“What is this? A fallen angel?”
“What?”
“How can a saintess summon a fallen angel?!”
The bishops and the pope were stunned. No one would expect Sera of all people to summon a fallen angel.
Sera only looked at the fallen angel with a terrified face. That day, something died inside of her.
“Why? Why? Why?!” Sera screamed, asking the same question over and over again. “Why did I summon a fallen angel? I had done everything I could and followed their teaching. But why?”
It didn’t take too long for everything to crumble.
“Have you heard that the saintess has fallen?”
“To think she summons a fallen angel.”
“I guess we’re expecting too much from her. She is nothing.”
“There are other saints and saintesses who are better than her. She just wields Ena better. It doesn’t mean she is more suitable as the saintess.”
The people who had been talking good about her changed completely. All their harsh words struck deep in her heart.
At that time, her angel said, “This is a trial that you need to overcome. Are you going to lose just because of this, Serafina? I know you are better than anyone else. Prove them that they are wrong.”
However, her fallen angel said, “What trial? They don’t even realize that their expectation is like a poison. When you do good, you will be praised by others. They don’t care about you. They only care about your achievement. Once you are not useful anymore, they will throw you away without any hesitation.”
“You are wrong. Everything has been arranged. Once she overcomes it, she will rise even further.”
“You always mention a challenge, but this one is not a challenge. It’s torture.” The fallen angel snorted.
Sera closed her eyes and ears as if she didn’t want to hear anything. She just wanted to isolate herself without the need to care for other things.
However, she knew very well it was impossible.
At that time, the pope visited her.
“Sera…”
“Teacher…” Sera looked down, her tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I must have disappointed you.”
“You have never disappointed me.” The Pope smiled. His gentle face looked so sincere.
“But…”
The Pope shook his head. “What is your goal, Sera?”
“My goal… I just want to—!”
The Pope stopped her. “No. I mean, your original goal. Why do you become one of us? Back then, what did you wish for?”
“I… want to help people. I was an orphan who had nothing. I kept rummaging everything just to find anything to eat. My parents had died due to the famine, so after that day, I wished I could end the world’s hunger. I know it’s impossible, but I will keep trying, at least moving toward my goal without stopping.”
“In that case, you still haven’t disappointed me.” The Pope smiled. “All I wish for all of you to achieve your goal as long as it’s for the good of the world and the people.”
“But I have summoned a fallen angel!”
“And what’s wrong with that?” The Pope looked up. “I will tell you about a certain story. In the past, there was a kid who killed his own father. Do you say that kid is bad or good?”
“He is a bad kid,” Sera answered without hesitation.
“What if I tell you that because he hesitated to kill his father, the latter ended up causing a genocide, killing more than a hundred people? It was because the kid believed that his father should have the chance to remain alive that he caused the death of a hundred people.”
“That’s…”
“Then let me reword it. What if, because he killed his father, he managed to stop the genocide?”
“He…” Sera couldn’t answer. In the end, the kid did a good thing in the grand scheme of things. However, he still killed someone, which was a sin.
That was when the Pope smiled. “What if you were that child? Would you kill your father or not, not knowing whether he would kill people?” freewebnσvel.cm
“I don’t know.”
“That’s right. I don’t know.” The Pope patted her head. “We don’t know whether you will do a good thing or a bad thing to the world by summoning a fallen angel.
“So how could you know whether you have disappointed me or not? Even a criminal can repent and atone for his mistake, so why do you think the fallen angel can’t do that?”
Sera looked at him with a shocked face.
“You have summoned a fallen angel, but have you done something bad?”
“I don’t know, but I have been striving to be a good person.” Continue your journey with
“And that’s all that matters. That fallen angel, whose fallen angel is it?”
“Mine.”
“Then, will you do bad things or strive to achieve your goal after all this?”
Sera clenched her fists. “I will continue to strive for my goal! I know how hungry one can become. I don’t want them to suffer like that if possible.”
“Then do it. After all, you are the one who can determine your own fate. Whether you become a good person or a bad person, it’s you. Whether you help people or abandon them, it’s your decision. The one who defines you is yourself and…” the Pope pointed up. “So, choose your own path, my child.”
Sera took a deep breath. “Yes, Teacher!”
“Just don’t forget this one thing. Bad things, at times, do happen to good people. However, continue believing in what is right. And as your teacher, I will support you.” The Pope smiled.
Unlike others, the pope never really judged her. A mistake would remain as a mistake if they didn’t correct it. And that was what she should focus on.
When she recalled all those words, Sera closed her eyes. Her intense glare calmed down and her shaken body stopped.
She opened the bed sheet, tossed it away, and stood up. Her face had been filled with resolve.
She finally had the answer to the question that Nathan asked back then. This time, it wasn’t because her familiars told her. It came from her own heart.
“I need to see Nathan.”