Chapter 20: The Saint (3)
Chapter 20: The Saint (3)
Chapter 20: The Saint (3)
She stared at the screen for a moment.
On the screen was an image of Anje flashing a crooked smile.
A chill ran down her spine as she remembered the events of a year ago.
A year ago.
She watched Anje, a saint in the eyes of the world, with nothing better to do. At the time, she had been doing good deeds like volunteering to help people living in the slums or donating her earnings to orphanages.
She had seen many such people in her life, and frankly, she was tired of them. But there was no one else to watch, so she just watched the priest who adored her so much in silence.
This went on for about a month.
It was the same old pattern, so I got bored and forgot to send a message for a day.
And that was the beginning.
The next day, she started showing signs of anxiety, like a lost child.
At first, I tried to let it go. But as the next day passed, and the next, and the next, and the next, her anxiety intensified, growing into a near-maddening obsession.
Seeing this, Constellation still felt bad that her priest was like this, so she frequently sent messages to her. And just like that, she was back to normal.
But even that was short-lived. It wasnt long before the obsession became more intense.
She made a doll that looked exactly like her every day, prayed for at least an hour, and mumbled to herself every day in private.
I couldnt understand why she would be so upset that I hadnt messaged her for a day, so I did some research on her.
What I found out.
She had been traumatized as a child by her parents, who had abandoned her at the nursery, saying they were getting her a snack.
As a result of this trauma, she mistakenly believed that she abandoned her when she didnt speak to her for a day.
For some reason, she felt sorry for her, so she used her powers to descend once in an incarnation.
Then she stayed with him for a day.
Ordinarily, this would have been a happy ending. But human greed knows no bounds, and Anje didnt want to part with Her, so she used multiple superlatives to lock her in her room while she slept.
Not only that, but Anje also moved in next to the sleeping Constellation and hugged her tightly, even using physical enhancements to immobilize her.
She remembered her expression at that moment, and a chill ran down her spine.
She had this creepy, gaping smile on her face, like she was in the midst of some sort of twisted love affair.
Really. I feel it every time, but shes too much for me.
Well, thats not what matters now. What matters is how Kane is going to get out of this situation.
If Kane had the power to see the future, hed bring in Malcolm, House Davids best assassin, to try and kill Anje.
Thats the most realistic option. He might be able to stop by bringing in Thomas, but only if he wants to get bad side of the saint and church.
So the best chance is to bring Malcolm in.
Of course, even if he does, the chances of success are slim to none due to her divine restoration.
But at least its a 0% to 1% chance. You have a better chance of survival than standing still.
In other words. Right now, Kane has no way to survive Anje except to use Malcolm to assassinate her, which has a 1% chance, or to beg the High Priestess for a favor.
And what choice will you make?
Corner of her mouth raised as she looked at Kane on the screen, intrigued.
***
Anje continued to tail Kane. I dont know where hes going now, but I cant wait to free the Goddess from him.
If I keep watching him like this, Ill lose my patience.
As she followed him, observing him, Kane stopped walking. He turned his head to Anje.
Excuse me, can I help you with something?
Uh, uh how did you notice?
Anze looked puzzled at Kanes question.
In her mind, she was only thinking about freeing the Goddess from Kane, but that didnt mean she wasnt vigilant.
She kept her steps as silent as possible, using her cloak as standard.
Only a Transcendent, or someone of her caliber or higher, would be able to sense her.
While she stands there, bewildered, Kane glances over at Anje and smiles benevolently.
You must be the saint the Goddess spoke of, the one who sees destiny.
Yes, dont you dare speak of the goddess with your dirty mouth!
Until now, the only person who could hear the goddess voice was her. Now that he was in front of her, she felt as if she had been abandoned.
The goddess wouldnt abandon me, you took it from me, why are you disturbing our happiness? Give it to me. Give the goddess back to me!
Kane said nothing as he watched Anje cry out, his eyes filled with sympathy.
His expression felt as if he was looking at her to give her a reality check.
Seeing his expression, her remaining rationality snapped.
A dazzling divinity emanated from her body.
The divinity she emitted was so bright that it was impossible to see with open eyes. Not only that, but the surrounding dust gradually disappeared.
Kane looked at her divinity and inwardly admired it.
is this real?
I already knew that she was outstanding, but seeing her in real life like this, I cant help but be impressed.
In the game, at best, when she released her divinity, I could only think, Oh Its awfully bright. In real life, I realized its so different.
The dust around me completely disappeared, and even the water in the fountain became crystal clear.
