The Saintess and the Masochist

The man was a healer? (3)

Freya Badanis. Thanks to her stunning beauty and virtuous character, everyone in the Holy Church admired her. Arsen Gray was no exception. Every night before falling asleep, he thought about her. He listened to stories about her from his mother, wrote them down in his diary, and often reread those entries. That had been his longtime hobby. Sometimes he even wrote letters to her—though he never actually sent them.

Having grown up in the church and watched the Saintess for so long, the depth of his affection was profound. That was why he had worked so hard for so many years. All to catch her eye.

“Arsen, only you are worthy of standing beside the Saintess.”

Especially since his mother, the High Priestess, kept fanning the flames of his obsession, he naturally assumed it was only a matter of time. The Saintess would eventually choose him. He alone was the man who deserved her.

But then—

“The Saintess seems to have taken an interest in a male healer.”

The shocking news he heard through his mother. It was the first time the Saintess had shown interest in any specific person. And that person was a man!

He grew anxious. The very idea of someone other than himself receiving her attention was unbearable.

“Why don’t you prepare for the exam as well?”

So he registered. He decided to take the healer qualification test.

“Son, Mother will prepare everything perfectly. Just cast the healing magic as you always do. I’ll even teach you the special incantation reserved only for High Priests, so don’t worry.”

High Priestess Gray thought the same way as her son. She firmly believed that the only man worthy of the Saintess was her own boy.

“Besides, the other applicant who signed up this time is supposedly a nobody. This is actually a perfect chance to catch the Saintess’s eye. If you pass, I’ll use every bit of my influence to make sure you can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠serve beside her.”

Trusting his mother’s words completely, Arsen took the test. The moment he successfully cast his healing magic, he was certain.

This is it. Now the Saintess will only look at me. Not at that parasitic pretty-boy named Sieg—at me, Arsen Gray.

But reality was cruel.

Unlike him, the guy named Sieg cast his magic with an indifferent expression, yet the results were—

“Whoa! A man can do something like that?”

“That has to be a miracle.”

“It’s just like the Saintess…”

The healing magic he displayed drew gasps of admiration from the crowd that rivaled Arsen’s own performance.

No way!

This couldn’t happen. It must not happen. Because the only one allowed to monopolize the Saintess’s attention was him.

So he used his mother’s authority to discredit the man named Sieg—

“That is the sacred power of the One True God. It is pure healing magic.”

At that moment, the Saintess herself appeared.

Arsen, who recognized her faster than anyone, could only lower his head. When he saw her walking straight toward Sieg, his world shattered.

“S-Saintess…?”

Out of nowhere, the Saintess appeared and immediately gave me a coy, knowing smile. That familiar smile… I felt like I’d seen it recently. Actually, I was pretty sure it had been today.

“Ah, you’re the one from the written exam…!”

“Correct, Sir Sieg. I wasn’t able to introduce myself properly back then. My name is Freya Badanis. Though I am unworthy, I currently serve as the Saintess of the Holy Church.”

Freya, the Saintess, bowed her head with elegant grace. During the written test she had been wearing a robe that covered most of her face, and I had been too annoyed to even look at her properly. Now I could see her clearly for the first time.

Her hair was a striking pink, like cherry blossoms announcing the arrival of spring. Her soft facial lines and gentle smile combined into something that truly resembled a single perfect flower. But what stood out most were her bright pink eyes—they seemed to pierce straight into the soul of anyone she looked at. A faint, soothing glow surrounded her, putting the heart at ease.

Freya Badanis. The dignity of a Saintess radiated from every inch of her skin.

While everyone else stood stunned by her sudden appearance, Freya calmly approached the patients.

“Examiner, if I may, I’d like to inspect the patients for a moment.”

All the patients she approached were ones I had healed with my magic. She examined them one by one with great care before speaking.

“I, Freya Badanis, Saintess of the Holy Church, swear upon my name and position: the magic Sir Sieg has shown is not the wicked sorcery of the demon race. It is a sacred power descended from the heavens themselves.”

She testified before the entire crowd, staking her authority and her very name on it.

“W-well, if the Saintess says so…”

“Who would dare contradict the Saintess? Indeed. Ahem.”

The confusion died down. The cold gazes of the crowd shifted from me to Arsen. He had tried to frame me by abusing his mother’s authority as High Priestess, but Freya’s testimony completely nullified his scheme. Instead, Arsen became the one receiving icy stares.

“As the Saintess, I observed the entire examination. Interestingly, I discovered something rather amusing about Arsen Gray. Arsen, please show everyone what you’re hiding in your robes.”

“W-what are you talking about, Saintess? What could I possibly be hiding?”

