The Saint, No, The Dutiful Daughter
The woman with the eyepatch held no resentment toward anyone. What right did she have to blame others? On the contrary, she considered it fortunate that she had even made it this far. If there was one single thing she wished for, it was that her child might live. She would bear the burden of this foolish mother’s sins herself. Please, if only her child—her innocent child—could survive.
—Idiot.
That bitterly cold word echoed in her ears. The single phrase that asked whether a child who had lost her parents could truly be said to be alive. At the man’s words, a desperate desire not to die, not to fall asleep, surged within her. She had to open her eyes. She had to take her child and escape this hell. Just once more—she wanted to see her child’s face one last time. Therefore, she had to live. She had to open her eyes. She could not fade away like this.
“…Ah.”
At the sudden brightness, she slowly opened her eyes. A pure white ceiling, pure white walls, and a surrounding scene so grand it felt almost sacred. The one-eyed woman could not tell where she was. If this was the afterlife, it was far too beautiful to be the place the dead arrived. She was a sinner. An unforgivable, heinous criminal. So why was she in such a beautiful, holy place?
“You’re awake.”
At the voice from beside her, she turned her head. There stood a woman holding a child who slept peacefully in her arms, gazing down at her.
“You…”
That face. It was definitely her—the woman called Iris who had exposed her true identity. And now she was cradling her child.
“Ah!”
“Don’t worry. She’s only sleeping.”
Iris whispered softly and brought a finger to her lips. Understanding that the child might wake, the child’s mother closed her mouth at once.
…
…
An awkward silence settled between them. One who had tried to deceive, and one who had seen through the deception. No matter the reason, no matter the circumstances, the fact that she was a criminal remained unchanged. So the one-eyed woman glanced around nervously before speaking hesitantly.
“What… happened…?”
She had clearly suffered a fatal wound from a monster. It was the kind of injury that should have killed her, even if it hadn’t been instant death. Yet when she touched her stomach, she felt no pain at all. How was this possible? It made no sense.
The answer to the one-eyed woman’s question came from another person.
“…Have you awakened?”
A woman dressed entirely in white from head to toe. Hair like the first snowfall at the beginning of winter, and unwavering silver eyes. A noble aura filled the room, as if an angel had descended.
“Given the severity of your wounds, I expected you to wake last. Your mental strength is truly remarkable.”
“You are…”
“The child only received simple treatment and fell asleep. Is the man beside her your husband? He is also sleeping soundly, so there is no need to worry about him either.”
At the gentle, measured tone of the woman in white, the one-eyed woman looked to her side. There lay her other half—the man who had been beaten nearly to death. He too was breathing evenly, lost in deep sleep.
This makes no sense.
Yes, it truly didn’t. Neither her husband’s wounds nor her own should have been so cleanly healed. Even if a high priest—or even a cardinal—had come, such injuries could not have been erased so perfectly. And look at the aura radiating from this woman in white. If that radiance truly belonged to nothing more than a priest, who in the world would worship the Demon God and call death beautiful?
“Who… are you?”
“Are you asking about me?”
“Yes. No matter how I look at it… you don’t seem like an ordinary priestess.”
“I am still a member of the Church, just like any priest. There is no real difference.”
The one-eyed woman shook her head at the woman in white’s words. Saying there was no difference held no meaning when the gap was so vast. They were different. Too different. She had never seen anyone like her before.
“Who are you?”
The one-eyed woman asked again, and the woman in white gave a gentle smile.
“My name is Hyacinth.”
The moment she heard that name, the one-eyed woman jolted in shock. If this was someone from the Church called Hyacinth, there was only one possibility.
“S-Saintess…!”
“That is what people call me, yes.”
Letting out a long sigh, the one-eyed woman bowed her head. She, who had been deceived by the Demon God Worshippers and stood beside the Sword Hero. To think she had been saved by the Saint, the Holy Hero. How utterly shameful.
“Thank you. Thank you… I am truly grateful that someone like me was allowed to live…”
“No. You are mistaken.”
But the Saint—the Holy Hero—cut off the words of gratitude sharply. Shaking her head, she continued as if correcting an error.
“It was not I who saved you. I merely followed that person’s will.”
Honestly, for a mid-grade monster, this feels a bit stingy.
I never expected it to disappear after leaving behind only a single mana stone. Starting from mid-grade monsters, they occasionally drop these stones when defeated. They can strengthen the power to handle mana or reinforce the body. While I can’t use them that way myself, they still have their uses. Just like how mana stones were used as reinforcement materials for equipment in the game, here they could slightly improve the quality of gear.
There’s a limit to what equipment can cover, but it’s still better than nothing.
After watching Iris fight the mid-grade monster in person, I realized she really needed a proper weapon. Her skill was there, but her mana cultivation was lacking, so she needed another way to compensate.
“Master.”
