I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

148 – The Forgotten Forest (4)

The sanctuary of Hybras that he returned to looked exactly the same as when he had seen it as a child.

The buildings that showed traces of the passage of time, the small gardens, and the temples that were the size of churches in rural villages were all the same.

It’s so peaceful that you can’t believe it’s in the middle of a magical realm.

Now that there is a temple of Hybras outside the forest, the number of people has decreased somewhat, but there are still people living within it.

For example, someone who went from being the guardian of the church to the guardian of the sanctuary. Edwin was like that.

Edwin was waiting for us at the entrance to the sanctuary.

He greets Sirien politely.

“It’s been a long time, Saintess. Have you accomplished everything you set out to do?”

“Most of it. There’s still a little bit of blood left to be shed.”

“I hope you will have no difficulty in achieving it.”

“thank you.”

Edwin hasn’t changed a bit either.

Even the clothing was the same as when I was young.

It’s not that surprising that he hasn’t aged.

This time his gaze was turned to me.

“You acted like you’d never come back. Now you’ve got quite a bit of blood on you.”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? Why would I want to come here?”

“You rascal. Don’t you have any intention of changing that rude way of speaking?”

“Someone personally told me to make it comfortable.”

“I told you to take it easy, I didn’t tell you to be rude. This sanctuary is the only thing that doesn’t change, so why do you seem so big?”

He didn’t seem to feel bad even though he said that.

Looking at the sly smile, it seems like it’s a way of expressing happiness.

By the way, it smells like blood. I definitely have more blood on my hands than before.

Not only did I see the blood of demons and beasts, but I also saw a lot of human blood while killing Illencia’s collateral line.

I have no regrets about the path I have walked.

Edwin said, glancing at the border.

“It seems like your skills have improved a lot, but let’s resolve the regret later. As for the Saintess… … I’m glad you came before it was too late.”

It’s not too late.

His words sent shivers down my spine.

As the church grew in power, this sanctuary became smaller.

But what if we didn’t go any faster than the original?

What if we still hadn’t recovered the Grand Duchy of Illencia, or if we couldn’t intervene in the war between Gamigin and Eligos?

We would not have sought this sanctuary.

Even if we arrived late, the sanctuary might have already disappeared.

Edwin led us slowly.

“It seems like you have a lot of questions for me. Please follow me. This place is safe, and I have plenty of time. Whatever you ask, I will answer.”

* * *

In general, a sanctuary refers to a place where the power of God is directly at work.

However, not all sanctuaries were paradise-like places.

Rather, if the power of God is excessively applied, it will turn into a dystopia where humans have difficulty surviving, or a Kakatopia where humans cannot live at all.

For example, the sanctuary of Hybras could be filled with only death, so that no living thing could survive.

How the sacredness of the sanctuary works is entirely up to God’s intention.

Even though they were sanctuaries of the same god, the laws and powers that governed the sanctuaries varied greatly.

And Hebras had very clear intentions for this sanctuary.

“The current sect is growing at a rapid pace. It is not yet comparable to the five sects, but soon there will be no one in the empire who does not know the name Hybras.”

“I know. You have done much better than I expected. No saint or saint of all time has done as well as you have. Perhaps you will do so in the future.”

Sirien asked.

“Then why is this sanctuary disappearing?”

“It is exactly as you said.”

“The sect’s influence has grown so strong that the sanctuary has disappeared? Is that really the cause?”

“Yes. This sanctuary was created by Hebras to protect the surviving believers and to continue the sect. Fortunately, it has now outlived its usefulness and there is no need for its existence.”

The Hybras sect was initially in a state of near extinction.

The sole purpose of this sanctuary was to keep that lineage from being broken.

Now, even without this sanctuary, the sect will not perish. Then, there is no need to leave the power of the gods here.

In fact, the role of the sanctuary was completed from the moment Sirien became a saint.

Edwin headed straight to the temple of the sanctuary.

He said it as if nothing happened.

“And I will disappear along with this sanctuary.”

“You… … were already dead after all.”

