After hearing Rin's story, Ming Yu and Theresa were both silent for a time. In the face of such a tragedy, any words seemed pale and superfluous.
In a tragedy like this, Ming Yu's role was always that of a bystander. He couldn't blame anyone, nor did he have the power to judge anyone.
The villagers were superstitious and ignorant. Faced with a natural disaster, all they thought about was how to survive. They followed their ancestral laws, offered a sacrifice to the gods to appease their wrath and pray for happiness. As for who the little girl used as a sacrifice was, they didn't care at all, at most sighing that she had bad luck.
Ming Yu didn't know if he should blame them. He had never lived through that ignorant era, couldn't imagine the reverence for gods in that time, nor could he know how terrible natural disasters were back then.
Perhaps for those villagers, the ritual was just a helpless act of sacrificing a pawn to save the king—using one life in exchange for the lives of the entire village.
On this matter, the scales were unbalanced, and the people had no choice.
As for the High Priest, perhaps with a different perspective and some embellishment, he could even be considered a great man who sacrificed his family for the greater good. When the villagers proposed using Rin as the sacrifice, he didn't object. Perhaps in his heart, he also believed it was worth it.
In the face of the collective, the individual is so insignificant that they don't even have the right to choose. Even though he was revered as the High Priest, his opinion was powerless before the will of the village.
Ming Yu, being from the modern era, could naturally list many ways to deal with a drought: digging wells for drinking water, drip irrigation for agriculture… But he wasn't the High Priest, and the High Priest wasn't him! In the High Priest's eyes, the ritual was the only and best method; he had no other options!
Then there was Sakura. In a fit of rage for her sister, she destroyed the entire village, her hands stained with the blood of hundreds of people, a truly heinous crime. No matter what, the sins she carried could not be washed away, and the village destroyed in her revenge would not be restored by her repentance.
But Ming Yu couldn't even utter a single word of reprimand. He had never lost a loved one, never experienced that kind of despair. He had no right to judge.
He could, of course, stand on the moral high ground and criticize Sakura, saying she should let go of her hatred and consider the bigger picture. But wasn't that ridiculous?
Seeing the two fall silent, Rin continued, "Now, a dark power is exploiting the weakness in my sister's heart, constantly eroding her will."
"Then what should we do?" Theresa asked, raising her head. Although shocked by the story Rin told, her experience with major events allowed her to clearly assess the current situation and react quickly.
The most important thing right now was to investigate the cause of the abnormal Stigmata fluctuations and find a way back to reality.
Faced with Theresa's question, Rin shook her head and said, "I don't know either. There has always been a force of hope in my sister's heart. It was brought to her by that female knight from five hundred years ago, and only she can grant my sister salvation. But, that female knight is already…"
Theresa knew very well that the female knight must be Kallen Kaslana, but where was she supposed to find a Kallen? Although a part of her own genes came from her, she was Theresa Apocalypse!
Hearing Rin's words, Ming Yu subconsciously glanced at the golden cross necklace he wore on his left wrist. Familiar with the plot, he knew the key to breaking the stalemate was this cross, but he couldn't quite remember how to use it. He only knew that Theresa could use it to summon Judah.
Moreover, in this Stigmata Space, Ming Yu had other ideas. To achieve them, he couldn't resolve the situation too quickly.
Seeing the two fall silent again, Rin's heart began to beat like a drum. She didn't know if doing this would help them, help her sister, but it was the only thing she could do.
"My power is almost depleted. I may not be able to appear in this form again. I'll leave my sister's affairs to you." Rin said, bowing. Her body was faintly beginning to disappear.
"Wait," Ming Yu suddenly said, holding up the cross in his hand. "Besides being able to reside here, can you possess other objects? For example, this cross."
According to Ming Yu's guess, Rin was able to appear here because Yae Sakura's fondness for this place made it difficult for Higokumaru's power to invade. But as Higokumaru's corruption spread, Yae Sakura's resistance grew weaker, to the point that even this place could no longer be protected.
Yae Sakura's gradual defeat had also shrunk Rin's space for survival, and having appeared for so long tonight, her power was already exhausted, making it impossible to even maintain her spectral form. If Rin's power wasn't replenished, she would probably only be able to appear in dreams from now on.
But since the cross from Kallen could hold Kallen's longing, it should have no problem accommodating a soul. This could perhaps be considered another way to use Judah?
At that time, this cross would give Yae Sakura not only Kallen's longing but also her sister's hopes. This double dose of emotion should be even more effective at awakening the hope in her heart.
The only thing that worried Ming Yu was whether the cross had enough space, since there was already a Kallen inside. But if they squeezed a little, it probably wouldn't be a problem, right... probably?
As if sensing it was about to be used, the cross emitted a faint golden light, so bright and warm in the dark night, dispelling the slight chill of the mountain wind.
Looking at the glowing cross in Ming Yu's hand and feeling that warm light, Rin's fading body stabilized. She couldn't help but reach out, wanting to touch that warm light, but then, as if remembering something, she stopped in front of the cross.
"Is this from that female knight?" Rin asked, her eyes shining brightly.
"Mhm. So, is it possible?" Ming Yu asked, a little uncertain.
"Yes. Although there is another consciousness in the cross, it doesn't reject me," Rin said with a smile.
"Phew~" Ming Yu let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."
"Then, goodbye. I'm counting on you to take care of my sister," Rin said, diving headfirst into the small cross.
As Rin entered, the cross flashed one last time before the golden light receded, returning to its plain, unremarkable appearance.
Theresa watched Ming Yu's operation with wide eyes. Such a large person could be put into such a small cross. But she was, after all, a Principal in her forties. Well-versed in the world, she quickly composed herself.
"Ming Yu-chan~, you don't seem to have told me about this cross," Theresa said, standing up and placing a small hand on Ming Yu's head, smiling with her eyes curved into two crescent moons.