Taming the Evil Saintess

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Saint Ophelia Meredein is literally a baby.

To put it gently, I could refer to her as “little one.”

As the one who monopolizes the affection of this baby Ophelia, I empathized with my father, Count Bradley Somerset, who juggles work and raising children every day.

“Why the hell do I have to apologize!”

“Well, if you barged into the Church headquarters at dawn and caused that ruckus, you should at least apologize on the surface.”

“Ugh…!”

Since I was meeting Ian at the Purification Church, Ophelia was decided to accompany us—though it wasn’t her choice; it was for a formal apology to the Church.

Regardless of the relationship between the Purification Church and the main church, Ophelia had indeed caused a significant trouble. It wouldn’t be good if it appeared to be a political move, so it was better to apologize quietly here.

“Ophelia, if you apologize well, I’ll buy you a fish dish.”

“Who do you think I am, a shabby girl who goes crazy at the sight of fish?”

“….”

“Why aren’t you answering!”

Without a word, I opened the church door, and even at that moment, Ophelia was kicking my shins with a fierce glare.

Of course, it didn’t hurt.

“Ahaha. Welcome, comrade Elliot.”

“…Comrade?”

“That exists.”

Ian warmly greeted me. Upon hearing the term “comrade,” Ophelia looked at me with a face full of skepticism, but I pretended not to notice.

Honestly, it was uncomfortable for me too.

“This time, the lovely saint has accompanied you.”

“…Well, I do have something to apologize for.”

“…Apologize, you say?”

As I said that, I placed my hand casually on Ophelia’s head. No matter how baby-like Ophelia was, it seemed she felt embarrassed to be treated like a baby in front of others, as she quickly shook her head.

I shrugged and patted Ophelia’s back.

In the end, she reluctantly lowered her head.

“Um, I’m sorry. I came to cause a ruckus early the other day…”

“Oh, is that what you mean? It’s fine. The saint had business to attend to at dawn, so it’s also partly our church’s fault for being unaccommodating. We were likely still half-asleep, so please understand.”

“…Ian, it’s fine, right?”

“Please don’t just take my words at face value; think about the deeper meaning.”

What part of that sounded like “it’s fine”?

There’s a limit to being dense.

“Don’t worry about it too much. The upper clergy has already concluded the matter.”

“What was discussed?”

“A natural disaster.”

“….”

I couldn’t refute that.

Ophelia’s tantrum could very well be labelled a natural disaster.

“So, can we talk about the reactionaries?”

Ian smiled lightly and lowered the flattened holy grail.

I grimaced at the sight of the once holy relic that had been completely destroyed during my fight with Ophelia, which now resembled a mere dish.

“I’m sorry. We managed to retrieve the holy relic, but we encountered some unexpected complications.”

“Yes. I witnessed it from the cathedral spire. The love struggle seemed rather excessive.”

“Love…?”

Just yesterday, Ophelia reacted and slowly pulled her chair away.

Sighing, I lowered my head to Ian.

“I’m sorry. If restitution is necessary, please bill it to the Ice Palace.”

Of course, the Ice Palace would be furious, but what could we do? The hero claimed to be out of funds.

“You crazy bastard….”

Even Ophelia was taken aback by my audacity.

Ian shook his head disapprovingly.

“There’s no need for that. The relic holds symbolic meaning. As long as the church possesses it, its condition doesn’t matter. The doctrine of the church is to remain uninvested in worldly values.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Moreover, thanks to comrade Elliot, you have reclaimed that holy relic from the reactionaries. We should be thanking you for that.”

Ophelia, who had been silently listening to the conversation, leaned in to whisper to me.

“Are these guys surprisingly normal?”

“When crazy folks act crazily, they just look normal.”

“Like you?”

“Like you, Ophelia.”

Ian just continued to watch our whispered conversation with a strange smile.

“So, have you met the reactionaries?”

Under Ian’s interrogation, I hastily tossed out a prepared line.

“I raided their hideout, but they had already caught wind of us and escaped.”

This, in fact, was the truth.

Even if Ian headed to the resistance’s hideout, there would be no one left.

They had left the cave just a day prior, crossing over to the Erosion Zone.

Cecilia had supplied them with materials, and the Rulier siblings left me a message.

Surely…

“I’ll trust you. That’s all I have.”

Was it that?

Whatever it was, it was typical of the Rulier siblings’ response.

Ian placed his hand on his chin and pondered.

“Hmm… Is that so? What a shame.”

