Taming the Evil Saintess

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Elves fundamentally lack a sense of time. It’s extremely rare for these elves to do their tasks according to human time frames.

That’s why Wuzmund, who is in charge of administrative duties in the Vinheim Tribe, is quite exceptional among elves.

“Busy, huh?”

As humans, who buy time with their limited lives, everything they do is under tight deadlines.

Moreover, since Wuzmund is accompanying the chief to the continental regular conference, the pile of tasks he needs to tackle is enormous.

Above all, something unexpected happened at this conference.

The Hero appeared. And it turned out to be Cathedral Knight Elliot, who dealt with the Dark Mage residing in Nua Diel.

For Wuzmund, who had served him just a few months ago, it was a nostalgic feeling.

“We’ll see how this goes.”

Wuzmund nodded as he wrapped up his paperwork.

Then he suddenly realized how quiet the inside of his office was.

By now, it should be the time for Chief Erwin to throw a tantrum demanding a late-night snack.

To Wuzmund, Erwin seemed like an elf who acted immature for his age. However, he was quite capable, having been marked by the God of Archery.

“Is anyone there?”

Wuzmund knocked on the door of the office, but there was no response.

Sensing something was off, he opened the door and found the office completely empty.

The first thing that caught his eye was the wide-open window.

The next thing he noticed was a note sitting on the desk.

He picked up the note and read it, written in crooked elf handwriting.

[Going out for a bit.]

“….”

Wuzmund calmly set down the note.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

“This is bad.”

He hurriedly grabbed his coat and exited the annex.

Erwin is wandering around the capital? The only thing waiting at the end of that would be disaster.

Wuzmund couldn’t find the courage to explain the situation to the Fairy King. He just had to intervene before things escalated.

He stepped out into the night streets of the capital and closed his eyes to sense the spirits.

The presence he felt was coming from the north.

Rushing to that location, Wuzmund witnessed a scene that made him doubt his own eyes.

“…”

A high-end restaurant, particularly renowned in the capital, had its sign tilted.

Inside, it was even more desolate. Tables were flipped over, and expensive food was scattered everywhere. Outside, nobles in stained clothing were whispering among themselves.

Wuzmund felt the presence of spirits in this deplorable scene.

This meant it was Erwin’s doing.

“What on earth….”

Shaking his head, Wuzmund walked into the restaurant.

“Erwin! What the hell is going on here…?”

And Wuzmund’s eyes widened at the sight in the restaurant.

The Sword Saint, the Archmage, and the Golden Lion were all present.

“Did you hold an unofficial conference…?”

Naturally, Wuzmund voiced his question, and the Sword Saint shook his head in response.

“There was just… a simple conflict.”

“Where is Erwin?”

“Over there.”

Inside the side room, Erwin was shaking like a leaf.

Seeing the way her eyebrows twitched, Wuzmund realized she was furious.

There was only one thing that could make Erwin that mad.

“Don’t tell me you were talking about age…?”

“That’s right.”

“Who on earth… No, is there a body? We need to manage the corpse…”

“It didn’t come to that. Fortunately, Erwin isn’t the type to tear the continent’s Saintess apart.”

“…The Saintess?”

So they fought the Saintess?

“By any chance, where is the Saintess?”

“Outside. Disciplining.”

“Disciplining?”

“The Hero.”

“….”

The more Wuzmund heard, the more confused he became.

Seeing his expression, the Archmage couldn’t help but smirk.

—

“Ophelia, apologize.”

“No way! That girl started it, so why should I apologize?”

“You didn’t treat her with respect, did you?”

“Why should I respect that old hag?”

Ophelia glared at me as if wronged.

I rushed to intervene and took her outside, but Ophelia still seemed displeased with how she was being treated.

“Ophelia, even if that’s true, if someone dislikes it, you shouldn’t bring it up.”

“But that girl called me a little brat…”

“I also think you’re a brat, Ophelia.”

“….”

Ophelia tried to pull away, but I took a step forward to block her escape.

This whole situation was caused by Ophelia making a fuss.

Though Ophelia was relatively well-behaved in front of me, in front of others, she was a complete nuisance. She needed to be corrected.

Of course, I couldn’t just slap her in front of everyone. I had to coax her with words.

