You're No Good
The next day, I barely managed to pry my heavy eyelids open and crawl out of bed. I took a cool shower to shake off the fog, forced down the warm soup and soft bread Mari had brought me, then headed for the audience chamber. The hallway leading there felt far longer than usual. The aftereffects of my visit to the divine realm still clung to me, making my whole body feel leaden.
The Pope Grandfather had told me I could rest if I wasn’t feeling well, but there was no way I could skip a day like today. Besides, the hero candidate was Cassian—the same bastard who had annihilated our order in the original story. Missing this was out of the question.
“Huu…”
I let out a long breath as I stood before the massive doors of the audience chamber. Soft holy power leaked from inside. Probably because every high-ranking member of the temple was gathered in there. Anyone at that level gave off a constant aura of divinity no matter how hard they tried to suppress it. And they were clearly doing it on purpose this time, to put pressure on the incoming hero candidate.
Our order worshipped Eris, goddess of both love and combat. That meant we all had a naturally aggressive streak. In short, they were planning to crush the hero’s spirit right from the start. Some candidates got drunk on their own talent and acted arrogant, so this was a silent warning: Our order is full of monsters like these. Don’t get cocky. Plus, if the guy had any shady connection to the demons, he’d show some reaction in a room packed with holy power. Two birds, one stone.
“Saintess, are you really sure you’re all right? Your complexion is still terribly pale.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
I gave Mari a reassuring smile as she fidgeted anxiously beside me. Truth was, I wasn’t fine at all. The knowledge that I stood at a crossroads of fate had my stomach churning, and after spending a whole week in bed, my muscles had atrophied and my senses had dulled. Sleeping deeply had helped compared to yesterday, but even at my most generous estimate, I was operating at about sixty percent of my usual condition. Not exactly ideal.
Still, it wasn’t all bad. One variable remained.
The Pope Grandfather had said that once the illness passed, the turbid energy accumulated in his body would be flushed out, leaving him better able to handle holy power than before. If my own control over holy power had improved the same way, it should more than compensate for my current state.
“All right, time for a little check. La la la la la, tum ti tum ti tum…”
“…Saintess?”
I hummed under my breath to loosen up. Mari gave me a strange look, but I ignored her and focused. I remembered how I’d tried to summon Astra right after getting out of the bath and ended up hurting myself. If I handled my holy power as roughly as before, I might cough up blood right in front of the doors and end up back in bed. That was absolutely not happening.
Carefully. Cautiously. Like handling a newborn baby, I moved my holy power with slow, deliberate care.
“Oh?”
A soft exclamation slipped out. It really was much easier than before. If it used to feel like driving on a dirt road, now it was like gliding along freshly paved asphalt.
I spread the holy power throughout my body, then lightly hopped in place. My body felt light. My physical condition was still poor, but the holy power was covering for most of it.
Hmm. Not bad at all.
At this level, I was probably at about ninety percent of my usual strength. Once I fully recovered, I might even reach a hundred and twenty. The risk of becoming a complete invalid, the trip to the divine realm, and a week of suffering in bed—it had all been worth it.
“Haa…”
I exhaled deeply, then used my holy power to don the Holy Vestments. I still hated wearing them. But just as the Goddess had warned, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. If Cassian tried anything, the Holy Vestments would serve as my final shield.
Besides, I’d have to wear them constantly once we started expeditions into the Demon Realm anyway. Getting used to them now wouldn’t hurt.
“All right. Shall we go in?”
After adding a generous spoonful of self-justification, I pushed open the heavy doors of the audience chamber.
Inside, Vargas the Knight Commander, Bartholomew the Grand Priest, and every other high-ranking member of the Eris Church were already gathered. The air was stretched taut as a bowstring, thick with tension. The moment I stepped inside, every eye turned toward me.
Most of them looked surprised to see me wearing the Holy Vestments. Leonid tilted his head in confusion, Vargas cleared his throat and looked away, and Bartholomew’s eyebrows wriggled like caterpillars. I gave them a light nod in greeting, then walked slowly to my seat and sat down. My place was right beside the Pope Grandfather.
“Looks like I was the last one?”
“Yes, you were, Saintess,” the Pope answered with a kind smile.
“I hope I didn’t keep everyone waiting too long.”
“Not at all. We still have a little time before the hero candidate arrives. How is your body?”
“Not a hundred percent, but I’ll manage.”
“That’s a relief.”
The Pope gave me a gentle smile, then turned his gaze forward again. Since we still had some time before Cassian entered, I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair.
“We are ready. Bring in the hero candidate.”
I had been breathing slowly with my eyes closed, trying to calm my mind, when the Pope’s voice rang out. I opened my eyes gradually. At the same time, my senses sharpened to a razor’s edge. I straightened my back and observed the man walking through the open doors.
Black hair. Sharp eyes containing blood-red irises. A tall frame well over six feet, covered in practical, battle-ready muscle.
Hmm… Well, his face really is handsome enough to make Mari lose her mind.
But his attitude and aura completely ruined that good looks. The arrogant swagger, the insolent gaze that swept around the audience chamber as if sightseeing, and the crooked smirk on his lips. Most damning of all were those dull, unfocused red eyes. They made him look less like a hero candidate and more like a third-rate thug from the back alleys.
What the hell is this sloppy punk?
The Cassian I vaguely remembered from the original story hadn’t been like this. He was meticulous, arrogant, the kind of snake who hid his filthy intentions behind a mask, who enjoyed secretly digging into people’s hearts and destroying them. But the guy in front of me looked like nothing more than a crude street thug who’d shake people down for pocket money and drink it all away.
