novelraw Chapter 470: The Sixth Believer
Chapter 470: The Sixth Believer
The events that followed were identical to those on the floor before.
The accelerated passage of time made it impossible for Lu Li to warn the priest and the others arriving at the church.
As twilight fell, the familiar flames erupted outside the church walls.
John, desperate to escape his guilt, set the old building ablaze, burying both the church and his sins in the fire.
Picking up his oil lamp, Lu Li turned and opened the wooden door.
An infinite emptiness rushed in from all sides, leaving the solitary wooden door seemingly suspended over an abyss.
No trace of the walls remained—only shards of the stone steps, glimmering with a faint light like scattered constellations, descended into the dark.
Even Lu Li, normally immune to mental assaults, felt an oppressive sense of impending doom. He took a deep breath, raised his lamp, and ignored the swirling darkness around him. Treading carefully on the scattered "stars," he made his way to the final wooden door.
Lu Li glanced down. In the corner where the landing had once been, a new staircase had appeared, leading further into the depths.
This staircase was much clearer than the one on the floor above. Lu Li could even feel a salty sea breeze wafting up from the passage, carrying with it the strong scent of the ocean.The space felt as if it had been split into two entirely different realms.
An inner voice warned Lu Li that he shouldn't go down there—not yet.
In the previous trial, Lu Li had seen a similar passage on the final floor, a path leading into the unknown.
The coincidence gave him pause. Perhaps these passages were connected somehow—perhaps they were even continuations of one another.
Each damp, sea-scented step was slightly taller than the last, making him wonder just how dangerous a fall would be from further down.
In any case, that wasn't Lu Li's concern right now.
He grasped the handle and stepped into the softly lit confessional, readying himself for the final test.
...
Carved into the wooden wall were the words: [The time of the end has come].
Morning mist shrouded the church. Rays of sunlight pierced the stained-glass windows, bathing the statues in a sacred, solemn light.
In these early hours, Lu Li might still have a chance to change things, though it felt as if every choice would inevitably lead to disaster.
Footsteps and voices echoed from outside, and soon several figures appeared in the doorway, wheeling a person in a wheelchair.
They passed by the confessional and made their way toward the front pews.
The priest emerged, and they began to speak.
The conversation, however, did not go smoothly. Soon, a loud, irritated voice resounded through the church.
The person in the wheelchair seemed unwilling to listen to the argument and, turning the wheels, moved off to the side.
Just as Lu Li had anticipated, the wheelchair, after moving aimlessly through the church for a time, eventually came to a stop before the confessional. A curious gaze fell upon him.
The person in the wheelchair, however, had no intention of speaking. Averting their gaze, they prepared to move away.
Just then, a slip of paper slid through the opening in the screen, landing on the occupant's lap.
[Who are you?]
"There are still people in Typhoon who don't know me..." a quiet, self-mocking voice murmured. From the sound of it, the person in the wheelchair was a young woman.
[The eyes cannot see a person's true nature.]
Lu Li's reply was enigmatic.
"If you're trying to convince me not to lose hope, I've been doing that for years. And I hear words of encouragement all the time," the young woman replied calmly. "Thank you for saying it again."
Her words might have sounded sharp, but her gentle tone suggested she was merely stating a fact.
[I don't know who you are, but if you have something on your mind, I hope I can listen and help.]
"You must be new here... It's no secret in Typhoon. Many people know my story... But I don't want you to hear it from them, twisted by their cruel gossip..." the young woman said softly, before calmly recounting her tale.
She spoke of the tragic events of her life, any one of which would have been a heavy burden to bear alone.
While traveling to her father's estate, her mother went into premature labor, brought on by the jolting of the carriage. The scent of blood drew a predator from the woods—a bear. Despite the guards' desperate efforts, the starving beast, gaunt from a harsh winter, tore its way into the carriage and bit off the newborn girl's legs.
Reinforcements arrived and drove the bear away, but not before it had licked the infant's face, leaving her without an eye and a patch of skin.
The tragic circumstances of her birth had not broken her, for she had never known any other life.
She mentioned only in passing the several times she'd been on the verge of death, and the night blindness she had developed.
If divinely blessed people truly existed, the young woman before the confessional was their polar opposite.
"If you hear any other version, know that it isn't true," the young woman concluded calmly.
[Are you a believer?]
"No, but my father, Viscount Levais, was very devout for a time," she replied, glancing toward the argument near the pews. "Because of me."
Lu Li began to understand why, on a previous floor, Viscount Levais had seized the priest who tried to stop his carriage.
When hope is lost, not everyone can keep their sanity.
Looking at the unfortunate young woman, Lu Li couldn't imagine how she could possibly atone for sins or help anyone else.
[I need your help.]
Still, Lu Li decided to try.
The young woman, holding the paper, asked in surprise, "You think a disabled person can help you?"
It sounded like a hint.
It was as if the trial itself, speaking through her, was telling Lu Li: "This won't work."
How can someone so afflicted help anyone else?
[Not me. Others, who need help.]
The young woman fell silent as she read the note. Then she lifted her head and replied, "I don't know what you're planning, but if it's for a good cause... I'll try to help."
For a long while, no sound came from the confessional, nor did any more notes appear. It was as if it were empty.
Just as the argument by the pews died down and the viscount was preparing to leave, another slip of paper, covered in writing, appeared from the screen.
The young woman took the paper and read.
"Can you speak?" she asked suddenly.
[No.]
"Do you have any cigarettes?"
[Why?]
"I've always wanted to try one. I've seen people smoke to forget their troubles."
[I don't smoke.]
"Goodbye, Father. I will try to do what you've written... if what you described really happens."
The young woman wheeled herself over to the viscount and his companions.
"What's that in your hand?" Viscount Levais asked gently, steadying her wheelchair. It was a stark contrast to the man known for his arrogance, who had just been berating the priest.
"A note. It's... strange. I'll tell you about it later."
"Very well."
The father and daughter, escorted by their guards, departed from the church.