Taming the Evil Saintess

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The news of Commander Badarn’s death spread rapidly throughout the Melt Rune, causing the residents to tremble in fear.

And the Redrick Tribe made a quick, rational decision.

They came directly to us.

“The Fairy King is extending a hand of salvation, and we have no reason to refuse.”

His palm-flipping skills were quite impressive. Is this what they call experience?

“We will provide you with the information we have. Please, capture that vile creature.”

An elf, who appeared to be the lieutenant of the Redrick Tribe, handed us the documents as he spoke. Ophelia clicked her tongue in displeasure, but for me, the more information, the better.

“For now, it seems certain that one of the enemies is not a Mined Creature.”

We confirmed that the remaining enemy wasn’t an act of the Redrick Tribe either. It’s not even certain if Mined Creatures exist at all. It could just be a murder disguised as one. The proof lies in this Willow Branch-shaped marking.

“Erwin, explain in detail about your brother.”

All eyes turned to Erwin.

She seemed reluctant, fiddling with her green hair, sighed deeply, and began to speak.

“It’s nothing much.”

“Still, it’s necessary.”

“It’s simple. Elves maintain a strong bond within their tribe but don’t place much emphasis on blood ties. Instead, it’s a society that values skills.”

“What does that matter?”

“Even if he’s the eldest son, he cannot inherit the tribe. I hate to say it, but I’m quite exceptional. I’ve received a Mark, been chosen by Spirits, and my younger sister is praised as an Archery Master. Who do you think will lead the next Vinheim Tribe?”

“Ah.”

A kind of inferiority complex. The feelings of an older brother with a talented younger sister. Have the emotional rifts between the siblings deepened? A story that exists everywhere.

“At the time, I did feel some sympathy. I tried to be kind. Well, they refused, though.”

“Must have only ignited the inferiority complex more.”

Erwin tilted her head as if she didn’t understand my words.

“Well, considering your point, my brother must have had many worries. It seems he made contact with other tribes. The problem is, even those tribes rejected him. He had a somewhat… grim personality. Close to being a Dark Elf.”

Erwin muttered that and suddenly hardened her expression.

“And on the year he came of age, he killed three family members and fled the village.”

“Was he never caught?”

“I find it intriguing. How that blockhead brother managed to break through the siege and escape. That was already half a century ago. We even mobilized the elite of Vinheim and the Fairy King’s guard to track him down, but we left no trace. It was as if he vanished with the wind.”

The title of a movie from Earth springs to mind. I gestured for her to continue.

“That’s the whole story. After that, I didn’t care and had no reason to. Blood relations aren’t that important in elven society. Above all, back then, I was too busy leading Vinheim.”

“Hmm.”

Azar let out a sigh. I felt as if I was even further in the dark. I thought it was simply a task to catch Mined Creatures, but there was a bigger backstory.

“Elijah, can’t you tell anything from the information you have about the Possessor?”

“I don’t know anything.”

In the game, Erwin’s brother doesn’t make an appearance. There’s not a single mention of him. And now, Erwin’s sibling has resurfaced. What could be the reason?

Given that he even sent us an ominous letter, this might be a message directed at Erwin.

This kind of twist could arise from various reasons, but if I reflect on past experiences…

“The worst possibility, but…”

I let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“The Possessor could be involved.”

Possessor. At those words, Albrecht’s eyes grew cold.

In the end, we concluded that we’d untangle the threads one by one with the information from the Redrick Tribe. We decided to begin the investigation starting tomorrow.

Regardless, from now on, it needed to be an investigation and not mere tracking. The fact that the Possessor might be connected put everyone on edge.

“What do you think?”

And so, in our residence, Ophelia puffed on her pipe and spoke to me. It was still a scenery I wasn’t used to, but I decided not to mind.

Since she enjoyed it so much, I couldn’t just take it away from her.

“What do you want me to think?”

“I’m talking about that old maid’s story.”

“About Erwin?”

“Yeah.”

Ophelia put down her pipe and continued.

“I just find it strange how siblings fight like that.”

“Inferiority complex… tends to come with quite a bit of hatred.”

“Did you experience that too?”

“During my time in the Mercenary Group, there were those who envied me.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Because I was too outstanding.”

“Idiot.”

“It’s the truth.”

At my words, Ophelia stuck out her tongue. I thought about giving her a flick on the forehead but held back.

“Well, I understand. I’ve received a lot of unwarranted hate myself.”

“…”

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“Could it be that it wasn’t unwarranted?”

Ophelia, the collector of hatred, couldn’t have received hate without a reason. Did that thought leak out subconsciously? Ophelia creased her brow.

“Damn it, I was a good girl when I was younger!”

“I’m surprised you’re aware of your bad nature.”

“It was the Saint who ruined it.”

While puffing out cigarette smoke, Ophelia muttered.

“Every little thing caused jealousy. I had no allies at the Academy of the Saint.”

“…”

“Those damn girls. They just banded together to bully me. If I cried, they spread rumors that I cried.”

