Chapter 4: Saint Of Immortality

‘Hah, this is really driving me crazy.’

According to Lucy, Philia declared she was breaking off her engagement with the protagonist, Andrew.

Naturally, there was no such content in the original story.

‘What I read was a traditional fantasy novel, not some delinquent soap opera.’

To suddenly declare a breakup with the protagonist.

It was utterly confusing.

My head throbbed because things were unfolding differently from the original story, but the bigger problem was that I had no idea ‘why’ it was happening.

At first, I thought it was just a simple butterfly effect, but no matter how much I thought about it, my current ‘presence’ was too faint to cause such a ripple effect.

In other words, there was a problem with Philia herself…

What came to mind was roughly transmigration, reincarnation, or regression, but unless I asked Philia directly.

All of this was, of course, mere speculation.

Since I couldn’t even visit the currently confined Philia, it was truly frustrating.

‘Transmigration or reincarnation would be better. I just hope it’s not regression.’

In the case of transmigration or reincarnation, information can be shared or gathered through media like games or novels, but regression is a different story.

‘···Since she experienced it directly, it would be on a different level from simple information.’

Besides, if I included the existence of ‘me,’ the transmigrator, the range of possibilities becomes too vast.

Whether it was a first playthrough where ‘I’ existed,

Or a first playthrough where ‘I’ didn’t exist.

Just thinking about it already made my head throb.

Of course, if she had truly experienced the future once and returned, she could be seen as a reliable ally who would prevent the destruction instead of me, but the likelihood of that was extremely low.

In the first place, Philia is the one who awakens as the Demon of Flowers in the future.

If that’s the case, then the one who returned might not be the human Philia, but the ‘Demon of Flowers’ who had already fallen as far as possible, having regressed.

‘But, according to the original story’s setting, regression is impossible…’

In the setting of ‘Haelan Chronicles,’ regression was absolutely impossible for Philia.

I didn’t know exactly what trigger caused regression, but at the very least, it was close to sending someone back to the past through the medium of ‘death’.

However, fundamentally, demons in ‘Haelan Chronicles’ are immortal beings that do not die.

‘Unless someone completely kills her. Regression is impossible.’

Well, up to this point, it’s purely personal speculation… but in the extreme late-game of the original, words denying the possibility of regression itself appear.

–Time is a domain that even a god would find difficult to touch.

The ‘cycle’ will never flow in reverse unless permitted by the omnipotent Outer Father…

Even if it were to return by a probability of countless eons, if one has already reached a state where that is possible, everything becomes meaningless…

Words spoken by a forgotten ancient god to the protagonist in the extreme late-game of the original.

It’s full of Zen-like questions and answers, but to summarize, it meant that if one reached a state where they could return to the past, they would already be no different from a god.

Naturally, if Philia had already reached that level, she wouldn’t be staying quiet like she was now; she would have caused some trouble.

‘At that point, confinement or whatever, she would have already burst out, right?’

In conclusion, regression was impossible.

Then why on earth did Philia declare a breakup?

‘···My head hurts. Seriously.’

For now, since there was no immediate danger, I decided to focus on the matter of the ball first.

A week later.

At the masked ball, one of the important characters from the original story will visit.

A woman who will later be called the ‘Saintess of Apostasy’ and be captured by the church and burned alive at the stake.

At this ball, I have to prevent the ‘curse’ that will be inflicted upon her.

***

Some, unable to control their boiling blood, and others, to secretly concoct conspiracies and schemes.

A space of pleasure and amusement where everyone’s desires are basely revealed.

This was the ‘Masked Ball’.

Currently, I was wandering around wearing a fox mask that someone had discarded.

Originally, I planned to secretly pass ‘information’ to Philia to prevent the incident at the ball, but she, who had even been banned from going out, couldn’t attend the ball.

‘In the end, I have no choice but to move directly.’

Only nobles with wealth and power, or the upper class equivalent to them, could enter the ‘Masked Ball’ held in Katalvel.

Naturally, I knew the location of the ball, but the difficulty for a penniless servant to enter was too high.

However, I had already thought of a workaround for this.

‘As expected, I can enter through the back door.’

At the main entrance, identities were thoroughly checked before entering the ball, but the back door was a space where servants, musicians, and cooks came and went, so security was relatively lax.

