The Birth of a New Saintess (1)
Hmm... The sky has grown terribly turbid, hasn’t it?
Someone is arbitrarily rewriting predetermined causality. A future in which only humans face extinction… The Goddess Church and the Order of Death’s Truth… Whose side should I choose?
As the sky grows clouded, so too does causality. It is time to move in earnest.
Everything for the sake of our tribe.
Raphael… I will never forget your sacrifice.
And I will definitely find her. A child to take my place.
— Saintess Audrey —
Audrey, the current Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, moved through the academy disguised in plain clothes. Her eyes swept over the crowd of female students with frightening intensity, searching desperately for a suitable successor.
Just then, a boy and a girl walked past her.
A sharp sting of divinity pricked her senses.
Startled, Audrey whirled around. There stood a girl with pure white hair and a neatly worn uniform. The moment her eyes landed on the child, Audrey felt as if her breath had been stolen away.
It’s her. It has to be her.
The child who will carry on my will.
The girl was laughing brightly, chatting with the boy beside her. And that boy was none other than Ian.
The scene felt like destiny itself.
That was why Audrey gathered her courage and approached the pair, praying her intuition was correct.
“...Excuse me—”
“We don’t believe in that.”
“...Pardon?”
“We don’t believe in it, so please leave.”
For the first time in her life, Saintess Audrey found herself completely at a loss for words. They didn’t believe in the Way? Did she look like some street peddler? Her? The Saintess Audrey?
Suddenly, she began to laugh as if she had lost her mind.
Sein and Ian stared at her in alarm.
“Doesn’t that lady… look sick?”
“Mm… she does seem a bit off…”
“Kyahahahahahaha—!”
“Me… me, of all people… a door-to-door salesman… heehee… hahaha—!”
Ian watched her for a moment before speaking carefully.
“Um… are you feeling unwell? Should I help you to the infirmary?”
At his question, the Saintess only laughed harder. Finally she stopped, wiping tears from her eyes, and looked at Ian with a gentle smile.
“Haa… As expected of the next-generation Hero. You really are kind.”
“Or is it because you’re Raphael’s disciple?”
The moment the name Raphael left the woman’s lips, Ian froze.
This woman… she’s no ordinary person.
Now that he looked closely, she was concealing her power. He couldn’t sense any aura at all, yet his chakra was reacting violently. It whispered to him—light. An incredibly dense power of light.
Could she be the Saintess?
If she was the Saintess who once fought alongside his master in the Hero Party, then she would surely know about Master.
Ian spoke with rigid formality.
“...This disciple greets the Saintess.”
Sein jumped in surprise.
“Ian…? The Saintess?”
Watching the two of them, Audrey began laughing again.
“Puhuhuhu… What sharp insight. Truly befitting Raphael’s disciple.”
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Audrey, the Goddess’s first daughter.”
“You. You have been chosen as the new Saintess! Congratulations~”
“Puu puu~”
Though she spoke in a light, playful tone, the weight behind her words was crushing. It was such an impulsive declaration that one had to wonder if saints were normally chosen this way.
Sein, stunned by the announcement, could only stammer.
“...Eh?”
“Did I mishear…?”
“Hehe. That’s right. What is your name, child?”
“Sein… My name is Sein.”
“I see…”
Suddenly the Saintess’s demeanor shifted. She lowered her voice and spoke in a mock-serious tone, as if she had just thought of something amusing.
“This instructor is disappointed in Cadet Sein. All responses must end with ‘ma’am.’ Do you understand?”
“...Yes?”
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND, MA’AM!!”
Startled by the sudden change in atmosphere, Sein answered exactly as commanded.
“...Understood, ma’am!”
“Excellent. Starting tomorrow, you will accompany me to the Holy Kingdom! Understood?”
“????????????”
“ANSWER ME!!”
“Yes, ma’am! Understood, ma’am!”
Watching the exchange, Ian felt an odd sense of overlap with his master. The days he had spent with her had been truly enjoyable…
After Master disappeared, even when I spoke to the statue, I received no reply.
Has Master fallen into slumber…?
What I must do now is grow stronger. I need to learn the Mind’s Eye Sword as soon as possible.
Ian sank deep into thought.
Later, after the Saintess had asked Ian for permission and taken Sein to a quiet location, she asked seriously,
“Sein. Are you one of the Apostles sent by the Goddess?”
“I would appreciate an honest answer.”
Sein flinched for a moment, then replied with solemn gravity.
