For four months, Aria has been sneaking into my chamber. Although she never gave me her name, I started to speculate on her identity. Her golden hair was too striking to ignore. I came to learn that the old librarian was the one helping her sneak in. It was also thanks to the lax security of the main church. Apparently, she became close with that old librarian as she frequented the library almost every day.

  Thanks to the constant supply of divinity, I could begin to heal myself. My heart was getting stronger. However, we could not find a way to refuse the tea they offered me. For that, whenever it was time that I was supposed to wake up, they would give me tea after administering medicine. I had no choice but to take it. However, once in a while, I would spill it on purpose and pretend to fall into a coma after that. It was the only time I could avoid it. In the event that I could not avoid it, Aria would come to me later. She would pour out all the divinity inside her to me. I could only watch helplessly as she suffered. Many times, I resented myself. Many times, I cursed myself. I lay down helplessly. I could do nothing. I needed to rely on a young girl who was less than 10 years old.

  The divinity was in itself a blessing. Those who accumulate it find themselves full of vitality. Over time, it became their life essence. So, when it was time for them to deplete their divinity, it was akin to draining them of their blood. The headaches that follow when you deplete half of the divinity you accumulated were too intense for an adult to handle. The agony that follows when you completely drain yourself of the divinity was too maddening for an adult to think straight. As a saintess, I could never get used to it. Yet, she endured it all without any complaint, not even a single word. At that time, I felt ashamed of myself.

  It was only after it got to the fifth month that I could accumulate the divinity by myself. My heart was getting stronger. I became capable enough to resist the poison on my own. After Aria noticed it, she informed me about her plan to go on a pilgrimage. It was too early for her. However, I was too powerless to stop her. I still remember it when she told me about it. It was after she made her confession to me. It is still vivid to me.

  That night, unlike the usual pattern. After she injected the divinity into me, she knelt beside my bed, and then she removed her hood. That time, she formally introduced herself.

  “I pray to the goddess for your glory, your holiness. I am Aria, a saintess candidate. I am also the daughter of Duke Ellon.”

  “……. I know.” I already guessed it long ago.

  “I wish for you to know that I wish no harm upon you.”

  “….. I also know that.” I sensed that she wanted to have a serious conversation with me.

  “…… Thank you.”

  Thus, I tried to lift my body with her help. When I sat in a relaxed position, she returned to her previous pose. She acted as if she were a sinner waiting for a trial.

  “So, what is the purpose of revealing your identity now?”

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  “I wish to make a confession. Could you listen to my sins?” she said without lifting her face.

  “What sins has a pure girl like you committed?” I extend my hand to her. Then she grabbed it and placed it on her forehead. I could feel her trembling hands. I could never believe that a soul this pure, this innocent, this bright, could be capable of committing any sins.

  “I was born with sins. My existence caused my mother to die.” She spoke of an infamous tragedy in high society and the main church ten years ago.

  “I live with sins. My existence causes suffering to millions of people.”

  I thought to myself. How could she blame herself for it? It was never her fault. It was the responsibility that all the adults needed to shoulder. It was not hers. However, what she said next left me lost for words.

  “I am the sin. My greed causes the end of the world.”

  “I harm the daughter of the goddess.”

  “I hurt the agent of the goddess.”

  “I help the devil conquer this world.”

  She began to sob. Her entire body shook uncontrollably. It was unreal? The end of the world? Did the world end? Then what was this world that we were living in? Was this world an illusion? She could be wrong. Did she have a nightmare? However, I sensed that she was sincere about it. What she said was the truth, at least, she believed so.

  “My greed for my own betterment, my jealousy of others’ goodness, my wrath toward the savior, my gluttony for affection, my lust for power, my laziness toward my duty—I live with it. I am all the sins. I cause the end of this world.”

  She cried inconsolably. She tightened her grip on my hand that was placed on her head. I was so perplexed at her confession that I had to spend some time regaining some composure before confirming it with her.

  “Goddess. Child, what have you been seeing?”

  “I saw everything. It is my sins. This is the revelation I received.”

  A revelation from the goddess? I could not understand it. If the goddess shows it to her… If what she said she did was true, then why did the goddess show it to her? How could the goddess bestow revelation to the person who helped the devil? Did the world end? Had the world reset? Even now, I still question it.

  “I won’t ask for forgiveness.”

  “…”

  “But…”

  “…”

  “Please allow me to atone for my sins.”

  “…”

  “Please allow me to make amends for what has been wrong.”

  “…”

  “Please…… Please...”

  She weakly pleaded. She did not plead for forgiveness. She did not ask for the abolition of the sins she spoke of. She only asks for atonement. She only sought penance. She only wished for a chance to redeem herself.

  I could only comfort her by stroking her head. I could only silently watch her cry herself to sleep. After she fell asleep, I began to think.

  I could not say the goddess was wrong. I suspected that the interpretation was incorrect. To begin with, was it really divine revelation? During our physical contact, I entered the divine sea. I could not find the connection, ‘the link,’ that extends from her divine sea.

  When you received the revelation or oracle, the connection between the goddess realm and your divine sea would be formed. After the connection was cut off, the link that extends from your divine sea would remain there. I could not find it.

  However, there was a huge dent on her divine sea. I knew it was caused by being bathed under a colossal wave of divinity from the goddess. So, I could not deny her claim. She really did come into contact with the goddess. But it was more like a coincidence, or we could say that was an accident.

  Even now, I still cannot solve this mystery. However, with all my being, I believe in Aria. She is not the one to commit those sins she spoke of. How can a soul this pure, this radiant, be able to commit any sins? When I met Iris, she said she also felt the same. Ah, I get off track now. I have to record everything in chronological order after all. It was the request of Lucy and those children. It is for them to know the truth after all. In the name of a saintess, with the goddess as my witness, I record everything that happened faithfully. It is for Aria. It is for Lucy. It is for my daughter and granddaughter.