The successive blows and questions left Martha feeling a deep sense of defeat.
Before the Blood of Abraham awakened, she had been nothing more than a village girl living in Bethany with her sister Mary and her brother Lazarus. It was her brother's death that allowed her to witness, with her own eyes, the miracle of the Prophet Moses borrowing the Lord's mighty power to bring him back to life.
That prophet had even personally given her his staff, taught her the martial arts passed down from Jacob, and expected her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a Holy Maiden.
To repay that favor and temper herself, she went on an ascetic journey. In the town of Neruk along the Rhône River, she confronted the tyrannical dragon that had been terrorizing the people, physically persuaded it to submit, and was honored by those she saved as a "Holy Maiden."
Seeing the smiles on the faces of those who had been redeemed, Martha had taken great pride in the faith that allowed her to bring blessings to others.
Yet the words of the man before her had successfully shaken Martha. They had even made her vaguely question the Lord's supposedly rightful arrangements.
For example, why had the Lord destroyed the previous Tower of Babel, and why did this one now have to be rebuilt?
For example, why had countless Jews who joined the war, clearly violating the Ten Commandments established between the Prophet and the Lord, been praised for it?
For example, since the Lord created Leviathan, why had He allowed Leviathan's child, the evil dragon she herself subdued, to torment innocent people? Was that also the Lord's arrangement?
With so many people dead, did the eternal kingdom truly exist?
Her straightforward, honest nature prevented the Holy Maiden from deceiving herself. Her expression shifted uncertainly.
Smack!
In a daze, realizing how blasphemous her thoughts had become, Martha immediately raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face.
Hearing that crisp sound, Samael's mouth twitched. Even he felt his teeth ache.
Fallacies! All of it is fallacy!
Martha drove the doubts from her heart, reinforced her wavering faith, and glared hatefully at the bastard before her who had disturbed her mind.
Damn it! You're the King of Athens, aren't you? What is wrong with you? Instead of reading the original scriptures of the Orpheus Cult, why are you reading the Bible?!
I'm the Holy Maiden here. How do you know the Bible better than I do? You damn heretic, lecturing me on scripture so smoothly. Are you bullying me because I can't read? This is insane!
Cough, cough…
Stared at by that resentful gaze until his skin crawled, the Serpent of Original Sin coughed dryly and turned his head, muttering inwardly.
Bullying a village girl with limited education like this does feel a little…
Fine, it feels great!
Samael forced down the pleased smile of having crushed his opponent. His gaze flickered slightly, and from the perspective of a Divine Spirit, he spoke to Martha with earnest gravity.
"Divine Spirits will eventually depart, heroes will eventually leave the stage, and humanity will have to step out of the cradle and learn independence. So religion can be trusted, but not blindly.
"One last word of advice. Rather than believe in that [Eternal Kingdom], which sounds unreliable from the start, and pray for God's grace to return humanity to the [Paradise of Eden], you would be better off allowing differences in faith, acknowledging one another's individuality, developing civilization, and building your own [Kingdom of Heaven on Earth]."
"You bastard, don't think you can sway me. The Lord will lead His people into the eternal kingdom. I will never betray my faith!"
Martha answered in a muffled voice, but her momentum was no longer what it had been. Clearly, she was only making a stubborn last stand.
"Oh, so you're quite brave. Then there's no point talking any further. Let's go."
Samael murmured mockingly. Then his expression chilled. He stood, pushed open the door, and dragged the captive prisoner into the dark night.
The night was deep, and there were not many ordinary soldiers patrolling the road. The few passing groups of Nymphs and Valkyries were casually sent away by the Holy King. Still, all sorts of strange gazes fell on Martha like pieces of red-hot iron, making the violet-haired Holy Maiden clench her fists, her face flushed red.
As the path grew increasingly remote, the swaying dry grass gave off an unpleasant rustle. Jagged rocks and tangled branches loomed like demons baring fangs and claws. Martha's heart lurched, and several images flashed through her mind.
If persuasion failed, then next would be…
Torture, interrogation, flogging, humiliation, or perhaps…
The violet-haired Holy Maiden touched the crucifix between her fingers and shivered, feeling an itch in her palms and the soles of her feet.
