Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Hero and Saintess
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Pure love is truly beautiful.
A loving couple gazing only at each other for their entire lives.
How noble and pure an act is that.
My mission is to protect such beautiful pure love.
Even if insurmountable obstacles block their path.
Even if two people who are clearly meant to be together are torn apart by fate's cruel joke.
As long as I'm by their side, it's fine.
I'll solve all your problems for you.
You two just enjoy your happy, beautiful romance.
The kingdom's sky blazed a dark crimson.
The roars of endlessly surging monsters echoed across the land below the walls, and the kingdom's final, glorious stronghold crumbled futilely into ruin.
"Ian, please... it's too dangerous now...!"
In one corner of the wall, Saintess Lina clutched her broken staff, her voice trembling with tears as she approached him.
Her white priestly robes were stained with dust and blood, and Hero Ian spat out blood-flecked saliva as he spoke to her.
"Lina, open the castle's back gate and run... I'll buy you some time somehow."
But the hero's holy sword had been broken for ages, and his body was covered in wounds large and small.
"No! I swore we'd die together!"
Seeing her beloved in such pain, the saintess could barely hold back her streaming tears.
She was the daughter of god, the blessed saintess, but after prolonged battle, all her holy power was depleted.
In this desperate situation.
Demon World Commander and Slayer Gerba soon approached them, dragging his massive axe.
Kreeeeak—
This slayer had already killed thousands upon thousands.
No one had been able to stop him on his way here, and now Gerba spotted the hero and saintess.
"Kuhahaha! What beautiful love. But don't worry—after I lop off the hero's head, I'll take the saintess back to my chambers and teach her some fun things."
He flashed a vile grin and licked his lips.
Ian gripped his broken holy sword to protect her.
"So the famous hero's sword is only this pathetic?"
With a casual kick from Gerba, the hero's holy sword flew far away.
Gerba then hoisted his axe high.
"Die, hero."
Sensing the end, the hero tightly clasped the saintess's hand beside him.
'Is this really it... Sorry, Lina. I couldn't keep our promise of a beautiful wedding.'
'Please let me be by Ian's side even in the next life.'
As the saintess and hero accepted their approaching deaths and felt each other's final warmth.
Pzzt—
The space between them tore open with a sharp crackle.
At the same moment, the raging demonic energy from Gerba surrounding them halted abruptly.
"Who are you...?!"
With Gerba's panicked shout, a man slowly stepped out from the rift in the air.
The Demon World slayer gulped and stared him down intently.
'He's strong...!'
Gerba had clashed with countless foes before.
But he'd never seen anyone who exuded such overwhelming presence just by standing there.
Worn yet dignified silver armor, and a fluttering pure white cape draped over it.
"A monster, and an ugly one at that."
The man carried himself with a relaxed poise utterly out of place on this battlefield.
"W-what did you just call me...?!"
Gerba bellowed, but the knight ignored him and headed toward the saintess and hero.
The knight's eyes, fixed on them, soon glowed pure white.
In a world drained of all color, turned black and white, only one spot blazed with intense light in his vision.
The hero and saintess.
A vivid red thread connecting their hearts entered the knight's sight clearly, and he smiled in satisfaction with a murmur of admiration.
"These two are really devoted."
"You bastard! How dare you ignore me?!"
Gerba's rage boiled over.
Not content with nullifying his demonic energy with some weird trick, this guy had insulted his face too—he wanted to kill him right then.
The furious Gerba swung his massive axe with all his might.
A colossal strike that could cleave a mountain erupted from Gerba's axe.
Kaboooom—
A deafening roar echoed as dust enveloped the entire area.
At the sight, Gerba grinned so wide his mouth nearly split.
"Kuhahaha!! All bark, no bite...!!"
No one had ever survived his strike, so he was certain the knight was dead.
But as the obscuring dust cleared from his view, the knight stood there without a single scratch.
