WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ The Regressor and the Blind Saintess ◈

Chapter 27: Adaptation

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It was a moment fit for myth.

After the giant who had lived since the beginning of creation was brought down by a mere human's blow, everything that followed began to resolve almost absurdly easily.

Terdan, felled by Vargo's attack, fell asleep again on the spot.

The pursuers either vanished without being able to evade Vargo's attack or fled in every direction after surviving it.

As Vargo watched the sight unfold, he said things like,

"Hmph. Tch. Young people these days have no guts."

Then he returned to the Holy Kingdom.

Vera followed him back to the Holy Kingdom two days ago.

In the Grand Temple's infirmary, Vera sat beside Rene's bed, setting aside the thoughts that had occupied him until then as he watched her.

She was sleeping peacefully.

It was a sight Vera had watched for two days since returning to the Holy Kingdom.

'...Thankfully, there was no backlash.'

She had exhausted all her divine power and would need time to recover, but there seemed to be no other lasting damage.

Her continued sleep was also due to the depletion of her divine power and the exhaustion from their journey wearing down her body.

Rene would wake soon.

As Vera continued thinking, he suddenly felt his fist tighten and frowned.

'It is because I was inadequate.'

She had used her Authority because he had failed to protect her with greater certainty at that moment.

She was still lying here because he had shown himself to be in such a precarious state.

The fact that he had been unable to move freely while carrying Rene, and that he had needed to match Norn's pace.

'...They are excuses.'

They were excuses to conceal his own inadequacy.

He needed to be strong enough to disregard all such secondary concerns.

If he was to protect the Saintess, he had to possess that kind of strength.

As Vera continued thinking, he recalled the blow Vargo had displayed two days ago.

The almost miraculous divine power that crushed the air around them the moment it was unleashed. The red mace forged from it. The overwhelming, ominous presence that brought death to mind just by looking at it.

He had realized it the moment he saw it.

'I cannot win.'

Even if he fought Vargo a hundred times, he could not win.

It was a sense of defeat Vera had never experienced in his life.

Vera had never once looked at another person and thought, I can never defeat them. Yet when he saw that mace, he had no choice but to think so.

There was also a doubt that rose whenever he thought of Vargo.

'The death of someone like him...'

Old age. And only six years from now.

Thinking of the history of his previous life, Vera gave a scornful snort.

'That is nonsense.'

It was absurd. No matter how fleeting time was, a man possessing divine power that could crush the very space around him could not die in only six years.

Vera was certain.

'The information released to the public was falsified.'

He did not know why. He had no clue how Vargo died or why it had been announced as death by old age.

However, Vera did know what would happen when Vargo died.

His gaze turned to Rene again.

'...War.'

A continental war that would erupt with Vargo's death.

The whole continent would rise up to claim the Saintess.

After the absolute being supporting the Saintess disappeared, the continent would begin a long war to seize Rene, a divine relic manifested in the mortal realm.

Vera studied Rene's complexion with darkened eyes.

Her neatly fallen hair. Her tightly closed eyes. The way she slept peacefully, breathing softly.

As he watched her, Vera's gaze moved to Rene's hand.

It was a war fought over this one small hand, a war that would only reach a temporary truce once the Demon King began to run rampant.

And Vera knew what choice Rene would make to stop that war.

A fake funeral.

Rene would relinquish her Authority, erase her existence, and hide in the Gutter.

She would give herself up to stop the war.

As Vera continued thinking, he laid his own hand over Rene's hand, which filled his field of vision.

Squeeze.

Strength entered his hand, and Vera's rough hand intertwined with the small hand that had never known a callus.

Resolve filled Vera's mind again.

'...I must stop it.'

The war. The wounds she would suffer because of it. The life she would ultimately abandon.

He had to protect all of it.

Warmth flowed from her small hand.

Vera felt that warmth seep into him as he continued thinking.

What he needed to do to protect that warmth. The way to protect Rene.

The answer came without the slightest hesitation.

'Strength.'

He needed strength so overwhelming that no one would dare even contemplate targeting the Saintess.

And Vera knew what sort of person possessed such strength.

'Vargo Saintlore.'

A long breath escaped Vera as he thought of him. His eyes darkened.

Keeping Vargo alive longer was the surest method, but betting on that uncertain possibility without knowing how he would die was foolish.

Even if he saved Vargo, it would be the same. Vargo's time was different from Rene's and his own. He would eventually face death, and it would come twice as soon as it would for Rene and Vera.

Vera shifted his gaze to their hands, clasped as they had been until then, and reached his conclusion.

'...I.'

He had to become as strong as Vargo.

For the first time in his life, Vera felt a fighting spirit born from the thought of surpassing someone.

Honestly, this time, he was not confident.

Vargo's majesty had been so overwhelming that he could not make any promises.

Even so.

'...I have to.'

Not that he could do it, but that he had to.

That resolve was enough to carve into his heart.

* * *

Rene had a concern.

'Should I say that I'm awake?'

She had already been awake for over ten minutes. The rough sensation of a hand had greeted her as soon as she regained consciousness, and Rene had kept silent ever since. Now, the thought left her feeling troubled.

There was no question whose hand was intertwined with hers. She could tell from the feeling alone.

It was Vera's hand.

It was the uneven, rough hand she had held constantly over the past few days.

As Rene felt the sensation from Vera's hand and continued thinking, she decided that she should first figure out the situation.

She could let Vera know that she was awake and ask him, but Rene was more accustomed to assessing situations for herself. She could not bring herself to go that far.

