Chapter 2:The fault lies with this terrible world.

Drip—drip—

Water fell from the stalactites above the stone cave. The hollow sound woke the unconscious Aaliyah nearby.

“Mmm—”

With a soft whimper, she forced her eyes open.

Ores embedded in the walls gave off faint light. By that glow, Aaliyah saw the surroundings clearly and realized Isabelle had thrown her into the monster dungeon.

“Roar—!”

Before she could think, a monster’s howl came from not far away.

Her pretty face paled. She grabbed the longsword beside her and ran in the opposite direction. Rustling sounds kept coming from the darkness, sending chills down her spine.

She didn’t know how long she ran. Breathing hard, back soaked with sweat, her legs gave out from exhaustion. She fell heavily.

Propping up her upper body, she stared at her scraped and bleeding hands. Fear of death and endless grievance surged in her heart. She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

She couldn’t understand. Just because she couldn’t kill monsters, why did she deserve such cruel punishment? Was she wrong, or was the saintess?

As she cried, hurried footsteps came from around the corner ahead. She wiped her tears haphazardly, bit her lip, and hugged the sword she had dropped.

But what appeared was not a monster. It was a silver-haired girl.

The girl wore a pure white long dress. The moment she saw Aaliyah, deep pity filled her golden eyes.

She came to Aaliyah’s side. Ignoring how the dirty ground stained her snow-white hem, she knelt without hesitation and pulled Aaliyah into her arms.

Gently stroking her back, the girl whispered in her ear.

“It’s okay, Aaliyah. I found you.”

Like a beam of light piercing the darkness into Aaliyah’s heart, the despair vanished instantly. Warmth and emotion took its place.

Dropping her sword, Aaliyah buried her face in the girl’s chest and sobbed.

“Sorry, I couldn’t do it. I—I couldn’t strike…”

Hearing this, the girl closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to Aaliyah’s. Her voice was gentle.

“Why apologize? You couldn’t take their lives because the most precious kindness lives deep in your soul. It’s never wrong.”

“We’re the ones at fault. This broken world put the burden of saving it on your shoulders too soon and forgot to give you time to grow strong.”

Aaliyah’s arms tightened around her.

“But… but the saintess said I’d get everyone killed…”

“That’s not your fault. If someone gets hurt because of your kindness later, it will be my fault and Isabelle’s. We failed to teach you how to protect that kindness while also protecting yourself and your companions.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Isabelle is a saintess, and so am I. Don’t you trust me too?”

Leaving the girl’s embrace, Aaliyah wiped her eyes. Then she let out a small laugh.

Seeing her mood stabilize, the girl sighed in relief. Her gaze grew even softer.

Celis. That was the girl’s name. Also Isabelle’s other identity.

Since she had chosen both methods the goddess gave, she naturally couldn’t use just one identity. After long thought, she created Celis.

Another imperial saintess. Unlike Isabelle, Celis brought the Rose Knights love and hope.

Without her, these young knights wouldn’t survive Isabelle’s hands.

Extending a hand to Aaliyah, Celis said softly.

“Come. I’ll take you out. There’s a shortcut straight to the outside. As long as nothing goes wrong, we won’t meet any monsters.”

“Yes!”

Aaliyah trusted her completely now. Without hesitation, she took the hand and followed her down the path.

They truly met no monsters along the way. But soon, Celis grew tired. Aaliyah had no choice but to sit with her on a rock to rest.

Leaning her head on Celis’s shoulder, Aaliyah murmured absentmindedly.

“Lady Celis, when I first met you, I thought you’d be strict like Lady Isabelle.”

“She is she, and I am I. How could we be the same?”

“Why can’t you lead our knights’ growth? If it were you, maybe we wouldn’t suffer so much.”

“Because… I’m useless.”

At those words, Celis lowered her head. Her golden eyes dimmed. Aaliyah turned, looking at her in surprise.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“N-nothing.”

“Really?”

Grabbing Celis’s hand tighter, Aaliyah stared into her eyes, worry showing. After a long silence, Celis spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

“Many years ago, I was in a dark place like this. The hand holding mine was my mother, who raised me. She always whispered in my ear that she would protect me.”

“Then they came. She hid me behind a rock and told me not to come out no matter what. She rushed out herself… Through the gap, I saw claws pierce her chest.”

“As she fell, she still managed to press a finger to her lips, secretly signaling me to stay quiet… Back then, I thought, if I had even a tiny bit of magic talent, maybe she wouldn’t have died.”

“But I could do nothing.”

Silver hair fell, hiding the girl’s face. Aaliyah said nothing. She just lowered her head, feeling the self-blame and regret from the girl beside her.

Staring at her own hands, Celis continued murmuring.

“I’ve had no affinity for magic since childhood. No matter how hard I tried, I could only train to the level of an ordinary person. So even if I gave everything, I couldn’t protect anyone from monsters.”

“Every time I remember her death, I hate myself. Hate why I have no talent, why I don’t even have the strength to lift an iron sword…”

Drip—

Hot tears slid from the girl’s eyes and fell on Aaliyah’s hand. Aaliyah hugged the longsword she had set aside, unsure how to comfort her.

“Lady Celis…”

She had never imagined that Celis, a saintess, had such a tragic past. Or that she was a frail girl who couldn’t even lift an iron sword.

In Aaliyah’s eyes, the Hecate Monster Dungeon was extremely dangerous. Not just ordinary people—even trained warriors wouldn’t enter lightly.

Yet she had rushed in just to save her.

Good thing there were no monsters on this path.

“Roar—!”

As Aaliyah’s eyes reddened, filled with emotion, a monster’s howl came from behind. A starving gnoll with bloodshot eyes charged out of the darkness!

Fear instantly took over. Her face went white.

Celis didn’t think. She pulled Aaliyah up and, acting on deepest instinct, shielded her firmly behind her slender body, blocking the monster.

At the same time, she shouted to Aaliyah. Her voice cracked from urgency, filled with pure pleading.

“It’s a monster! Quick! Aaliyah, run ahead!”

Terror shattered the girl’s reason. She clutched her sword and fled forward without looking back, stumbling.

Celis smiled gently at the retreating figure, like a mother protecting her child. Then she turned to the charging monster and used simple magic to summon a longsword.

The blade was slender, perfectly weighted.

She hoped by the time she fell, Aaliyah would have run far enough.

…

Aaliyah didn’t know how long she ran. Panting, reason slowly returned.

As fear faded, she slumped against the wall. She couldn’t believe what she had done.

She had abandoned Saintess Celis and escaped alone!

This—this…

Her face flushed with shame.

But the moment she recalled the monster’s terrifying form, she gave up any thought of going back to save Celis.

As a saintess, she should be able to handle that monster, right?

After all, this was the Hecate Monster Dungeon. The monsters here were the weakest…

Repeating these comforts in her mind, Aaliyah slowly buried her head between her knees.