The Saintess...?
The night we spent tangled together in the inn with my three wives was so scorching it completely wiped away the brutal memories of my past life. The next morning, I rose from the bed and stood before the mirror, clenching and unclenching both fists. …It’s certain.
The bizarre phenomenon of my past-life wives remembering me and seeking me out in this life was strange enough. Of course, when you broke it down, they were just coincidences stacked on top of one another. But the more direct change was happening inside my own body. Every time I was intimate with them, something within me awakened and my physical abilities exploded upward. Massive boosts in natural magic affinity, skyrocketing stamina and recovery, physical reinforcement, the beastmen’s wild transformation ability, stealth, and assassination techniques. It felt as if all the powers I’d possessed in my previous lives were being restored perfectly through them as a conduit. The revived memories had even burned countless real-combat techniques straight into my brain.
But this wasn’t a simple issue. Soul imprint? Or is it the gods’ game?I need to get to the bottom of this incomprehensible power.
“Darling, are you ready? Why are you staring blankly at the mirror?”
Silphid wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her chest against my back, rubbing gently.
“Aren is my husband, you know? Stop trying to monopolize him first thing in the morning!” Isilia’s pointed elf ears quivered as she shoved Silphid aside. Meanwhile Kaina had already finished packing, slung a sword as big as her body over her shoulder, and was sniffing the air.
“All of you, ease up. The smell of you three all over Master’s body from last night is so thick my nose is about to go numb.”
“By the way, Master, are we really heading to the cathedral?”
“Yeah. I think I need to uncover the cause of this phenomenon. Getting stronger is great, but the high priests who handle holy magic and soul oaths might have some clues.”
With my three wives in tow, I left the inn in Belheim. Our destination was a nearby metropolis that housed the largest grand cathedral in the region.
Inside the carriage heading for the city, I sat in the corner studying a map. Across from me, Isilia, Kaina, and Silphid sat in a strange atmosphere. The three who had once looked ready to draw blades on each other had, thanks to their shared history as my past-life wives, begun talking far more quickly than I expected.
“So… Aren really drank that poison back then?” Isilia asked, resting a hand on her sharp jawline, eyes sparkling with fascination.
Silphid’s pale cheeks flushed as she nodded. “Yes. I thought he would resent me and curse me, of course.”
“But he said he was drinking it because he loved me and downed it in one shot…”
“The look in his eyes back then was so sad yet so tender…”
“He’s my husband, but honestly, wasn’t he just too cool?”
When Silphid cupped her cheeks and smiled softly, Kaina wagged her tail vigorously and chimed in. “Oh, I know exactly what you mean! It must have been similar during our final match.”
“He took every one of my attacks without flinching, then slipped right into my openings.”
“And right before my throat, he stopped his sword…”
“Hmph, that overwhelming strength and composure!”
“As a beastman warrior, how could my heart not race at a man like that?” Kaina continued excitedly.
“Hah! You girls don’t know Aren’s true charm at all,” Isilia cut in, refusing to be outdone as she lifted her chin proudly. “The coolest moment was when he stood alone against the legion of dark mages to protect our World Tree…”
The three of them were holding a full-blown review session about my past self, loud enough to shake the carriage. Grand titles like Assassin King, World Tree Guardian, and Strongest Swordsman of All Time were tossed around as they dissected every detail of my previous exploits.
My ears burned crimson as I listened quietly from the corner of the carriage. All three suddenly turned to look at me and flashed bright smiles.
“Master. Your embarrassed face is pretty cute too,” Kaina licked her lips.
“Hmph, in this life you’ll have to work hard to handle all three of us!” Isilia twitched her pointed ears and teased playfully.
I let out a deep sigh and turned to look out the window. It was good that my past-life memories had returned, but having my wives gather one by one felt like it was draining my mental strength twice as fast. Still, a corner of my heart felt warm. The very fact that these women were breathing and smiling beside me now, having crossed over from our previous lives, was nothing short of a miracle.
After several hours of travel, the carriage reached the city where the massive cathedral proudly displayed its majesty. Yet the moment we passed through the gates, the atmosphere felt anything but ordinary. From the entrance onward, an endless line of carriages and severely ill patients stretched on, and the crowd’s faces were thick with desperate longing for a miracle.
“Why are there so many people? Is some festival going on?” Kaina asked, pushing through the crowd in confusion.
I grabbed a passing pedestrian and asked what was happening. “Excuse me. Did some major event occur in the city? Why are there patients everywhere?”
The man looked over my outfit, then his eyes sparkled as he whispered secretly, “Ah, you must be an outsider! The one and only Saintess Ariel has arrived at this cathedral!”
Saintess…?
“They say any incurable disease, even severe injuries where limbs were lost, is completely healed with one touch of the Saintess’s holy power. That’s why people from across the continent have swarmed here like clouds.”
