You also want to know how your ‘brother’ dedicated himself to your mother, Lucy?

  I am not sure how to phrase it. Can we really call it a dedication?

  Well, I will tell you what happened at that time. You can make your own judgment.

  It was the day of that surprise party.

  Those who accompanied Aria in her pilgrimage, those who were saved by her and stayed with the main church, were all invited.

  It was to cheer Aria up. It was also to remind Aria that she has been saving so many people, so she should feel proud of herself. That was what I was told.

  Then, at the tail end of the party, when everyone’s enthusiasm died down, when everyone became tired and rested, when you fell asleep, Andres led Aria to that place, the place you and Andres painstakingly prepared with great care, the place currently called the Star Garden.

  The land that some people even called the promised land.

  When we saw him escort Aria out of the party’s venue, we did not try to stop him.

  It was agreed upon that he would dedicate himself to her that day.

  Paul and I, along with many others, decided to go to the Great Tower. It offered the complete view of that garden. We could also hear them to some degree. Thus, we decided to go there to observe them. Yes, we would act as the witnesses to his dedication.

  The face Aria showed when she saw the garden for the first time was one of pure joy. She really loves that place. Even now, she would occasionally bring you there whenever she was free.

  Then he gently led Aria around that garden. We found relief that Aria really enjoys it.

  Those illuminations gave off a flickering light in rainbow colors along the pavement. The latent lights up place to place.

  Seeing those again, I could not help but marvel at the effort of both of you. Who was in their right mind to hunt down a herd of disaster-class monsters to get their illusory scale to decorate the garden? Those scales hold nothing of value except their beauty. Was it your idea? Or was it his?

  After he led her to the main tree at the center, with Aria standing with her back facing us, he pulled a string.

  Hundreds of thousands of fireflies lit up the whole garden. They flickered like stars. Those fireflies have been living in that garden since then.

  We also lost for words. It was so beautiful. It was breathtaking. I could see that some saintess candidates moved to tears.

  Seeing Aria lost for words at such a scene, he walked up to Aria.

  When his eyes met hers, he began to talk in a soft voice.

  “Under the eclipse, I fall into the darkness.”

  “I cursed the world for casting me into the abyss.”

  “Then, in that abyss, I found my light.”

  His light… We immediately understood who he referred to. I could see him smile softly when he said that, and I could sense that Aria silently listened to him while meeting his eyes as she also lifted her head.

  “Yet, it was too bright to look at.”

  “Still, I keep chasing that light.”

  “And that light never abandons me.”

  “No matter how much trouble I caused.”

  “No matter how inconvenient I brought.”

  “That light never gives up on me.”

  “I am dumb, I am stupid. But that light never makes fun of me.”

  He gave out a soft laugh when he reached that part. Then, for the first time, yes, that was the only time that I heard him willingly mention his mother.

  “Mother told me that I need to follow the light, so here I am following that light.”

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  Then, he looked down at Aria’s hand. He slowly reached his left hand to grab her right hand.

  Placing his palm upward, He gently lifted Aria’s hand in a submissive pose. After that, he looked straight at Aria’s eyes.

  “You are my light, Your Holiness. You are my light.”

  “You guide me out of that abyss. You showered me in your light.”

  “Do you know why I keep addressing you ‘Your Holiness’?”

  Yes, he has always addressed Aria as ‘Your Holiness’. He always does that, even in front of me. Yet, he never tells us his reason.

  To others, it seemed as if he was certain that Aria was the next saintess. However, to me, it appears that Aria is his only saintess.

  “I know I am dumb. Master always tells me that. But I am not that dumb. You always say you are not a saintess. I believe your word without a doubt.”

  I always thought that Andres was not with great mind. Yet, at that time, I found him to be the wisest of us all. He really grew up to be a respectable man. Yes, his next word proves that he has matured well. The following questions of his also made me question my raison d'être. Indeed, in all aspects, Aria should be the saintess, not me, not anyone.

  “…‘Your Holiness’, that word is reserved only for the true saintess. And I know it.”

  “But what is it that defines a person to be a true saintess?”

  “Being chosen by the goddess?”

  “Bearing the mark of the saintess?”

  “And what does the saintess mean?”

  “And who is the saintess?”

  “I am too dumb to think about it.”

  “If this world defines the saintess based on these things. So be it.”

  “I am too dumb to follow them.”

