Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Veronica's Condition
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Volkan was trembling.
The Saintess must have been pretty terrifying.
‘For a simpleton like that to be so scared.’
What the hell had she done?
Maybe he’d just submitted to her power. Guys like him always folded easily under strength.
‘Normally, they’d act all high and mighty, swearing they’d never sell out a friend.’
With that thought in mind, Volkan spoke up as if making excuses.
“I know, friend. Even if I sold you out, you wouldn’t die.”
“……”
“But don’t worry, comrade. If your life’s in real danger, I swear on the honor of the orc race—I won’t betray you.”
That only made me more uneasy.
After reconfirming the dubious orc code of loyalty, I turned to the Saintess.
Our eyes met, and she flashed a bright smile.
Then she mouthed something.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Rogue Mastery (S) has interpreted the lip reading. -If you don’t want to die, just come out. ‘……’
Is this really okay for the Saintess representing humanity?
I pondered it seriously, but then it hit me—this was a medieval world.
With a personality like that, maybe she did qualify as a Saintess.
“Hehe, how about we talk in the alley?”
“Alleys aren’t safe.”
Not that I was worried about her.
I was mostly concerned for my own body.
“Just hurry up and follow me.”
The Saintess dragged me along.
*
The Saintess and I slipped into a back alley.
No one was around.
Well, one person was. Volkan, who’d come out just in case.
He was staring down the Saintess, radiating his presence in case he needed to intervene.
Her opponent was the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom—humanity’s representative, a holy-affinity Hero.
Thinking about it made me a little anxious.
“Who’s gonna eat you? Why the sour face?”
“She might actually.”
“Ha, unbelievable. Don’t you know what being a Saintess even means?”
“……”
Honestly, it still hadn’t sunk in.
It’d only been just over a month since I’d dropped into this world.
But if the fanatics living among humans met their god’s apostle...
‘I can imagine.’
That’s why I saw this Saintess as seriously dangerous.
“Well, let’s cut to the chase. One thing first—you owe me, right?”
“……”
I did.
[Cradle] Coming here, I’d realized a few things.
This place was sharply divided into safe zones and bad ones.
‘If I’d stayed passed out back there...’
I might’ve died without knowing it.
This was a debt. One I had to repay her someday.
Even so, the reason I’d been prickly...
‘My head was a mess.’
Too much had happened all at once.
“From that look, you’re willing to settle up.”
“My head was just a bit scrambled.”
“Then you’ll grant my request?”
“If it’s something I can manage.”
“Hm... then my condition’s just one.”
Veronica held up a single finger.
I swallowed hard.
A high priestess who looked at least level 6—what could she possibly want?
‘What is it?’
At least, if she was asking me, it had to be something feasible.
But I had no guess.
“My condition’s simple. I looked you up before coming here.”
“And?”
“At your level, calling you a Hero candidate wouldn’t be weird. Become the Sword Hero.”
“……?”
Suddenly?
Her words caught me so off guard I tilted my head.
“Become the Sword Hero?”
“Yes, Sword Hero. This one’s coming from the Empire.”
“Don’t they usually pick from the orcs?”
“……You know about the Empire’s hidden weapon?”
“Empire’s hidden weapon?”
Ah, I’d heard of it.
Volkan had mentioned it.
The Empire was hiding their Sword Hero. Amid all the rumors, he’d come here himself to check.
“Your face says you’ve heard. Well, no one makes that expression meeting her for the first time.”
“What kind of monster is she?”
“The one they call Genius Slayer.”
Kills geniuses?
The nickname gave me a vague idea.
‘What the hell do you have to do to earn that?’
I shot her a look like go on, and Veronica continued.
“She just crushes every so-called genius. That’s how she got the name.”
“Crushes them?”
“All the Empire’s top talents were stunned by her skill. As the number of despairing ‘geniuses’ grew, they hid her away.”
“……”
That was the leading Sword Hero candidate?
But something felt off.
The system had talked like Ermé was basically locked in as Sword Hero.
‘Well, Rozante too...’
Then there was Saintess Veronica. Looked like they’d picked her.
“……”
Suddenly.
A hunch hit me. Call it intuition. The pieces clicked into one conclusion.
Saintess Veronica.
No—──Veronica and the Empire’s hidden Sword Hero.
‘……Nah, that’s too big a leap.’
But my thoughts were veering that way.
If so, it all made sense.
Choosing Ermé.
Choosing Rozante.
“Why the sudden serious face?”
“……Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Boring.”
Veronica stared at me.
“What’ll you do?”
I thought it over at her question.
