I Can’t Run Away From the Girl Who Saved Me

58 – Burning Machine (2)

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Since the beginning of human history, or even before that, the existence of the devil has always existed.

Whenever humanity was in a corner, immortal heroes would appear and risk their lives to defeat the devil, but that peace would only last for a few hundred years at most.

In the end, a new Demon King appeared again.

Clearly, this cycle is destined to be a struggle that will repeat itself forever until either monsters or humans become extinct.

In order to fight against the demons and demons that walked this earth before mankind, mankind created a kind of system.

A fateful being who defeats the devil, created by the prayers and magic of humans reaching the goddess.

A strong shield that protects against the great evil that will destroy humanity.

That was a hero.

No one knew who could become a warrior or what the conditions for a warrior were, but in dark times when humanity was threatened, someone with unusual military power would always appear.

Most recently, a woman named Sylvia achieved the feat of a warrior.

Although she was still relatively young, she completed the fateful feat given to her and lost her life.

The struggle between the hero and the demon king was repeated over and over again.

War between humanity and demons.

However, this time the result was clearly different from the previous one.

Even though the Demon King died, peace did not come to mankind.

“So… You were trying to artificially create a hero?”

The Chief Justice looked at the Pope and opened his mouth in a defeated voice.

It was natural.

No matter how much it is the Pope’s will, trying to imitate the divine power bestowed by the Goddess with such a crude mechanical device?

There was no Buddhist scripture like this.

The whole body of the old man, who had lived his entire life as a priest, was trembling as he felt intense contempt and reluctance toward Alice.

The Pope opened his mouth in a confused voice.

“As you may know, our Goddess Church did not provide any help in the process of subduing the last demon king.”

“What on earth does that have to do with what’s happening now?”

“That’s right. “Isn’t it the church’s fault that a saint was not born?”

No matter how great the warrior is, the fate of mankind cannot be entrusted to just one person, so mankind has not forgotten to nurture talented people to help the warrior.

A wise man who is the greatest of wizards.

The most agile thief in the underworld.

A veteran adventurer who has explored numerous remote areas.

Veteran shield soldiers who reliably protected their allies.

There were always many talented people and outstanding heroes by the hero’s side, and they embarked on a journey to subdue the demon king together with the hero.

Among the warrior’s companions, the most famous and renowned being was, of course, a ‘saint.’

A warrior’s companion and a symbol of the goddess religion.

This is an essential element that always saves warriors and companions from danger and represents the goddess who protects humanity.

However, the saint did not participate in Sylvia’s journey.

This was because, for the first time in history, the Goddess Church could not produce a saint.

However, how can that be said to be the fault of the Goddess Church?

Where can one find a saint who was not even born?

The President of the Supreme Court and the Chairman of the Financial Council were extremely puzzled by the Pope’s words.

The Pope smiled at the gazes of the two people and opened his mouth.

“What if it’s the church’s fault?”

The Pope spoke in a stern voice, looking coldly at the chief judge who was giving him a vain look.

The three high-ranking priests present trembled, slightly surprised by that attitude.

This was because the Pope, who had always shown kindness and mercy to church members, felt a slight sense of anger, contempt, and ridicule.

“Your Holiness… What on earth are you talking about?”

“The saint was definitely born.”

“…Yes?”

Alice hardened her face.

In fact, she knew nothing about the background of this secret experiment that completely changed her body.

She longed for great power for revenge after losing her family and friends. Her Pope approached her and suggested an experiment on her, and among all the applicants with similar stories, she was the only one who survived. There was only left.

Therefore, she also did not know why the Pope conducted this experiment.

However, from here on, it was a story she also knew.

The reason why the saint could not participate in the warrior’s party.

“It was a girl named Julia. Her mother was a street prostitute and her father is unknown. Her biological mother, who thought it was an environment in which she could not be raised, abandoned her child in front of the cathedral, and she grew up in an orphanage affiliated with the religious order in the capital from her childhood. “She was a saint bestowed upon us by the Goddess.”

The head of the Grand Jury looked at the Pope with a puzzled expression.

I didn’t know the list of children in the orphanage, but I had never heard of a girl with the talents of a saint being discovered in the orphanage.

The Pope nodded his head as if the Supreme Court Director’s question was natural and continued speaking.

