After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

At this point, he had already guessed what the other party wanted to say, and therefore felt a little disgusted.

"So, how did you, who became her pillar of support, do it?"

Rosalin, just as Aize expected, suddenly took two steps forward and stood in front of Aize. She changed the subject and continued in a tone mixed with blame:

"Time and again, you kept denying the image of yourself in her mind, you suppressed her admiration, denied her faith, which made her feel confused and overwhelmed."

"Aize, you could clearly have created an easier path for her—as long as you acknowledged, encouraged, and accepted her, you could have helped her completely move on from that failure. But in reality, because of you, she's been living in pain and suffering until now. Why are you so cruel? What exactly has your denial of others' beliefs brought?"

"..."

Aize remained silent.

Chris, who was eavesdropping outside the door, felt her heart stop at that moment.

Because she also wants to know the answer.

Just as Rosalyn said, she did rely on her mad worship of Aize to escape her own failure. She herself was very clear about this and was often tormented by self-loathing because of it.

But behind this outpouring of self-loathing, she undoubtedly also harbored some resentment and misunderstanding.

Why? Why deny yourself to this extent?

Be it admiration or pursuit, it is not a rare thing in this world.

Whether it is the Pope, priests, nobles, generals, or high-level adventurers, everyone is shaping his own image and boasting about his own achievements.

The fame that Aize has is what many people would try their best to obtain.

But Aize himself dislikes it extremely.

Yes, personality cult can lead to problems, and extreme beliefs can lead to blindness.

But it didn't start today, and Chris didn't do it alone.

Really, are you so heartless?

In the past, Chris had carefully avoided and concealed similar feelings and never thought about them too much.

But now, with Rosalyn bringing up the subject, his thoughts were unstoppable.

"Yes, I have to be so ruthless. There is no other choice."

Amidst invisible and sourceless doubts, Aize sighed softly, raised his head, and looked directly into Rosaline's lifeless eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

"Besides, I believe her."

Just a few words, understated but inexplicably firm, slapped all the negative emotions that surged in Chris's heart back.

Even Rosaline, whose expression remained unchanged for ten thousand years, showed some ripples:

"……What did you say?"

"Rosaline, let me ask you a question."

Sitting on the sofa, Aize leaned forward, supporting his chin with his fingers crossed, and scanned the other person's body with sharp eyes.

"What do you think I am?"

"Um?"

"Brave Aize, and all the titles and appellations that come with it, are worthless to me. Whether it was when I was first summoned or now, I see myself as just an ordinary student caught up in an inexplicable time travel incident, struggling to find a way home."

"While everything that happens in this world, be it war, politics, or those tiresome games, is closely connected to me right now, that doesn't mean it will always be that way. Whether I leave or die in battle, I could be disconnected from it all at any time."

"But Chris, and the other people in this world are different. The war with the demons is directly related to the survival of their race. They only have two outcomes: victory or extinction. You can't just throw all this responsibility onto an outsider like me, right? What if I die in battle one day? Will they still not be able to repent?!"

When a group places all its hopes on an unstable individual, the group will lose a huge amount of subjective initiative.

Even the future.

A country and system maintained by a single strongman collapsed and disintegrated after the strongman's death - such stories are not uncommon in the history of Aize's original world.

For the humans of this world caught up in the war with the demons, taking a step back means falling into an abyss of no return, and they must never make this mistake.

Aize doesn't want to be a hands-off boss.

But the process of coming into this world is not under his control, so who can guarantee that he can have the final say on the process of leaving?

There is no reliability in traveling through this system itself.

Not to mention dying in battle.

In the past two years when Aize was making great strides, he had many brushes with death, to the point where he still gets scared when he thinks about it now.

On the battlefield, no one can guarantee what will happen tomorrow.

So even though his approach was somewhat inhumane, Aize firmly believed that he had to do so.

From a rational point of view, there is nothing wrong with this theory, and it is also what Aize has been repeating to almost all of his subordinates.

Rosalyn knew it too.

So she smiled slightly contemptuously:

"So? How's the effect now?"

These words made Chris outside the door shudder.

"Aize, you are very good and rational. You are so rational that you would even risk your life on the chessboard just to increase your chances of winning."

"But not everyone is like this, right? Most people don't think about these things. They'd rather find a place to rely on, placing all their anxieties and hopes on it. This is what's happening now, and this is the reason for the Pure White Saint Cult's existence."

"And in fact, their wish has indeed been fulfilled. Those church leaders and the Inquisition who persecuted them have all suffered divine punishment and paid the most painful price."

What he was talking about was the riot that happened in the Holy City before. With the help of Rosaline, Leah killed everyone in the church, which directly led to the current situation.

It was clearly planned by her, but she could actually call it an oracle without blushing or beating her heart. Apart from anything else, Rosalind really has a good sense of shamelessness.

Or is it that deep down in his heart this guy really thinks of himself as a god?

It's disgusting either way.