Empire’s hidden Sword Hero. And ──Veronica.
‘Way too many red flags.’
I did owe Veronica.
The Empire was hiding their Sword Hero by any means. The debt had to be repaid eventually.
‘……But I can’t just jump on this.’
No guarantee I could beat the Sword Hero.
Volkan was backing me up, and I had the system for gifts, skills, techniques.
‘She didn’t get that nickname for nothing.’
Simple as that.
True geniuses were the ones who climbed with absurd talent, no matter how much I cheated.
And more than anything.
‘To beat the Empire’s hidden Sword Hero...’
I’d have to make an enemy of the Empire-backed Sword Hero right now.
“That sounds tough.”
“It’s fine.”
Veronica gave a relaxed smile.
Her eyes held an ominous glint.
Her tone shifted.
From polite formality.
To blunt casual.
“You don’t have a choice anyway.”
“What do you—”
Her eyes glowed golden.
Her already holy gaze blazed even brighter.
“Don’t worry too much. You’ve got the talent to beat that Genius Slayer bitch, so I won’t go overboard. Just a chance to ditch that guard eyeing me like trash.”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ -Run! Head to Volkan right now! That filthy...! My head went foggy.
I felt myself being drawn into her golden light.
‘Brainwashing?’
But I forced myself to stay clear-headed.
This wasn’t my first rodeo. Maybe it was the half-year grinding projects on four hours of sleep as a normie.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ -Hurry, run! Damn it, stuck as a soul, I can’t do a thing...! Rishiel tried shaking my body, but she was just a soul to begin with.
At the same time, Volkan hefted his axe from behind and charged the Saintess—but he was blocked by a golden barrier.
Right now, I couldn’t do a damn thing.
But her voice kept me grounded, somehow.
I endured.
‘My best shot.’
Then.
‘Time to do it.’
I had to stop Veronica here.
No other way.
Plunder (S). ‘Steal.’
So, what to steal?
Her brainwashing was holy power.
Holy.
God’s power. Could I even steal that? I questioned myself, but this was my only play.
I scanned her with Plunder.
She had priestly robes, simple clothes, a relic-like necklace around her neck. And something showing as ???, unreadable even to Plunder.
A relic with some bizarre guardian charm power.
It was alien to this world’s mana or aura or whatever energies.
‘Tempting.’
A guardian charm fetched a high price.
Hadn’t it already saved Glasses’ life once?
Maybe that led to losing his body to the skeleton horse, but it worked out.
‘Spare life +1? Yeah, I want it.’
I looked at Veronica.
Plunder showed the relic, clothes, and that one ??? thing.
‘But this ??? always picks up weird shit.’
Like, say, Villainess’s Obsession.
Or Rishiel’s Soulstone.
I didn’t trust it.
But.
My gut said.
Use this right, and I could stop the brainwashing from Saintess Veronica.
‘No idea what it is.’
Didn’t like leaving it.
“Huh, brainwashing’s kinda working. But you feel different from the others...”
The instant she muttered that.
It was a split-second.
A world sliced into dozens of seconds.
‘Stealing.’
I reached for the ??? marking.
A sucking sensation pulled my hand somewhere, and I felt something snag at my fingertips.
At the same time, Veronica seemed to sense it and warily backed away.
But.
‘Too late.’
I’d already taken it.
My leverage against her.
I stared at the platinum gem clutched in my hand.
⚔ ITEM ACQUIRED ⚔ [Saintess's Chastity]
“……”
“Huh?”
At the same time, her holy power went dormant.
Like the sea calming instantly after a storm—her divinity vanished in a blink.
“Wh-what? W-wait, why is this...!”
I looked at her.
‘This damn bitch.’
Tried to brainwash me.
The mental haze lifted.
I fixed her with clear eyes.
“W-wait, th-this can’t...!”
But curiosity stirred too.
Just stealing the Saintess’s Chastity did this right away?
No clue what it was.
I curled my lip in a sleazy smirk. Veronica stared back with trembling eyes.
“N-no way... N-no way something like that’s possible. H-how could you take the Light Goddess’s power...!”
“Whatever it is, it’s mine now.”
And that meant one thing.
‘Situation’s flipped.’
Her authority and influence stayed the same.
But the holy power propping it all up? Mine.
I grinned.
Not that there weren’t snags.
‘No idea why this worked.’
I got the situation now.
But I felt kinda pathetic too.
Everything perfect.
Perfect reversal.
‘Why the hell’s the name so lame?’
I sighed inwardly.
And stared at the gem labeled [Saintess's Chastity].