Claire’s dispatch to Hibernia was a decision where even the Empire had to accept a loss.
Since the Empire was the nation with the largest number of Gates, there were many areas to defend and a large number of troops required. With her wide range of abilities, great power, and extensive experience in the Abyss, the things Claire could do were incredibly broad. The fact that they had sent Claire despite this meant they considered Hibernia to be that important.
If the Holy Kingdom of Hibernia fell, the Order of Liphyue would collapse. If the Order of Liphyue collapsed, the means to resist the Abyssal Depths would vanish. Saving as many priests as possible and protecting the Saintess—the spiritual sanctuary and core of all followers—was Claire’s official role and the mission given to her.
However, this was merely a nominal mission, a surface-level duty dressed up to look plausible. There was a separate, secret mission that had been given to her covertly.
Claire had hoped the command would never be issued.
*Beeee—*
A familiar vibration traveled from her wrist.
‘…In the end.’
She rolled up her sleeve, bent her arm, and held it slightly forward. A blue wrist guard was revealed. A long, encrypted message appeared over it. This was the command Artifact given only to the single knight entrusted with the most important mission.
Its first sentence predicted despair.
**[Begin the real mission.]**
She read the orders without any change in expression.
**[The power of Floor 70 is beyond imagination.]**
The Empire must have gathered a separate team to enter Floor 70 of the Labyrinth—not to conquer it, but to obtain at least a minimum amount of information. Or perhaps the Possessors had used their abilities to relay information to them.
Regardless, the conclusion drawn from the information gathered was clear.
**[Hibernia no longer has any hope.]**
The destruction of Hibernia.
**[Take the Saintess and escape immediately.]**
She immediately turned and began to move. She set off to begin her real mission, just as the orders specified.
The place Claire arrived at was one of the most heavily guarded locations in all of Hibernia. It was the room where the Saintess offered her prayers to the Goddess of Liphyue.
If it were not for the current situation, and if Claire and the Saintess, Irina, had not formed a bond while tackling several conquests together—if they did not share the commonality of knowing Hio Pavlenko—this was a space Claire would never have been allowed to enter.
Upon entering, Irina, dressed in pure white, came into view. A statue of the Goddess rose toward the high ceiling. Beneath it, the Saintess, Irina, knelt with her hands joined in prayer.
In this vast space, only Irina, Claire, and the statue existed. No one else was there. Irina must have sensed Claire’s presence, yet she continued her prayer without moving. Only after some time passed did she finish and stand up.
“You look even thinner than when I last saw you. Are you still unable to eat these days?”
Unlike Claire, who looked hollow and haggard at a glance, Irina seemed largely unchanged. It was likely due to the divinity overflowing within her, enough to create a faint, glowing halo.
“…”
Claire could not bring herself to speak. Irina’s voice was cheerful. How gloomy would her own voice be in comparison, and how dark the news it carried? How could she tell her that Hibernia would soon fall, and that she was here to take only her?
As Claire hesitated, Irina’s bright voice continued.
“If things are too difficult, it might be nice for you to live here with me for a while. Though the food here has no meat and actually doesn’t taste that great.”
“……That’s a bit unfortunate.”
“Right? Hehehe.”
Irina had often spoken to Claire like this during the Expeditionary Force. Especially after Hio disappeared, she had stood by Claire’s side with an even more cheerful tone.
This made it even harder for Claire to speak.
“Shall we go to my room first? Let’s talk over some warm tea.”
“…”
“I’ll specifically ask them to prepare a tea that is incredibly good for the body, but tastes absolutely terrible.”
“…”
“……Or would you like to look around here a bit more? There isn’t much to see, but everyone seems curious about it.”
“…”
“Ah, is it too quiet? Is it boring? Hehe……”
Irina was 17 years old at most. She was at an age where the word “girl” suited her better than “Saintess.” She was an innocent, simple girl who had been suddenly burdened with the heavy weight of being a Saintess.
**[The Saintess is the most important person on the continent. Support will be sent immediately, so if necessary, take her by force.]**
How could she say those words to such a girl?