Not to mention that he was clearly purging dissidents within the church, yet he spoke as if he was pleading for the people.

very funny.

Aize shook his head, and the contempt on his face was almost uncontrollable.

And Rosalyn's generous statement continues:

"What about you? Both before and after leaving the team, you spent countless efforts and thought of countless ways to help Christina cheer up and deny your own beliefs in her mind. Now, how are the results?"

"From what I've observed, there doesn't seem to be any sign of improvement. Her emotions are even stronger than when she was still in the team. Is this the result you believe in? It doesn't seem to have any value."

Chris, who was outside the door, was sweating profusely.

When it comes to being scolded, she is as indifferent as a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water and will not be affected at all.

However, because of my own incompetence, my master was at a disadvantage in the most important quarrel... no, in the debate. This is absolutely unacceptable.

It’s like two parents competing with each other for their children, one taking out a bunch of awards and the other taking out a notice of detention.

The blue-haired girl kept apologizing:

"I'm sorry, Master. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry..."

"Yes, I believe her."

The same words, but with a stronger force, came from the room again.

Chapter 59: Night Visit to the Saint (3)

Aize's statement made Rosalin straighten up, lean back slightly, and even narrow her eyes slightly, with a stronger sense of scrutiny.

"Why? Can you tell me the reason?"

After a moment of silence, the white saint said so.

Aize leaned back on the sofa and moved his wrist slightly.

However, he did not answer the question directly. Instead, he raised his head to meet the other person's gaze and asked:

"Rosalin, what do you think of the strength of us, the so-called God's Chosen Heroes?"

"……what?"

"When first summoned, everyone's strength was much weaker than it is now. Then, over a period of time, they rapidly grew stronger, developing to a point almost indistinguishable from their current state. In my opinion, this can't be called growth, but rather familiarization with one's own strength. Once familiarity is complete, it's a complete form."

Although Aize's combat ability is ridiculously weak compared to other heroes, it is still something that he, as an ordinary student in the past, could not compare to.

Precisely because his starting point in the past was too low, Aize realized that this kind of numerical enhancement is fundamentally different from learning and growth in the traditional sense.

To use RPG as an example, growth is upgrading, but the situation of the heroes is more like someone using a modifier to directly tamper with the data in the background.

"In other words, Rosaline, we so-called heroes are in a state of near-death. Growth is practically non-existent. This isn't just about physical strength; it applies to aspects outside of combat as well."

Aize felt very unfamiliar with the military command, political game and intelligence analysis abilities he possessed in this world.

Just like the rapid growth of Leah and others' combat capabilities, this talent did not undergo any step-by-step improvement process. Instead, after Aize started to get involved in related work, he was fully proficient in it within just a few days.

It was as if this talent belonged to him from the beginning.

It seemed as if it never belonged to him.

The white saint shook her head:

"what do you want to say in the end?"

"Rosalin, do you think your abilities can solve all the problems for the believers?"

The answer is of course no.

Through the power of the faith network, Rosaline can do whatever she wants within the church and even within humanity.

But this is ultimately just bullying at home. To the demons who have no such beliefs at all, this ability is meaningless.

Such was the case with the expedition that was about to begin.

"You set yourself up as the object of their admiration and hope, and then, invisibly, you also become their limit, stifling their possibilities."

"But Chris is different. She... she's a true genius. Her exceptional talent, the dedicated training of everyone involved, and her own hard work have all combined to shape her into what she is today. Unlike the rest of us who don't even know where our powers come from, she's growing. Even after she came to me, she's still growing."

"She has already learned most of what I know, what I have mastered, and what I understand. Unfortunately, I haven't fully understood what she has mastered."

Aize gave a wry smile.

As for the knowledge of this world, such as the tactics of the Knights, various activities related to the nobility, etc., Chris, who was born and raised here and is gifted, has a better grasp of it than Aize.

It’s not that Aize hasn’t tried to learn, but these overly detailed things are not easy to master overnight without sufficient time accumulation.

But it turns out that Chris has been learning from Aize.

After all, I’m not called Master for nothing.

And Aize - unfortunately - doesn't know where his abilities come from, so he can't grow.

Even overall, Aize is still much better than Chris.

But in the long run, with a fixed end point, being caught up must be only a practical problem.

"She will surpass me, even if it takes a few more years, she will definitely do it."

Aize hugged his knees and said lightly:

"So, I couldn't accept her beliefs because I couldn't bring myself to be her cap, which is what it means to believe in her."

"..."

Rosalyn fell silent.

Chris, who was eavesdropping outside the door, felt her heart beating so fast that it almost broke her ribs from the inside out, and cold sweat flowed down like a waterfall and a stream.

Myself, surpassing Aize?

Is it the garbage it is now?

This joke is too big.

Besides, he had never said such words to himself before.

"……Well."

Of course not.

Because given his previous state, even if he had told her, Chris would probably have turned a deaf ear to him, and along with all the other instructions and reproaches, it would have gone in one ear and out the other.