Taming the Evil Saintess

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“So, did you say Ian? That priest knows you’re a Possessor?”

“I’m not sure, but he seems to have an inkling.”

“That’s troublesome.”

“It’s become a real headache.”

After hearing my story, Emily Barried frowned and fiddled with the blue gem embedded in her wand.

Then she uttered a terrifying suggestion.

“Should we just kill him? After all, he’s the only one who knows.”

“….”

“Why? A dead person can’t talk. We can just take him out before he starts spouting nonsense, right?”

I had begun to realize that Emily Barried was slowly transforming into the villainess character she was in the original story.

I wasn’t sure what had caused this change, but it might just be Ophelia’s influence since they had become close.

Or maybe it was the environment. Shadowhold, the city with the Magic Tower, was certainly not a place where a child could thrive, even in jest.

Regardless, I found myself missing the pure, youthful girl I had seen two years ago.

“Anyway, we can’t kill him.”

“That’s too bad.”

“No, it’s not just that. He has a list of Possessors. Plus, Ian is the most influential priest in the Church. Having ties with him could be beneficial.”

In fact, Ian’s standing was remarkable.

He was probably more equipped in terms of hunting Possessors than that leader guy.

Keeping him alive would certainly help with future information gathering.

“Well, I don’t know. I’m not good with complicated stuff, so you figure it out.”

Emily dismissed my words and pointed her wand in one direction.

“That way.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Though I don’t know the numbers.”

Despite our conversation, Emily was diligently tracking the residual magical energy. Her mana sensitivity and tracking ability were far superior to Ophelia’s, who was also a caster.

After walking for about an hour in the direction Emily indicated, we spotted a vertical cave that seemed to be their hideout.

“They must be in there.”

“It seems there aren’t any ladders.”

To maintain their cover, they had probably removed all man-made objects.

It could be seen as clever, but they couldn’t deceive my eyes—or rather, my nose.

“I smell people.”

“People smell?”

“Feces.”

“Eew. You actually caught that?”

Emily looked at me incredulously, but merely shrugged.

For the Northern Mercenary Group, enhanced senses were essential. Sight, touch, hearing, smell, and even taste had to be fully utilized to survive.

In that sense, smell was even more crucial than sight or hearing.

And the odor of feces was the most intense and effective indicator.

It was a smell that couldn’t be erased, no matter how hard you tried.

“They’re definitely inside. I’m sure.”

Having made my judgment, I looked into the dark vertical cave.

It was bound to be a maze inside.

And I was no good with puzzles.

Therefore, I planned to smash everything and charge straight through.

“…Emily, hop onto my back.”

“What are you planning?”

“I’m going to jump.”

Upon hearing the obvious statement, Emily’s eyebrows twitched.

“Are you crazy? Jumping down from this height? You’ll be a mess!”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

I couldn’t see the floor, but that was no big deal.

I would create a platform of mana in mid-air and jump down like I was using stairs. I had done it countless times, so there was no fear of failing.

However, contrary to my thoughts, Emily let out a deep sigh and waved one hand. Simultaneously, the winds of mana gently wrapped around me.

“Wooosh…”

“This is…?”

“Levitation. Why jump when you can fly?”

“….”

Thinking about it, the person beside me was none other than the greatest mage.

In fact, Emily’s feather fall spell was incredibly useful when descending from high terrains in the game.

How could I forget such an easy method?

Perhaps I had been consuming sword meals for too long. My brain must have turned to mush.

“…What? You know it’s embarrassing, right?”

“Hmph.”

Emily said with a grin.

“Seeing you reminds me of someone.”

“Who?”

“The Saint Lady.”

“….”

“They’re definitely similar—acting on instinct and being reckless.”

To be compared to that outrageous saintess was something I couldn’t tolerate.

That had to be addressed.

—

“Hey, brother, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“A Hero has arrived in the Ice Palace.”

“…Really?”

In the dark cave, the Rulier Siblings were discussing while examining the holy grail stolen from the Purification Church.

