Chapter 193: Second Saintess (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 193: Second Saintess (1)
To tell you what happened afterward... well, a lot of things happened.
First of all, Altear. That guy—or rather, that Lich—seemed to have ascended quite cleanly.
Imperial agents sent by both the Academy and the Imperial Palace conducted a thorough investigation of the dungeon and the surrounding area, but it seemed not a single bone belonging to Altear was ever found.
However, thanks to his actions being witnessed by the Heresy Inquisitors and the testimony of several students who saw him ascending to the heavens, the Holy Kingdom is reportedly planning to canonize him as a saint.
To think a guy who became a Lich because he lost a game of rock-paper-scissors would end up a saint.
I honestly don't know whether to call that a happy ending or a tragedy.
As a bonus, the complete annihilation of the Great Demon was also confirmed.
It was destroyed so thoroughly that there wasn't even anything left to farm for magic sword materials.
Still, I’d managed to drain a massive amount of its blood beforehand, so I suppose I should be satisfied with that.
Next was the matter of the Empire. The major event of the Emperor visiting the Academy has been canceled.
The primary target, Altear, had vanished, and the underground dungeon—which was a secondary objective—had half-collapsed.
Furthermore, the Holy Kingdom made a unilateral announcement that they intended to designate the remaining area as a Holy Land, centered around the Heresy Inquisitors. This turned the site into a zone of diplomatic friction with the Empire for the time being.
As a result, the Emperor seemed to have decided to monitor the situation rather than cause unnecessary trouble by visiting the Academy.
In exchange for that, I suppose?
Leah Asirans’s true identity as Nea Elleras—the Princess of the Empire—was revealed to the entire Academy.
“So, what are you doing?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m clearing out books.”
“No, I mean... why are you doing that?”
Our first meeting after her status was exposed was, as usual, at the Academy library.
To be more precise, I ran into Princess Nea while she was busily hauling a book cart.
“They’re relocating the library, so they told us to take all the books out.”
“All of them?”
The rich really are the worst; the Empire’s obsession with the title of ‘Best in the Continent’ was truly something else.
Wasn't the whole reason they even built this place—aside from it being the start of a RoFan novel—to beat Leon and Dale? That’s why they brought in the Sword Emperor and the former White Tower Master as head professors for the Swordsmanship and Magic departments, respectively.
Naturally, the Imperial Academy’s library was known for holding the largest collection of books among all academies on the continent.
They had shown such tenacity in achieving that title that they even brought in books from the Imperial Palace’s private archives. You had to give them credit for that.
But now they were clearing it all out.
And on top of that...
“They’re making a student do all this?”
I know grad students are legally considered slaves and undergraduates are slaves to their GPAs, but this felt a bit excessive.
However...
“I’m doing this voluntarily.”
“Look, no matter how much you want to shield the Empire, make it make sense. Who does this kind of work voluntarily?”
“The senior librarians.”
“……”
I’d heard rumors, but I didn’t realize they were that insane.
“Even after finding out I’m a princess, those people just told me that since I probably have a subspace pouch, I should use it to carry even more books.”
It seemed I had underestimated the people living on top of a RoFan secret dungeon.
“You’re here as a witness for the Holy Kingdom, right? Then don’t get in the way and move.”
With that blunt remark, Princess Nea disappeared, dragging her massive cart behind her.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but she actually looked like she was enjoying herself.
“...Well, I’m sure she’ll manage.”
What was more important than that right now was my own future... well, not exactly.
I mean, the massive wall known as Sword Master Ellen was standing right in front of me.
But the Kingdom hadn't made much of a fuss about it.
In the first place, the fact that the prince in my charge had become a Sword Master was a merit.
It was just... everything after that. It was more about my own professional ethics... or rather, my pride.
So, that problem was something that could be solved as long as I set aside my personal feelings.
Then, what was the truly important problem that I couldn't solve on my own?
It was none other than...
“Have you arrived, Brother?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Lady Violet is inside.”
“Ah, right. Thanks.”
It was the rescue of our agent, Boradori, who was on the verge of being handed over to the Holy Kingdom.
For starters, Boradori was currently a Cardinal-to-be, at the very least.
She had already been the Pope’s top pick, and since the faction centered around Daisy had added their support, the Holy Kingdom was viewing her very favorably.
However, there were those who opposed her due to her age, her lack of achievements, and various other issues.
Since their arguments were rational, the prevailing opinion had been to take things slowly.
But then, the Pillar of the Goddess incident happened. Because Violet was the one who summoned it, her achievements pierced the heavens, much like the pillar itself...
“Save me.”
As a result, she was now a Cardinal-to-be at minimum.
And at maximum, she was slated to become the Saintess-to-be.
“It makes no sense. There can’t be two Saintesses in the world. I don’t even know what the Goddess’s voice sounds like!”
“Was there nothing like this in the original work?”
“Do you think there would be?!”
I had never seen her like this before—biting her thumb and shaking her leg excessively.
“The people here are out of their minds. I mean, I’ve known for a long time that RoFan characters are crazy! But there’s a limit, isn’t there?!”
That was true, but...
“Can’t you just be a Saintess?”
Looking at how Daisy was treated, being a Saintess didn't seem to change much.
“Are you telling me to go die?!”
Apparently, our dear Boradori didn't see it that way.
“You seem to have forgotten, but basically, the character ‘Violet’ is someone whose death is guaranteed in the original work. Sure, looking at how things are going now, the Dark Mages and even the demons don't seem that dangerous! But at any moment, I could suddenly be turned into a sacrifice just for the sake of the heroine’s growth!”