The door opened and Iris entered first. She had said she would stay until the one-eyed woman woke up, but she returned sooner than expected.
“Is she awake?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried she might die.”
Although she had been tricked by the Demon God Worshippers and done something she should never have done, it wasn’t entirely her will. She had been coerced through threats. I had planned to use that fact to stir up hostility toward the Demon God Worshippers. If the one-eyed woman testified, “I am a witness. They took my family hostage,” it would shatter any positive perception of their cult. It could be you next. Or the person beside you. So always stay vigilant. Their whispers are never good.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That my senior—my predecessor—was coming. How did you know the Holy Hero was on her way…?”
“She is my disciple. How could I not notice when one of my own was approaching?”
Before I could even finish speaking, the door opened again and that very “disciple” stepped inside. The moment our eyes met, she slowly bowed at the waist in greeting.
“Master. Have you been well all this time?”
“I’ve been fine. How about you?”
“Yes. Thanks to Master’s grace, I have been able to faithfully fulfill my duties.”
“Good. You look well, and that makes me happy. Lily.”
Lily. Lily Hyacinth. The “Holy Hero” character who had served as the main healer in my primary deck. Her offensive stats were probably lower than Iris’s current ones, but she boasted overwhelming performance in healing, blessings, and every other form of support. As my sixth disciple, Lily had been a dutiful daughter even back in the game.
She had appeared from a single draw, saving me from what should have been at least fifty paid summons. Her powerful support abilities allowed her to handle what normally required two healers. And above all, her default skin was so beautiful that I never needed to pull for any other costumes. But she wasn’t just a dutiful daughter in the game.
After coming to this world, Lily was the sixth disciple I took in. Born as a pure support specialist, everything about her was perfect except for her inevitably weak attack power. She could perform wide-area healing, curse removal, barrier creation, blessings—you name it. And her personality? She was so sharp, polite, and kind that calling her an angel instead of a hero would have been perfectly fitting.
True to her title as the Holy Hero, once she stepped into the world, Lily earned the nickname “Saint.” She had joined the Church and was faithfully carrying out her duties. I had heard about it occasionally from Lily herself and the other disciples.
“At first I thought I had sensed it wrong. Your presence suddenly appeared.”
“I happened to be passing nearby and led my followers into the city so they could rest comfortably. During the night, I felt a faint but murky aura. So I moved quietly to investigate. I never imagined I would meet you, Master.”
It could be called good luck. Or perhaps her unconscious desire to help me had manifested. Either way, the fact that she continued to play the role of a dutiful daughter so perfectly made her nothing short of a saint.
“I’ve heard stories about you here and there whenever I visit the city. They say you appear, fight monsters, and heal the injured with a single prayer. That your radiance revives those on the brink of death.”
At my words, Lily smiled shyly, a faint blush spreading across her pure white cheeks like petals.
“I simply did as Master taught me. The way they praise me is so embarrassing. I wanted to tell them all—do you know who stands behind the ones you admire so much? That you should be offering your thanks to that person instead.”
“Enough. You know I hate that kind of thing.”
“Of course I know. That’s why I kept my mouth shut and remained silent.”
“Good, good. Well done. That’s just like you.”
While I was happily chatting with Lily, I suddenly noticed that Iris, sitting beside me, had grown unusually quiet. When I glanced over, her expression was far from pleasant. She was glaring with narrowed eyes, looking back and forth between me and Lily. The aura that this situation was anything but welcome radiated strongly from her.
“…Ah, Master. Now that I think about it, this woman here is…”
“What do you mean ‘this woman’? She’s your junior and your youngest sister. Treat her comfortably. Comfortably.”
“I’m fine, Master.”
“Fine, my foot. Iris? You haven’t properly introduced yourself yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then greet each other again. You’re not going to be strangers after just one meeting.”
Iris stood up and gave a small bow.
“I’m Iris Futurewalker, Saint Lily.”
“The title of Saint is unnecessary. Please just call me comfortably, Iris.”
Lily accepted Iris’s greeting with a warm smile.
“…Senior. I’ve heard a lot about you—about my sixth senior sister. They say the Church considers you extremely important. Master has spoken of you often as well.”
“I simply act according to what Master taught me. The people of the Church speak of gods, but I listen only to Master’s words, not to any god.”
If the Church members, the archbishops, or even the Pope himself heard Lily speak like that, it would cause an absolute uproar. Thankfully, Lily was clever enough to show a properly devout appearance when needed.
“Master.”
Lily took a step closer.
“An investigation team will soon arrive from the city. They may act rudely toward you. So I intend to step forward in your place. Will you permit me?”
“Handle it as you see fit. If it’s you, I can feel at ease.”
“Understood. I will ensure that no unnecessary attention is directed toward you, Master.”
She understood exactly what I wanted. Both in the game and here, she was playing the role of a dutiful daughter flawlessly.