Sometimes in life, inevitable things happen.
Things you have to experience despite your own will.
Seriously, what is this?
“Please let me out.”
Sena himself didn’t know whom he was speaking to.
One thing was clear: no one responded to his cry.
Gulp.
He swallowed his saliva and looked back. The door to the prayer room was still open, and a bright light spilled out.
‘I guess if I don’t go in there, they won’t let me leave.’
He calmed his mind and stared fiercely at the prayer room, raising his arms.
It’s all come to this. Yeah, let’s figure out why this is happening to me.
“Is there someone…?”
He grasped the prayer room door and cautiously stuck his head in. At that moment, his body was suddenly drawn, forcibly pulled into the prayer room.
With a clang, Sena sat down heavily, his expression that of a lost soul.
The statue of the Goddess, holding a scale in one hand and a sword in the other, was staring at Sena with her expressionless face.
It was the statue of Justitia. Sena sobbed and kneeled gracefully, resting his rear on his heels. He had already given up on protesting to the Goddess.
“Did you call me…?”
Sena stammered nervously toward the statue. But the statue showed no change. It simply existed as before.
‘What am I doing? Even in a world with gods, statues don’t speak…’
That’s when it happened. Sena widened his eyes and stood up. Slowly, he moved toward the large headstone behind the statue.
“This, this here.”
Gulp, he swallowed. He looked at the headstone with an expression of disbelief. Strange characters were written in ancient script, and light emanated from them.
The problem is—
Was there originally something written on this headstone?
-Cruyff, what is that?
-Haha, interesting, isn’t it? This is a prophecy.
-But there’s nothing written on it.
-Normally, yes. However, when the prophecy comes down, the same script is simultaneously written in all cathedrals and churches.
-Oh, where does such a thing exist in this world?
-Even if it’s dismissed as an old rumor, it’s not that strange. The last inscription on this headstone with golden letters was 300 years ago.
“Phew.”
Sena covered his mouth and stepped back.
What luck!
“S-So, this writing is now written in all the cathedrals…?”
That was truly unbelievable.
Sena awkwardly smiled.
“Ahaha, surely it’s not about me. …No, it can’t be.”
Muttering, he stared at the characters.
If this were in a novel, it would be written in ‘Korean’, a traditional cliché, but it’s not that either.
It was clearly written in ancient script. Sena doesn’t know anything about ancient languages.
But—
But why,
Can I read it?
“…After the night of the 25th, a new angel will be born. Those who try to obstruct the birth of the angel will burn in eternal damnation even after death…?”
What does this mean?
Prophecies are originally difficult.
Sena, who hasn’t even studied basic theology, couldn’t possibly understand the meaning of the prophecy.
But there was one word that was easy to understand: ’25th’
Sena focused on the word ’25th.’ Because it was the same number always written above his head.
“Could it be about me?”
He tilted his head. If he was the protagonist of that ’25th’—
Becoming an angel?
After I die?
Obstructing that means someone is trying to interfering with his death.
Is this a warning to them?
Sena’s eyes narrowed. He read the next passage.
“Quickly, behold your true self…?”
Unlike the previous sentence, this one didn’t resonate with him at all.
The context seemed completely different from the beginning.
As he pondered the meaning deeply,
The kind Justitia responded with a white furball.
Thud—
The sound of something falling.
It was the sound of Sena’s heart plummeting to the ground.
The writing on the stone had been cleanly erased.
Instead, light refracted and illuminated Sena.
“Ah.”
What reflected within was truly shocking.
Long silver hair cascading to the waist.
Above that head, a golden circular ring floated.
And on the shoulders, large wings were spread out.
Pure white wings that seemed untarnished by anything.
After Sena’s dumbfounded state, words appeared in real-time on the headstone.
[ Hurry and come into my arms ]
Sena slumped down.
Partly due to being too shocked, and partly overwhelmed by the supernatural phenomenon he couldn’t resist.
However, compliance with reality was one of Sena’s strengths.
With a bitter expression, he spoke softly.
“Why… do you want someone like me?”
“But surely… this problem is something I can’t do anything about.”
It seemed as if the statue of Justitia was smiling at Sena’s obedient appearance.
“…Still. I will try a little rebellion. I’ll run away every day, and I won’t listen. My stubbornness is subtle, so even if you’re Justitia, you won’t easily break it, will you?”
Sena lifted his head. His eyes were full of hope.
“If you don’t like that, please grant me one request.”
He stared intently at the headstone.
There was no answer. Whether it couldn’t be done or simply wouldn’t be done, he didn’t know.
To Sena, it felt like a dilemma.
After a while, surprisingly, elegant script appeared on the headstone in response to Sena’s question.
