The Saintess and the Hero's Left Arm
I heard the full story from Louis about how he lost his arm.
The Hero's party. After overcoming countless trials, they finally reached the Demon King. It was the final battle. All they had to do was defeat him.
…Easier said than done.
The Demon King had made a contract with an evil god and ascended to demigodhood. I knew exactly how strong he was. I'd faced him myself and tasted the bitterness of that power.
But even I never imagined that the Hero's party—made up of those called the greatest heroes—would be utterly annihilated.
The Hero, Louis. The Eastern Magic Tower Master, Eirene. The Ruler of the Canyon, Raven. The Daughter of the World Tree, Tia. And the Saintess, Aris.
That party of five was completely wiped out by the Demon King. All except for one person.
Just as the Demon King's blade was about to cut Louis down, the Saintess sacrificed herself, allowing him to barely escape with his life. But he didn't come out unscathed. He paid for that defeat with his left arm.
While fleeing the Demon King's castle, he was struck by the Demon King's magic. His left arm was reduced to ash in an instant.
The Saintess gave her life so that the Hero might live.
“Still, I’ve gotten used to it now. I can live just fine with one arm.”
Louis smiled and wiggled the fingers of his right hand playfully.
What an idiot. This guy had used a two-handed sword his entire life. Both blades hanging at his waist were two-handed swords. Sure, you could swing them one-handed, but they were designed for two. My teachings had been built around that foundation too.
Losing an arm must have cost him a good portion of his original swordsmanship skill. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Looking at my disciple like this made a sigh slip out. I felt like calling him a pathetic fool. Even though none of it was his fault, it still upset me to see him like this.
“Does your arm… not hurt?”
“Huh?”
I quickly waved both hands in denial, startled.
“Ah, I mean—does your arm not hurt, sir?”
Living in the convent had made the nuns’ polite speech my default, but thinking about the old days must have brought my old tone slipping out without me realizing.
“It’s fine now. Well… I guess it’s not exactly fine?”
Louis shook his empty left sleeve and laughed heartily. I suppose it really is true that like master, like disciple. I could see my old self overlapping with him. I used to do the same thing—making self-deprecating jokes so others wouldn’t worry about me.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I placed my hand on Louis’s left shoulder.
“I don’t know how much this will help, but…”
I closed my eyes and offered a prayer. Holy Power bloomed forth. A faint golden light shimmered from my palm and seeped into him.
A prayer to ease the lingering aftereffects has been placed upon you.
“I’ve cast a prayer that should help alleviate the aftereffects.”
I knew him too well. This guy was like family to me. We’d been together from the time he was a snot-nosed brat until the day I died. He was the kind of person who hid even the smallest pains.
“You were lying when you said you were fine, weren’t you?”
Louis’s lips curved up in that familiar little smile. Same as always. He always made that exact face whenever he lied.
I ruffled his hair.
“Hiding your pain might look stupid, but it’s kind of cool.”
The smile on Louis’s face slowly melted away. He stared up at me with dazed eyes.
Oh no! Mistake!
I’d unconsciously acted like I did in the old days.
“A-anyway! That means I won the match, right?”
I pulled my hand from his head and quickly walked back into the convent.
It was truly strange.
That girl kept overlapping with the image of my master in my mind.
‘You pathetic fool.’
Even while scolding me harshly, Master would gently stroke my head.
‘But it was cool, wasn’t it?’
It was a nostalgic feeling.
Louis raised a hand to his left shoulder. The warmth still lingered there. The excruciating pain that had clung to him like a curse was completely gone. No matter how many treatments he received, that pain had never fully disappeared—until a single prayer washed it away.
Setting swordsmanship aside, that girl was clearly no ordinary person when it came to Holy Power either. Could she truly be the Saintess from the divine oracle?
She had become even more necessary.
Even if she wasn’t the Saintess, she was needed. With that kind of ability, she would undoubtedly be a tremendous help.
To the next Hero…
Louis knew the truth. He could still go to the battlefield, but he was in no condition to defeat the Demon King. Right now, he was focused on raising the next Hero who would succeed him. That girl could become a solid pillar of support for the new Hero.
“Should I try persuading her one more time?”
There was the promise made through their duel. If it was Elia, she would definitely demand to join the Imperial Army. Even as a knight in the Imperial forces, she would be a powerful asset. Her swordsmanship was already exceptional. Even in that brief exchange, he could tell her skill surpassed that of most knights.
She was also proficient in body reinforcement through mana. She might even be able to use Sword Qi. She could head straight to the front lines without issue.
