Taming the Evil Saintess

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Thanks to Ophelia’s support, Erwin and I managed to escape the forest.

Even the Mined Creature and Possessor Daniel stopped showing themselves once Ophelia appeared.

My mind was hazy, and my poison-soaked body screamed in agony, but perhaps due to the effect of the Mark, I didn’t faint. Instead, as the duration ended, a twisting sensation consumed my body, making me feel nauseous.

“First, lie down. We need to remove the arrows embedded in your body before purging the poison.”

Ophelia cast Holy Magic and placed her small hand near my eyes.

It felt like I had just briefly closed my eyes, and then I was pulled into sleep. Ophelia put me under a sleep spell.

By the time I opened my eyes again, several hours had already passed.

“Where are my clothes?”

I was in nothing but my underwear, and Ophelia’s face turned slightly red as she spoke.

“I couldn’t help it. You saw me naked too. Let’s call it even.”

“…I have no particular thoughts about it, though…”

“…You’ve got to think of something!”

What am I even supposed to say?

I let out a deep sigh and looked around.

I couldn’t see Erwin.

“Where’s Erwin?”

Ophelia didn’t answer.

Just as I was about to ask again, she shot me a sharp glare.

“Answer my question first. Why did that brat, who went out for reconnaissance, come back like this?”

Ophelia said to me as if she was disgusted.

“It’s a long story.”

I coughed repeatedly and explained the situation to Ophelia.

She remained silent, purifying the poison and magic from my body, then lifted her head to stare at my face intently.

Tap.

Ophelia’s hand landed on my bare chest.

Even though I was essentially in my underwear, it was pretty humiliating to have a younger girl touching my naked body when I couldn’t move.

“Uh… Ophelia?”

“…You.”

Whack.

This time she smacked my chest a bit harder.

“You used the Mark again.”

“…I had no choice.”

Back in the capital, Ophelia had made me promise not to use the Mark.

That was because it would ruin my body.

But given the situation, I had to push back desperately, but Ophelia’s eyes drew a downward curve.

“You bastard. I don’t care if there was no solution, but you broke our promise.”

Slap.

I got hit a little harder.

Of course, it didn’t hurt. I was in so much pain from elsewhere.

“And the fact that you used the Mark this time wasn’t even for my sake, was it?”

“That’s… true.”

“Is that old hag Erwin so precious to you?”

“…No, are you saying we should just leave her to die?”

When I tried to make a valid point, Ophelia reluctantly shook her head.

“Not necessarily, but…”

However, Ophelia had become overly shrewd over the years.

“I really don’t like that you’re looking for Erwin first in this situation.”

“…”

At a loss for words, Ophelia poked my bare chest.

“Decide right now.”

Ophelia wore a mischievous grin.

“Me or Erwin. Who’s more precious?”

“…”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll strip you down to your underwear.”

She must have realized that she was saying something embarrassing, as she added a little something extra.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

“Um, are you still holding onto what the Fairy King said…?”

“Shut up and answer the question.”

“…”

I clamored my mouth shut.

Of course, Ophelia was more precious.

…But saying that outright would hurt my pride.

“I…”

So I tried to phrase it a bit more delicately.

“I might prefer younger women, so I’m not likely to fall for an elven chieftain over a hundred years older than me.”

“…”

Ophelia gaped for a moment, then shook her head and nodded.

“Uh, uh-huh… yeah, that makes sense.”

“…”

“…”

A brief awkward silence followed, and then Ophelia and I spoke simultaneously.

“Uh…”

“Hey.”

“…You go first.”

Ophelia glanced cautiously at me.

“Then, between that Emily and me…?”

“Let’s cut the pointless talk and get back to how Erwin is doing. You didn’t answer my question.”

As I hurriedly diverted the topic, Ophelia clicked her tongue in annoyance and gestured with her chin.

“Azar took him.”

“Golden Lion Azar?”

I let out a sigh of relief.

Azar must have learned a thing or two from dealing with the Possessor Richard, through his wife, regarding handling magic addiction.

There’s no need to worry too much.

“He’s likely got acute magic addiction, so it seems he’ll need to be out for several days.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

Elves are particularly sensitive to magic.

It’s no small wonder that elves in the Northern Mercenary Group barely survive a year before they die.

Getting an Artifact to help defend against magic would probably be a good idea.

I could ask the Sword Saint for help.

Or, if this is over, I might formally request it from the Fairy King. He’s an elf too, so he should have at least one item to counter magic.

“Well, aside from that, it looks like Erwin’s fine. Thanks to someone, he didn’t get hit by arrows.”

“Haha.”

“I didn’t say that to make you laugh, you idiot.”

