WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 282: The Blessed Nation, the Cursed Human - 5

──────

An audience with the Holy Maiden of Heaven was not normally permitted.

The Holy Maiden of Heaven, the heart of the Sanctum, was exceptionally busy, and every moment of her time was precious. The time of someone who saw the future was not the same as that of ordinary humans. Not figuratively, but literally.

There was also the matter of safety. Countless people thirsted for prophecy, and any prophecy delivered by the Holy Maiden of Heaven would be valuable enough to make them want to monopolize it.

And this was the leader of the rebels who had killed a king. He should have considered himself fortunate that the Holy Sword Corps, the Sanctum's direct military force, had not attacked him.

Yet the Holy Maiden of Heaven decided to make an appearance. The moment she made that decision, no one in the Sanctum objected. They simply arranged the audience without a word.

The War Hero was delighted when he received permission. The instant he heard that the audience had been granted, he clenched his fist and broke into a broad smile.

Yuel clearly saw it through Farsight.

Seeing the War Hero's reaction, Yuel felt proud of herself for having woken the Holy Maiden of Heaven.

But the Holy Maiden of Heaven, who had made the difficult trip, gave him a lukewarm response.

"I refuse."

The words inscribed on an epitaph were neither cruel nor gentle. They simply listed unchanging facts.

The Holy Maiden of Heaven's words were the same. She had not even opened her eyes since waking and spoke in the same drowsy tone.

"We have never involved ourselves in worldly politics, and we will not do so in the future. The will of God lies above the heavens, not in the mortal world. Yet you ask us to lend you the glory of God? We may not be merchants, but you seem to take us for fools."

"Holy Maiden, that is not my intention at all!"

"That is how it appears from our side, so just listen. Now, as you wish, I'll tell you where you stand. The country you founded fell before long."

It was a prophecy. Realizing that, the War Hero fell silent. His body swayed slightly at the declaration of his country's ruin, but he steadied himself and listened.

Against the silence he had created, the Holy Maiden of Heaven spoke.

"The Grandiomor royal family possessed power. The power to guarantee safety even before the most powerful assassin. The power to sentence someone to death with a smile and earn no resentment. The power to become the sole survivor after gathering beasts who wanted only to devour one another. In other words, the power to become king."

The power the Five Lords had gained by driving out the King of Humanity... Yuel silently recalled what she had learned after being chosen as a Holy Maiden.

"That is why Grandiomor became king. Everyone recognized and served him. Though that is no longer the case."

Maiél, the Holy Maiden of Heaven, let out a long sigh and waved her hand.

"Wow. Well done. You killed a king who could not be killed. So now, what do you have besides the achievement of killing that king? Can you firmly execute a subordinate who breaks the law? Can you prevail if vengeful remnants attack you? Or can you create an impeccable system?"

She did not wait for an answer. As if she had already seen it, Maiél spoke indifferently.

"You had none. No matter how hard you try, you will die in the chaos, and your country will collapse completely. Completely."

"In what manner...?"

"The manner in which the country falls? There are too many possibilities for me to know details like that."

Maiél cut the War Hero off.

"Imagine building a castle on a sandy beach where waves crash ashore. No matter how much effort you put into it, the sandcastle will collapse, right? But how it collapses will depend on what you do. If I saw the outer wall crumbling in the sea wind and pointed it out, you would reinforce it. You might make it thicker, add supports, or build the wall at an angle."

"...I certainly would."

"Even so, the tide will come in a few hours and return everything to a handful of sand. Everyone knows that. But if I alone told you even that much, you might move the entire sandcastle. Or you might try to build a huge embankment to stop the tide, whether that succeeds or not."

In the end, the country the War Hero created would fall. The Holy Maiden of Heaven casually prophesied the rise and fall of a nation.

"That is all prophecy amounts to. Even if you had come to ask for my help in the first place, there was no way for me to help you. You died, and your country fell."

She was resolute. Death and ruin flowed from the prophet's lips. An ordinary person would have fallen into despair and left without strength.

The War Hero did not.

His ability was neither martial force nor political power. With firm resolve, the War Hero raised his head.

"I wish to build the most beautiful sandcastle."

What had brought the War Hero this far was his character. He also had an appealing appearance that showed that character well, along with remarkable eloquence. That was why the king had chosen him, and why he had once bridged the vast gap between the Kingdom and its people alone.

