Chapter 35
Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Saintess is Also Mine
[Saintess Isabella shows interest in you.]
[Saintess Isabella opens her heart to you.]
[Saintess Isabella's favorability skyrockets right up to the brink of love!]
[Saintess Isabella offers a prayer to you.]
...Clone, what the hell did you do in the five minutes I was gone?
Before my brain could even process it, Yuria spoke up with a serious expression.
"...The bells rang out."
"Guess I need to head that way."
"Th-then... what about me...?"
"Stay here and clean up the rest of the demons. I'll send another signal if I need you later."
"...Understood."
For some reason, Yuria's voice sounded weaker than before.
"There's someone else we need to rescue soon. Just like how I rescued you. Right?"
"......Yes."
At his reassuring words, Yuria's heart skipped a beat again as she nodded.
...
Somehow managing to convince Yuria, I raced toward where my clone was.
The saintess's favorability popping up meant she was probably still alive, and the demons had definitely swarmed her.
I could sense their presence from afar.
The remaining demons must have been hiding in the ruined wreckage when they stumbled upon the honey pot.
The combatants there could barely handle even a single low-grade demon right now.
On top of that, the saintess would be even weaker due to the dragon's curse.
I had to hurry.
But after blasting dozens of magic tools on my way there, what I saw...
"...Uh, wh-what...?"
My clone naturally crossed paths with me and returned to my body.
And a knight staring up at me with a dazed look.
No, more importantly...
Isabella, drenched in blood and fighting desperately with her fists—a sight utterly unworthy of the title "saintess"—was right in front of my eyes.
And she was dominating.
One mid-to-high-grade demon was already dead, and one of the remaining two was on the verge of death.
"..."
No, isn't that a true demon? Not some monster, but one properly summoned through a sacrifice.
And she beat it barehanded? Something even I'd struggle with?
...Is she really the saintess?
She might even be better than me at pure fisticuffs...
Damn it, not Yuria either. Why do all these women have insane combat prowess...
No, in the original story, the saintess was never once described as engaging in close combat.
She was always just supporting from the back.
The only reasons she'd fight this desperately... were if she desperately wanted to achieve something, or if she'd received an unforgettable, immense "favor."
And I had become the owner of that favor.
"....."
Something felt off, though.
For someone who'd only served as a meat shield...
This was way too weird.
But the saintess had reached her limit too. With her final strike imminent, one leg gave out, ruining her stance.
She was on the verge of passing out right in front of the enemy.
In that instant, my body reacted.
Isabella can't die here.
"...Danger!"
The instinct to save the saintess first overrode my thoughts, moving my body on autopilot faster than I could think.
-Boom!
The demon's descending fist met only empty air.
In a princess carry, I scooped Isabella up from the chaos and let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew... Thank goodness you're alive."
However.
From below, my eyes met Isabella's as she looked up at me.
"..."
"Th-thank goodness you're alive... Pfft, ha... hahaha, I was... worried. You're truly... unpredictable from start to finish. But... yes, I like you."
A beautiful smile formed on the saintess's face. Even in her battered state, covered in wounds and unable to move a finger, it was a smile brimming with relief and happiness that entered Ian's eyes.
...She's smiling?
That ruthless saintess...?
And she likes me?
Why?
Me?
I'm basically the one who crushed her fingers...?
Ian couldn't comprehend it at all.
But then.
As the saintess suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, he felt like he'd been struck in the head again.
"...I'm the one who's truly, truly glad you're alive."
[Saintess Isabella's favorability surges dramatically!!!]
[It rises from 'Interest' through 'Curiosity' and 'Conviction' all the way to 'Love'!]
[Incredible progress! We salute your speed!]
...No, damn it, love isn't something you achieve that easily.
Then a bunch of titles kept popping up under my name.
I had no idea what my clone did beyond being a meat shield.
"Saintess, are there any other casualties? Please evacuate to safety. I'll handle things here."
First things first, get her to safety.
The saintess pulled me a little closer and spoke.
"Y-you... After getting beaten like that right in front of me, you're going to shoulder everything again?"
...Shoulder what?
"I can't save face as a saintess like this. I'll fight alongside you."
You're not usually this aggressive.
"Saintess, look at your wounds. If you don't get treated now, you could suffer severe aftereffects. Please—"
The saintess needed protection. A demon that could erupt at any moment was dormant inside her body.
In the story, if it emerged too soon, it would derail my plans for sure.
I patted her shoulder lightly. She met my gaze again and said,
"...You're serious, aren't you? How can you not lie even once... so straightforward... N-no way... Was this your goal all along...?"
Her cheeks flushed red,
then she averted her eyes.
She must have glimpsed my true intentions.
Honestly, in this confusing situation, I didn't even know what I was hiding. But for someone with trauma like her, peering into my heart like this must be...
"Let's go together. The thought of you dying scares me more. Even if we die, kill me first."
"..."
Why is she suddenly so devoted?
What did I even do?
...
Isabella was little more than a novice at barehanded combat.
She simply wrapped her fists in blazing holy power fueled by overwhelming emotion and swung wildly.
It was a barbaric fighting style she'd never shown before.
If she'd been a mage buffing from the rear until now, she was like a rabid dog sweeping the front lines alone as an in-fighter.
But the situation kept worsening.
Her initial surprise attack had slammed the most powerful blow into the strongest demon's head, ending it instantly.
That's why holy power is so terrifying.
Irreversible recovery.
Poison to demons.
Like manifesting the might of a chant baptism with equivalent energy.
