Episode 248 Seongguk’s Conclusion
“Whew… Do you know how many days it is?”
Iriel, who was holding her breath in the bedroom, was taken aback by the voice of the elderly lady-in-waiting outside the door.
The lady-in-waiting continued to speak.
“You don’t sleep well, let alone eat. It would be really wrong if you did that.”
“…”
“Stop it now and have a conversation.”
The lady-in-waiting said that in front of the door, then bowed her head and went somewhere.
Have a conversation….
I’ve been refraining from meeting because I don’t think I’ll be able to win my feelings.
When he came to us, he refused to come to our doorstep and sent back the jewels he sent back, representing his will not to want to meet them.
‘If I had done this, I would have given up.’
I thought so.
However, he never gave up.
It seemed that he was constantly thinking and using it for a while, but after that, he was waiting quietly in front of the mansion as if he had lost his mind.
I watched his actions little by little through the cracks in the window.
The first day was spent wandering around and looking around as if moths were aching.
Occasionally, when encountering high-ranking paladins or priests, they would greet each other and exchange small talk.
But that didn’t last long either.
After two days, on the third day, I just blankly stare at the sky.
I was looking at the passing clouds like a person half out of my mind, but it caught my eye strangely.
At eight days old, he must have grown tired of looking at the sky.
Stare at distant mountains with an unfocused gaze.
Occasionally the head maid accompanied by her maids would come and sigh, but she was still standing there as if she were a rock.
When it got to that point, the lady-in-waiting gave up first.
It’s been over ten days.
He spent a time that would have worn him out even in his bedroom, just standing in front of the mansion.
If it was his original personality, he could have invaded the mansion, but he hasn’t shown any signs of that yet.
As if he was devoting even his energy to waiting.
And now on the 13th.
He is still standing in the same spot.
This made it impossible to refuse.
“I can’t stand it. It’s simple, but it deserves to be called a new demon.”
She let out a short sigh and called the lady-in-waiting.
Shortly thereafter, she lowered her head and spoke to the lady-in-waiting who approached.
“Put in a message to bring the saint. Just tell her that we will talk tomorrow after getting enough rest today.”
“All right.”
* * *
Several hours have passed since the saint was summoned to the mansion.
Iriel sits in a chair and murmurs, suppressing the complex thoughts in his head as much as possible.
“…Leave.”
When I recite that lonely word, a corner of my heart feels empty.
If one of them is missing, it does not mean that the Holy Kingdom will disappear, but it feels like the world has become empty for some reason.
Just as he had been by Ray’s side until now, on the contrary, he was always by his side.
Perhaps that is why the feeling of emptiness was greater.
Looking at the moon hanging outside the window, Iriel sighed.
The unheard of her chanting filled the bedroom.
“It’s funny… I, a saint worshiped by heavenly people and admired by everyone, am actually very afraid. I can’t live because I’m afraid every day. How long should this life last? When will I be able to speak my mind freely…”
She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and sat down as if she were about to collapse.
“Even now, as I speak, I’m afraid that I might disappear… But without you, I’m no longer…!”
I couldn’t get my words out and bit my lip.
Because Gaia won’t forgive any more murmuring.
* * *
I entered Iriel’s mansion and fell asleep for a day.
The physical fatigue wasn’t that great, but the mental fatigue was considerable, so I collapsed as if I had passed out.
When I got up from the soft bed, Iriel was sitting in a chair reading a book next to him.
She speaks without taking her eyes off the book.
“You are awake.”
It is a voice devoid of any emotion.
However, I sometimes glance at them so as not to be noticed, as if they were quite concerned about their physical condition.
“He did something unreasonable.”
“Because some great person won’t open the door.”
“You have to know how to back off if you don’t open up.”
“…okay. That’s all for now. If you’re not in the mood to talk right now, I won’t come back again.”
The words with a firm will drew Iriel’s attention.
I close the book I was reading and look at him.
“…Talk about it.”
It was a voice that seemed somehow empty.
Loneliness is reflected in the lonely eyes.
After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
“At first, I was thinking of apologizing. I thought that if we met face to face and sincerely apologized, they would surely understand.”
“….”
“But after clearing my head for a few days, this thought came to me. I think it would be too selfish to want something back from you, who only helped you.”
“So after that, I struggled alone. The answer came not long after.”
He let out a laugh and spoke out.
“It was my selfishness to think you would know anything.”
As he was talking, Ray gently touched his sincerity folded next to the bed.
