Damn Reincarnation

ightly.
Eugene stared at the Pope of Yuras in front of him.
Although only a single Pope was currently standing before him, the entire history of the Holy Empire could be seen within the light flickering in his eyes.

So Eugene decided to answer honestly, “How should I know?”

He hadn’t come here with a grandiose intention to argue about the right and wrong of their faith.
What Eugene wanted, in the end, was just for nothing at all to have happened.
For all the things he had done in Yuras to not become a problem and weigh him down like a ball tied to his ankle.
So that the troublesome and grandiose accomplishment of turning the whole of Yuras into his enemy didn’t happen.

“If you want to hear about whether your beliefs are right or wrong, ask her,” Eugene said as he turned his head and looked down.

His eyes met with Kristina, whose eight wings were still outspread.

[Kristina Rogeris,] the voice in her head spoke to her.

The intention wasn’t to give her a push to the back.
Kristina was well aware of what she should do in this situation.
She didn’t need to muster up any great determination to do it.
Kristina herself knew that she deserved to do this.

Light scattered from her like falling feathers as Kristina spread her wings and flew up to stand right in front of Aeuryus.

“Aaaah…!” Beshara closed his eyes and raised a prayer at her holy appearance.

Aeuryus calmed his trembling breath and blinked his eyes once before speaking, “…Saint Candidate Kristina.
No, it’s no longer appropriate to call you tha—”

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

Before his words were even finished, Kristina’s right hand slapped Aeuryus in the ear.

Craaaack!

An unbelievably heavy sound of a slap echoed through the Audience Chamber.

“Let’s start with getting this blow in,” Kristina’s lips parted.
“I have discovered what I am.
I know what the Saints who came before me were like and what became of them when they died.
I know the truth of that false name you gave to the Fount of Light.”

“However, it’s true that you have grown wings,” Aeuryus tried to argue.

“Yes, that’s right,” Kristina conceded.
“But these wings weren’t grown by me through the miracles and rituals designed by you.
These wings are not the products of the false miracles you all have been seeking.”

“If that’s the case, then does that mean everything we’ve done has been meaningless?” Aeuryus asked.
“Is our faith, no, the faith of all the Popes and Cardinals who have existed in the past wrong?”

“There are those…,” Kristina began hesitantly, “who have been saved by this country you have nurtured and by the Light and faith you have untiringly promoted.”

Kristina recalled a few of her long-distant memories.
Before she had even become the adopted daughter of Sergio Rogeris.
She remembered living in a secluded and peaceful rural monastery.

While she may have been under watch even then, Kristina had no awareness of this in her childhood.
All of the children who had been raised in the monastery were from similar circumstances.
They were children who had been abandoned by their parents.
All from ordinary backgrounds, children who didn’t know anything about their families.

The monasteries of the Church of Light regularly took in such orphans.

Kristina didn’t have any clue whether the orphans raised by the monastery had grown up in the right way and eventually found their own happiness.
However, at that time… when Kristina thought of her life in the monastery, she had felt that the salvation of the Light had come to save her abandoned self.

“But there are also those who have been hurt by your obsessions,” Kristina concluded.

Aeuryus pleaded, “Is it wrong to yearn for the Light?”

“No, that isn’t wrong.
However, you went beyond even yearning for the Light and wanted to own a Light created by your own hands.
You all… were meant to serve the God of Light, but instead intruded on his domain,” Kristina condemned.

“Hahaha…!” Aeuryus laughed and shook his head.
“If you really know everything, and have indeed received a ‘real’ miracle that has given you the ability to spread those wings, then please, answer this question.
A long, long time ago, when the Incarnation of the Light, the Son of Heaven, descended onto this land, then died and left once more, leaving behind the Holy Sword Altair….”

“Yes, that’s all true,” Kristina nodded impatiently.

“However, after the Son of Heaven left us, none of the believers of the Light could hold the Holy Sword.
And that wasn’t the end, was it? Even though the believers so fervently longed for the Light, the Light that had returned to the heavens up above never returned.
He didn’t even send down a new Apostle to take his place,” Aeuryus said bitterly, his face no longer calm.
With passionate eyes, he stared at Kristina and continued speaking, “That was why our predecessors decided to bring the Light back themselves.
Is that… is that really such a mistake?”

“The Light…,” Kristina paused as she looked through Anise’s memories.

Now Kristina no longer had any doubts about the existence of the God of Light.

