Taming the Evil Saintess

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The situation wasn’t as tough to manage as I had feared.

The reason, of course, was thanks to the connections I had made during my mercenary days.

Putting aside Laila, my old comrade Georg, whom I had not seen in a long time, apparently held quite a bit of influence within the Mercenary Association. With just a few instructions from him, the chaos that had erupted quieted down significantly.

After dispersing the gathered crowd and filing a compensation claim for the broken windows and bottles in the name of the association, we moved to a private room where the association’s executives, including Gersen, were assembled.

“How’s that guy doing?”

I asked as I looked at Gersen, who was passed out, bloodied. Laila shrugged her shoulders.

“He’s not going to die. I doubt he’ll have any aftereffects either. The Saint Lady did manage to control her strength, after all.”

“That’s only natural. Who do you think you’re talking about?”

Hearing her take that kind of praise made her puff up her chest, which was quite annoying.

I raised my fist, aiming to give Ophelia a light tap on the crown of her head.

“Stop!”

Ophelia, already sensing my intent, raised both hands to guard herself.

Seeing her posture reminded me of some sort of martial arts stance, and I couldn’t help but sigh.

Who on earth taught her such a stance?

And what was with that weird “spirit” she had just pulled out?

It was likely Erwin’s doing.

“What are you doing?”

“Hmph. I already know, don’t I? You’re going to hit me any moment now.”

“You’re quite perceptive.”

Bam.

So, I gave her a hit.

Ophelia’s flimsy guard didn’t fully block my tap.

“You bastard!”

Furious, she flailed her arms wildly, and I pushed her away while scolding her gently.

“Seriously, what were you thinking? You almost messed everything up.”

“But it didn’t mess up, did it?”

“That’s something we need to find out from here on.”

I pointed at Gersen, who had just regained consciousness and was blinking rapidly.

“You… this guy wants to talk to you.”

“Eh? Me?”

I brought Ophelia over in front of Gersen.

“Ophelia, apologize.”

“Oh, no….”

“You did something wrong, so apologize.”

With my stern gaze locking onto her, Ophelia shrank back, looking like she was about to cower, and reluctantly nodded her head.

Then she turned to Gersen and said…

“Hey.”

“You… from earlier….”

“Just answer the question. If not, I won’t heal you.”

As Gersen closed his mouth, Ophelia crossed her legs and struck a proud pose.

“You made fun of me earlier.”

“….”

“Right?”

“That… but….”

Gersen, still dazed, bobbed his head in acquiescence to Ophelia’s claims.

Then she flashed a sly smile, grasped his hand, and shook it up and down.

“Then you got what you deserved, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You were asking for it, and now you got hit. Admit it.”

“….”

“See? So, no need to apologize. But I did hit you too, which makes us evenly matched. So, we’re square now.”

“No, but what….”

“Good night.”

Boom!

Before her sentence was even finished, Ophelia cast both Healing Magic and Sleep Magic simultaneously to put Gersen back to sleep, as if to prevent further argument.

“…Is that really an apology?”

Laila, who had been observing this miraculous dialogue, rested her hand on her forehead.

Wasn’t that what they called “diplomatic engagement” back on Earth? Or was it British-style rhetoric?

Anyway, having resolved the situation, Ophelia turned to me, beaming with pride.

Just as she noticed my disapproving glare, she immediately returned to that absurd martial arts stance.

“Stop!”

“I won’t hit you.”

I walked past Ophelia, who was putting on a show, and left the room.

For now, I planned to attend to other matters until Gersen got back to his senses.

Of course, I should catch up with the old comrades.

*

The Black Eagle Mercenary Group didn’t really have a hierarchy among its members. Since we were all dragged into this together, it was impossible to establish any sort of rank; we inevitably grew closer by sharing meals.

However, there had to be someone who acted as the center when going on missions, and that person was usually referred to as the ‘Leader.’

During my recent involuntary entry into the mercenary group, Laila was the leader, and the following year, I took on that role. I remained the leader until my retirement.

So, it seemed that my former comrades from the mercenary days were more accustomed to addressing me as ‘Leader’ rather than just a colleague.

“Leader, it’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

Here in front of me was a fellow comrade, Georg, greeting me warmly.

“Georg, it’s been a while for me too.”

“I didn’t expect you to show up so suddenly without any notice. You should’ve at least given me a heads up.”

“I need a way to contact you first.”

Georg was already a middle-aged man.

I remembered him as someone sentenced to death after killing his unfaithful wife, dragged into the mercenary group kicking and screaming.

He had once been quite the handsome man back in our mercenary days, but as the saying goes, time doesn’t spare anyone, and I felt a unique sentiment seeing how much older he looked compared to the last time we met.

“Elliot, do you know him?”

It was Ophelia, who had caught up with us.

“We were comrades.”

“We were subordinates.”

As both of us gave our answers, Ophelia tilted her head in confusion.

“Let’s say it’s both.”

Georg had been in the same batch as me in the mercenary group.

I wouldn’t exactly say his skills were exceptional, but he had a knack for coordination in crises and often did remarkably well in dangerous situations.

