The Saintess (2)
Nine presences surrounded me. Where the hell did they suddenly pop out from? Strange. At this distance, there was no way I could have missed them. Were they hiding? Maybe they used magic or some magical tool to conceal their presence. Or perhaps they’d received professional assassin training that let them completely erase their aura.
Was that guy the bait? I looked down at the man collapsed at my feet. The treatment was finished, but he was still unconscious. Really now. Had I grown too soft from all this peace? To fall for such a sloppy trap.
Well, whatever. It’s actually better this way. It’s not every day you get to fight nine opponents at once. All that devoted prayer must have paid off. The Heavenly God is clearly rewarding me for my sincere devotion. I’ll gladly enjoy this gift.
I prepared for battle. I simply reinforced my body with mana. Just as I sharpened my nerves and began observing the enemies’ movements, one man boldly stepped forward. He looked like the leader of the group.
“Who are you?” I glared at the man. A warm-looking young man. Tall, with a well-developed physique. He didn’t seem like the type to do dirty work… but appearances could be deceiving. He had an honest face. It reminded me of my younger days. He didn’t look like an adventurer. His posture suggested rigorous training. Maybe a mercenary, or a private soldier from some noble house.
“That person there.” The man pointed his sword at the collapsed figure at my feet. “Leave him and quietly move on.”
There was no hostility directed at me. The others were the same. While I could feel their prickling, impure gazes stabbing at my chest, they didn’t seem to have any intention of kidnapping me. Hah, how disappointing. To pass up such a golden opportunity and just tell me to move on quietly. I couldn’t let that happen.
I spread both arms wide, blocking the man who was approaching me.
“No.” I looked up at him. “If you want to take him, you’ll have to defeat me first.”
I meant every word.
Leo looked down at the nun standing in his way. The girl was staring up at him with fierce eyes. It was like watching a small dog growl at a large one without knowing its place. What did she think she could do alone? She must know it was impossible to face nine people by herself. Especially since his side was armed and she had nothing.
He had given her a chance to run. But the girl had kicked that chance away. For a person whose name and identity she didn’t even know. Just someone she happened to find while passing by.
This woman…
Saint Knight Leo recalled the mission he had been given: to confirm the woman of the oracle. It had happened a week ago.
On a winter day when snow fell like feathers, an oracle descended upon the Papal Palace like snowflakes. It said that in the southern part of the Empire lived a woman who possessed the soul of a saintess.
The Papal Palace immediately dispatched the five Saint Knights of the Holy Kingdom to the southern Empire. The five knights scattered to gather information. If there was even the slightest connection, they would verify it in person.
‘Hey, you know about that place called Edel Convent on the hill where the breeze rests?’
It was a conversation Leo overheard between adventurers drinking ale at an inn.
‘Have you ever heard about the Saintess living there?’
Leo had listened carefully. Their talk went like this: A girl lived at the Edel Convent, and the healing magic she used was supposedly close to a miracle—an exaggerated tale. Still, it was worth checking out.
Leo had asked the abbess of the Edel Convent to send the most promising nun into the forest. It was to run a few tests. The one who appeared in the forest was this very girl. And she had passed the test.
It wasn’t confirmed yet, but Leo judged that this girl had more than enough qualities to become the saintess. A strong spirit. Bravery, if you put it nicely. Recklessness, if you put it badly. She had offered herself as a shield to protect another in the face of danger.
Leo looked into the girl’s eyes. Her ruby-red pupils stared straight back at him. Within them, he felt a powerful will. The will to protect the fallen man, no doubt.
Next was her Holy Power. He had watched her use healing magic. To put it simply, it was the Holy Power of a saintess. He would need to examine it more closely, but just by touching the wound, a warm surge of holy energy had cleanly healed it. It was no ordinary power. It was special. Surely a gift bestowed by the Heavenly God at birth. To save the world. To redeem the world.
“I apologize.”
“…Pardon?”
Leo knelt on one knee before the girl. He was certain. This girl was the woman of the oracle.