Though they had brought back a sacred relic, it didn’t seem to hold any exceptional power.

Well, they hadn’t taken it to actually use it, so it wasn’t a significant issue.

It looked expensive enough that they could sell it and cover food costs.

“Those bastards must be really pissed by now.”

“Yeah.”

At her brother Gale Rulier’s words, younger sister Yudiel nodded her head.

“I hope they’re even angrier.”

The resistance led by the Rulier siblings loathed the Purification Church.

They didn’t just hate it—they despised it.

Those people who hung and burned others in the name of hunting felt to the Rulier siblings like masked demons devoid of any semblance of humanity.

So it was only natural that.

“Do you think the Hero will crush the Church?”

Yudiel had every reason to hold such hope.

Gale chuckled and pinched his sister’s nose.

“Does a Hero care about such things?”

“But this Hero, I heard he can’t stand injustice.”

“I did hear that.”

He was said to be the most troublemaking Hero out of all the previous ones.

He had ran away with the Saint from the Cathedral.

He had even reportedly smashed the building where the Church’s leadership was during the Continental Conference.

He defeated the Sword Saint and is also known for receiving a branch from the World Tree in the Great Forest.

“A Hero…”

Gale muttered, letting out a sigh.

Whether the Hero existed or not, the Rulier siblings would continue to fight their own battle.

Gale stood up and stepped into the waiting area set up deep inside the cave.

In the dimly lit hall, dozens of young boys and girls on the verge of adulthood were sitting.

These were the backbone of the resistance.

Including the Rulier siblings, all present were misunderstood as Possessors.

“I’ll explain the next plan.”

Having returned to the Ice Palace, yet not receiving proper treatment, these people had turned into prey.

To avoid being hunted, they had to bite back at the hunters.

“We’re targeting the headquarters of the Purification Church, its very core.”

They would strike the capital of the Ice Palace.

That was the only way the resistance led by the Rulier siblings could make their presence known to the world.

Simply smashing a small church and stealing a relic wouldn’t shake the Purification Church.

They had to pull off something bigger.

The murmurs grew louder with Gale’s explanation.

It was probably a sudden declaration.

“We have enough explosives. As long as we can get these bombs beyond the gate, we can take down the Church’s Cathedral.”

“…But.”

“Yeah, it’ll be tough. But there’s no other way.”

Right now, the priests of the Purification Church were actively hunting Possessors.

Including the leaders like the Rulier siblings, the members of the resistance lived in this dark cave, hidden from the light of day, all because of those circumstances.

Their food supplies were dwindling, and winter would arrive soon.

The winter in the North was merciless. Lighting a fire in a cave with no ventilation was a suicide mission.

Enduring the cold of winter with sheer willpower had its limits too.

“You want to see sunlight, don’t you?”

When Yudiel added that, everyone’s eyes lit up.

“I’ll assume there are no objections. Now let’s outline the plan…”

But before Gale finished, a tremor was felt.

Debris began to fall from the ceiling.

“Is it an earthquake?”

Yudiel murmured.

If it was an earthquake, it would be wise to flee immediately.

But it wasn’t an earthquake.

The vibrations were rhythmic and consistent.

“Could it be…”

It had a kind of rhythm.

Like someone was banging on a percussion instrument.

In an instant, Gale realized this was the work of intruders.

“They’re breaking through the stone gate! Evacuate!”

Unbelievably, the intruders were breaking down the enormous rock at the entrance of the cave.

By what means?

There was no time to ponder that question.

Gale shouted, and everyone hurriedly grabbed their equipment and headed for the escape route.

But….

Kraghhh!

Before they could escape, the ceiling of the waiting area broke apart and a giant hole appeared.

From that hole, a single man descended, blocking the cave’s exit just by stomping his feet.

A moment of silence.

Even in the darkness, Gale could make out the man’s face.

“…Hero.”

He bore the distinctive attire of the Hero Yudiel had described.

Faded blonde hair. A determined visage.

Lastly….

“The Holy Sword.”

The blade the Hero held gleamed in a golden light that had never been seen before.