Chapter 10 - The Saintess Follows the Heavenly Demon
Chapter 10 - The Saintess Follows the Heavenly Demon
“I forbid you from attacking me or harboring even a shred of hostility toward me.”
“…”
“Ah, right. Since we’re at it, might as well make good use of you. What exactly did the Radain Church request of you?”
“…To capture or, if unavoidable, eliminate the demon who kidnapped the Saintess—or any entity of equivalent malevolence.”
“Ohh. I see. The fact that they specifically requested capture suggests they’re quite interested in me. Good. I’ll issue a new command.”
I raised my head and shouted loud enough for the other adventurers to hear.
“The Radain Church is my enemy. Stand against them. Do not hesitate to use force if necessary.”
“”“…Understood.”“”
Satisfactory.
“I’m leaving this place. Once you regain consciousness, forget that I ever gave you these orders.”
One by one, the adventurers collapsed, losing consciousness.
Finally, only the guild master and I remained standing in the branch office.
“I need a map that can guide me to the border.”
When I asked the guild master, she staggered to her feet and wobbled over to the wreckage of the reception desk. After rummaging through the debris, she returned with a large scroll in hand.
“Here… a map of the Radain Holy Nation.”
“Hmm. Good work.”
Thud.
[Brainwashing of target ‘Millein Betella’ and 57 others completed.]
[The brainwashed targets will superficially forget that you issued commands. However, since their subconscious has been fully conditioned, they will unconsciously carry out your orders from now on.]
I unfolded the map of the Holy Nation.
Thanks to whatever special perk I had, I could read the text—but that was it. I couldn’t interpret the map itself.
“Hey.”
Startle.
The Saintess, who had been peeking out from behind the main gate throughout the entire fight, flinched when I called her. Then, cautiously eyeing me, she approached.
“…What? Scared now?”
Well, not that I could blame her.
To an outsider, it must have looked like a demon brainwashing people.
But this was clearly a skill. A skill.
Anyway, back to the main point.
“How do I read this map?”
“Huh?”
“Was my wording unclear?”
The Saintess blinked rapidly, her eyes darting between me and the map.
“…First, this is where we are now—the northwestern branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.”
She pointed to a small dot in the upper-left corner of the Radain Holy Nation’s territory.
Originally, I had been heading south before changing direction to come here.
“From our current position, it would be best to follow the southwestern route. It’s a path frequently used by merchants…”
She traced the marked road with her finger, detailing which villages to stop at and which terrains to be cautious of along the way.
“If you move quickly with that strange acceleration magic of yours, it might be different, but walking normally, it should take about three weeks to reach the border.”
“Hmm.”
Okay. Understood.
“I have no further business with you. Get lost.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I said what I said.”
Leaving the Saintess behind, I stepped through the broken wall and began walking while studying the map.
“Wait, wait a minute!”
The Saintess scrambled after me, stumbling over her own feet.
“What kind of attitude is that?!”
“What’s the problem? Isn’t this the best possible outcome for you?”
“Th-that may be true, but… it’s too sudden! Didn’t you take me as a hostage?”
“And now I don’t need you anymore, do I? I dragged you around to keep those Radain Church folks from bothering me.”
“Then…”
“But this incident proved you have no value as a hostage. Those adventurers who took the Church’s request didn’t care what you said—they attacked anyway. Doesn’t that tell you everything?”
“They just didn’t fully grasp the situation yet! If I send a letter to the Radain Church explaining exactly what happened, who you are, and what your motives are—”
“Right. Which is exactly why I don’t need you.”
The Saintess and I stopped walking at the same time.
“I want to avoid unnecessary fights, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just stand there and take hits like some pushover.”
“…Then what about the curse you placed on my heart…?”
“That? A lie, obviously.”
“…!”
“If you understand, then get lost.”
“…”
Leaving the Saintess standing there with her head bowed, I resumed walking.
Her argument wasn’t wrong.
Even if I planned to clash with the Radain Church, having her around would certainly help. With enough luck, I might even avoid fighting altogether.
But my mind had changed.
Even if I didn’t slaughter them all, if the Radain Church came at me, I’d show them what I was made of.
And for that, the Saintess would only get in the way.
Now that she seemed to have eased her suspicions about me, she’d probably try to stop any fights.
Without so much as a farewell, I quickened my pace.
The Saintess stood frozen, overwhelmed by shock, unable to decide what to do.
‘Just leave? Like this?’
Nothing the Heavenly Demon said was incorrect. From the Saintess’s perspective, there was no reason to refuse if he was letting her go.
But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to take that first step away.
The memories of the past few days swirled chaotically in Euria’s mind—
The moment she recklessly attacked him, believing him to be a demon, only to be subdued instantly.
The time in the village chief’s second-floor room when she heard his true thoughts.
The battles with the village chief’s comrades, the assault on the Adventurer’s Guild, the brainwashing…
“…”
The Saintess stared at the Heavenly Demon’s retreating back, then—
Tap.
She broke into a run after him.
For the first time, Saintess Euria chose to trust not in Juten’s teachings or her own rational judgment, but in a baseless gut feeling.