“It’s fine. I’ve confiscated mana explosives to be used in future terror attacks. The resistance likely won’t be able to stage an offensive for a while.”

Ian slowly nodded.

Though he seemed aware something was off, he appeared satisfied with the immediate outcome.

“I see. I will send priests separately to establish purification at their hideout.”

With that, Ian bowed slightly.

“Thanks to comrade Elliot’s assistance today, our church has overcome a significant obstacle. How can we repay this kindness?”

Finally, we were getting to the main point.

I had only one desire.

I grinned and pointed to the scripture, Maleficarum, that Ian held.

“Let’s take a look at that.”

“Hahaha!”

Ian burst into laughter as if he had expected it.

“What is this, a game?”

Only Ophelia was rolling her eyes, trying to grasp the situation.

*

The hero Elliot and saint Ophelia returned to the Ice Palace after nightfall.

Cecilia, who had prepared a banquet, was a bit disappointed as the food had already grown cold in the chilly weather.

Of course, leaving food uneaten was a grave sin. Cecilia personally stuffed it into her mouth.

For the record, it was delicious.

“Did everything work out well?”

Chewing her food, Cecilia carefully rose from her seat.

“You pig.”

“No, I’m not!”

Ophelia shouted in startlement at the muttering.

Cecilia hastily wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and turned to Elliot, who regarded her with a rather grim expression.

“Lady Cecilia.”

“What… is there a problem?”

An awful scenario flashed through Cecilia’s mind.

Surely, they wouldn’t be demanding compensation for the holy relic from the church, would they?

Considering their already tight finances, if they piled on debts on top of that…

Imagining such an undesirable future, Cecilia shook her head.

But whether he was aware of her concerns or not, Elliot spoke with a serious expression.

“Lady Cecilia.”

“Yes…”

“I have something to disclose.”

“Ah, uh…”

Cecilia wanted to tear her hair out in frustration.

Instead, before Elliot could speak, she cleared her throat and beat him to the punch.

“I’m sorry, but our Ice Palace is rather tight on funds!”

“Yes?”

“Because of last time when those resistance fighters crossed the Erosion Zone, we provided them with supply so we have no tangible assets left!”

“…What are you talking about?”

As Elliot looked at her in disbelief, Cecilia quietly confessed.

“I have no money…”

“I’m in the same boat.”

“And that’s why I can’t compensate for the holy relic…”

As I said this in a deflated tone, Ophelia burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! I thought you were a pig, but you’re also a fool!”

“…Ugh.”

That saint had a natural talent for riling people up.

After scratching his cheek for a while, Elliot carefully opened his mouth.

“…Um, Lady Cecilia. That’s not the issue.”

“Yes?”

“It appears that there’s no need for compensation.”

“Ah.”

Cecilia wanted to slap herself for overreacting just moments ago.

In her embarrassment, she straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and asked.

“Then… what were you trying to say?”

“I’ve discovered something about the man named Elliot.”

“…How?”

“I was able to confirm it from the Purification Church’s roster.”

At those words, Cecilia swallowed hard.

Ophelia tugged on Elliot’s collar with a puzzled expression.

“Can I tell him?”

“You can only share it because it’s Lady Cecilia. She should be well versed in the history of the Ice Palace.”

The hero who calmed the saint looked at Cecilia.

“Lady Cecilia, please don’t be shocked.”

“Yes. I won’t be shocked.”

“Elliot was a pseudonym.”

“A pseudonym?”

Elliot let out a deep sigh and continued.

“My true name is Elias Knightruin. I’ve heard I’m the second son of the family that rebelled against the Ice Palace.”

“…Ah.”

Cecilia could only let out a sound of disbelief.

She had heard it once.

No, she had experienced it herself.

It was an incident from fifteen years ago, during her time as an apprentice knight.

The Knightruin family. One of the five families whose rebellion threatened the very existence of the Ice Palace. They were successfully suppressed with the help of the Empire, and those behind it were executed; all the pillars of the family were uprooted in the process.

The second son of a family that was obliterated.

He must have been sold off as a slave, stripped of his status and unable to even use his real name.

In other words…

“Yes. I seem to be the embodiment of that traitor.”

“….”

Finally, Cecilia understood.

The innate bravery of the hero Elliot.

The golden sword energy and the clean, precise swordsmanship.

Lastly, the essence of the Ice Palace swordsmanship; the four blossoming flower buds from the sword.

She suddenly realized where all that came from.