His talent shone even before the Holy Maiden.

"No flower blooms red for ten days. Flowers wither eventually. Humans die eventually. Nations decline eventually. In that process, they become ugly, hideous, and miserable. It is the natural order that no one wants, but must accept. But..."

At that moment, Yuel and the War Hero's eyes met. As if to show her, the War Hero gave a smile filled with unblemished hope.

"But the people have risen. A country newly created by the will of its people will be young and vigorous. Though it may decline someday, this country will surely show the world the brilliance of its youth. We can create a future no one has seen before! Because this country rose through the strength of all people, not one king!"

Looking back on it now, Yuel thought it could not have been a coincidence. The War Hero had been smiling at everyone from the beginning.

Yuel had simply been the one who caught that smile.

"I told you that cannot happen. You are someone who destroys. You did not have the ability to do that."

"I understand that deeply. But that is why I have come here! To borrow that ability!"

"Even if someone possessed such an ability, why would they join in building a castle out of sand...?"

Mid-sentence, Maiél's expression turned to shock as she looked away. The Holy Maiden of Heaven had surely read the future.

Yuel, moved by the story of the sandcastle, had decided to help the War Hero.

"Good heavens, Yuel!"

"War Hero Valiorant! I am Yuel. I am a Holy Maiden! Holy Maidens are not bound by prophecy. I can give you a future no one has seen!"

Yuel had watched the Kingdom's fall through Farsight. She had watched the struggle of humans who could no longer endure and rose up, the duel of the century Absolute Spear fought against a nation, and every roar the people unleashed.

The Holy Maiden of Heaven would have had difficulty understanding it. The emotions that drove the people to bring down the king who ruled them, the ideas they used to rally their neighbors, the fierce battles, and their dreams.

"Yuel! Ah, you are still young! Far too young...!"

Watching from afar did not make it safe. If anything, perhaps she had been more deeply moved because she received every scene without any filter.

"Holy Maiden of Heaven. Please allow it. He killed a king who could not be killed. Perhaps he may create a country that cannot be created."

"That was not his power! Yuel, you saw how that death was possible!"

The Holy Maiden of Heaven had told Yuel to watch how King Grandiomor died. Yuel could guess the reason well enough. Presumably, King Grandiomor did not exist in Maiél's future, but Maiél did not know how he had died. That was why she had asked Yuel, who could directly witness the scene.

"Yes. I saw it. King Grandiomor died when he was crushed beneath the surging crowd. It was a coincidence and an accident, and because it was a coincidence and an accident, the king died. That ruined the plan to seize the king and set him up as a puppet."

"H-How do you know that...?"

Secret information flowed freely from Yuel's lips, leaving the War Hero stunned. Yet after only a moment of confusion, he handled it with his practiced social grace.

"As expected, no one living beneath the heavens can escape Your Holiness's stern gaze. Until now, I had only faith. Now I understand to the marrow how great Your Holiness's power and duty are."

Yuel smiled faintly.

The War Hero likely did not know Yuel, but Yuel knew the War Hero. She had watched nearly the entire course of his revolution. She had seen every part of the turbulent drama that unfolded.

Being praised by the War Hero made her feel as though she had been chosen by someone famous. Her heart seemed to float.

In truth, a Holy Maiden was far more remarkable than the leader of a rebel army, but Yuel had been too deeply immersed at the time.

"But, Holy Maiden of Heaven. The War Hero was the one who gathered such a crowd and led them to the royal castle. It was entirely his ability that persuaded tens of thousands of enraged people and made them stake their lives on him. I believe he can do it."

"I am deeply honored."

Having gained an ally, the War Hero took the opportunity to agree at just the right moment.

Just as the mood was starting to warm, Maiél shouted fiercely.

"Yuel! You must not help him. He only looks impressive on the outside. He does not have the strength to lead a country!"

Seemingly discouraged, the War Hero lowered his head with a bitter look. Startled, Yuel protested loudly.

"Th-That's why he can lead everyone! Kings with great power are common. But because he is incapable, he will become an even more extraordinary king!"

"I cannot see that future!"

Maiél pleaded with Yuel.

"No matter how much you help him, Yuel, in the end you will be left alone and become the king of that new country in place of King Grandiomor!"

