Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 546: You Were Born to Be Blessed

Even within the long history of the Holy Crown Church, there are almost none who have been granted the title of “Heaven.” Let alone a saintess. In the Holy Crown Church, which worships the Celestial God, Heaven is a sacred realm where the divine resides. A mere earthly creature would never dare claim such a title.

And yet, she was the Saintess of Heaven. No one questioned it or raised any objections.

It had already been determined. The Saintess of Heaven had been chosen from the start.

The Saintess of Heaven, Meiel. A secretive figure known only by that title even within the veiled hierarchy of the Holy Crown Church. Merely hearing her voice was considered a blessing—she was the one closest to the first saintess.

Though Meiel was not physically present in this space, it felt as if she were watching us all the same.

“Sister Yeghceria. You seem to enjoy creating troublesome situations, but this time you’ve picked a very difficult person. ‘That one’ isn’t a being that distinguishes between good and evil, like you think.”

Before Yeghceria could respond, Meiel continued.

“I know. You wouldn’t make that distinction either. No matter how wicked a being is, you believed to your dying breath that they could repent and spread goodness. But Sister Yeghceria—if you know how good humans can be, then you also know how evil they can become.”

...What the hell? Is she saying she saw Yeghceria’s death in the future?

It’s as if she’s already heard the answer and seen the result. Is it because she’s a saintess who sees the future? Hard to say. Because she doesn’t actually exist in this space, I can’t read her thoughts.

Yeghceria, seemingly used to this strange manner of speaking, replied calmly.

“Then that means he, too, is a human capable of repentance, does it not? No matter how lowly and lacking a person may be, if they listen to my words and follow the teachings, they can stand at the side of the Celestial God. That was in the Gospel. Just as the first saintess blessed all mankind. She believed even the wicked could become good through guidance.”

“Yes. I liked that about you. But I couldn’t like everything about you. You posed a problem too early for humanity and watched passively, irresponsibly. Goodness and savagery are different, Sister Yeghceria. There are things one must not do, even if they can.”

As if she had nothing more to say, Meiel turned her head toward me.

“King of Man. You came to find me to ask about the King of Beasts, didn’t you?”

“...How did you know that? Is she seriously a prophet?”

Sure, I read minds. But this saintess hasn’t even met me before—how does she already know the question I haven’t asked yet?

I said the regressor was unreasonable, but honestly, in this timeline alone, the regressor isn’t all that unfair. They just know what’s going to happen. Even that can change based on variables.

But prophets exist in this world. And they grasp fate itself and twist it.

Meiel spoke with certainty, as if she already knew the answer.

“To get straight to the point—your guess is correct. The perfected King of Beasts is a being designated by the first saintess. A Saint... no, a Holy Dog, perhaps. In any case, it’s truly monumental.”

A designated being—meaning the first saintess foresaw that being long ago. Just like all the other saintesses.

“I knew it. So it was your people who made Azzy and Fenrir that way.”

“Saying we ‘made’ them isn’t quite right. The first saintess saw this sight from the far-off future, and it’s merely being realized as it should be. History and civilization are what create things in the end.”

Prophets who see the future don’t scheme. They see the entangled web of cause and effect and make minor adjustments so that the future arrives as seen. Their intentions are diluted across tens of thousands of chains, spreading their influence across all humanity.

That’s why no one can hold them accountable. They’re the ones who see the backs of the cards in the deck—who know which card is coming up and to whom it will be dealt. They subtly manipulate the order to give the strongest hand to their allies and ruin the enemy’s hand, but from the outside, it’s impossible to tell.

It’s a scam. Compared to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) them, all I can do is read people’s minds and peek at their hands. They’re worse. For them, it’s not even a game. Someone should just lock them up.

While I was grumbling internally at the absurdity, Meiel continued.

“A dog is a beast, yet obedient and loyal. And above all, weak. Much weaker than a wolf. Unless they’re trained as hunting dogs, they can’t harm humans, nor do they have the strength to. The first saintess saw traces of norms in dogs. She foresaw that if she could strip away the savagery of the wolf from the dog and perfect it, it would become a pillar of everlasting order.”