“The potion you drank right before the test. You still have the bottle tucked inside your clothes, don’t you?”

Freya gave a meaningful glance to the holy knights guarding her. The knights immediately approached Arsen and pulled a small vial from inside his robes. The liquid inside gave off an unpleasant greenish glow.

“This potion is the ‘Mana Enhancement Elixir’ that has been strictly banned by the church. It is a product of the demon race. Do you still wish to deny it, Arsen Gray?”

“T-that’s… it’s not mine!”

“Then whose is it? Who exactly put that bottle inside Arsen Gray’s clothes?”

Freya’s cold, contempt-filled gaze pierced Arsen. His face turned deathly pale. Cold sweat poured down his skin as he suddenly screamed.

“I didn’t want to do it! Mother gave me the potion and ordered me to use it! I didn’t do anything wrong! It wasn’t me… hic… it wasn’t me…!”

Stuttering and sobbing, Arsen eventually broke down into full-blown tears—while throwing his own mother under the bus in the process.

After that, the matter was settled quickly. At Freya’s command to bring in High Priestess Gray, both mother and son were judged on the spot. Freya delivered her verdict with icy composure.

“We shall follow the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will of the One True God.”

The holy knights solemnly dragged the pair away.

“S-Saintess! Please forgive us just this once!!”

“Mom! Why did you make me do this?! It’s all your fault! Waaahhh…”

It seemed the incident was finally over.

“Sir Sieg, are you satisfied with the outcome? If it feels insufficient in any way… I’m quite curious. Ah, but first I should offer my sincere apology. On behalf of the entire Holy Church, I truly apologize.”

“We apologize!”

When the Saintess bowed her head in apology, all the other High Priests, priests, and holy knights around her did the same—every single one of them bowing toward me alone.

“If you feel their punishment is still lacking… we could discuss it further in a private meeting between just the two of us…”

“It’s perfectly sufficient.”

I answered Freya’s question immediately. Of course it was enough. Cutting out the tongue was already plenty brutal, but sending them to the reformation facility on top of that? That place had earned its terrifying reputation during the war with the beastmen. It was staffed entirely by inquisitors, and once you entered, you couldn’t leave until you had fully paid for your sins. Even then, whether you actually made it out alive was questionable. It was less a reformation facility and more a torture hell where people were tormented until they died.

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear it. But if you feel it’s still not enough, please don’t hesitate to speak with me privately. There’s a nice quiet place where we could talk comfortably… you don’t need to feel burdened at all…”

“No, no. That won’t be necessary.”

I refused as strongly as possible.

The Saintess, Freya. As I mentioned before, the people of this religion were terrifying. And among them, this perverted Saintess who enjoyed self-harm was especially unpredictable. The safest option was to avoid her completely. She was the very last person I wanted to get entangled with after being transported into this world.

To think I’d run into the Saintess here of all places.

I had only planned to take the test and run, but now I’d come face to face with her. My luck really was the absolute worst.

Once the incident was closed, the test resumed normally. The moment it ended, I bolted.

I never want to come back here again.

The only downside was that I’d have to return once more to check the results and receive my certificate.

*

After all the applicants had left, only the High Priests and the Saintess remained in the examination hall.

“Is it truly possible for a man to produce such power?”

“I’ve never seen such sacred and noble light before… it was as beautiful as something straight out of the holy scriptures.”

They were still deeply immersed in the afterglow of the magic Sieg had displayed. Having watched the test from afar, they couldn’t hide their shock. The more they understood, the more astonished they became. The magic Sieg had used was no ordinary spell—it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a grand magic that could not be taken lightly. The High Priests who had recognized it at a glance were so shaken they needed to talk it out.

“Ahem… especially that magic he showed at the sixth stage… wasn’t it even superior to the Saintess’s healing?”

“Come now, you can’t say things like that in front of the Saintess.”

“Hup…!”

A few of the High Priests who had been enthusiastically debating suddenly glanced nervously at the Saintess. She stood at the absolute peak of the church. No one could dare oppose her. Worried they might have offended her, they quickly shut their mouths and fell silent.

“It’s alright. That magic was clearly superior to mine.”

Freya admitted it plainly. Denying the truth simply wasn’t in her nature. In her honest heart, she knew it was a power that couldn’t even be compared to her own magic. It carried a holiness that humans should not carelessly judge. One could say it was the very authority of heaven itself.

Ah… I want to receive it myself.

Freya thought that she wanted to feel that power with her own body. She hoped that day would come soon. No—if it didn’t come naturally, she would make it happen. She would taste it no matter what.

Freya licked her lips.