Taming the Evil Saintess

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“If you want to enter, pay the toll.”

“….”

“Looking at me like that won’t change anything. That’s the law of this city. But don’t worry, I won’t charge you on your way out.”

“I’ve already paid the toll twice!”

“Those guys are from a different jurisdiction.”

A gruff-looking middle-aged man scratched his stinky foot with a mischievous grin. He was pretending to be the king of beggars, extorting money from passersby on the street. I had run into three rotten individuals like him on my way here.

Such a thing was unimaginable in the Cathedral. I clicked my tongue inwardly and rummaged through my pockets. I felt like pounding him into the ground and walking past, but there were far too many eyes around.

“Is this enough?”

I tossed a few coins onto the ground, and the man scrambled to pick them up, his desperation evident.

With my hood pulled down, I stepped deeper into the alley.

“Hey.”

The beggar called out to me. I turned my head slightly, and he flashed a cheeky grin.

“It’s better not to act rich here in Shadowhold. This isn’t exactly a great neighborhood.”

His advice didn’t seem genuine, but I decided to take it to heart.

“Yeah.”

Shadowhold.

A city notorious for its high crime rate even within the Empire. Its twisted alleyways, pubs, and the massive Magic Tower at the city’s center intermingled chaotically.

They said it was the only existing Magic Tower, and while it didn’t rival the Holy See, its scale was impressive. The messy city structure surrounding the tower conjured images of a typical dystopian setting common in Earth’s stories.

There were various phrases to describe Shadowhold, but the most famous one was…

“Welcome to Magic Tower City, Elliot.”

From a corner of the alley, a blue-haired man named Owen stepped out.

Had he been following me the whole time? Someone was certainly skilled at concealing their presence.

I turned my body to respond.

“Magic Tower City, huh? It looks more suitable for crime than magic.”

“What’s the difference?”

“….”

Owen chuckled lightly, then gave me a puzzled look as he eyed my outfit.

“Is the Saintess not around?”

“That’s personal. Ophelia has no reason to come.”

“So, you’re not even wearing armor, then.”

“In a way, yes. If I expose my status, Ophelia could get in trouble.”

“Did the Saintess permit that?”

“I conveyed the message.”

Permit, that’s what it seemed like.

I had arrived in Shadowhold after riding for a week. Barely two days had passed since I returned to the Cathedral when Owen contacted me, stating that we needed to meet regarding a commission. So, I snuck out of the Cathedral.

In simpler terms, it was a desertion.

I could already vividly picture Ophelia fuming. So, I left a note.

Well, if I quickly resolved the matter and returned, surely, she wouldn’t say much.

Probably.

“So, why did you want to meet here?”

“As I said before, this is Magic Tower City. There’s no reason to meet in Shadowhold unless it involves something with the tower.”

“The tower?”

“Lauren Village has been affected by dark magic. It’d be more efficient to seek help from the authority on magic than to investigate myself.”

The disaster of Lauren Village.

Was dark magic involved behind it?

In the game, the ones who summoned and controlled monsters were always the dark mages of the Demon King’s Army.

So, seeking help from the tower was indeed rational.

I nodded in agreement.

“Alright, then let’s head straight to the tower.”

“Before that.”

Owen put his hand in his pocket and gestured behind me.

“I think it’s better to deal with the uninvited guests you brought first.”

“…”

Following Owen’s gaze, I saw four shady figures lurking in the alley’s corner, eyeing us menacingly. They had the appearance of grimy beggars, each clutching a dagger.

Well, I had thrown more than ten coins on my way here as a toll.

Word must have spread among them that a rich sucker had entered the city.

“I should take care of those beggars before leaving the city.”

I frowned and drew my sword.

A minute later, the alley was littered with the beggars’ severed wrists.

*

Given the city’s terrible security, I naturally expected the Magic Tower to be in a similar state.

However, to my surprise, the tower was pristine and meticulously organized. Not only that, but its owner, Archmage Eldarian Barried, warmly welcomed us as esteemed guests.

We were guided to a splendid reception room. Comparing the elegant snacks on the table to the grimy alleys outside was a major cognitive dissonance.

“I’ve heard from Owen. You requested the tracking of a dark mage.”

The tower master, Eldarian Barried, appeared to be a polished middle-aged gentleman. With slicked-back hair, a deep blue suit, a monocle over one eye, and a neatly folded handkerchief in his breast pocket, he looked more like a gentleman than a mage.

Perhaps my thoughts showed on my face, as Eldarian chuckled lightly.

“Nowadays, mages are portrayed in a way that frightens people. It’s necessary to dress appropriately for the times.”

Does this mean the era of mages wearing oversized robes and pointy hats is over?

But in the game, the mages wore stereotypical wizard attire.

This must also be a deviation from the original. I chose to ignore it and spoke.

“I came seeking your assistance, Archmage.”

“I was informed that you wish for me to conduct an investigation into the disaster that occurred in Lauren Village.”

He looked at me as if asking why, so I shrugged my shoulders.

Eldarian didn’t press for more details.

“To use tracking magic, it’s necessary to visit the location itself, but the disaster in Lauren Village happened years ago. I doubt you’ll achieve any meaningful results.”

“Then…”

“However, I examined the corpse of the monster that Owen brought. It’s undoubtedly a creature artificially created by a dark mage.”

