Taming the Evil Saintess

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“That’s too much.”

Ophelia squeezed out those words and walked away.

Left alone, I blinked in surprise. It was clear that Ophelia had been crying. These weren’t tears of anger from being slapped a few days ago; they were genuine tears of sorrow and struggle.

That caught me off guard.

In the year and a half I had been serving Ophelia, I had never seen her cry like that.

It meant the past week had been incredibly tough for her.

“Is this karma…?”

I mumbled to myself, feeling confused.

It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel some twisted sense of satisfaction when I thumped Ophelia with my wooden sword or when I slapped her face. It was the greatest thrill I had felt since being transported to this world.

But now, that feeling was gone.

I reflected on the past week.

“Maybe I went a bit too far.”

While I intended to pay her back for the evil deeds she had done to me, I might have crossed the line somewhere and got carried away.

I dragged her out almost every day to beat her up, and I even led a group to ostracize her in the Cathedral. If this were Earth, I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up in handcuffs. No, if it weren’t for the Archbishop’s influence, I would have been hanging from the gallows by now.

Of course, I still thought it was entirely Ophelia’s fault in the end, but that was only from a third-party perspective.

From the standards I had in my past life on Earth or even from the standpoint of this body I now occupy as Knight Elliot, Ophelia was merely a girl who had just come of age, essentially a kid.

It was foolish to seek revenge on someone like her.

So does that mean I’m still just a kid too?

“…”

I shouldn’t be thinking like this.

But it felt like it was already too late.

“Dammit.”

What part of this screams ‘guarding knight’? I’m just a babysitter watching over some brat.

I quickly checked to make sure no one was watching and let out a deep sigh.

“I guess there’s no helping it.”

If Ophelia keeps this up, it would be a problem. Even if she’s suffering, she mustn’t lose her motivation.

Ophelia is a Saintess.

Which means she needs to defeat the Demon King.

Therefore, I need to be the kindling that fuels her desire, standing by her side.

*

“It seems you’ve been here.”

It didn’t take long to find Ophelia.

The Cathedral was a city built on the donations of believers from across the continent. So, it always had an extravagant and luxurious atmosphere. Finding a shabby beauty covered in dust from head to toe in Holy Garment in such a place could only be Ophelia.

Indeed, she was sitting quietly at the edge of the highest rooftop garden in the Cathedral.

“Stay away, you bastard.”

Ophelia replied without turning around.

I paid her no mind and walked up beside her, leaning against a nearby wall.

“I told you not to look…”

Feeling ashamed of her disheveled face, Ophelia buried her face in her knees.

Honestly, I thought Ophelia was incredibly beautiful even with mud smeared all over her face, but she probably saw it differently.

I waited silently by her side.

She must have found me annoying because she clenched her fists and said,

“I said go away.”

“I’m just worried that Saintess might take a flying leap off this rooftop garden.”

“Flying leap… what?”

“Something like that.”

Of course, it was a joke.

I didn’t think Ophelia would commit suicide. Not because she was afraid of dying, but her pride would never permit her to do so. The Ophelia I knew truly was that kind of person.

After contemplating briefly, I finally spoke up.

“Saintess.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll inform the attendants. Starting today, I’ll treat the Saintess with utmost respect again. I’ll prepare a luxurious meal after three days of fasting. But don’t take it out on them. They were just following orders.”

“…”

At that, she flinched and lifted her head.

Her tear-stained face looked a mess.

“Suddenly?”

“Well, I was about to stop. I thought that would be enough discipline. More than that, if I let this go for a few more days, the Saintess’s body might become covered in scars.”

I took hold of Ophelia’s hand to examine it.

There were angry red marks on her knuckles. It looked like quite a severe burn. It wouldn’t leave a scar, but it must still hurt a lot even now.

“Let go of this!”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I don’t need to!”

Ophelia pulled my hand away and turned her back to me.

I shrugged.

“If you had asked, I would have at least gotten you some bathwater.”

“Shut up.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Don’t give me that crap. You’re always blabbering nonsense, acting all high and mighty. Because of you, I’m in this sorry state.”

“That’s entirely your fault, Saintess. Some might call it karma. You played the role of a saint, didn’t you?”

“You annoying bastard.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re truly a piece of trash.”

“You’re not exactly the most innocent person yourself, Saintess.”

We exchanged pleasantries.

For some reason, it seemed like Ophelia felt at least a little better after that conversation.

She frowned but looked down at the scenery of the Cathedral.

At least she didn’t tell me to go away, so that’s a relief.

I carefully ventured into conversation again.

“I don’t really know what worries or emotions you’re holding, but…”

“Then don’t speak.”

Ignoring her admonition, I continued.

