I Became The Academy Necromancer
Chapter 304: The Sinner's Repentance

[Did it really have to come to this?]

After making the Dark Spiritualist stay back to protect Aria and Eleanor, I took a stroll through what remained of the village with Stella.

Much like their dark past, the azure light that brightened the dawn faded away as the sun rose, hiding once again.

Instead of seeds, only smoldering embers flickered in the fields.

“…”

I didn’t answer Stella’s question. I simply kept my eyes fixed on the destruction I had caused.

The buildings’ skeletal frames stood tall.

And the half-burned furniture still remained in place, as if waiting for their owners to return.

Most of the blankets, beds, and clothing had been burned away, but surprisingly, some managed to survive the devastation.

As we walked through the scorched land, Stella eventually fell silent, simply trailing behind me.

Despite witnessing me reduce the entire village to ashes with her own eyes and hearing their curses and screams, she didn’t hesitate to remain by my side.

She didn’t reprimand me or utter a word. Instead, she quietly kept her distance, following a few steps behind.

Was it a form of protest?

That was what I thought at first.

But as I listened to the steady sound of her footsteps and breathing, what I perceived was anxiety and concern.

She was worried about me, following me carefully and silently.

I stopped in front of the vast garden at the edge of the village, where seeds should have been sown and nourished by beads of sweat.

The remnants of the burned ash were carried by the wind, settling and rendering the land into something that could no longer be used.

“Stella.”

I called out to her cautiously as I gazed at the scene.

[Yes, Deus.]

Stella approached me slowly and took in the same view.

It seemed like she was trying to read my thoughts and empathize with my feelings.

“In the world I came from, there were those who said that no matter what you do, God will forgive you if you repent.”

[…]

“They said that even if you commit murder, rape, terrorism, or torture, God will forgive it all.”

[It is compassionate, yet cruel at the same time.]

It was just as she said. From the perspective of a perpetrator, the Savior was undoubtedly merciful, but from the victim’s point of view, the existence of such a god was truly cruel.

“I do not care about judging whether something is right or wrong. I have only known about it as knowledge but I have never had faith in them.”

[Praying to the gods doesn’t seem to suit you.]

Stella whispered with a faint smile. She wasn’t wrong. But at this very moment, I felt a strong urge to fold my hands in prayer.

“I just wanted to know the standard of forgiveness upheld by the goddess Hearthia you once served.”

[Hmm.]

I was expecting an immediate answer, assuming it wouldn’t be difficult for her since she had probably explained it countless times during her time as the Saintess. However, to my surprise, Stella paused for a moment before responding with a faint smile.

[Does it really matter?]

“…”

[Surely the goddess Hearthia had her own standards for granting forgiveness. However, that’s no longer important.]

Clasping her hands together as if in prayer, Stella looked straight at me.

[Because I’ve inherited her divinity.]

“That is blasphemy.”

[But it’s the truth.]

Until now, Stella had never deliberately claimed with her own mouth that she had reached the status of a demigod.

Even after taking over Hearthia’s divine position, she continued to humbly pray to the gods and rescue others with her former modesty.

[Deus, people who ask about forgiveness usually fall into two distinct categories.]

Though I could easily guess what she was about to say, I waited for her to continue.

[The first are those who have sinned.]

“…”

[The other is those who are about to sin.]

Her clear eyes seemed to pierce directly into the abyss within me.

For the first time in a while, sunlight touched the emotions buried deep within my chest.

[Deus, those who seek forgiveness before committing a sin are unworthy of it.]

“What a sharp and cutting truth.”

Seeking forgiveness before committing a sin—

It meant they were completely aware that what they were about to do was sinful, yet had no intention of stopping.

[So, as one who holds a divine position, let me make this clear: whatever you’re about to do, I will not absolve it.]

“…”

[The punishment for your deeds will be severe, and the fiery judgment will not waver due to personal feelings.]

“That is to be expected.”

Because Stella was that kind of person.

[However.]

As she cautiously continued, the expression on Stella’s face was somehow filled with sentimentality. Her genuine sorrow was palpable.

