The Saint's Sacrifice and the Accursed Prayer
Grace, the saint who had ascended, had stepped onto the NTR route for only one reason.
It was the Maiden's Prayer.
This was the forbidden miracle that could resurrect a dead soul—but only by sacrificing immense divine power. In exchange, the caster would become completely bound to the subject.
If it were only binding, it might have been tolerable. But the curse carried several fatal flaws.
First, the portal opened by the prayer did not merely connect the two worlds. The first soul to step through would claim everything of the caster.
Even if the target was revived, any being already near that portal—whether a ghost, a soul, or even an unwitting intruder—could invade it and steal the caster’s place. The caster would then be condemned to an eternity of subjugation by the undead of the afterlife.
Second, even if the target survived, the caster would be dragged straight into hell the moment the subject lacked a level of affection sufficient to treat the caster as a treasured possession. The demons there would torment body and soul with every cruel method they could devise.
Third—and this was the worst—once all conditions were met, the caster would be reduced to nothing more than a puppet, their body, heart, and emotions under the complete control of the target.
Of course, in the story itself, Grace had cast the spell on Ian. She never had to worry about losing her human dignity. But that didn’t make the risk any smaller.
“Still… the risk is far too high,” I muttered to myself.
The author’s intention was written all over the setting. The Maiden's Prayer required godlike divine power, and only the Saintess of the Holy Church had ever been able to use it. Once a woman became Saintess, the method was taught to her as naturally as breathing.
That was exactly why I had proposed it to Grace.
“Would you like to form a party with me in the Student Council?”
“Yes.”
The Student Council at this academy had always been occupied by the department’s second-place and valedictorian. Grace, the valedictorian of the Divinity Department, would naturally join the Student Council and end up paired with Ian on missions. I had to stop that from happening. After all, two years of her affection had stemmed entirely from Ian’s repulsive hero complex.
‘Even a villain can repent, right? If there’s any chance of repentance, forgiveness is the minimum.’
Just thinking about it made me want to vomit. I knew that if Ian had shown even the slightest remorse, the story would have let him live. But he never had. He’d kept pushing until Grace was forced to use the prayer to save him, and that was how everything had spiraled into tragedy.
Four-person parties were already dangerous because of the Ozirapers—one extra and the difficulty skyrocketed. With half of them, the party would’ve ended in a hilarious slapstick death, and Grace would’ve wept while invoking the prayer. I had to prevent that.
The best way was to keep Grace by my side. That way, she’d never develop feelings for Ian, the other three members would stop unnecessarily endangering him, and I’d still protect the protagonist’s life while planting insurance. Plus, the best potion in the story was waiting for me—and I’d be in Lily’s party. It was a perfect triple win.
While my happy circuit ran at full speed, Grace tilted her head and looked at me curiously.
“…Have you fallen for me at first sight, Mr. Berry?”
“No.”
“Hmm… That’s the truth, then.”
I deliberately let my face look like it was rotting, shaking my head so hard her eyes widened.
She had eyes that could tell when someone was lying—something I’d only heard about, never seen described. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but maybe there really was a floating “TRUTH” or “LIE” label above every head.
“Then why would you put me in a party when we’ve only just met?”
“I can’t explain in detail, but there’s a reason you have to be in a party with me.”
“You can’t tell me the reason, but you insist I must stay with you anyway…?”
Her jewel-like eyes locked onto mine with perfect steadiness.
I simply nodded.
Grace immediately fired back.
“Are you doing this because you have feelings for me?”
“…You can rest easy. I don’t have that kind of emotion—not even enough to fill a fingernail.”
I nearly spat a curse. I hadn’t seen the attack coming, so I’d almost let it slip.
I might not understand her mindset, but I could see why she’d think it. Grace was an absolute beauty. Any man would turn his head at least once.
‘But not me, you damn yandere.’
Every time I read Record of Academy Demon God Subjugation, I nearly got cancer from second-hand embarrassment. Ian had been about to kill us all with his hero nonsense, yet he kept trying to save him. The village chief’s lecherous stares had kept me awake for nights. Grace had gone out of her way to heal every single patient, only to waste her holy power and become a useless burden. Just imagining how much trouble she’d caused because of Ian’s encouragement made me want to slap her right now.
Whatever she saw in my eyes—whether it was sincerity or just exhaustion—Grace stared at the ceiling for a long moment, then nodded.
“If that’s the case, there’s no reason for me to refuse your offer. Even if there were, I couldn’t turn down a request from someone who needs my help.”
“Good. Thank you.”
I meant it. For the first time in a while, things looked like they might actually go smoothly thanks to her meddling.
—Knock. Knock.
Just as Grace finished checking my condition and left, someone knocked on my hospital room door.
“Come in.”
I sat up straighter, expecting Lily. I had to be careful; she might have heard I’d woken up. But the person who stepped through the door was completely unexpected.
“…Headmaster?”
“How is your body, Berry?”
The headmaster himself had come to visit. I couldn’t refuse to answer, so I moved my limbs around, showing him that most of my recovery was complete.
“As you can see.”
“That’s good news. Ah, I’m not here just to visit. I came because I wanted to talk about the compensation and apology for what happened in that incident.”
“Compensation?”
My eyes widened in genuine surprise. The headmaster smiled with satisfaction.
He and Ian had both gone through this process, so I knew what was coming, but I played it up for effect.
“Yes. A student who prevented something that could have become a major disaster deserves a fitting reward. I heard you’re a swordsman, Berry, yet you don’t even own a particularly good blade.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Of course it was. I was from a commoner background. Bringing a good sword into the empire during the noble attacks would have raised too many questions. I’d only glimpsed a few on display, but I’d never been able to touch one.
But now…
Ian, who came from nobility, had ended up with a protective artifact. I was about to get an actual sword. My lips trembled with barely restrained joy.
The headmaster noticed my excitement and continued with a warm smile still on his face.
“Then… when would it be best for you to enter the academy’s treasure vault? If your body isn’t fully healed yet, perhaps after a little more time…”
“Right now.”
There was no point in waiting. Who knew what kind of absurd situation might block my path next?
I pushed the bed aside and followed the headmaster toward the treasure vault.
I had no idea what kind of miracle was waiting for me inside.