Miria had no mory of her real parents.
Both of them died to an epidemic soon after Miria was born.
The one who took the orphaned Miria in was a priest of Quira.
Miria respected the foster father who raised her with all her heart.
More than anything, more than anyone.
But honestly, there were parts of him she didn’t understand.
His creed was far too strict.
Living a simple life as the precepts say. Relentlessly disparaging those who break the commandnts.
Behind-the-tis fundantalism.
People scorned him behind his back.
‘That person is not right in the head. All he can do is offer prayers’
It was frustrating for Miria, but there were parts of him that she approved of, too.
Her foster father was only a little bit inflexible.
Miria always said to him, why don’t you be more generous.
But there was never a ti when he lent an ear to her.
Miria thought: — I’ll change things when my turn cos.
To build a tolerant church that fit in with the tis, to be a church loved by the town.
Then one day, Miria’s foster father died.
He collapsed in the middle of prayer, to never get up ever again.
Being alone after she lost her foster father, she wondered amidst her despair.
‘What were my real parents like?”
Miria asked her foster father ti and ti again but he never told her.
Feeling sorry for her foster father, Miria never insisted any more than that.
But now that she’s alone, Miria couldn’t help wanting to know about her real parents.
She likely wanted to ensure her blood relations.
Miria went around asking the senior denizens of the town: What were my real parents like.
The townspeople answered her.
[Your father was a strong man and a gentle soul, and your mother was a lively person. They were a wonderful pair everyone loved]
Hearing that, Miria’s heart was filled with joy — however, she found out sothing she wished she hadn’t.
Miria’s real father was a murderer.
When he was young, Miria’s father stood in between two quarelling ruffians, and because of his strength, he accidentally killed a man.
She heard her father was not judged by law.
Taking the situation into consideration, the lord of the land pardoned him.
But knowing that, Miria was stupefied.
‘My real father was a murderer …”
The awareness of sin tornted her.
In this body of mine flowed the blood of a murderer —
Miria persuaded herself ti and ti again.
[My real father was another person. Even though we’re connected by blood, I have never t with him]
However, she couldn’t deny her connections with her real father.
Within her daily life, she cannot help but feel the blood connection.
For instance, even as a woman, Miria was strong. She was able to lift a child high without a single problem.
This strength was sothing she inherited from the “strongman” that her father was.
Miria gave up, I cannot deny our connection
She recognized the sin dwelling within her.
Once she recognized that, her prayers to the goddess Quira beca longer and longer.
Kneeling before the statue, putting her hands together, Miria prayed and prayed.
When she realized it, Miria was walking the path of strict creed, just like her foster father.
In those days, Miria suddenly thought.
— Maybe, just maybe, my foster father was a sinner, too?
Did her foster father so zealously pray because he was aware of so sin as well?
Was it because he was a sinner that he took the sinner’s child Miria as his own?
It was no more than a guess, but Miria half believed it.
A prayer is a petition.
— Goddess, please forgive this sinful , please, please, please … !
The awareness of sin sends people to the goddess.
＊＊
To Miria who lived in prayer all alone, one day the reincarnator Yuutarou appeared.
He was loved by the goddess Quira — Miria was strongly chard.
— that’s because Yuutarou was a murderer.
He massacred Demihumans.
Even though he killed people, Yuutarou was deeply, deeply loved by the goddess.
When she looked at Yuutarou, she felt her foster father’s, her real father’s, and even her own sins forgiven.
She could only think that she could just offer everything to him.
＊＊
Not long after Yuutarou appeared, a child ca to Miria.
The “little lamb” who ca to visit the church again and again — he seed to have his circumstances, so in the end Miria decided to not ask about his na.
The boy said he had no parents — Miria symphatized with the boy, whose situation was like her own.
He must have visited the church because he was lonely.
The “little lamb” she spoiled was so cute that Miria couldn’t help but hug him over and over again.
She even let him suckle on her important part, just the way a baby would.
The little lamb brought to Miria, a great crowd of people.
Rania, Ruby, Liu—
And also a crowd of townspeople.
Ever since she t the little lamb, Miria talked to many people.
Miria then noticed.
Miria had always thought that she was tornted by the awareness of her sins, but she was wrong.
The thing that tornted her was really — her loneliness.
She kept thinking the sa things because she was on her own.
Her own words piled up within her, until she was unable to hear anything else.
Unable to take in other opinions, the shell she wrapped herself with beca thicker and heavier.
Thus the little lamb that made her realize this beca Miria’s treasure.
But the goddess Quira commanded Miria, to kill this litle lamb.
She troubled, she anguished over it.
It was a command from the goddess that had been always by Miria since she was small, so shouldn’t she follow it —?
However, Miria couldn’t kill the little lamb.
She couldn’t lie to her own heart.
I don’t want to kill him I don’t want to lose him — she couldn’t kill this boy, even if it would lead her straight to hell!
A will that surpassed her faith.
With her resolution stirred, Miria took the little lamb away.
She despaired over her goddess, and over Yuutarou too.
To even want to kill a child …!
Killing him because he was a dirty Troll? Stop kidding !
I will definitely protect him from everything —!
＊＊
Although she was fully resolved to leave Coura, Miria was forced to return because of her ill preparations.
Miria and the little lamb took shelter in Rania’s church.
Rania, sheltering a heretic such as herself.
She felt she wanted to cry.
I should probably convert from Quira to Euva — Miria pondered.
On the bed, Miria pondered and pondered.
Thinking about it calmly, there’s no reason not to convert.
Miria no longer loved the goddess Quira.
But Miria couldn’t make the decision.
If she changed her faith, she would lose the connection to her foster father.
And what would happen to her foster father at Quira’s side in heaven were she as the daughter to convert —
[Miria]
Hearing the voice, Miria was fully awakened on the bed.
She couldn’t mistake the voice.
It was her foster father’s voice.
The person who raised her.
The person she thought she could no longer et.
She wanted to rise up, call out, and cling to him.
It doesn’t matter how a dead man could be there.
Right now, all she wanted was to fly into her foster father’s chest.
But why, does her body feel heavy.
It was hard to even turn herself, and neither could she raise a voice.
Even though her foster father finally ca …!
Her foster father laid his hand on Miria’s head.
His rugged, manly hand caressed Miria.
Gently, full of love for his daughter.
[I should have done this more when I was alive. I should’ve properly told you how much I loved you]
Slowly, tears flowed from Miria’s eyes.
[Miria, the truth is, I have now been separated from Lady Quira’s side and went over to Lady Euva. There were things I could not agree with Lady Quira on. I’m here with your real parents — therefore you should live your life the way you want it]
Her father clasped her hand.
[Walk your own path. Live your own life — I love you, my daughter]
Having told her that, her father turned around.
To her retreating father — Miria mustered her strength to rise and say
“Father … I, love you … too …!”
Her father looked back, he had a faint smile on his face.
The first ti she ever saw her father smile — Miria would never forget this mory for as long as she lived.
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