Taming the Evil Saintess

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“…”
“…”

Until I exited the treasure vault and headed towards the residence, Ophelia said nothing.

Following behind, Ophelia walked stiffly. One hand swung back and forth to match her steps, while the hand with the ring just dangled limply. The awkwardness made it seem like I was watching a broken robot.

As if that wasn’t enough, Ophelia frequently reflected the Star of Dawn Ring in the sunlight, or tapped the ring, only to gasp and swallow when our eyes met.

I tried not to pay it much mind, but seeing her so shaken made it impossible to ignore.

“Ahem.”

I could easily guess the reason behind Ophelia’s behavior.

The ring on her ring finger.

It certainly left room for a different interpretation.

“…”
“Why does it exist, anyway?”
A wedding ring, perhaps?

I hadn’t planned on considering it, nor did I have the luxury to do so, but Ophelia seemed to be thinking along those lines.

“Ophelia?”
“U-um? What is it?”

Her elongated response strengthened my assumptions.

Simultaneously, as soon as our eyes met, Ophelia jumped slightly and cast her gaze downwards.

“…”

It was merely a gift of a nice artifact to Ophelia, yet its meaning had become something peculiar.

Did Albrecht misunderstand my intentions too?

Still, if I were to say, “Never mind, it’s got no real meaning. Just wear it on your pinky,” I would surely be split in half by Ophelia. Or perhaps she’d bash her head against the bedpost, unable to hold back her embarrassment.

With Ophelia, that was quite a plausible outcome.

“Would you like to have lunch?”
“Ah, no, no! I’m fine. Really… I’m just not particularly hungry…”

“…Oh, well then…”
“No! You have something to do, right? Finish that and come over…”

With those words, Ophelia quickly passed by me and dashed towards the residence.

Watching her retreating figure, I let out a sigh.

“…For now.”

I decided to put that aside for later.

Before Albrecht had stepped out of the treasure vault, he had delivered a separate piece of news to me.

I turned my steps towards the Grand Assembly Hall.

It seemed there was someone waiting for me in the annex residence there.

*

“A new bird I haven’t seen before has gotten stronger.”
“It just sort of happened.”

Golden Lion Azar de Elbrecht.

He was seated in the prime seat, tilting a teacup.

I assumed he had received a new shield from Olmen to replace the one I had ruined because the buckler adorning his forearm reflected a black sheen.

According to the Sword Saint, Azar had come to the capital late and watched the battle between Albrecht and me.

“Are things settled in your territory?”
“Sort of.”

Azar set down his teacup and gestured for me to sit, and I reluctantly complied.

Honestly, we weren’t on particularly good terms to be facing each other like this. Just a few months ago, we were fighting fiercely.

However, alongside the Sword Saint, he was an essential character in our ranks. I needed to find a way to bring him to the Demon King’s Castle, no matter what.

“When do you plan to set out for the Demon King’s Castle?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet. Going like this would be tantamount to suicide.”
“That’s true. It might be too soon.”

Azar chuckled lightly.

“The Demon King…”

I murmured to myself, sinking into the chair.

Hero. Demon King.

Such absurd stories were closer than anything else.

A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.

“Is it tough?”
“Not particularly. Plus, I’m not in a position to seek comfort from you, nor do I want to.”

I took a sip of tea from Azar, and frankly, cheap green tea bags from Earth were tastier.

Azar silently observed as I emptied my teacup, then waved his subordinates out of the room. Finally, it was just the two of us when Azar spoke up.

“I have a message you need to hear.”
“What is it?”
“I met with a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s Army. Just a few days ago.”

“What do you mean by that?”
“They came to watch your duel with the Sword Saint.”

Boom.

I slammed my teacup down hard.

A high-ranking member of the Demon King’s Army.

There are exactly five of them in the game.

One-Eyed Knight Geldmier.
Black Water Elgore.
Hell Duke Derabilice.
Plague Lord Vermina.
Chimera Sorcerer Idmien.

Ordinarily, the scouts are usually…

“It was Chimera Sorcerer Idmien.”
“I see.”

The strongest ones were Geldmier and Elgore, and Derabilice and Vermina held the greatest sway, but Idmien was the most troublesome of the bunch.

Idmien’s main body isn’t that strong, nor does it have a large territory. However, players who have finished the game often found Idmien to be the most impressive among the ranks.

