Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Knight Aaron was a remarkable knight.”

According to Albrecht, the Imperial Knight Aaron belonged to the capital Knight Order.

There was an urgent need to fill the vacancies left by the knights who sacrificed themselves during the great rebellion incident in the Ice Palace, and it was around that time that Aaron, a commoner, joined the order as a squire.

The following year, the Previous Sword Saint retired, passing on the mantle of Knight Commander to Albrecht von Ridensstein, who had just received his mark, and thus began Albrecht’s reign as the next Sword Saint.

Given that situation, it was only natural for him to grow close to Aaron, a knight of his age, over meals.

“He was undoubtedly an exemplary knight.”

Albrecht tilted his teacup with a grim expression.

“The reason I made Aaron my lieutenant was not only due to his skill but also because I highly valued his character and inclusiveness.”

In the center of the table lay the gloves and identification tag that Albrecht had retrieved from the collapsed fortress trail ten days prior.

The identification tag had only the name “Aaron” inscribed in the Empire’s language, with not even a surname.

“Although Aaron was of commoner birth, I never thought that status mattered within the knight order. Aaron felt the same way.”

“You were ahead of your time.”

“Hmm. Elliot, you’re not wrong. Aaron was a knight with more progressive thoughts than anyone.”

Albrecht shrugged his shoulders slightly before putting down his teacup.

He then gazed toward where Vermina’s fortress might be located and continued speaking.

“If Aaron has become a possessor, I have an obligation to save him, both to avenge the knights who suffered at the hands of the Plague Lord and as a Knight Commander.”

Albrecht muttered with burning determination, and Erwin, sitting opposite him with his legs crossed, nodded.

“According to your words, your lieutenant’s soul must also be trapped by the Demon King. If we defeat him, we can surely rescue him.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course. I’ve also received help from you guys. Unlike humans, elf grudges tend to last longer than one might think.”

Listening to the conversation between Erwin and Albrecht, I fell into thought for a moment.

Imperial Knight Aaron.

The moment I heard that name, naturally, memories of the game came flooding back. It had already been nearly ten years since I possessed this body, and though the memories were faint, several names remained firmly in my mind.

Aaron was one of them.

“Um, Albrecht.”

I cautiously uttered.

“Was that lieutenant Aaron close to you?”

“Yeah. We were very close.”

“…Hmm.”

“But why do you ask?”

“Oh, it’s nothing significant.”

I brushed it off.

Albrecht looked at me intently as if he was concerned but seemed to have no intention of probing further.

“Anyway, we’ll have to find a way to enter the fortress.”

“I heard there’s a secret passage underground that leads into the fortress. Tomorrow, I plan to summon spirits to locate the entrance.”

As Erwin spread his palm, a hazy spirit danced gracefully in the air.

After that, everything fell into place.

“Roughly, we’ve determined our course. We will secure the entrance to the fortress and infiltrate it to exterminate the Plague Lord and subdue and rescue the possessors, including Aaron.”

“That sounds right.”

Azar spoke, and Cecilia nodded in agreement.

The conclusion of the—not really a—meeting was as follows.

“Sir Elliot, do you have any objections?”

Cecilia glanced at me, as if seeking confirmation.

I merely shrugged my shoulders.

Thus, the meeting ended.

However, my mind was complicated.

“…Hah.”

Like all named characters in games, Albrecht had an enlistment quest.

A scandal shaking the Imperial Knight Order.

It was an investigation quest concerning traitors, essentially involving researching them and submitting a list.

The pivotal figure in that quest was…

“The Imperial Knight, or rather, the traitor Aaron.”

In my memories, the game’s Imperial Knight Aaron was a villain who loathed Albrecht to the extent of wanting to kill him.

A cruel fiend.

That was the assessment most players had of Aaron.

“This is maddening.”

How could that villain have become a possessor?

How on earth was I supposed to tell Albrecht that?

With no way to explain it, I felt my head spinning.

*

“Hey.”

After concluding the meeting and leaving the tent, I bumped into Ophelia, who happened to be wandering near the base.

But her reaction was strange.

As soon as Ophelia made eye contact with me, she startled and began sidestepping like a crab.

