Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer

╔══ 𓆩♡𓆪 ══╗

In a grand chamber with tall windows and a stunning golden chandelier, the room was dimly lit. Moonlight occasionally streamed through the windows, creating stripes of light on the polished marble floor. The walls were lined with majestic columns engraved with magical symbols.

In this enchanting setting, hundreds of mages stood together in circles, holding hands. They chanted a spell, their voices blending into a powerful chorus. In the center of the room, a glowing purple circle with pink designs floated gently.

At the heart of this scene knelt Aurianna, her cloak flowing around her as a breeze stirred in the room. A mist-like essence floated from her back, merging with the purple light. The breeze turned into a strong wind that swirled around the circle. The light intensified, and then, with a loud boom like thunder, the wind and the circle vanished, leaving a bright glow.

As the magical display ended, three figures appeared before the gathered mages. They were two men and one woman, looking around in confusion.

"Welcome, esteemed heroes from another world. I am Saintess Aurianna, and we need your help," Aurianna said.

The newly summoned heroes stared at her in awe, their faces flushed with admiration and shyness. Aurianna's beauty, as the Saintess, was striking.

From a distance, King Girsal watched with a satisfied grin. Many mages in the room lay unconscious or motionless, some even appearing dead, a consequence of the summoning's immense cost.

Pleased with the summoning's success, Girsal left the room with purpose.

Meanwhile, a tall, tan-skinned boy with short orange hair and deep orange eyes, caught up in the excitement, exclaimed, "What the hell is going on?" Although shocked, his face showed a mix of excitement but a bit nervous.

"As I mentioned, you were summoned from your world for a crucial reason. We need your help to fight against the demons and monsters that are terrorizing our people," Aurianna explained.

The muscular scarred man, with brown skin, short yellow hair, and dark brown eyes, looked skeptical. "And what does this have to do with us?"

"It doesn't concern you personally," Aurianna replied, her tone neutral. "You were chosen at random, but we need your abilities. Behind my smile, there's a serious situation at hand."

The third member of the group, a fair-skinned girl with long dark brown hair and glasses, spoke up. "I'm just a regular high school student. I don't think I can contribute much."

Aurianna reassured her, "Don't worry. Heroes from other worlds have a unique ability to grow quickly. As you help us, we'll make sure you get back home safely."

The scarred man interrupted, "What about our safety? I'd rather not die in an unfamiliar place."

He seemed to have accepted he was in another world, given the unfamiliar surroundings.

Trying to lighten the mood, the blonde-haired boy clapped the scarred man on the back. "Come on! Think of it as living out our manga dreams. We get to fight demons and monsters, just like in our favorite manga series!"

The man simply glared at him silently, unconvinced.

The boy didn't seem to mind though. He turned, pointing at himself, "The name's Kent Williams! Remember it!"

Aurianna smiled at his energy. "Nice to meet you, Kent."

She turned to the other two. The girl said, "I'm Cindy Klein."

She turned, glancing between the two yet to give their names.

The school-girl said, "I'm Cindy Klein."

Aurianna's gaze fell onto the last to speak. It was the muscular man with a scar. A frustrated, somewhat stubborn expression covered his face. Kent nudged him with his elbow encouraging him to speak.

Reluctantly he answered, "I'm Derek. Just Derek."

Cindy fixed a squint at him. Seemed he didn't trust everyone enough to give his full name.

"Well once again it is a pleasure to meet."

She turned away for a moment before-

"Wait!"

She turned, seeing Kent had called out to her. He slowly started walking toward her, Aurianna watching him in confusion before he stopped. He suddenly kneeled, before opening his hand. "What is your name, milady?"

She tilted her head, confused at what was happening but reluctantly placed her hand in his. "Aurianna."

"A beautiful name." He complimented, before planting a delicate kiss on her hand.

Internally, Aurianna felt a shiver run down her spine. Not only did the act catch her off guard, but made her very uncomfortable. Yet, she suppressed the urge to grimace, maintaining her kind smile.

"Thank you," she managed to say, before slipping her hand free from his grasp.

One mage, dressed in white robes, approached Aurianna. Behind him, the bodies of several dead mages were being retrieved. "So, Saintess, what are their respective classes?" he asked.

Aurianna turned to face him, meeting his gaze.

