WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
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◈ The Regressor and the Blind Saintess ◈
Chapter 43: Three Years and a Revelation - 3
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After the Revelation ended, Rene entered the meeting room and sat blankly in a chair, turning it over in her mind.
[Go forth and do good.]
The sentence made no sense to her, leaving her thoughts in a tangle. Her brow naturally furrowed, and her head tilted to the side.
“What does it mean?”
At her question, Trevo, seated across from her, smiled.
“Hmm, the gods’ Revelations can be ambiguous. I can understand why you would dwell on it.”
“Do you think you know what it means, Lord Trevo?”
“I cannot give you a definite answer either. A Revelation depends on how the one who receives it chooses to interpret it.”
The puzzlement on Rene’s face deepened.
“Then why do they give Revelations at all?”
Was that not true? They did not tell her exactly what to do. If they were only going to toss out some vague words like that, why give her a Revelation in the first place?
It was quite irreverent, but Rene, Vera, Trevo, and Vargo were not people who cared about such things.
Vargo, who had been quietly listening, answered her question in an amused tone.
“They present us with a question.”
“A question?”
“Yes. They give a question to those who have received their Holy Mark. What will you do with this Holy Mark? What will you live for? Questions like that.”
Was that not rather vague for a question? Rene’s expression darkened a little more at the thought.
Watching her, Vargo added in a gentler voice.
“You need not think of it as too difficult. There is no single correct answer to their questions. Interpreting the question and finding its answer are both up to you, Saintess.”
Up to her.
Rene nodded and gave the matter further thought.
‘Go forth and do good.’
The Revelation offered no explanation of where to go or what good to do. If Vargo was right, she had to fill in those missing parts herself.
The deeper she thought, the more her brow furrowed. Her head began to ache, and small groans escaped her lips.
As she continued to agonize over it, Trevo spoke again.
“You do not need to find an answer right away. Thinking about a Revelation is something you must continue for the rest of your life.”
“Ah, yes.”
Rene nodded slightly. After answering, she pursed her lips before asking Vargo and Trevo a question.
“Um, what Revelations did you receive?”
She had suddenly become curious about everyone else’s.
“Hmm, mine was, ‘Contemplate.’ His Holiness’s was...”
“Judge.”
“...Yes, that is right. In fact, Revelations with two or more parts are quite rare. Among the current Apostles, only the twins and the Saintess received them.”
Hearing the sudden mention of the twins, Rene asked another question.
“What Revelations did Sir Krek and Sir Marek receive?”
“‘Protect, think, and realize.’ That was theirs.”
“Ah...”
Rene nodded before adding,
“That is very clear.”
“Yes, um... As I understand it, the Apostles of Guardianship have received clear Revelations for generations. From that, we have speculated that the God of Guardianship may be quite meticulous.”
“Do you not know what the gods are like?”
“That is right. No one has ever actually met them.”
As the conversation continued, Vera, who had been listening beside Rene, had a thought.
‘Perhaps the Apostles of Guardianship have simply been morons for generations.’
Perhaps the God of Guardianship had selected nothing but morons as Apostles through the generations, so their Revelations had developed to make things easier for them to understand.
He did not voice the thought.
If he did, it would mean Rene, who had received a Revelation consisting of two parts, was dumber than the other Apostles.
To Vera, that was more blasphemous and more sinful than anything else.
Vera silently convinced himself that Rene had received a two-part Revelation only because the High God cared for her that much.
“Hmm...”
Rene continued to hum in thought. Then, as an idea flashed through her mind, she suddenly raised her head.
“Ah!”
Her face brightened at once, and she spoke excitedly.
“Could it mean that I should go out into the continent and do good for people?”
“Hmm?”
“I think ‘go forth’ means physically going out... and since I cannot use this divine authority on myself, perhaps it means I should do good for others whom I can save with it.”
As Rene enthusiastically rambled on, Vargo chuckled and nodded.
“That is an excellent interpretation. If that is how the Saintess understands her Revelation, then it is the correct interpretation.”
“Hehe...”
Rene smiled awkwardly at Vargo’s words and nodded.
“Yes, I think this is right. It feels like everything fits together perfectly. What do you think, Vera?”
Vera looked at Rene and answered,
“It is wonderful.”
Only then did Vera understand why she had gone out incognito in his previous life.
‘Was this how it happened?’
Had she traveled across the continent because she had interpreted her Revelation as being directed toward the world?
Rene’s bright, cheerful smile filled Vera’s view.
She smiled as though a weight had been lifted from her, innocence written across her face.
Watching Rene’s expression and hearing her answer, Vera realized that this young Rene felt no hesitation whatsoever about living for the sake of the world.
It was something he could not do.
He could neither arrive at an interpretation for the sake of others nor accept it with a smile.
It was impossible for Vera.
A small smile suddenly appeared on his lips.
It was because he could sense the light within her.
Rene could not see that smile.
Trevo and Vargo could.
Trevo stared wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open, while Vargo scowled and clicked his tongue.
Both of them found Vera’s smiling face utterly revolting.
* * *
Once Rene had interpreted her Revelation, plans for what came next began swiftly.
Since Rene had declared that she would go out into the world, preparations were needed.
They had to consider those who would accompany her, travel expenses, and the route Rene would take.
There was much to consider, and the Holy Kingdom was going through an unusually busy period.
Selecting people to escort Rene did not take long. Vera was already there. With Vera at the forefront, Norn, who served as Vera’s hands and feet, and Hella, who would attend Rene.
Using too many people was considered wasteful, so Rene’s escort party was decided to consist of those three.
The matter of expenses was settled by making periodic requests to the Holy Kingdom. The remaining problem was their route.
In truth, it was the greatest problem.
How could it not be? They would be crossing a continent with well over ten nations, lands that were not considered nations, and the territories of various races.
They would not visit every one of those places, of course. Even so, they needed to plan a route before traveling around such a vast continent.
In a meeting room of the Grand Temple, they were discussing their route, particularly the first place they would visit, when Vargo spoke.
“How about the Great Forest?”
“The Great Forest?”
Rene tilted her head.
“Um... do you mean the one in the southwest?”
“Yes, the land of the elves.”
Rene’s confusion only deepened at his certain answer.
“But can we go there? I heard that there is a barrier, and no one can enter without permission.”
That was what she wondered.
The Great Forest.
The Great Forest was the territory of Aidrin, the Deepest Root, one of the nine ancient races. Due to the barrier she had erected, it was nearly impossible for outsiders to enter.
Everyone on the continent knew that.
Vargo watched Rene’s puzzled expression and answered with a smile in his voice.
“We can. The Apostle of Abundance, who is currently away, has been dispatched there. If we say we are going to support her, entry will be possible.”
“Ah.”
Surprise appeared on Rene’s face.
She had realized that the Apostle of Abundance, whom she had never met, was there.
“She has been stationed there for over ten years, but we have heard no good news at all. I proposed this in hopes that you might support her. What do you think?”
“Hmm...”
Rene gave Vargo’s suggestion a brief moment of thought.
Naturally, she was tempted. Had she not dreamed of the mysteries of the Great Forest as a child?
A land where beautiful elves played and all kinds of sweet fruit overflowed.
Remembering those childhood dreams and feeling strangely excited, Rene quickly made up her mind and nodded.
“Yes, then I would like to go there.”
“Very well. We will let you know once the necessary preparations are complete.”
“Yes!”
* * *
After the meeting, Rene walked through the flowerbeds with Vera and spoke in an excited voice.
“I cannot wait.”
“For what?”
“The Great Forest. Hardly anyone in continental history has actually visited it.”
Vera nodded at Rene, whose cheeks were flushed with excitement.
“That is true. It is one of the hidden realms that has never been properly explored, so I too am looking forward to it.”
“Right? I heard that elves fly through the sky. Do you think that is true?”
They did not fly through the sky.
Vera knew that because he had seen elves in his previous life.
Yet somehow, he felt that saying so would disappoint the excited Rene, so he gave an evasive answer.
“...I believe we will find out when we arrive.”
“Hmm, right? I am sorry. Just thinking about it makes me excited.”
“It is only natural to be excited. You have no reason to apologize, Saintess.”
“Hehe...”
Silence followed once more.
Keeping pace with Rene as they walked through the flowerbeds, Vera recalled the elves he had seen in his previous life.
He had not visited the Great Forest.
The elves Vera had met were those who had left the Great Forest to fight the Demon King after the Demon King rose to power. Among them was Freide, the hero called the Wind’s Bowstring.
How could he forget that invisible arrow which had flown toward his throat?
Remembering the past and the things people had said about Freide at the time, Vera moved his lips.
“I have heard that elves possess truly beautiful appearances. Legends say that one glimpse is enough to leave a person entranced and pining for the rest of their life.”
Of course, Vera did not agree.
First, every elf he had met had been an enemy after his life, leaving him with very little fondness for elves. Second, by Vera’s standards, Rene was far more beautiful than Freide and the other elves.
But Rene could not know that.
At Vera’s sudden mention of elven beauty, Rene felt her heart drop with a thud.
“Is, is that so...”
A sense of crisis suddenly filled Rene from head to toe.
Come to think of it, of course elves would be beautiful. And Vera was a young man in his prime.
‘He will be curious about elves!’
Rene squeezed her eyes shut.
Once again, she thought she needed the divine authority to turn back time.
‘Why did I say we should go there...!’
She resented her past self for not thinking things through. She resented the past version of herself who had agreed simply because she was excited by the mention of the Great Forest.
An image formed in her mind.
Vera with a foolish grin after seeing an elf. Vera unable to forget the elves even after leaving the Great Forest, pining for them.
And then, Rene secretly wiping away tears because Vera no longer looked at her...
Trickle.
Cold sweat ran down Rene’s back.
‘N-No!’
In the autumn of her eighteenth year, Rene’s love faced its first crisis.
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