Chapter 195: Second Saintess (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Second Saintess (3)
The promised day arrived.
Turning my head, I spotted the Fire Spammer hiding in a corner of the alley.
Watching her every move, it was clear she was a lost cause when it came to romance. Well, they say family is a weakness for an agent. Let’s just call her an excellent agent who refuses to create any weaknesses.
“Hmm.”
I turned my head again to scan the surroundings.
In the distance, I could see the RoFan male leads scattered about, doing a clumsy job of tailing us. Please, I hoped they’d see this, get triggered, hurry up and confess to Daisy, and then all get rejected.
Then Daisy would be happy, I’d be happy, and the Fire Spammer… well, I wasn’t sure if she’d be happy, but at least she’d have a chance.
“…You’re here early.”
Just as I was checking the perimeter and wondering how to provoke the RoFan male leads even more, Daisy appeared. She was dressed up much more than usual. I responded according to the script provided by the Intelligence Bureau.
“It’s only natural to arrive first and wait.”
“…Who are you?”
Daisy immediately hit me with the “Who are you?”
“Hey, you’re the one who asked for a date-like atmosphere.”
“I asked you to treat me the same way you treat Violet… Do you usually treat Violet like this?!”
“……”
I was speechless as I watched Daisy, her eyes wide with genuine shock and horror. I’d actually read the script since this was the RoFan heroine’s first date, but she managed to kill the mood instantly.
“If I treated you exactly like Violet, you’d lose your name first. Are you okay with that?”
It was a threat that she’d end up being called ‘Yellow’ or ‘Nana,’ but Daisy’s eyes only grew wider.
“You—you even have nicknames for each other…!”
“……”
In a way, a codename is a nickname, but the way she put it left me with nothing to say.
“Is—is this the ‘cheating’ the Goddess acknowledged?”
“What does the Goddess have to do with this…?”
I don’t pay tithes to the temple… well, not directly. But I know my family gives a substantial amount. My allowance is included in that, so I should have some stake in this. And yet, this is the treatment I get? Religion really can’t be trusted.
“We’re really not in that kind of relationship.”
“Usually, when people say that, it means they really are!”
“Who told you that?”
“Violet!”
That damn Boradori. As expected, that brat was the root of all evil.
“Let’s end the small talk here. We have some time, but we don’t know what kind of accident might happen along the way, so let’s get moving.”
“You’re changing the subject…”
“Then, put your hand on your heart and tell me. Do you honestly think an accident won’t happen?”
At my words, Daisy quietly placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to open them again. Barely three seconds had passed.
“…Shall we go?”
She must have had a lot of memories flash through her mind, as she nodded with narrowed eyes. The first place I took her was…
“A theater?”
“It’s a staple of a standard date course. You’ve never been to one, right?”
“Wh—what makes you think that?”
“Well, they don’t have these in rural territories.”
“That’s true, but…”
Puffing out her cheeks slightly, Daisy muttered grumpily.
“You talk as if you’ve seen plenty of these yourself.”
“I have seen plenty.”
“…Huh?”
Some people think the Leon Kingdom is filled only with meatheads who have nothing but swords on the brain, but surprisingly, there are plenty of cultural activities to enjoy there. Especially when a famous play is performed, the Leon Royal Family often goes to watch as a group. Maybe twice a year?
And naturally, the royal instructors followed along to watch.
Come to think of it, the plays were all stories about famous swordsmen, but regardless, I was someone who regularly enjoyed the latest cultural life, unlike a country noble girl. Therefore, I taught her the proper way to enjoy the Empire’s latest culture.
“You know you have to take off your shoes before entering the theater, right?”
“O—of course! Do you think I wouldn’t know something like that?!”
“Well, it is basic etiquette.”
“Exactly!”
After that, Daisy was humiliated once at the theater entrance.
Once at the auditorium doors.
And once more when taking her seat.
After falling for the same trick three times in a row, I was met with a death stare from Daisy.
Daisy - Why does it always turn out like this?
After declaring her preparations for the date to Adam Smith and returning to her room, Daisy thought to herself.
“I’m a crazy bitch…”
No matter how angry she was, she had ended up threatening him again. Starting with the fake relationship, Daisy felt a sense of self-loathing at the fact that whenever she dealt with Adam, it usually ended in a semi-threat.
“…B—but he wouldn’t do it otherwise!”
I even provide Holy Water every time! That stuff is super expensive!
—That’s right. Our Daisy did nothing wrong.
“……”
However, at the voice of the Goddess comforting her, Daisy crawled into bed with a tearful face. She kicked her blankets and muttered.
“Because you keep saying that, Goddess, I’m starting to feel like I really didn’t do anything wrong!”
Daisy could feel that because the Goddess was constantly coddling her lately, she was starting to take it for granted.
—Our Daisy really did nothing wrong!
At that sincere shout, Daisy momentarily thought, ‘Wait, did I really do nothing wrong?’ but…
“Th—there’s no way that’s true!”
Daisy did not fall for the whispers of the devil—no, the Goddess.
And so, the fateful day arrived. Honestly, she should have said a few days ago that it was just a joke, that she didn’t particularly want a date. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“…You’re here early.”
He seemed better prepared than she expected. Of course…
“You don’t need to take off your shoes at the entrance.”
“I—I know! I just thought a pebble got in!”
In the process, something embarrassing happened…
“You take off your shoes when you sit down…”
“I—I know that too, okay?!”
