Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Ugh, disgusting.”

There’s a hole in the fortress wall that lets you see what’s going on below.

As Oksana watched the swarm of monsters charging at the hero’s party, she shuddered.

Even back on Earth, she couldn’t stand bugs. And now, she’d become part of that damned world, under that Plague Lord, or rather, the Bug Lord. It was truly a lamentable situation.

“If that’s what’s left, does that mean there were five times as many before?”

Oksana grimaced as she turned her head, just as Knight Aaron stepped inside the fortress and nodded in agreement.

Imperial Knight Aaron, a character from the game, perhaps because he’s just an amalgamation of human traits, was one of the few who could actually converse with Oksana amidst all the bizarre demons in the fortress.

“Isn’t there a danger that your beloved Sword Saint might get killed?”

“If it’s the one I know, he will definitely not die. And ‘beloved’—what are you talking about?”

“Oh, back where I lived, same-sex love was pretty accepted, you know.”

“That was a garbage world.”

“Well, I won’t deny that.”

Oksana chuckled as she watched the bloodbath happening outside.

Among them, the hero stood out the most.

He swung his sword with ease, cutting through the monsters. Not just with the sword. The hero was a weapon himself. Fists, feet, arms, legs, elbows, even his head—every part of him was a weapon. The sight of him using his entire body like a mad dog was quite something.

“So that guy’s a Possessor, huh?”

“Looks like it.”

“Doesn’t seem like it, though.”

Oksana clicked her tongue.

A hero from her hometown—maybe they could actually communicate.

Thinking that, she scanned the party and inevitably came across a familiar face.

“There she is…”

“The Ice Warrior?”

The Ice Warrior, Cecilia Ethelgarand.

She was someone tied to Oksana’s current body, and there was no way it could possibly not be connected to her.

“Speaking of which…”

As she pondered, Aaron broke the silence.

“It seems Petinus is eager to kill the Saintess.”

“Why?”

“Apparently, he believes he has purified his plague.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised.”

Petinus. A demon affiliated with the Plague Lord. He had appeared as a mid-boss in the game, and recently, the Saintess had wiped out the plague he sent like a gust of wind with just one Holy Magic. That must have left quite a dent in his pride, considering he was evaluated as the best among Vermina’s demons.

“But can that guy even capture the Saintess? Isn’t that kind of oppositional?”

“It seems he’s planning to expand his territory. One-on-one, he should be able to handle it.”

“Divide and conquer…”

Oksana shrugged.

Just then, it looked like the enemies, led by the hero, were overloaded with the pouring monsters and were trying to rush into the fortress.

“Then I’ll take on the hero. Besides, you’re planning to confront the Sword Saint, right?”

“You?”

“Yeah. You’re the Possessor. Plus, being from the same hometown, I’d like to catch up on some things.”

Grinning, Oksana traced the mark imprinted on her chest.

It was a despicable but bearable existence.

—

Monsters with poison continuously poured out from the fortress basement, and we cut them down without a moment’s rest.

With each monster that fell, the poison sacs inside them burst, spilling toxins and plagues. There was no time to evade.

I could feel my body becoming heavy, and what about the rear guards like Ophelia and Emily?

Of course, while Ophelia’s Holy Magic was continuously purging the poison, plague, and curses, there was clearly a limit to it.

“Ophelia.”

“Don’t talk to me. I have a headache…”

“You’re getting a nosebleed.”

“…”

Only then did Ophelia seem to realize, startled, as she wiped her upper lip with her sleeve. She looked so haggard she could hardly be called human. The bloodstains traced down her cheeks and Holy Garment, painting a grotesque picture.

In the past few days, she had tended to the sick resistance fighters, marched into the fortress, and finally fought the monsters.

With Ophelia’s stamina, it wouldn’t be surprising if she collapsed right now.

[Kiieeek!]

Slash!

Just then, I ended the life of a monster sneaking up behind Ophelia, and I made up my mind.

“Let’s retreat inside the fortress for now.”

The number of monsters had noticeably decreased.

But Ophelia’s condition was still poor, and even if we tried to retreat below the fortress, we’d have to jump down a dried-up waterfall, and it was uncertain whether Ophelia could even manage that in her state.

