“I had to listen to Cardinal Hildred or else I would have also ended up dead like all the others.”
Priestess Helena said.
Listening to Priestess Helena, it was certain that she was just someone who got dragged into everything by circumstances. That is if she was telling the truth.
One could even sympathize with Priestess Helena as her situation was really not good. A girl who didn’t know anything got dragged into one of the biggest conspiracies and she tried to stay alive by just listening to Cardinal Hildred.
Even so, Zero didn’t have time to feel pity for her. She was one of the unfortunate and she was one the luckiest as she had at least managed to stay alive. Rather than pitying someone, Zero had to concentrate on the new information that he obtained.
He didn’t think that Cardinal Hildred was in cahoots with the Devils for so long. If so, the information that the Devils got from her wouldn’t be small.
Cardinal Hildred was fairly in a high position and had access to much sensitive information. If so, it was certain that Devils had access to those information.
Moreover, according to Priestess Helena, it also seemed that the reason behind many of the high-ranking people from the Church disappearing was all her responsibility.
( Anyway, The Lord should be a scheming person. )
He had someone spy on The Church and even have her kill Saintess. Even so, he never showed himself. Moreover, from the fact that such a Devil was not mentioned in the novel, Zero was sure that he was someone who would just stay back and have others do his job.
He was very cautious despite being very strong. A coward one might say or you could call him smart.
Anyway, such people were difficult to deal with. They would never show themselves until the end.
[ “Luminescent Aurorisea” ]
Just when he was in deep thought, Saintess Amelia began healing his body.
“Saintess Amelia!”
He was startled by her.
“Stay still. I will heal you.”
Amelia said.
“I am okay. You should heal other people first.”
Zero said. While his body was not in great condition, he could manage it.
“I have healed most of the priests. They will help others. Now just stay still and let me do my job.”
ƥαṇdαηθνε|
Zero could only give up and let Saintess heal him. He looked around to see that many people had regained their consciousness and even started helping others.
Zero sat there and started to recover with the help of Saintess Amelia’s healing skills. His pain was gradually decreasing.
“Zero, thank you! Thank you!”
Amelia said, her voice filled with overwhelming gratitude and relief.
Tears streamed down her face as she thought about the danger Zero had to face, and how he had risked everything to keep them safe.
Amelia reached out and took Zero’s hand, holding it tightly as she looked into his eyes with deep gratitude.
“Thank you, Zero! You have given us all a second chance at life, and I will never forget the sacrifice you made for us,” she said, her voice filled with sincerity and reverence.
Others might not know, but she knew the full truth about Zero’s sacrifices. How much he had to suffer because of her. It was to the point that she knew that he could have been controlled by Cardinal Hildred.
Amelia’s gratitude and emotion made Zero feel uneasy, as he wasn’t used to receiving such heartfelt thanks. He quickly tried to downplay his actions, not wanting to be in this situation any longer.
“It’s fine, Saintess Amelia,” he said, trying to ease the tension. “As I said, I owe you one. Take it as me paying you back for saving my life before.”
He hoped that his words would be enough to shift the focus away from himself, but Amelia wasn’t about to let it go so easily. She looked at him with sincere appreciation, unwilling to let him off the hook so easily.
“Zero, what you did today was more than just paying me back. You risked your life to save us all. You are a true hero,” she said, her voice filled with conviction.
Zero felt a sense of embarrassment wash over him as he heard her words. He didn’t consider himself to be a hero.
( This title should be given to someone like Hiro! )
Zero thought. He didn’t think of himself as a hero nor did he want to become one. The title was reserved for someone like Hiro, who had a selfless spirit and a natural inclination to help others in need.
If it wasn’t for his life being saved by Saintess Amelia, Zero doubted whether he would have taken the risk to save her. Unlike Hiro, who would have gone to the aid of anyone in trouble without hesitation, Zero didn’t have the same innate heroism.
But he knew that Amelia’s words came from the heart, and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat happy to hear her say that.
As they sat in silence, Amelia couldn’t help but steal glances at Zero every so often. But every time Zero caught her looking, she would quickly avert her gaze and pretend she hadn’t been staring.
Zero couldn’t help but feel confused by Saintess Amelia’s behavior. He even began to wonder if there was something on his face that was causing her to act so strangely.
Desperately, he reached up and wiped his hand across his face, hoping to remove whatever it was that was causing Amelia to act so oddly. But to his disappointment, he found nothing.
Zero couldn’t understand Amelia’s behavior. He wondered if she was still worried about him or if there was something else on her mind.
( Maybe she is still in shock finding found out about Cardinal Hildred and others betraying the Church. )
Zero thought.
He thought that perhaps Amelia was still processing the news and trying to come to terms with the fact that those she had trusted and looked up to had turned out to be traitors. It was understandable that she might be a bit distracted and distant as a result.
Zero decided to give her some space and not push the issue any further. He believed that she would become normal after some time.
But anyway, he didn’t think assuming things were good and for clarification decided to ask her directly.
“Saintess Amelia, is everything alright?” he asked, breaking the silence.
Amelia looked up at him.
“Yes, everything is alright!”
Zero didn’t believe that as she was obviously acting weird. But he didn’t say anything as he thought that they were not close enough for her to share her problem with him.
Saintess Amelia glanced at Zero again and couldn’t contain herself any longer. She turned to Zero and asked, her voice fraught with emotion, “Zero, you said that Mia is just your teacher right?”
???
Zero was confused as to why she brought this up now.
Zero nodded. “Yes, she is just my teacher. Why do you ask?”
Amelia hesitated for a moment before speaking. “It’s just that… I thought maybe there was something more between you two. The way Mia cared for you seemed more than what a teacher would for a student. I thought that maybe you two are dating or something.”
Zero was startled by what Saintess Amelia said. Then he quickly calmed down and answered.
“No, there’s nothing like that between us. Professor Mia is a very kind and caring teacher. She may mean more to me than just a teacher, but we are definitely not dating. How could someone like her ever be interested in someone like me?”
Zero’s words were tinged with a mixture of sadness and self-deprecation, as he couldn’t help but feel inferior when compared to the stunningly beautiful and accomplished Professor Mia.
He didn’t think of himself as very ugly but he was talking about that when compared to the most beautiful women in the world. Despite having somewhat good looks, he totally looked like an NPC when placed near Professor Mia.
Amelia nodded, seeming relieved. She even appeared a little happy.
“I see. I’m sorry for assuming things.”
“It’s alright,” Zero said, smiling. He didn’t think much about what she said and only thought that she was worried about Professor Mia just like when he first met her.
They fell into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Zero couldn’t help but think about Professor Mia after Saintess Amelia mentioned her. Last time, he didn’t have the opportunity to talk to her but maybe he thought that he should talk to her.
He got a headache thinking about the explanation that he might need to come up with after being gone for 2 years. Meanwhile, Amelia seemed lost in her own happy and excited thoughts, oblivious to the pain and turmoil that Zero was going through.
After a while, Amelia stood up. “I should go check on the others. Thank you again for everything, Zero.”
“Anytime,” Zero said, nodding in acknowledgment.
He just sat there and looked at the destruction that had been brought about by the conflict between Cardinal Hildred and him.