“Hmm.”

Come to think of it, Ophelia has been separated from her family since she was learning to walk and spent her time alone as a Saint at the Academy. The offspring of the powerful wouldn’t have liked Ophelia, a rolling stone.

Ophelia must have had a tough life in her own way.

Above all, under a Pope who imposes absurd punishments like the Punishment Room, if she was even bullied by a group, it was the perfect environment for her personality to become twisted.

“Remember that time? I was using the restroom, and someone poured a bucket of filthy water over the door?”

“…That’s pretty extreme.”

“Someone even put bugs in my food. I even had to wear clothes that stank for the whole day because my holy garments were thrown into the sewage. They laughed at me, saying a commoner smells, and I couldn’t say a word back.”

“…Ophelia.”

“Hmm?”

“Those bastards, tell me all their names.”

“What are you going to do if I tell you?”

“I’ll go back to the Academy and tear them apart right away.”

It was a serious statement.

Ophelia looked surprised, blinking, then chuckled.

“Forget it. It’s been a long time. And once I set my mind to it, nothing is impossible. I did the same to those bitches.”

“Are you including me in that?”

“Yep.”

Giggling while puffing out smoke, Ophelia was, well, how should I put it…

Yeah.

She felt like a femme fatale from an American hard-boiled movie.

“So, it’s all a bit strange.”

Ophelia got to the main point, and I tilted my head.

“What’s strange?”

“Erwin’s story. There are too many missing details.”

“That’s true.”

“There are several things worth suspicion. The fact that he made contact with other tribes is odd, and how could a buffoon erase his traces for no reason?”

“Hmm.”

Now that I thought about it, she wasn’t wrong. If it’s the Fairy King’s guard, then an Inquisition Officer like Yurede would have skills at the very least. Yurede was able to track us in Shadowhold just from the faint traces of Divine Power.

Experts in tracking couldn’t possibly fail to catch a mere elf ranger.

“I think that guy might have another supporter.”

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s strange. Even if consumed by inferiority, does one really kill? Especially three family members?”

“Erwin mentioned that, right? Elven blood is not that tightly bonded.”

“I know those Ear Demons are gloomy and dirty, but even accounting for that, it still seems strange. Perhaps someone’s influence is at play?”

“Influence?”

“That brother supposedly made contact with another Ear Demon tribe. Then he was rejected. I’m thinking maybe he met someone in that process.”

“What’s your basis?”

“I read it in a cheap novel I saw at the stall. It’s about a villain known as the Architect.”

“The one where that guy had five kids and lived happily ever after?”

“That’s right.”

I sighed deeply.

Of course.

At my reaction, Ophelia seemed displeased and bit on her pipe.

“Well, it’s an issue worth considering.”

Night deepened. I took Ophelia’s cheek and pulled the pipe she was holding out of her mouth.

I threw Ophelia, who was glaring at me with an annoyed expression, onto the bed and laid down on the sofa myself.

“I’ll be quite busy starting tomorrow.”

“Since when weren’t you?”

It was a voice filled with laughter.

I chuckled softly and closed my eyes. What came to mind were, of course, the foods from Earth.

Indeed, being a hero is a trashy job.

According to the Redrick Tribe’s data, the first murder scene was about 30 minutes away from Melt Rune.

It seemed the body had already been recovered, but they couldn’t restore nature all the way back to normal. Strange twisted trees, remnants left on the ground.

Most importantly,

“Here too. A Willow Branch.”

“Indeed.”

The Willow Branch marking was stamped on a nearby tree.

“Is that your brother’s symbol?”

“No doubt about it. Every young elf in the tribe has to create their own symbol. It’s almost impossible for them to overlap. Well, it’s a culture that’s nearly vanished these days.”

I surveyed the scene.

“It definitely looks like the work of a Mined Creature.”

During my time on the northern front, I had seen Mined Creatures rampaging several times. Such disarray, with no thought of concealment, and being purely driven by instincts, this style of murder belongs solely to Mined Creatures.

“Couldn’t your brother have become a Mined Creature?”

Ophelia remarked with a sardonic smile. It was sort of a jab, but Erwin didn’t even flinch.

“…There’s a possibility.”

I found myself agreeing.

Erwin, the chief of Vinheim. Though we had not spent much time together, this was the first time I had seen such an emotionless expression from her. More than when she was attacked by age.

That meant how angry she truly was.

Of course, that anger wasn’t directed at Ophelia.

“If that’s the case, he wouldn’t feel guilty about killing, so it would actually be welcome.”

The spirits around her quivered slightly.

Emily, sensitive to mana, swallowed hard.

“Hmm.”

I surveyed the scene.

It was utterly devastating.

It certainly seems like the work of a Mined Creature. However, there was a sense of suspicion.

“…”

A Mined Creature.

The brother who vanished with the wind.

The possibility of a Possessor being involved.

Finally,

“…Architect, huh.”

Ophelia mentioned the term half-jokingly.

That word remained vividly etched in my mind.