“Yes. I am merely an arrangement to protect this place. Lord Hybras tries not to interfere with the soul’s peace as much as possible, but I guess a guardian like me can be an exception. In a situation like this where the fate of the sect is at stake, I will only do my duty.”

It was expected that Edwin would not be able to leave the sanctuary.

That he is a person from the long past.

Still, hearing it from my own mouth felt quite different.

Edwin himself seemed unfazed, but Sirien looked at me absentmindedly.

Eyes full of worry. Perhaps he was afraid that in the future he would become like Edwin.

Edwin chuckled, easing Sirien’s worries.

“Don’t be too afraid. Hebras is not such a cruel person. Even if the cult is defeated again someday, I will be the guardian of the sanctuary. That was the promise.”

“Ah… … What do you mean by promise?”

“You will know that even without me answering you now.”

It was a meaningful statement, but I didn’t ask back.

Because given Edwin’s personality, I don’t think he would lie.

I said I would find out, so just wait a little and you will find out.

“Is that the sound that has been following me since I was little? The sound that has been following me as if observing me from a distance?”

“That’s right. I can’t leave the sanctuary, but I can let one of my servants roam the forest. I’ve known that since you two first entered the forest.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“You didn’t ask me.”

“… … .”

Sirien was speechless.

That’s true. It’s not wrong, though.

If the answer is like that, isn’t it a little disappointing…?

Edwin scratched his head at our explicit gaze.

“Please understand. Even if I had told you back then, you probably wouldn’t have accepted it willingly. I won’t lie, but I thought it would be better not to tell you.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Okay, I understand.”

Sirien felt relieved at his answer.

Well, I guess it’s not like I didn’t understand it.

Weren’t we pretty crowded back then?

Why didn’t you help me earlier? With your strength, it would have been possible.

There was no way I wouldn’t have had such thoughts.

Because the human mind is narrow-minded.

Moreover, to Edwin at that time, we would have been nothing more than outsiders or intruders.

If we really follow the rules, it wouldn’t be a problem even if they killed us.

So, even when I came face to face with the giant, I didn’t receive a very good look.

– I clearly said you are not welcome.

– It didn’t matter to me whether you died or not.

– I killed the guy who was causing a commotion here, and you just happened to be saved in the process.

– If you hadn’t been the one nagging me in the first place, I would have killed you too.

Come to think of it, Edwin had been dropping clues since then.

A nagging fellow. Who in the sanctuary of Hybras would nag Edwin?

At that time, Sirien was quite far away, so I was the only one who heard those words.

If Sirien had heard, she would have noticed a little sooner.

That’s why I said I can’t do it.

“Come to think of it, I intervened in the fight against the giant.”

“I said it then, but it wasn’t my will.”

“I know. There’s something bothering me. What did you say about ‘the nagging guy’?”

“Now that I think about it, I did say something like that. You’ll find out about that soon.”

This time, it’s ‘soon’.

While I was asking questions like that, I arrived at the Temple of Hybras.

The place where Sirien was ordained as a saint and I was baptized as a guardian.

Of course, nothing special happened when I was baptized.

I think it was just washing my body with holy water.

Edwin headed to the prayer room on the second floor of the temple.

Sirien and I were each guided separately to the two prayer rooms.

“Prayer room?”

“But since it’s been a while since you came here, wouldn’t it be better to offer a prayer? Especially since I know this guy isn’t very faithful.”

“That’s true, though.”

“I’m not bragging. Anyway, I might not be here when you come out. In that case, you can use the same accommodations you used last time… … Oh, I thought long and hard about whether or not I should tell you this. But I think it’s better to tell you anyway.”

Edwin paused for a moment to consider his words.

He seemed to hesitate without answering. It seemed as if he was choosing his words, and as if he was doubting whether he was saying the right thing.

He made a decision.

“Hibras is not such an old-fashioned god. He does not demand any special chastity in the relationship between men and women. However… … I would like you to exercise some restraint near the sanctuary. I am in trouble.”

Sirien’s face turned bright red.