“I am Leo, a Saint Knight of the Holy Kingdom.” He bowed his head respectfully. “It is an honor to meet you, Saintess.”
As soon as Leo knelt, the other knights surrounding the girl followed suit, showing their respect.
“What? Suddenly…?” The girl blinked in confusion.
“I came here on the Pope’s orders to find the woman of the oracle.”
“The woman of the oracle?”
“One week ago, an oracle descended upon the Holy Kingdom. It said that in the southern part of the Empire, there is a woman who possesses the soul of a saintess. And that woman is you.”
“You’ve got the wrong person.”
“No, I have not.”
“I said you’ve got the wrong person.”
“No, I have not.”
The girl—Elia—found the situation utterly bewildering. What the hell is this nonsense? Saint Knight? Saintess? This had nothing to do with her.
“The way you offered yourself as a shield to protect an injured person. The Holy Power you were born with. All of it marks you as a saintess.”
They were clearly misunderstanding something. Elia had simply wanted to fight. It wasn’t that she wanted to protect the injured person—she just wanted to move her body.
“You must be confused.”
“You can say that again.”
“But it is the truth. Please, come with us to the Holy Kingdom.”
“I refuse.”
He didn’t seem to be joking. The man kneeling before her was dead serious. He genuinely wanted to take Elia to the Holy Kingdom. She had known something like this might happen eventually… She had realized it the moment Holy Power manifested in her body. That she would eventually catch the eye of the Holy Kingdom. But she hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly. She had been living quietly at the convent.
An oracle? The Heavenly God must be punishing me. He must have been watching me pretend to pray beautifully during service while actually sleeping. I’m sorry. I’ll pray earnestly from now on, so please cancel that oracle.
“Fine. Let’s say I am the woman the God spoke of.”
“You are indeed the woman of the oracle.”
“It’s a hypothetical.”
Elia pressed a hand to her forehead. What a stubborn bastard. Leo had no intention of changing his judgment once it was made. This girl was the saintess. He was certain. Absolutely certain.
“Even if I possess the qualities of a saintess, I have no desire to become one.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m going to join the Imperial Army. My goal is to go to the front lines, drive back the demonic beasts, defeat the fiends, slay the Demon King, and end this long, drawn-out war.”
She never thought she’d tell this story to someone else first. But it didn’t really matter.
“As expected…!” Leo became even more convinced. “You truly possess the soul of a saintess.”
“What? In what way, exactly?”
“The heart that wishes to sacrifice itself to protect the knights on the battlefield.”
“No, that’s not—!”
“The resolve to make a difficult decision for the sake of peace. All of it proves that you are meant to become the saintess.”
This is driving me crazy. He’s interpreting everything however he likes. It seemed there was no point trying to talk to him. Elia decided to run.
“Let’s end the conversation here. I need to go see a patient in the village.”
Elia walked past Leo. He followed behind her. When she quickened her pace, he matched it.
“Stop following me.” She turned and glared at him. Leo simply bowed his head politely. And when Elia started running, Leo followed after her.
Elia ran. Her breasts bounced heavily up and down. A bra alone clearly wasn’t enough to hold them in place. She needed to wrap them tightly with cloth like she did during nighttime training to reduce the discomfort.
“You’ll get hurt if you fall.” A voice came from behind. Leo was chasing after her with light steps. She was running at considerable speed thanks to body reinforcement, yet he was keeping up without using any reinforcement at all.
No choice then. Elia stretched her hand behind her. A flash of Holy Power burst forth. A golden wave flooded the forest, blinding the man’s eyes. In that moment, she used her mana. She kicked hard against the ground. Her body shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
“…As I thought, she’s no ordinary girl.”
Leo stared quietly at the spot where Elia had vanished.
“I don’t understand.”
Why would she refuse? Shouldn’t she be happy? It was a chance to become the saintess. He had never imagined she would reject it so firmly. Still, he had no intention of backing down. No matter how much she refused, he had to bring the girl to the Holy Kingdom. They needed her. To fill the empty seat of the saintess as quickly as possible.