The Saintess (3)

After that, Kyle's sword began swiftly dispatching the others. His movements were almost lively, as if he had been waiting for this day.

"Ghk—?!"

A head flew into the air before the scream could even fully form. Before the blood could spurt, the body crumbled into dust and vanished.

At first, those startled by his sudden attack had buzzed with confusion, but once they realized the identities of those cut down by Kyle, their expressions twisted in displeasure.

Even from their perspective, those bastards were infuriatingly tenacious.

Descendants of the Magic King.

Initially, they had seemed like nothing more than a simple terrorist group.

But seeing how things had unfolded, it was clear they were no mere terrorists.

What kind of terrorist organization could infiltrate a conference hall attended by a nation's high-ranking officials?

And not just one or two—nearly half a dozen people had been replaced to that extent.

'Could they have been aiming for this?'

It felt strange. It was one thing for an assassin to sneak into the heart of the Holy Kingdom and attempt to ambush the Pope.

But for them to have infiltrated even among the high-ranking priests—that was hard to dismiss as mere coincidence.

Could this have been some kind of trap to lure them in?

It left a bitter taste. To invite distinguished guests under the pretense of hospitality, only to use the occasion to weed out hidden rats.

"My apologies for the disturbance," the Pope said, bowing his head in apology. When I glanced to the side, I saw Abel quietly watching me.

Unlike before, he neither accepted the Pope's apology nor intervened. He merely rolled his eyes and signaled to me with a look.

Whether to accept the apology or not—was that my decision?

I took a deep breath and spoke to the Pope.

"It's fine. Though I am a bit tired."

"Understood. This old man will do his best to accommodate you."

The Pope referred to himself as "this old man" as he spoke. At first, I thought it was just humble speech.

But now, it struck me that perhaps he simply didn't want to make any definitive statements as the Pope.

First, he called me the Saintess in a public commendation, and now he was hunting down hidden rats right in front of everyone.

Truly, as Abel had said, the Pope was a fox of a man.

Hoho—laughing while still covering all his bases, especially.

'Haah...'

An uneasy feeling settled over me. It was like being swept up by a massive wave, left adrift in the middle of the ocean.

Like lying on a leaf-like boat in the vast open sea. It felt as though threads of fate were descending, trying to take control of me.

As if someone were tugging the strings tied to my fingertips, ready to start a puppet show.

Choice. Freedom.

Coercion. The Buddhist Order.

The ancient incantations the goddess had spoken to me resurfaced in my mind. The words she had said to me with a gentle smile.

She told me everything was my free choice, but well...

Considering how she had declared through the Prophecy of Destruction that I would protect the people...

It wasn't a very convincing claim.

Just because she was a goddess didn't mean she couldn't lie. Perhaps she could deceive even more skillfully than a human.

A crushing sense of powerlessness washed over me.

'I've definitely grown much stronger than before.'

Yet the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠emotions I had felt back when I was weak and helpless surged up again.

It was as though the suffocating frustration of that time—when I could do nothing but be swept along—was filling my chest once more.

Tap.

A hand rested on my shoulder. Turning at the familiar touch, I saw Abel's face.

His expression was still serious, but somehow, it brought me a strange sense of reassurance.

"There's no need to worry so much."

"Huh?"

"Am I not standing behind you?"

A smile rose to his face once more. It was so uncharacteristically pure that I froze without realizing it.

It wasn't unpleasant to see, but that youthful smile was still hard to get used to.

Especially because it overlapped in my mind with the sinister smirk Abel had worn when we first met.

"...Thank you."

Well, it did ease my mind a little. I owed him that much.

Abel let out a soft chuckle and lowered his hand.

"Don't mention it."

§

"Hmm~"

Humming a tune, a silver-haired woman wandered through the library. She walked excitedly, like a girl on a picnic, a book in hand.

"Estelle, do you really think the Emperor is targeting the Holy Kingdom?"

Lev, who had been standing quietly beside Estelle, watched her with his crimson eyes.

Estelle slid the book back onto the shelf as she answered.

"Without a doubt. This is where the Emperor's traces are most concentrated."

