38 - Chapter 35: 35[D-day 3, 4, 5 Candle in the Wind]
"Why, why are you stopping me?"
I'm not asking for wealth and glory after defeating the Demon King,
I just want to love Yuria normally, like anyone else,
And you can't even allow me that much, after I dedicated my entire being to the world?
Why, why!!
After all I've sacrificed, all I've given for this world...
Are they trying to make me unhappy?
Why are they blocking my happiness?
Why?
At that moment, a voice echoed in her head once again.
"That's because it's their will, the will of humans."
That can't be.
I saved them with my own hands,
and those I saved were so grateful.
"Do the people before your eyes truly seem grateful?"
In my eyes...
Everyone was wary of me, using magic to perform a Purification Ritual.
"Aren't they even performing a ridiculous Purification Ritual right now, just to separate you and Yuria?"
Ugh.
My head hurts.
"Are you just going to foolishly accept this?"
No.
No, I'm not.
"Are you just going to let them control and oppress you?"
No, I won't stand for it.
"Then break these chains and take that man!"
CRACK! THUD-THUD-THUD!
"The chains, the chains! They're breaking."
"How can this be?"
"Stop it now!"
"Your Holiness, what should we do...?"
His Holiness Jude Herace, overseeing the ritual, looked down from above and spoke.
"Hmph. Aria, must you really escalate things this far?"
"Why are you blocking my path? If you can't support the love I cherish, then get out of my way."
"Aria, do you know what your expression looks like?"
My expression?
What's so important about that?
Then, the voice echoed again.
"See? In the end, they're blocking you with such a pathetic excuse."
Yes, that's right.
She broke the chains that bound her body.
CRACK! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE!
The brilliant Golden Chains shattered into pieces and fell.
As they hit the floor, they turned into piles of light and vanished.
"Yuria, Yuria, you can't go anywhere now. You're mine forever."
She picked up Yuria, who was collapsed on the floor.
His warm embrace.
His breath, tickling her heart.
And even the sound of his heartbeat, felt as she held him like this.
All of it felt more precious and warmer than anything else.
Then, the voice echoed again.
"Alright, then subdue them all and escape!"
"No!"
"As long as I have Yuria, nothing else matters."
"But they'll subdue you soon, won't they?"
I can't overpower them without losing Yuria anyway.
"How weak. You'll just end up losing the Hero too, then."
To ignore that noisy voice, Aria hugged Yuria tightly in her arms.
A faint, unsettling crunch was heard, but
"The Hero is strong, so he'll be fine."
She hugged him with the resolve that she would never be separated from the Hero, no matter what.
And then, light fell from the sky.
Simultaneously, a meticulous Sealing Ceremony unfolded.
Aria, embracing Yuria, calmly accepted it all.
The sealing, which had lasted for several hours, finally ended.
"Did I faint again?"
A warm sensation enveloped his entire body.
"Augh."
He tried to speak from where he lay, but
his throat was so dry that his voice cracked.
The ceiling was a light, airy color, different from the room he had been staying in.
"Where am I?"
"Oh, you're awake."
"Cynthia? cough..."
He tried to raise his body, but a dizzying pain instantly engulfed him.
The pain forced him back down as soon as he tried to rise.
The pain was so intense that he hesitated to even try moving again.
"Don't move. Your body is more injured than you think."
"What? Why am I injured?"
Only then did memories surface in his mind.
"Aria definitely chased me, and then, and then..."
"Ah, right, I managed to escape safely."
"And I think I fainted from exhaustion and pain."
Is my body hurting this much because I forced my damaged body to move?
But even with that, it was truly
hard to even twitch a finger right now.
Thanks to my Hero Stats, my recovery rate is quite good, so it shouldn't still be this bad.
Something definitely happened.
"Do you happen to know what happened after I fainted?"
"Th-that... I'll explain it later."
"Alright, I understand."
"The Church is also spending a fortune to treat your body, so you'll recover quickly."
"I see."
He thought he was lying on a bed, but looking again, he was in a shallow bathtub.
"Come to think of it, I received a lot of help from Cynthia this time."
"Seriously, if it weren't for her, I probably would have died from Aria's overexertion, starting right there in the shower, wouldn't I?"
"Cynthia, thank you for helping and protecting me."
He expressed his gratitude to Cynthia, but for some reason, no answer came back.
Puzzled, he turned his aching body to look at her, and
she had turned her head away, as if embarrassed by the praise.
"Huh? Oh, no, I didn't even properly protect you."
Well, she seemed embarrassed by the unnecessary praise.
Indeed, she had always been quite shy.
"But truly, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have escaped, or the situation wouldn't have been resolved as it was..."
