"What do you think life is?"

"Life is...... Born and lived......"

Zero stood on the edge of the bed, answering the question of the old man lying on the sickbed in front of him. Sainz's beard was white, his face was bloodless, his eyes were cloudy, and he had long lost his former lean look. The profound cultivation originally increased his longevity a lot, and although he had reached the twilight of his life, he was still not in his last years. On weekdays, he is in good spirits and amiable, and everyone thinks that Cardinal Sainz, the Holy See of Light, will live for many years, and the Holy See does not even speculate about the next bishop, because in everyone's opinion, this old man who has made great contributions to the Holy See is still as shrewd and capable as he was back then.

But he was indeed old, at this time he was gray-haired, weak as if a candle in the wind, and the pain in his head from time to time kept gnawing at his consciousness, which was the result of taking painkillers, and he would die at any moment.

"Born and lived......" Sainz slowly turned his face to look at the ceiling and muttered in a low voice, "Good answer, life is such a simple thing, but the process of growing up makes it more and more complicated......"

Zero stood silently beside the bed, the two were silent for a long time, and Zero broke the quiet atmosphere.

"Thank you. He said calmly as he looked at Sainz's old face.

"Thank me for what?" Sainz slowly turned his face to look at him, a nonchalant smile on his lips.

"You saved my life. The whole world feels like I owe thank you, and without you, I wouldn't be as alive and kicking as I am now. ”

"What do you think is the value of human existence?" asked Sainz calmly, still with a shallow smile on his pale face.

Zero just shook his head, he felt that he was not worthy to talk about the value of life in front of this respected old man. Sometimes, the elders should be quiet and listen carefully.

Sainz looked at the ignorant child in front of him, his originally cloudy gaze seemed to be clear, and his eyes were as calm as a calm lake.

He opened his mouth and said to Zero: "For a person like me, who has never formed a family in his life and dedicated everything he has to the Holy See, family affection is out of reach. I have witnessed the decline and prosperity of the Holy See of Light, and in addition to hoping that ordinary people can have faith in their hearts, deep down they still yearn for the mercy of the Lord......"

"I have prayed countless times in my life, I have prayed that the suffering people will eventually be liberated, I have prayed that displaced families will finally be reunited and happy, I have prayed that lovers who are happy with each other will finally stay together, and I have prayed that the world will be stable and peaceful, and there will be no more wars......

"I still pray...... The people of the mainland can finally unite as one, because the claws of the demon world have been stretching out to this stable and peaceful land...... We have worked countless times, starting with the re-establishment of the Holy See of Light, to the formation of the Purification Priesthood, to recruiting the Templars, to establishing branches around the world...... All of this is nothing more than the hope of dispelling the shadow that has hung over the heads of people on the mainland for thousands of years. We are determined and sacrificed......"

Zero listened quietly to Sainz's narration, even if he didn't understand it.

"Prayer sometimes doesn't bring significant results, and the dogma of igniting the mortal mind can't save the mortal realm from fire and water, so we're always looking for a way to do it once and for all......" Sainz looked at Zero with seriousness and determination in his eyes.

"Child, don't apologize for my death, it's no fault of your own, any life will pass away one day, and I think it's the most meaningful thing I've ever done in my life. There is always a way for life to continue, just as faith is passed down by word and deed. I'm going to die, but as you said, life is to be born, and to live again, please live with my faith, and live well. ”

"You remember, maybe in the near future...... No matter what blow your life has suffered, no matter how your dignity has been trampled on, no matter how your will has been broken, no matter how much your faith has been questioned, if there is still that flame in your heart that has not been extinguished, you must let it burn...... Burning ......"

Zero kept staring at the old man in front of him who was talking to him, although he was already so weak, his tone before he died was still so determined and pious. Zero could even see his gaze go from cloudy to clear and calm, then to deep and clear, and finally to dissipate. Sainz's words kept echoing in Zero's mind, and he was silent for a long time, rubbing his red eyes, and turned away.

Zero pushed the door open and walked out of the room, and when he saw that everyone outside the room was watching him, he stepped out steadily, turned around and gently closed the door. Then, he turned around and glanced around, and said calmly, "He's dead."

Time seemed to slow down suddenly, and in an instant, a sad atmosphere spread, and people's faces were filled with all kinds of sad expressions, and some people pursed their lips solemnly; Some people have red eyes and hold back tears; Some put their hands together and began to pray. Someone ran to the door in grief; Someone broke down and wept bitterly......

Ignoring the commotion around him, Zero walked out the door with a grim expression, and behind him, a sad aura filled the room. Zero walked outside, looked up at the gray sky where it was raining heavily, and walked aimlessly down the hallway.

