142 – black eye

As I shrugged off the guilt and opened and closed the heavy door, a terrifying silence enveloped my mind and body.

The regret that came belatedly was chewed up and swallowed back.

It was because it seemed that if I looked back on what I had done here, even for a moment, the strong decision I had made would go to waste.

The scenery of the audience room remained the same.

pure white sky. white land. pure white horizon.

No matter how you look around, this place is full of uneasy whites, and there is something that arouses the fundamental fear of humans.

Memories of the first time I set foot in this place suddenly came to my mind.

It was only for a moment that I looked at the endless expanse of heaven and earth in wonder, ignoring the sound of my beating heart.

As if ice melts and fades away, the dusky stillness that slowly seeps into my thoughts imprinted on me a fear I had never experienced before.

Even now, after getting used to it to some extent, my body still trembled from time to time.

”Holy Lady!”

The high pitched voice that gave strength to the stomach reverberated inside the audience room.

But even after waiting for a long time, no voice answered my call.

The moment I opened the door, it was a disaster for me, who thought I would be able to face it right away.

Because the one and only plan has already gone awry.

However, I couldn’t just go looking for her.

In this place, where no means to pinpoint a location, such as a compass or the Dokdo method, was used, wandering around recklessly without a proper plan was tantamount to committing suicide.

In fact, I remember hearing from the nun that there was a case in which several exclusive guardian priests who assisted the saintess in the previous generation wandered around this place carelessly and eventually went missing.

”Whoa…”

After vigorously shaking off the chill that ran down my back for a while, I calmly cooled my head and looked for a way to find the saintess here.

Even if I didn’t do anything normally, the saintess tried to cling to me first.

When I couldn’t find her easily for some reason, I could reach her place before long by following the faint sound of the TV.

However, in both ways, it was a hand that could not be used now.

The first method had nothing to do with it.

The second method was impossible because the strange TV, the most important key point in the plan, did not appear here at some point.

It was truly a slope.

What does the saintess like about living in such a needlessly wide space?

No, why was there such a strange space inside the church in the first place, and why was it even prescribed by the Holy Law to enshrine the saint here?

It was around the time that I couldn’t do this or that, and I was constantly repeating in my head only meaningless thoughts.

‘Isn’t it like a dungeon…’

Dauna’s words I had just heard flashed through my mind.

It was a blasphemous theory that I, too, had thought of similarly several times, but could not bring myself to speak out due to my professional relationship.

However, the flames of suspicion that once started to burn did not easily die down.

The audience room and the dungeon are somewhat similar.

During the dungeon commotion that hit the hero the other day, I had a record of experiencing such sensations with my whole body.

Come to think of it, how did I find the missing warrior inside the dark dungeon?

Yes, definitely…

”·····!”

As soon as a new alternative came to mind, it was immediately put into action.

I had to go down anyway. It was an impulsive action that stemmed from the thought that it would have been better to do something than stand here like a scarecrow.

After rolling up the sleeves on the side with the saintess’s stigma engraved on them, I gently closed my eyes and followed the sensation of the previous battle.

”My Lord. I’m your finger mere lamb. I will bring rest to all on earth under your power. I give all the glory to you.”

A prayer that I can’t even remember how many times I recited it.

Originally, it would have been a chiseong to honor the holiness of the main god, but Song-young, a naive person who has never had a memory of raising it towards God.

How long had it been since the trivial melody, reminiscent of that rusted music box, rang out?

”·····”

Even though it had been a long time since the prayer was over, the white space where no significant change had taken place was just quiet.

also can’t

The other day, this stigma naturally led me to the place where the hero was without even having to recite a prayer.

Of course, it was a judgment based on intuition, so I didn’t have such high expectations, but it was inevitable that a slight sense of disappointment would sprout.

”I can’t do it anymore… Even if you are prepared to go missing, you should go find the saintess…”

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Kwajik! Kwajijik!

It was then.

A loud bursting sound came from the ceiling.

Noises and vibrations disturbed my consciousness enough to give the illusion that violent thunder had ripped through the sky.

”This, this is…!”

But it didn’t take long before I realized what a stupid accident it had been.

It was not an illusion.

the sky. the land. Everything that makes up this space.

The world was crumbling.

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Just as old wallpaper is pushed away by the force of time and gradually falls away, the pure white fragments that covered the original color of this space cracked and scattered, scattering all over the place like dirty snow soaked in soot.

”Huh! Ugh! Wow! Ugh!”

and cracks in the world. Through that cramped crevice, I saw clearly.

The figure of a slender girl sitting helplessly on top of a pile of papers filling the floor, sobbing pitifully one after another.

”Holy Lady—!”

An act of instinct rather than reason.

When I came to my senses, my body was already flying like an arrow toward her direction.

The chest voice that suddenly came out of my mouth was so green and so loud that I doubted whether it really came from my mouth.

Quaang!

”Keuugh…!”

However, my mournful cry was blocked helplessly in front of a transparent wall that blocked my way out of nowhere.

Rather than being aware of the blood dripping from his forehead and the pain seeping into his bones, the chaotic surroundings came into his field of vision first.

Starting from the moment I recited my prayer, the audience room began to slowly collapse.

A saintess hiding herself behind that dark crack and crying silently.

The identities of the torn pieces of paper scattered carelessly around her were the flesh of a storybook I read to her whenever I had a chance.

It was as if all the blood in his body had cooled.

It wasn’t because I had seen her tearing the children’s book she cherished so much with her own hands.

It wasn’t even because the face of the saintess, whose emotions were rarely fluctuated, was violently distorted with a violent sense of despair.

It was because of some crooked writing engraved on all the piles of torn paper spread out so that the bottom could not be seen.

sorry.

The writing was drawn with dark red blood instead of ink.

It seemed that even that had been erased by the flowing tears, and few of them were recognizable in their intact form.

Could it be because of the years spent with the saintess?

I was able to guess what kind of intentions the current saintess had and what she was trying to do.

The saintess was now being punished.

No, it was punishing.

To the self of the past who committed an irreversible sin.

Now to yourself who has broken your promise never to hurt anyone again.

I was imposing a harsh punishment on myself that had no proper deadline or promise.

When the paper ran out, he recklessly picked up a children’s book that got stuck in his hand, and when the blood dried, he rubbed his index finger with his teeth to replenish the paint.

The series of processes reminded the world of an emotionless machine, but the sorrowful tunes that leaked out from her dry lips from time to time suggested to the whole world that she was a living being with full emotions.

”Fuck! Ugh! Awesome! Ah, ah…”

”Holy Lady… It’s me… I’m here…”

In order to stop such a foolish act, the saintess, she tried to speak with her tongue stiff from shock.

However, the saintess, who was located on the other side of the unidentified transparent wall, did not seem to recognize my existence itself, let alone my voice.

bang!

”Lady. Because I came…”

He hit the invisible wall roughly with his fist, and his throat rang again vigorously.

Still no answer came back.

”Black! Ugh! Oh, oppa…”

Only the sad voice calling me was lingering around like a spinning song.

”·····”

It was from the very next moment.

A bright ray of light began to leak out of my fist, which was clenched so tightly that dark red blood flowed out.