“...Yes. I am one of the Apostles.”
“This world is walking the path of destruction because of the Fiend.”
Saintess, in the previous timelines you became a witch… but in this world, you remain a saintess.
Sein continued explaining the events that would unfold in the future.
“And we Apostles have experienced the ruined world through countless regressions.”
“To be precise, worlds destroyed by the Fiend #$%.”
Audrey listened intently, though her mind was racing with countless thoughts. What must I do to save this world?
“...The Fiend’s name does not reach my ears.”
“....!! It seems the time has not yet come.”
So the Goddess has determined the time is not right. When it is, I suppose I will naturally come to know it.
“By the way… were you serious about making me the Saintess?”
“Of course. To be exact, it was the Goddess who spoke. There was a revelation that among the Apostles was one who carried the fate of a Saintess, and that I must raise her as one.”
“...I see.”
This matched exactly what the statue had told her last time. So it really was her fate to become the Saintess?
“Hehe. You seem to have many worries. Anyone would, if they were suddenly told they must become a Saintess.”
It’s like looking at my younger self. Just as the orphaned girl I once was had been thrown into confusion upon suddenly becoming the Saintess. But there is no time. Please, become the Saintess.
“To prevent the coming crises, you must become the Saintess.”
“Stand with the Hero and protect the world from danger. This is something only you can do.”
“I am truly sorry for placing such a heavy burden on your shoulders. But… I hope you will remember that we have no other choice…”
We will support you from the shadows. We will do everything in our power to help you grow.
After a long moment of contemplation, Sein asked the Saintess a single question. Her eyes burned with powerful resolve. It was as if this question would determine the turning point of her fate as a Saintess. She spoke with extreme caution, as though asking the opinion of a god.
“...Saintess.”
“If I become the Saintess… will I be able to fight alongside Ian?”
“Ian… the next-generation Hero and the one who will prevent the world’s destruction. Of course you will fight together. You will share that destiny.”
I see. So this child wants to remain by the Hero’s side. If that is your wish, then it shall come to pass.
“Even so… it’s fine.”
“I’ll do it. Saintess. For Ian’s sake, and for the world’s sake, I will overcome any fate together with him.”
“.......”
Truly strong. Is this because she is an Apostle, or is it simply her nature? It feels as though no adversity could ever make her falter. Almost like…
“You possess a truly strong soul. Just like Raphael…”
“Raphael… you mean the angel who recently appeared, right…?”
Audrey smiled faintly.
“Since it’s you, I can tell you. To be precise, Raphael was a member of the Hero Party.”
I can trust this child. It should be fine to tell her about the hidden side of the Hero Party and about Raphael.
“The nameless one of the Hero Party. That was Raphael.”
“Though she was killed by the Demon King, she has returned to us as an angel and is helping us once more.”
“To us, Raphael is a being of hope itself.”
“...I see.”
Raphael… Now that I think about it, something feels strange. The statue introduced itself as the nameless one. Which means that statue is Raphael. But Raphael appeared before us as an angel. So statue = Raphael = angel? And… the Fiend’s name is also connected to Raphael somehow… Is it merely coincidence?
There seems to be a truth I don’t yet know. For now, I’ll set it aside.
What matters to me right now is becoming the Saintess. Supporting Ian and preventing the destruction of this world. And finally, with Ian… hehe.
Saintess Audrey watched Sein drool slightly as she fell into blissful delusion and thought,
Hmm~ For some reason I get the feeling she’s having rather lewd thoughts~ And the subject is probably Ian standing right beside her, yes?
Well, the Saintess and Hero are bound by intertwined fate, so it’s not uncommon for them to become intimately close.
If Raphael hadn’t been in our own Hero Party, would I have indulged in similar fantasies about this child?
After the Saintess took Sein away, Ian stood before the statue. He spoke very quietly.
“Master. Your disciple Ian has come.”
— ......
“Through the recent demon incident, I learned many things.”
“The world already seems to be slowly being devoured by evil. A high-ranking demon that should never have appeared has shown itself…”
“That is why I must become even stronger. I will grow strong enough to defeat that demon in an instant.”
— ......
“I do not know when you will awaken, Master, but until that day comes, I will ponder and train in my own way so that I may become a disciple worthy of your expectations.”
“Until we meet again… I will do my utmost to grow stronger.”
— ......
Ian finished speaking and turned to leave. For some reason he felt as though someone was watching him, but it felt like Master’s gaze. Until the day Master returned, he would give it his all.