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“I can heal even those on the brink of death.”
“What are you suddenly… no. Then, don’t tell me my wound too?”
I didn’t bother to answer.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and it seems this could also be used for torture.”
“…”
“An endless cycle of torture, that is.”
The threat was clear: if he didn’t listen, I would torture him to the doorstep of death, revive him, and do it all over again. As my sword tip hovered just inches away from where he had been stabbed, Ilian turned pale. He completely relaxed his body against the tree, signaling that he had surrendered.
“Y-You’re insane… Fine. I hear you loud and clear. Dammit, what on earth do you want?”
“Watch your tone.”
“…I would appreciate it if you could tell me what you desire.”
There was a reason I was using such aggressive methods to break Ilian’s spirit. I was short on time. I was about to say something completely crazy, and I felt I needed to establish authority through fear to make him believe it.
I spoke bluntly to the terrified Ilian who was waiting for my answer.
“Actually, I have received a revelation from Ralphican and have come to save this village.”
“What?”
Informal again, I see.
“No, I mean… what? Are you claiming to be a Saintess or something?”
“…”
“I don’t know how you stole that Holy Relic, but you are not the Saintess.”
Ilian was certain, without a shred of doubt. It didn’t seem like he was just saying it to be difficult.
‘Is there a method of distinction I’m unaware of…?’
Suddenly, a line Ilian said in the game while reaching out to the awakened Saintess flashed through my mind.
“Saintess. I finally meet you.”“M-Me? I’m not anything like…”“Even looking at that beautiful silver hair, how could I say you are not the Saintess? I have waited long; I will serve you with all my heart. Come, follow me.”
“Do you have any idea how many people like you we see every day? We have methods to identify a Saintess.”
Combining what he just said with that line from the game, the method of distinction might actually be quite simple.
“Is it the appearance?”
Ilian couldn’t hide his momentary agitation.
“Do you distinguish a Saintess by her looks? Isn’t that a bit too vague?”
“…”
Ilian exercised a right to remain silent he didn’t even have. Another of his lines from the game drifted through my head.
“You are the Saintess. I am sure of it.”“What if I’m wrong? Then shall we make a bet? If I’m wrong, I’ll step down as Knight Commander. For the record, I don’t enter bets I might lose, Saintess.”“Sir Ilian, you really love betting. You suggest a bet for everything. Come to think of it, you offered me a bet when we first met, too.”“It’s not so much that I like it… it’s just that there’s no better way to prove I am right.”
‘A bet, huh…’
Simplicity is always best. Instead of wasting my breath trying to convince him, it was better to change the plan.
“Sir Ilian. Then, shall we make a bet?”
“A bet?”
Sure enough, Ilian the gambling addict broke his silence immediately. I pointed toward the village and continued.
“I will send back that entire swarm of magic beasts currently running amok. Without a single human casualty.”
“Ha! There’s no way that’s possible…”
“So you’re betting on the ‘impossible’ side? Then I’ll bet on the ‘possible’ side.”
“…”
I reached out my hand and made the proposal.
“If I lose, I will return the Holy Relic. I’ll even fix the malfunction for you. But if I win, you do exactly as I say. No matter what it is.”
“Ah, there he goes again.”
“Pardon?”
“…I’m talking to myself, so don’t mind me.”
“That’s even scarier.”
Ilian, having been untied from the tree, was surprisingly well-behaved. My worries that he might attack me the moment he was free were rendered moot. We were even exchanging trivial jokes.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“It’s nothing. You understood everything, right? You have to play your part well.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. You’d better keep your end of the promise, too.”
After parting ways with Ilian to carry out our respective tasks, I approached the protagonist’s side, where everyone was in a state of frantic confusion. The Holy Relic in my hand was vibrating far more intensely than before. For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the vibration… but fortunately, the magic beasts were all focused on the residents and paid me no mind.
‘Just in case, I’ll keep a tight grip on the relic.’
So that I could turn the needle the moment a beast approached.
I secretly slipped into a house behind the clearing where the residents and knights were gathered and watched the situation through a window. I could hear Kalat’s desperate prayers. Well, seeking God even in a life-threatening crisis could be seen as exemplary behavior for a member of the clergy.
…That counts as a prayer, right?
Skreeeeeee!
