The Last Companion: The Saintess Loves Holy Water (2)

The Holy Water created from Estia’s unique constitution delivered intense euphoria. It triggered the release of dopamine—the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure—in the drinker’s brain. A narcotic-like substance was infused within Estia’s divine power.

“Ah, aah… It feels so gooood…”

Her heart hammered as though it were burning alive. The bliss was so overwhelming she forgot where she was. The rapid thud of her heartbeat filled her ears. Estia, rolling across the floor in ecstasy, was swimming through a whirlpool of joy. She had no desire to escape it. Instead, she seemed determined to sink even deeper into its core.

“Hehe… Just a liiittle… more, please…”

There was no cup, so she drank straight from the source. Estia sucked greedily on the fingers of the hand that produced the Holy Water, concentrating so she wouldn’t miss a single drop. Because the amount of divine power she could generate in a day was limited, every drop was precious.

Gulp.

As the Holy Water slid down her throat, a lifetime’s worth of happiness crashed over her all at once. The objects around Estia began to look strange. It was the hallucinogenic effect taking hold.

“The bed… is opening its mouth…? And the window… looks like iron bars…”

She felt as if she were seeing visions of the past. Behind those bars, her friends had once been crowded together… but now only she remained. It was a sorrowful memory, yet Estia was smiling brightly. Once she drank the Holy Water, even if she wanted to cry, she could only laugh.

“I miss my friends… I’m so jealous…”

Since they had believed in the Goddess, they must have gone to a good place, right? If they were still alive, she would have shared this happiness with them. It was such a shame.

The friends the cult leader had dragged away never returned. One by one they had been injected in the basement, coughing up blood until they died. Amid that terror of vanishing companions, Estia had been the last to survive. Yet even after everything the church had done to her, she never once thought of running away.

Because—

“This place… is heaven… it’s paradise…”

There was no reason to flee. If she was happy and the people were happy, that was enough.

“Hehe… hehehe…”

Estia let out an uncontrollable, giddy laugh. No matter how painful the past had been, as long as she had the Goddess’s blessing, Estia could always be happy.

A saintess who treated Holy Water like a drug. This would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the last kidnapping of my life.

The Goddess’s church stood at the center of the capital. Its size rivaled the skyscrapers back in Korea.

‘I have to find the saintess in a place like that…’

It wouldn’t be easy. The invisibility magic I had used at the Sicilia Family Estate probably wouldn’t work here. The church was a gathering of religious fanatics who worshipped the goddesses. They despised theoretical mages who wielded mana. That was why they had erected a massive barrier across the entire building that blocked all magic.

In other words—

“I’ll have to handle this with pure physical ability…”

There would be an enormous number of people inside the church. Was it even possible? Still, since Minerva had presented it as a problem, it couldn’t be impossible.

“I’ll only know if it’s possible or not once I try.”

I pulled a white mask from my subspace pouch and put it on. It was the same one I had worn when I kidnapped Saten. I left the alley and strode confidently into the church.

A believer in holy robes immediately rushed over.

“Welcome, dear believer. Our Goddess’s Church welcomes—huh? A mask…?”

“…”

The believer’s face stiffened when he saw me wearing the mask. He blinked in confusion. I couldn’t blame him. Some lunatic had just walked into a church wearing a mask.

He quickly recovered his composure and spoke again.

“Ahaha, I’m afraid our church prohibits masks for identity verification. I’ll hold onto it for you, so would you please remove it?”

“Why should I?”

“…Pardon?”

I answered boldly, as if there were no reason at all for me to take it off. The believer looked startled, so I continued speaking as though nothing were wrong.

“I asked why a member of the Grimoire should have to remove his mask. Do you have a death wish?”

If you can hide your identity, hide it. And if you’re discovered, pin the blame on someone else. The knight orders chasing me for kidnapping Saten would be thrown into confusion if I disguised myself as a Grimoire cultist. I leaned in and whispered into the frozen believer’s ear.

“The goddesses can go fuck themselves. This place is now under the control of me—a Grimoire.”

Hide myself within the chaos. And so began the kidnapping of the hero party’s final companion, the Saintess Estia.

“What? A Grimoire intruder, you say…!?”

At those words, the paladin Eric shot up from his seat. According to the believers, the intruder was currently fighting in the main hall.

“Grimoire scum. You dare set foot here—!!”

Furious, Eric rushed toward the main hall, determined to eradicate the heretic. But when he arrived…

“W-what is this? Two paladins have already been taken down…?”

