Hero’s Downfall Report

120 – Bad Affair (3)

To begin with, Maria is at the limit of both her physical and mental strength.

Even if it is a duel that uses the body, mental power such as fighting spirit and will are used, and even if it is a duel of the mind and spirit, physical strength is consumed to maintain concentration.

In other words, the only difference is which side is used more, but both sides gradually wear out the same.

Maria performed battles and divine miracles at the same time, so it was natural for her to become exhausted.

The enemies we have faced so far are not something that a single Heretic Questioner can handle.

It was also said that Mary’s burden was closer to the past, when the patriarch, not the king, also served as a priest. It was a time when the fate of an entire community could be changed with a single decision of a leader.

Cain lowered his head in shame.

It is Cain himself who holds the reins of the entire journey. If so, she should have also thought about the strain and fatigue her companion was experiencing.

I was complacent.

Cain had never worked with another Inquisitor. That’s why I assumed that everyone else worked as well as Maria. Even though what Maria had done so far was beyond her dedication and bordered on her sacrifice.

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However, it was not entirely because she was ashamed that she could not look at Elizabeth. Because of confusion. A feeling of dizziness or motion sickness tormented Cain.

The person in front of her is clearly Maria. Although she fought to protect each other’s lives and even got into big fights, she was her companion who was happy together over drinks and delicious food. She and Lily are precious to her as they cling to each other and make her feel that she is not out of the orbit of the world.

But the person speaking now is not Maria. No matter how much she is her mother. She keeps calling herself in the third person, as if she were someone else, and the discomfort she feels is overwhelming.

“… So when will you recover?”

It was only after Elizabeth had stopped speaking that Cain asked a question.

“I don’t know that far.”

It felt like something had suddenly broken. Cain looked blankly at Elizabeth.

“The reason Maria has endured well so far is… There are many reasons, but the most important reason is that Maria herself wanted it.

I have never seen my daughter this happy since she was in this child’s body. Maria’s days were always gray. “He’s changed so many colors since he was with you and Lily.”

Cain was afraid of the words that would follow.

“The fact that my daughter is truly exhausted is a bit different from what you might have guessed. This child… “I guess I should say it’s because of my daughter’s natural temperament.”

“You mean temperament?”

“I told you. A decent Heretic Questioner wouldn’t have been able to withstand it. But this kid did it. Sometimes she forced herself to ‘pull me out’… “Has she ever felt like her strength is a bit erratic?”

Cain traced her memory.

She certainly did. Maria’s strength grew stronger little by little. After the incident at Masada, when Cain plunged a knife into her chest, she showed little by little stronger miracles.

Emmao. Berta Village… Maria’s strength clearly grew stronger. But why did I feel lethargic and even exhausted in the Black Forest?

“This child is using her powers in reverse.”

“If it’s upside down… ?”

“Maria… “Elizabeth, with Mary’s face, frowned.

“This child, she could become a stronger witch than me. It’s congenital. She said that an ordinary person’s body cannot contain two souls.

If anyone could do that, the world would have turned out a little more horribly. “What would it be like if there were a world where people had two completely different personalities?”

I couldn’t imagine. It’s confusing to even think about it. I can’t even accept the Maria in front of me right now.

“Light comes down from above, but trees pump nutrients from the bottom up. The direction is opposite.

But my daughter, more than anyone else in the world, was born with the power of the tree of life, and she wields the power of light. This child’s real power is… “

Suddenly, a flame bloomed in Maria’s eyes. When she was angry. It’s the look she gives when she’s angry.

“If this child had met the right fate, she would have turned the world upside down. In the Black Forest, this child came face to face with the nature of her life that she had hitherto suppressed and oppressed. Something she wanted to deny. Something she wanted to tear apart.

But she was flowing through this child’s body… The longhouse was the sacred site of the Life Church, and the ceremony that took place underground was… It’s so twisted that even I can’t stand it, but it’s definitely the ritual of the Church of Life. “This kid took in all that energy.”

“Maria… Really good stuff. Is that correct?”

“As I said, the kid is okay. “She’s just looking back at the child’s life so far.”

‘What kind of life do you mean?’ Cain wondered.

‘Maria doesn’t even like talking about her childhood. Didn’t she get lost in the alley of wandering and denial…? ‘

There is no way Elizabeth doesn’t know that. After a breath, Cain understood her implication.

That Mary had fallen into such intense self-denial that she couldn’t come to her senses.

“It’s a sad thing.” Elizabeth turned her head out of her window.

“For a child who grew up receiving such great blessings, she denies herself. Maria couldn’t accept that she was the child of her inquisitor and her witch. She just wanted to live a normal life.

But a big tree is a big tree after all. Someday, its roots and trunk will be revealed. But for my daughter, the time has come. Destined to accept her exalted path. Therefore.”

Elizabeth raised her body. Perhaps because she remembered the previous day so vividly, she didn’t hastily stand up, but she was able to sit up on the bed.

“So. Please help my daughter enter the path of a proper destiny, a noble destiny. Leash… “I need it.”

“What on earth is that leash for?”

“A mean thing that binds this child’s strength. But I can’t touch it. “Because this child’s father wrote it with love for her.”

“Didn’t you love Inquisitor Heinrich?”