'What is going on?'

What sort of situation was this that Vera was holding her hand like this?

Rene first checked the state of her body.

'My body feels fine...'

It was better than fine. She felt more energetic than she had before setting out, stronger than she had felt in a long time.

'Where I am lying is...'

Next, she considered where she was.

Soft cloth enveloped her entire body. Vera's breathing was steady, and she could hear no other sounds. It seemed she had arrived somewhere safe while asleep.

Probably the Holy Kingdom. More specifically, somewhere like a bedroom or an infirmary.

Then, why was she here?

Rene continued thinking as the question rose again.

Right before collapsing, she had used her Authority. Her wish had been for herself, Vera, and Norn to all escape safely.

As Rene connected her wish from then with her current situation.

'Ah...'

She realized that the Authority she had manifested before collapsing might have worked properly and allowed them to escape like this.

No, that had to be it.

She had definitely sensed something unusual happen right before she collapsed.

Only then did Rene properly understand the entire situation.

'I saved them.'

She had saved Vera and Norn with her own hands.

Thump. Thump.

Satisfaction rose within her as her heart pounded.

It was satisfaction from the fact that she had saved someone with these hands.

Satisfaction from knowing that she had not been helpless.

At the feeling that suddenly rose within her, Rene clenched her fist.

Squeeze.

It was a movement she made without realizing it.

Vera's hand, which had been intertwined with hers, twitched.

"...Saintess?"

His voice echoed through the room.

Rene flinched at the sound, her body jolting as panic filled her. Then she began to raise her eyelids with an awkward motion.

"U-um..."

Her movements were so stiff and unnatural that anyone who was not a fool would recognize them as acting.

"You're awake? How do you feel?"

Fortunately, Vera's reason was clouded by his concern for Rene, and he failed to notice.

Rene quietly sighed in relief at his response. He seemed not to have noticed that she had already been awake.

Just think about it. How embarrassing would it be if he discovered that she had been awake the whole time, lying still without saying anything while holding his hand?

Rene had no desire to experience anything so embarrassing, so she offered a small apology in her heart at Vera's worried tone and spoke.

"Where am I...?"

"The Holy Kingdom. Fortunately, His Holiness was near the border, so we were able to return here safely. More importantly, are you all right?"

"I feel a little stiff."

She stumbled over her words because the concern in Vera's voice was so deep.

Embarrassment welled up in her again. When Rene squeezed her eyes shut, Vera spoke in an even more worried tone.

"Are you truly unwell? Please wait a moment. I will call a priest at once..."

"No! I'm fine! I really am!"

Screech.

Rene's loud cry burst out. Her heart pounded at Vera's tendency to overreact to even the smallest movement, and she continued.

"I feel refreshed! M-more than when I was in the village! Much more refreshed! Is there some kind of secret to it?!"

She was trying to say that she was fine.

As Rene rambled on, Vera let out a long breath and sat down again.

"It is only natural, since you received healing from the priests. Healing through divine arts also restores vitality to the body."

"Ah, I see...!"

Rene nodded slightly at the explanation, a smile rising to her lips. Her face turned toward Vera's voice.

"Um... How many days have passed since I collapsed?"

"Two days."

Two days. Rene looked surprised at the answer.

"That long?"

It felt as though she had merely slept and woken as usual. Had that much time already passed?

"Yes. It is truly fortunate that you woke in such good health. His Holiness and the other faithful were all very worried about you."

"The faithful?"

"Yes. The other Apostles and all the priests in the Holy Kingdom were concerned for you, Saintess."

"Ah..."

At his words, Rene finally felt that she had entered the Holy Kingdom.

She had stepped into the Holy Kingdom herself, the place she had sworn never to even look at because of her resentment toward the gods.

Naturally, it was a situation in which anxiety and discomfort should have arisen.

Yet her heart was surprisingly calm.

"...I see."

As Rene spoke, she fidgeted with their clasped hands.

She could feel warmth and the slightly rough texture of his skin.

'Is this why?'

Was this hand the reason she felt so calm? As the thought rose, Rene let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.

'What am I saying?'

What did this have to do with feeling calm? Her own thought was so absurd that she chuckled to herself. Then Rene cast aside her thoughts and asked Vera a question.

It was about what she needed to do from now on.

"What will I do now?"

"For the time being, I believe you should focus on recovering. After that... They are currently selecting people to attend to you, Saintess, so your formal schedule will begin once their number has been finalized. I apologize for such an unsatisfactory answer..."

"Don't be."

"...Yes."

Why was he trying to apologize again already? Rene smiled faintly at Vera's attitude, thinking, So I am truly becoming the Saintess now.

"...Will I be able to do well?"

It was only natural that she was worried.

Could a blind girl who had never left a small rural village in her life, a useless fool who could barely use her Authority and collapsed at the slightest thing, truly fulfill such an important role?

When Rene asked with those worries in mind, Vera answered in a tone that sounded distinctly resolute.

"Saintess, you can become someone more suited to that position than anyone else."

"What if..."

"There is no what if."

Rene felt a strange tickle in her chest at his answer, which cut off her words so rarely. She added another question.

"Because you will make me so, Sir Knight?"

"That is correct."

Vera's answer held even more certainty than Rene's own.

Rene wondered how he could be so sure. Yet that faith somehow made her feel reassured, and she nodded slightly.

"...Then I need to recover soon."

Strength entered her hand, and the warmth of Vera's hand, which she had been holding until then, grew stronger.

The warmth of someone who believed in her.

It made some of her anxiety fade.

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