The Saintess Doesn't Hide Her Power
A Crimson Howler.
It was a fairly well-known magical beast — infamous enough that even Ria, who knew little about such creatures, had heard of its notoriety.
An intelligent mid-tier beast that preferred to hunt prey weaker than itself. Magical power rode its howl, crushing an opponent's will and amplifying their terror. A sonic-type predator.
He suddenly told me to get behind him… I wondered what he was about to say…
The man had sensed the beast first and ordered her to hide behind him.
Grrrr—
The creature's low growl was already shaking the forest. With every step it took, the grass around them trembled.
Will he be all right?
The weaker you were, the harder that howling was to endure. In most cases, people froze in sheer terror without ever taking a single wound. Of course, Ria herself — sheltered by a holy relic — was fine.
If I use Divine Power, the Holy Knights will find us… but I may not have a choice.
She was already preparing herself to step in if it came to that. A Wood Plate adventurer would struggle simply to remain standing before a beast like this.
So she glanced back, checking on Juhan — and blinked before she could stop herself.
"Hoo."
"……"
Her prediction had been thoroughly wrong.
He's just… standing there fine?
Juhan was simply regulating his breathing, as if determined to stay as calm as possible. There was no fear on his face, no desperate urge to run.
He only stared the beast down with quiet eyes.
…Is he not afraid?
She couldn't understand it. Of all people, Juhan should have known better than anyone — that no matter how hard he struggled, he could never win against that thing.
There's no way he can win.
The monster before them was the kind of beast that even Iron Plate adventurers — no, even Silver Plate ones — struggled to face. As an adventurer himself, Juhan had to know that better than anyone.
"……"
And yet he stood firm in front of her all the same.
Tak.
At some point he had drawn a small dagger from his coat, leveling it at the creature.
Then something caught in Ria's vision.
He's shaking.
Tremble…
The tip of the little dagger aimed at the magical beast was quivering so hard she could see it clearly.
He is afraid.
Her earlier instinct hadn't been wrong after all. This man wasn't incapable of fear — he was simply forcing himself to overcome it.
Thud—
The moment the beast took another step forward—
Twitch.
Standing behind him, Ria felt his shoulders tremble, just slightly.
Even so, Juhan did not give ground.
Ssshh.
"……"
He only pushed Ria a little farther back — as if to say, forget about me and run, even if you have to go alone.
"No. I'm not going."
Ria had not the slightest intention of running. If she irresponsibly abandoned this place, what would become of this man was all too clear.
"…Just go while I'm still letting you. If you stay, we both die."
"I can't do that."
As expected, Juhan was trying to send her away first — as if he meant to keep every promise he had made her, no matter what.
"……"
Ria watched him in silence.
Looking at that precarious, unyielding figure, she realized a memory she had somehow forgotten was rising to the surface — words once spoken by a woman who had been like a mother to her, a woman she could never meet again.
"Ria."
"Yes?"
That gentle smile from back then seemed to take shape before her eyes.
"Don't trust people too easily."
"What? Don't trust them easily?"
"Love them. Cherish them. But do not place your trust in them lightly."
"What do you mean by that…?"
To young Ria, the words had been hard to grasp. The Order taught that one should embrace every soul in the world.
The white-haired woman in her memory only smiled kindly at her. Perhaps she hadn't meant to force understanding — only trusted that Ria would one day come to it on her own. She simply continued, her voice calm and steady.
"Don't lean on anyone. Stand strong on your own."
"……"
"You must always live with strength. Never show weakness so readily."
She stroked Ria's hair as the girl sat on her knee, sharing the hard-won lessons of a lifetime.
"Don't trust people. Trust the interests that bind you to them."
For a woman who had spent her entire life inside the Order, her eyes had been more worn by the world than anyone in it.
"But."
The next words came as the woman closed her eyes, as if remembering someone.
"Some people are not like that."
"What?"
"There are those who move according to their own convictions."
