Taming the Evil Saintess

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Ophelia summoned Albrecht through the restaurant manager, and as expected from an upscale restaurant, it seemed they had connections with famous figures in the political arena.

While calling for him, she decided to also invite Azar, Eldarian, Emily, and Erwin. After all, they all had to become part of the party one way or another. It was better to have no lies in this relationship.

Everyone except those in the Information Bureau, who had no means of contact, responded to the summons. Perhaps they had no tasks after the tournament.

“What’s the matter, Knight Elliot?”

“I have something to convey.”

Eldarian was the first to arrive, followed closely by Emily, who widened her eyes at the sight of me and Ophelia sitting side by side.

Not long after, the rest of the important figures showed up. Except for Azar, who seemed to already understand the situation, and Erwin, whose annoyance was clear on his face, everyone else appeared bewildered.

“Wow. The Great Forest, the Empire, Auriga, and the Cathedral of the Saint too. What kind of summit do you plan to hold?”

Erwin looked around the room, tilting his head.

I cleared my throat to draw their attention.

I’m going to reveal that I’m a Possessor.

What kind of reaction will they have? Will Albrecht get angry? Has Eldarian ever suffered due to a Possessor? What about the Great Forest? Given past events in Nua Diel, he might hold negative feelings toward it as well.

Various concerns crossed my mind, but Ophelia poked my side.

When our eyes met, she was grinning as if to say not to worry.

‘Hey, why are you so tense? If the atmosphere turns sour, we can just run away like we did at the Cathedral.’

‘That’s not the problem!’

I recalled the pointless conversation we just had.

That absurd comment helped ease my tension.

I spoke calmly.

“The reason I gathered you all is… to reveal a truth.”

I struggled to maintain my composure as I continued.

“I am a Possessor.”

“…Huh?”

The first to react was Emily. Not knowing what a Possessor was, she tilted her head slightly.

Albrecht was the next to respond. His expression hardened, and he removed his gloves, placing them on the table. His eyes were trembling.

“Elliot… Is that… the undeniable truth?”

“Yes.”

“A Possessor? You?”

“That’s right. I observed this world through a game from another realm and was pulled here. I’m sorry for not revealing it until now.”

As I lowered my head honestly, Albrecht touched his temple.

“Ha….”

His expression, filled with disbelief, thankfully revealed no anger.

In contrast, Eldarian merely shrugged, and Erwin nodded as if he finally understood.

“I always thought you were excessively strong for a human. Now it makes sense.”

Erwin mumbled, and Albrecht stood up. His gaze landed on the Golden Lion Azar, who was observing the situation with his arms crossed.

“Golden Lion, you seem to have known already.”

“Well, those are memories from the past.”

“Why didn’t you inform us?”

“I thought it was best for Knight Elliot to reveal it directly. Besides, the only one harmed by a Possessor should be the Sword Saint, no? I merely respected Elliot’s intentions.”

“…”

Albrecht turned to me.

“Elliot. Shall we step outside for a moment to talk?”

“…Sure.”

As I glanced back at Ophelia, she was scratching her cheek.

*

“It was a total of five.”

As soon as we stepped outside the restaurant, Albrecht uttered those words.

“Five?”

“The knights who died at the hands of the Possessor.”

“…”

“I remember their names. They weren’t even apprentices. They were all certified knights, ready to protect the Empire.”

Albrecht was wearing an expression I had never seen before, one that was somber.

“The Possessors aimed for me. Initially, they tried to recruit me, but when I refused, they attempted to eliminate me. Apparently, I was a significant threat to them.”

“Were you ambushed?”

“If it were an ambush, I could have countered. They used a curse. They spread the plague in the towns near the capital and scattered the Death Curse. In response, knights were dispatched and returned as corpses.”

“…”

“We weren’t even able to bury them. The plague and curses spread so widely that we had to burn all the bodies. I can still vividly remember the smell from that time.”

If it was a plague, the likelihood was high that it was related to Vermina, one of the Demon King’s officials.

According to the information obtained in Nua Diel, there were several dozen Possessors affiliated with the Demon King’s army.

They all utilized dark magic enhanced by marks, possessing a power on par with high-ranking demons.

In other words, ordinary knights wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

“Were you close to those knights?”

Ultimately, that was the only question I could muster, and Albrecht smiled bitterly.

“They were my pupils.”

“…”

“At that time, I was an instructor at the Swordsmanship School, training aspiring knights for years. They were the children I raised.”

I was left speechless by the more serious response than I had expected.

Albrecht turned to look at me.

“Are you certain you’re a Possessor?”

“I’m sure.”