Kristina continued, “No matter what kind of ugly deeds they committed, the Light was always there for them, bestowing its blessings.”

They had tried to artificially create a Saint, cloned her, and then used her remains as a holy relic to create the Fount of Light.

At that time, the Church felt they had no choice but to do so.
The current era might be peaceful, but even going back just three hundred years ago, the world had entered an era of war led by the Demon Kings.
In previous eras, wars were even more frequent as nations collided with each other, and even faiths were contested.

In such an era, the Saint created to serve as a divine weapon managed to perform admirably.
In the battlefields where the Saint could participate, the damage to her allies was overwhelmingly lesser.
In return, the Saint’s life was short-lived, but she was able to save the lives of countless soldiers in return.

“The crimes that successive Popes and Cardinals have committed… the Light had no choice but to sorrowfully accept their deeds,” Kristina revealed.

If the existence of the Saint was truly a mistake….

If Yuras who had created and made use of the Saint was wrong to do so….

Then surely, shouldn’t the Light have left them immediately?

Kristina explained, “The reason that the Light didn’t return to this world is that he already dwells within the hearts of the believers who serve him, and he shines down upon them from the heavens up above.”

“…….”

Aeuryus remained silent.

“The merciful Light can accept the entire sordid past of this country.
However, this does not absolve your transgressions.
The Light knows how easily zealotry can destroy someone.
That is why they do not allow a citizen of this country to lift the Holy Sword.”

“How… how could that be!”

“You should recall the entire history of this country and what all of you have done to propagandize your faith.
For example, the Stigmata has been passed down through successive generations of Popes and Cardinals.
For that alone, the Popes and Cardinals have been considered special, and many people became followers of the Light because they were fascinated by the ‘symbol’ of the Stigmata,” Kristina pointed out.

Aeuryus hesitated, “…That was to revitalize the church….”

Kristina agreed, “Yes, they did manage to revitalize the church with their self-drawn Stigmata and self-made Saint.
That is how Yuras has been able to reign as a Holy Empire for so long.
However, the Light will no longer overlook your transgressions.
The Light does not want the Holy Sword, which was forged personally from their own flesh and blood, to be used as a symbol for zealous proselytization.”

“Ha… hahaha!” Aeuryus let out a dejected laugh and lowered his head.
“…So if that is why we were not able to carry the Holy Sword… then why… why was the Great Vermouth able to hold the Holy Sword? Why is his descendant, Eugene Lionheart, currently holding the Holy Sword?”

“Because the era needed a Hero,” Kristina replied in an unwavering voice.
“The Light wanted the Holy Sword to be used purely to save the world, not to act as a symbol that would lead the era into an age of zealotry.
Therefore, a person with the qualifications to do so could pull out the Holy Sword and become the Hero.”

“…Saint Kristina, you… are you saying that Eugene Lionheart, who isn’t even from Yuras, is the Hero who will save this world?” Aeuryus asked doubtfully.

Kristina denied this, “I am not the one who chose him to be the Hero.
The God of Light personally chose Sir Eugene Lionheart.”

Aeuryus was struck silent.

“I was born as a Saint and made into a Saint.
But to me, the life of a Saint has never felt like salvation,” Kristina admitted as she turned her head to look at Eugene.
“Sir Eugene is the one who saved me when I needed it.
He looked at me, not as a Saint, but as a person, and reached his hand out to me.
Pope Aeuryus, you… have you ever thought about saving any of the Saint Candidates?”

There was no way that could be the case.
The Saint Candidates were just such an existence.
Their existence was necessary for the sake of Yuras, the Church, and the World.
It was only natural that the mission of a Saint was more important than any individual Saint’s personality or emotions.

“Yuras couldn’t even save a single woman who was festering in agony.
How can a person from such a country as Yuras become a Hero to save the world?” Kristina scoffed bitterly.

Unable to say anything more, Aeuryus closed his eyes.
Beshara shed tears as he recited a prayer over and over again.

“…What shall we do?” Aeuryus finally spoke up at the end of a long silence.
“…What do you want from us?”

“Please don’t get involved,” Kristina replied.
“Please don’t hold Sir Eugene accountable for any of this.
Please don’t commit any more transgressions.
Please don’t repeat any of your sins.
…And for the Saints who have been sacrificed so far as well as the candidates who weren’t able to become Saints… please erect a memorial in remembrance of them.”