“I can’t help but think that they aren’t more important than the Demon King and the peace of the world.”

“So, you want me to defeat the Demon King?”

“You won’t be doing it alone. You just need to assist in the Hero’s Journey.”

“Because I’m a saint, huh?”

“Yes.”

A cliché I’ve heard many times before.

I was fully aware of that.

Ophelia bit her lower lip hard.

“I never asked to be a saint.”

“But many wish for that position. Earning the mark among them is your great fortune…”

“Fortune?”

Ophelia shot me an annoyed glance.

“Did you just say ‘fortune’?”

“…”

The next moment, Ophelia exploded in anger.

“What’s that mark even worth? Damn! It’s been suffocating since birth!”

I quickly glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

Fortunately, it was sunset, and there were not many people around.

“Not a single person cares! They just think it’s an honorable thing! Damn bastards…!”

“…”

“Those damn bastards… it’s not even something I wanted….”

Ophelia clenched her mouth shut, feeling overwhelmed with emotion, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Had Belwin said that?

Ophelia came from the lower class of the Cathedral. But she had been marked since childhood and brought up in the academy for saint education.

Saintess. One of the most renowned titles across the continent. Moreover, she held the divine mark of the Celestial Being that exists only once in the whole world.

A position so elevated that common folk could never reach. It must have been the same for her academy peers.

Ophelia’s environment must have been the worst for developing social skills.

Even if her body was comfortable, her heart was not.

I could partially understand Belwin’s words.

The Cathedral has many powerful families, all hoping their daughters would be blessed with the Divine Mark. But the mark chose Ophelia. She must have endured the prickly glances of those families.

Of course, that was merely my speculation.

Ophelia would never answer if I asked her about it.

I suddenly realized just how little I knew about Ophelia.

“Saintess.”

“What?”

“Are you unhappy with your current situation?”

“Would you like it?”

Ophelia shot me a sharp glare.

I chuckled softly and plopped down beside her.

There’s a saying about carrots and sticks, isn’t there?

Since I had been using the stick so far, it was time to toss some carrots.

“How about you make me a promise?”

“A promise?”

“Yes, a promise.”

She looked at me as if I was spouting nonsense, so I continued.

“If you defeat the Demon King…”

“If I defeat him?”

“I will free you from your title as Saintess.”

“What?”

Ophelia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Free the Saintess.

That position didn’t require freeing, nor could it be freed. The position of a Saintess itself was glorious, sacred, and earned respect from all.

But “freedom” from it?

Ophelia frowned.

“What kind of nonsense is that? Freedom, you say?”

“Don’t you want to escape it?”

“Well….”

“Then isn’t it appropriate to call it freedom? Regardless of the gazes around you, if you dislike the position, then it’s a filthy crown.”

By Earth’s standards, that was accurate.

But expressing the title of Saintess as filthy in this world would constitute a blasphemy.

Such words are not something a mere guard knight should utter.

In reality, Ophelia was so taken aback that she glanced around nervously, ensuring no one was nearby to overhear.

“You… are you insane? What do you think will happen if someone hears that? You don’t value your life much?”

“Very much! But if the Saintess doesn’t defeat the Demon King, then neither will my life be spared. So it’s a fair trade-off.”

I spoke with a seriousness I had never shown before.

“Will you promise me? If you defeat the Demon King, I will rescue you from your title as Saintess.”

“Don’t act all superior, you lowly commoner knight.”

“You’ve nailed it. That’s exactly why I can! As you can see, the only thing I have to lose is this body.”

Ophelia looked utterly confused, so I stood up.

“Don’t believe me? I promise I never lie.”

“Well, that’s true, but….”

“I’ll make you believe it.”

I drew my sword.

Swish.

Ophelia gasped in shock.

“What are you doing, you crazy bastard! Why are you pulling out a sword in broad daylight….”

Ophelia stopped her tirade when I lifted the blade high above my head.

“I swear to the Celestial Being.”

Even on Earth, people would often call upon the divine. But in this world, swearing to a deity had a much more significant meaning.

It’s recording your pledge to the world through the existence of a god.

Of course, an ordinary person can’t do that. It’s something only those formally ordained as clergy can accomplish.

So, it meant I, as a proper knight, could enact it.

“I promise to liberate the Saintess, once you have defeated the Demon King by the will of the Celestial Being and the Cathedral.”

But it wouldn’t be free of charge.

This was a sort of contract. Thus, I had to offer a condition or collateral.

Normal collateral in this kind of deal would usually be…

“If I fail, I will sacrifice my life.”

Whoosh.

With those words, a shimmering golden light descended from the heavens.

Ophelia was so stunned by my action that she could only stare with her mouth agape, unable to say a word.