In the end, we had no choice but to shove ourselves into the monsters’ jaws.

Of course, Ophelia, whose pride was as strong as ever, shook her head.

“Hey, I can still fight…”

“Yeah, yeah. You can fight longer, but I can’t fight like this.”

As I cut her off, Ophelia’s eyes wavered, but I poked her nose.

“Who’s gonna die together when we die? If you die while pushing forward like this, what kind of miserable death will I have? Unlike some, I do value my life.”

“…”

“Aren’t we the same lives? Is it weird for me to care about yours?”

As I laid down the argument, Ophelia puffed out her cheeks and reluctantly nodded.

I gestured to Azar, and understanding my intent, he raised his shield and unleashed a basic form of Smite.

The power was tremendous. The monster hordes parted in an instant, creating an escape route, and I dashed toward the opening while carrying Ophelia, reaching the entrance of the fortress.

However.

“Wait, something feels off.”

Ophelia, who was on my back, pulled at my neck, and I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

The moment we stepped inside the fortress, I realized something was wrong.

——Woooom.

It felt like stepping into a sauna filled with rotten food. The dense mana tickled my nose.

I’d experienced something similar before.

Right in the Great Forest.

“Erwin, this is…”

“Yeah. I’m sure of it.”

Looking at Erwin, she wore a withered smile.

It was just like the time in the Great Forest when I clashed with Mereba, or more precisely, when I fought Daniel, the Possessor occupying Mereba’s body.

“This is… a territory.”

A territory made of Dark Magic.

Without any chance to escape, a black space expanded and engulfed us in an instant.

—

“Gweeeek.”

A dizzying sensation of weightlessness, followed by tremendous impact.

Ophelia found herself on the ground, throwing up.

The last memory left in her head was the moment they entered the fortress.

Right after that, she had fallen into the territory created by Dark Magic.

“Damn it, this freaking… this freaking territory.”

Ophelia spat out curses and lifted her head.

In the dim corridors of the fortress, there was no one around. She should have been on Elliot’s back, but now she was all alone.

Wondering if it was another illusion, she pinched her cheek hard, but a sharp pain rushed through her.

“…Did we get separated?”

It must be the effect of the territory. It might be aiming for divide and conquer.

With a deep sigh, Ophelia rose to her feet.

Then she invoked a simple light spell she learned from Emily and conjured a small light in front of her.

As the surroundings brightened, Ophelia caught sight of a hulking figure standing at the end of the corridor.

“…”

It was a monstrosity.

Its gigantic balloon-like body was stitched together from various animal hides, and the horns protruding from its skin were hideous.

Even below its left elbow, instead of a hand, there was a hook, and it had only a single vertically-placed eye in its forehead.

At first, she thought it was a monster.

But the creature stared straight at Ophelia, greedily licking its gaping mouth.

“Ophelia, Meredein. Saintess. Grrk.”

It could speak.

That meant it was a demon, not just a monster.

“…Well, thanks for recognizing me, ugly friend…”

As Ophelia backed away and muttered, the monstrosity began to stride toward her.

The bumps on its tongue glistened in reflection with Ophelia’s Light Magic.

“…You really do look fucking ugly.”

Sensing hostility, Ophelia pulled out the Branch of the World Tree from her side.

No one around to help her.

It must be because of the territory’s effect—she was isolated.

In the end, it meant that Ophelia had to take down this ragged creature by her own power.

“Do you have a name?”

“Lieutenant Petinus. No need to remember it. Grk. After all, you’re going to die soon.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I’m not planning to remember your name either, Penis.”

“It’s Petinus.”

“Yeah, Penis.”

The huge wrinkles on Petinus’s forehead deepened.

“Why? Isn’t it true? You look fucking ugly, and yet you can get mad?”

“Don’t insult me. Grk. I’ll rip you apart.”

“Oh, really? Then how about this, Penis?”

Ophelia clenched her fist, jammed her thumb between her index and middle fingers, and finally stuck out her tongue to provoke him, causing Petinus—no, Petinus’ body to tremble with rage.