I knelt to meet her eye level. As our gazes met, Ophelia pouted and turned her head.

“Archery Master Erwin is a precious ally who will be with us. Creating unnecessary conflicts will benefit no one.”

“….”

“Above all, Erwin is someone who has opposed the Saint for Ophelia’s sake. In a way, he is your lifesaver; you shouldn’t speak ill of him.”

“Are you siding with that girl…?”

It felt like she was asking who was more important between the two of them.

“Of course, I am always on Ophelia’s side.”

“But why!”

“Because I’m on Ophelia’s side, I’m saying this firmly. In this case, Ophelia was in the wrong.”

“…You also speak informally to others!”

“I can defend myself. Unlike you, Ophelia. And I’m also not aggressive like you.”

“….”

She seemed like she would burst into tears with a light poke, so I continued speaking in a gentle tone.

“Ophelia, you can’t live your life forever treated like a princess. You’re no longer affiliated with the Saint, right?”

I placed my hand over Ophelia’s hands, which were clasped together.

“This way, there’s nothing good for Ophelia’s life either.”

“What do you mean ‘life’….”

“What if Archery Master Erwin turns out to be worse than you expected? If the spirits shredded her apart before we could stop them, if Erwin didn’t hold back his strength, who would you whine to from the afterlife?”

“….”

“It’s not just Erwin. If the innkeeper who pierced your palm sent an assassin with ill intent, do you have the confidence to handle that?”

As I spoke in earnest, Ophelia’s expression twisted.

It could certainly be a stretch. But I couldn’t keep indulging her forever.

She needed a shock treatment.

“I’m already overwhelmed with worrying about the Demon King’s Army and Possessors. If you keep adding enemies, I won’t be able to follow you anymore.”

Just like that.

“What?”

Ophelia’s eyes began to waver.

“What, what did you say? I must have misheard….”

“You heard me right. I can’t accompany you anymore.”

“What do you mean by…”

Her shocked expression was so pitiful to see.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Ophelia’s attitude was terrible. If she had a companion like Laila with a good personality, she could handle Ophelia’s wildness, but not everyone in the world is like her.

Erwin’s fury, just now, was downright terrifying. Only after Albrecht and I rushed in could we barely stop it. If Erwin had not relented, we would have had to draw our swords.

That kind of situation was something I absolutely wanted to avoid.

Thus, for the stability of the Hero Party, she needed to be taught.

No, she needed to be tamed.

“I said I wouldn’t abandon you….”

As soon as I brought up the separation, Ophelia’s green eyes started to water.

“Crying won’t solve anything. Stop it.”

“…I don’t wanna….”

“The solution is straightforward: apologize to Erwin sincerely. If Ophelia apologizes, he will definitely accept it. That’s what being an adult is. Do you understand?”

“….”

“When you understand, nod your head.”

As I said this, Ophelia nodded her head over and over.

“Are you going to apologize?”

“…Y-yeah.”

“With sincerity.”

“…I got it…”

“Let’s go.”

I took Ophelia’s hand and led her.

“…”

Aren’t I basically her parent?

It feels more like soothing an older cousin with a significant age difference.

“I don’t get it, damn it.”

As I mumbled, Ophelia flinched.

As we stepped into the restaurant.

“Wuzmund.”

“Knight Elliot, it’s been a while. I didn’t get to greet you properly last time since I was in a hurry.”

Elven Ranger Wuzmund rushed in to clean up the mess.

It seemed he had a hard time running over at this late hour.

“Anyway, where is Erwin?”

“He’s inside. It seems he’s calming down a bit….”

“O-okay.”

With that, I opened the drawing-room door, and there was Erwin, tenderly stroking a spirit like a doll.

Upon seeing Ophelia, Erwin’s eyes widened into crescent shapes.

“What’s going on?”

“I came to apologize. Here.”

I gently pushed Ophelia forward.

She hesitated a bit, glancing back at me before taking a few steps forward.

Erwin looked at Ophelia with a bitter smile. It seemed he realized he had overreacted.

Then.

“Mi….”

Ophelia opened her mouth.

“Mi, mi… mi….”

But.

“Hey, you crazy lady, you were the one who messed up first!”

“….”

It seemed it would take a little more time to tame that Saintess.