Taming the Evil Saintess

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“So, are you feeling alright?”

“I’m not dead yet.”

I replied with a bitter smile to Ophelia’s question as she sat beside the bed.

I had caught a dreadful cold.

That thought was only fleeting.

This Elliot, no, Elias, had a body that could be said to be divinely bestowed. Having never suffered from even minor ailments in my life, it was extremely unusual for me to catch a cold.

“Is this the doing of that witch?”

“It seems that folks at the campsite are falling ill too. And I told you not to use bad language.”

“Hmph.”

While I merely felt like I had a slight cold, the other members of the resistance were severely ill, practically teetering on the brink of death.

Even Gale and Yudiel, our guides, and even the Elf Wuzmund, were laid up in bed, making the situation dire.

No medicine seemed to work. If anything, it only made matters worse.

The endemic disease trending in the Erosion Zone could easily be attributed to the plague lord, Vermina.

The silver lining was that this ghastly plague had not yet claimed the lives of the resistance fighters.

The reason? It was none other than the saintess in front of me.

“While I can’t heal completely, I can at least improve their condition.”

Ophelia made that judgment and began to use Holy Magic to heal the people.

That was already three days ago.

I too had received the benefits of her healing, and now my condition had improved enough for me to move about without any issues.

However.

“Ophelia, you look really worn out.”

“I’m fine.”

“There’s no need to push yourself.”

“Then what? Let the kids all die?”

“…”

“Don’t worry. Unlike some people, I take good care of myself.”

Ophelia stuck out her tongue.

Despite her words, she clearly looked exhausted. The dark circles under her eyes were as pronounced as Cecilia’s when she was in the Ice Palace, and her lips were chapped.

Seeing her like that made our group, myself included, begin to piece together what the plague lord’s intentions might be.

“That witch is clearly targeting Ophelia.”

“It certainly seems that way. That means the presence of the saintess is a significant threat.”

Azar agreed.

Plague Lord Vermina was trying to incapacitate Saint Ophelia Meredein by scattering her plague.

Why? Because Ophelia was our only means of combating her plague.

Without Ophelia, defeating Vermina would be merely a distant dream.

“It seems she plans to wear us down, waiting for our self-destruction.”

“Cutting off access routes to the fortress was most likely part of that plan.”

In the original game, I had never seen the Demon King’s army use such strategies—including their top officers.

In the end, this must all be the result of the pivotal disruptions in the world, including the possessors.

“Then we have no time to waste. Are you able to move?”

“Of course.”

Azar asked, and I shrugged my shoulders.

I may have been bedridden for the first few days, but now that I was mobile, there were no significant issues.

If anything, it was time for me to move, especially for Ophelia’s sake.

If we delayed any further, one of the combatants might catch the plague again.

“Let’s get going.”

That was the decision.

*

Located at the northern edge of the Erosion Zone, Linen Guard Fortress had originally served as a secondary defensive line to prevent the invasion of the Demon King’s army.

However, during the Great Rebellion, this area fell into the clutches of the Demon King’s forces, resulting in the fortress effectively being under the control of Plague Lord Vermina.

Designed with a singular purpose to repel the Demon King’s army, it only had one entryway—truly a fortress built upon a mountain.

“According to the map they gave us, it looks like there aren’t any detours.”

We had recklessly set off, intending to topple the plague lord before the situation worsened, but it seemed we were still at a dead end for entering the fortress.

We surveyed the area, inspecting the collapsed path along the mountainside, yet found no viable options.

“Lady Cecilia, do you happen to know anything about this fortress?”

I turned to Cecilia, who, as someone from the Ice Palace, might have some knowledge of its structure, but all she did was shake her head tightly while biting her lip.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much, as Linen Guard Stronghold has been in the hands of the Demon King’s army for some time.”

“Tch.”

“Oh, but I do know some common knowledge.”

Upon hearing me click my tongue, Cecilia raised an eyebrow, as if slightly offended, and added:

“Common knowledge?”

“Yes. Other than the fact that Linen Guard Fortress was built on top of an ancient relic and was originally situated above a water source.”

“Ancient relic? Water source?”

“There used to be a river flowing through here. A river that flowed down from the northern mountains to the south. You may be familiar with its name—the Euphrim River, the very route you took from the eastern coast to the Ice Palace, Lord Elliot.”

Indeed.

I seemed to remember hearing about it from Kaius, the Elf Great Warrior, in Elvendell.