No, beyond embarrassing, it was becoming a lifelong trauma…
“What are you doing?”
“……”
She had never wanted to kill someone this much since the Silence incident. But…
“Wow…”
Once the performance actually began, she forgot all those thoughts. The play, her first ever, was that entertaining and moving, and the magic effects interspersed throughout made it impossible to look away.
Lost in the performance and forgetting her previous anger, Daisy suddenly remembered Adam next to her and turned her head slightly.
“……”
He was in a state of extreme focus… but his gaze didn’t seem to be on the stage. She instinctively whispered to him.
“What are you looking at?”
“The theater.”
It was a strange answer. Usually, people say they’re watching the play, not the theater.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know where or what might jump out.”
“……”
Does stuff just jump out in theaters in Leon? Based on her past experiences, Daisy figured asking for details would only be a losing battle, so she shut her mouth and watched the play until the end.
“Wow…”
The ending was a typical story, but moving nonetheless. As she watched the hero save the princess and the two of them kiss…
“It’s about time for a dark mage to show up.”
“……”
Just as she was about to feel the emotion of the scene, the comment from beside her made her feelings turn ice-cold.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. The food is very delicious.”
The events that followed were the same. Since becoming a Saintess, she had been treated well in various places, but this was her first time at such a high-end restaurant. She was tasting the food with a fluttering heart, but the man in front of her hadn't changed his attitude from the theater at all.
At this point, she couldn't help but notice. The original Daisy might not have known, but the current Daisy did!
‘This man is thinking, without a shred of doubt, that some kind of incident is going to happen!’
Wasn't this a bit much? Treating someone like a walking disaster.
She puffed out her cheeks like a blowfish, full of spite and dissatisfaction.
“Is it that delicious?”
“……”
Being treated like someone who had stuffed her face like a squirrel because it was her first time at a fancy restaurant, she had no choice but to deflate her cheeks immediately.
It was the same after that. Since coming to the Academy, she had been to cafes a few times with Violet, but this was her first time with a man alone. So why did it feel like the fork he used to cut the cake could turn into a hidden weapon and fly out at any moment?
“……”
“What’s wrong?”
The moment they stepped out of the cafe, Daisy’s frustration finally exploded.
“……”
Or rather, it was about to explode. That is, if she hadn't seen the group in black robes who looked suspicious no matter how you looked at them.
No, it couldn't be. Surely it wasn't real. There were people in the Magic Department who dressed similarly, right? All sorts of denials popped into Daisy’s head, but…
“Finally, we found you. Saintess of Light!”
“Die!”
The moment they made eye contact, the group in black robes drew their swords and charged.
“Ugh, Uncle Aeryun!”
And seeing Adam naturally draw his concealed sword…
“Th—this isn't how it was supposed to go!”
Why did it turn out like this? As someone who couldn't understand the fate of a RoFan heroine, Daisy could only plead her grievance while facing an eternal mystery.
The moment I parried the first sword, I couldn't help but be surprised.
These guys are experts. There’s no law saying a dark mage can’t use a sword, but is there any reason for people who can fence at this level to become dark mages?
…Probably plenty. This is a RoFan world where you can just make up a backstory, after all.
However, I am no ordinary swordsman. I am the protagonist of that long-winded title starting with “The one recognized by the Leon Tower Master,” having evolved into a dual-class.
“Urgh!”
The opponent was momentarily flustered by the cold energy that exploded from my sword energy and the ice it created.
“A magic sword?”
Naturally, they thought of a magic sword first, but the difference between a magic sword and magic is vast. A magic sword can only use the spells engraved upon it.
“Burst.”
But with magic, I could use the cold I created—my mana—to chain into the next spell.
“Magic?!”
Seeing the ice created by the cold explode, they seemed to realize it was magic and not a magic sword, but it was already too late. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, my sword lunged forward and pierced one of their hearts.
“……”
However, the moment I stabbed him, it was I, not the enemy, who was surprised. No, what the hell is this?
“You really are dark mages, aren't you?”
I stabbed a human heart, but it made the sound of steel clashing against steel. I immediately twisted my sword and tore through the robe, revealing the opponent’s upper body.
And there, in the place where the heart should be, was a lump of iron. More precisely, something that looked like a sword was lodged there.
“Man. I knew you were experts, but to think you’ve reached the state of Divine Sword Unity.”
Divine Sword Unity. The state where the sword is me, and I am the sword. To think they achieved that through dark magic. No wonder their level was so high.
“I think I heard about this before.”
I think Boradori mentioned there was a demon who fought Prince Ellen in the middle of the story. Is this it? Well, maybe not.
“This is the Sword Heart, received from the Sword Demon Clan.”
“With this, we can become swordsmen nearing the level of a Sword Master.”
“As long as the Sword Heart does not break, we are immortal!”
The Sword Demon Clan? Next thing you know, there’ll be a Chainsaw Demon Clan. But this was my chance. I pulled a new sword from my subspace pouch and infused it with mana.
“……”
“……”
At that, the enemies realized something was wrong and fell silent. They must have felt something familiar coming from within the sword.
“That… what is it?”
I had no particular reason to tell them, but I decided to give them an answer as a special favor.
“It’s a magic sword.”
“……”
“But one made by grinding up demons.”
“……!”
The demon fragment embedded in their hearts versus the sword made from a demon ground into fragments. It was a perfect opportunity to test which one was stronger.