Two of his men lay collapsed on the floor. These were paladins who had endured brutal training since childhood, yet they had been helpless before the kidnapper.

“…Damn it. Where did that heretic go?”

“That way!”

Eric charged after the direction they pointed, his heavy armor clanking loudly. ‘Today of all days—it’s the tithing collection day. This is a disaster.’

Tithing collection day. The day they gathered donations from citizens and distributed Holy Water according to the amount given. Some citizens offered an entire month’s salary. Others even took out loans. Since it was a vital source of income for the church, today was an especially important day.

Meanwhile, unaware of any of that, Lee Junwoo had slipped into the auditorium.

‘There are a lot of ordinary people here too. Must be the afternoon service.’

This seemed like a good place to shake off the pursuit team. I quickly changed my mask and clothes, then sat down among the ordinary citizens.

“Where did that bastard go?! Find him immediately!!”

“Yes, sir!”

The paladins were clearly in an uproar, but it had nothing to do with me. At that moment, a figure who appeared to be the cult leader emerged onto the platform in the distance. He was quite overweight and had a greedy face. He shouted toward the citizens in the auditorium.

“Everyone who has come to this afternoon’s service—welcome—”

Clap. Clap. Clap. Mechanically regular applause echoed through the hall. I didn’t understand the eeriness of it, but I had no choice but to clap along.

‘This doesn’t feel like a proper service. Everyone’s expressions are strange too.’

Their faces were blank, their eyes empty. And every single one of them was staring not at the cult leader, but at the box behind him. The identity of that box was obviously ‘Holy Water.’ It had to be.

‘They’re selling Holy Water to ordinary citizens and addicting them like a drug.’

In the future I had seen, I must have been addicted to it too, which was why I had guarded the saintess. The deal was probably something like: guard her and receive Holy Water. That sort of thing.

I confirmed that the surrounding paladins had left. There was no longer any reason for me to stay in the auditorium.

‘My target is the saintess. Saving these people won’t help me.’

There was no way to save them in the first place, and even if I did, they would just crave Holy Water again. Structurally, to save them I would have to cut off both the production and supply of Holy Water. Therefore, kidnapping the producer—the saintess—was the only way to stop this nightmare.

‘I’ve somehow gained a justification.’

A rationalization to ease my conscience. It was a very convenient situation. I looked around, then rose from the auditorium chair. I didn’t know the saintess’s exact location, but that didn’t matter.

After all, Minerva would tell me the answer anyway. After checking the answer sheet for choice two, I learned that the saintess was on the top floor. I also discovered one more thing.

‘This insane church…’

Non-human experiments were being conducted in the church’s basement. They were imprisoning orphaned children there and performing experiments on them under the pretense of salvation. The content of those experiments was something only beings who had abandoned their humanity could do.

“Stop that man—!! Do not let him approach Lady Estia—!!”

“…”

Somehow I had broken through the paladins’ security and reached the top floor of the church. The paladins came running with divine power wrapped around their swords, but they were no match for me.

“You all have less talent with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sword than the hero.”

“W-what…!”

The movement aimed at my left arm was slow. To someone who had fought on the front lines with an adventurer party, a paladin’s movements looked sluggish. In cities bordering the demon realm, creatures with movements like these were everywhere. Anyone who moved like that would lose their life one hundred percent of the time.

“Just because the Demon King isn’t attacking, the capital has grown far too complacent. With skills like these, you’ll never be able to protect the church.”

“Gaaah…!!”

Thud— I didn’t take their lives, but the paladin clutched his arm and collapsed. He seemed to have lost the will to fight and didn’t attack again.

“If you’re not going to fight, get out of the way.”

“Y-yes, sir…!”

The paladin quickly fled. Behind him was a small door. As I expected, the saintess was probably inside. Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, I swiftly opened the door to the saintess’s room.

What I saw was—

“What the hell is this.”

“Hehe, hehehe… A mask…? The mask is talking…!”

Estia pointed at me and shouted. Drool dribbled from her mouth as the Saintess Estia wore an expression of pure bliss. Was this the same woman I had seen this morning? Where had her benevolent appearance gone? I wasn’t sure if I should say it, but she looked incredibly vulgar right now.

‘…First, let’s close the door.’

A powerful presence was approaching from far away. To buy even a little time, I slammed the door shut.

Bang—

I turned to the seemingly deranged saintess and asked,

“You create the Holy Water yourself and then consume it?”

“Hehe…? I don’t knooow anything about thaaat…! Heehee!”