“There’s even talk that the ancient relic originated from the village that arose by that water source. Before the fortress was built, it was apparently used as a tourist attraction. Although now, being part of the Erosion Zone, that holds no significance…”

As Cecilia continued speaking, she seemed to realize something was amiss and blinked in surprise.

The water source, the upstream of the river.

That meant—

“If we follow the dried-up river, can’t we enter the fortress?”

“Y-yeah?”

I posed the seemingly obvious question, and Cecilia merely nodded, her eyes wide with realization.

It was as if she was suddenly struck by the idea.

*

We moved upriver.

In other words, we were experiencing the life of a salmon firsthand.

The sensation of swimming against a waterfall was something that was truly hard to get used to.

“Magic is amazing.”

Of course, we weren’t foolish enough to grab onto the rocky ledges and climb up.

Fortunately, within our group was the best mage around.

“Do you think you can skip the thanks today?”

Today, she was the Great Mage Emily Barried.

“With this momentum, we should reach the fortress before sunset.”

Cecilia, experiencing buoyancy magic for the first time, seemed captivated, floating effortlessly from side to side…

“E-Elliot… slow down a bit… I’m…”

“Are you getting motion sickness from this?”

As expected, Ophelia didn’t disappoint us.

Well, saying she disappointed us might be more accurate.

It was amusing to see her become a target for motion sickness even while floating thanks to the buoyancy magic. In the end, I ended up carrying Ophelia on my back as I climbed the waterfall…

“If you throw up on my back, I’m really going to drop you.”

“I-I won’t! I haven’t eaten anything… and if you just ditch me… I’ll really kill you…”

Ophelia, looking quite pale, complained as she smeared my back with her sweat.

The warm sensation on my back felt strangely comforting. Sure, Ophelia had a nasty personality, but she wasn’t unpleasant. Honestly, seeing her pale from motion sickness was undeniably cute.

“…”

What was I thinking before a battle like this?

I really was losing it.

I slapped my cheek and then boldly grasped the rocky ledges again.

*

How long had it been?

By the time the sun was setting, we finally arrived at upstream.

We also discovered that the dried river followed into the fortress’s underground.

“Here, it seems like the river leads into a well inside the fortress.”

“Given the Erosion Zone’s conditions, the well is likely sealed off.”

“Still, it would’ve led to the fortress. If it’s blocked, we can just break through.”

Cecilia spoke, and I nodded, surveying my surroundings.

Just then, I noticed Albrecht, who had crouched down to investigate something.

“Did you find something?”

“…Yeah.”

Albrecht pulled out a sword from the snow it was buried in.

A standard sword typically seen among the Imperial Knights.

And it wasn’t just one.

There must have been several, at least five.

“…What’s that?”

Exhaling deeply, Albrecht began to gather the swords into a sack.

“Seems these are the swords of the Imperial Knights sacrificed to the plague lord. It’s no surprise they have no armor. I gathered the bodies on my end.”

“…”

“Yeah. You’re spot on, Elliot. It appears that the incident took place here.”

Those words meant that Albrecht’s subordinates met their end in this fortress.

The tendons on the back of my hand shot up in tension.

“Hey, Albrecht. Are you okay?”

“Of course. Right now, I’m as calm as can be.”

Despite saying that, it was impossible to miss the slight excitement in his tone compared to usual.

Given that the scene of his subordinates’ deaths was right before his eyes, it was natural for any commander to feel anger. Cecilia seemed to agree, her expression similarly tight.

“For now, let’s head inside. We can hear the story directly from him.”

Albrecht finished speaking and stood up, but someone emerged from the underground leading to the fortress even faster than him.

“We can hear it directly, can’t we, Commander?”

“…”

The person who stepped out alongside those words was a man.

He was clad in Imperial Knight armor, although the color had darkened somewhat, and his helmet seemed to be cobbled together, resembling a circlet. His eyes gleamed blue, and his black hair cascaded down to his shoulders.

His dreadfully familiar appearance was etched in my memory.

This was the final boss of Albrecht’s recruitment quest.

“…”

I wasn’t the only one who recognized him.

Albrecht squinted his eyes.

“Aaron…”

“Yes. The sword saint’s valiant lieutenant, Knight Aaron.”

Aaron, with a smirk and a salute, showed not the slightest hint of respect.

The only emotion emanating from him was that of an enemy.

I gripped the hilt of my sword.