Eldarian adjusted his monocle and remarked.

“While I can discern how the creature was made, pinpointing its source is rather challenging.”

“What should I do?”

“If you have an object that can read the remnants of magical power, tracking will be easier. Owen said that there might be something with Sir Elliot.”

An object.

Just then, didn’t I have something fitting?

I pulled a pendant from my possession. It belonged to the hero—or rather, it should have belonged to a hero.

“This is…”

“Is it sufficient?”

“Of course.”

Eldarian accepted the pendant and cast a spell.

It was a mysterious force, different from divine power.

I could begin to understand why the people of the Empire feared magic.

The dignified presence Eldarian had moments ago twisted oddly.

How much time passed?

As the flow of magical energy dwindled, Eldarian let out a faint sigh.

“Great Forest.”

“…The Great Forest, you say?”

“The residues of magical energy point to that location. Specifically, to the town of Nua Diel, to the north of Great Forest.”

“Nua Diel?”

“It’s a village of dark elves.”

“…”

I frowned.

The Great Forest. A region that existed in the game. Home to fairies, aka elves.

Although it bordered the Empire, the terrain was tricky, and the mobs that emerged from there were all on the high-level side. Many dark elf cities yielded monsters among the most challenging.

“…So I need to go to the Great Forest?”

I left a note saying I would return within a month, yet it now seemed difficult.

How would I even explain this to Ophelia? Just as I was lost in such thoughts, the reception room door swung open suddenly.

“…”

A woman with ash-gray hair was staring into the room.

If I hadn’t looked closely, I wouldn’t have recognized her.

The change was striking. Emily Barried had blossomed into a mature young lady. In a year and a half, she had shed all traces of childhood.

“Emily, greet our guest. They’re visiting this time.”

Eldarian said this, and Emily’s gaze shifted from Owen to me.

As soon as she recognized me, her face contorted.

“…It’s me.”

“Emily?”

“I told you not to bring strange people without permission! You should’ve said something first!”

“Emily, what nonsense are you spouting in front of guests!”

“Shut up!”

Bang!

The reception room door slammed shut violently.

“…”

“Um…”

An awkward silence enveloped the room.

I looked at Eldarian with an expression that sought explanation.

Emily Barried. When I visited the Cathedral two years ago, she was just an innocent little girl.

Yet now, there was a reflection of Ophelia in Emily’s demeanor.

To be precise, she looked just like the Emily in the game.

What on Earth happened to her to cause such a change?

“That’s…”

Eldarian stammered, sighed deeply, and began to speak.

“Since you returned from the Cathedral, it seems she’s hit puberty.”

“…Huh.”

Puberty.

What a versatile word.

*

Ophelia was lost in thought.

Despite having a Holy Magic lesson in the afternoon, she couldn’t concentrate after seeing that note.

Ultimately, she came up with an excuse of feeling unwell and returned to her chamber.

“That piece of work probably got in touch with Owen and bolted.”

There would be no reason for Elliot to sneak out of the Cathedral unless he had heard something.

While in Lauren Village, Elliot had asked the Information Bureau’s lowlife to investigate the town’s disaster.

That meant….

“Did he find out the culprit? Is he setting out for revenge?”

That was the only thought in her mind.

The Elliot she knew was a petty, grudge-holding individual.

If he found out where the person who killed his family was, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to rush right out to kill them.

“If things go wrong…?”

Ophelia murmured cautiously.

Having witnessed Elliot handle the monsters, she knew he wasn’t the type to get beaten down easily. However, the opponent was a villain who had unleashed hundreds of monsters and annihilated an entire town.

No matter how great a knight he was, could he really stand a chance against such a foe?

“…No, it’s not my concern.”

Worries.

Ophelia cradled her head in conflict.

What if Elliot didn’t return?

Would she carry the weight of guilt?

Perhaps, but she didn’t believe it.

She couldn’t let that happen.

“….”

After a moment of contemplation, Ophelia steeled her resolve and rose from her seat.

“If that jerk dies, a boring guy like Dick will come as the knight attendant. That’s unacceptable.”

That was definitely something she despised.

While Elliot was a piece of work, he wasn’t boring.

Ophelia had thus decided.

The only issue was that there were numerous problems if she wanted to leave the Cathedral.

Just the next day, there was the Holy Magic lesson. The same went for the following day.

If the Saintess of the Cathedral left without a word, an enormous backlash would ensue.

What could she do?

Ophelia lapsed into thought.

“No, wait.”

Then an ingenious idea struck her.

As Elliot had acknowledged, she had a knack for cunning plans.

Ophelia left her chamber, passing through the square, and entered the Holy See.

“Saintess!”

“Ah, are you feeling well?”

She lightly ignored the concerned expressions of the high priests and descended the stairs leading to the basement.

Down in the Holy See’s underground lay the Inquisition Bureau.

As she kicked the door open, a man named Yurede, who was buried under paperwork, looked up with wide eyes.

“Saintess? What brings you here…?”

“I have information.”

Ophelia blurted that out.

“Information, you say?”

“Yup.”

What should she say here?

Ophelia weighed her words carefully. The Inquisition Bureau harbored a deep hatred for heretics.

Then how about—

“I found a heretic. I’m going to kill them. I need your help.”

“…”

Yurede’s gaze turned icy.