“Strip away savagery? How do you remove something’s nature?”

“Humans are born with evil natures. Petty jealousy, vulgar envy, base desires. They carry an innate malice, willing to harm others to achieve their desires. But most people resist and endure. Having learned goodness and norms through order, they struggle and agonize to overcome that malice and desire.”

Meiel turned to look into the distance—toward where Azzy was.

“That’s why the King of Beasts fought her own malice, the King of Wolves, over and over and ultimately won. Thanks to that, the King of Beasts became perfect. A promise was fulfilled, and an eternal promise was made. The King of Beasts is now a bastion humanity can trust and rely upon.”

Just as I thought.

Dogs and wolves were once one. But over time, as dogs were domesticated by humans, they became very different from wolves. It’s not strange for them to have separate kings now.

Still, they had no reason to fight. Beasts don’t fight like that.

“It was humans who separated dogs and wolves. But it was the first saintess who distinguished the King of Beasts from the King of Wolves and made them fight each other, wasn’t it?”

Meiel didn’t confirm, but she didn’t deny it either.

“That’s how it was going to be. And that’s how it was left.”

“All just to create a friend for humanity? That seems way too grand for something like that.”

“It wasn’t just for that, of course. It was for a greater rule and order. That... you wouldn’t understand even if I explained it now.”

What do you mean I wouldn’t understand? Just meet me in person already so I can read your thoughts. Then I’d understand perfectly.

...But I must never, ever show that I’m using mind-reading. The moment I do, I’ll be ‘read’ myself. They’ll avoid meeting me even more fiercely, and it’ll become virtually impossible.

If I, the mind-reader, were to read the future they’ve seen, I’d be able to play the game on equal terms with them.

I just have to wait until the regressor takes me to Sungsan Yulim. Ugh. What should I say now? I need to pick something that won’t raise suspicion. It’s annoying not being able to read her thoughts.

Just then, the regressor spoke up.

“You’re talking about killing the future King of Sin, right? I figured as much. Just go ahead and tell me about the Great Commandment.”

‘I’ve heard this line over and over since the 8th round. Mentioning the King of Sin lets me skip a bunch of useless procedures, so I say it in advance.’

Even the Saintess of Heaven didn’t foresee the regressor’s actions, it seems—she hesitated for a moment.

This is just like the regressor. They said they’d gotten help from the Holy Crown Church, right? I don’t know how much information they shared, but it looks like they exchanged quite a lot. Thanks to that, we can speed things up.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Meiel looked at the regressor with a sorrowful expression.

“...My final hope. Are you planning to help the King of Man?”

“I’m not really helping Hughes, per se. We’re just trading what we want. If everyone joins forces to stop the King of Sin, that’d be great.”

“That’s an ideal. But that path will only end in ruin. It’s closer to despair than hope.”

“But things could still work out, right?”

“That’s blind optimism. It’s no different than standing still and hoping a landslide will pass you by. The King of Man is a savage being who still harbors malice—he is the King of Beasts. ‘That one’ is our enemy.”

“You’re wrong. Hughes may be extreme, but he’s not evil. He can help both me and you.”

‘Meiel has helped me countless times before. She’s blessed me more than once, too. But in the end, she failed to prevent the apocalypse. I have to try something else. If we can’t stop the sin, and we can’t kill the King of Sin—maybe we can keep Hughes from becoming the King of Sin in the first place.’

So the trust I’ve built up until now wasn’t wasted. I’m touched, regressor. Thanks for thinking of me that way.

Even through the illusion, Meiel’s voice was steeped in sadness as she folded her hands in prayer.

“...That’s why you must be my first despair. Ah, O first saintess who blessed me... how could you bless me and still....”

The saintess’s solemn prayer went on for quite some time. Just as I was starting to get antsy, Meiel cleared her throat and spoke again.

“For order and norms to take root, promises are necessary. A promise that the other won’t harm me. A promise that what’s mine will be safe. A promise that order will protect me. And above all else—”

Meiel suddenly stared right at me and continued.

