Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 3 Paradise

Chapter 70 Result

<Basel>

Basel was different from her last visit. For one the absence of low-hanging clouds brightened much of the tapered paint that clung to weathered buildings. The dock was the same humble splintering mess, only this time there were no artists on the road. Instead, an oddly familiar ticket man inspected their luggage and addressed their concerns. Cleanly and well-dressed with a demeanor that posed opposite to the last they met Kallen couldn't make out who he was. The same was not said for the dockhand. A single glance in her direction sent shivers down and mellowed his smile. The hair was different and yet the same ignorant blue eyes looked back at him.

"We humbly welcome to our town your holiness." He bowed, fearful of the exposure of his past. No one liked a con man and no one liked a crook.

Kallen returned a polite greeting before sweeping her eyes over the city. This was where Otto confessed to her. He proposed to her in a run-down inn. Where he gave her the very ring that hovered over her heart.

Laughter polluted the streets and despite the clashes in Paris, Switzerland remained peaceful. Germany had its bubble but it seems that Paris did too. There seemed to be too many people on the streets, eager to catch sight of her. All eager to greet her. What was most important was that they were safe and happy.

"It started here," Kallen mumbled.

White paint and a cozy hedge were the most luxurious aspects of the church. Crowded and full of faith, a sermon held the crowds' attention. It'd be easy for Kallen to discern the priest's words. It'd be easy for her to discover the ideas she preached flooding from the priest's mouth but she couldn't hear them. All she could hear was Otto's breath, hesitation, and beating heart. She could feel the rough sensation of his singed hands as she pulled him closer. She could see his lashes shiver cautiously in the moonlight as their eyes met.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kallen mumbled. "How many lives did our journey along the Danube take?"

Sakura's ears twitched, and her smooth hands slid into Kallen's. Kallen was the only one whose mood was somber in a blossoming city, bloated with happiness.

"What's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Priest Bendicht was a corrupt priest who exploited the citizens by using indulgences to his advantage. He overcharged and stockpiled the money for himself while the citizens of Basel starved. He spread fear and equated money with safety. He defiled the words of the Bible. He was a terrible man. A fiendish priest and he was murdered, without ever facing justice. There was no room for atonement. When I thought that stealing from the rich and giving to the poor would work once more Otto murdered those that I stole from."

Kallen heaved a breath from her heart. She was standing in the middle of the storm, a gale.

"He could've told me his ideas. He could've told me what would work. I wanted a bloodless revolution, a protest. He could've figured something else out. He's the smartest man alive."

Sakura's hand became clammy, a bloodless revolution sounded much like the dream he proposed. What he wished for and what he paid dearly for. Suddenly, she stood at Kallen's side but she couldn't hold her hand. The storms they stood in were against each other.

"I'll listen to you. I'll tell you what I think. But I have a question. Was there redemption for that priests?"

"I can't say but everyone deserves to redeem themselves. People can make mistakes. They can be better and they can bring out the best in themselves. It's right to correct one's mistakes. It's wrong to rob them of that opportunity. No one is irredeemable."