178 -175- May the Lord bless you

Believing herself to be guilty and deserving of execution, Jeanne never harbored hatred. She considered herself deeply sinful, her hands stained with blood, so she never contemplated escaping judgment.

"Betrayal by my homeland is the punishment I should bear."

If that's the case, why even mention hatred?

Wasn't that the point Jeanne wanted to convey?

Upon learning Jeanne's thoughts, Rozen had only one thought.

"This is absurd."

Isn't it?

She fought enemies to save her country—why should she be considered guilty?

She battled to bring salvation—why should she be sentenced to execution?

The blood on her hands was that of her enemies.

The lives falling before her were those of enemies who intended to take her life.

Was protecting the nation wrong?

Was ending a war wrong?

Since those actions were not wrong, where does this guilt come from?

Isn't this, well, absurd?

However, Rozen could only think this within himself; he couldn't articulate it.

Because Rozen knew, this was the kind of thinking devout believers had.

There was no doubt Jeanne was a devout believer.

Her faith allowed her to hear the voice of the Lord.

Her faith could even transform into the highest-grade Magic Resistance.

Yet in Catholicism, it's declared that killing is an unforgivable sin.

Because human lives are created by the Lord, belongs to the Lord, and killing is a betrayal to the Lord. Even suicide should not be allowed. Only the Lord who created everything in heaven and earth can govern life. People have no right or qualification to decide the life or death of themselves or others.

In fact, even in the Bible, there's a record that human souls will be judged by the Lord after the end of the world. The righteous will enjoy eternal happiness, while the wicked will suffer eternally. Taking lives recklessly equates to depriving the Lord of judgment—a truly unforgivable sin.

Perhaps, precisely because of this doctrine, Jeanne had never considered her actions to be right.

Since she killed, she must bear the burden of that action.

That's all Jeanne thought.

Thanks to this, Jeanne didn't harbor any resentment about her execution, nor did she harbor any grievances about her fate. Just as the legend goes, she remained pure without a hint of impurity until the end.

This was why Jeanne became a saint.

This was why Jeanne was the world's most famous saint.

Now, once again, Jeanne emerged to stand up for France. She didn't need to feel lost at all.

If it didn't reach this point, she wouldn't deserve the title of a saint who saves her country.

What else could Rozen say?

"You're really stupid..."

Rozen could only say this.

After all...

"If it were me, I definitely couldn't be like you..."

Rozen muttered quietly, and involuntarily recalled.

Recalled the white room.

Recalled the pungent smell of medicine.

Recalled the cold instruments.

Recalled the uncomfortable bedding.

And then Rozen said:

"I would definitely hate..."

"I would hate all those people and things that had done that to me..."

Rozen expressed these feelings, restraining his emotions.

Jeanne then turned her gaze toward Rozen as if seeing through everything, and smiled.

"That's what it means to be human."

Jeanne didn't look down on Rozen; she instead offered her affirmation.

"I'm probably the one who's not normal. You're the one who's perfectly normal."

With those words, Jeanne came to Rozen's side and crouched down.

Following Rozen's lack of reaction, Jeanne reached out and took his hands, holding them as if in prayer, enveloping Rozen's hands in her palms.

"You…"

Rozen was taken aback.

However, Jeanne didn't react; she just held Rozen's hands, gazing into his eyes and spoke.

"I only hope that you can see yourself clearly and not be swayed by these emotions."

With these sincere words, Jeanne closed her eyes slowly and voiced her thoughts.

"May the Lord bless you."

Jeanne began to pray for Rozen.

Rozen could only stare at the young girl before him, forgetting to hide his emotions.

"Fou!"

Fou watched this scene, rolled up, and lay beside them, wagging its tail incessantly.

Beneath the setting sun, the boy and girl held hands, one in silence, the other in heartfelt prayer, with a white creature by their side, creating a truly beautiful scene.

Unbeknownst to them, there were two individuals in the shadows not far away, observing the scene.

Besides Marie and Amadeus, who else could it be?

"Fantastic!" Marie exclaimed in excitement, "Hey, Amadeus, don't you think this scene is just amazing?"

"Although I'm reluctant to admit we share the same sensory perception, I'll be honest this time." Amadeus said with a wry smile, "A scene of a straightforward boy and a saint girl expressing their feelings to each other, ah, I feel like playing a serenade as background music."

"It's a shame, there's no romantic sentiment between those two." Marie corrected, "Using a song about love confession as background music wouldn't be appropriate."

"Is that so?" Amadeus stated nonchalantly, "Since it's coming from the romantic-minded Maria, it must be true."

"I'm not a romantic-minded person!" Marie corrected again, "I just like romance! Don't you think it's amazing!? Romance!"

That's called romantic-minded...

Amadeus could only keep that thought to himself.

If he were to voice it out, it would never end.

Thus, Amadeus changed the topic.

"I'll act like the master and ask you, Maria." Amadeus looked at Marie, "Is this really okay with you?"

Like Jeanne, Marie was betrayed by France and faced execution.

The idealistic and romantic queen had taken on responsibilities beyond her capabilities, trying to bring welfare to the people but became a sacrifice to the revolutionary forces against the monarchy—betrayed by the people she wanted to save, leading her to the executioner's platform.

If this isn't betrayal, then what is?

But...

"Of course it's okay!"

Marie's response was without a doubt.

"If you forget to smile, forget to love, what's left to do?"

"Whether it's pain or hatred, giving up a smile is never right!"

"Even if we're headed for that kind of ending, I don't want to give up smiling. I want everyone, every nation, and even the whole world to strive to smile."

"This is the decision I made as the white lily of France, right?"

Hearing Marie's confident reply, Amadeus had one thought.

"Ahh, just as I thought."

Amadeus knew Marie didn't lack resentment towards France.

That's why the queen admired the saint, who faced betrayal but could still protect the people of France without harboring hatred.

Amadeus remembered how bright Maria's eyes had sparkled when she met Jeanne yesterday.

Precisely because of this, Amadeus decided.

"No matter how stubborn you are, let me accompany you this time."

The reason why Amadeus agreed to join Rozen's team was this.

The saint who remained indifferent to betrayal.

The queen who chose to be inclusive even when betrayed.

And the musician who let the woman he loved be betrayed but still allowed her freedom.

Although their reasons were all different, these three individuals still joined Rozen's team.

For tomorrow.

For the future.