Chapter 88 — Faith in the Benevolent Father Brings Blessings
"God?" Sophia let out a soft laugh.
"If God really existed, I probably would've regained my sight a long time ago."
Her tone sounded like mockery—
but also like self-derision.
"I'm sorry. I'm not interested in joining any church or religion.
I want to go home now. Can you let go of me?"
Sophia rejected William outright.
She didn't believe in gods.
Not in this world.
Seeing how resolute she was, William knew that without showing her something tangible, there would be no further conversation.
So he stepped forward—and took hold of her again.
This time, Sophia didn't resist as fiercely as before.
"What do you want now?" she asked unhappily, her brows tightly furrowed.
Her unfocused eyes held no light—
yet they were still clear and crystalline.
William said nothing.
He directly activated [Disease Transfer], drawing [Blindness] out of Sophia's body.
"Ah—!"
A sudden, sharp itching sensation flooded her eyes, making her gasp.
"This… this is—?"
Sophia wasn't blind from birth.
Her blindness came from a hereditary condition.
As a child, she could see.
But as she grew older, her vision deteriorated—
and by the age of five, she had lost it completely.
Only light perception remained.
Now, as the world suddenly appeared before her—
familiar yet impossibly foreign—
Sophia stood frozen.
She didn't even notice that a strange man was still holding her hand.
She stared at her surroundings in disbelief, as if convinced this had to be an illusion.
When William judged the moment sufficient, he activated his ability again—
—and returned [Blindness] to her body.
Instantly, the light vanished.
"What—what happened!? Why can't I see again!?"
Thrown back into darkness, Sophia panicked.
"It was you! You did that just now, didn't you!?"
Something inside her cracked.
The beliefs she had built since childhood—
her understanding of the world—
could no longer fully support her reality.
Her reason screamed that supernatural powers didn't exist.
That what just happened couldn't possibly be real.
But her emotions wanted—desperately—to believe otherwise.
Because only by believing him
could she ever see again.
At this point, it was no longer about religion.
"So," William whispered, wrapping his arms around her and leaning close to her ear,
"do you believe in God now?"
"I… I believe. I believe," Sophia said in a trembling voice.
"I'll believe anything you say.
Please… let me see the world one more time.
I'm begging you."
Seeing Sophia's desperation, William said nothing at first.
He glanced around the corridor, then spoke calmly:
"Why don't we talk inside your apartment instead? This is a public area."
Unlike Bianca—whom William had helped unconditionally out of lingering sympathy from his past life—
Sophia was nothing more than a blind woman he happened to run into.
He didn't even know who she was.
Helping her without gaining anything in return would simply be a loss.
Hearing his suggestion, Sophia finally snapped back to herself.
"Yes—yes, of course. My place. Let's go to my place."
She grabbed William's hand and, relying on her memorized sense of space, hurried toward her door.
In her excitement, she didn't even realize she'd left her cane behind on the floor.
For a blind person, a cane is another set of eyes.
Losing it is no small thing.
Soon enough, William was pulled into Sophia's apartment.
Her home was the simplest William had ever seen.
But for someone blind, clutter was an enemy—
everything here was arranged for survival, not comfort.
She led him to the sofa and sat him down, then asked impatiently:
"What do I need to do to see again?
Like just now?"
Looking at the urgency on her face, William smiled faintly.
Good.
Desire made things easier.
If she wanted nothing, he'd have no leverage.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Sophia."
"Sophia," William said softly, standing in front of her and lifting her chin with his fingers,
"if you want my blessing, you only need to do one thing."
"What is it?" she asked, breathless.
"Believe in me."
"I believe! I believe in you!" Sophia grabbed his hand tightly.
"Please—bless me!"
William shook his head.
"No. Faith isn't something you prove with words alone.
You must act."
"…What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"My name is William," he said evenly.
"I am the earthly vessel of the God of Plague and Pestilence.
If you truly believe in me, then do something that pleases me.
My true form is born from despair and destruction.
All disease originates from me.
I do not judge beauty or ugliness, good or evil—
I embrace all mankind equally.
The world calls me the Kind Father.
You may call me that as well."
William's delivery was eerily convincing.
Thanks to forty millennia of imperial propaganda, his tone carried weight.
And just as he expected, Sophia began to believe.
Her blindness had been caused by illness.
Then the moment she regained sight—
that must have been the Kind Father temporarily lifting her disease.
It had to be.
"Kind Father!" Sophia cried, voice trembling.
"I am willing to become your believer!
Tell me—what must I do to please you?
I'll do anything!"
She stood abruptly, then knelt before William.
Both hands clutched his tightly, as if letting go would make him disappear.
"In this world," William said calmly,
"you should call me by my mortal name.
As for how to please me…"
He leaned closer.
"Spread death, Sophia.
If you are willing to spread death in my name,
I will grant you blessings."
"…Spread death?" Sophia froze.
Did that mean… killing?
"Yes," William replied without hesitation.
"Spread death, and you shall be rewarded."
William's real intention was simple.
Spreading death could mean selling weapons.
A blind woman dealing arms would never draw suspicion—
as long as she didn't reveal she had regained her sight.
He needed money.
Badly.
But Sophia understood it very differently.
Killing… she thought.
If that's what a god demands—then so be it.
If I can see again… what does a few lives matter?
Her resolve hardened.
"I'm willing!" she said firmly.
"I will spread death for you!
Please bless me, great William—
Kind Father's chosen vessel!"
She lowered her head in reverence.
For a moment, even William was taken aback.
He'd expected to need [Obedience Whip] to force acceptance.
Apparently, he'd underestimated how deeply superstition ran in Western society.
After all, even presidents swore their oaths on the Bible.
"Very well," William said solemnly.
"The Kind Father never abandons those who believe.
Receive my blessing, lost lamb."
He activated [Disease Transfer] once more—
—and removed [Blindness] from Sophia's body again.
As sight returned, Sophia slowly lifted her head.
She looked up at William.
Tears streamed down her face.
"It's real… it's all real…
Praise the Kind Father.
Praise our Lord."
(This chapter was kind of err... 😐)