Seeing that reaction, I began to piece together the situation.

“You’ve caused some trouble again. What did you break this time?”

“Hey! It’s not like that at all!”

Unable to hold back, Ophelia yelled at me, but she couldn’t close the distance more than five paces, hesitating instead.

Her clearly different reaction made me furrow my brow.

Now that I looked closely, her face was red, and beads of sweat were dripping. In this cold Erosion Zone, it was unlikely that she had a fever.

Sighing, I approached Ophelia and picked her up effortlessly.

“You’ve caught a cold again, haven’t you?”

Having had a similar experience in Auriga, I could guess Ophelia’s condition.

With her roaming around like a stray cat day in and day out, how could she not catch a cold?

“I told you to take care of yourself. If you’re sick, at least let us know. We won’t abandon you just because you’re unwell.”

“I-I’m not sick….”

“If you’re unwell, the entire party is at risk. Please, take care of yourself. You’re our princess.”

“P-Princess….”

I literally held Ophelia, the princess, in my arms, and she shut her mouth tightly, pulling down her hood to hide her expression.

Should I ask Gale for cold medicine or something?

Before that, did we even have any medical supplies?

As I walked toward Ophelia’s tent while pondering that question, she suddenly tugged at my clothing.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Um, you know….”

Ophelia looked up carefully. Her emerald eyes sparkled as they peered at me from under the hood.

“What do you think about it?”

“What about?”

“Premarital… chastity and stuff. You know, those things.”

What on earth was she talking about? That was a rather odd topic.

Now that I think about it, the Cathedral emphasized premarital chastity a lot.

But why would Ophelia be curious about that…?

“Did Emily say something strange to you today?”

“….”

Ophelia was the only one who could spark such a conversation.

It was just a question I tossed out there.

“It’s Emily, right? Just let her words go in one ear and out the other…”

“Answer me.”

Clenching.

The grip on my collar tightened.

“Quickly.”

“Um.”

“Answer quickly.”

Her strangeness made me ponder for a moment about how to respond.

Ophelia’s eyes looked utterly serious.

“Physical relationships.”

In Earth terms, that was quite normal. Unlike this area, it was a time with an open sexual culture, and my own romantic experiences weren’t far off from that.

But if I spoke the truth, Ophelia would surely fly off the handle, calling me a pervert and a scoundrel.

Ophelia was all grown up in body, yet her mind was that of a child.

Given that she was already sick, it’d be terrible if she got excited.

So I decided to just give her a vague answer.

“I haven’t really thought about it. After all, I wouldn’t be getting emotionally invested in someone I’m not marrying, nor would I want to leave any openings. Well, sex is a given.”

“S-Sex….”

The color drained from Ophelia’s face at my wording, but…

“Then what about someone you do care for?”

“….”

“Hmm.”

“No, you don’t have to tell me.”

Seeing as she seemed to have a rough idea, Ophelia pressed her fist against my lips and gave me a light punch.

With such a gentle punch, it seemed I had chosen the right answer here.

Sure enough, Ophelia wriggled in my arms for some time before pouting.

“Elliot.”

“Yeah?”

“I really think I have a cold. A really bad one too.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re admitting that now.”

“I can’t move because of my cold. Hold me.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll escort you to your tent.”

“No, I’m going to yours.”

At her words, I frowned at Ophelia, but she wore a mischievous grin.

“Why?”

“I mean, I’m a bad girl, so I’ll have to pass on my cold to you. I don’t want to be the only one suffering.”

“…Hmm.”

“You’re a good guy, so you wouldn’t do something like… you know?”

Well, naturally not.

I merely shrugged my shoulders.

I felt painfully aware that I could never break Ophelia’s stubbornness.

“Do you want a midnight snack?”

“Something fish-based.”

“Not sure if we have that.”

I chuckled, and Ophelia just nodded slightly.

The night was deep, and of course, I was a premarital chastity advocate.

*

By the way, Ophelia stated that nothing ever happened.

Instead, something quite unexpected occurred.

“You idiot.”

“….”

“Do you really think you’d catch it like that?”

The next day, I caught a cold.

Ophelia looked incredulous.