Taming the Evil Saintess

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Looking back now, living in the Black Eagle Mercenary was like being in hell, but still, there were some joys to be had.

Even in the summer, the bitter cold felt like frostbite, the oatmeal we ate was worse than pig slop and left us feeling like our insides were tearing apart the next day, and the iron sword served at meals was better suited as a bludgeon than a weapon. The monstrous howls of the beasts echoed like a death sentence, filling the night air with their piercing cries.

But putting all that aside, the comrades in the Black Eagle were everything to me and brought me joy.

“Hey, Poppy! Look! Those bastards have stashed some beer!”

“Wow, Laila. When did you start doing something productive?”

“What’s going on?”

Digging out a barrel of beer from the frozen snowfield, we all drank and ended up with crooked tongues.

“Boss, what do you think about that girl? Isn’t she pretty?”

“Idiot, that’s a female deer.”

“Well, at least there’s a hole down there…”

“Hey, bring me a hammer.”

There was also that time I socked Samuel in the back of the head when he tried to leap over a fence.

Anyway, I lived a new life in the Black Eagle, and while it wasn’t exactly a wonderful existence, I did find some good bonds there.

Besides bonds, the only other thing I gained was patience. That was what allowed me to endure over a year and a half of Ophelia’s shenanigans.

“Poppy, what will you do when you leave here?”

“Boss, boss! How about being mercenaries? With our skills, we could make a fortune!”

I think I once said something like that. Georg looked at me with a strange expectation.

Of course, I just shook my head.

“Forget it. You think I’m going to go out and mercenary again while we’re rolling around in the mud as it is? You guys are even more fascinated than I am.”

“Come on, don’t say that.”

“Boss, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

“Why are you being so clingy? It’s creepy coming from a grown man.”

Regardless, my time in the Black Eagle Mercenary was like a period of adjusting to my new life after being transported to this world, with the name Elliot.

If we compared it to human life, it was like childhood.

Thus, I might have felt a peculiar emotional attachment to the bonds formed during that time.

“You are the One-Eyed Knight Geldmier? That, the Demon King’s Army executive?”

“Recognizing me? It’s an honor. The chief of the Black Eagle. Are you ready to die?”

Back then, I was facing off against that brutal executive from the Demon King’s Army. Even though I could have fled alone, I threw my life on the line to protect my comrades.

Anyway, that incident was the trigger for us to be liberated from the Black Eagle, and the moment I confirmed the existence of Geldmier from the game, I could combine the information in my head and lay out my happy retirement plan.

Of course, that plan has since crumbled into pieces.

“Well, that’s the vibe.”

Ophelia, with wide-open eyes, listening to my past story, was evidence of that.

After reuniting with Georg, Ophelia wanted to hear more about my past.

What was curious was my own side. Even after spending several years with Ophelia, I had never properly discussed my past until now.

Eventually, I took the time to explain how I, an outsider who had possessed Elliot, had come to rise from the Black Eagle Mercenary to the Cathedral of the Saint’s Knight and finally to become a Hero.

After hearing the whole story, Ophelia nodded her head.

“Hmm. That sounds about right.”

I honestly thought that Ophelia would laugh at me. With her personality, she would surely throw out curses like, “Why didn’t you just die back then?”

If she had, I might have taken it seriously.

People are said to seek their roots.

In this world, my roots were as a northern mercenary.

Therefore, belittling the Black Eagle could be seen as a denial of my life.

However,

“You should have told me this sooner.”

Ophelia caught on quickly.

And she was surprisingly thoughtful.

Instead of criticizing my story, she gently raised her hand and placed it on top of my head.

“Yeah. You went through a lot. Good job.”

It felt like she was patting a child, yet I didn’t resent it. Even though I was being treated like a baby by someone like Ophelia, it didn’t bother me that much.

The fact that Ophelia had to stretch her legs to reach me because of our height difference just made it more amusing.

After a while of patting my head, Ophelia sat down to match my eye level as I kept my head lowered.

“…Anyway, they’re your precious people, right?”

“Sort of that feeling.”

“What about that newt?”

“Probably the same.”

“Hmm.”

As Ophelia listened to my words, she seemed to think of something and looked around, finally speaking up.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Then who do you think is more important, me or that guy…?”

“It’s you.”

I answered before she finished her sentence.

*

It seemed that Gersen had regained his composure, and Elliot stepped out of the room. Ophelia wanted to follow, but he firmly refused.

“Why!”

“The perpetrator is originally not supposed to meet the victim. That’s the rule.”

Even with such vague words, even Ophelia couldn’t stubbornly insist.

So, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Ophelia crossed her legs and gave the table a rough kick.

“Cough.”