"That was fun. I'll return the favor."
Before the stunned Gerba could even open his mouth, the knight unleashed the exact same strike with his sword.
Kabooooom—
Identical strike, yet worlds apart in power.
"Kuuk... You're strong, knight...!"
Gerba thought he'd blocked it perfectly.
Until his axe crumbled into fine sand and scattered before his eyes.
"No...?!"
And it wasn't just his weapon vanishing like sand.
"M-my body...!"
The body of Gerba, who had thrown the weapon, began powdering away from his toes upward.
Gerba's scream didn't even last a few seconds.
"Boss is dead, so the lackeys should follow."
He swung his sword oh-so-lightly, like flicking a brush.
Sword energy surged toward the tens of thousands of demons besieging the kingdom.
Ruuuumble—
"W-what is this...?"
The hero couldn't help but be shocked by the scene unfolding before him.
In the blink of an eye. With a single strike, the massive army that had driven the kingdom to the brink of annihilation vanished without a trace.
The monsters that had kept swarming no matter how many he cut down were sent to the afterlife in an instant.
'Among the people I know, no one's this strong...'
The knight confirmed the collapsing demon horde, then promptly turned around.
"Told you not to slack on training."
Hero Ian had no choice but to recognize the knight's face as he slightly lifted his helmet.
"Lu-Luhan...!?"
The reason Ian had become the hero.
The reason he'd met Saintess Lina and received such undeserved love.
The one who'd made it all possible was Luhan, standing before him now.
Hadn't he just made a dashing entrance in this desperate moment and saved everyone?
Luhan had always extended a helping hand like this.
And it wasn't just the hero who'd received his aid.
"Luhan...!!"
Saintess Lina.
Like Ian, with Luhan's help, she'd become the saintess and met her beloved, promising a future together.
"You two doing well?"
"Yes!!"
"Why show up now...?!"
"This one's bitching even after I arrive."
The knight flicked the hero's forehead before gazing at the gravely injured Lina and Ian.
"Good work."
"Yes! We really gave it our all...!"
He ruffled Lina's hair as she spoke proudly, while beginning to heal them with his other hand.
Wherever the knight's touch reached, Ian's broken bones mended and Lina's holy power surged like a spring.
"We're always so grateful, Luhan... "
"Why the sudden thanks?"
"Aw, come on. You say that, but you're thrilled."
"Delusion."
After restoring even the hero's broken holy sword, Luhan stood up.
As Luhan smiled faintly and gazed at the rising sun.
A panorama of everything he'd done in this world flashed by.
Turning Ian, the third-rate mercenary who drowned in booze daily and lived like a shut-in, into a proper man.
Rescuing Lina, who'd lost her faith and surrendered to a corrupt church, transforming her into a saintess after endless toil.
After that, it was all guiding them to meet and struggling to pair up two idiots who didn't know the first thing about romance.
"Still... it was pretty fun."
The knight's expression was one of satisfaction.
Now it was time to leave this place.
The Demon King still remained, but he knew the exceptional hero and saintess he'd raised would defeat him handily—no need for worry.
"This'll probably be our last goodbye."
"Huh? What do you mean...?"
"Luhan, where are you going...?"
Their wide-eyed stares felt like reward enough for all his efforts in this world.
"Make sure you have at least ten kids."
As Luhan's body began fading transparently, as if this truly were the end.
The lovers, witnessing him vanish, urgently called out to him.
"W-wait a second, Luhan...!! We still have tons of questions...!!"
"Luhan. Us being able to meet, getting even closer... it was all thanks to you. Why have you done so much for us?"
It was because of his help that they were who they were today.
This wasn't something that happened naturally.
It was a miraculous event born from someone's immense sacrifice and effort.
Luhan hadn't helped them for selfish reasons.
It was for a simple reason—his mission.
Before vanishing completely.
Luhan answered their question in a calm, steady voice.
"Because it's pure love."