“Stop!”
Cutting ahead of the Heavenly Demon, she blocked his path.
“…Got unfinished business?”
“Let me come with you.”
The Heavenly Demon’s brow furrowed.
“Didn’t you hear me? Get lost.”
“Yes. And I’m saying no. Didn’t you hear me?”
“What’s your game?”
“Do you really think you can navigate that long journey just from me briefly showing you a map? Do you even have money? How do you plan to get supplies in villages? Don’t tell me you’re going to steal them?”
“…”
“See? That’s why I can’t just leave you. Let me come with you. I’ll guide you. I’ll handle the necessities. There are banks in the larger cities in this region—we can use my savings.”
“…You’ve got guts.”
Whoosh—
Dark energy gathered around the Heavenly Demon once more—the same aura that had overwhelmed the Saintess and filled her with terror.
“Did getting beaten once not teach you anything?”
“Threats won’t work. You can’t disable me with just any injury, right? I’ll just heal it. Brainwashing? Try it. It won’t work on me under Juten’s protection. But if you really don’t want me following you…”
The Saintess stepped forward through the snow, stopping directly in front of the Heavenly Demon.
Euria’s unwavering golden eyes locked onto his.
“…Then kill me.”
Twitch.
The Heavenly Demon’s fingers spasmed, and inwardly, the Saintess flinched.
For a moment, she feared he might actually attack her—
But she refused to back down, still convinced she wasn’t making the wrong choice.
“…”
A suffocating silence stretched between them for several seconds.
Though no words were spoken, the Saintess understood what that silence meant—and smiled.
“I knew it. My judgment about you wasn’t wrong. If you were truly a ruthless villain who hesitated at nothing, you wouldn’t have bothered brainwashing those adventurers earlier.”
“Sigh…”
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon looked utterly exasperated.
“Why the hell are you so persistent?”
“Guiding the lost onto the right path—that is the duty of a Saintess.”
Faced with that radiant, saintly smile, the Heavenly Demon had no choice but to surrender.
“…Fine. Guide me.”
The main conference room of the Radain Holy Nation’s Papal Office.
A space befitting the Church’s grandeur, lavishly decorated with golden patterns and ornaments.
Yet the expressions of those gathered were anything but bright.
“This is truly a frustrating affair, Inquisitor Erden.”
“I… apologize.”
“I’m not blaming you.”
Cardinal Birka exhaled softly.
“Two weeks. It’s already been two weeks since that so-called ‘Heavenly Demon’ disappeared with the Saintess.”
“Yes. Immediately after the incident, we compiled a description based on testimonies from the Holy Knights who were with the Saintess during the heresy purge and distributed it to all Adventurer’s Guilds across the Holy Nation. However…”
“Indeed. We received a report that the Saintess and a man had stopped in Petin while concealing their identities, so we dispatched an A-rank adventurer party from the northwestern branch. But they failed, and worse—the entire branch was taken over by that Heavenly Demon.”
The Cardinal rose from his seat and walked toward the window.
The Inquisitor didn’t even lift his gaze, staring fixedly at the desk.
“Yet what I cannot comprehend is what happened afterward. He seized the northwestern branch, yet none of them were harmed. That’s fortunate, but the problem is…”
Cardinal Birka gazed out the window, lost in thought.
After the report, the northwestern branch of the Adventurer’s Guild took an unexpected stance—
They formally notified the Church that they would restrict the activities of Radain Church knights across all territories under their jurisdiction.
And it wasn’t just words. On multiple occasions, clashes between the branch’s adventurers and the knights nearly escalated into outright violence.
“Why? Those prideful warriors, rather than seeking revenge against the one who defeated them, are instead shielding him…?”
Erden had no answer. He, too, was driven to madness wondering why they would do such a thing.
“And above all…”
The Cardinal’s gaze shifted to his seat at the conference table.
Piled atop the desk were letters the Saintess had been sending every three to four days via messenger birds.
The letters contained various details—
How she had been kidnapped, his objectives, his character…
Yet each one always ended with the same line:
“Therefore, he is not as threatening as the Church believes. For now, it would be best to comply with his request and escort him beyond the Holy Nation’s borders before formally dispatching an envoy to engage in meaningful dialogue with him.”
“…I never imagined the Saintess would take such a stance. Could it be she’s been brainwashed…?”
“No, that shouldn’t be possible. The Saintess’s divine protection blocks all external interference with her will and mind… Those letters were undoubtedly written of her own volition.”
The handwriting was unmistakably hers.
“…Do you intend to follow the Saintess’s suggestion?”
The Cardinal slowly shook his head.
“Impossible. We cannot allow one who carries the seed of evil to walk freely out of our sacred Holy Nation’s territory. He must be captured and purified—or exterminated.”
The Cardinal turned to the Inquisitor.
“Inquisitor Erden. I grant you command over three divisions of the Papal Knights. Pursue them immediately. If necessary, you may use force to subdue the adventurers.”
“I shall obey the will of the divine.”
After Erden left, the Cardinal stood in silence for a long while.
“Juten has granted me an opportunity. The perfect chance to rid ourselves of that troublesome Saintess…”