“I won’t forgive Possessors. I have slain seven Possessors so far, and they all begged for their lives pathetically.”

“Yet that doesn’t mean you showed mercy to them.”

“Right. I killed them all. They all deserved it.”

Albrecht had an expression of detachment.

“However, Elliot, you are a Hero. Your blade is clearly directed at the Demon King.”

“I assure you on that front. I intend to kill the Demon King. I was chosen by the gods for that purpose.”

“The idea of a Possessor becoming a Hero… that’s unheard of.”

“They killed a child who should have been a Hero.”

At my words, Albrecht’s complexion darkened.

“Then your reasons for hiding that you were a Hero…”

“The Possessors likely sought to kill me.”

“I see.”

Albrecht nodded.

“I can help you.”

He stated, as if driving a wedge.

“The Possessors who killed your companions were likely the work of the Plague Lord.”

“The Plague Lord?”

“He’s one of the officials of the Demon King’s army, positioned in the Erosion Zone above the Ice Palace.”

“Is that information something you learned because you’re a Possessor?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

Given that I had already revealed my identity as a Possessor to the world, I needed to make full use of that information.

“Let’s cooperate. I can take down the Plague Lord, the Dark Bishop, the Chimera Sorcerer, the One-eyed Knight, and the Hell Duke as well.”

“Are those five officials of the Demon King’s army?”

“Yes.”

While the Demon King was a formidable entity within the game, I never actually fought him properly.

He was more of a scripted boss.

Thus, the maximum power of the Demon King’s army I remembered was those five officials.

And I knew their strategies and specs better than anyone else in this world.

Of course, I couldn’t be certain that the officials in this world were the same as in the game.

But knowing something was better than having a blank slate.

“Just follow me. I will help you achieve your revenge and bring peace to this world.”

I stated confidently, and Albrecht fell silent, slightly closing his eyes.

When he opened them again, he wore a resolute expression.

“To be honest, I’m surprised. I never thought you were a Possessor at all.”

“Do I fit into this world that well?”

“Because you’re a knight.”

“What do you mean?”

When I frowned, Albrecht elaborated.

“Most Possessors use dark magic through the power of marks. They are extremely afraid of using their bodies. Every Possessor I’ve encountered has been like that.”

Albrecht raised his ungloved hand toward me once more.

“But you are a knight. A noble knight at that. At this point, you have no intention of turning your back.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks go to you. You revealed this when it wasn’t necessary, didn’t you?”

“Trust is crucial in cooperation.”

Albrecht smiled broadly instead of responding and offered a handshake, which I returned.

Indeed, Ophelia was right.

It’s best to resolve things before misunderstandings spread.

I felt I should express my gratitude to her when we returned.

“I’ll head in now. We need to discuss in detail what we’ll do next.”

Albrecht spoke, and we headed back to the restaurant.

However, the room was in chaos for some reason.

“Hey, say that again, you bastard!”

“Oh my, I don’t understand why you’re acting like this. Is it such a difficult request to speak politely? Did the kid get a rag stuck in her mouth or something?”

Inside was a complete mess.

The food plates had almost all been overturned.

Ophelia was pointing her middle finger at Archery Master Erwin, glaring at him.

“Eldarian-sama… What exactly is going on here?”

“…Well, it’s a bit of a long story, but let’s just say they had a quarrel.”

“What kind of quarrel?”

“That’s…”

Ophelia shouted loudly.

“Why is that girl speaking informally to me?!”

“…”

I could roughly understand the situation.

Ophelia was what people would call rude. Naturally, she must have spoken informally to Erwin as usual, who was a hundred-year-old elf. He would have pointed out her manner of speech, and naturally, Ophelia would have gotten angry.

It was a quarrel that was ridiculously pathetic.

“Elliot, what on earth kind of education did you give the Saintess? Is she really that incapable of learning?”

“What? Did you just call her incapable?”

“Oh my, your tongue is short, but your hearing is sharp, isn’t it?”

Erwin sneered as he spoke.

Ophelia trembled her shoulders and suddenly sank her head.

“Oh, are you crying, little brat? Just because you cry doesn’t mean the situation will get resolved, you know? Hurry up and say sorry to your older sister~”

If a figure as significant as Erwin spoke like that, most people would bow their heads.

However, not Ophelia.

The term “rabid dog” suited her better than it did for me.

“Older sister, my foot.”

“…Huh?”

“What kind of older sister are you, calling yourself one? You’re like a great-great-grandmother at this point.”

Ophelia broke into a grin.

“Get lost, you smell like a chicken coop.”

“…”

Erwin’s expression hardened.

The next moment, the table was flipped over.