She said, “She already died ten years ago. “She was murdered before her talents could blossom.”

“What…? No, on earth… Who would dare…”

“Former Cardinal Elliot.”

The head of the Grand Jury, the Chairman, and the head of the Heresy Inquisition looked shocked at the name that came out of the Pope’s mouth.

It was easy to predict the full story of the incident just by hearing the name.

However, the kind explanation that came out of the Pope’s lips continued without any mercy.

“Yes, that’s right. He is a former cardinal. The corrupt priest whom Alice Goldfield punished. “He is the sinner who hid behind the face of the church and polluted countless children with greed.”

“…Ah, my God. How could this happen…”

“It is said that he was killed to hide his crime. Of course, even if she were alive, she would not have been able to manifest her saintly power since she had lost her virginity.”

“…”

Everyone could not keep their mouths shut at the tragic story told by the Pope.

The Chairman held his head with his head bowed, and the leader of the group, Ethan Shim, recited a small prayer.

“…May the Goddess look down on us.”

The Chief Justice looked up at the statue depicting the goddess with a shocked face.

It was only then that I understood why the Pope tolerated Alice arbitrarily punishing a high-ranking priest.

In fact, the position of the Goddess Church was noticeably diminishing even before Alice took in her corrupt nobles.

It was because people were disappointed that she could not provide any help to the warrior party.

It must have been the Pope’s will to punish the former cardinal and other corrupt church members who were the direct cause of this.

Moreover, it was clear that Alice’s activities, although worsening the church’s financial situation, had raised the status of the fallen Goddess Church to some extent.

However, this uncomfortable feeling that was still crawling on her skin did not go away.

The Pope must have sensed the antipathy felt by the priests and continued speaking immediately.

“It was necessary to correct the Goddess religion. “It was a terrible experiment, but I, as the Pope, swear in the name of the Goddess that no one was forcibly used in the experiment.”

“…But,”

“Are there still any questions? “Chief of the Supreme Court.”

The old man’s eyes turned to Alice’s chest again.

The hideous skin and the disturbing mechanical device that hissed within it could not be described as obscene in the eyes of anyone, let alone the priest, other than as an abomination both externally and religiously.

No matter how chaotic the time was, no matter how much the Goddess Church lost its position, no matter how powerful power was needed.

Why did the Pope, who was supposed to represent all the followers of the Goddess religion, have to take the lead in creating such a terrible being that seemed to go against the will of the Goddess?

“The cause of all the tragedies is the shortcomings and complacency of our goddess religion. And it is understandable that it was a corruption. But…”

“But?”

“Why… Did that result lead to creating such a monster?”

“It’s a monster…”

The Pope nodded his head slightly.

It definitely deserved to look that way.

With the power of divine power constantly gushing out from within her body, she gained power comparable to that of the warrior Sylvia, but the price was not small at all.

In the first place, the number of people who were sacrificed without leaving any results was not small, and

It didn’t look like it because she was sitting calmly, but it was clear that Alice was suffering from terrible pain at this very moment due to her constantly melting and regenerating skin.

Of course, the Pope had a reason to conduct this experiment.

But even Alice, her party, has not yet heard the reason from the Pope.

Even now that Pope had revealed her truth about Alice, he bit her lip, pondering, not sure if he should reveal everything he knew.

The truth they don’t know, and even the researchers who participated in the experiment don’t yet know.

Is it right to share this terrible truth that only you know?

After his agony, the Pope began to cautiously open his mouth.

“There was a revelation.”

“Revelation…?”

“This is a revelation received directly from the Goddess. With that revelation, I also learned the story of the saint who had already lost her life.”

“The Goddess spoke directly to the Holy Father…?”

“…Yes.”

Everything that came out of the Pope’s mouth today was shocking, but to the clergy, this statement was the most surprising.

A human being who communicated directly with God!

It was one of the most significant events in the history of the Goddess religion, which has continued for over a thousand years.

“Your Holiness… Why have you been hiding such an important matter… No, the fact that you spoke directly with God!”

“…”

“This is a major incident. “That fact alone is enough to restore the lost status of the Goddess Church!”

“…Calm down. Chairman.”

“How can I calm down? His Holiness! Why until now…”

“Should I have revealed it?”