Only after the chair fell over did Ophelia realize there was another person in the room.

The one-eyed mercenary, Georg.

“…What are you looking at?”

“No, it’s just that… it’s my first time seeing the Cathedral of the Saint, Ophelia Meredein, in person.”

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Drop the title.”

“…Uh, but is it alright if I call you by the Saint’s name…?”

Ah, this annoying guy.

Ophelia’s head was already starting to throb.

But he was different from the idiots back in the Cathedral. This guy, Georg, knew about Elliot who she didn’t.

“Hey.”

So she asked.

“You spent time with that guy from the Black Eagle, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you know about him as well?”

“That’s correct.”

“Tell me. Everything from the start.”

Georg looked surprised at my abrupt questioning, but when Ophelia narrowed her eyes and tapped the table, he reluctantly began to share.

“Honestly, when the boss first joined the mercenary group, I thought he wouldn’t last a month and would die.”

It sounded like he was in really bad shape.

Ophelia wasn’t too surprised since she already knew that Elliot had possessed this body at that time.

Georg chuckled as he continued his tale.

The new recruit, thought to be dying immediately, returned after slaying a monster. He fought against demonkind and won. When he witnessed Elliot slaughtering mined creatures beneath the castle walls, he was unanimously elevated to the boss’s position, succeeding Laila.

“So, it was you.”

“Yes. Just as you said. The boss is strong, straightforward, and possesses a righteous heart.”

“Righteous?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I think that guy… is miles away from being kind or righteous. Isn’t he even more of a jerk? Didn’t he treat you like that?”

“…Hmm.”

Georg pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

“Well, I didn’t feel that way.”

Ophelia remembered that these guys were all either ex-convicts or former slaves, and she easily reconciled herself with that understanding.

Anyway, that covered the stories about the old Elliot.

In fact, what Ophelia was curious about was something else.

“Hey, Georg.”

“It’s Georg, okay?”

“Anyway, I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Red-Light District.”

Red-Light District.

That word posed to Elliot in the Ice Palace.

He said that it was quite normal for mercenaries to visit the Red-Light District.

While he claimed he had never been there, Ophelia was a woman filled with suspicion.

“Did Elliot use it?”

“Um….”

Georg seemed to recall something, grimacing, before shaking his head.

“Actually, the boss didn’t seem to have any interest in women.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Even when they brought in women for the soldiers for a day to increase morale in the Empire, he didn’t lift a finger.”

“Huh, really? What do you think the reason was?”

“I don’t know. But… it just seemed like the boss was an aloof person.”

As Georg said that, he smirked.

Then he shook his head.

“In that sense, I’m also curious.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never thought that kind of boss would have a girlfriend.”

“A, a girlfriend? Elliot has a girlfriend?”

Ophelia jolted up in surprise and Georg frowned, looking at her as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

“A girlfriend, right?”

“Of course, you’re talking about the Saint, aren’t you?”

“…Ah.”

Immediately after, a squeaky voice slipped out, and that was a secret.

*

“So, you want to call upon the Black Eagle Mercenary’s veterans?”

When Gersen woke up, it seemed he couldn’t recall earlier events.

Whether that was a misfortune or fortune, at least the conversation could progress quickly.

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“I already told you it’s to attack the Cathedral.”

Gersen shook his head.

“I’m asking about what triggered the attack, Hero.”

“Because I’m pissed off.”

“…”

“…You wouldn’t accept that, would you?”

I pondered for a moment.

Revealing the shocking fact that the Cathedral and the Demon King’s Army had conspired would surely cause a significant uproar.

At the very least, Mercenary King Gersen wasn’t a man with a heavy mouth. Instead, he would likely try to utilize that information to the fullest.

However, it seemed Gersen had misunderstood my grim expression.

“Could it be that the Saint in the other room is the cause?”

“…Well, sort of.”

“Huh. The chief of the Black Eagle appears to have no choice when it comes to love.”

I didn’t know why everyone was misunderstanding, but it seemed to speed things along, so I was glad for that.

Gersen declared firmly.

“If the former commander of the mercenary group wishes to summon his subordinates, then as the Mercenary King, I have no reason to stop him. I’ll lend you the guild’s message service. They’re a smart bunch, and they’ll surely deliver the message within five days.”

“Thanks.”

“I don’t accept verbal gratitude.”

Gersen shook his head.

He had his secretary bring over a document and handed it to me.

When I accepted it, it was a request letter.

It was the same format I frequently saw back in my mercenary days.

I frowned and looked at Gersen.

“What’s this?”

“For the five days that the letter is being sent, you will handle a request. That’s a condition.”

“A request?”

“There’s a pesky problem nearby.”

Gersen had a cunning smile on his face as he mentioned that.