Moreover, my current attire was a neat servant’s uniform, so I was able to pass without any particular suspicion.

Having secretly infiltrated the ball, I was now wearing a mask I had swiped from a noble who was passed out drunk.

In the distance, I saw a woman wearing a rabbit mask.

With her pure white hair, she was drawing everyone’s attention with her overwhelming figure, unlike her cute mask.

‘Finally, I found her.’

That woman must be her.

The Saintess who serves Solennea, the goddess of light and memories.

Aria.

Later, after apostatizing and falling, she is captured by inquisitors and burned at the stake, but after that, she does not die and transforms into an even more terrifying existence.

“Excuse me, lady over there. If you have time, would you care for a dance with me?”

“…I have a prior engagement.”

Men nearby threw suggestive glances at her, but she coldly rejected them all and was looking around as if desperately searching for someone.

‘Did Aria have an appointment with someone today?’

I didn’t think there was such a description in the original story…

Anyway, since there’s someone targeting Aria, I should go to her in advance and warn her.

Just as I made up my mind and was about to approach Aria.

Whoosh-

Someone who suddenly intruded rushed at her with a dagger.

‘Damn it, already!’

In the original story, the time of her ambush wasn’t written, so my reaction was inevitably slower.

There wasn’t enough time to chase after him right now.

‘I have to throw my body.’

The dagger that assassin is currently holding is none other than the ‘Dagger of Distortion’.

That dagger, obtained by sacrificing hundreds of people, was imbued with the aura of an evil god.

‘The moment she’s stabbed by that dagger, Aria’s corruption begins.’

Compared to a normal dagger, its lethality and durability were the same, but as an object containing the aura of an evil god, that dagger held a curse that ‘distorted’ all the experiences of the wounded person.

The way of thinking or beliefs formed as a human lives.

It ‘reverses’ that entire thing to its opposite.

In the original story, it was also the decisive reason why Aria, who was full of faith, apostatized.

‘The curse of distortion is an object imbued with the power of an evil god, so it’s impossible to dispel.’

A mind changed by a curse could not be resolved with holy power.

In the first place, it wasn’t physically harming her.

‘The current Aria has no combat power at all.’

Aria, raised as a saintess of the church, possessed immense holy power from birth, but her own physical strength was truly weak.

‘I have to stop this.’

Just before I urgently threw myself.

“Huh?”

Crack-

“Kuaaaaargh-!”

Contrary to expectations, Aria subdued the assassin in a single move.

Rather, Aria, who twisted the arm of the subdued assassin to the point where he let out a pathetic scream, seemed very skilled in this kind of situation.

‘As expected, she had basic self-defense skills as a saintess. But I can’t let my guard down.’

After all, in the original story, the assassin succeeds in stabbing Aria.

She, who had never taken a life in her entire life, would only subdue, not know how to decisively finish someone…

Snap-

The assassin’s neck was broken futilely.

“???”

The saintess killed a person.

***

The Dagger of Distortion.

A dagger blessed by the evil god Khalla,

The effect it contained was not to ‘reverse’ those afflicted.

Originally named the ‘Fang of Truth,’ this dagger possessed the property of forcibly dragging out the true nature hidden deep within the soul.

It took far too long to realize this fact.

Perhaps, in a way, one burden of guilt had been lifted.

The man looked at the woman in the distance, who carried a huge greatsword on her shoulder.

The Saintess of Apostasy.

The nightmare of inquisitors.

Also, the usurper who directly ‘devoured’ a fallen ancient god to seize divinity.

Her body, covered in burn marks and crushed wounds, blinked her eyes, which had been gouged out long ago, and realized he had come.

Blehh-

Sticking out her severed tongue grotesquely, she slowly raised her greatsword.

The man, in response, also raised his sword.

Just before they charged.

She asked him in a voice that was almost burnt out.

“Do you believe in God?”

“…No.”

In an era where not only God, but miracles also clearly existed.

Not believing in God in this era was impossible unless one was a madman.

“Kyahahahaha-!”

Meeting a ‘one-eyed’ person like herself for the first time,

She let out a mad laugh and rushed at him.

An era ruled by God.

The duel of two atheists began.