“Saintess Ariel…?” Isilia’s expression hardened at the unexpected name.
“If she’s the Saintess, she’s basically a proxy of the gods. She might know more than anyone about the secrets of the soul or why Aren is getting stronger!” Silphid nodded with a serious face as well.
“Yes. She’s on a completely different level from ordinary priests. It’s worth meeting her.”
“All right. Let’s head into the cathedral first.”
We pushed through the surging crowd toward the grand entrance of the majestic white-marble cathedral. Inside, it was decorated with pure white marble and brilliant stained glass. Countless people were praying, waiting for the Saintess to appear.
A woman walked toward the high altar at the center. Dressed in pure white robes and holding a golden staff that glowed with light, it was Saintess Ariel. She placed her hands on the endless stream of patients, radiating holy power with a gentle smile. Every time her touch landed, their wounds washed away in a burst of light.
The Saintess had been healing people all day and looked exhausted, yet her eyes remained clear and unshaken. That was the exact moment it happened.
The instant I stepped into the cathedral amid the massive crowd, the holy power surrounding Ariel on the altar suddenly fluctuated wildly. Flash—! Blinding divine light poured from her staff. As if drawn by a magnet, she turned her head and stared directly at where I stood. Her sacred golden eyes began to tremble violently.
Her snow-white complexion, which had maintained perfect grace and nobility, flushed bright red like a ripe apple in an instant. The Saintess who had never faltered in front of thousands of patients had completely lost her composure the moment she confirmed my face.
“Ah… aah……”
Ariel’s lips quivered as she gripped her staff tighter. The high priests around her looked on in confusion.
“Saintess? Is there some discomfort in your holy body?”
Ignoring the priests entirely, Ariel took a deep breath and slowly yet decisively descended the altar toward me. Silence fell over the cathedral as every eye focused on me.
When she stopped in front of me, her face still flushed, she spoke in a voice as sweet as honey yet laced with tension. “U-um… Excuse me… Could you possibly… speak with me in private for a moment? It is an extremely… important matter.”
The fact that the Saintess, revered across the entire continent, was personally requesting a private meeting with a plain-looking mercenary caused murmurs to ripple through the crowd. Behind me, Isilia and Silphid narrowed their eyes and released killing intent, while Kaina toyed with her weapon.
I glanced back at the three of them and spoke quietly. “Wait here for a bit. Talking with the Saintess is unavoidable if I want to solve the mystery of this power. I’ll signal you immediately if anything happens, so don’t worry.”
Though they looked displeased, my firm attitude made them step back.
“…Understood, Master. But if that woman tries anything funny, know that I’ll smash this entire cathedral to pieces.”
To prevent any trouble, the Saintess gently guided the priests and people outside. Soon I followed her lead to a secret prayer room hidden deep within the cathedral.
Clang! The thick oak door shut firmly. It was a perfect sealed room that completely blocked all outside noise. Only soft candlelight illuminated the interior, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. A magic circle that perfectly cut off sound glowed faintly on the floor.
I stood in the center of the room. The Saintess who had been noble and composed in front of the priests and spectators dropped her staff the moment the door closed, as if releasing all the emotions she had been holding back.
Clatter—! The staff rolled across the marble floor, but she paid it no mind. Clutching both hands tightly, she looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. Her rough, panting breaths filled the enclosed space.
“Aren… Aren… It really is you. Oh god, you have not abandoned my prayers…!”
With trembling steps she rushed toward me like she was charging. Her ample breasts swayed violently beneath her pure-white priestess robes from the intensity of her emotions.
Could Ariel be…?
Before I could even organize my thoughts, she buried her forehead against my chest and clung to me. The pure, sweet scent unique to the Saintess spread thickly through the sealed room. She gripped the hem of my leather coat so tightly her fingers turned white and whispered.
“Every night, every morning, without missing a single day, I offered my holy power to the gods and begged.”
Ariel lifted her head to look at me. “I prayed with my entire soul, asking to meet only you again in this life as well…”
Transparent tears slid down her flushed cheeks. Any trace of the benevolent compassion a Saintess should possess had already evaporated like mist from her golden eyes. All that remained was a mad obsession that wanted to monopolize a single man and a burning, passionate love that swirled like a storm.
“The gods… have finally answered my desperate wish, Aren.”
She took my hand and placed it on her own chest. Even through the thin priestess robes, I could feel the explosive volume of her breasts and the frantic pounding of her heart against my palm. Ariel smiled ecstatically and reached both arms toward my neck.
“Aah…”
Her eyes suddenly cooled. “The filthy scent of other women…”
Smiling as if she were an entirely different person, Ariel spoke. “Don’t worry, my beloved Aren. I will purify it for you…”