Taming the Evil Saintess

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Finding Ophelia wasn’t too difficult.

All I had to do was head past the fortress’s corridor and into that zone where the poisonous energy thickened. A few demons and monsters tried to jump me along the way, but without the magic support that usually accompanied such foes, I simply swung my sword a couple of times, turning them into meaty chunks before rounding the corner.

“There you are.”

Inside the chaotic room, Ophelia was slumped down, and in front of her lay the corpse of Lieutenant Petinus, a mid-boss I’d seen in the game several times before.

The surrounding poisonous energy was dense and horrifying, yet even that couldn’t approach Ophelia.

Well, of course, Ophelia is a gem; she’s the continent’s Saintess. Her holy magic far surpasses that of any cleric on this land.

“Ophelia.”

As I approached and called her name, she finally seemed to notice my presence, turning her head toward me.

Her haggard eyes met mine, and Ophelia managed to flash a weak V-sign despite her exhaustion.

“Damn, you’re late.”

“Well, I had to fight too, so there was nothing I could do.”

I knelt down to check on her condition, but her eyes narrowed suddenly.

What was it? Ophelia was staring at the wound on my cheek, which I had received from Oksana’s wire.

“What’s that? Who the hell did that to you?”

“It’s just a scratch from a fight.”

“Wait. I’ll heal it. If you leave it like that, it’ll leave a scar.”

When Ophelia tried to channel her holy magic, I pushed her shoulders down gently.

“Stop being stubborn and just sit still. You’re out of divine power anyway.”

“I’m not!”

“Sure looks like you are. You’re practically falling apart.”

I sighed and began to massage her legs.

She was covered in blood but had no wounds. She must have healed herself.

Holy magic. What an absurd ability.

“So how’s your condition?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I told you I’m fine!”

Ophelia tried to get up angrily, but her legs gave out, and she wobbled.

I quickly supported her as she nearly collapsed.

“See? Your legs are jelly.”

“Shut your trap….”

Leaving the panting Ophelia behind, I checked Lieutenant Petinus’s body.

All his limbs had been severed, and it seemed like he had even split open his belly to pull out his poison sac.

How did he know there was a core there?

“By the way, Ophelia, you did great.”

I praised her honestly.

Petinus was just another common demon boss, but as the gatekeeper for capturing Vermina, he had quite a reputation.

To take him down alone, without a party, was impressive.

It seems Ophelia was at a much higher level than I thought.

She merely scoffed, acting as if it was no big deal.

“This bastard was actually pretty tough. Not that his face was.”

“Uh-huh.”

Since he was a boss without dialogue, I couldn’t gauge his personality, but Ophelia clicked her tongue as she looked down at Petinus’s corpse.

Then she crossed herself in front of her chest and murmured.

“Pennis, go to a good place.”

“…Huh?”

I wondered if I had misheard her as I stared at Ophelia.

She had definitely said that.

“What… what did you just say?”

“What? His name? Pennis.”

“Peni… what?”

“That’s….”

“….”

“…oh.”

It seemed ophelia had realized the unfortunate implication of her own words.

I could almost hear a comical sound effect like “pong” as her face turned bright red, so much so that it felt like it was radiating heat.

I cleared my throat as I looked at Petinus’s corpse, now dispersing into poisonous and magical energies.

“Uh… Ophelia, what on earth do you think about to see that ragged monster as a phallus…?”

“Shut up!”

I got smacked.

It didn’t hurt, though.

“So, what about the others?”

“The rest, including Cecilia and Azar, are busy fighting off the monsters trying to get into the fortress….”

I lifted my head to look at the upper level of the staircase.

“Albrecht is probably fighting Aaron right now.”

“Alone?”

“With the territory gone, who knows. But with Aaron’s personality, he’d surely want a duel.”

“Are you not going to help?”

I hesitated, then shrugged my shoulders.

I couldn’t even guarantee my own victory over Albrecht, so I didn’t think some quest boss could defeat him.

The thing we needed to be most wary of was…

“Vermina.”

“What are we going to do about her?”

“We’ll have to fight with the remaining members. Don’t worry. She’s not as strong as you’re imagining. Just a bit of a hassle.”

However, considering Ophelia was now exhausted, it might be quite troublesome.

But I smiled at Ophelia without showing any of my concerns.

At that moment, I felt a tremor.

“What the….”

“It’s the shockwave of a sword strike.”

“Pretty fierce, huh?”

Ophelia muttered cynically.

Then she looked at me and tilted her head.

“So, Elliot.”

“What?”

“How long are you going to keep grabbing my butt?”

“….”

I let go of her.

Ophelia plopped down, landing on her rear.