Come to think of it, was it resolved?
Since he fainted after that, he didn't know how it ended, and now he was in this situation.
"What happened to Aria after that incident?"
"Well..."
Just then, His Holiness the Pope entered.
"I'll tell you about that."
"Ah, His Holiness the Pope."
"Stay lying down. An injured person should be lying down."
"Ah, yes, thank you."
"You must be curious about what happened after you fainted then."
"Yes, that's right."
"Hmph. Where should I start?"
"It doesn't matter how long it is. Please tell me everything."
"Indeed. Unlike the Hero, who only appears in times of crisis, the Saintess has existed throughout history."
"Isn't it strange that a Saintess with such a pure heart has existed throughout all of history?"
"That's..."
Certainly, if he thought about it, it might seem strange, but then again, was it that strange? He wondered.
After all, it wouldn't be strange for at least one person like that to be born among so many.
"Actually, we have created Saintesses in every era. Or rather, we've made the purest women into Saintesses."
"Created? What do you mean by that?"
"Do you know what the necessary conditions are to become a Saintess?"
"I only know it's about having a pure heart."
"Yes, that's right. A pure heart, untainted by the world. But that's impossible. The First Saintess was so unbelievably pure, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a living miracle."
"Then all those other Saintesses..."
"Indeed. We have directly created Saintesses. We have periodically purified—no, sealed—the Saintess's desires."
"Then, wait a moment. Could it be that the Purification Ritual back then was a ceremony to seal Aria's desires?"
"Yes. We usually perform it once every ten years, but this time, it strangely started to break down quickly, so we forcibly sealed it. However,"
He couldn't finish his sentence and seemed to hesitate.
He opened and closed his mouth, and Yuria sensed something strange.
"Did something go wrong, perhaps?"
"Wrong, you say..."
His Holiness the Pope still deliberated on speaking.
But finally, as if having made a decision, he opened his mouth.
"Truthfully, the Purification Ritual cannot be said to have been a complete success."
"What?"
"The sealing itself was successful, but it was too unstable, and there were too many variables to pinpoint the exact cause."
"It wasn't a complete success?"
Generally, sealing is a very delicate magic, so he had seen countless times how terrible the consequences of failure could be.
"Then is Aria alright now?"
"Of course, there are no major problems. She's probably resting in her room."
That was a relief.
"You should rest too. Your body is currently soaking in Highest-grade Holy Water, so you'll recover within a day or two."
"Ah, thank you."
With those words, His Holiness the Pope left.
"Ah, I have something to do too, so I'll be going. Get some rest. Your body is still recovering, so don't even think about wandering around."
"Uh-huh, I understand. And thank you, Cynthia."
Everyone left, and he was left alone in the quiet treatment room.
"Phew, even after defeating the Demon King, so many things have happened."
"And there were new things I learned."
"The fact that Aria could become a Saintess because her desires were sealed,"
"and the fact that they succeeded in sealing them again, albeit imperfectly."
"If Aria's desires are sealed, does that mean the Polynesian Sex is also halted midway?"
"I hope so."
"Well, let's think about the details again later when I meet Aria."
"My body isn't in good shape right now, so I need to rest a bit."
"Ahhh. Stretch."
He stretched and sat up.
He felt like he had truly slept soundly.
No, he had slept soundly.
His body moved without issue. At this rate, he could move around without any problems, couldn't he?
"Yuria, are you awake?"
"Huh? Ah, Aria?!"
"Why is Aria here?"
"No, come to think of it, the sealing is over, so it's not strange, is it?"
"Yes, it's Aria."
Come to think of it, he said the sealing was incomplete, so he felt a little worried.
It was a complex mix of worry for her and worry for himself, but
"So, are you alright now?"
"Ah, it's completely sealed now. There won't be any more disgraceful behavior like that."
"Ah, uh-huh."
"I was truly sorry before. Right now, I'm so embarrassed I could crawl into a mouse hole, but..."
"But?"
"Still, I came here with the sole intention of properly apologizing."
"Huh? No, no, it's not your fault, Aria, so don't worry about it."
"No, I truly apologize."
Aria bowed her head, showing a sincere apology.
There was no reason at all not to accept her apology.
"I think I'm alright now too. I won't hold it against you, so Aria, you shouldn't hold it against yourself either."
"Yes, thank you!"
Desire was no longer visible on her face.
Seeing her like that, he felt his own heart calm down.
"Then, could I bring up that topic?"
Polynesian Sex.
If it reached the end, it would undoubtedly be a little—no, a lot—dangerous.
Even after taking the Sensation Neutralizer, it was that bad.
"It's a little scary, you know."
And Aria was a little scary too.