The Saint's Unexpected Blessing
“...Saint, the monsters are greeting us back in a friendly way?”
Abel had witnessed a truly bizarre sight—the monsters treating humans with unexpected goodwill. The commonsense he'd built up from endless battles was shattering like glass.
“...Saint?”
Yet the Saint's expression was grave. It wasn't one of surprise, but of deep displeasure.
“Nyaa! I haven't seen humans in so long! I came to the village because I missed you all, but you won't come near me!”
“...So the monsters actually wanted to see people?”
Whoa. This monster had an insanely weird personality.
“Ha. What a nasty hobby.”
“Yes? What are you talking about?”
“Stay here.”
“Huh?”
The Saint strode right up to the Cheshire Cat all by herself. What on earth is she doing—dangerous!
“...Eh?”
To Abel's shock, the Cheshire Cat didn't so much as flinch when the Saint approached right up beside it.
Why aren't monsters attacking humans?
“Nyaa! Did you come to talk to me?”
“Hold on. We'll talk plenty later.”
“Okay, nyaa!”
“Just a sec, I'll touch you.”
The Saint casually reached out and slid her hand deep into the thick fur of the Cheshire Cat, pawing around like she was searching for something.
“Nyaa nyaa! Tickles!”
“...What are you doing?”
Abel had no idea what she was up to, but the Saint's face was so serious that he decided to wait and see.
“...Found it.”
“Nyaa? What, nyaa?”
The Saint left her hand right where it was and started muttering. It sounded like a prayer, but Abel couldn't quite hear it.
“What?”
Suddenly the Saint's jet-black hair began to flutter wildly. There was no wind.
“...Huh?”
The hair that had been drifting at random gradually turned red. Not just any red—it glowed like the sun itself.
“...Lady of Solaria?”
Ozu had mentioned something about a goddess, but Abel couldn't make out the rest. Goddess?
Soon the Saint's black hair had turned a perfect, brilliant red, and powerful divine power erupted from her.
“Ugh!”
Abel slammed his eyes shut against the blinding light.
When he opened them again, the Saint's hair was calmly settled once more. The red had faded back to black.
“...Saint?”
What in the world had just happened?
“Nyaa? What did I do...? Gweeeek!”
The Cheshire Cat suddenly started retching. It heaved a few times, then began dry-heaving.
“Saint!”
Something was clearly wrong. Abel rushed over to her, but the Saint remained perfectly calm, gazing at the monster with serene eyes.
“...Hero, why did you come?”
“Why? The monster is acting weird!”
“Oh, it's fine. It's just the healing process.”
“Healing? Are you giving birth to a baby or something?”
“No, not birth—it's healing. Can't you tell the difference, Hero~? You're such a dummy♡
Healing?
“Did the monster get hurt? Why on earth would you treat a monster in the first place...”
“You'll see for yourself.”
The Cheshire Cat heaved again, then spat something red from its mouth—a blood-red stone.
“...What is that?”
“I'll explain later.”
The Cheshire Cat, still stumbling, collapsed sideways with a thud.
...Was it dead?
“Get ready to carry it.”
“Eh? What?”
The Saint pointed at the Cheshire Cat. As Abel followed her finger, something unbelievable happened.
“Saint, what is—”
The monster's body was shrinking, shrinking...
“The monster's body is shrinking!”
Abel was in total confusion. The Cheshire Cat's body continued to shrink until it was no longer a monster but a human girl.
The Cheshire Cat vanished completely, leaving only a girl with purple hair. The Saint noticed Abel staring blankly and loosened his cloak, then draped it over the girl to cover her.
“...What happened?”
“Don't panic~ You're being silly♡ We'll go back to Hero's house and I'll explain everything. Just carry this girl for now.”
“...Okay.”
“I'll tell the villagers we defeated a monster, all right?”
Abel nodded stiffly. The Saint gave him a gentle smile.
“Among the monsters Hero cut down, this wasn't one of them, so don't worry too much.”
“...Ah.”
Finally relaxed, Abel sagged. The Saint smiled lightly.
“Not a wooden doll. Why are you creaking like that~♡ You're so dense♡
“...Hmph.”
“Come on, let's go~.”
Abel picked up the girl and followed the Saint back to the village.
On the way, the Saint quietly asked Ozu to keep the incident a secret, and Ozu nodded with a worried expression.
“Ozu, tell the elder we defeated the monster. We'll head home first.”
“...Understood, Saint.”
The reverent bow and formal tone were expected from anyone who had seen the Saint in action moments ago. The deep awe that naturally arises when divine power is witnessed.
