Side Chapter 4: Originium Saint Defender

My first meeting with that girl was quite peculiar. The mission assigned in L.G.D was to protect Lungmen, and I dedicated myself to that goal until I became infected and uncovered the darkness of this town.

I witnessed the massacre of infected individuals once their numbers reached a certain threshold and noted the discrimination they faced, which made me realize we weren't so different from Ursus. Despite this, I held onto hope until I encountered a member of Reunion. I was so intrigued by them that I considered joining, but their leader's behavior soon became unsettling.

As I looked deeper into the situation, I noticed a shift when the leader changed, leading me to feel that my efforts were futile—until I met her.

It happened in an alley where Ch'en found Phal, Hoshiguma's subordinate, bleeding and near death. Ch'en brought her to us, and I initially thought she might be a medic, so I decided to introduce myself, as Rhodes Island was also one of my potential choices for joining.

Then something surprising happened: she cured my Oripathy, which astonished me. I recalled a rumor that Rhodes Island had employed an Originium saint from Laterano. At first, I thought the news was fabricated to enhance Rhodes Island's image, but now a new idea began to form in my mind.

If I could somehow create a safe haven for the infected, it would be easier to eradicate Oripathy, especially with her help. So, I decided to investigate further, even spying on her occasionally. I discovered that she was singularly focused on curing Oripathy.

Every infected patient she encountered received her treatment on the spot, although sometimes she couldn't cure them completely due to interruptions from other pressing matters. Nonetheless, she was genuinely committed to healing them out of goodwill.

However, I knew that this couldn't last long, as the infected were spread all over Terra. So, I set out to form an organization that would support her cause as well as my own. I gathered both infected and former infected individuals, and while many were still civilians and couldn't be recruited, former soldiers rallied to my cause.

Then I heard that she was going to Chernobog to confront Talulah, and I knew I couldn't miss this opportunity. I joined forces with Big Bob, who recognized the flaws in Talulah's approach. Together, we managed to hold back the more radical members of Reunion, and ultimately, Rhodes Island succeeded in defeating Talulah.

What surprises me is that Ch'en is here with the leader of Rhodes Island. Nevertheless, I am insisting on my offer to take Talulah in exchange for helping Rhodes Island in their time of need. I would help them regardless, especially since that girl is still around. Now that I think of it, her name was Alisia, which one of the members let slip.

Recalling how Rhodes Island operates, I believe it’s only a matter of time before she adopts a codename, and I need to respect that by announcing it to the organization. Currently, most of the organization feels like an idol fan group.

Apparently, the members who become citizens have started to create merchandise featuring her, which is helping to spread awareness of our group. This is positive, but I wonder if I can lead it effectively since this is my first time managing a fan organization. At least they are maintaining a level of professionalism, which is a relief.

Now, we’re headed to Kazimierz because I've heard that the infected there are being heavily oppressed, and we need to rescue them. Even now, I’m still in conversation with Talulah, and she is different from what I had heard. This confirms what the leader of Rhodes Island said—that she is being manipulated. However, this doesn’t erase her past mistakes, and I can’t help but pity her fate.

Since she is being manipulated, her organization, which was likely founded with pure intentions, has been ruined. Now, it no longer exists, which is a significant blow to her. Yet, she plans to find the manipulator and confront them herself. As she currently has no leads, she intends to stay with us.

Given her abilities, she could likely go off on her own, but for now, I won’t let her leave. Her reputation as a former leader of Reunion is still substantial. I had intended to carry on the Reunion name, but the majority of the members rejected me, which is fair, considering that the name is now tarnished. It will be challenging to gather support to establish a safe haven for ourselves.

Although the name came to me on a whim, it has become our identity. I have mixed feelings about it, but that doesn’t change our situation. With the major events in Kazimierz approaching, there’s a chance that oppression will intensify there.

We definitely need to plan carefully, which will take time. We must gather the former members of Reunion under our banner, and with Talulah here, even the hardliners are likely to follow us. I hold onto that hope as I look toward the horizon and see the bright sun.

I was one of the "saved ones," or at least that's what we call ourselves—those who were rescued by the true one, the angelic figure. There’s currently a debate over which nickname suits her best, but one thing is certain: we would lay down our lives for her, even though we know she wouldn’t want that.

I joined Reunion after being ostracized by my fellow villagers for becoming infected. Initially, I accepted my fate, but then I met a member of Reunion. After hearing about their mission, I decided to join them because I knew how to use art, having been a former hunter in my village.

Being a member of Reunion is tough, but we support each other like animals that tend to each other's wounds. Though it doesn’t truly heal us, it serves as a reminder that our future as the infected is grim. I later heard about Rhodes Island during one of my missions and their mission to heal the infected. At first, I thought it was nonsense.

That changed when I met the Venerated One. She not only healed us, her former enemies, but also cured us of our Oripathy. It wasn’t just us—everyone the Venerated One encounters is healed and cured of their Oripathy.

Eventually, I decided to leave Reunion to support the Venerated One. However, we were hunted down as traitors. Big Bob helped us escape, and we joined the Nine Organization of Originium Saint Defender. Their aim is to find a safe haven for the infected so that the Venerated One, widely known as the Originium Saint, can heal them all at once.

Many of us agreed to this course, and we even helped persuade others to join us. Then one of our members proposed a brilliant idea involving merchandise. She is a former Kazimierz resident and mentioned that there is merchandise featuring popular knights from there, which caused quite a stir for a while.

Since the manufacturing of this merchandise was limited, we decided to hold an auction. I just won a piece featuring the Venerated One wearing a qipao, which is apparently popular in Lungmen. I obtained it primarily to secure it for our cause.

While there are other items available, I’ve run out of LMD from this auction, so I’ll probably need to join a mission or get a job to gather more before the next merchandise announcement. However, I’m aware that some of these items are dangerous, and I need to secure them immediately.

One day, Nine announced that the main combatants would be going to Kazimierz to assist the infected there. I hope they will learn from the great Venerated One, as she is our guiding light.