I Became the Burden of a Conscienceless Party

103 – Faith and Love (4)

Faith and Love (4)

Third and Esmeralda suddenly meet.

The battle between these two was taking an unexpected direction.

“Eww?! W, what is it!”

“Tsk… … .”

Legion Commander Third. A Legion Commander who is two levels stronger than Five.

However, surprisingly, it was Esmeralda who was overwhelming.

She, who always had a hard time against the legion commanders, is now strong enough to defeat them?

No, that can’t be true.

As of this afternoon, she had barely been able to hold out against the weakened Five, let alone win.

But the reason she was able to overwhelm Third was none other than this.

[Note: I plan to use my left hand to get your attention and then use my right hand to do some magic and throw the lit match.]

Third didn’t get along well with Esmeralda.

Small gestures, playful tones, the way you place your feet, even the angle of your wrists.

As a third who uses every action and word as a trick for battle, he cannot fool Esmeralda who can read thoughts.

Because the meaning contained in each and every one of those actions is clearly visible.

‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Seriously, what the hell is this kid! Is he crazy?!’

Third felt a sense of crisis.

Her power comes from deceiving her opponents.

That is to say, if she can’t deceive, her power is useless.

The ability to turn fantasy into reality.

Such a powerful ability naturally requires appropriate conditions.

The condition for that is to make the other person believe that the fantasy is reality.

Third has done it with exaggerated gestures, speech, and magic.

Usually once was enough.

If you can show that fantasy can become reality even just once, the other person will eventually accept it as truth.

And even if the enemy knew of her abilities, it would be nearly impossible to simply destroy them.

The original trick of the eye is to exploit a gap in consciousness. Just by making the other person’s head turn white for a moment, they will believe it to be true.

Like the audience in a horror show who still screams even though they know the ghosts are fake.

[Note: I plan to use illusion magic by stepping out at a 43° angle to make the dirt rise up and then throwing the dagger hidden in my wrist.]

That’s why it doesn’t work on Esmeralda, who can read other people’s thoughts.

Because every single action of Third’s to deceive was clearly visible.

It’s like the ghost in a horror play knows in advance when, where, and how it’s going to startle you.

‘You really think a lot… … Don’t you get tired when you fight like that?’

Esmeralda was disgusted.

I couldn’t understand the other person’s way of thinking, which put meaning into every action. Of course, apart from that, the current situation allowed Esmeralda to exert her power to the fullest.

The more thoughtful the opponent is, the more Esmeralda can gain the upper hand.

And the scariest thing was that she didn’t show it.

She realizes that it is her greatest weapon.

Esmeralda is not a very smart person by nature, but she knows how to handle the most important things.

That’s why I’ve been able to tightrope walk in the warrior party until now.

“No, this doesn’t surprise me… … ?!”

However, Third, who did not know the inside story, glared at Esmeralda with a pale face and ground his teeth.

She was the commander of the 3rd Corps in the Demon King’s Army. Up until now, there have only been three beings who could defeat her.

The first one is the second.

The werewolf, who was his childhood friend, had a sense that was close to foreseeing the future, so he could see through all of Third’s tricks.

That’s why the third can’t beat the second. But at the same time, he can only show his true feelings to the second.

Because only he knows my true feelings that even Third doesn’t know.

The second is the first.

The First, like Esmeralda now, was unable to make fantasy a reality.

Of course, the two have different endings.

This is because the First doesn’t even feel threatened by the prank-level attacks that the Third shows.

That is, his mind was not shaken no matter what Third did.

In such a situation, it is impossible to deceive the First, who knows the Third’s abilities.

And the long-awaited third.

This is, of course, the Demon King Belphegor.

She chose to completely destroy Third’s pride.

Yes, she believed all the illusions that Third had created as truth, but she destroyed them head-on.

It is indeed ignorant, but it can be said that it has achieved the most overwhelming victory.

“Ugh… … .”

If so, right now.

What would Third think when faced with yet another person who would undermine her abilities?

“You are so smart!”

“Well, it’s kind of like that.”

It was cool and overrated.

Esmeralda felt a little better.

***

Before speaking with Jim, Irina grabbed the passed out extra in the next room by the collar and threw him out.

Rather than releasing it… it was closer to putting it away in advance in case someone woke up in the middle and interfered.

