Please Take Care of Me
“Why the hell are you enrolling here?”
The Saintess had no connection to the academy in the original story. It felt ridiculous to even mention the original work at this point, but even taking that into account, there was absolutely no reason for her to come to the academy.
She was the Saintess of Purity. Even if the Holy Empire treated her like a tool, she was nominally the face representing the nation.
And they were sending a Saintess like that into territory under the Empire’s jurisdiction? To Rosewood Academy, no less—the place most deeply intertwined with imperial politics?
From the Holy Empire, famous for its isolationism?
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Butterfly effect, huh.
It was probably because of me. I wasn’t saying that out of narcissism or some grand delusion.
During the special training exercise that day, I had fallen into the territory of the Holy Empire. And there, I caused a proper incident. I had accomplished “contact with the Saintess,” something no one had ever achieved before.
Of course, the fact of that contact was merely circumstantial from the Holy Empire’s perspective. But if I had shattered the barrier as well, they would probably treat it like hard evidence.
In truth, though it hadn’t been intentional, our skin had touched that day.
“It was an order from the Holy Empire.”
“Is the content classified?”
“No. The intention was for me to experience a wider world as the Saintess.”
“What about physical contact?”
“That is obviously not allowed. That… that day was an accident…”
The Saintess muttered quietly.
“Your abilities must have weakened considerably. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Fortunately, the Lord showed his holy mercy, so there have been no issues at all.”
I narrowed my eyes. The Saintess of Purity was a position passed down through generations in the Holy Empire. Without exception, every one of them was expelled the moment they lost their purity.
Of course, Seris Clarine—the one speaking with me now—hadn’t lost hers. She had simply been held in my arms for a brief moment. But the Saintesses of recent generations operated under far stricter conditions for “losing purity.”
Even holding hands with a man would weaken their power. A mere kiss would erase it entirely. The bar had grown so much harsher that Saintesses were replaced with alarming frequency. That was precisely why strict barriers had surrounded Seris when we first met.
Yet she claimed there was no problem using her abilities? After being tightly embraced by an outsider like me?
Something stinks here.
The smell of ulterior motives wafted strongly. It might have been my own overinterpretation, but the signs were bad.
“Well, it turned out fine. Good results are what matter, right?”
“Yes.”
I answered positively in case that god of theirs was listening. The opponent was the deity worshiped by the suspicious Holy Empire. Better to keep the blade hidden.
“I see… I understand why you’re coming to the academy. Now, shall I ask why you came to this shopping district?”
“That I can tell you clearly.”
The Saintess drew in a breath. She focused her gaze and looked straight at me.
“This is the only chance I can avoid surveillance, you son of a— I mean, the only opportunity I have to slip away.”
She had nearly spat out a thick curse before hurriedly correcting herself.
“Surveillance?”
“Yes. The watch is lax since I haven’t enrolled yet. It will only get stricter after I enter. If I don’t take this chance, I’ll be locked back inside the cage again.”
The Saintess laid her heart bare with surprising honesty. Her voice carried a faint mix of liberation and fear.
“I have one question.”
“Please ask.”
“You want freedom. Yet a clear opportunity to obtain that freedom exists.”
“What…?”
“Look at me.”
I took one step forward. The distance between us shrank.
Fear flooded the Saintess’s eyes.
“D-don’t…!”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m only telling you the method. When the barrier broke last time. And again this time. If you truly wanted to, you could make contact with me.”
I knew the truth. The Saintess desired freedom, yes, but her real goal was to feel the warmth of someone precious.
Last time, I had respected that wish and refrained from pressing the issue. I had also been wary of complicating my relationship with the Holy Empire.
But what about now?
Even if I took the Saintess’s purity, the problem would vanish if we both kept our mouths shut. Besides, though it had been unintentional, she had already embraced me once.
I might not be someone precious to her, but I was the man who had taken her first hug. In that case, couldn’t she simply use me to step down from her position?
“…I can’t.”
The Saintess forced the words out in a voice that sounded like it was dying.
“I want freedom. I want to feel the warmth of someone precious. But before any of that, I am a Saintess.”
She placed a hand over her chest and continued.
“There are still many people who need my help. Of course, even if I step down, the next Saintess would take over my duties. However—”
She explained that she had no idea how long it would take for the next Saintess to be selected. Sometimes a month. Sometimes six months. The appointments were completely irregular.
“The current situation is unstable. The Lord has also conveyed that we must prepare ourselves. Do you understand what that means?”
“If I step down now, there might be no Saintess when chaos descends upon the continent…”
“Yes. Exactly. The earliest I can step down is when the Empire has stabilized.”
Listening to her made my heart feel tangled. In the novel, I had seen the fallen version of the Saintess far more often.
