Before Being a Saint
All the spectators erupted in cheers at the birth of a young hero.
The priest and the healer who came over to Hilde asked if she was injured, but she waved them away. All she felt was a little muscle soreness; other than that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Irene, the saint who had been watching from the sidelines, along with Hilde’s mother, the pope, and the senior priests, came forward to congratulate her on the victory.
But they didn’t seem all that surprised. They must have already predicted the outcome. They certainly hadn’t thought Hilde would lose.
By sheer stats alone, she had already grown as strong as a late-game character. Honestly, with a battle hero build nurtured this well, she could probably clear the game if she handled it right.
In particular, a holy knight’s tanking ability rose absurdly as her holy power stat increased, to the point where she could survive alone even if every ally around her died.
Even compared to the knight commander, who was treated like a named NPC, it was almost embarrassing to make the comparison. Ian, who had simply become a sacrifice for the nobility, must feel as though a bolt had fallen out of a clear blue sky.
In this place, Ian wasn’t an NPC—he was a living person. The thought made Hilde feel uncomfortably guilty.
But no matter how strong she was, she couldn’t afford to relax.
Super Hard Elite Mode.
If the difficulty had been set at a level that not even a single person—not even the developer herself—had been able to clear, then clearing it at this level was out of the question.
High-ranking demons armed with AI so advanced that even as the developer she had found them hard to understand had pushed in with vastly superior specs, and she had never once managed to clear them.
That level of AI had been developed by a co-developer. By now, even that person’s face and name had grown hazy. It was a memory that no longer mattered much.
This wasn’t a game anymore, but just in case, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
If the hero’s party missed even one high-ranking demon...
More than half of humanity might die...
Hilde pushed the thought aside and turned her mind to the next destination. The place she and Irene were heading to alone in the carriage drawn by a coachman was called Sword Waterfall.
If a player started as a sword-user, this was where they would complete their training and set off on their journey. In this world, players who used swords were usually called heroes. That was because the Holy Sword, the only weapon capable of defeating the Demon King, could only be wielded by sword users.
While she chatted idly with Irene, the sound of the waterfall gradually began to reach them. It was a sign they were almost there. When Hilde told the pope that she wasn’t hurt after the duel and would be leaving at once, he readily sent her off.
The entrance to the village came into view. At a glance, the village, encircled by a wooden palisade, resembled the mountain village where she had been born and raised. Well, that was probably because most villages were built along the same lines.
Hilde and Irene got out of the carriage. Irene stretched, looking a little stiff from the ride.
The carriage and coachman would stay with them until all their companions were gathered and they moved to the front lines. They were the finest carriage and professional driver the royal family had provided.
As they approached the village entrance, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the village chief came over. Right from the start, his aura was no joke. He looked like a single perfectly honed blade.
"Hello. I am Hilde Sermilt, a holy knight of Senium’s Central Church, serving as the saint’s escort."
The village chief flinched at Hilde’s introduction. She didn’t look like a formidable combat specialist assigned to protect an important figure. She looked more like a princess in holy knight ceremonial dress paired with a saint.
But appearances didn’t matter. She had more important news to deliver.
"Welcome to Sword Waterfall."
The village chief frowned in obvious trouble.
"The hero is away right now, so I’m not sure when he’ll be back. Please, come inside for now."
So much for rushing here as quickly as possible.
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"Wow! So cool~. This is my first time seeing such a huge waterfall."
After unpacking at the hut the village chief had provided, Hilde came outside at Irene’s request to go sightseeing.
Following the sound of the falls, they came upon a massive waterfall.
Beneath a cliff so tall it seemed to vanish into the sky, an enormous torrent of water crashed down. Mist rose where it struck the river below, giving the place a strange, dreamlike atmosphere. On a game screen, it had just looked like a blurry spray effect, but seeing it in person was breathtaking.
"Hilde. We’re supposed to wait here until the hero arrives, right?"
"If we end up missing each other, it’ll only waste more time, so waiting is probably the right call."
About thirty minutes passed. Just as even waterfall-gazing was beginning to grow boring, a village resident approached them.
The man’s face was full of worry.
He hesitated, then finally spoke.
"Excuse me... are you the saint and the escort knight?"
"Yes, that’s right. Did you need something?"
Hilde and Irene were obviously outsiders at a glance.
The village chief must have already informed the villagers that the saint had arrived.
The villager who had come over seemed agitated about something.
"Don’t trust the hero too much. He never trained properly and spent all day running around having fun."
He wet his dry lips with his tongue and went on.
"Honestly, I’m very afraid that the hero is that kind of person. If the guardian of humanity is that sort of man, then what will become of humanity’s future...?"