But it would be far too wasteful to let that sacred power rot away in the military.
Frankly speaking, there were plenty of talents who could become Sword Saints. But only those chosen by the gods could become a Saintess.
Louis decided to try convincing Elia one more time. Persistence was his specialty. When learning swordsmanship, he would practice relentlessly until he mastered it perfectly. If she refused ten times, he would simply ask an eleventh.
I returned to my room.
“Haa…”
I let out a long sigh and flopped down onto the bed. My heart was in turmoil. Hearing about the Hero’s party had left me feeling heavy.
…I never thought the Saintess had actually died.
That girl with her mysterious aura still appeared vividly in my mind. She had been young, yet mature beyond her years. Before she became an adult, she used to follow me around calling me “Sword Saint Grandpa!”
“Tsk…”
The Holy See still hadn’t officially announced the Saintess’s death. They were claiming she was resting due to deteriorating health. It was because the existence of a Saintess held such immense symbolic weight for the Heavenly God religion. They must have feared the sorrow and rage the believers would feel upon learning that the daughter of the Heavenly God had been killed by the Demon King.
That was why they needed a new Saintess—to fill the void left by Saintess Aris so that no one would notice her absence.
Of course, there were political reasons as well. The Saintess was an indispensable figure for the Holy Kingdom.
I hope that child can rest in peace…
She who had sacrificed herself for others until her final breath would probably be unable to close her eyes even in death, worrying about the church.
‘Please rest easy now.’
That was what Saintess Aris had said to me. Even at the very end, she had apologized and worried about me. She wore a sorrowful expression as if it had all been her fault, even though none of it was.
“Hah… damn it…!”
I roughly tousled my own hair.
I would return to the battlefield. This time, I would fulfill the dream I couldn’t achieve before.
But if it was for that child’s sake—if it was to offer her even a small repayment—
“I suppose I should visit the Holy Kingdom once?”
It still wasn’t confirmed that I was the Saintess. I might be. Or I might not.
“Ugh…”
It was a difficult decision. Should I enlist in the Imperial Army as planned? Or should I stop by the Holy Kingdom first to get confirmation?
And what if I really was the Saintess?
They would never let me go. The Holy See would hold onto me with everything they had. I absolutely hated the idea.
If I didn’t have memories from my previous life, I would have accepted it with joy. But because the memories of my time as the Sword Saint had returned, the choice wasn’t easy.
I knew myself. I wasn’t an ordinary girl. The innate Holy Power was clearly something granted by the gods. There was no way they would give someone such power for no reason. It was practically the same as saying, You are the next Saintess.
Why! Just why? That was the only thought that came to mind.
“What happens if I become the Saintess…?”
Considering the age of all previous Saintesses, I would most likely enter the Theology Department at the Imperial Academy to study sacred studies. After graduating, I would undergo further training at the Holy See. That really didn’t suit my temperament.
If I had to attend the Academy, I’d rather join the Swordsmanship Department. These days I studied a bit, but in my youth I had been far removed from anything resembling academics. Born as the son of a serf, I worked the fields instead of learning to read. When I grew a little older, I enlisted in the Imperial Army and became a knight. Using my body was what suited me best.
“I can’t make up my mind.”
My worries only grew deeper.
“…Alright.”
After hugging my pillow and agonizing for a long time, I finally made my decision.
“I’ll go and see.”
I let out a deep sigh. I would simply go to the Holy Kingdom and receive confirmation. I could decide what to do after that. Even if I enlisted in the Imperial Army, the Holy Kingdom would persistently keep trying to contact me. It would be better to settle things cleanly rather than dealing with their constant annoyance.
I got up from the bed, left the room, and walked down the corridor with heavy steps.
Where was Louis? I didn’t have to go far before I found him. He was loitering near my room.
“Ah! What a coincidence!”
Yeah, right. As if.
“I understand.”
“Hm? What do you understand?”
“I’ll go with you to the Holy Kingdom.”
“Really?”
“Yes. After all, you or the Holy Knights would have kept pestering me until I agreed anyway.”
“Thank you!”
Louis placed his hand on top of my head.
“You made the right choice.”
Then he gently stroked my hair.
“Hiiiii…!”
A shiver ran down my spine. To think I, a master, was being patted on the head by my own disciple. I shoved Louis away hard.
“Don’t touch my body!”
I glared at him with eyes full of contempt. I was genuinely creeped out. I was sure goosebumps had risen all over my arms.
“Ah… S-sorry.”