The Saintess and the Severed Sins
The Hero had once loved the Saintess.
"The legs are the most important part."
"Huh? But you swing your sword with your arms, don't you?"
"The beginning of every movement comes from the subtle sensations in your pelvis, knees, and the tips of your toes, you fool!"
Thwack— Even though the Sword Master's wooden blade moved slower than a fluttering butterfly, it carried an unavoidable mystery. I had trained under that great Sword Saint for eight years. After that, I spent another five years rolling around in the real world, eventually reaching the realm of Sword Master in my own way.
I wasn't sure how close I had come to Kellyban now, but at the very least, I was strong enough to cut down an obese archbishop in a single stroke.
"Ugh…! Aaaargh…!!"
Whether divine power couldn't cure baldness or not, the archbishop clutched the spot where his arm had been and knelt, his gleaming bald scalp clearly visible. Airen took one look at the scene and immediately clung to him, using holy magic to help stop the bleeding. It wasn't enough to regrow a new arm, but the flowing blood soon clotted and the pain eased.
"Airen, I didn't think you'd help him. Have you really grown that attached?"
I had been pondering it the whole time. What kind of reaction she would show. What kind of backstory there might have been. Would she cry and beg for forgiveness? Or would she pour out every excuse and demand judgment? Or perhaps—what kind of face would she make when she finally looked at me?
'Ah.'
Airen was staring at me with a face twisted in terror. It was the look one might give a thug who had just cut down her lover.
"Puhahahahaha—!!"
I swept my bangs back, tilted my head, and laughed like a madman. Because this sight was simply too ridiculous.
"I-it's a misunderstanding, Leon! So, so this is…."
"You're going to make excuses? Fine, go ahead. I'm dying to hear what you'll say."
"This is…."
Airen couldn't easily open her mouth, as if she were desperately trying to come up with an excuse on the spot. The one who spoke first was the ugly, aging archbishop.
"I-I merely caught her when she was about to fall! I don't know what kind of filthy delusion you're having to do something like this…! But I will not let this pass easily…!"
"Oh? Is that so? Inventory."
Space split open and a small black hole appeared in the air. Whether it was because of Leon's body or a talent I possessed after possessing him, I had an incredible aptitude not only for the sword but for magic as well. Thanks to that, I had been able to develop several useful spells myself, and Inventory was one of them.
I rummaged inside for a moment, pulled out a few sheets of paper, crumpled them in my hand, and threw them in front of the archbishop. The balled-up bundle of documents rolled across the ground with a soft thud and stopped before him.
"…W-what are you doing right now?"
"Read it. There's some interesting content."
"…Airen, unfold the paper and show—"
"You unfold it and read it yourself. Think carefully. The blade closest to you right now is my sword."
"…."
The archbishop moved his one remaining hand and struggled to unfold the complicatedly crumpled paper. For some reason, I didn't like it. I had crumpled it as tightly as possible so it wouldn't open easily, yet he was managing to smooth it out fairly well with just one hand.
Schlick—
"Guhhhhhh—!!!"
So I cut off his left arm too. I didn't even move from my spot. Simply swinging from where I stood was more than enough to sever his arm.
"Leon…!!"
"Shut up and stop the bleeding, unless you want him to die from blood loss."
"…Leon."
Airen seemed to realize that speaking to me now would only hurt her, so she bit her lip and activated her holy magic. As the archbishop's bleeding gradually stopped, his fading consciousness from the pain slowly returned.
"Ugh… Why…! At this rate I can't even read the paper…."
"You've got that, don't you?"
I stuck out my tongue and pointed at it with my finger. The archbishop, who had been writhing on the ground in agony, saw my gesture and opened his mouth as if in rage. But no words came out.
It was because I had unleashed my spirit—filled with killing intent, resentment, and hatred—directly at the archbishop alone. He trembled like an aspen leaf as he met my eyes, then lowered his head. Drooling onto the floor, he stuck out his tongue and struggled to unfold the papers.
The sight was exactly like a caterpillar crawling across the ground. He bent and straightened his knees to move his body, then used his tongue pressed against the floor to peel apart the stacked sheets of paper. He succeeded.
"Oh~ Not bad."
I gave him a small round of applause, impressed by his tearful effort.
"This humiliation… I will never for…get…?"
The archbishop, who had been forcing out his words in rage, suddenly fell silent the moment his eyes fell on the contents of the documents I had thrown. They contained every single one of the sexual assaults, violence, corruption, and even—human trafficking—he had committed within the church. Every piece of evidence was recorded in meticulous detail.
And the very first document, which appeared to have been written earliest, read….
Saintess Expulsion Plan
It was the corruption he had committed thirteen years ago to have the Saintess banished to the empire ahead of schedule. The document proposed that the bishops treat Airen not as the reincarnation of the Goddess, but merely as a pig with an unusually large reservoir of divine power.
"N-no, h-how…?"
"I must have looked pretty stupid. The way you all never even considered that I might have planted spies was quite amusing, you know?"
"Since when… Just how long have you…!"
"Five years ago."
By now the archbishop's face had gone completely pale. The documents didn't just contain clear evidence—they also included detailed plans on how to prove it all and bring it to public attention.
"The Goddess has ordered your punishment."
A face drenched in despair. Don't worry. I have no intention of killing you.
Swoosh— I flicked my sword lightly. It was only a small leap, yet a gust of wind filled the entire alley.
"Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!"
The archbishop, who had been cut in a place that should never have been cut, slammed his forehead against the ground and rolled around in agony. The injuries weren't visible on the surface, so Airen had no idea where to direct her holy magic.