But now is not the time for admiration.
Theres no denying that her divinity is beautiful, but the problem is that its directed at me.
Youre not the only one who knows how to use divinity. B*tch!
The ability to set up the game: adjust the volume, adjust the quality of effects, i.e. color settings, map view, inventory, cash shop, etc.
I used the effect quality adjustment to maximize the divinity in the holy water in my inner pocket.
A dazzling divinity radiated from Kanes body, the kind that appears when the constellation descends.
Seeing his divinity, Anje gasped and stopped herself from killing him in one blow.
What, what?! That divinity?!
The divinity he emitted not only enveloped the surroundings, but also slowly engulfed Anje.
Kane used the Effect Quality once more, slowly lowering her divinity.
At the same time, Anjes divinity was slowly being eaten away by Kanes power.
Why, why, my divinity?!
Anjes divinity slowly faded away as she stood there, as if merging with his divinity in front of her.
She looked at Kane in disbelief.
Anje narrowed her eyes at the divinity he exuded. The divinity on his face made it difficult to see him properly.
A year ago, when the Goddess descended, it was definitely the same as now.
Seo, you mean like a goddess, a transcendent?!
Then everything makes sense. From leaving her a year ago to not being able to sense the divine in him at all.
But I dont want to admit it.
The moment I admit it, the Goddess will leave me. And then shell never be able to see her again.
The memory is still fresh in my mind. As a child, I waited for my parents every day at the entrance to the pond during my free time at nursery school.
Ive been waiting for nearly 10 years, in rain, snow, and sunshine.
But.
Reality is cruel, and even after 10 years of waiting, my parents never came to see me.
I dont want to experience that again. Once is enough for me as a child.
Therefore, I must kill Kane, right in front of me.
I had to kill him.
But I cant.
I dont know if its the divinity he exudes or my emotions, but I cant bring myself to move.
My mind tells me that I should kill the Kane in front of me, but my body wont let me.
..
.
What the hell. Why cant my body move!
She pushed forward through the divinity, step by step, trying to move somehow.
With each step, every step, her emotions surged and it felt like her heart was being torn apart.
Outwardly, there is no damage, but I feel like Im slowly acknowledging what Ive been denying.
That the goddess of destiny has abandoned herself for Kane. That she is actually a burden on her, and that he, with his dazzling divinity, is better than her.
As she walks through all of this, she feels like she is becoming more and more aware.
So Anje continued to walk, biting her lower lip until it bled to deny the thoughts she was having.
-J*rk, j*rk, j*rk.
Soon, she was in front of Kane.
Using his divinity, Anje maximized her physical strength. She drew her silver dagger from between her breasts.
Die s*um!
Crying out in a voice filled with malice, she gripped the dagger tightly in her trembling hands and tried to stab it.
Her attack stopped in front of Kanes abdomen, as if blocked by a wall.
Why! Why cant she attack!
Her dagger dropped to the floor, and she began to sob, shaking.
Holy s*it. That was so close.
This wasnt my original plan. I was just going to use the holy water inside my clothes and the cash item, a one-time Psychic Sensitivity, to create the illusion of a goddess of destiny descending.
But. Before I could fool her, she sat down crying on her own.
But was it really that effective?
At best, the psychic sensitivity I used amplified her emotions a bit. Nothing more, nothing less.
I knew she was a little unstable, but I didnt expect it to have this much of an effect.
Is it just that shes so moody?
Or did Constellation do something to her?
I looked at the sky with a face I didnt understand.
[Goddess of Destiny asks, how on earth did you manage to get her mind back to normal].
I dont even know?
Would I have looked at you if I knew?
Well, judging by Constellations reaction, it doesnt look like she did anything to her.
That meant Anje was just having a mood swing and the psychic sensitivity worked better than expected.
So you really did see my divinity and got overwhelmed?
Thats when I felt a little lost. Anje, who had been sobbing, wiped away her tears and said in a sobbing voice, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Even, if I kill you, the goddess will definitely be sad, and its not because I approve of you, its just that Im afraid the goddess will be sad.
What do I do? I wasnt expecting this.
I dont know how to respond to that because its so unexpected.
-Now that I think about it, I dont have to answer.
I used another bottle of holy water from my inner pocket to release more divinity.
The already bright divine light became even brighter, to the point where I almost couldnt open my eyes.
[You have understood me, Anje].
Goddess?
Anze looked up at me, her eyes swollen with tears, as if she were looking at a god.
[Goddess of Destiny is amazed by your performance].