While doing so, Kent retreated toward his fellow heroes. "What do you guys think yours are gonna be?" He asked, excited. He had forgotten the embarrassing act he'd done moments prior.

"What does it matter," Derek grumbled. "We're all gonna die anyway."

"Wow. Dark."

Kent turned to Cindy. "You?"

Cindy shrugged, "As long as it's useful I don't care."

"Wow. Boring."

As the three summoned heroes continued speaking among themselves, Aurianna took a glimpse of the status pages. All the while, her back was turned to them. Thanks to the cover of her coat, she deftly retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket and hurriedly wiped the hand that Kent had just kissed.

Aurianna then turned to Iona and got straight to the point. "Kent is a Hero, Derek is a Divine Knight, and Cindy is a mage."

"Sweet!" Kent pumped his fist through the air.

Derek let out a defeated sigh, while Cindy spoke.

"A mage huh… Wait, how can you see our classes?"

"The status window," Aurianna explained.

Cindy's eyes sparkled with excitement as she exclaimed, "Oh, so it's like a video game! That's really cool!"

"Right? You see them all the time in popular manga!" Kent followed up.

Aurianna found the heroes' terminology puzzling but decided to ignore it, focusing instead on the immediate situation.

As the heroes gathered around, they were approached by a striking woman with flawless ivory skin. Her brown hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail, and her hazel eyes radiated warmth and kindness. With a charming smile, she addressed the heroes, "So, these are the summoned heroes?"

Aurianna, maintaining proper etiquette, curtsied gracefully and introduced herself. "Yes, Concubine Iona."

The woman's smile widened in response to Aurianna's greeting.

Derek, though uneasy, decided to be respectful. He bowed and said, "I'm Derek."

Kent, with a proud smirk, declared, "I'm Kent. Pleased to meet you!" Although he was internally awestruck by Iona's beauty, he kept his composure and didn't let it show.

"Pleasure," Iona said as she looked at all of them. "So, do you agree to help us in our fight against these fierce demons? Not only will you be crucial in saving our Kingdom, but you will also be rewarded with great riches!"

The heroes exchanged glances and formed a tight circle to discuss. After a brief but serious deliberation, they turned back to Iona, nodded in unison, and said, "Yes!"

The room burst into cheers at their decision. The heroes were then taken to their new quarters in the palace, where they would start intense training for the battle ahead. Over the next few days, they faced tough challenges to sharpen their skills and prepare for the battle against the demons threatening the country.

Kent trained with the knights to learn how to use a saber, while Cindy joined the mages to improve her magical abilities. Derek worked on his sword skills with the knights. Aurianna, supporting them from the sidelines, helped out wherever she could. After using a teleportation scroll to return to her chambers, she often felt exhausted from her efforts.

Once the heroes were ready, Aurianna led them through dangerous dungeons to face the dangerous monsters to train more.

Despite encountering many dangers, the heroes sometimes ended up dying. Luckily, Aurianna could revive them, though this came at a cost—they would temporarily lose a level.

𓆪

In the grand palace halls, Aurianna rushed through the corridors, exchanging quick greetings with a few female knights. Seeking some peace, she reached her chamber and collapsed onto her bed with a deep sigh. She held a small, carved green jade cube in her hand. The day in the dungeons had been particularly grueling.

Kent had been in constant danger, narrowly escaping a giant sandworm several times. The effort it took to revive him had left Aurianna feeling exhausted. Her newly assigned personal knight stood guard nearby, watching over her as she performed her healing tasks.

However, her duties called her once again. Her father, King Girsal, wanted an update on the heroes' progress, and she needed to provide it. With another sigh, she tapped the cube, which activated a magical projection of King Girsal.

Without looking at Aurianna, King Girsal asked sternly, "How much have the heroes improved? When will they be ready?"

Aurianna responded firmly, "They will be ready in about seven months. After many battles in the dungeons, they have reached level 200, while I am at level 156."

From the tone of his voice, King Girsal's joy was evident, even though she couldn't see his face. "Good. Keep supporting them. In four months, they will join us in fighting the demon army."

Aurianna was confused and questioned, "Why did you summon these heroes, father? Our own army is strong enough to fight the demons. Our knights are all above level 200, and summoning heroes is against the law—"

Before she could finish, King Girsal slammed his hand on the table, cutting her off. The sudden outburst sent a chill down Aurianna's spine as his fierce gaze seemed to pierce through the screen.