[ If I grant that request, will you not run away? ]
Sena nodded.
“Yes. If you grant it, I’ll listen well.”
As if to say speak your mind, Sena locked eyes with the expressionless statue of Justitia.
Negotiations with the Goddess had just begun.
Sena took a deep breath and said firmly.
“I won’t ask for much.”
“Just a month, no, even a week is fine.”
“Please give me a little more time.”
Sena waited with firm conviction in his eyes for the writing on the headstone to change.
[ My beloved child. ]
After a brief hesitation, the writing on the headstone changed.
[That is your choice. ]
**
“Are you still waiting?”
Upon leaving the cathedral, Sena saw Astria and Sylvia sitting side by side on a bench.
“I told you it was free time.”
Astria casually looked at him and asked.
“What happened?”
Sena replied cheerfully.
“Everything went smoothly. Ta-da, here are your badges. These will prove your identity.”
They received the ‘Mark of Initiation,’ which signified their apprenticeship as priests.
They took it with nervousness.
“Now we can safely head to the next fief. Let’s go buy some food.”
Sena smiled as if he had no worries at all, but inside, it was different.
‘What does it mean? It’s my choice?’
Afterwards, despite trying various conversations, the headstone remained unchanged.
It still displayed the same message as before. Threatening messages about eternity and whatnot.
Interestingly, the phrase ‘Behold your true self’ was no longer there. Sena speculated. Perhaps the portion about eternity was a divine mandate, while the rest were words from Justitia herself.
He didn’t know the mind of God well, but he believed she wouldn’t allow personal conversations to be seen by others.
Then, what did Justitia want to convey?
‘ I really don’t know. I’ve already made my choice. But why hasn’t my lifespan changed?’
If this was originally a matter he could decide on his own, it should have been set to ‘9999’ long ago.
Sena wanted to live longer than anyone else. It’s human nature not to want to die.
‘Am I going crazy? No, can’t you explain it more clearly? Why do you speak in such riddles?’
It was when Sena grumbled to Justitia, even though abstractly, about being too abstract.
“Uh? You guys, adventurers?”
An elderly woman from the general store spoke in a kindly voice. Sena smiled and replied.
“Yes.”
“Oh dear, girls like you are adventurers? Shouldn’t you be working in the fields?”
“Ahaha.”
‘Why does everyone I meet recently automatically think I’m a girl?’
Sena just awkwardly smiled.
Astria seriously pondered how to respond to the elderly woman who suggested an empress like her should work in the fields.
“Oh my, tsk tsk. Still, thank you for your hard work. Here, take these.”
The elderly woman struggled to stand with her cane and took out apples one by one to hand over.
Astria took a bite of the apple as soon as she received it, deciding it didn’t taste bad enough for her to be executed.
“Oh, we have money.”
Sena said as he took out his pouch.
“Boom! Are you ignoring this old woman’s kindness?”
The elderly woman exclaimed loudly enough to startle Sena, who quickly hid behind Sylvia.
“So-called Adventurers are such scaredy-cats. Tsk Tsk”
Though she teased, the elderly woman seemed genuinely fond of Sena.
She spoke as if making a concession.
“If you’re adventurers, you must have come to Lihaton because of ‘that thing’. Give it up.”
“…’That thing’?”
“You came to Lihaton without knowing about it?”
“Please tell us, Granny.”
When Sena asked curiously, the elderly woman clicked her tongue as if she had said something unnecessary, turned abruptly, and sighed.
“It’s really a mess. This area has always been infested with monsters, but lately, some strange creature has been causing chaos. All the adventurers around here are causing a ruckus trying to catch that one strange creature, but they haven’t been able to catch it!”
Sena waved his hands to calm her down.
“Granny, please don’t be angry and take your time…”
“Am I not supposed to be angry?!”
“I-I’m not that strange creature.”
The elderly woman sighed and tapped her chest.
“I might as well die now, but that strange creature… how it devours young people.”
“…”
“Pity, pity. I haven’t been able to sleep well lately. So don’t think foolish thoughts, and take care of yourselves. Got it?”
After parting ways with the elderly woman and walking down the road,
Astria, who had taken a bite of the apple, said firmly,
“Don’t think foolish thoughts, furball. Guarding the city is the lord’s duty.”
“…Senior. I checked earlier while waiting for Senior, but there’s no sign of such a strong monster. If we leave it alone, it’ll take care of itself.”
At that moment, Sena stopped walking. Sylvia sighed, and Astria looked at Sena with a dismissive expression.
Sena clasped his hands together and stared brightly at the two.
“People are worried.”
Paaat!
It seemed like light was spreading from Sena’s body.
“Ugh.”
Sylvia shielded her eyes from the dazzling light.
