The Assassinated Emperor Became a Saint Because She Loved Axes So Much
The axe felt good in my hands.
From the bottom of the empire all the way to the very top, I had climbed by swinging this thing. And then my own subordinate stabbed me in the back and assassinated me.
…Or so I thought.
Now I’ve possessed the body of some saint whose identity I can’t even figure out, and I’ve come back to life.
So in this life, I guess I’ll just do what I’ve always done—swing an axe.
That was the plan, anyway.
“Your Holiness, the Holy Sword has manifested!”
The bishop’s voice rang out with reverence as he knelt before me.
I stared blankly at the thing floating in the air in front of me.
It was a massive, gleaming battle-axe. The kind that could split a man’s skull in one clean swing. The kind I used to love.
But the bishop was calling it a Holy Sword.
…This has to be a mistake, right?
I slowly reached out and grabbed the handle. The moment my fingers closed around it, a warm, golden light poured from the axe and wrapped around my body. The sensation was strangely familiar—like coming home after a long war.
The bishop’s eyes widened in awe.
“O-Ohhh! The divine power is reacting so strongly! This is the first time since the founding of the church that a saint has manifested a weapon of this caliber!”
I gave the axe a light swing. The air screamed as it cut through space, and a faint trail of holy light followed the blade.
It felt… perfect.
Like it had been made just for me.
“Your Holiness, what shall we call this holy weapon?” the bishop asked, still on his knees, voice trembling with emotion.
I thought for a moment.
In my previous life, I had named my favorite axe Skullsplitter. But that probably wouldn’t fly here.
After a short pause, I answered in a calm, dignified voice—the kind expected of a saint.
“Executioner.”
The bishop looked momentarily confused, but quickly bowed even deeper.
“What a magnificent name! Truly befitting the Saint of the Empire!”
I almost laughed out loud.
Saint of the Empire?
I was the emperor once. The one who had been betrayed and murdered in the imperial palace. And now I was a saint?
The irony was so thick I could taste it.
But more than that, one question kept burning in my mind.
Who the hell killed me?
The face of my closest aide flashed through my memory—his calm smile as he drove the dagger into my back. I still remembered the cold steel sliding between my ribs, the way my vision had gone dark as I fell.
I tightened my grip on the axe until the wood creaked.
In my last life, I had trusted people too easily. I had believed that loyalty could be earned through strength and fairness alone.
This time would be different.
I would find every last traitor. I would crush them. And I would do it with this holy axe that the church so kindly provided.
The bishop was still rambling about prophecies and divine will, but I wasn’t really listening anymore.
Instead, I looked down at my new body.
Small, delicate hands. Long silver hair that flowed like moonlight. A face so beautiful it almost didn’t feel real.
I was a woman now.
Well… that’s going to take some getting used to.
But the weight of the axe in my hands felt exactly the same as it always had. That was enough.
I swung Executioner once more, feeling the holy power surge through my veins like liquid fire.
A faint smile crept across my lips.
“Looks like I get to start over from the bottom again.”
This time, though, I wouldn’t stop at emperor.
I’d become something even the gods couldn’t touch.
I rested the axe on my shoulder and turned toward the stained-glass windows of the cathedral. Sunlight poured through in brilliant colors, painting the marble floor like fresh blood.
“Bishop.”
“Y-Yes, Your Holiness?”
“Prepare a carriage. I’m going to the imperial palace.”
The bishop’s face went pale.
“B-But Your Holiness, the emperor has only just passed away. The palace is in chaos—”
“Exactly,” I cut him off, voice cold. “That’s why I need to go. There are some debts I have to collect.”
I spun the axe in my hand, the holy blade humming with power.
In my previous life, I had died like a fool.
In this life, I would make them regret ever putting a knife in my back.
After all…
I still really, really love axes.