“I’m asking if you drink it of your own free will.”

“Aah, this…? Of course I drink it myself…!”

Estia couldn’t even pronounce her words properly. She created white Holy Water in her palm and held it out to me.

“Mister Mask… do you want some…?”

“I’m fine. I don’t need to drink that.”

I had seen what it did in the future. There was no way I could drink it. Besides, time was of the essence right now. I didn’t have any more time to chat with the saintess.

‘Paladin Eric. Dealing with that guy will be a bit annoying.’

Eric, who seemed to be the leader of the paladins, looked like a seasoned veteran. Fighting him would waste too much time, so avoiding him was the best option. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I delayed any longer, the knight orders who had been alerted would arrive—especially the Black Crow Knights. Their swordsmanship was particularly troublesome.

“Estia. Stay still. Actually, you can’t move anyway, can you?”

“Huh…? What are you doooing…? Why are you tying me uuuup…?”

Estia tilted her head, gazing at me with hazy golden eyes. Then she suddenly pressed her nose against my clothes, gasped, and shouted in delight.

“You, mask guy…! You’re that oppa from before, aren’t you…? I wanted you so badly, and now you’re here! Heehee!”

“…You wanted me?”

“Mhm. You looked really strong, and since you’re the Goddess’s apostle you seemed super powerful… If I’d soaked you in Holy Water for ten whole days, you could have been reborn… What a shame…”

“…”

That was information I didn’t particularly want to know. Continuing this conversation with Estia seemed pointless. I wrapped her tightly with rope and secured her to my back so she absolutely couldn’t fall off. The moment I pressed her body firmly against mine—

BOOM—!

With a thunderous noise, Paladin Eric burst in.

“You masked bastard…!! Heretic scum, how dare you set foot here—!!”

“Is there some rule that says members of the Grimoire can’t pray?”

“Filthy creature. Playing word games, are we?”

Eric was furious. His eyes were fixed solely on Estia, and he appeared genuinely worried about her. Yet at the same time, his gaze also contained ugly, abnormal desire. He seemed to hold both emotions at once.

“A paladin with such filthy eyes. Is the basement to your taste as well?”

“So you saw even that. Then I cannot let you leave alive. Besides, Lady Estia and I are bound by the Goddess’s revelation. For our happiness, she will surely grant us her blessing. I am simply waiting for the right moment.”

Bullshit. It was clearly for his own happiness. A paladin who had sworn to the Goddess and was supposed to maintain purity to preserve his divine power—Eric had already been corrupted beyond redemption.

The disgusting paladin thrust his sword forward and shouted.

“Enough. Stop interfering with us and disappear. We will nurture our feelings for each other.”

“The age gap looks like more than thirty years. Are you serious?”

“In my love, age differences do not exist.”

“You’re insane.”

This disgusting criminal. The feelings he harbored for the still-young Estia were repulsive and vile. The abhorrent Eric began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠approaching me, divine power wrapped around his body.

“There is no escape, heretic. Give up already.”

“You think I can’t escape?”

“Obviously. This is a dead end. Even if you defeat me, reinforcements will arrive. You cannot survive. You are nothing but a rat trapped in a hole.”

“Hmm, is that so? You’re wrong about one thing. This isn’t a dead end.”

“What?”

“There’s an exit right here.”

Right behind me. The church was extremely tall. Falling would mean instant death, and the body would be smashed to pieces by gravity. Nevertheless, I had chosen. I would use that window as my escape route.

“Ueeh…? Hehe, trash Eric…? Hiii~”

“W-what are you—!! D-don’t go, Estia—!!”

With Estia tied to my back, I sprinted toward the window at full speed.

Crash—!!

“Waaah~ I’m flyiiing through the skyyy~”

“…Be quiet. I can’t concentrate.”

Glass shards dug into my flesh, bringing pain, but it didn’t matter. Falling to the ground below would hurt far worse. I endured the pain and cast my spell. I couldn’t use it inside the church, but in mid-air it was possible. I gathered my mana and shouted into the empty space.

“Transport me and Estia. Destination: Lee Junwoo’s house. Coordinates…”

I pictured the map in my mind and calculated the coordinates. I focused with everything I had while falling, allowing no margin for error. And at that moment, our bodies were enveloped in mana and vanished.

The hero party’s final companion, the saintess. I had successfully kidnapped her. All four members of the hero party were now gathered at our house.

‘But what worries me most is…’

Hare would probably have a seizure the moment she saw Estia.