“Hey, you little….”

I was cursed at.

“….”

I didn’t remember what it felt like.

Probably.

*

The fierce sword strikes flew through the air.

So terrifyingly orthodox, it was the peak of swordsmanship that only the Sword Saint of the continent could achieve.

Clang!

Aaron leaned his sword against the sword path, but Albrecht’s transformed sword turned into a spear in an instant, targeting Aaron’s neck.

At that moment, a magic shield formed to protect his vital point.

The spearhead merely bounced off harmlessly.

Albrecht frowned, but Aaron smiled triumphantly as he spread his arms. He was unguarded, but Albrecht didn’t rush to attack.

“Was that dark magic just now?”

“How about that? My magic protects me from attacks in any blind spot.”

“That’s a pain.”

“Of course, it’s not just for protection.”

The shield transformed into a sharp stake, aiming for Albrecht’s eyes.

As he leaned back to escape, Aaron’s sword strike flew in simultaneously. He managed to barely block it by twisting his lower body, but his expression showed that his ankle had likely been sprained.

Aaron smiled victoriously as he observed that state.

How much effort did he put into mastering magic to use it so freely? He had practiced dark magic to the bone, to the point of even selling his soul for it. This was a black magic designed solely to kill swordsmen, and in an environment packed with enough mana, it exerted even greater effectiveness.

Even if the territory had disappeared, mana remained.

Even enough to potentially defeat a Sword Saint.

This was the result.

“Lord Albrecht, this is the difference between someone who has merely polished his sword from birth and someone who has diligently honed new skills.”

I said in a state of intoxication from victory, but Albrecht only nodded slightly.

He remained utterly composed.

That calmness irked Aaron.

“You….”

“Aaron.”

“….”

“Sure, you’re right. You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you. But I’ve warned you repeatedly. Don’t get cocky. Isn’t it still a bit early to guarantee victory?”

“Nonsense. A half-assed swordsman like you, sprained ankle and all….”

The next moment, Aaron found his ear severed.

The pain would come after that.

In confusion, he deployed all of his mana for a shield.

“Didn’t you just say you can block any attack from any blind spot?”

“W-What…!”

The previous strike was so fast that even Aaron, who had trained his swordsmanship, couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Soon, Aaron saw the weapon in Albrecht’s hand.

“…Ha, haha.”

Aaron let out a hollow laugh.

“Are you now even mastering stealth techniques?”

The weapon that Albrecht held was a throwing weapon.

He hadn’t expected there to be a projectile weapon.

“I’m just bored of only learning swordsmanship. But you’re definitely inexperienced. I thought I could pierce your brow.”

“Ha! It’s just because it’s an attack I’ve never seen. I won’t fall for it again.”

That’s fine. The sudden unexpected strike came because I hadn’t considered a ranged attack. Now, the mana shield had ‘learned’ from that.

I wouldn’t fall for the same trick again.

“Sword Saint, I will defeat you….”

As Aaron mumbled like that, his eyes opened wide.

The sword changed, transformed by the marking, into a shape he had never seen before.

A long sword with a bent blade.

It looked like it could snap at any moment, but the blade created by Albrecht’s mark boasted greater durability than anything else.

“What’s that?”

“This is a sword taught to me by a hero. They say it’s a sword of the Eastern continent. Light and fast.”

“….”

“You just said it yourself. You can’t defend against an attack you’ve never seen before.”

Albrecht stepped forward.

At the same time, a sword strike shot out at the speed of light, and Aaron barely managed to raise his sword to block it.

But the moment he regained his senses, he was on the ground, and in Albrecht’s hand was a massive scythe.

He had unleashed mana to create a shield, but the Sword Saint’s weapon, which changed with every strike, was nothing short of miraculous.

Not just a longsword or bastard sword, but also a battle axe, spear, claw, sabre, halberd, and more. The weapons with blades that Aaron had never seen before kept appearing without pause.

“Ugh!”

I can’t let this go on.

Aaron tried to back away, but Albrecht wasn’t phased; he simply pursued him.

“Why the hell are you doing this!”

The speed at which Albrecht pressured him was faster than the rate at which the mana adapted.

It was unexpected.

He had not anticipated this.

Before the visibly flustered Aaron, Albrecht hardened his expression and spoke.

“Do you think I have more knowledge of weaponry than you? Did you not calculate that?”

“….”

“At the very least, I am a man known as the Sword Saint. Superior to an average person.”

The mark on Albrecht’s cheek glowed a fierce blue.

“So, Aaron. Are you ready to atone?”

“….”

Aaron bit his lip until it bled, filled with a strong sense of impending defeat.