The rain finally fell, like a grievance that had been accumulated for a long time, and finally broke out at this moment. The rain poured down, washing everything on the earth without hindrance, and the rain fell on the ground and shattered, and the splashed rainflakes scattered all over the ground, and the plants and trees were drenched and trembled...... From time to time, thunder flashed, thunder thundered in my ears, and the air was very hot and depressing, making people a little breathless.

"Da, da, da, da......" A steady footstep sounded.

Zero looked up ahead, and a tall, tall old man walked in the opposite direction to himself. He looked old, with a completely white beard, and his face had the same wrinkles as those of his peers, but not many, and what surprised Zero was his spirit—he was bright-eyed, energetic, old and strong. His hair has a gentlemanly style, the tips of the hair hang down at the corners of his eyes and look a little lazy, his all-white hair is neatly combed, and his white beard is also repaired neatly. He walked on the road with his waist straight, and his whole body looked like a male lion strolling in his territory. He was dressed in a black suit, with a gray cloak over his shoulders to protect him from the wind and rain, and his feet were covered with rain-stained leather shoes, just like a gentleman in a suit and leather shoes. From his current mental outlook, you can imagine how graceful he must have been when he was young. Of course, he looks so charming now.

"So handsome~" This is Zero's first impression of him when he first saw the house. He had never seen such a handsome old man. It is really inappropriate to use the word "old man" to describe him, he should be called "old man", he walks steadily, looks old and strong, blue-gray pupils look unswervingly ahead, at this time he is walking in front of Zero, he glances down at Zero, and the eyes of the two are intertwined for a moment.

Just as the two were about to pass by, his pace suddenly slowed down, and after stopping, he asked in a flat tone, "He's dead?"

Zero turned to the side and replied, "Bishop Sainz?" just died. ”

"Aren't you sad?" said the Poser did not turn around, still standing with his back to Zero, his back standing tall like an ancient pine standing on a cliff.

"Tears do not bring back to life the dead. Zero replied.

The corners of Poshe's mouth, with his back to Zero, hooked up a shallow smile, and he still said in a flat tone: "But tears are the least respect for the deceased. ”

"There are many ways to respect the deceased, and one of them is to inherit the will of the deceased and try to live. Zero said calmly as he looked at his back.

There was a muffled thunder in the sky, and the heavy rain gradually subsided, and it was not as impatient as it had just been. The two were silent for a few seconds, and then Poisher said, "You're interesting," and walked on, still steady, unhurried.

Zero looked at the distant back of the berth and turned thoughtfully, taking a step towards the other side.

In 1307 of Limotan, the Cardinal Archbishop of the Holy See of Light, Sains-No-Serveti, died at the age of 102.

May the Lord lead his soul to heaven, where he will be happy and in good health, and free from troubles.

In the darkness of night, Pope Clende Gunney stood silently in front of Sainz's coffin, staring without saying a word at the prayer inscribed on the coffin, the faint light of candles slowly emanating through the gloomy Valhalla. Clender was the only one in the entire hall, his eyes bloodshot, he hadn't slept well for a long time, since Sainz's accident......

He and Sainz met 40 years ago, when his family was killed by demons, and it was the people of the Church of Light who saved him. He was originally a religious believer and had always believed in the God of Light, but sincere and faithful prayers did not save his family, and he had lived in the shadow of the loss of his loved ones for a long time. Later, it was Sainz who saved him, when Sainz had been busy fighting demons all over the world, sealing the rifts of another dimension, and he didn't know why the respected Lord Sainz would be willing to admonish a young man like himself who had already given up on life in his busy schedule. Sainz said that it was because of the Lord's mercy that he was able to survive the disaster, and that the Lord did not recover his soul because he must have an unfinished business. From that day on, he followed Sainz around, he stayed by Sainz's side to complete what he said was an unfinished mission, and Sainz wanted to do what he wanted to do.

After the overall situation was settled, no one thought that Sainz would let himself, who had always been by his side, become the pope. In terms of respect, talent, and prestige, no matter from which point of view, it should be Sainz who should be the pope, and it was he who personally carried forward the declining Holy Sect of Light, and he attracted all kinds of sects that believed in the Lord of Heaven to merge into the Holy Sect of Light, so that the once decaying Holy See of Light was revived. In order to keep the peace against the demons, he formed a group of purification priests and recruited the Templars...... He has given so much for the Holy See and the mainland, he is a great man, and he should be the pope anyway.

"I'm old, Clende, and I'm no longer fit to lead others, but I'm better suited to be a missionary, to spread the faith of the Lord in peace, which is more important to me than to lead others in a high position. You will lead you, Clend, and unite you well by the will of the Lord, not only the Holy See of Light, but the entire continent. If it's you, you can do it, this is your unfinished mission......"

These were Sainz's exact words, and they are still fresh in my memory today.

The faint candlelight shone softly on Clond's body, tears silently running down his vicissitudes of life, his face hidden in a shadow, and no one could see his expression.