Still, this could all be an act to lower our guard. I can’t let myself relax.
Especially since he showed no sign of feeling pressured by the thick holy power filling the audience chamber. I focused holy power into my eyes and examined Cassian closely. What I saw made me frown despite myself.
This… is supposed to be Cassian?
In the original story, he was the one who had swallowed the entire Eris Church—one of the seven great holy orders. Even if our order had weakened and fallen to the bottom of the seven, it was still a place packed with holy knights and high priests. He should at least possess strength on par with Vargas and the composure to hide meticulous schemes.
But the guy standing in front of me… what the hell was he?
“Aha, so this is the famous Eris Church? I was expecting more from the audience chamber, but it’s pretty boring.”
Cassian stood at an angle and spoke in a rude tone. A thick vein immediately bulged on Bartholomew’s forehead. A shouting match was clearly about to break out. At least it would buy me some time to think.
I laced my fingers together, rested my chin on them, and continued observing Cassian while my mind raced.
“Hero candidate! This is a sacred audience chamber. Show some respect!”
“Ehh? Old man? Why are you yelling so loud it hurts my ears? Once I become the hero, you’ll all be under me anyway. Let’s at least introduce ourselves first.”
Cassian completely ignored the Grand Priest and cackled. I tuned out their bickering and kept studying him, feeling a growing sense of disappointment.
This guy was genuinely pathetic. Thanks to his status as a hero candidate, he might be able to beat an average holy knight, but he didn’t look like he could even lay a finger on Leonid, let alone me. As for whether he had any meticulous schemes, that was questionable too. Starting off by antagonizing the Grand Priest and raising everyone’s guard was just stupid. Unless his plan was to give the old man a stroke.
Though after all the training I’d put Bartholomew through, he wouldn’t collapse from something this minor.
Could this all be part of his plan? Or was it simply confidence that the Grand Priest couldn’t do anything to him?
My head hurt. Why? In the original story, how had our entire order been destroyed by such a worthless bastard? Did he have some hidden ability? Was he concealing his power? Was there a traitor inside our order? Or, in the worst case, had he reached a realm so high I couldn’t even perceive it?
When the gap in realms was too vast, it became impossible to gauge the opponent’s true strength. It sounded absurd, but seeing him act like an idiot in a space filled with holy power made it not entirely impossible.
Damn it, my head’s going to explode.
If I had no guesses, I had none. If I had any, I had too many. That damn prophetic dream. If it was going to show me something, it should have shown me this guy’s true nature instead of some useless future where I was cuddling up to a man and acting cute.
“Haa…”
I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
…Yeah. This isn’t like me. Instead of overthinking, I should just do what I always do.
The hero candidate verification process included a test of martial prowess. It was meant to check whether they possessed the minimum strength or talent required to become a hero. I could use that as an excuse to test him properly.
If I pushed him to the brink of death—or even killed him outright—he’d have to reveal his hidden card. And if there was someone inside working with him, they’d show some reaction to save him.
The audience chamber was noisy with their back-and-forth argument. I used that chaos to glance at the Pope Grandfather. He sat with his chin in his hand, eyes slightly narrowed as he watched Cassian.
He’s making a strange expression.
It was a look of suspicion. Had the Pope also sensed something off about this guy?
I kept staring at him. As if feeling my gaze, the Pope turned from Cassian to look at me. Reading the intent in my eyes, he gave a small, silent nod.
Do as you wish.
That was what it meant.
“Everyone, please be quiet.”
Having reached my conclusion, I infused my voice with holy power and spoke softly. The audience chamber fell silent in an instant, all eyes turning to me. Among those gazes, Cassian’s red eyes locked onto mine. They were sticky, obscene, and instinctively repulsive.
“Oh, so you’re the famous Saintess? The White Spear of the Goddess?”
Before I could even open my mouth, Cassian spoke first. Without permission, he strode boldly toward me. Leonid and Vargas, standing in front, reached for their sword hilts, but I raised a hand lightly to stop them.
Cassian stopped right in front of me and ran an openly lecherous gaze over my body. Then he slowly licked his lips and gave a vulgar smile.
“Wow, you’re even more beautiful than the rumors. And that outfit is incredible. Was it worth waiting two weeks with my eyes glued to the door after all?”
…Is this crazy bastard serious?
Not satisfied with provoking the old man, he’s coming after me too?
“You’ve been staring at me so hard since earlier. Have you fallen for me?”
“……”
Where the hell did this guy get his confidence? I let out a dumbfounded laugh.
“First, personality: failure. I doubt anyone will object to that.”
I rose slowly from my seat and faced him. I wasn’t exactly short for a woman, but his ridiculously tall frame forced me to look up at him, which I hated. He stared down at me with that same mocking smile.
And the place his eyes were fixed on was…
Ah, fuck it. I can’t hold back anymore.
“You’re no good.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I reached for his face.
“Huh?”
Cassian panicked and tried to step back, but I was faster. My palm roughly seized his smug face. Then, gripping his head, I exploded with holy power and charged forward.
KWAAAAANG—!
In an instant, I crossed the wide empty space in the center of the audience chamber. Dozens of meters vanished in a flash as shattered pieces of the floor shot into the air.
When I released his face, Cassian staggered backward several steps.
“Personality test: failure. Now it’s time for the martial prowess evaluation, you rude hero candidate.”
Come on. Let’s see what cards you’re hiding.
I lifted the corners of my mouth and grinned.