“The saintess is now under a deep curse, and through you, she can escape that curse and find eternal peace. Will you give your life for the saintess’s well-being?”

No answer came. God threw a beautiful sword before them.

“Pierce your heart with this now. Then the saintess will find eternal peace.”

None could pick up the sword and all fled in fear. The imperial prince, the noble, the merchant, the knight, and the minstrel all met their deaths before they could escape the Forbidden Land, their necks snapped, bones broken, and hearts burst simultaneously. God did not forgive those who repeatedly betrayed their faith and killed them on the spot.

God knew their professed love was merely desire and lust. It differed greatly from the definition of love that He sought.

10 years, 20 years, and finally after 30 years passed, no one reached God anymore. During that time, the demon god’s faithful servant continued to execute their plan without rest.

Taking the first saintess’s life proved surprisingly easy. Unable to bear the continued sacrifices caused by her existence, the saintess took her own life. But knowing there wouldn’t be a second stroke of luck, the demon’s subordinate disguised their holy power and infiltrated the temple, proposing to use death row inmates for the saintess’s curse.

Thus the demon god claimed even the second saintess’s life, who couldn’t overcome her shame. With that, two saintesses had committed suicide. The demon god had already claimed two saintesses’ lives, and now only one remained.

The demon god’s servant, having audaciously stolen sacred artifacts and obtained a new body, once again infiltrated the temple to wait for the last saintess’s birth, while God, deeply disappointed in weak, selfish, and worthless humans, withdrew all expectations.

Finally, a hundred years passed. During that time, the last saintess was born. She was the last child of God destined to be sacrificed in the wager between God and the demon god.

God watched over the devout, beautiful, and wise saintess. He also watched as she encountered her curse and the holy knight discovered it. He observed as the saintess and holy knight formed their bold contract.

With this, the demon god’s scheme to use death row inmates to shame the saintess into suicide had failed. As this was unexpected, God became slightly interested. God decided to watch the holy knight’s progress.

The holy knight confronted the demon god’s servant to break the saintess’s curse, uncovering his schemes and drawing closer to the answer. In God’s heart, perhaps an expectation grew that this holy knight might reach this land where footsteps had ceased. Just perhaps, he might even end this long wager.

So God provided a cabin before the dying holy knight and saintess on the snow-covered mountain swept by blizzards. He couldn’t let a human who might fulfill His last expectation die in such a place.

And finally, the holy knight fulfilled His expectations. He had reached the place where God thought no one would ever find again.

God concealed His expectations and asked him:

“Have you come to dare claim the saintess with your worthless life?”

To which he answered:

“I have come to save her.”

God’s interest, already having lost all expectations in humans and grown weary, was piqued again. But that alone wasn’t enough. God had already experienced human hypocrisy to the bone. Wasn’t this holy knight’s desire ultimately about possessing the saintess too? Such messy desires were not what He sought. Such things existed in everyone and weren’t special at all.

So God tested him again. He placed him in his desired fantasy, erased his petty guilt, and left only his hasty and fundamental desires.

Yet the holy knight, remarkably, did not fall for God’s test and spoke without wavering. That all he wanted was the saintess’s salvation.

God threw the question He had repeated hundreds of times:

“Can you give your life?”

Then he pierced his own heart and died. The demon god, who had been watching this scene, let out a shocked scream. At last, God had won the long wager.

God immediately annihilated the demon god and looked down at the human who had collapsed dead on His land. Within Him grew fondness and compassion for this worthless human.

After watching that insignificant death for a while,

God decided to save

the only human who had not betrayed His faith.

* * *

Bellota, Felton, and the Holy Knight Order led by Kabillon raced ceaselessly toward the Forbidden Land. At the very front of them all was Bellota.

Bellota swallowed down the despair rising to her throat, again and again as she galloped forward. Though the nightmare that had finally become reality kept trying to drag her down into the abyss, she couldn’t give herself over to that despair now.

The moment Bellota heard that Seiden had headed to the Forbidden Land, she summoned the knights. She informed them of everything and mounted her horse immediately to save Seiden.

Though heading to the Forbidden Land didn’t frighten her at all, Bellota’s heart shattered to pieces throughout the journey. Because Seiden must have raced down this path with the same heart. Bellota had owed her life to Seiden and been saved by him countless times. So now it was her turn to save him.