According to their own convictions… Did that mean most of the countless Holy Knights in the Order were not such people?
When Ria looked up with that questioning gaze, the woman only laughed softly.
"Even if it costs them. Even if it puts their lives at risk — they will never do anything that betrays the convictions they have set for themselves. Of course, you might live a whole lifetime and never meet even one such person…"
Then she looked straight into Ria's eyes and spoke her final words.
"But if you ever do meet someone like that… I hope you never let them go."
The memory that had risen unbidden ended there. Ria blinked slowly and looked once more at Juhan's back.
Thud—
Thud—
Even as the magical beast approached from afar — even though it was clearer than anything that he could not win—
"……"
Juhan did not take a single step back. He simply stood there in silence, guarding the space in front of her.
And right now, the thought filling the mind of the man standing guard before Ria was simply this:
Why won't she run?
That was the question that wouldn't leave him alone.
Why the hell won't she run?
Juhan was about ready to lose his mind. The magical beast was closing in step by step, and this woman showed not a shred of fear.
No matter how many times he told her to flee, she only looked at him with resolute eyes, as if she would rather die with him than leave.
If she stays, I can't do anything.
He had finally managed to build a useful connection. If he used his power carelessly now, he would have to deal with the witness standing right behind him as well.
And the area is crawling with Holy Knights.
If he so much as leaked his energy mid-fight, they would sense it for certain.
Then I'd have to wipe out the witness and the whole village with her. That would be no different from a declaration of war.
And that day would be the day the Great Catastrophe declared war on the continent.
In the end, the best plan was somehow to peel this woman off first and get out of here.
Why won't you go?!
Clutch…
Instead, Ria only pressed herself tighter against his back, as if she refused to be separated from him no matter what. She was almost clinging to him now — close enough that it looked like she might climb onto him entirely.
Tremble…
I'm going insane. Seriously.
Of course, the more Ria clung to him, the closer Juhan came to completely losing it.
"…Are you scared?"
Perhaps she had felt his trembling. Ria asked him carefully, her voice soft.
Naturally, what Juhan wanted to shout was, It's not the beast — it's YOU that's going to kill me!
"I'm fine."
"…What?"
"If you're scared, it's all right to say so."
Suddenly Ria was saying the most unexpected things to him. He couldn't make sense of any of it.
"…I'm not scared. So just run already."
"Liar."
I'm really going to lose it.
Grrrr—
Then it happened. The magical beast that had been quietly staring them down began to close the distance in earnest.
Why it hadn't simply pounced on them right away, he couldn't say. He hadn't released any energy, of course — but still.
Does she have some kind of protective magic tool on her?
While Juhan was entertaining that half-baked thought—
Ssshh.
The creature dropped low, coiling its body — the posture of something about to leap.
The moment he saw it, Juhan's expression hardened.
Shit.
It looked like he would have to open his power, if only a little. As naturally as possible. The bare minimum, so the Holy Knights wouldn't notice. Even that was risky — but the beast was about to charge.
BOOM!
With a sound like an exploding bomb, the creature launched itself into the air.
Tch…
Thinking he had no choice, Juhan was just about to quietly open space when—
KRAAAAAASH—!
"……"
A single, searing shaft of light tore past his cheek with a deafening roar.
Flash!
In an instant, the entire forest was dyed a deep gold — radiance like a fragment of the sun itself had been torn free and hurled through the trees.
And when the light faded…
Thud—
A single magical beast, charred black, collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Flash—!
A pillar of light surged upward as if it meant to split the sky itself.
"…!"
The first to witness it was Velkras, who until moments ago had still been searching the village.
A power far too familiar. A man who had spent his entire life in the Holy Kingdom could never fail to recognize its source.
"The Saintess."
Grit.
"How am I supposed not to worry?"
Velkras muttered through clenched teeth.
Flutter…
In his hand was a letter — one he had already unfolded and refolded dozens of times.