“If Daisy grows any more, won't she just become a living weapon?”
It hadn't even been a year, yet Daisy’s growth rate was enough to make the Sword Emperor marvel, Prince Ellen shocked, and the Minor Sword Emperor tremble.
Not long ago, she even completed an achievement by ending a war despite her left arm being perfectly fine.
If she grows any further, what is the Demon King even supposed to do for a living?
Especially since he’s already had three of his equipment items snatched away.
“That may be true! But regardless, I’m not doing it!”
Even now, with talk of her being nominated as a Saintess, Boradori couldn't use divine power.
I thought that if she’d caused such a scene, the Goddess might have granted her some divine power, but...
“That’s also a matter of talent.”
Boradori grumbled that she simply wasn't born with the talent for divine power.
“You said Daisy is being showered with an excessive amount of divine power compared to the original.”
“Daisy already had all the infrastructure to use 5G internet, but the service provider just wasn't sending a proper signal. Me? I don't even have Wi-Fi, let alone an Ethernet port. Even if the provider wanted to send a signal, they couldn't.”
She said there was a reason a toddler Pope was born.
It was a desperate choice because that kid was the only one left with the talent to fulfill the role of Pope.
“And on top of that, I use sorcery.”
“What’s wrong with sorcery?”
“Magic is, at its core, utilizing the laws of the world. Sorcery uses them too, but it’s more like... twisting them? You wouldn't understand even if I explained it in detail. To put it simply, it’s like I’m sending out jamming signals to the gods.”
In short, she didn't have a receiver, and even if she tried to bypass that, she was emitting jamming signals, so even the Goddess was helpless.
“Then why did something like the Pillar of the Goddess appear?”
“Explaining that is also complicated! Basically, the Goddess can’t use her full power on the surface because of rules she set herself.”
“Why would she set rules like that?”
“Because it’s a rule that applies to all gods, not just her. I guess she had no choice because the Evil God is also a god?”
“Was there no other way?”
“How should I know? And even if there was, there’s no way the author would have bothered to create something so tedious.”
That was true.
Based on what I’d heard from Boradori, despite her claim that this world was based on a popular work, many parts of the setting were quite lazily constructed.
“Anyway! It was basically an accident caused by twisted sorcery. But because of that, I’m stuck being a Saintess without any divine power. It’s the perfect setup to get kidnapped by a Dark Mage and show up as Daisy’s enemy!”
“The Holy Kingdom will probably provide you with guards.”
“Have you ever seen Daisy walking around with guards? Besides, this Academy gets breached every other day because there’s no one to protect it!”
It was an argument that left me speechless.
“But you said you’d die after leaving the Academy anyway.”
“The story has been fast-forwarded lately! I’m dying of anxiety over here! You said you’d take responsibility! You said Leon would take responsibility! If I become a Saintess, I’m slapping a 100% tariff on you immediately!”
Faced with Boradori’s declaration of becoming a geopolitical nightmare, I realized the gravity of the situation and had no choice but to find a solution.
Of course, I had no intention of a direct confrontation with the Holy Kingdom, which was currently ready to throw hands with the Empire over the discovery of the Holy Land.
Therefore, I needed someone who could resolve this incident.
Someone with powerful influence in the Holy Kingdom, who could legally block Boradori’s promotion to Saintess.
Furthermore, someone who had a reason to grant Boradori’s wish.
Our very own RoFan heroine.
Crown Daisy. No, Daisy.
And that Daisy...
“Me? Why should I?”
“……?”
Contrary to my expectations, she rejected my request with a defiant look.
Lately, whenever something like this happens, one thought always crosses my mind.
‘Ah, hell, what is it this time?’
I definitely have the feeling I’ve done something wrong.
But there are so many potential incidents that I can’t tell which one it is.
At this point, I wonder if I’m just living my life wrong, but ever since I found out this world was a RoFan novel, I’ve felt a bit detached, so I suppose it can’t be helped.
And as the old saying goes, if a person suddenly changes, it’s time for them to die.
Since I couldn't afford to set up a death flag alongside Boradori, I chose a direct confrontation as usual.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“……”
At that, Daisy scowled—a rare sight for her—and muttered.
“Your conscience...”
“I don't have one of those.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
Did that work? Daisy’s expression softened as she let out a deep sigh.
“Some of us worked incredibly hard during the break. You didn't even ask if I was okay.”
It seemed she was sulking because she’d gone through hell in the RoFan world, but her (fake) lover hadn't shown her any concern.
“I heard from Violet that it was a disaster of your own making...”
“That’s it! That right there! Tell me honestly. Is there something going on between you two?”
It seemed I was wrong.
In a very un-Daisy-like move, it had been a trap.
“You two are acting very suspicious. You might not realize it, but there are words that only the two of you use, you know?”
It was only natural. Perhaps because the author cared about the RoFan setting, they hadn't used modern slang from our previous lives indiscriminately.
...Though they were inconsistent enough to shove in whatever they wanted when they felt like it.
Because of that, there were quite a few words we used habitually that didn't exist in this world.
“And yet, the two of you... coming out of the Holy Land together! There’s definitely something going on!”
“It wasn't just the two of us...”
“I know that! But that’s not what’s important right now!”
As she stomped her feet in a fit of pique, I let out a single sentence.
“What, are you jealous?”
“What, am I not allowed to be?”
Seeing her reaction, which was even more blunt than usual, it seemed that my usual way of brushing things off wasn't going to work anymore.