Bellota’s vision blurred as the image of Seiden facing a massive monster flashed before her eyes. But Bellota didn’t cry. Seiden would never abandon her and die. That desperate faith was all she had left now.

Because Seiden couldn’t possibly die, she too couldn’t fall apart.

“……”

Felton watched Bellota’s hair streaming wildly as he followed behind her.

He vividly remembered Bellota’s face when she heard that Seiden had gone to the Forbidden Land. That’s why he couldn’t stop her when she said she would save Seiden. He could only head to the Forbidden Land alongside her.

But there was a problem. Seiden had the gate permit. The gate would close completely after one day of being opened. Once closed, it couldn’t be opened without a permit.

Nevertheless, the Holy Knight Order was heading toward where the gate was, clinging to their last hope. If they had to go around without using the gate, it would take months even using shortcuts, and by then they couldn’t guarantee Seiden’s safety. Everyone racing forward without pause knew this fact.

Among them, Kabillon, who only knew half the reason why Seiden headed to the Forbidden Land, felt unspeakably devastated. He looked at Bellota who rode ahead of him.

So Seiden had indeed loved Bellota. And that love had finally dragged Seiden down into the abyss, just as he had once sensed it would. Perhaps Seiden had already faced that enormous thing……

Kabillon squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to imagine the worst. It was at that moment when he painfully opened his eyes again in the stinging cold wind—

Neigh! The horses carrying them suddenly reared up on their hind legs and began convulsing.

“Whoa whoa!”

As the startled riders struggled not to fall off while trying to calm their horses, the clouds covering above split in half and a dazzling beam of light poured down from within. Felton forgot even to pull the reins as he stared blankly at it.

“Hear, all of you.”

Everyone’s breath stopped at that enormous resonance. Even the horses froze as if they too recognized that holy resonance. Everyone knew what this sacred voice was. Bellota had encountered this voice directly before.

It was God.

Bellota, frozen and unable to even breathe, looked up at the sky pouring down brilliant light.

“Seiden of House Blackwood has achieved the prophecy that no one could fulfill in a hundred years and saved the world that was headed for destruction.”

God’s revelation rang out everywhere there were popes, cardinals, and priests, regardless of location. When the holy resonance mentioned Seiden’s name, Bellota’s throat closed up. He, Seiden, had finally achieved the prophecy that no one else could. Indescribably overwhelming tears welled up in Bellota’s cold eyes.

The resonance continued:

“Therefore, I grant him new life……”

New life? Did that mean Seiden had died? Felton covered his mouth in shock.

“And grant him the qualification to be the man of my most beautiful and holy child, Saintess Bellota Rosebeth.”

The unbelievable revelation settled over Bellota’s heart. Bellota stared blankly up at the sky like someone who had forgotten how to breathe. As the revelation ended, the light stretching to the ground slowly faded away. Bellota watched as the wondrously split clouds rippled and closed their gap.

Even after everything proving God’s presence had disappeared, they remained frozen for a long while, unable to move. Felton and the devout knights clasped their trembling hands together and offered overwhelming prayers. What broke that heavy silence was Luke’s shout.

“Th-there! There! Isn’t that the Commander!”

At those words, Bellota and the knights’ gazes moved at once. Following where Luke pointed, they could see a faint shadow wavering in the distant dust. Seeing that figure, Bellota’s heart stopped distantly.

As the shadow drew closer, the dust settled. Through it appeared Seiden, in a completely disheveled state. At the sight of him she had longed for so desperately, tears suddenly welled up in Bellota’s eyes. She immediately jumped down from her horse and ran toward the man who had finally saved her.

Seiden’s steps gradually slowed as he confirmed the person running toward him was Bellota. As her tear-stained face drew near, Seiden realized what he was seeing wasn’t an illusion. Letting out an overwhelming breath, he spread his arms toward the woman running to him.

Everyone held their breath and watched as the saintess ran into the holy knight’s arms. They quietly waited as the two held each other for a long while.

Felton let out a trembling sigh as he heard Luke sniffling behind him, moved by the scene.

That man had finally achieved everything. He had fulfilled the prophecy from a hundred years ago and saved both this world and the saintess.

Peace finally settled over Seiden’s still trembling heart. Felton clasped his hands together once more as he watched Seiden, who showed no intention of moving, holding Bellota tightly.

Felton closed his eyes and prayed to God.

May only God’s blessings fill these two people’s future.

May no more suffering or hardship befall them now.

And thus, may they finally be happy forever.