The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 167

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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 167

“According to the Saint, His Holiness the Pope truly seems to believe that was the voice of God… but the truth is this.”

Rita let out a light sigh and finished her words while gazing at Richard.

“So as I said before, such oracles have no meaning whatsoever. If you still have any guilt remaining, you can truly forget about it now.”

“…”

“And if you want, you can become a holy knight as an Oathbinder. Tomorrow we’ll officially announce about oaths and demons, and the Saint will package it well in religious language so the Order will accept it.”

“…”

Richard fell into a long silence with a pale face. Lillieta anxiously yet somehow apologetically watched his complexion.

Soon, he rubbed his face and slowly began to speak.

“Really… if what you’re saying is true… if the oracle I heard was like a reaction from an Od mass, if what His Holiness the Pope interpreted was the oracle.”

“Yeah.”

“To my question about whether I could have saved you that night… why did he answer ‘yes’?”

“…This is just my speculation.”

Something she had been thinking about ever since realizing this place wasn’t a different world from where she grew up, but merely the past of the Ash-covered Era.

Rita calmly presented that conclusion.

“His Holiness the Pope said that probably because you wanted that answer.”

“What?”

“Everyone must have kept telling you, right? Mom, Dad, Brother Leon too… that my disappearance wasn’t your fault. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

“No one would have blamed you. But you still couldn’t bear it, couldn’t forgive yourself, so you used one of only three oracle opportunities for that question. What does this mean?”

“…”

Richard pressed his lips tightly together. Lillieta steadied her breathing and continued.

“You back then wanted to believe my disappearance wasn’t your fault, but at the same time… you couldn’t let go of the thought that it was because of you, so you wanted certainty instead, right? So you wanted to hear a definitive answer from someone you could never deny and reach a conclusion.”

“…His Holiness the Pope read my feelings like that?”

“Hmm… I think the Od collective atop the spire probably responded to your emotions or wavering will with a negative response. His Holiness examined that result and your psychology and interpreted it appropriately.”

“Ha…”

Richard let out something between a laugh and a sigh as he leaned back against the bench and tilted his head back. In that slouched position, he looked up at the sky and remained silent for a long while.

Rita sat beside him silently waiting.

The sun had completely set and night had fallen. Stars began to appear one by one in the dark blue sky, and lights came on in the garden’s streetlamps, becoming earthbound stars.

Between star and star, the Oathbinder who had given up being a holy knight suddenly spoke.

“Rita, in the place where you lived, did really no one believe in God?”

“Probably not.”

“That must be quite a sad world.”

“Huh?”

Rita asked back in confusion. Richard answered with a bitter smile.

“Even if divine power doesn’t exist, even if oracles are merely reactions from Od collectives… even if there’s no way to prove God exists.”

He took a deep breath and spoke with clear violet eyes.

“I want to believe that God exists.”

“…Why?”

“Because a world with God seems warmer.”

It was a completely unexpected answer. Rita just blinked blankly. Richard explained.

“If you believe God is always watching us, you’d hesitate once more when doing bad things, and hesitate a little less when being kind to neighbors. Because you’d believe God punishes and rewards our actions.”

Lillieta opened her mouth then closed it.

Having seen the apocalyptic scenes where fanatics and cults committed all sorts of evil, she couldn’t quite agree with his opinion. Sometimes believers justified sins in God’s name.

But on the other hand, knowing the history of those who devoted even their lives based on faith, she couldn’t completely deny it either.

Some use faith to attack others and squeeze their lifeblood, while others use faith to protect others and give even their own flesh.

Everything depends on the person. Just as weapons can become either disaster or salvation.

Richard continued speaking while looking up at the stars.

“And if you believe God exists… when you’ve done your best for a sick family member and there’s nothing more you can do, you can hold hands and pray together. Being able to pour out your heart and devotion to pray for a miracle instead of just waiting helplessly is a great comfort.”

“…”

Rita recalled Sera’s memo.

What’s the problem with getting some comfort from believing the Od collective is God?

Though the tone was cynical and playful, the meaning wasn’t much different from Richard’s words. It was also the reason she had agonized over whether to tell him the truth about God.

It’s natural for people to seek comfort and hope for miracles by believing in the existence of something absolute, and it’s neither bad nor wrong.

Doesn’t everyone want to confide in someone during difficult moments?

Because the heart that person holds and the influence that heart has is more important than whether the object actually exists.

“If there’s no one watching over us, monitoring and rewarding us, if there’s no one to cry and pray to when we need comfort… the world would become a bit more harsh and full of tears.”

Rita finally understood what Richard meant.

It certainly was a sadder and less warm world than this place. The Ash-covered Era where no one believed in God except for a very few fanatics or cults.

Of course, the biggest reason that era was unhappy was because disaster had arrived, and as Lillieta who doesn’t believe in God’s existence, she couldn’t completely agree with Richard’s perspective… but she could understand it.

Richard turned his gaze from the stars to look at her.

“Rita, I won’t abandon my faith in God. Even if oracles are fake and the Order has been mistaking the Od collective for God, the faith I’ve cultivated isn’t false. So the God I believed in hasn’t disappeared.”

Having organized his thoughts, he declared firmly.

“It doesn’t matter whether I can return as a holy knight or not. Even if I have to live forever away from God’s embrace, I will simply as my belief… believe in the existence of benevolent Sha and live thinking that God is watching over me.”

His young eyes, like earthbound stars, sparkled straight with warm light. Lillieta smiled softly.

Her second brother always had a firm core despite appearing lighthearted. She liked that about him.

She deliberately responded playfully.

“Then, you don’t really need to return as a holy knight?”

“Huh?”

“The Saint said she would personally handle your becoming an Oathbinder, but it seems unnecessary. Should I tell her that our brother is sufficient just living with the heart of a holy knight?”

“Hey, wait, wait!”

Richard startled and shook his head frantically.

“If I can return, of course I should return, especially when the Saint herself guarantees it! I’d have to be crazy to kick away such an opportunity!”

“Didn’t you say it doesn’t matter since you have your beliefs even if you live away from God’s embrace?”

“That’s a different story! If I don’t need to leave, why would I leave! If I can, I’ll live as a holy knight in God’s embrace for a thousand years! I’ll even be canonized as a saint later!”

After shouting loudly, he completely erased his serious demeanor from moments before and clung to Lillieta while wheedling.

“So please speak well of me to the Saint. So I can return, hm? If you knew each other from that side, you must be quite close, right? Right?”

“You’re disgusting, brother.”

“That’s how desperate I am! Hey, who was it that turned around my plans to give up everything and humbly plan a new life!”

“Right, that’s right, since I turned it around, I should take responsibility.”

Rita chuckled and declared.

“Don’t worry, Richard. You will definitely be reinstated as a holy knight.”

* * *

The next day, June 26th, 1770.

Under clear skies, the National Foundation Day opening ceremony was held at Rhamcard Arena, the massive stadium in the western outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

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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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