“…”

“Are you some kind of human shield? Or a target? Are you capable of thought? If an arrow hit your head, you would’ve died right there, you know that?”

“But I didn’t get hit.”

“You almost did!”

Ophelia shouted angrily, and I fell silent.

Anyway, since Erwin’s sister Mereba has become a Possessor, I had to hear the full story from her.

However, with Erwin currently out cold from magic addiction, it’s going to be tough to get the story directly.

So I had planned to do my own investigation…

“Hey, Ophelia.”

“What?”

“How long are you going to keep me undressed?”

“…”

Ophelia stared at me for a moment, then lifted the corners of her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

“Until you learn to reflect on yourself.”

“…”

*

In fact, tracing Erwin’s past wasn’t particularly difficult.

She was the chieftain of the Vinheim Tribe.

Which meant that, all I had to do was ask another member of the Vinheim Tribe.

“So, you were looking for me?”

“Did I misspeak? We didn’t come looking for you; you came looking for us.”

“Well, you sent a letter, didn’t you?”

Wuzmund, the Ranger Captain of the Vinheim Tribe, grumbled as he pulled out a piece of paper.

There had also been a special delivery letter from the Great Forest.

Of course, it was a letter that a mere outsider, a human, couldn’t write, so I had to impersonate Erwin’s name. Wuzmund had rushed here at the chief’s orders and walked in with a face that looked like he’d chewed on a bug upon seeing us.

“Wow, look at that face.”

“That’s not true.”

The fortunate thing is that Ophelia and I already know Wuzmund.

In particular, I had helped him catch the Dark Mage from Nua Diel, and Ophelia had helped with the aftermath.

This means that Wuzmund owes us quite a lot. While I can’t use the Saint Cathedral as leverage like before, I can exercise authority now that I’ve become a hero.

“Chief Erwin, and her sibling Mereba are… the illegitimate children of the Vinheim Tribe.”

“Now, that’s a story I haven’t heard before.”

“Well, that goes without saying. It’s a fact not known to the outside world.”

Wuzmund spoke the truth calmly.

“The elven society is much more closed off compared to the human race. Illegitimate children are never treated well.”

“According to Erwin, she said she was too outstanding and earned her brother’s jealousy.”

“That’s not jealousy from Mereba. It’s from the other siblings.”

“…”

“But well, no matter how outstanding an illegitimate child is, they can’t become a chieftain.”

Wuzmund continued with a bitter smile.

“Until Chief Erwin received the Mark, that is.”

The Mark.

In this continent, the influence of the divine Mark is beyond imagination.

Even the notoriously fussy Fairy King doesn’t show hostility toward us who possess the Mark.

Wuzmund let out a sigh as if the ground was pulling him down, confirming once again that no one was around to listen.

“What kind of reaction do you think they would have had when an illegitimate child, hiding desperately, got the Mark?”

I didn’t answer, and Ophelia let out a scoffing sound in reply.

“They would have tried to kill her.”

“Yes. At that time, young Erwin was willing to die in accordance with her family’s orders, but Mereba did not.”

From here on, it should be similar to the story Erwin had told me directly.

In other words.

“Erwin’s brother killed the other candidates for the heir and went into hiding?”

“Exactly.”

“Huh.”

It seemed to be a more intricate and bittersweet relationship than I had expected.

*

“Right. Good.”

Possessor Daniel loves this world.

He loves all nature and life.

Though he’s decided that, he simply couldn’t show affection to the pet in front of him.

“You know, after doing such a great transformation, you still got taken down by a mere human?”

While looking at the Mined Creature bound by the magical threads, Daniel sighed deeply.

“Well, okay. Thanks to the Hero, I’ve roughly completed the performance test.”

Indeed, he had removed the limbs and legs a lot, which proved to have a reverse effect. It seemed more ergonomic design was required.

Maybe it’d be good to add five more eyes or something.

The name for the next mod version should be something like T-1000.

As he amusingly daydreamed, Daniel chuckled.

“By the way, the Hero sure is impressive.”

He sincerely admired.

He’d heard enough about the legend of the Slave Knight, who had cut down countless demons to the point that even the high-ranking demons of the Demon King’s Castle trembled.

But he hadn’t realized he could see through all the Mined Creatures’ tricks.

Truly a talent fit for a Hero.

“I might actually die here. Don’t you think so, Mereba?”

He asked the silent owner of the body, shivering slightly.

Until now, he had only lived by taking from others.

Now he faced the danger of being taken.

Facing death certainly carries a different thrill than what he had known so far.

And Daniel was the type of lunatic who could find joy in any situation.

“I’m looking forward to it. You too, right?”