Unlike the other two who are only stationed near the Demon King’s Castle, Idmien spreads influence over various regions through its chimeras.

Throughout the game’s early to mid-stages, Idmien continuously interferes with the Hero’s Journey, leading to countless videos of players devising all sorts of innovative methods to kill Idmien during boss fights garnering many likes.

“What did he say?”
“That guy knows you’re a possessor.”

“…”
“It seems there was some kind of method.”

“Did he say that directly?”
“Yeah.”

Azar knows that I’m a possessor.

So he can easily brush off Idmien’s words.

But…

“That guy seems to be trying to sow discord through that knowledge. In this continent, every mark bearer must have some connection, big or small, with possessors.”
“I suppose.”

“There’s a possibility they might be hostile, but the chances of being friendly are slim. Besides, the Sword Saint lost several comrades in the knight order to a coordinated attack by what is presumed to be possessors years ago.”

That was new information to me.

As I stiffened my expression, Azar shrugged his shoulders.

“I see you’re not aware. At one time, the Sword Saint traveled the continent to hunt down possessors because of that incident. It seems he actually killed more than a dozen people who were behind it, and I, too, met him during that period.”
“…Hmm.”

“Now he seems to have put those regrets behind him, but who knows what would happen if he found out you were a possessor.”

The Sword Saint’s personality remained the same as before.

Affable and thoughtful.

But if, by any chance, he still harbored resentment towards possessors…

Idmien’s schemes could prove fatal.

Should I keep my distance? But I need to definitely bring the Sword Saint along.

“…”

From the outset, how did Idmien realize that I am a possessor? Was there a chimera nearby? Or did this body, Elliot, share knowledge with its former owner?

My head started to spin.

“Dammit.”

Information about possessors.

It was as dark a zone for me as it was for anyone else in this world.

My mind was in turmoil.

Azar continued to speak slowly.

“Above all, what I’m concerned about is the saint you’re traveling with.”
“Ophelia?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean?”

“What were your intentions in getting close to Ophelia?”
“Well…”

“Isn’t it the same reason you approached me?”
“…”

Ophelia is the saint that appears in the game.

A high-performance healer.

The reason she braved through her irritating personality was entirely because of that.

Even if it’s not the case now, it’s undeniable that my approach had ulterior motives.

Seeing my expression, Azar smirked.

“If a knight who has dedicated himself for you discovers that you’re a possessor, and realizes that you approached her for selfish gains, I wonder how she would react… I can’t quite say.”

“…”
“I’m not mocking you. I’m just worried.”

When I shot Azar a piercing glance, he merely tilted his teacup again.

“All I can advise is to resolve grievances as they arise.”

“Ha.”

Surprisingly, it was the same advice Laila had given me.

*

By the time I exited Azar’s room, the sun had already set.

I hadn’t anticipated our conversation would stretch this long.

Surely, Ophelia would be waiting for me.

After a moment of contemplation, I bought a meal from the market.

Being a capital near the sea, dishes with cod were famous.

“How much?”
“Thirty copper for the pufferfish.”
“Pufferfish? No, it’ll only be good if I get a proper cross-section.”
“Five copper…”

I reprimanded the merchant trying to overcharge me and returned to the residence.

Azar’s advice still lingered in my mind.

Possessor.

The risk of revealing that fact is too great.

Possessors have already wielded influence over the entire continent. The people who have suffered along the way aren’t solely Albrecht and Azar.

Right away, characters who differ from their original personalities in the game, like Titania, may also have been influenced by possessors.

I licked my parched lips.

Fortunately, Ophelia had never been harmed by a possessor.

It might be best to keep it under wraps.

However, what concerns me is that Ophelia is relying on me more than I initially expected.

Even though I respect and deal with Ophelia as an individual, I had entered the cathedral purely for self-serving reasons.

If Ophelia were to discover that, what reaction would she have?

Lost in such thoughts, I climbed the stairs.

“Ah, heh heh heh.”

The moment I caught sight of Ophelia giggling slightly through a slightly ajar door, I halted my thoughts.

She was perched on the bed, shining the ring I gave her in the candlelight, swinging her adorable little legs.

“…”

I stared at her figure for a while, then went back down to the first floor. After clearing my throat, I ascended the stairs with as much noise as I could muster.

So that Ophelia would notice.