“A promise that if I break the order and spread evil, I will be eternally trapped in the chains of sin and punished. Reward for virtue, punishment for evil. That belief is what allows humanity to endure without tearing itself apart.”

“But... that kind of promise doesn’t actually exist, does it?”

“It does. Like the laws, morals, and rules that uphold order in this world.”

Meiel answered immediately, then let out a small sigh.

“But yes. You’re right. Human promises are petty and insignificant. If there’s no one to watch the sin or power to deliver punishment, then such promises are weak, feeble things—easily discarded. Fragile and vulgar, and quick to break, they become the very doubt that undermines promises themselves.”

She doesn’t seem like a fanatic who blindly follows the Celestial God just because she’s a saintess. Well, I suppose she can’t be.

Yuel, the Saintess of Foresight, became a cynic after being worn down by witnessing all the ugly sides of humanity. A saintess who sees even what cannot be seen couldn’t possibly fall into blind faith without basis. They’ve seen and shouldered far too much for that.

“We need a more fundamental promise. One that is entirely different from the vulgar pacts made with tongues and fingers by humans—a promise of unchanging truth. A being of concept making an immutable pact by staking its very concept. The King of Beasts was... a test to see whether such a pact could exist.”

A being of concept is the embodiment of that very concept. The nature of a conceptual being does not change.

Of course, it’s not absolute. If the concept itself changes, the being of that concept changes as well. Like how the wolf was tamed into a dog and became the King of Beasts.

“The King of Beasts fought against her own malice and in the end forged the pact. Now, no beast will feel hostility or fear toward the King of Beasts. She has become the representative and herald of the gentleness and mercy of beasts.”

Beasts do have gentle aspects. It’s part of nature’s logic. A predator, when full, has no reason to hunt. They need to preserve prey for when hunger returns. Prey form groups and live harmoniously with others to decrease the chance of being targeted when predators come.

Azzy has become the embodiment of those traits. Thanks to that, she’s not attacked by other beasts either.

“So in other words, you succeeded in reshaping the King of Beasts to your liking? Hmm. In that case, it seems possible you might try the same with the King of Man. Maybe you already have.”

“Your question... Ah. I see. You’ve realized the existence of the King of Sin and now suspect even that being was designated by the first saintess.”

...What? How did she really know that?

It’s the kind of question I’d ask, sure, but still—pulling it out instantly like that is odd. Like she’s already seen the conclusion and is answering before I even speak.

She’s called a prophet, but there hasn’t been a true prophet since the first saintess. Yuel, Peru—those I’ve met only had fragmentary, echo-like versions of prophecy.

But the Saintess of Heaven... it’s like she alone had plucked out the largest shard of prophecy. She could see the future almost on par with the first saintess.

“King of Man. But your assumption is wrong. Even if it is the King of Sin who brings ruin to humanity—even if we did encourage that being’s birth—it cannot be our responsibility.”

Avoiding responsibility? But Meiel didn’t seem like she was avoiding anything. If anything—

“Because sin belongs to humanity.”

It looked like responsibility was running from her, and she wanted to chase it down and grab it. With a bitter smile, Meiel spoke again.

“It is not the King of Sin that will bring the world to ruin. It is human sin. The King of Sin, like any other conceptual being, merely acts as its surrogate...”

The King of Wolves may antagonize humans. But he can’t destroy them.

Because, fundamentally, wolves are weaker than humans now. They don’t have the power to accomplish that.

But the King of Sin—who embodies sin—has the power to annihilate humanity.

And sin is a part of humanity.

Which means—

“All problems begin when humans get their hands on the power of demons. When that excessive power is used to kill others. And when it’s discovered that such power isn’t even special—that anyone can attain it if they follow the same steps—then humanity’s future ends. An eternal night descends upon the world. All branching futures that once extended infinitely are severed, and all of mankind falls into a dreamless sleep. That’s how the apocalypse arrives.”

One day, you open your eyes and there’s nothing to see.