Jim, who was suddenly left alone with Irina, felt his heart pounding.

It was partly because I was alone with the beautiful woman named Irina, but it was also probably because of the tools of unknown purpose that Irina had brought with her.

“Is it okay if I sit next to you?”

“Sure.”

Jim moved aside a little to make room for Irina to sit.

Irina sat next to him with her usual reserved demeanor.

The two people continued their silence at a distance where their shoulders seemed to touch.

In the end, it was Jim who spoke first, having become somewhat accustomed to the situation.

“We decided to have a frank conversation. Your Majesty, is there anything you would like to hear from me?”

“That’s right… … . There are things I want to hear and things I want to say. I have both, but I don’t know where to start or how to start.”

Irina took a deep breath and chose her words slowly.

And I remembered the moment when the dark sky turned blue again.

How could I ever forget that miraculous moment that I had been desperately searching for?

Irina was in a hurry.

No matter how hard he tried to fool himself, he could never pretend not to know that what he was doing was sinful.

A sense of guilt that builds up slowly.

The feeling of moving forward alone in the darkness.

I’ve been lying for so long that I don’t even remember who I am.

That’s probably why.

I didn’t even know whether I wanted to live or die.

‘That is why your existence is… … .’

That’s why at the moment when Jim showed her a miracle, she felt like God.

He could feel that God was with him.

The Heavenly Gods were believed to have abandoned the Heavenly Gods because they were disappointed in the Heavenly Gods sect.

That splendid and great god was always by Irina’s side.

Yeah, he was always by her side.

But how could she not accept that situation as God’s mercy?

‘You have become like my other half.’

It’s an ironic situation.

Don’t they look so similar to the current Heavenly God, who has half the blood of the Demon Tribe, and the other half, who lives as a burden?

‘So I didn’t know.’

I felt relieved by Jim’s presence.

As Irina walked alone through the darkness, lights rose around her.

People are so fickle.

You feel relieved even though you know that the light is not for you.

‘I want you… … .’

I know Jim wants to leave the warrior party.

It seemed as if the angel was leaving his side, and he kept disturbing him.

So the question arises here: why has she prevented Jim from escaping so far?

‘Do you love or do you believe?’

Which emotion is that?

Actually, there were signs.

When I first noticed the presence of luggage.

She started playing with the luggage. But can we say for sure that it was because of the specialness of her existence?

‘But now I know.’

That’s just an opportunity.

Irina really enjoyed tormenting Jim.

It’s like a teenage boy bullying the girl he likes.

And yet, he tried every possible way to prevent him from leaving.

And the moment she realized that he was a god, what must Irina have felt?

‘I called it love.’

Love, not faith.

He loved Jim as if he were using the fact that he was a god as an excuse.

Isn’t that funny?

Even though she said she had to restore his memories and turn him back into a god, she never once called him a god in front of Jim.

Because our current relationship is good.

Because I didn’t want to turn it into an object of one-sided faith.

Faith and love.

Irina, who was doing both, was always troubled.

‘therefore.’

What is she doing?

Love mistaken for faith?

A faith mistaken for love?

Or both?

Or is it just a lie, an escape from neither?

“So, Mr. Jim, your highness.”

But Irina knows.

He probably knew exactly what he was feeling.

Still, it increased the choices.

I’ve been lying.

“I would like to ask you as a representative of the servants who once betrayed you.”

Because I was scared.

The corruption of the Celestial Church.

The one who represented the Cheonshin sect betrayed Cheonshin and tried to bring him down.

Because of this, their god who watched over the world disappeared, and their followers could no longer hear the voice of their god.

Now I know it wasn’t just because of the disappointment of the gods.

She knows that the current heaven is not perfect.

They also know that the reason why they are no longer blessed or given miracles is because of a problem with the heavens themselves.

But can we say for sure that the gods were not disappointed in them?

‘It has come to this. You are suffering like this.’

But can he still say that he loves those who trusted and followed him the most, and who led his frail body alone without reaching out to them?

Irina didn’t think it mattered.

Because I thought that faith was something to be given and not something to be given and received.

But that’s why she wanted to ask him about this feeling she was feeling right now.

Yeah, this feeling she’s feeling right now is… … .

“Can I love you?”

Because I wanted to give and receive, not end it one-sidedly.