  He knelt in front of Aria while maintaining eye contact. With their positions reversed from him being the one looking down to the one looking up, he earnestly conveyed his emotion to Aria.

  “In my world, in that dark world”

  “You are my only light. For you have illuminated me.”

  “You are my only reason to live. For you have brought me out of that abyss.”

  “You are my saintess. For you have brought salvation to us all that day.”

  “You are my world. For you are everything to me.”

  “For that, I asked you, please do not cast me aside.”

  “For that, I asked you, please continue to accept me.”

  “For that, I wish to declare.”

  “For that, I shall.”

  He spoke these words as if he pleaded with her.

  Then, He gently lifted her right hand, which he held in great care. With his left hand placed under her right hand, he positioned it at his head level.

  “Please allow me to dedicate myself to the world, for you are my world.”

  “Please allow me to follow my light, for you are my light.”

  “Please allow me to swear my oath to the saintess, for you are my saintess.”

  “I decided so,”

  Then, he loudly proclaimed. Everyone there could clearly hear it. I think those who were outside that perimeter could also listen to it. It was as if he wanted to declare it to the whole world.

  To him, he defined Aria as his World. That was what he tried to ‘dedicate’ himself to—to ‘his world’.

  To him, at least to him only, he defined Aria as ‘his’ saintess—his one and only saintess.

  However, although in his first sentence, he asked her permission to dedicate himself to her, in his subsequent sentences, he asked her permission to swear his oath of fealty to her.

  We were puzzled at that time.

  And do you want to know how Andres ‘dedicated’ himself to Aria, Lucy? It was beyond our wildest dreams. It was outside the norm. It was bordering on madness. We could charge him with the sin of blasphemy against the goddess. We could also declare him a heritage. Yet, I was convinced that he was capable of achieving it. I firmly believed so.

  With his eyes fixed on Aria, with determination on his face, he ‘dedicated’ himself to Aria.

  “I, Andres, to Lady Aria.”

  “From a cursed child to his salvation.”

  “From a lost soul to his light.”

  “From a shield to his saintess.”

  “From Andres to his world.”

  “I, Andres, offer my everything to Lady Aria, for you are everything to me.”

  “I am yours.”

  “This body is yours. This life is yours. This soul is yours.”

  “If you decided the whole world is your enemy, I shall stand there as your vanguard.”

  “If the whole world decides that you are their enemy, I shall stand there as your protector.”

  “If the goddess decides to judge you, I shall stand there as your companion.”

  “For you are my world.”

  “I offer my everything to you.”

  “Lady Aria”

  “My light.”

  “My world.”

  “My everything.”

  “…. Only you, I belong to only you. I decide so.”

  After he ‘dedicated’ himself to Aria, he placed his forehead on the back of her right hand, which he held in his hand. It was the act of complete submission.

  See? Isn’t it bordering on madness? Could we really call it dedication? Could we really call it an oath?

  At the end of his dedication, he did not address her as his liege; he did not address her as his saintess.

  He addressed her as his ‘light’, his ‘world’, his ‘everything’. It was outside the norm of the dedication ceremony.

  And at the end, he even denied the goddess authority over his soul for Aria. He offered his ‘everything to her’. He belonged to ‘only her’. That meant Aria had complete ownership over his soul. His soul would not be reunited with the goddess upon his death. His soul would stick with Aria.

  We all stood there, lost for words. With a red face, I looked up at Paul. Even Paul had a crumbly face. It was less than a knight's oath. It was more like a love confession, a heavy one at that. It was too heavy. Even I, being this old, could not bear it. It was too embarrassing, just listen to it. I wonder what kind of feeling Aria had at that time?

  Aria blankly looked at him the whole time. She did not move from that spot even though he had long finished his dedication. It was only after you woke up and ran to find Aria that she moved. Your time was too perfect to break that deadlock.

  Apparently, after that, Paul dragged him and gave him a good beating. He was bedridden for a week after that.

  Aria also avoided visiting him during that time. Only you, Lucy, cheered on his miserable status.

  I had to reconsider whether to allow him near Aria seriously. Come to think of it, Lucy, you may be right to be cautious around him.

  The good thing was that, after that accident? Incident? Aria regained some of her vigor. That was the saving grace of that blunder.

  So, Lucy, before you decide on your ‘dedication’, you need to consider its consequences carefully. Please do not attempt something this mindless like he did.