify the misguided beliefs of the wicked…?’
The harm of excessive advertising was this serious.
*
‘I wondered why Mary had been particularly kind only to me lately.’
Now the puzzle pieces were finally fitting together.
‘Since I showed the illusion only to Kazen that day to clear up the misunderstanding, Mary had an even more ridiculous misunderstanding!’
This was all my oversight for not properly explaining to Mary what happened that day.
‘Come to think of it, Mary was originally a character who became a villain due to misguided sense of justice.’
Mary didn’t follow Azel for no reason.
She hated humanity for defiling the precious world God created, and for this reason, she sympathized with Azel’s ideology of world destruction.
But to demonstrate power that could be seen as ‘purification’ in front of such a person, it was natural for Mary’s eyes to turn.
‘Anyway, since I’ve already pretended and not pretended in front of Ragnear and Bellode, it doesn’t matter much now. But still, this is a bit.’
Overlapping positions with Yulia was a little bewildering.
“Anyway, whether it’s Holy Maiden or whatever, since I’ve already done enough to become a target of the Heresy Inquisitors, is it all pointless?”
“Miss?”
Having heard my muttering, Mary immediately turned to look at me.
Her eyes sparkled with faith and loyalty to the extent that it was strange I hadn’t noticed before.
“For now, let’s go back. It would be good to hurry, Mary.”
“I shall follow.”
Going back was the priority.
‘Anyway, now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to push this concept to the end.’
But right at that moment.
“You are.”
Another interruption came.
“…the Holy Maiden.”
This time it was Ragnear again. His low and gentle voice clearly pierced my ears.
“Say it with your own mouth, Elpis. Are you the real Holy Maiden?”
“Your Majesty, surely you don’t believe all those words?”
“The words you spouted to me earlier, then, were they told to you by God?”
“Your Majesty!”
Despite Bellode’s continued restraint, Ragnear did not back down.
“Aren’t you curious, Sir?”
“What-”
“Didn’t that woman just say it? Under that curtain of light, nothing could exert its power. I’m a bit curious about what that means.”
I couldn’t quite gauge Ragnear’s thoughts. However, what was certain was that the temperature underlying it was strangely unsettling.
“It’s not worth being curious about.”
“Whether it’s worth it or not, we’ll know if we check directly.”
“Confirmation?”
Only after hearing Ragnear’s cunning voice did Bellode seem to sense the crisis.
At that moment, before we could even catch him, Ragnear threw something toward us.
“Your Majesty!”
Clank.
In a brief moment, metal gleamed as it cut through the air, and Bellode’s blue eyes filled with horror.
‘What is that thing?’
Soon, black smoke began pouring out from whatever had been thrown into the air.
That pitch-black, viscous thing was—
“Demonic energy?”
It was demonic energy.
“Run away, miss!”
“Are you insane?”
To the words I unconsciously blurted out, he replied nonchalantly. Ragnear’s voice brushing past my ears was filled only with cruel pleasure.
“Insane. Just as you said.”
The news that Azel’s subordinate had brought some time ago was correct.
That bastard was insane.
“I’m looking forward to it. To see what will happen.”
At that moment, just like that day long ago, massive light exploded from my fingertips as if shattering.
*
Bellode couldn’t utter a single word about the unreality before his eyes.
‘Is this really reality?’
Everything felt so dreamlike that he began to doubt even that obvious fact.
Dazzling radiance.
“Barrier of, …light.”
“Ahh—!”
At that moment, an exclamation burst from Linoa Marigold’s mouth, the very person who had told him about this.
However, denial was impossible. The warm light scattered from her fingertips was just that wondrous.
The light that filled the spacious room was free, as if mocking the humans who denied light, and finally enveloped and threatened the darkest thing.
Because of this, he had no choice but to believe.
‘It wasn’t complete lies after all.’
He still didn’t believe the term Holy Maiden, but at least he couldn’t dismiss her as a mere fraud.
The proof was right before his eyes.
However,
“…Still, it’s not purification.”
It wasn’t purification.
The light illuminated the surroundings as if opposing the demonic energy, but it couldn’t purify it. Instead, it merely blocked the filthy demonic energy from harming humans.
‘It’s as if time has stopped.’
The demonic energy, frozen in mid-air just as it had been pouring out as if time had stopped, was mystical, and this was certainly a miracle.
‘Wondrous.’
Around that time, a voice like frost brought Bellode back to reality.
“This crazy bastard.”
“…!”
Elpis.
“Throwing something like that, are you in your right mind?”
The woman who had created all this miracle was coldly furious like ice.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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