Taming the Evil Saintess

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Crack crack.

“Ugh.”

Rustle rustle.

“Uuuuugh.”

The quill moved without pause, inscribing characters densely onto the enormous sheet of paper. Ophelia, letting out a long yawn, scribbled away while dark circles bagged under her eyes.

What Ophelia was doing was a form of punishment.

A so-called “copying exercise.”

Similar to the Punishment Room at the Cathedral, but with a twist.

“You need to understand every single character you write. There will be an assessment later.”

“I know, I know.”

“Don’t get snappy. This is all Ophelia’s doing.”

Yesterday was almost a complete disaster.

Thankfully, Erwin was in a state of complete derangement, and I managed to administer a swift strike to Ophelia’s crown for punishment, or else the story of the Hero and the Saint would have had to be re-released with the Hero’s version.

In the end, I took drastic measures.

I had about a month left until I would leave the capital.

The reason was, of course, that the Emperor had proclaimed an extravagant event to celebrate the Hero’s arrival. Frankly, it felt like a rotten crown, and I was tempted to refuse, but turning down the Emperor’s goodwill was an act that even the Pope couldn’t afford to do.

Thus, I was reluctantly stuck in the capital for an entire month, and I decided to make the most of that precious time.

“Ophelia, your writing is getting messy. Focus and write straight.”

“Ugh, ughhhh!”

I had resolved to invest time in Ophelia’s education.

To be frank, I lacked talent as an educator.

I was of the opinion that physical discipline was the best way to correct someone.

However, I realized that hitting a fully grown Ophelia would not bode well for either her or my reputation. Just yesterday, Elgarian and Albrecht had looked at me as if I were some kind of monster, after I had shouldered the slumped Ophelia who had received a slap to the crown.

From the start, Ophelia was more wicked than I had thought. Considering she hadn’t improved despite the beatings at the Cathedral, it was clear that violence wouldn’t do.

So, my policy was to make her life uncomfortable.

“I’m sleepy….”

“You’ve had seven hours of sleep. That’s plenty.”

“…”

I ensured she got enough sleep.

But when she was awake, there would be no distractions allowed.

On this beautiful day, she was locked up in a small room, scribbling her notes.

It might even revive memories of the Punishment Room.

Of course, I didn’t tell her to write with blood, and the content she was writing wasn’t about the Holy War.

Standard educational texts of the Empire. Five books, each as thick as encyclopedias, stacked next to her.

“Why don’t we just have a sword training session instead?!”

“I refuse!”

“Damn it!”

“…”

I glared intently at Ophelia.

Cursing was prohibited during the educational process.

Realizing her mistake, she gasped and covered her mouth.

But once a word is uttered, you can’t take it back.

Without a word, I slid her another piece of paper.

“Dammit! I won’t do it!”

I added another sheet.

“Hey!”

It was summer.

*

After three full days of forced copying on Ophelia, she was now at the point where just looking at text made her head spin.

It seemed a bit excessive, so I was planning to give her a small break.

That evening, I sought out Elgarian.

“What’s the matter?”

“Could I borrow Emily for a bit?”

At that moment, Emily, sprawled on the nearby sofa absorbed in a magic book, tilted her head.

“What’s up?”

“Well….”

I rested my chin on my hand, scrutinizing Emily’s appearance.

Though she had hit puberty, compared to perpetually moody Ophelia, she was quite well-behaved and always used formal speech with other mages except for Elgarian.

Above all, she didn’t curse. Compared to Ophelia, she could easily be considered an angel.

Though she’s the complete opposite of the Emily in the game, does that even matter?

In any case, she could serve as a good example.

“I’m hoping you could be Ophelia’s etiquette teacher.”

“Etiquette training?”

“That’s right.”

“Why does she need that?”

“You saw it last time. Ophelia barged in like a bull. If she’s unaware and speaks carelessly, she’ll have a lot of dilemmas, so I thought it was high time for improvement.”

“…But why me?”

Emily’s lips pursed as she asked.

Initially, I had considered Inquisition Officer Yurede. But taking his character into account, I feared it would negatively influence Ophelia.

Moreover, Yurede seemed exceedingly busy.

“Why on earth is an Inquisition Officer working manual labor?”

When I asked, he laughed, “Ha ha ha! You see, I’ve donated 90% of my wealth to the church. In simple terms, I’ve become a beggar. How about that? I’m a very devout Inquisition Officer!”

“…Oh, right.”

With him saying that, I had no choice.

In the end, I needed to find someone else.

Next, I thought about inviting Albrecht or someone from the Knight Order. However, it seemed the capital’s knights were swamped preparing for the Hero ceremony or whatever.

Finally, I thought of Emily.

Among the Mark Holders, there was no other friend of Ophelia’s age who was a girl.

Indeed, it seemed better for her to socialize with those her own age.

“Hmm… I believe you’re the perfect candidate.”

“Uhm.”

Having rambled a bit, Emily wore a thoughtful expression.

I quickly added, “Just so you know, it’s a secret from Ophelia, but she considers you her most precious friend.”

“Me? Me?!”

“Yep. And… when will you get the chance to be the Saint’s teacher? You could guide the Saint in your own way.”