"Woof!"
Just as Martha was sinking into guesses about her possible fate, a cheerful bark came from the hollow ahead. A giant dog shot out from around the bend. Its three huge, ferocious heads rushed toward Samael, who was leading the way, and immediately began nuzzling him wildly.
The Ancient Serpent raised a hand and rubbed the middle Alaskan Malamute head, then turned back and gave Martha a meaningful look.
That look, along with the three dog heads' gleaming white teeth and the drool dripping from their mouths, made Martha's face go slightly pale.
Could he be planning to feed me to the dogs?
Living within the Persian Empire's sphere of influence, she really had seen the horrible sight of slave owners feeding slaves to hunting dogs.
Hiss!
Just as Martha's thoughts ran wild, she suddenly felt her wrist loosen. A familiar sensation of strength surged through her limbs.
The violet-haired Holy Maiden looked at the divine rune shackles on her wrists as they gradually cracked and dissipated, astonishment spreading across her face.
"You…"
Samael leaned against a green stone slab, yawned in boredom, and clapped his hands. Cerberus, the hellhound, had the tail of the evil dragon Tarasque clamped in its jaws where it protruded from the shell, and cheerfully dragged it all the way in front of Martha.
"Alright, I've said everything that needs saying. Any more would be pointless. Here, your dragon is returned to you. Go."
So he brought me out here in the middle of the night just to return my dragon.
"Why?"
Martha calmed herself, settled her emotions, and asked in disbelief.
"We still haven't settled the matter of you attacking the king. By tomorrow's routine inspection, I won't be able to hide it anymore. At that point, even if I wanted to protect you, it probably wouldn't be so easy."
Samael rubbed his aching chest and answered irritably. Then he paused, pointed toward the fading night, and reminded her seriously.
"Leave before dawn. I'll say the seal was unstable, that you wounded me, mounted this thing, and ran."
"I don't understand why you would let me go. We're clearly enemies…"
Martha pressed her lips together, still unable to believe it.
"Those wounded soldiers were enemies just like you, but you still treated them and eased their pain, didn't you? Anyway, I've already said what needed saying. Going on would be meaningless. Now that the Greek army has gathered and holds an absolute advantage, Persia won't change much with or without you. I'm letting you go. Think of it as repayment for your kindness."
Samael waved casually and spoke frankly. At the end, he did not forget to add a subtle jab.
"Heh, don't think only your Lord understands 'forgiveness' and 'mercy.'"
"Aren't you afraid I'll go back and fight the Greeks?"
Martha still felt as though she were dreaming. She frowned and asked hesitantly.
"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little bad. In that case, I can't let you go completely without conditions. With your personality, you probably don't want to see rivers of blood, do you?
"The wars of those above should not make ordinary people pay the price in blood. If Persia reaches the end of its rope, I hope you can persuade the Persians to lay down their weapons and surrender, reducing meaningless slaughter. Greece will treat prisoners well and guarantee the lives of those who surrender."
Samael thought for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly, then looked up and made the proposal seriously.
The wars of those above should not make ordinary people pay the price in blood?
Martha recalled the Greek army she had seen during the day, and a sense of powerlessness rose in her heart. She chewed on Samael's words for a long while, then slowly nodded.
Then, under Samael's gaze, the violet-haired Holy Maiden led over her mount, jumped onto the monster's back, and prepared to flee the prison camp.
However, to draw a clear line between them, Martha turned back solemnly before leaving.
"King of the Greeks, although I thank you for your pardon, I must still say this. My faith in the Lord is unwavering. When we meet again on the battlefield, I absolutely will not hold back!"
"Fine, have a safe trip. I won't see you off. Also, well… let's sleep together sometime!"
A malicious curve formed on Samael's lips. In the distance, the violet-haired Holy Maiden trembled violently when she heard him, staggered, and nearly fell from the dragon's back.
Immediately, the figures of dragon and rider sped up, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.
A moment later, the Ancient Serpent narrowed his vertical pupils, took the bottle of pink potion from his pocket, and admired it with interest, murmuring as if unintentionally.
The game is about to begin…