Aeuryus silently accepted these requests.

“There will be no more need for Saints in the ages to come,” Kristina promised.
“So please don’t try to make any more Saints.
If you still have some of the relics stored away… please return them to where they need to go.
Please don’t openly acknowledge me as the Saint.
You don’t have the right to give such an acknowledgment.”

“…Our faith…,” Aeuryus brought up hesitantly.

Kristina instructed, “Just serve the Light with pure intentions.
Be thankful for the Light that exists everywhere in this world.”

“…Yes,” Aeuryus looked up at the Light with blank eyes.
“…I promise I will.”

Now, everything was over.

Kristina tried to withdraw as she felt a slight dizziness.
However, at that moment, Anise spoke inside Kristina’s head.

[Kristina, may I borrow your body for a few moments?]

‘Sister, is there anything else you would like me to tell them?’

[This is my own personal business.
It won’t take long, so please allow me to use your body for a little while.]

‘Ah… alright, I understand.
I trust you wouldn’t really do so, but please don’t do anything with my body that I would be ashamed of.’

While feeling uneasy, Kristina focussed on Anise’s soul.

Then a conversion took place.

Anise was aware, as someone who had already died, it would be unacceptable for her to steal or monopolize Kristina’s body for herself.
However, there were moments when she couldn’t help but do so.
Now was one such moment for Anise.

Bam!

A sound heavier than the slap from earlier shook the Audience Chamber.

It was only natural.
Anise didn’t slap him like Kristina had but instead smashed Aeuryus’ nose with a tightly clenched fist.

“Gagh?!”

Who could have imagined that a fist would be sent flying into his face in such an atmosphere? Aeuryus tumbled backward in his chair.

“Open the door to the Special Artifact Vault,” Anise ordered.

“Ah… huh?” Aeuryus stammered painfully.

“No, is there even any need for me to tell you to open the door? I’ll open the door myself, so just hand me the key.”

As she said this, Anise grabbed Aeuryus’ right hand and pulled off the platinum ring from his index finger.
Even though she had told him to hand it over, she just took it herself.

“After all, even though you’ve said all this, isn’t it possible for you lot to go back on your words behind the scenes?” Anise muttered to herself.
“So, I’ll go to the Special Artifact Vault and check the remaining relics.
By seeing it with my own eyes, I’ll be able to judge what things shouldn’t be allowed to exist and take care of them with the Sacred Rites.”

“…Ah… un-understood,” Aeuryus stammered once more.

While the demand was excessive, Aeuryus couldn’t put up any resistance to her words.
For some reason, the nature of the Light surrounding Kristina seemed to have changed, and it was impossible to even think of refusing, especially when he was being confronted with those eyes.

“I’ll also take out any items I need to carry from the Special Artifacts Vault, so just overlook them if they’re missing.”

“Yes….”

Upon hearing this timid reply, Anise smiled contentedly.
She massaged her aching wrist and turned, meeting Eugene’s gaze, who was standing beside her with a dazed expression.

“What are you looking at?” Anise asked cheekily.

“Uh… um….
Oh, that’s right, it is you,” Eugene nodded.

“Let’s go,” Anise said as she spread her wings and glided down from the raised dais.

Raphael, who had returned the greatsword to his back, bowed his head to Anise even as he inwardly tilted his head in confusion at the strange sense of incongruity and charisma coming from Kristina.

Before they left the Audience Chamber, Beshara, who had been praying for quite some time, sobbed and called out to Anise, “Lady Saint.”

“What is it?” Anise curtly responded.

“…We… can we really go to heaven? Is heaven truly real?” Beshara pleaded.

At this question, Anise snorted and tucked her wings back in, “Heaven exits, but you need to do a lot of good deeds to get in there.”

“…Ah…!” Beshara gasped.

“You know what that means, right? Just because you’re a Pope or a Cardinal doesn’t mean you necessarily get to go to heaven,” as Anise said this, she opened the closed doors to the Audience Chamber.
“If you want to go to heaven, go and do good deeds.”

1.
The original Korean word used for this term has a complex meaning.
It literally means Prosperity, but it was also used as a title for Emperors.
Calling the Emperor the Son of Heaven refers to the belief that the rightful Emperor has received the Mandate of Heaven that gives them the authority to rule over the people.
In this case, as the son of the God of Light, translating the term as ‘the Son of Heaven’ seemed to be the most appropriate option.
☜