Taming the Evil Saintess

---

“So, what on earth is going on?”

I asked Belwin after a brief chat with Ophelia. According to Cathedral Knight Rowan, there were resistance forces within the Cathedral itself that were dissatisfied with the Pope, and their leader was none other than Archbishop Belwin.

“That’s exactly right. They caught this old man and took him to the Inquisition Bureau. Fortunately, this place isn’t the most friendly to the Pope.”

Inquisition Officer Johan, who had been silently listening to our conversation, smiled faintly and lowered his head.

“Then, is Archbishop Belwin the only one caught?”

“Well, that’s a blessing in disguise.”

“What happened to the other resistance forces?”

“They slipped away under the cover of darkness. Of course, with the tight security, they probably couldn’t make it outside the Cathedral. They might be preparing for a comeback somewhere.”

So it means the resistance forces are safe for now. I can ask Rowan about it later.

“Are we really going to go up to the top? I want to kick the Pope’s balls already.”

Ophelia said with a cute smile. Indeed, we had successfully entered the Holy See. The number of troops stationed inside was considerable, but if Ophelia and I charged in together, there was no way we couldn’t win.

The problem, however, was not the regular soldiers or knights, but Hell Duke Derabilice himself and his subordinates. Plague Lord Vermina’s minions had successfully taken down their comrades, but right now, it was just Ophelia and me in the Holy See.

There are a total of three mid-bosses we could encounter when fighting Hell Duke in the game. Considering the Possessor as well, the number of possible encounters increases.

“Archbishop, have you noticed anything unusual about the Pope lately?”

“Umm…”

Belwin sighed after rummaging through his memories.

“The Pope has been recruiting the Shadow of God recently. But it seems all of them are outsiders.”

“The Shadow of God…”

The Pope’s elite guard, led by Benedict. The memory of those bastards ambushing Ophelia and me with poison and curses was still vivid. Ophelia seemed to tremble at the mere mention of that name.

The Shadow of God had disbanded when Benedict, their leader, died at my hands, but it appeared the Pope had stubbornly reorganized that damned group.

“Archbishop, if they are outsiders…”

“Yes. It seems highly likely they were brought in by the Demon King’s executives.”

In other words, it meant that the Shadow of God currently consists of Hell Duke Derabilice’s subordinates. They were probably lurking somewhere in the Holy See, waiting for an opportunity to ambush us.

“Must be Possessors, right?”

Ophelia asked, and I nodded. Thinking calmly, could Ophelia and I climb this grand Holy See, defeating numerous holy knights, cathedral knights, demon knights, and even push through the Possessors to engage in a duel with Hell Duke and come out victorious?

The answer is no.

“Let’s retreat, Ophelia.”

“Okay.”

This time, Ophelia nodded without protesting. She too had faced Lieutenant Petinus at the fortress of the Plague Lord. While one-on-one might be manageable, if multiple enemies of Petinus’s level appeared, that would be a problem beyond our capabilities. We needed to regroup with our allies and advance once more.

“Archbishop, will you come with us? Is there a safe place in the Cathedral?”

Belwin nodded at my question. He took my Magic Map and marked a location.

“This is a safe house I arranged just before everything went down. The Pope or knights probably won’t pay any attention to it.”

“Sounds good.”

Ophelia said as she pulled out the Magic Communicator she received from Emily.

“Let’s go there.”

Lastly, I handed the Magic Communicator Ophelia had to Inquisition Officer Johan.

“What is this?”

To say ‘telephone’ would be incorrect, for such a concept didn’t exist in this world.

“Umm… It’s a magical item that allows us to communicate even from afar.”

When I explained it vaguely, Johan made a perplexed expression.

“Hero, isn’t that… a heretical item?”

“…”

“As an Inquisition Officer, I must not be entranced or bewitched by heresy.”

Is this guy for real? Is this how all Inquisition Officers are, like Yurede?

“Shut up and just take it, you lunatic.”

Unable to bear it, Ophelia raised her fist and shouted. Johan, unable to refuse even a Saint’s order, reluctantly accepted.