[I will have tears in my eyes as I pass my judgment. And I will beat my chest in anguish as I uncover each of your sins.]

“…”

[I will share the same pain and endure the suffering alongside you because you are in my heart.]

Her confession was both piercingly sharp and unbearably heavy.

And at the same time, it was also more effective than any other words she could have spoken.

“You were truly born to be a Saintess.”

Just the thought of her suffering because of me made me want to abandon all my plans.

Was this her way of trying to reform me?

Stella chuckled softly and murmured.

[Counseling isn’t just about saying kind words. You have to feel it in your heart.]

Yet, even as she said this, Stella knew I wouldn’t yield and would continue forging ahead.

And yet, she didn’t press further.

Instead, she left me with a blatant threat and persuasion: that my sins would become her torment.

With that, we spent a brief moment together before heading back to the place the villagers were gathered.

I had already sent word to Graypond that I, the Soul Whisperer, had returned, so it was likely someone would come to fetch us soon.

The villagers, along with the two bishops, would then be arrested and taken away.

[Thank goodness.]

Stella was now walking beside me with seemingly lighter steps.

Describing a soul’s steps as being “light” sounded like nonsense, but she indeed carried that aura.

[For a moment, I thought you’d suddenly changed. I thought something might’ve shifted or corrupted you with all those other souls within you.]

“……Everyone probably assumes that.”

Those who had witnessed this scene—like the Dark Spiritualist, Aria, and Eleanor—would inevitably misunderstand.

“I have created unnecessary misunderstandings.”

[You need to explain it to them properly.]

“That will be rather difficult.”

In the end, I’d not only have to explain the events but also the reason I caused them in the first place.

Yet, the words wouldn’t flow.

It would be particularly difficult to explain the situation to Aria and Eleanor—because I couldn’t find the words to say.

“I suppose it should be fine to tell the Dark Spiritualist.”

[…Or perhaps we should just keep it a secret between us?]

As she subtly asked the question, the Saintess from moments ago had somehow transformed into a woman with a slightly mischievous glint in her eye.

It was good timing.

“Just remember, do not let Velica influence you. There is no need to follow her words blindly.”

[It’s not forced.]

“So, I see that you are speaking bluntly now that you have regained some freedom.”

[I’m not being blunt, though.]

“Stop behaving like a child.”

[I’m not a child.]

Stella pouted and glared at me with dissatisfaction.

She glanced at my hand, her face turning bright red, before asking cautiously.

[By the way, Deus, w-when the opposite-sex touches you like that… how should I put it…]

“Do we really need to bring that up right now?”

Couldn’t we just let it pass like a midsummer night’s dream?

After all, the sleep demon and heat had intoxicated both of us and what happened was merely an extreme situation.

[It was my first time feeling something like that! When your hand touched my chest, I felt like there was this sudden electric shock… something intense.]

“Stella.”

[V-Velica called me sensitive and teased me about being a woman!]

“…Summon Velica here immediately.”

I thought of giving her a proper scolding, but Stella, still blushing, continued talking.

[Is it true? It can’t be, right? I’m a Saintess, and a goddess now! I can’t be that… lascivious, right?]

“I have no idea.”

Unless I had touched someone else’s chest before, how would I know if she was sensitive or not?

I stomped off in frustration, but Stella continued following me.

[Deus. Just one more time… please.]

[Waaah!]

A loud, dramatic scream echoed from far away.

The Dark Spiritualist flew past Aria and Eleanor and charged straight at us while panting heavily.

[Am I being excluded? No, right? Now that Fluffy and Fluffy II are gone, you’re not planning to leave me alone, are you?!]

“…”

[…]

[Why is no one answering me?! Deus, you’re not going to abandon me, are you?!]

The Dark Spiritualist flailed wildly while floating midair, and then gradually, she began to spin in the air.

“Dark Spiritualist, start acting your age.”

I sighed as she spun around like a squirrel in a wheel. She began to pout and yelled.

[I won’t stop!]

Watching that, all the emotions that had been heating up a moment ago began to cool off.

***

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