Lev scratched his head skeptically at her confident reply.

Even as a Tower Master who prided himself on detection magic, he couldn't for the life of him see the so-called "traces of the Emperor" that Estelle was talking about.

True, those eyes of hers that had once pierced through his true identity might be capable of it, but...

For Lev, who was currently playing the role of her fake lover, Estelle remained utterly unconvincing.

After all, she had a habit of dodging every important question.

"First of all, why the hell do we even have to keep up this lover act?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Obviously because of the Crown Prince."

Estelle let out a deep sigh before answering. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Tch, that insufferable bastard."

The moment the words "Crown Prince" left her lips, Lev clicked his tongue and scowled.

If not for his status and lineage, Lev would've torn him to shreds at the first opportunity.

No matter how much of a Sword Master he was, he was still nothing but a greenhorn who had never truly risked his life.

And the way he immediately turned into a leering fool at the slightest hint of beauty—Lev found it utterly distasteful. Though, admittedly, watching his antics did provide some amusement.

"Must be nice having such a complicated love life, Miss Estelle."

A Tower Master, the Crown Prince, and even the Imperial Knight Commander.

Lev whistled at the lineup of extraordinary men in her life—though he wasn't exactly thrilled to be included in that list.

Estelle shot him a sharp glare at his remark.

"Stop being sarcastic. It's not like I chose this."

"Yeah, yeah. Must be tough."

Lev turned away, hands clasped behind his neck. Watching his retreating back, Estelle exhaled heavily.

Then, she pulled another book from the shelf and began flipping through it.

Lev sidled up behind her and peeked at the contents—ancient script written in intricate, curling symbols.

"You can read the Holy Kingdom's ancient tongue?"

"Of course. My Authority is quite useful, you know."

"Ah, right. Those eyes of yours."

He flicked a glance at her golden irises. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Those piercing, golden eyes—the Authority she possessed as a hidden descendant of the Emperor.

Had it not been for that ability, Lev would've had no reason to get involved with her.

Even if her looks were to his taste, he wasn't foolish enough to meddle with the Emperor's bloodline.

Not even if she was the Emperor's illegitimate child.

"So, did she agree to cooperate?"

"Who?"

Estelle blinked in confusion at his question.

"You know, that sharp-eyed woman."

"Are you talking about Adel?"

"Yeah, pretty sure that was her name."

"She..."

Estelle frowned, then sighed again. The words she'd spoken to Adel at the Night Market resurfaced in her mind.

"Do you understand now? You, who came from the Other World."

Even if she'd said it to prove the extent of her Authority...

It had been a bit reckless to reveal that much to Adel.

A soul from another world.

It wasn't unheard of—though rare—for wandering spirits to possess the bodies of those on the verge of death.

But Adel's case had been particularly unusual, leaving a strong impression.

After all, it was the first time Estelle had seen three souls inhabiting a single body.

"She said she'd give me an answer the next time we meet."

"That's just a polite refusal, isn't it?"

"Who knows?"

Adel didn't seem to have particularly fond memories of the Emperor either—though perhaps not as deep as Estelle's. Besides, Adel had likely entered the Holy Kingdom by now, so they'd probably cross paths again soon.

There'd still be time to hear her answer then.

"Estelle."

"...You sensed it too?"

"Yeah. Some real trash just showed up."

Lev smirked coldly as he turned his head. There, concealed in the shadows, stood an assassin draped in a black cloak.

Judging by the weapon, this wasn't the Emperor's doing. Most likely, it was one of those so-called Descendants of the Magic King who'd been causing trouble lately.

Thunk.

An ice spike pierced through the assassin's heart in an instant. Without even a final gasp, the man crumpled lifelessly.

His limp corpse disintegrated into dust midair, scattering into nothingness.

"How many does that make now?"

"Fifth one. At this rate, even cockroaches would be put to shame."

Estelle clicked her tongue at Lev's reply. She'd heard rumors about strange forces getting involved, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad.

Was the Holy Kingdom really so incompetent that they couldn't even manage this much?

All she could do was sigh.