vrcanaries Chapter 726 - 726
Chapter 726 - 726
Eiji said nothing, but the flicker in his gaze as he looked at Sara suggested her words had stirred something within him."If you hate painting so much, why did you pick up the brush again?"
As if to resolve the point that bothered him, Eiji asked her.
Sara answered in a daze.
The trigger was her father's death.
Her father, who painted day and night, suddenly collapsed beside his canvas one day.
Sara cried for a long time, her eyes swollen from tears, but her father never woke up again.
The servants took her father to the hospital, where the diagnosis was death from overwork due to prolonged exhaustion.
Furious, Sara turned her hateful gaze toward the massive canvas.
She intended to tear the painting apart—because of that painting, she had lost her childhood and her father.
It took her an entire day to get out of bed, move to the canvas, raise a painting knife, and stab it toward the canvas.
But she stopped.
Only when she stood beside the canvas did she notice what she hadn't seen before: countless remnants of paint scattered on the floor, innumerable brushes with worn-out bristles, and the entire bedroom filled with various painting tools in complete disarray.
On that canvas was the passion her father had poured his heart into—the fervor that defined his entire life.
Though he had been defeated by fate and never won the favor of the Muse, and though he must have died with regrets in his final moments, that painting remained the only connection between her and her father.
Realizing this, tears uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.
She found herself unable to go through with it.
"I was your father's friend. I received his request, and from now on, I will take care of you."
After her father's death, his friend came to see her.
His name was Kōzō Kazamatsuri, the head of Japan's top financial group.
Her father had long entrusted this close friend with the task of caring for his daughter if he were to pass away. Upon hearing the news, Kōzō Kazamatsuri rushed over and, as promised, took Sara in as his adopted daughter.
Eiji suddenly understood.
So Sara and that pink-haired chuuni loli were stepsisters—no wonder he had thought the two seemed very familiar with each other from the start.
With the help of her adoptive father's connections, Sara successfully joined 〈Rebellion〉.
"Wait, are you saying Japan's top conglomerate is in cahoots with the world's largest terrorist organization?"
Eiji suddenly grew serious.
"Uh..."
Sara choked up, guiltily averting her gaze.
From her reaction, Eiji could guess.
That was no slip of the tongue—she had spoken without thinking!
What a filial daughter!
"Now that I think about it, it was always suspicious that Rinna Kazamatsuri, the heiress of Japan's top financial group, would join this operation targeting Hagun Academy. So that's how it is!"
Eiji felt he had stumbled upon a major revelation!
"Actually, 〈Rebellion〉 isn't what it used to be. As one of the world's three major powers, it exists in name only and doesn't hold the overwhelming influence it did decades ago..."
Sara tried to defend her adoptive father.
"But it's still a terrorist organization. Aren't they still causing trouble all over the world?"
Eiji sneered, completely unmoved.
He had personally experienced it himself—there was no defending the 〈Rebellion〉 organization.
"Hmm..."
Sara lowered her head, speechless.
"Never mind, let's set aside the matter of the Fūsai Group for now. Continue."
Seeing her adopt that puppy-like expression again, on the verge of whimpering, Eiji sighed and chose not to press the issue for the moment.
If they were to truly argue the point, every one of Sara and the others were assassins of 〈Rebellion〉, and none would escape punishment if judged by their crimes.
"Alright."
Sara nodded obediently.
For some inexplicable reason, she increasingly felt she couldn't hold her head up in front of Eiji.
After joining 〈Rebellion〉 through Fūsai Kōzō's connections, Sara found the chief physician of 〈Rebellion〉, who was also one of the top twelve apostles—the Great Professor.
The Great Professor's medical skills were immensely powerful, completely surpassing even Kiriko Yakushi's, having perfectly mastered even cloning technology.
Thanks to the Great Professor, Sara obtained a completely renewed body.
Though not perfect, it reached a state where she could move freely.
Because of this, she incurred an astronomical debt and had to sell her paintings to repay it, which was why she held exhibitions all over the world.
"Though I don't know how much debt you've incurred, I've heard your highest-priced painting sold for over a billion dollars. The total money you've earned is more than enough to buy a small country. No matter how much debt you have, it could be repaid. There's no doubt 〈Rebellion〉 is fleecing you."
Eiji could assert this with certainty.
The world-renowned painter Mariō Rosso, whom the wealthy Kanata admired so much—by now, Eiji was utterly convinced that was Sara's painter identity.
Even to 〈Rebellion〉, Sara was undoubtedly a huge cash cow; they must be using debt repayment as a pretext to keep her bound.
"That doesn't matter to me. As long as I can keep painting, it's fine."
Sara looked completely indifferent, her expression filled with resolve.
"As long as I can complete that painting, I can accept any cost. Repaying debt is actually a very light price to pay!"
That look was less one of resolve and more of obsession.
An obsession that clung to her like a curse.
"You mean the painting your father left behind?"
"Yes."
Sara nodded in affirmation.
"In the center of that painting, there's always been a blank space. That missing part was never completed, even when my father passed away..."
That blank on the canvas had been painted over and revised countless times, becoming tattered and worn.
He departed with endless regret and resentment.
Every time she thought of this, Sara felt as if a whip were lashing at her from behind, compelling her never to stop moving forward.
That blank was none other than the Messiah herself.
A savior who could stand firm against surging malice.
One who possessed the courage to step forward and face countless hardships without retreating, yet also the tenderness to selflessly devote everything for a child, like the Holy Mother.
Combining both was the ideal image of the Messiah.
Until his death, her father never found the ideal model.
After Sara resolved to complete that painting, she traveled back and forth across the world, even venturing into war zones with the help of 〈Rebittion〉, all to find the great savior who embodied both ferocity and gentleness.
For this, she spent over half her life—ten years.
Yet she remained ordinary and returned empty-handed.
It wasn't until she collaborated with 〈Rebittion〉's plan to hold an exhibition in Japan that things changed.
By chance, she finally encountered the perfect model.
In that moment, she was nearly moved to tears.
Just as the model was about to disappear, she disregarded orders and frantically chased after them. After ultimately losing track, she even asked her companions to help search.