“Isn’t it obvious!”

“Even if the revelation foretells the destruction of mankind?”

The Chairman’s tongue stiffened in an instant.

No, not only the chairman but everyone’s faces, including Alice, turned cold.

“The destruction of humanity…?”

“If you don’t prepare… That’s right.”

A bitter smile and shadow appeared on the Pope’s face.

“Did you even tell me what was going on?”

“Yes… But, I’m not sure if I should tell you just yet. “I’ll think about it a little more.”

The most important content was hidden, but no one could urge the Pope to reveal the truth.

Because what I had heard so far was already a terrible enough story.

The destruction of humanity announced directly by the goddess.

That was the real reason for the Pope’s secret experiment.

Many talented people have already died after being recruited to the last warrior party.

Even the hero himself died with the Demon King, and even the saint is gone now.

A hero was needed to prepare for the coming destruction of humanity.

A hero who can perform the roles of the entire party on his own.

The solution proposed by the Pope was to create a being with undying divine power through a secret experiment.

She also did not want to do something like this, which directly violated the tenets of the religion she had been taught, but this was a method that the goddess herself had taught her.

The Pope slowly looked at Alice and opened his mouth.

“Get dressed again. Alice Goldfield.”

“…Yes,”

“Although it is radical, we will not stop your activities as it is a righteous cause. However, what other priests say is also not wrong.”

“…”

“In particular, the issue of dead priests cannot be ignored.”

Alice put her armor on her chest again and spoke to the Chairman of the Finance Council.

“What should I do?”

“…”

“Chairman.”

It was only when Alice called again that the Chairman came out of her shock and came to her senses.

After shaking his head and catching his breath for a moment, he took out the monocle he had kept in his pocket, wiped it, and answered with a sigh.

“First of all… Consolation payments to the bereaved families and compensation for those killed in the line of duty. And you will need money for a funeral. An investigation into the exact cause of death will also be necessary…”

“Those five priests were murdered.”

The leader frowned at Alice’s remarks and asked back.

“What?”

“It is unclear whether it is a monster or a human, but it is certain that it at least died during the battle.”

“How did you know that?”

“The divine power I implanted in them… No, did you say consecration? “I’m not sure, but I felt that the divine power I had placed in them was disappearing one by one.”

“…What is that?”

“It took about 10 minutes from the time the first person’s divine power disappeared until everyone else’s divine power disappeared. If there had been an accident, everyone would have died at once. If it had been a bottle, the interval would have been a little longer. So death in battle is almost certain.”

Alice said, looking straight up at the leader who was looking blankly at her.

The leader was a little impressed by Alice’s neat explanation, but glared at her without showing any signs of it.

Alice returned her gaze to her chair and finished her sentence.

“I will take full responsibility for the necessary amount.”

“I don’t know how much it will be yet…”

“It doesn’t matter. Please take it from my paycheck.”

“It’s barely enough to cover a month’s salary for one Heretic Questioner…”

“It’s a lifetime.”

Alice said firmly.

She also felt guilty about those she had driven to death, including Melbourne.

Anyway, Alice no longer cared what happened to money.

The chairman asked her again, wondering if she had misheard.

“What?”

“Please pass on all of the salary I will receive in the future, excluding the cost of operating my facility, to the surviving family members.”

“If it is a facility…”

It refers to the pig farm.

A hell where many evildoers, including former Cardinal Elliot, are trapped and howl.

Alice, a hero born from a terrible experiment and a seething desire for revenge.

That terrible space that seems to have recreated the burning pain and revenge she feels on this world.

The chairman, who had heard the rumor well, shuddered and nodded his head.

The Pope slowly opened his mouth.

“Well, I guess the story is over.”

“…”

“As you know, I will refrain from disclosing anything I heard here today.”

“Of course… If news like this spreads…”

Director Daesim lowered his head without being able to finish his sentence.

The Pope could understand the old man’s despair.

At the same time, he felt it was right not to tell the whole truth.

She nodded her head and continued her sentence.

“If you violate this, you will be dismissed regardless of your rank. And…”

The priests slowly looked at the Pope’s lips.

The Pope spoke his last words firmly with a stiff face.

“A hero of our Goddess Church. Alice will go and ask for the blame.”

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