“If there are any unusual movements in the Holy See, please contact us through this.”

“Yes…”

Seeing Johan’s expression, I doubted I could expect any meaningful contact.

*

“Is this the place?”

“Yes.”

We exited the Holy See and headed for the safe house. The safe house Belwin had arranged was a small space on the outskirts of the Cathedral, inside the city walls.

“This is…?”

“It’s a church. It was used in the past, around the time this old man just became a priest.”

A small ruin overgrown with thick vegetation. Seeing the remnants of the bell tower, it appeared to be a small church. It must have succumbed to the ravages of time without anyone to maintain it. I understood why Belwin called it a safe house. Even I, who had stayed in the Cathedral for over three years, didn’t know this place existed.

However, Ophelia seemed familiar with it and smiled ruefully.

“This place feels familiar.”

“You know it?”

“Yeah, back in the day, when kids wanted to bully or skip out on education, they’d hide here. The holy knights never patrolled this far, so it felt like my secret base. Come to think of it, this was something that old Belwin told me about.”

“Who would think a Saint would hide in a place like this?”

My response seemed funny to Ophelia, and she chuckled. She approached the center of the church and brushed the podium. Dusting off her hands, Ophelia looked at me.

“Did you know?”

“What?”

“This place was still used for ceremonies until recently.”

At her words, I narrowed my eyes. To any extent, it looked like a rundown ruin. There seemed to be no reason for it to be used as a ceremony site.

“A ceremony? Why here of all places?”

“You see, those noble folks want to get married in the Cathedral if they believe in some god or whatever, but when it’s a bit of a hassle with folks watching, they held small weddings here. I once peeked at one back in the day.”

Ophelia seemed to reminisce, a smile forming on her face.

“That wedding was hilarious. The groom was an old man, and the bride looked to be my age.”

“…That’s definitely a reason to have a clandestine marriage.”

“Right? The groom was such a jerk, you could tell at a glance. He was a total chubby guy, groping the bride’s butt while giving the wedding speech. What a shameless sexual harasser.”

I wasn’t sure why she was saying such things while looking at me, but I decided to play along with Ophelia’s rhythm.

“How true. These days, even a five-year age difference between bride and groom gets you called a thief.”

For reference, the age difference between Elliot and Ophelia was five years. Realizing this fact a moment too late, Ophelia’s eyes widened. I thought she would start cursing, but Ophelia swallowed and abruptly turned her head away.

I was trying to hold back laughter at her reaction when Ophelia cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Ahem. You, good sir.”

“Huh?”

“Will you swear to protect Ophelia, healthy or sick, always?”

“…What are you doing?”

When I asked, Ophelia clamped her mouth tight and looked up at me.

“…I just remembered the script from when I officiated a wedding long ago.”

“Is that really all?”

“Y-Yes, that’s it!”

Ophelia snapped back angrily. Of course, she was secretly hoping for an answer, so I smirked and stood in front of her. With a height difference that was quite something, Ophelia found herself looking up at me.

“…Hmm.”

In this situation, I guess I ought to respond like this.

“Rain or shine, I, Elliot, will protect Ophelia.”

“…”

Even after I asked, Ophelia remained silent for a while. Her eyes blinked a few times, and her lips quivered.

Then, she lowered her face and slightly nodded.

“Y-You’re doing okay. You could officiate a wedding later.”

“Would you do it?”

“…Hey.”

Ophelia said. Her emerald eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.

“That promise, you will keep it, right?”

“…”

Suddenly questioned, I was momentarily flustered but managed to answer with a chuckle.

“Why? Should I swear to the heavens?”

“…No, that jerk should just be off in some corner of heaven having his own fun.”

Though it was a bumbling statement, it adequately explained Ophelia’s resentment toward deities. She smirked slightly.

“Rather than some god or what-not, I prefer our promise between us.”

“That’s unexpected. I feel the same way.”

Underneath the church, we held blasphemous words on our lips. The moon bloomed vibrantly.