The Saintess Quit Long Ago (1)
I prodded the goblin with a hole punched clean through its head using my foot. No surprise—it didn't so much as twitch. No way something could stay alive with its skull ventilated like that.
"Get out for a sec."
Claude shoved me back from where I stood, then booted the goblin so hard it sailed far outside the tent. He glanced down at his blood-spattered shoe, muttered a quiet curse, and climbed back onto the bed to lie down.
"Ah, those were my comfy favorites..."
"If it's the blood, I can clean 'em for you."
"No point. Monster blood reeks so bad, no matter what you do, the stench lingers. Gotta chuck 'em."
As I pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his shoe, Claude shook his head and waved it off—no need.
Come to think of it, bodies enhanced by demonic power apparently sharpened the senses too, like smell. The Crown Prince had picked up on the wine I'd secretly swigged two days ago, so no reason Claude couldn't.
"Anyway, what do you think happened in the dungeon? That noise earlier, and now monsters showing up."
I said it while tidying the tent, which the monster had trashed.
"Dunno. But with that earthquake too, something definitely went down."
"Yeah, figured..."
Once I finished cleaning, I refocused my clairvoyance deep into the dungeon interior. Figured I'd check what was up.
"Oh yeah, you said you could see inside the dungeon with that clairvoyance of yours. What's it look like?"
"Nah... I can't see a thing."
But when I peered inside, it was pitch black—nothing visible.
"What? Suddenly can't see? They put up a barrier or something?"
"Nah, the inside collapsed. That's why."
That massive roar from the dungeon must've been the ceiling caving in. Places I'd seen just moments ago were now buried under rubble, blocking the view. The recent quake? Or whatever caused the quake? Either way, it spelled disaster.
"Smells like gunpowder out here..."
"I don't smell anything?"
The best my nose could pick up was the coffee from my thermos. Claude, though? Dude had a bloodhound's sniff.
"Oh, maybe they triggered a trap wrong in there..."
"A trap?"
"Yeah, dungeons are full of all kinds. Some detonate bombs planted inside."
I had plenty of dungeon experience myself, enough to say I'd seen it all.
"You've been in dungeons?"
"Don't let appearances fool you—I'm an elite of the elites among priestesses. I've deployed on subjugation teams plenty of times."
Not just any priestess, either. A full-blown saintess.
"I figured priests spent their lives nursing patients and praying in temples. Guess not, huh."
"What a lame take. We do tons of stuff. Like, boringly tons..."
I cut off the old memories there. No point dredging up that black history—it was better for my mental health to leave it buried. Otherwise, I'd end up kicking off the blankets in my sleep.
"Anyway, monsters are bad, but personally? Traps are way more dangerous."
Monsters at least gave you a shot to react, even if a dragon popped up or whatever. Traps? Screw up and trigger one by accident, and it was usually too late. They wiped out victims in an instant, no chance for treatment.
"Floor shoots up, ceiling drops down, floor vanishes, ceiling disappears and arrows rain from above... endless varieties."
Back then, I only survived because I was the saintess. Normies? Dead in those spots, mostly.
Dungeon exploration was that risky, so when I first heard about practical training inside one at Arcanum Academy, even with its rep, I'd worried. And sure enough, shit hit the fan.
"Hmm..."
"What's up?"
Suddenly, a flicker of mana sparked around Claude. That was the tell for magical messaging.
"Nah, just contacted the academy. They said they'd assemble a rescue team and send 'em within the hour after hearing me out."
"An hour... isn't that too long?"
"That's lightning fast, actually. Probably prepped for this kinda thing ahead of time."
A whole hour till rescue arrived. Sure, Claude had a point—it was quick by this world's standards. No cops or fire stations like modern times, and even equivalents didn't idle 24/7. Unavoidable.
"An hour..."
I fretted over the students trapped inside.
"Don't sweat it too much. The kids here for dungeon training? Skill-wise, they outclass most mercenaries or knights."
On raw ability, sure. Problem was, without real experience, you couldn't tap 100% of that potential.
"Plus, teachers are tagging along as supervisors for exactly this. Should be fine."
"Yeah... true."
His words eased me a bit as I scanned the interior. Tough with all the collapses blocking clairvoyance, but pushing deeper, I spotted intact areas.
"Ah, found 'em."
"Clairvoyance spotted the students?"
"Yeah. Want me to show you too, Your Highness?"
"What? How the hell would you...?"
"Ways and means."