“As I said before, I will abandon the saint and leave the kingdom. You take care of the future. Whether it’s resentment or hatred, I won’t interfere with your feelings.”
“What is that…”
He lowers his head at Iriel, who clearly looks flustered.
“…As you said, it was you, Iriel, who was always helpful to me. If it wasn’t for your help, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
A number of things came to mind as if tangled up in that serious look.
The work of establishing the medical academy and the work of strengthening the internal finances of the Holy Kingdom.
He fought a war with a necromancer and successfully completed his first pilgrimage.
Sometimes the two of them went out to play in the village, and when things were tough, they joked with each other.
Tears eventually fell from Iriel’s eyes at the painful sensation that the memories with him were about to turn into memories.
I spoke one last time to her who was shaking her hands without saying anything.
“I’m sorry and thank you so far.”
* * *
He quickly embarked on the finishing touches on the Holy Kingdom.
All that is left now is to spread the medical academy to other countries and stabilize the castle.
When explaining to Zeke and Richie how to run the medical academy, the two show subtle expressions.
“…We’ll take care of the rest, but… are you serious when you say you’re leaving the Holy Land?”
“I am serious. That’s why I’m entrusting you with the work.”
“But if that happens, the Medical Academy will collapse. It is unlikely that the relationship with the academy, which could have been tied up in the name of a saint, will continue even if the lord leaves the kingdom.”
He shook his head at the worried voice.
“I have asked the Holy Father for that matter, so don’t worry too much.”
“Then it’s fortunate…
.”
I was looking around to see if there was anything else to do, but Zeke asked with a hard expression on his face.
“Are you sure you have to leave?”
“You have to leave. You can no longer grow in the Holy Land.”
“…It would not be right to block the master’s way, as he became a servant. I will serve you as best I can.”
“Thank you as always.”
He speaks with a smirk, but for some reason, unlike usual, something seems to be empty.
Richie came to the side.
“Rod, I don’t take refuge in one place. I will return only to Lord, so if you need anything, please call me anytime.”
Although he is a suspicious figure, he has been helping the academy with all his heart and soul until recently.
It didn’t make sense to distrust it now.
Ray tapped him on the shoulder and said.
“Please take good care of me.”
* * *
Two weeks have passed since I left Iriel’s mansion.
In the meantime, I have been greeting various nobles of the Holy Land.
Astonished at the news of the saint’s departure, the oracle did not come down from the goddess Gaia for a while, so the nobles, who saw this as permission, held a grand party.
After a pleasant day exchanging good and bad words, he went to the mansion with the intention of saying goodbye to Eucliwood and the receptionist one last time.
Then, as if they had heard the news, Eucliwood and all seven guards were gathered in the garden.
“It’s nice to see them gathered together like that.”
“It’s us who shouldn’t reveal our original selves…”
“What do you think? You won’t be a saint anymore.”
“Indeed, it is. ha ha ha.”
As he was joking, he scratched the back of his head.
“Did you hear the story?”
Then Eucliwood answered.
“What are you talking about? Are you referring to the story of the Holy Son leaving the Holy Land? It seems that the academy has entrusted them to them, and seems to have maintained the trade routes with the Lessian Empire by writing down the name of the Holy Father.”
It’s not like I know it roughly, but it seems that I know it in detail.
I nod my head and let out a sigh.
“Ha… why are you leaving? Even if the Goddess gave permission, it would be as simple as this…”
He cut off Eucliwood’s words.
“Not simply. A lot has already been lost.”
She speaks with a smile, but she is not oblivious to the many meanings contained within.
He can no longer exercise his power as a saint, has no right to wear holy clothes, and has lost a close relative.
Is that all?
All that is done in his name will be at the disposal of popes and nobles, and in history he will be dishonored as a saint who refused the call of the goddess.
I don’t know why he went so far and wanted to leave Seongguk, but I thought there must be a reason.
She bowed her head.
“I made a mistake.”
“are you okay.”
“Have you thought about leaving?”
“I think we’ll probably leave in two days or so.”
“The Kingdom of Celia… you mean?”
“Because there is no other place to return to.”
“…Excuse me, but what are you planning to do in Celia Kingdom? Even thinking about it, I dare not guess.”
For her, she couldn’t think of any reason to turn down her supreme position as a saint and head for the Celia Kingdom.
Ray speaks to Eucliwood, who asks seriously.
“Most people want a saint from the Holy Land, but some people also need a saint from the streets.”
