The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 84.1

Chapter 84.1: Proof of Spring (6)

Until now, Archbishop Barbetta’s words had been as smooth as the countless postponements he’d made.

“‘Light’ judges sin and divides Heaven and Hell. But…… at the same time, He is also the one who gives opportunities for atonement.”

However, the words that followed were unnatural, as if he were uttering them for the first time.

“But why do witches not even have that chance?”

Cain listened silently to his words.

It was a question of blood and a confession that a man carried throughout his life.

“If witches are heretics to be killed, why do the people around them have to be killed? I still don’t know the answer.”

Whooosh—

Barbetta raised his arm.

A brilliant white light source appeared on his palm.

It was a sacred light, different from the ‘Light’ magic that wizards cast, a sacred light in which a priest embodied the divine power in reality.

“But even though I have had such blasphemous thoughts for a long time, this foolish servant was not deprived of his grace.”

Divine power to prove the existence of God.

To be imbued with divine power meant to be favored by God.

“If you follow a heretic like a devil or a monster, the divine power disappears immediately. But the fact that it remains only in the case of witches seems to mean that the ‘Light’ has something in mind.”

Cain pointed north, where the Saintess would be.

“What does the Saintess say?”

“She acts. She’s mainly good at finding and killing them.”

“Then wouldn’t she be right? The Saintess is closest to God.”

Cain’s words were perfectly logical, but Barbetta shook his head resolutely.

He calmly spoke words that would have been a big deal if anyone from the Holy See had been around.

“The Saintess is too human.”

“Human?”

“Whenever she talks about you, she shows an indescribable amount of anger.”

It was understandable.

She had to watch the hero Abel die before her eyes without even knowing why Cain was killing him.

He didn’t know how far she had seen the previous world line through the sacred treasure, but if she had seen that part, even a little would have been enough.

That was the part Barbetta was pointing out.

“The reason why the Saintess is closest to God is because she was chosen by the Holy Crown, ‘Autumn,’ one of the 〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉.”

“I see.”

As the master of ‘Winter,’ he knew that fact, but it was likely unknown to the ordinary aristocrats of Airian.

Cain pretended not to know and listened intently.

Although people who knew would know, it was a fairly positive sign that Barbetta was telling him something close to the secret of the world.

“And ‘Autumn’ shows the Saintess the fate of the world.”

“……!”

No matter how well you know something, there is always something new to learn when you hear it again.

This was the case now.

‘The Saintess is the Observer of Fate.’

If the owner of the Holy Crown, ‘Autumn,’ was the observer.

Then the owner of the Holy Sword, ‘Summer,’ was the hero who fought in front of everyone.

‘And the Winter Sword was the last bastion to protect humanity.’

Then what were the 『Four Seasons』, where all the seasons became one?

Cain smiled bitterly, recalling the title of the quest window that only he could see: ‘Annihilator of Destruction.’

Because he realized that even what he already knew in the world he lived in twice was something he didn’t know well.

Barbetta continued.

“The Saintess observes the fate shown by the Holy Crown and explains it in a way that humans can understand.”

“She shouldn’t be human.”

He closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and finally nodded.

“Yes. How can a human being not be human, but a Saintess should not be human. Even the Saintess of the previous generation, whom I saw, only observed thoroughly.”

Emotions were human.

If a human who had to peek into the fate of the world and speak had emotions, they would see that fate mixed with their own emotions.

That was the reason why Barbetta distrusted this generation’s Saintess.

“You called me because of this.”

He gave himself various pieces of information.

He told him his true feelings about witches.

And doubts about the Saintess along with his faith in the light.

Cain could now understand Barbetta’s intentions.

“When I told the Saintess my suspicions about Edmund, I also told her about you. And the look on her face is still vivid in my mind.”

Barbetta tapped his head.

Barbetta must have planned this day in response to her extremely human reaction.

“I don’t know if you will become the Demon King. I don’t know if you’re involved with the witches. So I will only believe in the divine power bestowed by the ‘light.’”

Hwaaaaaaaaaaaah—

The pure white divine power that bloomed from Barbetta’s hand was transmitted to Cain.

As soon as it touched Cain’s body, it emitted an even brighter light.

He made the sign of the cross as if he knew it would be.

It wasn’t the first time he had seen divine power.

However, the moment Barbetta’s white divine power touched him, Cain felt a very familiar feeling.

‘Winter’s lightning bolt?’

Pure White Thunderbolt and pure white divine power.

There must be some connection.

But as it was something he couldn’t figure out right away, Cain looked up and asked,

“Is this the witch trial?”

Barbetta smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“You could call it that, but it’s a little different because there are many ordinary people who don’t react to divine power.”

Cain felt a chill in Barbetta’s eyes as he saw the fanaticism and blindness in them, and he asked,

“If I hadn’t reacted like those ordinary people……”

“I believe that the ‘light’ would not have rejected you.”

He said flatly.

In his words, spoken as if it could never happen, Cain smiled inwardly.

‘He’s more of a devout fanatic than an awakened clergyman.’

His suspicion of the Saintess must also be a question of her qualifications.

Fortunately, he was a fanatic who benefited him, but if it had been the other way around, he could have clearly seen a future where he would have been opposed and persecuted by Archbishop Barbetta at every turn.

Thud—

Barbetta took out a winged card from his arms.

“This is the Archbishop’s letter of guarantee. It will be quite useful to you.”

“Are you sure? It’s quite a burden to go against the Saintess.”

Even if Barbetta distrusted the Saintess, she was recognized as having absolute power, except for the Pope.

Since she was accusing Cain of being the Demon King, Barbetta’s actions were dangerous.

“Because this is the right thing to do.”

But Barbetta spoke as calmly as when he was talking about the witch trial.

“And I believe that is what the ‘light’ desires. Whether you become the Demon King as the Saintess says, or the hero, it is all the will of the ‘light.’”

Cain took the Archbishop’s letter of guarantee.

“What if I use this to defend the witches?”

Barbetta smiled, made the sign of the cross once more, and gave the Holy See greeting.

“All things are by the ‘light.’”

[‘Winter’ smiles.]

[World Line Fixation : ▲ 18%]

In the past, Cain had wondered if the people of the Holy See used the phrase “let it be” as a fancy greeting.

It was the same now.

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• Scrolling Through Reddit: “My dog got into the Chinese take-out before I did”
• From Page to Screen: The Grim Reality of Novel to Netflix Adaptation
• Yo, What If China Invaded Japan? Would Yokai Help Out?
• Eren Yeager vs. Gundam: Who Would Win in a Titan-Sized Showdown?
• Will My Cat Eat Me When I Die? (The Truth Might Hurt… Your Feelings)