Although it was not her intention, those words seemed to sting Elizabeth. After catching her breath a couple of times, she calmed down again.

“… Although it was fate that happened to be intertwined. Okay. Loved it But just because she loves me… Even thoughts cannot be the same. Even more so when it comes to the future of her children.

I knew this baby from the moment he kicked in my stomach. She was going to be a great child. The tree of life has finally borne its fruit… “

“Maria is my colleague.” Cain shot back.

“She is an ordinary person, not a fruit or anything, and a good inquisitor. And like everyone else, she will choose for herself which path to take.”

“You tell all kinds of funny stories.” Elizabeth laughed breathlessly.

“She is a child who cannot be ordinary. She is a child who cannot live like everyone else. “You don’t know anything about my daughter.”

“It’s like her parents don’t know everything about their child.”

“I am not speaking as a parent, but as a successor to wisdom that has been passed down from generation to generation.”

“What good is ‘wisdom’ that rots away at the roots, gathers together poor children and makes them recite strange spells, and makes people run wild with revenge and hatred?”

“So we have to put them back.” Elizabeth’s back straightened.

“Trees are sacred, but they should not be neglected. Someone has to change all of this to the right path. “Maria is a priest of the new era, and she will correct what has been twisted and distorted by the religious order.”

Cain gasped at the unexpected words. The church has been twisted. What does this mean? Elizabeth smiled bitterly as if she had already seen into Cain’s true intentions.

“I didn’t know. The reason the church denounced us as heretics, cultists, and people who committed unspeakable evil deeds was to kill us.

We ruled the world, but the cult was a very small minority. In order to increase its power, the church joined hands with the founder of the empire. They forced a one-sided order, saying only they were right.

Is it only here? No. No. The same goes for the pagans of the West and North. The religion called Stone Buddhism is the same.

We… The Church of Life… We were not pushed out because of our shortcomings or sins. They were pushed out of politics and power.

So, all we can say is that we will take back what was originally ours. “Are you going to call that unfair?”

“I…” ” Cain shook his head. This was the first time he had heard this story, and theology was not a topic of interest to Cain.

The reason I couldn’t say anything hastily is because of the heat of anger and hatred. Elizabeth… Heat soared from Maria’s body. It was anger bordering on venom. As long as it’s gnarled, it’s unfair…

Just right.

Elizabeth snapped her fingers. The atmosphere of the room changed in an instant. She just smiled and bobbed her leg. She couldn’t find even a shred of hatred there.

“I know you work for the Empire, but you are not its spokesperson. So there’s no need to apologize. But… If you help me just a little bit. “I can help you with what you want.”

“It’s craving.” Cain laughed. “Do you mean me?”

“To be with your lover as soon as possible.”

Cain’s heart sank. Elizabeth smiled mischievously.

“If you’re going to deny it, try denying it. Why are you in such a hurry? The reason why I feel anxious. The reason I carry a bag every day is because I want to forget her empty space. If you aren’t tired, you won’t be able to fall asleep due to frustration. There’s still a lot of work to do… “

Lily.

Cain consciously tried to erase Lily. But at first glance, she heard Lily laugh. There were times when she stayed up all night waking up to the smell of her body in her sleep. Texture. Smile. Laugh. Pleasure.

“I can help you. Cain.”

“… “What do you mean?”

“Help me to use this body a little more freely. I promise. It doesn’t cause any harm to the leash. Just a little adjustment. If that happens… “I will personally interrogate the heretics in that prison.”

Elizabeth leaned her body forward. A subtle smile. Cheeks flushed red. Lips exhaling hot breath.

“In the end, what you need is their confession. Don’t you want to listen to their confessions, find clues, and leave this place quickly? That’s what I’m going to do.

You can just stay still. If you just show them a glimpse of what you’ve been through, they… Because it will light everything on its own. It’s not a bad thing.

Let Maria rest a little longer. I’m just doing the work for you. “Isn’t this a good thing for everyone?”

Elizabeth’s white hand touched Cain’s shoulder. Although her hands were light, they were so heavy that Cain could not move them, as if her weight had been placed on them.

“If you need time to think, as much as you want. Because I have no urgent work. But, if you decide sooner, I will give you a very big gift.”

“What gift do you mean?”

The other hand touched Cain’s opposite shoulder. Despite her hesitation, Elizabeth stood with her hands on Cain’s shoulders.

Her arms were shaking, and although her grip had no strength, she couldn’t shake it off. Even though her lips were close to his ear.

“I can see it with my eyes. Your ex-lover, whom you killed with your own hands, is still hovering around you. She will erase that woman, she forever. Not only that, she will free you from all the shadows that will come upon you in the future. “Nothing can make you afraid.”

Beatrice. Do you see that too? Elizabeth’s body was so close that she could almost touch it.

“If you help me just once, you can live a new life. You will be a hero He said he would save the empire from crisis.

And live happily ever after with Liliana. They make love all night long, give birth to children who look like each other, raise apple tree saplings, and live happily ever after. Forever…

There is not a single negative here. Nothing can go wrong. There are no bad things, no lies, no sins. All you have to do is help the poor woman.”

Cain did not answer. She couldn’t answer. Elizabeth gently held Cain’s head.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to be happy now, Kairos?”

A sweet future came to Cain. Cain made up his mind.