"Holy Maiden of Heaven, you said that a Holy Maiden does not appear in the future seen by prophecy, correct?"

"Yes! That is why a Holy Maiden must remain by my side! Only by reaching me, the one who attunes it, will the future of prophecy protect you. If you move far away from me, I cannot promise your future!"

The only way to overcome heavenly fate was with heavenly fate. Therefore, Holy Maidens were free from prophecy. In other words...

"Then if I remain by his side, he can escape the foresight of heaven?"

Yuel was filled with strange confidence at the time. Or perhaps she had simply been too excited. Perhaps she had been young. In any case, Yuel was incredibly stubborn then.

Maiél closed her mouth, which had been opening and closing soundlessly, and clasped her hands together.

"First Holy Maiden, who blessed me. First Holy Maiden, who also blessed Yuel. Is this too your arrangement...?"

After praying like that, Maiél let out a deep sigh and murmured.

"You are excommunicated. Yuel, from this moment onward, you are no longer a Holy Maiden of the Sanctum."

Yuel was still a believer, so she could not help but feel her heart drop at the word excommunication. But she soon realized something from Maiél's words.

She was no longer a Holy Maiden of the Sanctum, which meant she was still a Holy Maiden. The path of a Holy Maiden was set by heaven, so whatever she did, it would not be a problem. The Sanctum would not interfere.

"...So do as you wish. No matter how you use your power, the Sanctum did not involve itself at all. Achieve it with Yuel's power alone. A future that I cannot see."

Yuel was somewhat disappointed. It would have been a lie to say she had not expected the Sanctum's help. Yuel possessed remarkable abilities, but she could not compare to the Sanctum. The future monopolized by the Holy Maidens supported the Sanctum's power and faith.

But Yuel was a Holy Maiden who saw futures not yet reached, free from predestined fate. Yuel had confidence in herself.

Through Farsight, she had glimpsed and learned every secret and piece of knowledge in the world. She could see anything she wanted to see. She could find enemies and guide allies where they would be most useful.

She had also kept an eye on several people who could help. They were earth-mages of the Church of the Earth Mother, whose goals differed from the Sanctum's, but why refuse useful help?

Even as she watched the rebellion unfold in the Kingdom, she often lay in bed and imagined countless possibilities. If it had been her, she would have given different orders there. Things would have gone better.

With her power, she could enter the midst of those stumbling people and make everything turn out for the best.

At that time, Yuel sincerely believed it.

* * *

When I opened the door and entered, an unpleasantly refreshing scent brushed past my nose.

A stone room dimly lit by a single magic lamp. Several urns were scattered about. Small portraits and plaques hung on the solemn walls, while a cross stood tall and looked down upon them.

This arrangement was strangely familiar. As I searched my memories, I soon realized where that sense of familiarity came from.

Wasn't this similar to the room where I met Tyr in Tantalus?

Captain AB looked around and spoke.

"...Report. This is a temple. This form and arrangement are judged to resemble an ossuary located beneath a temple."

"You're right."

"However, after the taxation ruling, every temple except privately operated ones should have withdrawn. The intent of whoever created this place is questionable."

"Of course. The Sanctum could never accept temples that spread the will of God having to pay taxes to the military state."

"Affirmative. Therefore, there is an error somewhere. All communications officers who made that decision should have known this and carried it out, so why...?"

As she spoke, Captain AB looked in the direction indicated by her innate arcane.

In the middle of the room was someone kneeling in prayer. She was a gaunt, haggard woman. With both hands clasped as if repenting, she held something dearly in her arms.

Like a devout believer who had fully embraced faith.

The morning glories resonated. Countless buds bloomed toward her all at once. The vines grew even more violently.

If the sunflowers watching me had not been there, Captain AB might have resonated with her as well.

"Sir. Please hold my hand for a moment."

I silently offered my hand. Captain AB took it, holding on to herself at the same time, and approached the woman.

"Communications officer Yuel. This is Captain AB, a communications officer of the military state. As an officer responsible for managing and reporting information, I request your cooperation."

The only living person here. Naturally, she was Captain Yuel, the communications officer.

And she was also Yuel, the Farsighted Holy Maiden who had left the Sanctum to follow the War Hero.

"I have several questions, but first."

Looking down at Yuel, Captain AB pointed at what she held in her arms.

"What is the unidentified male corpse in your possession?"

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried