Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
Endless sleepless nights continued. Even when he did manage to sleep, he would wake up soon after. For the past few days, Cassel had been wondering how many hours of sleep he had actually gotten. He contemplated these things vaguely in the pitch-black room.
At night, he would lie down on his bed, but as expected, he couldn’t sleep. This was because, every time he closed his eyes, anxiety would well up one after another, and due to the occasional auditory hallucinations, he couldn’t sleep at all.
He remained awake endlessly in the pitch-black darkness. He could turn on the light, but he didn’t. That’s because he was worried that the forest creatures might approach that light, and also because turning on the light would reveal to the villagers that he was awake. He didn’t want them to think that he was troubled and unable to sleep at night.
As a result, he stayed awake until dawn. Then, after a brief doze, he would get up again and go on his daily rounds in the village.
He strongly disliked showing any weakness to the villagers. However, Cassel’s haggard appearance was already enough to make the residents anxious.
On this night as well, Cassel couldn’t sleep.
Why did he have to endure this? He contemplated while staring into the darkness. It was clear that King Agarta, Linos, was deeply involved in all of this. However, he couldn’t kill him. Linos had taken away his freedom in an instant and put him to sleep. The dream he had at that time was pleasant, but even that, was it something Linos had shown him? If so, there was no hope of winning. The nonchalant atmosphere Linos exuded masked a king who was beyond human understanding, and Cassel recognized that.
So, the only option was to retreat to the Holy Land for now. It was difficult to go down the Ilbezi River because it was flooding, but it was not impossible to pass through Lamaron. It would require many sacrifices, but somehow they would make it. Alternatively, although it was a longer route, they could go through Niza and make a large detour back to the Holy Land. If he chose that option, he would have to leave now, or there was a possibility that they would run out of food.
Having thought about it, Cassel shook his head. It was something he had considered many times already. However, the conclusion was always the same. This option couldn’t be used.
That’s because even if he returned to the Holy Land, they wouldn’t have a place there. This mission was exceptional and was assigned to them because of Jamauk. Returning without any results would be the same as proclaiming his own incompetence. Moreover, his entire family would suffer the consequences of his failure. Vielle’s father was a prime example. Instead of achieving results, he was persecuted in the place of his assignment and barely escaped with his life. Since then, his uncle had lost the trust of his father, the Pope, and continued to live with a narrow shoulder in the Holy Land. After that, his uncle was sent with his wife and children to a largely uninhabited wilderness and had not returned for many years.
As an exception, Vielle had been noticed by the Pope from a young age due to her intelligence, and she was allowed to stay in Aphrodite with his recommendation. Even the Pope’s own son was in the same position. Despite being from the Pope’s sister’s family, Vielle’s only backing was the Pope himself, and losing the Pope’s trust meant certain death for Cassel.
What should he do? The entire village would perish if things continued like this. Should it just perish like this? Why was he forced into such a predicament? It was true that he had intended to use Vielle. She would likely achieve great results. By assisting her, he had been striving to gain Vielle’s and the Pope’s trust. And if she made a significant mistake, he had also considered taking the lead by pushing Vielle aside.
His thoughts were directed towards Vielle. How was his sister doing? What was happening to her right now? He remembered one of the bishops mentioning that his sister was being treated specially in the capital of Agarta, living healthily and without any signs of the dreaded Luroans symptoms or the appearance of the purple spots.
He clicked his tongue in frustration. His sister Vielle had been a person who denied Lady Crimeana. Why was such a traitor living a comfortable life while he was suffering like this?
He still couldn’t believe his sister’s betrayal. She had been an ardent believer in Lady Crimeana, accepting all hardships as Lady Crimeana’s guidance and attributing all happiness to Lady Crimeana’s grace. She had never displayed arrogance. Her righteous behavior had earned her the trust of everyone. Cassel had never expected his sister to betray them.
If his sister had been by his side, how much easier things would have been. How much his suffering would have been alleviated. There had been a last resort. He could have used it, but he had been pushed into this seemingly hopeless situation without using it. Thinking about it this way, Vielle’s behavior was both disappointing and unforgivable.
“Why did my sister… Why did my sister betray us…? Why didn’t she eliminate those who harm us…?”
Cassel muttered the doctrine of the Crimeana faith while his gaze wandered in the darkness. That’s right. Vielle and the other believers who had left the village had to be killed. Otherwise, he had no future. He had to kill the traitors. If he did, this suffering would end, and he could return to the Holy Land with pride. Yes, he could bring back the traitor’s head and then plan to attack Agarta again.
But, as he thought about it, Cassel slowly sighed. His sister had to be killed. However, for some reason, he hesitated to kill her. He found himself torn between the necessity of killing her and the reluctance to do so. He pondered this for a while and then slowly raised his head.
“I need to meet my sister.”
It wasn’t about forgiving or not forgiving Vielle. He needed to meet her to make the decision to kill her. With that determination in his heart, he called for the person waiting outside his room.
————
Meanwhile, in a room at Agarta’s guesthouse, a young girl sat with her eyes closed, lost in thought. It was Vielle. She had been wrestling with a decision about her future for some time.
The guiding principle of her life had been the doctrine of the Crimeana faith, “Aid those who benefit us, and eliminate those who harm us.” She had wanted to be called a saint, a saint who saved many people, just like Lady Crimeana, who was considered the Supreme Deity. To achieve that, she had acquired a wealth of knowledge and endured many difficulties. Her determination hadn’t changed.
However, what were the results? It was true that those of the Crimeana faith, including herself, had initially benefited by coming to Agarta. But most of the devout believers couldn’t make it here. Moreover, the Agartan populace did not subscribe to Crimeana’s ideas. And they hadn’t even been able to eliminate those people. Looking at their current situation, they had to deal with the terrible Luroans disease and the infection of many, including herself. The death toll was likely well over a thousand.
Cassel had said it. This might be the work of a great demon lord or a similar evil deity. There was certainly a possibility. But then why hadn’t Lady Crimeana come to their aid? She had tried every possible solution, but none had worked. In the end, she had been forced to say words denying Lady Crimeana under the coercion of King Linos, words too humiliating to utter.
Why? That question had been hinted at by Queen Ricolette. She had raised the question of whether the current Crimeana faith truly represented the will of the Supreme Deity.
The current Crimeana faith and its Holy Land were under the absolute rule of the Pope, a dictatorship. The Pope’s decisions held supreme authority. Of course, there might be some advantages to that. However, it was a fact that many had their happiness taken away by the Pope, just like her own parents.
Until now, she had endured thinking of it as trials bestowed upon them by Lady Crimeana. But was taking away people’s happiness truly what the Supreme Deity desired? Now, within the religious sect and the Holy Land, political intrigue was rampant. She had lived to avoid getting entangled in it, but was that what the Supreme Deity truly wanted?
Vielle contemplated, thinking back on the history of the Crimeana faith and recalling every word of the Supreme Deity.
King Linos of Agarta had said that gods were merely passive observers. How had the Supreme Deity watched over the history of the Holy Land until now? Surely not with a smiling face. Instead, they might have saddened the Supreme Deity. They might have made the Supreme Deity cry. The Supreme Deity’s final words were, “Aid those who benefit us.” In other words, that meant saving others.
They certainly had pride in having saved many people. But from the perspective of the Supreme Deity, was their actions truly considered as acts of salvation?
What would be the actions the Supreme Deity desired for the sake of saving people?
Thinking this far, Vielle suddenly realized. The term “us” in the doctrine might not refer specifically to Crimeana believers but could have a broader meaning. It might mean that they should save not only Crimeana believers but also non-believers, even those outside the faith. Thinking this way, Vielle felt as if scattered pieces of a puzzle were coming together perfectly.
Yes, they should save both believers and non-believers, even beastfolk, and all living beings. Therefore, Crimeana faith had continuously developed cutting-edge technologies and conducted advanced medical research. They had used them to save many people. That was why Crimeana faith had been accepted throughout its long history.
“To extend a helping hand to both believers and non-believers, to beastfolk, and to all living beings… That’s what we must do. And for that, one must be a person who can do it, a person of the Crimeana faith, in the Holy Land…”
Vielle felt a pleasant sensation rapidly spreading throughout her body, as if everything was soothing. As that sensation intensified, her eyes widened, and a sharp light shone deep within her pupils. (T/N: A religious fanatic with an actual brain to think)
Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
Endless sleepless nights continued. Even when he did manage to sleep, he would wake up soon after. For the past few days, Cassel had been wondering how many hours of sleep he had actually gotten. He contemplated these things vaguely in the pitch-black room.
At night, he would lie down on his bed, but as expected, he couldn’t sleep. This was because, every time he closed his eyes, anxiety would well up one after another, and due to the occasional auditory hallucinations, he couldn’t sleep at all.
He remained awake endlessly in the pitch-black darkness. He could turn on the light, but he didn’t. That’s because he was worried that the forest creatures might approach that light, and also because turning on the light would reveal to the villagers that he was awake. He didn’t want them to think that he was troubled and unable to sleep at night.
As a result, he stayed awake until dawn. Then, after a brief doze, he would get up again and go on his daily rounds in the village.
He strongly disliked showing any weakness to the villagers. However, Cassel’s haggard appearance was already enough to make the residents anxious.
On this night as well, Cassel couldn’t sleep.
Why did he have to endure this? He contemplated while staring into the darkness. It was clear that King Agarta, Linos, was deeply involved in all of this. However, he couldn’t kill him. Linos had taken away his freedom in an instant and put him to sleep. The dream he had at that time was pleasant, but even that, was it something Linos had shown him? If so, there was no hope of winning. The nonchalant atmosphere Linos exuded masked a king who was beyond human understanding, and Cassel recognized that.
So, the only option was to retreat to the Holy Land for now. It was difficult to go down the Ilbezi River because it was flooding, but it was not impossible to pass through Lamaron. It would require many sacrifices, but somehow they would make it. Alternatively, although it was a longer route, they could go through Niza and make a large detour back to the Holy Land. If he chose that option, he would have to leave now, or there was a possibility that they would run out of food.
Having thought about it, Cassel shook his head. It was something he had considered many times already. However, the conclusion was always the same. This option couldn’t be used.
That’s because even if he returned to the Holy Land, they wouldn’t have a place there. This mission was exceptional and was assigned to them because of Jamauk. Returning without any results would be the same as proclaiming his own incompetence. Moreover, his entire family would suffer the consequences of his failure. Vielle’s father was a prime example. Instead of achieving results, he was persecuted in the place of his assignment and barely escaped with his life. Since then, his uncle had lost the trust of his father, the Pope, and continued to live with a narrow shoulder in the Holy Land. After that, his uncle was sent with his wife and children to a largely uninhabited wilderness and had not returned for many years.
As an exception, Vielle had been noticed by the Pope from a young age due to her intelligence, and she was allowed to stay in Aphrodite with his recommendation. Even the Pope’s own son was in the same position. Despite being from the Pope’s sister’s family, Vielle’s only backing was the Pope himself, and losing the Pope’s trust meant certain death for Cassel.
What should he do? The entire village would perish if things continued like this. Should it just perish like this? Why was he forced into such a predicament? It was true that he had intended to use Vielle. She would likely achieve great results. By assisting her, he had been striving to gain Vielle’s and the Pope’s trust. And if she made a significant mistake, he had also considered taking the lead by pushing Vielle aside.
His thoughts were directed towards Vielle. How was his sister doing? What was happening to her right now? He remembered one of the bishops mentioning that his sister was being treated specially in the capital of Agarta, living healthily and without any signs of the dreaded Luroans symptoms or the appearance of the purple spots.
He clicked his tongue in frustration. His sister Vielle had been a person who denied Lady Crimeana. Why was such a traitor living a comfortable life while he was suffering like this?
He still couldn’t believe his sister’s betrayal. She had been an ardent believer in Lady Crimeana, accepting all hardships as Lady Crimeana’s guidance and attributing all happiness to Lady Crimeana’s grace. She had never displayed arrogance. Her righteous behavior had earned her the trust of everyone. Cassel had never expected his sister to betray them.
If his sister had been by his side, how much easier things would have been. How much his suffering would have been alleviated. There had been a last resort. He could have used it, but he had been pushed into this seemingly hopeless situation without using it. Thinking about it this way, Vielle’s behavior was both disappointing and unforgivable.
“Why did my sister… Why did my sister betray us…? Why didn’t she eliminate those who harm us…?”
Cassel muttered the doctrine of the Crimeana faith while his gaze wandered in the darkness. That’s right. Vielle and the other believers who had left the village had to be killed. Otherwise, he had no future. He had to kill the traitors. If he did, this suffering would end, and he could return to the Holy Land with pride. Yes, he could bring back the traitor’s head and then plan to attack Agarta again.
But, as he thought about it, Cassel slowly sighed. His sister had to be killed. However, for some reason, he hesitated to kill her. He found himself torn between the necessity of killing her and the reluctance to do so. He pondered this for a while and then slowly raised his head.
“I need to meet my sister.”
It wasn’t about forgiving or not forgiving Vielle. He needed to meet her to make the decision to kill her. With that determination in his heart, he called for the person waiting outside his room.
————
Meanwhile, in a room at Agarta’s guesthouse, a young girl sat with her eyes closed, lost in thought. It was Vielle. She had been wrestling with a decision about her future for some time.
The guiding principle of her life had been the doctrine of the Crimeana faith, “Aid those who benefit us, and eliminate those who harm us.” She had wanted to be called a saint, a saint who saved many people, just like Lady Crimeana, who was considered the Supreme Deity. To achieve that, she had acquired a wealth of knowledge and endured many difficulties. Her determination hadn’t changed.
However, what were the results? It was true that those of the Crimeana faith, including herself, had initially benefited by coming to Agarta. But most of the devout believers couldn’t make it here. Moreover, the Agartan populace did not subscribe to Crimeana’s ideas. And they hadn’t even been able to eliminate those people. Looking at their current situation, they had to deal with the terrible Luroans disease and the infection of many, including herself. The death toll was likely well over a thousand.
Cassel had said it. This might be the work of a great demon lord or a similar evil deity. There was certainly a possibility. But then why hadn’t Lady Crimeana come to their aid? She had tried every possible solution, but none had worked. In the end, she had been forced to say words denying Lady Crimeana under the coercion of King Linos, words too humiliating to utter.
Why? That question had been hinted at by Queen Ricolette. She had raised the question of whether the current Crimeana faith truly represented the will of the Supreme Deity.
The current Crimeana faith and its Holy Land were under the absolute rule of the Pope, a dictatorship. The Pope’s decisions held supreme authority. Of course, there might be some advantages to that. However, it was a fact that many had their happiness taken away by the Pope, just like her own parents.
Until now, she had endured thinking of it as trials bestowed upon them by Lady Crimeana. But was taking away people’s happiness truly what the Supreme Deity desired? Now, within the religious sect and the Holy Land, political intrigue was rampant. She had lived to avoid getting entangled in it, but was that what the Supreme Deity truly wanted?
Vielle contemplated, thinking back on the history of the Crimeana faith and recalling every word of the Supreme Deity.
King Linos of Agarta had said that gods were merely passive observers. How had the Supreme Deity watched over the history of the Holy Land until now? Surely not with a smiling face. Instead, they might have saddened the Supreme Deity. They might have made the Supreme Deity cry. The Supreme Deity’s final words were, “Aid those who benefit us.” In other words, that meant saving others.
They certainly had pride in having saved many people. But from the perspective of the Supreme Deity, was their actions truly considered as acts of salvation?
What would be the actions the Supreme Deity desired for the sake of saving people?
Thinking this far, Vielle suddenly realized. The term “us” in the doctrine might not refer specifically to Crimeana believers but could have a broader meaning. It might mean that they should save not only Crimeana believers but also non-believers, even those outside the faith. Thinking this way, Vielle felt as if scattered pieces of a puzzle were coming together perfectly.
Yes, they should save both believers and non-believers, even beastfolk, and all living beings. Therefore, Crimeana faith had continuously developed cutting-edge technologies and conducted advanced medical research. They had used them to save many people. That was why Crimeana faith had been accepted throughout its long history.
“To extend a helping hand to both believers and non-believers, to beastfolk, and to all living beings… That’s what we must do. And for that, one must be a person who can do it, a person of the Crimeana faith, in the Holy Land…”
Vielle felt a pleasant sensation rapidly spreading throughout her body, as if everything was soothing. As that sensation intensified, her eyes widened, and a sharp light shone deep within her pupils. (T/N: A religious fanatic with an actual brain to think)
