"Her Highness Saint Maggie Zephnea sacrificed herself on the battlefield to eradicate the cultists of demons while fighting against her father who was bewitched by demons. Today, we announce the passing of Her Highness with heavy hearts."
Santa Fe was shrouded in drizzle. The usually bustling and noisy square was unusually quiet today, with only the sound of the central pastor announcing news audible.
The pastor, dressed in a completely black prayer suit unlike his usual attire, quietly recited the eulogy.
This is also part of Maggie's achievement.
The air was so stuffy that even breathing was difficult, and the rain was damp and cold on the skin, but even so, not a single civilian left the square, but listened quietly to the obituary.
"The Zefner family once sold large quantities of the highly addictive drug, Tumi, persecuting civilians and causing many civilians to die from hallucinations, and their families to be destroyed."
The pastor who read the obituary was a man of the priest, but even if he wasn't Maggie's man, he was saddened by Maggie's passing.
Even his voice was filled with indescribable sorrow.
"Saint Maggie could not bear to see the human tragedy and the people's depravity, so she personally exposed the sins of her family, collected evidence, and found the final production site of the Tumi potion."
"With a determination to die, Her Highness led the temple to cleanse the breeding ground of evil and restore safety to the people of the three kingdoms."
"During the battle, Her Highness fought with all her might and personally killed her criminal father, but she died from her injuries."
When the pastor read this part, he paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of civilians gathered in the square, as if he could feel their sorrow as well.
When Maggie was alive, she did her best to fulfill her duties as the Holy Maiden of Light every day without hesitation, and the people of Saint Fe had a high degree of goodwill towards her.
So much so that almost everyone was saddened when they heard the news of Maggie's passing.
Moreover, Maggie died for such an absolutely righteous reason that even the worst person couldn't say a bad word about her.
The entire obituary was quiet and still. Even after the last sentence was uttered, the people in the square lingered, heads bowed in silence.
"The temple is deeply saddened. May the God protect the soul of the saintess and grant her a peaceful return to heaven."
The pastor put away his book and bowed deeply.
Maggie's body was so shattered that it had no complete form, leaving only scattered fragments of flesh and blood. So, although the tomb was built to a very high standard, it was empty inside with very little, except for Maggie's bloodstained and tattered clothes.
As a saint of the temple, Maggie's tomb was not placed in a noble cemetery, but behind the temple cathedral, in the intention of returning to the embrace of God after death, no longer sad or distressed, but in eternal peace.
The temple bells rang out with a heavy, resonant sound that could be heard throughout the entire city of Santa Fe. From within the temple came the pure, ethereal chorus of children singing hymns, bidding farewell to the souls who could not find peace.
This was forty days after Maggie's death, a period that was neither long nor short since the extermination of the demon village.
Everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning leaving, even though many no longer had a reason to stay in the temple. Apart from Harun, who was the Holy Knight Commander, none of the others belonged to the temple.
It was only because of Maggie that they were brought together here.
Everyone remained silent, preparing for Maggie's final funeral, every day, even every hour.
Even the flowers at Maggie's funeral were chosen to be the freshest and most beautiful, magically frozen in time, arranged in clusters to adorn the empty coffin.
"Today is the last day, sister, I miss you a little."
Nesser sat quietly on the steps, looking at the church that had already been decorated. He couldn't shake the bitterness in his mouth. His hoarse voice echoed in the hall, but no one answered his question.
He lowered his head, trying his best to suppress the choking sensation in his throat, but tears still fell without warning, dripping onto his clothes, seeping in, and disappearing.
"elder sister...."
Nesser murmured, his eyes losing their light, filled with sadness and resentment.
Like a child who can't find his way home, he is lost and confused, but no matter how hard he tries, he still gets lost in the end.
His dependence on Maggie was beyond words, so even after several dozen days, he still couldn't accept the reality.
This afternoon is Maggie's funeral. The temple elders and priests will come here to say their final goodbyes.
Nesser hadn't left yet for this very reason; he didn't want to believe Maggie was dead.
But no matter how he tried, he didn't get any of the results he hoped for.
He even went to find the mermaid who could make prophecies, but the answer was already predetermined and nothing changed.
The crystal ball that the mermaid prophesied for Maggie contained only death; even the originally scattered constellations had vanished completely.
The crystal ball, emitting a gray light, flickered as if mocking them for wanting an unrealistic possibility.
"Someone is coming."
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice reached Nesser's ears.
He didn't look up, but simply gave a faint "hmm".
Perkin, who rarely appears before Maggie and only silently protects her, has not turned into a shadow during this time. Instead, he has been coming and going in the temple as Maggie's attendant.
Arrange a funeral for Maggie.
Even in his final farewell, he worried that others wouldn't do enough, and that Maggie would be sad if she knew.
He didn't want Maggie to be sad.
Although Perkin and Nesser weren't particularly close, they had both spent a long time by Maggie's side and had collaborated with each other many times.
Out of politeness, he still spoke up to remind him.
The funeral is in the afternoon, and soon many people will come to the church. Nesser will be seen crying here.
Nesser stood up from the steps, looked at Perkin, who was as taciturn as ever but had also grown considerably, and forced a smile.
"You'll leave too, won't you?"
He asked that question.
"Um."
Perkin nodded calmly.
When he and Nesser came to Maggie's side, they were both weak and underage. Now they are adults, but Maggie is not.
Maggie died the day before her eighteenth birthday celebration.
I heard this from the Duchess after I returned.
Maggie has never asked for a birthday celebration. She seems to be busy every day, often on the road, and has no time to celebrate her birthday.
For aristocratic ladies in social circles, a birthday is an excuse to have a party.
But for Maggie, it was a waste of time.
So Maggie never mentioned it, or rather, she felt that there was no need to celebrate either her real birthday or the original owner's birthday.
But when I heard that the day after her death would have been her eighteenth birthday...
Sadness is like a torrential rain, washing over everyone's heart; no one can escape it.
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