I smirked and grabbed Claude's hand. My sister could use clairvoyance now too, but that was recent. Back in those dull prayer sessions, I hated hogging the fun solo, so I'd worked hard to share my view with her.
"...What the—? Feels weird."
"You'll get used to it. Oh, and don't move—might bump into walls or furniture."
Clairvoyance must've kicked in for him now. Claude panicked at first, whipping his head around, but soon settled, sitting still on the bed.
"So this is clairvoyance. Pretty cool? Bit nauseating, though... Wait, how are you even showing me this?"
Now he looked like an excited kid.
"Ways and means. Look here."
"This is..."
With clairvoyance, I spotted blackened, shattered debris inside the dungeon. Not just collapsed—this was high-heat blast damage, like an explosion had scorched everything. Probably the source of that gunpowder whiff Claude caught. Scale was huge.
"Lemme go for a sec."
"Oh, sure. Got it."
I let go, and Claude stepped out to scan the surroundings briefly.
"Good, no more monsters coming out."
"Really? Small mercies."
Whenever I hit a dungeon or got dispatched somewhere, at least two elite guards from the temple—or top imperial knights—always shadowed me. They'd shred any monster before it got close. So goblins waltzing right up to my face? Not my norm. Hated reliving that.
"Now I can safely check the inside without—"
I froze mid-breath.
"What? Find something?"
"...Spotted a few students. Their supervising teacher too."
Scanning deeper, I found one exploration team inside. And it was Lucille Eleanor's group.
"But—"
Situation sucked. Teacher with half his body charred beyond recognition. Students hurt bad too, though not as severe. Lucille stood protectively against dungeon monsters, her own injuries clear—fractured arm holding the rapier.
And it wasn't just her group. Others were in the same boat. Most had intact teachers keeping things safe, but some teams had kids isolated without supervision. Worse, the monsters inside were far stronger and deadlier than briefed.
"Show me again."
Claude snatched my hand, sharing the view.
"Shit, of course it's Lady Eleanor's group, making this annoying..."
He knew it was bad too—scratched his head irritably, then buckled on the sword by the bed.
"Your Highness? Where you headed?"
"Where d'you think? Rescue's still forty minutes out."
He planned to dive in himself. Fair enough—imperial demonic blood was no joke. Even the Crown Prince, with the thinnest ancient lineage, had casually crushed dozens of assassins barehanded when they came for me. Claude? Looked like he inherited the thickest strain. Hadn't he punched wind-holes in goblin skulls with a casual pebble toss earlier?
"Stay put and wait. ...Nah, head back to the academy first. I'll arrange for someone to recharge the teleport array."
Monsters or traps in there? Probably no real threat to him. He knew it, which was why he was gearing up solo to save the kids.
But Claude was a student too.
"No. I'm coming."
What kinda teacher bails to safety alone?
"...Huh? You nuts?"
"Nope, perfectly sane."
"You froze solid when that monster lunged earlier. Sure, you've done dungeons, but always safe in the rear providing support."
"Well..."
He hit me with cold facts, brutally honest.
"Even if I guard you, dungeon terrain limits solo protection. Already collapsed once—blindly flexing power's risky."
Claude drew his sword to check it. Rusty from neglect, but he sheathed it like it didn't matter.
"Could end worse than bruises, y'know? Still wanna tag along?"
"Yeah. Doesn't matter."
No need for long talks—I just nodded.
I was a teacher, sure. But before that, a saintess. I'd ditched the lofty duty of bringing peace and the goddess's guidance to the world long ago. Still, I wasn't trash enough to abandon the wounded.
Plus, if any teacher or student died...
"And like you saw, some need urgent treatment. Waiting for rescue might be too late."
...I didn't wanna witness people dying again if I could help it.
"Haa, such a pain."
Claude pinched his brow and sighed at my words.
"Plus, with me, we can track student positions inside easy."
Sorry, Claude, but I'd throw a fit here.
"Do what you want. But if you get in the way, I'll drag you out by force."
"Got it."
Having saintess power didn't mean I saved everyone always. So I'd run in myself, save as many as possible.
"And don't worry too much, Your Highness. Just 'cause I always had rear guards doesn't mean I can't protect myself."
How many assassins had I faced since becoming saintess? Ten years roaming as one and surviving wasn't luck. Couldn't learn to fight proper, but self-defense? Nailed it.
...Risked blowing my saintess cover if I slipped, though. Still, way better than letting people die.