A mage would need chant → magic formula deployment → summoning circle construction. The blessing of wielding such attributes as freely as mana.
But saintesses don't use it that way because...
"Hah... Hic, kuh. Ptui."
The saintess's body was soaked in sweat. The acrid rising smoke choked her breaths.
Fuel efficiency. It's utter garbage.
After just a few exchanges, her holy power—which had once soared like a pillar—had dwindled to barely cloaking her body.
Yet she refused to back down.
The surrounding huts burst into flames.
"This time... I must protect everyone's wishes. His wishes."
She swept her disheveled hair back and raised her arm.
Calm her mind, maintain distance from the approaching foes.
They're slowly circling for her back.
They're planning a pincer from front and rear, as expected.
Don't panic. She'd seen knights overwhelmed by numbers countless times and agonized over it inwardly.
In moments like this, act swiftly.
With a thud, the saintess leaped, exploding holy power into her fist.
However.
The mid-to-high-grade demon's speed far exceeded her expectations.
It seized her slender arm and, noticing she was braced only for impact, twisted it at an unnatural angle.
-Crack!
"...Kuh."
Excruciating pain that drew a dizzying groan.
Unfamiliar to her as a saintess. Her body trembled,
but her mind held firm.
Forcing the broken arm to move, she swung it anyway.
"...!"
The demon hastily raised its hand in defense, but she crushed through it effortlessly and slammed its head into the ground.
-KABOOM!!!
An enormous explosion.
The demon nearly combat-incapable.
But the saintess's condition was dire.
Broken arm, swollen ankle from the leap miscalculation, cuts and abrasions everywhere.
Blood trickling from her forehead, blurring her vision.
An unprecedented exhaustion made her legs wobble repeatedly.
Like a candle in the wind, the demon eyed the opportunity.
"...!"
Danger.
Move, she urged her body,
but it wouldn't obey.
The ground felt like it was dragging her down with crushing fatigue.
Then, as her gaze dropped to the floor.
Despair washed over her: she'd disappointed someone again.
Until the very end.
Unable to save even the man who approached her without a mask.
Losing everything.
She wanted to know more about him.
She didn't want to die here having accomplished nothing.
This burning desire for life was rare.
Unlike yesterday's longing for death and release.
Even a few seconds more to repay that grace.
But despite her desperate prayers, no divine voice returned.
-"Think God will hear you just because?"
In that split-second, the demon's first words echoed.
As its fist clenched—
"Danger...!"
A voice from somewhere.
The first time she heard it, she doubted her ears.
He scooped her up tightly, like something precious.
The princess carry.
Normally, grounds for a religious trial—his hands were touching several places.
But it felt good.
This man was fine.
He'd rushed to her covered in blood.
'Even my virginity... to this man.'
Even in a situation where his own life hung by a thread.
He ignored it and came.
"Thank goodness you're alive."
And despite his own battered state, his first words were concern for her.
The deep affection and worry made her burst into laughter unwittingly.
Overwhelmed by long-forgotten happiness and nostalgia.
"Th-thank goodness you're alive... Pfft, ha... hahaha, I was... worried. You're truly... unpredictable from start to finish. But... yes, I like you."
Cautiously confessing, she caressed his cheek.
It's hot.
Like her pounding heart: thump, thump, thump.
He was warm and radiant.
The flames around them like a painting's backdrop.
"...I'm the one who's truly, truly glad you're alive."
But was her voice too soft?
He expressed even more urgency in response.
That drew her in further, arrows piercing her chest one after another.
"Saintess, are there any other casualties? Please evacuate to safety. I'll handle things here."
Truly desperate eyes, prioritizing others over his own life.
If heroes or saviors from tales truly existed, wouldn't it be this man?
No... he is a god.
The god who answered her call and came running.
It all fit now.
The puzzle pieces falling into place.
Saving her life, then immediately prioritizing what she'd wished for upon regaining consciousness.
Appearing like a novel hero.
Impossible without being a god.
Even if not a god, he was hers.
Tears welled in the saintess's eyes.
Ah,
truly.
God was here.
Right before her eyes, now.
But she'd sinned too greatly to accept more grace.
So she asked.
"Y-you... After getting beaten like that right in front of me, you're going to shoulder everything again?"
"..."
This man who gave so much without a hint of expectation.
If he wasn't her lord, what was he?
He who came when sincerely called.
The voice that finally reached her desperate pleas.
"...I can't save face as a saintess like this. I'll fight alongside you."
"Saintess, look at your wounds. If you don't get treated now, you could suffer severe aftereffects. Please—"
Even more.
She was certain.
No one else but him.
The one who would be her god.
"...You're serious, aren't you? How can you not lie even once... so straightforward... N-no way... Was this your goal all along...?"
Truly, had he been for her from the start?
How far did his plans go...?
No, doubting a god was blasphemy.
She who'd received the grace of his attentive ear and sacrificial life.
"..."
She absolutely couldn't let him die.
At least until she closed her eyes.
If she could see his face then... that would be enough.
She'd give everything.
Vowing never to forget the warmth of this hand she now held, she said,
"Let's go together. The thought of you dying scares me more. Even if we die, kill me first."
"What... do you mean by that?"
"From today, I will serve you."
"...Pardon?"
[Saintess Isabella's favorability rises to 'Faith'!!!]
[Blessing (Eternal Immortality) - Rank: A trait has been added!]
[Fanatical faith bordering on zealotry, based on the saintess's holy power talent, raises all stats by one level.]
Ian's thoughts froze.
Completely stopped.
...How big did this just get, damn it?