**[Bear this in mind. If you cannot bring the Saintess back, there is no future.]**
But she had to do it. The Empire had foreseen Hibernia’s destruction. If that was the case, there was no way Claire could stop it alone. The Empire did not have the resources to help Hibernia either. If so, the Saintess left behind would die along with the kingdom, and what would become of the continent then?
As the orders said, a continent without a Saintess would eventually be eroded by the Abyss, leaving no future other than destruction. So, even if it was difficult, she had to tell her. If words didn’t work, she would have to take her by force.
Claire forced her dry lips open.
“Irina……”
But Irina cut her off.
“Do you happen to know?”
She looked around and then leaned in close, whispering in a low voice.
“Actually, there is no God.”
The words she spoke were not just shocking; they were absurd. Words denying the existence of God had come from the mouth of the Saintess.
Claire forgot what she was going to say and wore a rare expression of shock, glancing around. However, Irina simply giggled and spun around.
“The Goddess is gone. I don’t know the reason why… but I can feel it. The touch that used to care for me, the gaze… it no longer reaches me.”
Irina walked gracefully to the base of the statue and carefully placed her hand on it.
“Is Hibernia going to fall now? Is that why you came to get me?”
Before Claire could even answer, Irina shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t go.”
It was the response Claire had expected. She was the Saintess, after all. Those who called themselves servants of Liphyue valued this Sanctuary above all else. Claire had expected her to refuse to leave and to refuse to abandon Hibernia.
Therefore, Claire was about to slowly recite her prepared arguments.
“I don’t have long to live anyway.”
But Irina’s following words once again left Claire speechless.
“I’m holding a massive amount of divinity that is difficult for a human body to endure. Before, the Goddess looked after me, so it was fine, but as I said earlier, she’s no longer here.”
As if on cue, the tips of Irina’s fingers as they brushed the statue began to crumble into dust, only to be immediately restored by the immense divinity surging within her.
After watching this in silence, Irina continued speaking in a cheerful tone, acting as if it were nothing.
“So, it won’t be of much use even if I go. I might just drop dead before we even reach the Empire. Hehe……”
She turned back and smiled. Those words made it hard for Claire to breathe. Her chest felt incredibly tight.
“Could you instead take the younger and more promising priests? Now that the Goddess has vanished, there won’t be any new awakenings of divinity, so please save as many young and talented priests as you can.”
She was only 17. At that age, she was speaking of her own death. She must have seen the sight of her own body crumbling and reforming dozens of times a day. It must have been terrifying.
“Oh, and please keep it a secret that there is no God. Once I’m gone, hope will be what they need most.”
Claire could not say a word, nor could she take any action. What could she do? What was she supposed to do?
“The collapse of Floor 70 must be a massive catastrophe. Then I’ll stay here and hold out for as long as I can. That’s actually better. If I die with Hibernia, at least the fact that the Goddess no longer exists will remain a secret forever. If I were to suddenly drop dead, the High Priests would realize God is absent.”
What could one possibly do for a 17-year-old girl who smiled while saying such things? What words could possibly be uttered?
Claire turned and fled the room. Her head was spinning. Even though she hadn’t eaten anything, she felt nauseous.
“Ah, Sister Claire.”
“Sister Claire.”
“We are always grateful.”
The gazes of everyone she met, the heads bowed with sincerity, and the respect being conveyed were so overwhelming that she couldn’t meet their eyes. What had she even done to deserve such gratitude?
She had only saved a few villages and helped a few cities on her way to the capital. There were several times more cities she couldn’t help and villages she couldn’t save.
After arriving at the capital, she had stepped forward to hunt the unorganized monsters from Floor 68 and Floor 69, yet even that wasn’t perfect, and those creatures were surely still running wild in various places.
“You are our Hero.”
And yet, these people spoke the word “Hero” without hesitation. When in reality, she wasn’t that at all.
She was just a pathetic human who had tried to forcibly take away the Saintess—their only hope and a girl of only 17. She was nothing more than a person who had concluded that Hibernia was doomed and was trying to run away, abandoning them all.