Inside Abel's house, the Saint set the girl on the bed and began searching the place.
'This is Hero's house. It's so small and cute, just like Hero~♥
“Saint, what should we do with her?”
“Lay her on the bed first.”
Abel obeyed. He turned to the Saint.
“...How did the monster turn into a human?”
“It was the human who turned into a monster. You must have noticed something was off, right?”
“...Is that even possible?”
The Saint pointed to a chair.
“Sit down. Since you're clueless about monsters, let me explain properly.”
“Yes.”
Abel listened obediently. Such a well-mannered, adorable Hero.
“First, do you know how monsters appear?”
“No, I don't.”
“You really have no idea at all♡ I'll explain. Monsters are born from the 'Mother' creatures created by the Demon King. The place where a Mother settles and births monsters is called a 'nest,' or 'den.'”
“I see.”
“Monsters born from Mothers can breed with each other, so the population grows. That's why monsters appear near human settlements. That's the normal way monsters are born.”
At the word “normal,” Abel perked up.
“There are also non-normal methods?”
“You've finally learned to think~♡ Yes, there are monsters born in unusual ways.”
The Saint pointed at the girl on the bed and showed Abel the red stone she had coughed up.
“This is a Mutation Stone, an ore. When you implant it in a living thing that isn't a monster, it mutates the life into a monster.”
“So...”
“Normally we implant it in small animals, but sometimes it's planted on humans. Since the monster wasn't attacking, I thought maybe—”
“...None of the monsters I cut down had this, right?”
“No, none. They were all natural monsters~.”
Abel chuckled at her joke.
“I'm relieved. So what happens to this girl?”
“Don't worry. I've completely purified her, so she'll live as a human from now on.”
“...That's good to hear.”
The girl looked young. She reminded Abel of Estelle—cute and innocent.
How had such a young girl ended up with a Mutation Stone implanted? It was unusual. Normally they were planted in small beasts because humans were too smart. And even if a human swallowed one, the intelligence meant they wouldn't behave like normal monsters.
Abel thought it was probably just another human who had fed it to her.
#
“...Mmm...”
Huh, she's awake.
The girl who had been a monster blinked slowly, then sat up. Her purple hair slid down her shoulders along with the blanket that had covered her.
“...Hmph.”
Abel turned his head and gestured for the Saint to hurry over. The Saint was in the kitchen making stew, planning to share it with the girl when she woke.
“Why are you calling?”
“I woke up. But... you look a bit pale...”
“...Oh, check the pot for me.”
“Yes.”
The Saint walked over to the girl with a gentle voice.
“How are you feeling?”
“...H-how did this happen? My body... it's back to normal...”
“You're fine now. You won't turn back into a monster.”
“...Eh?”
Even without seeing it, Abel could imagine the girl's emotions—confusion, shock...
“...Really?”
The greatest feeling had to be joy at being back to herself.
“Yes. The Mutation Stone embedded in your body has been removed, so you won't become a monster again.”
The girl stayed silent for a moment. She probably had no idea what was going on, but looking back now would be awkward.
The Saint would likely berate her harshly. Better to just stir the stew...
Then a sobbing voice came from behind.
“Aah... It's not a dream...”
“Yes, it's real.”
“...Ugh, thank you...! I'm so grateful, black!”
“I only did what I had to.”
The Saint patted the girl's back to comfort her. The sound of sobbing filled the house.
“...Thank goodness.”
Bang bang!
A sudden knock rattled the door. The Saint turned to look, then froze at the sight of the girl.
“...Should we open it?”
“Yes.”
Who could be knocking on the door in the middle of the night...
“Abel! I can't sleep because of the noise!”
The door opened to reveal a neighbor woman glaring angrily.
...Who is she?
“Who's crying so much?”
“...Eh, me?”
The crying had carried outside?
“I heard a woman's crying. Is it you?”
The neighbor's expression turned suspicious.
“I don't know what you're imagining, but that's not it.”
“...Right, you wouldn't do that. Then what the hell is going on?”
How to explain? They had told the villagers the monster was defeated, so they couldn't admit the girl was there. Saying they just brought a random girl here would make Abel look suspicious.
After thinking hard, Abel gave his excuse.
“...The Saint was crying.”
“Eh?”
“The only woman in our house is the Saint.”
“...Ah, I see. But why was the Saint crying?”
“Don't ask. Let's be quiet now.”
“Ah... okay.”
The neighbor nodded and left. The door closed, and the Saint looked at Abel.
“Ugh... You really did it~♡ Wanting to have your way with me~♡”
...Crazy woman.