Not because your eyes are closed, or because the lights went out. There’s just nothing. No light, no sensation, no pain. The futures that once flowed like rivers, shone like stars, and branched like trees—all vanish. As though the eye that watched the future has gone blind, nothing remains in sight. A terrifyingly hollow kind of end arrives.

That was the future Meiel had seen.

It wasn’t mind-reading, but it felt like I could see the very future Meiel had “seen.” It wasn’t just a feeling. I, the regressor, even Yeghceria—all of us had “seen” fragments of the apocalypse that Meiel described.

Meiel, her eyes reflecting darkness, stared at me with a gaze steeped in endless void and despair.

“That is why you cannot be allowed to exist, King of Man. You, who are nothing more than the King of Beasts, cannot overcome this. You cannot defeat the ever-growing malice of mankind. You cannot stop humans from reaching the forbidden knowledge that will destroy their very essence.”

...What is this?

Every instinct in my body is screaming. Some kind of force, something overwhelming, is pressing down on me. Something is opposing me.

But I feel nothing.

It’s not killing intent or power. Meiel isn’t even in this space. I, of all people, would know best with my mind-reading.

Yet my beastly instincts are screaming—I might die.

She’s not even here, and I could die? What is this? It feels like the entire world is rejecting me.

“You would approve of them instead. Rather than saving those tumbling down a cliff into ruin, you would smile and send them off. As long as humanity’s enemy is humanity itself, your existence is worthless. It’d be better if you just—”

“Enough, Meiel. Hughes has already lost all his strength.”

In that moment, the eerie force radiating from Meiel vanished instantly.

Was it because the regressor intervened? It feels like more than that. The moment she stepped in, the future that rejected me seemed to shift.

Now that I think about it, the so-called Saintess of Causality once said the regressor’s causality was twisted. Maybe the regressor is a hidden counter to the prophets?

Meiel looked at the regressor with something like resentment.

“...Shei. Did you see hope in him? But you know, don’t you? Even without his power, he’s dangerous.”

“Not much benefit to killing him, is there? Hughes doesn’t have the strength to do anything. He’s weak and easily swayed. So we just keep him from being swayed the wrong way.”

The regressor answered lightly, then suddenly clapped her hands as if she remembered something.

“Oh, right. That’s not all—I wanted to say this. I want to go to Sungsan Yulim. I promised Hughes I’d take him there if he helped with this.”

“You bring me despair in many ways. To take the King of Man to Sungsan Yulim... that land is...”

She seemed used to making such demands. Maybe this wasn’t her first time. Normally, unreasonable requests would be flat-out denied—but Meiel, the greatest and most blessed saintess, couldn’t seem to do that.

With a resigned expression, Meiel brought her hands together and closed her eyes.

“But even if you are my first despair... you are also my final hope. Shei, I will place my fragile hope in you and bestow my blessing. However, there is one condition.”

“A condition? Why?”

‘She used to just grant everything without conditions before.’

That thought would probably make Meiel blow a gasket if she heard it—but there’s no way she could know.

“An ancient evil from the lands of old nations is about to awaken. A dark and dreadful force that brought terror and chaos in the savage era long ago. If, Shei, you defeat that remnant of savagery—and if, even through that process, your thoughts on savagery do not change... I will guide you to Sungsan Yulim.”

“Oh, that? Can I do it alone?”

“It won’t be difficult. I will bless you.”

Meiel clasped her hands tightly and closed her eyes, praying for the regressor.

“O my final hope. And my savagery. O first saintess who blessed me, and high Celestial God who watches over her—I, your devoted child, pray for their eternal glory and blessing.”

Her voice grew louder as she spoke. What began as a gentle murmur soon rose to a shout, then surged into a booming roar that shook the entire chapel. By the end, it wasn’t even a voice—it was a force, powerful enough to crack the very world.

[Before you all, may this damn blessing be bestowed.]

And then the world locked into place. Click—a foreign sound, like a great mechanism settling into position, echoed in my ears.

The regressor and I received the saintess’s blessing.