I knew I shouldn’t be fixated on the original story, but all the other villainesses had followed paths similar to their original fates. Catrina was even closer to the original villainess than before. I felt no reluctance whatsoever about turning her into a slave. In fact, I believed not doing so would cause more problems.
But the Saintess? The one who had fallen under the Holy Empire’s crushing pressure? Could I really call her a villainess? Could I claim it was impossible to rehabilitate her?
I didn’t know.
“When that time comes, you may not be able to step down even if you want to. Will you still be all right with that?”
“…Yes. I will be fine.”
This was clearly a lie. Those trembling eyes did not belong to someone speaking the truth.
“If this is the result that comes from doing good deeds, then I will accept it. After all, it would mean I am taking positive responsibility.”
“Be honest, Seris Clarine. Lies don’t work on me. What is your true heart?”
At my words, the Saintess lowered her head.
“You knew?”
Staring at the ground, she murmured.
“My eyes are pretty good.”
“No one else noticed… yet you saw through me so easily.”
“Only because you admitted it so readily.”
“That’s right. Deep down, I wanted someone to see my true feelings.”
The Saintess lifted her head and stared directly into my eyes.
“I didn’t want anyone to discover that I’m not acting like a proper Saintess. At the same time, I hoped someone would notice.”
“And that someone was me?”
“It turned out that way.”
“I haven’t shared any deep emotional exchanges with you. Is that still all right?”
The Saintess nodded.
“Someday, I hope everyone will recognize my real personality. I wonder why I have to hide something like this. Even so, I cannot do that right now.”
Because I am a Saintess.
Seris continued in a calm tone.
“But you are different, Sir Ethan.”
I was certain I had never introduced myself, yet Seris already knew my name.
“You took my first embrace, and you have already seen so much.”
Seris smiled with her eyes. Unlike her usual saintly smile, this one felt completely natural.
“So I can tell you.”
Like me, Seris took one step forward. The atmosphere surrounding her transformed.
“Once this chaotic period ends, I want to step down from the Saintess position.”
Seris spoke with genuine ease, as if she had finally shed the uncomfortable formal speech she had been wearing.
“When that time comes, will you help me?”
“Hah. What a shameless woman you are.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
“Even so, I’ll help you.”
There was no guarantee she wouldn’t have fallen by the time she quit being a Saintess. Therefore, there was one surefire method.
I would simply make her my slave.
Put a collar on Seris in case she might fall, and help her leave the Saintess position. That was the most certain way.
Dealing with the aftermath? I had already given up on worrying about that.
At first I had been concerned about potential harm to Erde, but not anymore. After beginning my study of magic, a path had opened for me to quickly gain power that neither the Empire nor the Holy Empire could touch.
There was no longer any need to hold back. And if Erde did suffer because of it?
I would simply take responsibility. I could give her more than enough to make up for any damage.
“Ahaha!”
Seris, who had read my resolve, burst into laughter.
“Ethan, you have an dishonest side too, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just… the look on your face. It seems like you’re doing something good but feeling embarrassed, so you’re making excuses to yourself.”
With that meaningful remark, Seris pulled her hood back over her head.
“It was fun. I’m glad I came outside.”
Having returned to her Saintess mode, Seris finished preparing to leave.
“See you at the academy.”
She waved and departed. I returned the gesture before suddenly realizing something.
Linea hadn’t said a single word the entire time.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t pay any attention to you.”
She wasn’t sulking, was she?
“…It’s all right. I needed some time to think as well.”
For some reason, Linea’s face looked deeply troubled.
“Master. The reason you turned me into a slave was…”
Linea spoke abruptly, then shook her head and trailed off.
“Never mind.”
Cutting yourself off mid-sentence was the worst thing you could do, but the mood didn’t seem playful, so I chose not to point it out.
It would sort itself out eventually.
*****
That day, I ultimately failed to find Isana.
“There were circumstances yesterday… but today I will definitely go!”
The club orientation was postponed until this evening.
“You have to consider my position—I even invited the princess.”
“S-sorry. But I didn’t intentionally avoid it…”
It was while I was bickering with Isana in the classroom that it happened.
Creak—
The door opened and the professor entered. Following a short distance behind him was Seris.
“Today we will…”
The professor began, and then—
“Nice to meet you all. I am Seris Clarine, the Saintess who has come from the Holy Empire.”
Seris began her self-introduction. For some reason, her gaze was fixed solely on me.
“Your seat will be in the special section…”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Seris walked forward with light, clicking steps and sat down as casually as if she were in her own bedroom.
The students watching held their breath. The professor’s eyes widened before freezing solid.
“Please take care of me?”
Seris sat down demurely in the seat right beside me.
“Ethan.”
Seris smiled brightly.