Perhaps Kalat’s heartfelt prayer failed to reach Ralphican, as about twenty magic beasts lunged at the knights and villagers with ear-piercing shrieks. The well-trained knights steadily cut down the beasts. The protagonist, in particular, was magnificent; the sight of him emitting golden sword energy to take out ten airborne beasts at once gave the onlookers hope and courage. Arianne was no slouch either. By intercepting beasts flying in from the opposite side at a distance, she reduced the damage taken by the regular knights.
-Oh no, Arianne, that’s a flag!
-Wait, are we on a total annihilation route instead of a hidden one?
-Don’t say such ominous things ㅠㅠ
The viewers sensed the impending doom, but in Arianne’s heart, the flame of hope was rising.
But that flicker of hope was snuffed out in an instant. It started with the coughing fit of a single knight.
Other knights began to exhibit the same symptoms. Seeing her subordinates vomiting blood with their faces turning a sickly black, Arianne’s expression twisted in horror.
-Oh no, it’s the demonic energy.
Magic beasts emit demonic energy. To humans, that energy is a toxic miasma. For low-grade beasts, it isn’t harmful unless one is exposed for a long time, but as the grade increases, even a slight touch can be fatal. It seemed the knights, directly exposed while fighting the Corvus swarm, had reached their limit before the villagers. While a Corvus is only Grade 5—not a particularly high rank…
As a reminder, a Saintess’s Divine Power can purify demonic energy. It truly was an absurdly overpowered ability.
Skreeeeeeeeee—!
Kiyaaaaaaaah!
-Gasp
-I guess this is it for us.
The knights tried to fend off the charging Corvus with coordinated attacks, but…
Despair bled into Arianne’s monologue. Three knights collapsed while trying to stop a Corvus from snatching a child with its sharp talons, and two more were wounded while evacuating an elderly man from a beast’s crushing bite. Even when she tried to help, dozens of Corvus surrounded both Arianne and the protagonist. Unable to bear the horrific sight any longer, Arianne screamed out in bottled fury.
“You damn Corvus bastards, get the hell away from here!”
‘Now’s the time!’
I turned the short needle of the Holy Relic in my hand all the way to the left. As the needle spun, it hit a mechanical stop with a sharp click. At that exact moment.
Skree…?
The movement of the Corvus swarm turned bizarre. Their eyes, which had been a frantic red, turned black, and they looked momentarily bewildered. Before anyone else could notice the change, I sprinted out in front of the crowd.
Following Arianne’s shout, the Corvus stopped their attack. More accurately, they began to slink back while staring at a specific spot.
‘Where… where are they looking?’
Arianne quickly traced the gaze of the magic beasts. At the end of that gaze stood a woman. The woman who was approaching slowly but steadily. It was the one whose long, straight black hair and “curtain” bangs used to make everyone around her feel gloomy…!
-Why are you coming out from there?
-Damn, I knew I could trust you.
‘Belita?’
Cree?
Kreeee!
Skreeeeee!
Belita had her hands clasped together, her eyes closed, and her head bowed. The people gasped at the sudden sense of inexplicable reverence. But then, as if she were utterly fearless, she began walking straight toward the monsters!
-??
-What is she doing???
Surprisingly, with every step she took, the Corvus began to retreat! Arianne rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating, but the reality remained unchanged.
‘Wh-what on earth is this?’
Stopping her stride, Belita cried out in a firm yet calm voice.
“Since Lord Ralphican protects us, these evil things shall no longer remain here…!”
Kieee…
“Begone from this place!”
-?? Is she exorcising them?
As soon as Belita finished speaking, the Corvus swarm lost all will to fight and flapped their wings, flying away into the distance. Unable to comprehend this miraculous situation, the people stared blankly at the departing Corvus. Then they looked at Belita. Then back at the sky. They repeated this several times.
-What the hell is Belita??
-No way lol what is happening?
Belita, lifting her head, unclasped her hands and approached a knight who was limping from a leg injury. The knight, terrified, tried to back away despite the pain, but he couldn’t outpace Belita’s approach.
“W-Who exactly are you?”
“Now, this is what we call Holy Water. It will heal your wounds.”
Belita, who had poured a bit of the recovery potion into her palm, thrust her hand directly onto the knight’s wound.
“Uwaaargh! …Huh?”
The knight screamed reflexively, but the expected pain never came.
‘Wait, actually…’
The wound was closing! No, that wasn’t the kind of injury that could heal that quickly. The people were flabbergasted. Just then, a man leapt from his spot and lunged toward Belita.
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