Will of God
＊
From the start, the man called Samon was an ambitious man. Even him managing to take the top spot known as the Archbishop, was not only because he’d possessed a scarce talent for magic, but the result of his ploys and schemes……until he encountered the woman called Aseres, that is.
The position known as the Archbishop has the secret mission of hiding the Aristo’s bloodline. He could do nothing but quietly watch over the sight of her, an Inept, receiving abuse from the nobles. However, Aseres was a girl who always brightens the surroundings with her smile like the sun.
“I love you”
He thought he could even abandon that status of his. Abandon everything and be with her.
“Me too……but, you’re someone who can save even more people”
Aseres enlightened him as such, and a few days later, she disappeared before Samon.
And then, a year later. A single letter and a single baby was placed in front of Saint・Lizabeth Church. That was, undoubtedly her handwriting. He, had realised. The fact that Aseres is already not in this world. It’s precisely so, that she entrusted this baby to himself.
Ironically, it was the day of the ritual to bless newborn children. A ritual where the parents of the children born that month gather, and the Archbishop offer prayers to God. Samon, while carrying his own child, offers prayers for the other children.
While progressing with the ritual, unbearable grief at the fact that he has to pray to God for the happiness of other children while being unable to do anything for his own child, who is an Inept, welled up. And then, he couldn’t forgive his powerless self that couldn’t do anything for this child.
When he was presented a certain child, a single thought flashed in the back of his mind. By any chance, if he removes the substance that dwells within this child, won’t this child no longer be an Inept.
In that room were Samon, his child, and three children whose name he doesn’t even know. He immediately took out the substance that dwells within with magic. However……that substance, it dissolves like sand when it comes in contact with air.
Before he knew it, Samon was stuffing it into the body of another child. It’s pretty much a reflexive action, one can say. At that time, an Aristo believer, who found it suspicious that the ritual was taking a long time, knocked on the door, and he flusteredly hid his child.
He doesn’t know the parents of that child that became the Holy Ark. Not even whether they’re noble, or whether they’re commoners. The parents’ names aren’t revealed to Samon under the pretext that they perform the ritual regardless of wealth and poverty in the eyes of God. It’s just that, even though he knew that it’s hypocritical, he wished for the happiness of that child who became the Holy Ark.
And then, the time to separate with his child came right away. If the child’s blood ties with Samon come to light, this child will surely lose her life. He already, has to forget about this child and live his life forever. As the Archbishop, he admitted that child into the anonymous institution.
The anonymous institution is a place where parents, who can’t have children, adopt an abandoned child as their foster child anonymously. Entrusting the child there, was the best he could do for his child in his position.
He doesn’t know whether the child was adopted by nobles or whether she was adopted by commoners. However, for the sake of the child that became an Inept, and is the Holy Ark……and then, for the sake of his own child that he can’t even find out was adopted by who, he swears to give it his everything. So that it becomes a country where be it an Inept, or whatever social status they are, they can live with a smile.
Samon swore that not to God……but to himself, and to the deceased Aseres.
＊
Samon, who was penetrated by the Dark Magician, collapsed onto the ground as it is. Asch rushes over to the side of Lily and Cis right away.
“Asch-sensei……what should we do……Lily is……Lily is!”
Cis shouts while desperately pressing on the blood that’s flowing from Lily’s wound.
“……calm down, Cis. Do you remember what happened that time?”
Asch gently pats her head.
“That time……”
“The time we were attacked by the Aristo believer at the lake. At that time, you healed the man who was on the brink of death”
“No way……I, did nothing……”
“After that, you couldn’t even chant magic no matter how many times you try. At that time, I thought.『Aah, maybe your power is something that only reacts to Light Element user』”
Asch, he discovered the aptitude of the child of God in the vessel called Cis.
“Sensei! Rather than something like that, help Lily”
“Cis……take a look at your hands?”
“My hands……are……shining?”
That light erased Lily’s wound rapidly. And then, Lily’s complexion improved, and before long, she woke up like nothing happened.
“……Cis……and……geh, Asch-sensei”
“……it looks like the only thing that it couldn’t treat was, how bad your mouth is huh”
Saying that, Asch turns around and moves closer to Samon.
“Why……are you……”
Samon voices his unadulterated question. Asch’s damage is something that will take several days through natural healing. It’s not severe, but it’s not something that will heal in this short time.
“It’s troubling if you underestimate my doll. She won’t stop moving just from losing her head. With her selfless Healing Magic, I somehow managed to come all the way here……it was mildly unpleasant to be healed by the headless her though”
“……is that so. I’m going……to die……without accomplishing anything huh”
Samon’s fingertips, they’re gradually turning into ash. The compensation for freely using Contract Magic, had already started robbing Samon’s life.
“……Cis, Lily. Please come over here”
Asch calmly made the two of them get close to Samon.
“……why! A person like this, I don’t even want to see his face”
Lily answers disgruntedly.
Samon stares fixedly at the face of such her.
“Fufu……Asch＝Dahl. I got completely deceived. I ended up wavering as well”
It’s impossible for her to so conveniently be at a place like this. It’s no more than just, a young girl who coincidentally possessed her resemblance.
“……Lily, Cis. Listen, carefully. He was a genuine saint who placed his life on the line for the sake of others. However……he ended up coming all the way here, unable to stop, all whilst being on the wrong path. The fate of such a pitiful man……please witness it with your eyes until the end”
“”……””
“Please learn from him, you girls. Up until the very end, please burn it into those eyes”
Cis and Lily, they stared at Samon as Asch said.
Samon, too, amidst his blurring and fading consciousness, stares at her once again.
“Asch＝Dahl……no matter what……it’s impossible, right”
“Who knows……I don’t really understand what’s true or false. However, based on my thinking, I think the vessel and the content are attracted to each other. Besides……don’t you guys say it at times like these? 『Everything is as the will of God』”
“……”
Without saying anything else, Samon stared straight at her.
You……grew up……
Oh, God……as I thought……you are mean……showing such a spectacle…….to me……who’s dying……
・・・
All of Samon’s body turned into ash and disappeared.
“……Lily, what’s wrong?”
When Cis looked at her, tears were flowing down Lily’s cheek.
“……eh? Ah……oh my, why……won’t it stop”
“Lily……”
“……why……when I see that person……suddenly……”
At that time, Asch pat Lily’s head.
“……no matter who it is, they’ll have such feelings when somebody who lived their entire life dies”
“Asch-sensei……”
“Now then, I’ve got to retrieve Mira. Most of her quasi-body fluid ended up draining, and she’s in an almost immobile state. As she is now, she’s no more than a headless doll”
“Y……ouu! There are slightly better ways of putting things, right!”
Bashi!
Lily smacked Asch’s back with all her strength, and the Dark Magician collapsed as it is.
“……”
“……oーi. Asch-sensei……Asch-sensei!?”
The Dark Magician who doesn’t move an inch no matter how many times she shakes him.
“Lily……isn’t that slightly overdoing it……”
“N, no! I just, smacked his back……hey, wake up! You’re acting, right?! The nasty acting as always, right!? Hey――――――”
Lily’s shout, reverberated in the skies.