“Wow.”

“What do you think? Isn’t it tempting?”

Emily nodded enthusiastically with unusual passion.

She was remarkably easy to manipulate.

When Elgarian’s eyes met mine, he simply shook his head with a smile that said he couldn’t resist.

“I’ll do it!”

And thus, Ophelia’s education entered a new phase.

It had entered a new phase, but…

“Ophelia, should we start by properly folding the clothes you took off? You’ll need to wear them again tomorrow.”

“Can’t you just use magic for that…?”

“I’m a teacher, not a maid.”

As Emily puffed her chest and stomped her foot, waves of mana rippled around Ophelia.

“And what’s with that tone toward your teacher?”

“E, Emily…? Why are you suddenly like this…?”

“I’m the Saint’s teacher. I have every right to discipline the Saint firmly. It’s only natural that you should address me respectfully.”

For some unknown reason, Emily’s nose seemed to have grown almost twice as tall, and she started to educate Ophelia regarding her entire life.

I hadn’t expected her to be this enthusiastic, but well, good is good.

It’s outside my area of expertise.

So I went along.

“…Well, Emily’s right. Ophelia, you should listen well to your teacher.”

In response, Ophelia directed her sharp gaze toward me instead of Emily.

“You? Are you serious?”

“Am I crazy? I’ve always been like this.”

“Dammit…”

“Dammit?”

“…”

Ophelia was about to curse, then glanced at me and quietly zipped her lips.

She probably didn’t want to earn extra copying.

So, Ophelia shifted her gaze back to Emily and finally said,

“Please take care of her…”

“Yes. I will too.”

As Ophelia shook hands, her hand trembled slightly.

*

Having entrusted Ophelia’s education to Emily, it was now time to draft the actual plan.

Not a curriculum for Ophelia, but a plan to defeat the Demon King.

“Have we decided the next destination?”

“I’m thinking of tackling the Plague Lord first.”

In response to Azar’s question, I unfurled the continent map on the table.

It was so large it filled the whole desk. It was no ordinary map.

It looked just like the world map from the game.

I placed five chess piece-like statues on various spots.

All of them were regions where the game executives were located.

“Here at the Demon King’s Castle are two executives: the One-Eyed Knight and the Chimera Sorcerer.”

“The one that infiltrated the capital this time was the Chimera Sorcerer.”

“Exactly.”

I pointed to the eastern continent.

“This is Black Water Elgore. He’s likely to cross over to the eastern coast soon.”

“…We’ll need to take proper precautions.”

Albrecht nodded, and I placed a statue just below the Demon King’s Castle.

“This is where Hell Duke Derabilice is stationed…”

Finally, I placed an evil statue at the point closest to the Empire.

“This one over the Ice Palace is the Plague Lord, Vermina.”

“What does he do?”

“Quite literally spreads the plague, that scoundrel.”

Albrecht answered in my stead.

“He’s also an enemy to my subordinates.”

“Hmm.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

Being the closest and the enemy of Albrecht, I intended to strike at Vermina first. As the Sword Saint often said, trust is essential in relationships.

“Is there a possibility that they have a Possessor?”

“Of course. The Possessors under Vermina would have likely approached the Sword Saint.”

“That’s going to be complicated.”

Azar placed his hand on his chin and gazed at the evil statue standing mighty on the map.

Then, with a sigh, he set the blue knight statue just below it, on the northern capital.

“Looks like we’ll have no choice but to ask the Ice Palace for help.”

“Exactly.”

Although I couldn’t participate in the conference, a faction named the Ice Palace existed on the continent.

The feudal state, led by Tsar, surrounded by several cities in a semicircle, had military strength that was overwhelmingly superior to its regime. In the actual game, the northern knights were stronger than most Imperial knights.

The reason that the Ice Palace remained free from Imperial subjugation was that their territory, a natural fortress, was exceedingly difficult to conquer, and the Ice Palace itself acted as a barrier preventing the Demon King’s army from moving south.

“It seems we have a definite goal.”

Albrecht muttered.

“Do you know much about the Ice Palace?”

“I’ve visited a few times, and we had delegations come as well. The environment was harsh, but the capital seemed quite safe. The level of the knights belonging to the Ice Palace is sufficiently the best on the continent. More than that…”

“The Ice Sorceress is there.”

Azar picked up the thread.

The Ice Sorceress, Cecilia Ethelgarand.

If in the south there’s the Golden Lion, and in the central part, the Sword Saint, then in the north, it is the Ice Sorceress. With top-tier capabilities fitting her front-line character role in the game, her actual reputation seemed tremendous as well.

If we could recruit her, dealing with Vermina wouldn’t be a difficult task.

“However, Elliot, I’ve heard that he spreads the plague. So, in the process of subduing him, we will inevitably need to overcome that plague. Do we have a method?”

“There must be.”

I grinned, looking out the window at the residence where I was staying.

“After all, there’s the human potion.”

Saint Ophelia.

As long as she’s around, the Plague Lord shouldn’t be too challenging an enemy.

“…Well, Sir Elliot, I think you should choose your words carefully…”

Azar said cautiously.

I ignored it.