Hilde felt a headache coming on. So there really were people who slacked off because it wasn’t a game. Still, heroes born with a sacred mission were strong even if they didn’t train at all and did nothing but breathe.
If he’s really that useless, I guess I’ll keep him around and let him land the final blow with the Holy Sword.
"Thank you for the warning. Please don’t worry too much. We’ll do our best."
"Yes. May good fortune accompany you on the road ahead."
The villager trudged away into the distance. A smile played at the saint’s lips.
"He seems like an interesting person. Do you think what he said is true?"
"If it is, then it could cause trouble for our journey. But aren’t you worried at all, Saint?"
The saint looked as if she were thinking, Why would I be?
"Whoever comes, Hilde will protect me, so what does it matter?"
The saint was astonishingly innocent. Her head might as well have been a flower garden.
"I’m a person too. If I fall, someone will need to protect the saint."
"If even Hilde can’t stop it, then it’d go beyond the end of humanity and become the end of the entire continent."
Suddenly, Irene’s expression turned serious. Hilde felt that it would be hard to have a serious conversation with the saint any longer, so she changed the subject.
"Did you know there’s said to be a Holy Sword embedded behind Sword Waterfall?"
Irene nodded. For a saint, there was no way she wouldn’t know.
"I heard that when the hero sets out on his journey, he pulls out the Holy Sword hidden behind the waterfall and leaves. Supposedly, no one but the hero can draw it. Let’s go take a look."
Walking along the stone path behind the waterfall, they found a large cave hidden there. As soon as they stepped inside, the air felt pleasantly dry and comfortable.
She had expected the place to be damp because of the nearby waterfall, but it seemed to be carefully maintained at all times.
Come to think of it, if the cave were always filled with moisture, even the Holy Sword might rust.
Glowing stones that emitted light on their own were embedded at regular intervals along the walls.
"It’d be fun to sleep here for a night. Right?"
Hilde gave a casual nod and kept walking, and within minutes they had reached their destination.
At the dead end stood a massive greatsword, shoved carelessly into the cave floor. Even in the cave’s dim light, it gleamed, and the blade was covered with unknown inscriptions.
The Holy Sword, adorned with golden mineral-like ornamentation, was clearly no ordinary object at a glance.
"Looks amazing. But if I just put some strength into it, wouldn’t it come out?"
Intrigued by the Holy Sword, Irene stepped closer.
She grabbed the hilt with both hands and tried to pull it free with all her might, straining with a loud cry.
Of course, the Holy Sword didn’t budge in the slightest.
"Is this thing really supposed to come out? It won’t move at all. Maybe it’s just a decorative object stuck in the ground."
After grumbling and trying several times, the saint plopped down onto the cave floor.
"Ugh, this is hard. Hilde~ come here and try pulling it. You’re way stronger than I am. You might be able to do it."
The Holy Sword didn’t even respond to interaction from another class. Of course it wouldn’t come out.
When playing as a holy knight, you had to endure by begging the sword-user hero NPC to deal damage for you. It wasn’t for nothing that there was a hero who specialized in swords.
Honestly, the sword-user NPC was usable too, so it was a common playstyle among people who enjoyed the game.
"My duty is to escort the saint, not to be your toy."
She didn’t want to waste strength for no reason, so she refused. Irene puffed up with mock irritation and turned her head away.
"If you don’t at least pretend to pull it, I’ll keep sulking. I’m not talking to Hilde anymore."
The saint huffed and kept shaking her head from side to side. Her silvery hair swayed with the motion.
To think she was pouting and acting spoiled like a younger sister four years her junior.
The sight was amusing enough that Hilde simply watched for a while, but if she kept this up any longer, the saint looked like she might stay like that all day.
She sighed. Fine, she’d just touch it and pretend to pull. With that decision made, Hilde wrapped one hand around the hilt.
Irene watched her hand on the grip with obvious anticipation.
That was when it happened.
"Saint! Are you there! We have an emergency!"
The voice of a village resident from Sword Waterfall echoed through the cave. Something must have happened in the village. Hilde took her hand off the hilt and looked at the saint.
"There, see? Even I pulled with all my strength and it still wouldn’t budge. Come on, let’s go, Saint."
For some reason, Irene stayed perfectly still. Her eyes were wider than usual.
"I-I think the Holy Sword tilted a little...?"
"If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, I’ll go ahead without you for now. Just stay here."
"I’m serious... Ah, fine. I get it. Let’s go together, Hilde!"
The saint and Hilde sprinted quickly toward the exit.
"You really weren’t planning to leave me behind, were you?"
"No."
Hilde answered with no soul at all.
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