She felt sick. She felt like she wanted to vomit everything up, even though there was nothing in her stomach.
“Sister Claire!”
“Hero……”
“Our Savior……”
It felt as if everyone she passed was calling out to her. It felt as if they were shouting with expectation as they looked at her. Her steps faltered, and her body swayed. Her eyes, bloodshot from staying up for several nights, felt gritty.
“Claire……”
“Claire……!”
“Why…… Why……!”
Everyone passing by began to grab at Claire, weeping tears of blood. Insects crawled in empty eye sockets where eyes had fallen out. Those whose arms had been torn off crawled with their legs, and those whose legs were torn crawled with their arms, desperate to catch her.
Perhaps this was the future. Everyone passing her would eventually die a cruel death in a form not much different from this. They would die in despair as monsters poured in, crying out for a God who didn’t exist, and resenting the fake Hero who ran away.
“Sister!”
“Master!”
Neither a Hero nor anything else. She was an incompetent person who couldn’t even imitate a real Hero—
“Master!”
Her eyes snapped open at the feeling of being gently shaken.
“Gasp……”
She finally managed to draw a breath. Cold sweat covered her forehead.
“Are you alright……?”
Claire found herself lying on a bed, with Hamelot and several priests gathered around, looking at her with concern.
“You collapsed right after you came out from speaking with the Saintess……”
She had collapsed without even realizing it. It meant her body and mind had been pushed to their absolute limits.
“We will help you recover your energy and vitality. And you must eat, Sister Claire.”
The priests checked Claire’s condition and left the room only after repeatedly urging her to rest and eat. Only then did Hamelot approach the bedside and ask with worry.
“Master, are you really okay?”
“……I’m fine.”
Thanks to the priests, her energy had been restored to some extent. Nevertheless, Hamelot’s worry did not subside. He was sincerely concerned.
“As the priest said, please rest for a few days. And make sure to eat.”
But she couldn’t do that. There was no time to rest. Because this was the capital and right next to the Cathedral, it looked peaceful on the surface, but the outside was still suffering from the aftermath of Floor 68 and Floor 69. To make matters worse, the Great Catastrophe of Floor 70—possessing power beyond imagination that even the Empire had never experienced—would soon arrive.
Claire looked at Hamelot in silence. Why had she brought this child all the way here? Had she been so naive as to think everything would be okay? Or had her mind, pushed to its limit, simply needed someone?
She slowly sat up from the bed.
“Ah…… You need to rest……?”
“I’m fine.”
*Beeee—*
With the familiar vibration, the encrypted orders appeared on the blue wrist guard. She glanced at it as she got out of bed.
**[Damon and Melissa have departed. Floor 70 will soon collapse, so hurry.]**
It was an order to hurry and escape Hibernia with the Saintess.
*Click—*
Claire unfastened the wrist guard and tossed it carelessly into the corner of the room. Then, she looked down at Hamelot.
“Do you still think I’m a Hero?”
Hamelot nodded without a moment’s hesitation at Claire’s question.
“Of course!”
He was wrong. She was no Hero. She could never be one. Hamelot only had that misconception because he had never met a real Hero.
“……I see.”
However.
“Let’s go with that.”
Let’s just leave it at that. It would all be meaningless soon anyway. Everything would be revealed in the coming catastrophe. Then, Hamelot would know the truth—that she was not a Hero who could handle everything, and that she didn’t have the ability to be one. Everyone’s gaze would change, and they would be disappointed.
But all of that would be futile, too. In the face of the massive catastrophe that was about to unfold, humans would be swept away helplessly. In a world where the Hero had died, the Saintess was going to die, and even God did not exist, there would be no future.
Once she let go of everything, she felt a small sense of peace in a corner of her heart.
In the room Claire and Hamelot had left, a final message that had not yet been delivered flickered briefly on the discarded blue Artifact before losing its light and vanishing.
**[The Captain sent a warning not to do anything foolish……]**