Seeing him again brought back many old memories.

“It’s been a while since we all gathered like this.”

“Six years.”

Georg said with a wry smile, scanning my face.

“You look much healthier than before. Seems like you’ve been living well.”

“Hmm… rolling around in dung is still better than those mercenary days.”

“Haha. That’s true.”

He was sticking to politeness, which was the same even back in our mercenary days.

“So, what brings you here?”

“What do you think? I came because the Mercenary Association needs mercenaries.”

“Mercenaries, you say?”

I began to explain my situation in detail to Georg.

How I accidentally became a Knight of the Saint, subsequently a Hero, and ultimately needed troops to attack the Cathedral of the Saint, stunned Georg wide-eyed.

“Really? The Leader became a Hero?”

“Didn’t Laila tell you?”

“I’ve heard, but hearing it from you makes it hard to believe. The Leader as a Hero? That doesn’t seem fitting at all.”

Whether it was praise or sarcasm, I wasn’t sure, and Ophelia let out a small chuckle.

Feeling a sudden urge to tease her, I gave Ophelia a light smack on the head.

“You bastard!”

“Anyways, once Gersen wakes up, I plan to ask for a formal favor to call the Black Eagle members back.”

“…Oh, I see.”

“Hey! Don’t underestimate me!”

However, there was something concerning…

“Will they even come when I call them?”

“Hey!”

A Leader who had been missing for six years suddenly calling for a battle against the Demon King’s Army—how many would actually show up to answer the call?

I’d be grateful if even five would come.

However, upon hearing this, Georg smirked and exchanged glances with Laila.

“Of course, the Demon King’s Army sends shivers down our spines. How many times did we suffer from demons and monsters in the Northern Snowfields?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“But if it’s the Leader’s request, yes, they will come. No matter what.”

With Georg’s resolute assurance, Laila placed her hand on my shoulder.

“At the very least, all of us from those days owe you our lives.”

“….”

“You can boast about it all you want. We’re just repaying a debt in our own way.”

It seemed that Laila was a little embarrassed by her own words, as she cleared her throat and turned her head away.

Of course, what Laila said was true. The Black Eagle Mercenary Group was a living hell where only slaves and ex-convicts were dragged into. Natural deaths were often considered fortunate circumstances. Surviving that hell would form an unbreakable bond between us.

“So where is everyone else now?”

When I inquired about the other comrades, Georg replied.

“After you disappeared, the remaining members formed their own mercenary group.”

“What about Laila?”

“No. Laila preferred to be a free mercenary.”

“You know my personality, right?”

“Fair enough.”

Georg observed me with a wry smile, continuing his explanation.

“Though, they didn’t even last a month.”

“What happened? Did they go bankrupt?”

It’s quite common for new mercenary groups to go under.

But Georg shook his head.

“There was a division.”

“A division?”

“Just because I said division doesn’t mean they turned against each other. It’s just… they couldn’t come to an agreement.”

“That often happens.”

“Every time, the Leader would mediate. However, without a Leader, the mercenary group was just a scattered mob. Everyone had enough experience but lacked a central figure.”

“Huh….”

That was a story I hadn’t heard before.

Reflecting on it, it seemed like all my comrades back in the mercenary days were quite abnormal.

Putting such problem children together, it was no wonder that conflicts would arise.

“So where’s everyone now?”

“They’ve all scattered and joined other mercenary groups.”

“Can you call them?”

“I know their whereabouts, so I can call them if necessary.”

Georg said this, then stroked his beard as if recalling something.

“Oh, there might be one person who’s hard to summon.”

“Who?”

“Samuel.”

Samuel.

Hearing that familiar name, a smile naturally spread across my face. Meanwhile, Laila, who was next to me, seemed to be rolling her eyes in disbelief.

Ophelia, who had been simmering with anger beside me for a while, tugged at my outfit with a sulky expression.

“What kind of guy is that Sam… whatever?”

“A lecher.”

“A lecher?”

“He was a guy who was crazy about hitting on women.”

“Ugh.”

“If he saw a woman on the street, he’d throw his advances at her. Though, the success rate was extremely low. Was there ever any success?”

Ophelia frowned, and I chuckled as I glanced at Laila.

Back then, Samuel, thinking himself charming, had pulled a move on Laila, crossing racial boundaries, and nearly ended up sliced in half by a blade of his own making.

“Samuel.”

“Yes, yes.”

“If you don’t want to see that half-demon idiot, you better keep your mouth shut.”

“Oh! That’s not bad….”

Crack!

Perhaps that was the kind of situation we found ourselves in back then.

My memories were a bit foggy.

“But what happened to that guy? Did he get executed for his affairs, or something?”

I cautiously asked, and Georg let out a hollow laugh before delivering the shocking truth.

“That bastard Samuel? He’s a High Noble now.”

“What?”

“He charmed the daughter of the Eastern Dukedom and cleverly secured his status as a son-in-law.”

“…Crazy bastard.”

All those years of effort seemed to have finally paid off.