"No need to worry, Airen. His life isn't in danger."
"W-where exactly did you…."
"One of the seven sins that must be punished under the Goddess's blessing. Lust. I simply carved it out."
"N-no! …! N-no, that's not—!"
Airen reacted with frantic alarm at my words, looking at the archbishop with worried eyes before belatedly realizing her own state and turning her head away again. That alone confirmed it for me once more.
"You've become a bitch in heat, Airen. To think the Saintess's sense of morality would fall this far."
"No, that's not true."
"Saintess or whatever, maybe you were just a woman with a lot of divine power after all. Or should I say, a female?"
"…Leon!!"
Just then, soldiers began entering the alley. Troops appeared at both ends of the narrow passage, surrounding me, Airen, and the now-genderless archbishop.
"Archbishop Henvil, who has committed countless evil deeds! We hereby strip you of your position and take you into custody!"
"Wait! This is the capital of Revanhart! It is only right that the Imperial Army escort him!"
The Holy Kingdom's troops stationed in the capital and the Imperial soldiers pointed their spears at each other, glaring with sharp hostility. It was proof that even though high officials and bishops smiled and socialized on the surface, they were ultimately keeping each other in check.
I didn't particularly care which side took him, so I simply stepped back and watched. After some negotiation, it was eventually the Holy Kingdom's side that took Henvil away. Even though all his crimes had been exposed and he was now ruined, he had still once been an archbishop. It made sense.
"As expected of the Hero! May you always walk in justice beneath the Goddess's blessing."
The situation was quickly resolved. Since I had already reported him in advance, there was no reason for them to take me along as well. Compared to the sins he had committed, losing both arms was nothing.
Besides, the soldiers probably felt it would be too burdensome to criticize the currently powerful Hero for being too harsh. Of course, the Holy Kingdom itself would later use this incident as an excuse to act unpleasant—claiming that a matter involving an archbishop should have been handled internally by the church, and so on.
'Doesn't matter. I'll be dealing with the Holy Kingdom soon enough. You're all the same.'
After a little more time passed, silence settled over the alley once again. The only people left in the heavy air were me and Airen.
"…Why did you prepare all of this?"
I looked down at Airen, who was sprawled on the ground like some tragic heroine. The sight was so absurd and ridiculous that I scratched the back of my neck for a moment, unsure where to even begin.
"Because I knew you were hated within the Holy Kingdom."
"…That means—!"
"Yes, that's right. Originally, those documents were prepared to free you from the Holy Kingdom."
It was the truth. It was something I had planned back when I still loved her. I had intended to expose the corruption of the Holy Kingdom and ensure she was treated properly as a Saintess.
—At least, that had been the case in the past.
But Airen, whether stunned by the shocking development or simply lacking any sense of reality to begin with, suddenly stopped the tears that had been streaming down her face. She crawled across the floor on her knees and grabbed onto my pants.
"A-as expected, Leon, you still loved me. I love you. I've loved you for so very long. I can make you happy. I know I can please you."
She opened the eyes she usually kept closed and put strength into her arms, trying to pull down my pants. I looked down at her with a bright smile.
"You like it too, right? Don't you? I can give you the pleasure of an adult—"
And then I kicked her squarely in the stomach.
"Guh—"
She curled up, gasping as if the breath had been knocked out of her. I hadn't used full strength, but I hadn't held back completely either, so the impact must have been considerable.
"Airen, did you know?"
"Hic— kuhk… W-what…."
"Your eyes. They're brown right now."
"…!"
Blue eyes were the mark of a Saintess chosen by the Goddess. Having lost them, the current Airen was literally nothing more than a bag with an unusually large amount of divine power.
"Do you know what a murder snail is?"
She shook her head blankly, still in shock. I couldn't tell if it was because she had lost her blue eyes or because I had hit her. It didn't matter either way.
I crouched down, knelt, and whispered into her ear.
"I'm not going to do anything to you right now. Understand?"
"Why…."
"And I'm sending you back to the Holy Kingdom. Then you'll probably have to act for the rest of your life. If anyone finds out you've lost the Eyes of Blessing, they'll realize you've been stripped of your position as Saintess. But even if you manage to hide it, you won't be treated well. Henvil isn't the only one who hates you."
"N-no. I don't want that."
"Still, you probably won't die. If you live prostrating yourself like a worm, you'll likely keep your life. But here's the thing. Someday, I will kill you. More miserably than Henvil. I don't know when that day will be, but I will definitely kill you."
"No…! Don't…! I said no…!!"
"Live well, Airen. I truly loved you once."
"That's not true, no, no. I love you, Leon. I've always loved you…!! It was all to protect you…!!"
"Shut up and go spread your legs to survive."
"No…! Ah, aaaaaaaaa! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Thud— Her screaming face was so repulsive. That beautiful face was starting to look like a hag's, so I lightly punched her jaw with my fist and knocked her unconscious.
"Revenge really does feel refreshing."
I stretched, feeling refreshed. It was an emotion I had ignored for a long time. I had been defending her under the illusion of love.
Airen, who had avoided her responsibility as Saintess and abandoned the dying. It was both the Hero's self-reproach for failing to act decisively and the punishment that the Goddess's representative should have carried out.
So next was….
"Vincent?"
"Vincent, what's wrong? Hmm?"
"Ah, no. Didn't you hear a scream, Serin?"
"I didn't hear anything?"
"Hmm…."
I definitely heard it. Was it just my imagination? Well… if even Serin, the greatest hunter in the Hero's party, didn't hear it, then maybe it was nothing.
"Ah, Serin. Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"When are we going to tell Leon that we're dating?"