Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Then, why is there such a commotion again?”

The faces gathered near the conference room were mostly imperial figures, but there were still some familiar ones among them. Inquisition Officer Johan, who had protected Archbishop Belwin in the depths of the Holy See, was there.

As soon as he saw me, he wore a wry smile and explained the situation.

“That Saintess… I mean, His Holiness the Pope…”

“You can just call her the Saintess.”

“The Saintess declared before the archbishops that she would change the regulations of the Cathedral and the Church.”

Thinking back, I remembered that Ophelia had talked about changing the regulations. Did she go ahead and do it? I had to give her credit for her decisiveness.

Johan awkwardly raised his hands in front of his face, making the sign of the cross as he continued.

“But the new regulations are so shocking that it’s caused backlash.”

“What was so shocking?”

“Allowing priests to marry openly.”

“….”

“Abolishing all the duties of abstinence, like drinking and smoking. Plus, she declared that she wouldn’t take part in the morning and evening masses at the Cathedral anymore.”

“Wow.”

“Oh, and it seems the operation of confessionals will come to an end as well…”

Johan mentioned a few more points, but they were all basically the same, so there was no need to pay much attention.

Anyway, Ophelia had thrown a massive bombshell, and it seemed opinions were wildly divided as a result. During that process, stories about the Saintess’s usual behavior and the hero accompanying her had also come up.

“So, Ophelia exploded when my name came up?”

“Yes. I couldn’t hear details since I was eavesdropping outside, but it seemed like she was ready to turn the conference room upside down.”

I thought it was quite bold of him to admit he was eavesdropping.

Well, I guess since Inquisition Officers are all cunning folks, I had to understand.

By the way…

“… It’s quite the mess she’s made.”

Should I really say it’s typical of Ophelia? Or should I be relieved that she’s being herself?

Whatever it is, it seemed impossible to handle the situation without me.

I opened the door and walked into the conference room. The knights guarding the entrance tried to stop me, but as soon as they saw my face, they turned pale and stepped aside. There were perks to being known as the reckless hero.

“… Hah.”

The inside of the conference room was just as chaotic as Johan had described. Among the wreckage that looked like it had been swept through by a dump truck, there was Ophelia, sitting with her feet up on the round table, using the Pope’s royal scepter like a massage tool on her shoulder.

Her legs were truly alluring.

But let’s move on.

“Hey, Elliot. Come over here.”

Ophelia casually wiggled her bare feet on the table. I sighed and replied.

“Ophelia, I told you. Let’s avoid unnecessary friction.”

“Is this friction?”

“Well, it’s a bit more than friction, isn’t it? Should we call it a collision?”

“….”

Ophelia frowned. It seemed she felt wronged that I wasn’t siding with her.

But who would agree with her? Throwing a tantrum just because things didn’t go her way was something even a child wouldn’t do.

“Ophelia, when are you going to grow up?”

“Don’t treat me like a kid!”

“No, you are acting like a kid.”

It looked like I needed to discipline her firmly.

Our eyes met with Belwin, who had been watching from a corner of the conference room. I nodded towards the exit.

“Hmmm. Given the situation, we should…”

Should I say he was wise? Belwin quickly made his exit with the other bishops.

Now, with just the two of us left, Ophelia sheepishly retracted her legs from the table and placed her hands neatly on her lap.

“Um, I didn’t mean to cause this… on purpose…”

“….”

Her face, cautiously watching mine, resembled a cat that had just broken a glass jar.

She was only acting tough because others were present. The trembling of her pupils, since the moment I entered, proved that she was scared.

I realized that I had become a restraining force for her.

“Looks like you understand you did something wrong?”

“… Ummm.”

I had expected this.

Where could I find another pet who was this honest?

At least Ophelia showing awareness of her wrongdoing was a significant improvement compared to the past.

With a wry smile, I approached and sat at the edge of the table.

“What are you dissatisfied about, Ophelia?”

As I asked kindly, her lips, which had puffed up, deflated.

“Those bastards are slandering you…”

“What exactly did they say?”

“They said the hero isn’t pious… that you’re trying to seduce the Saintess to take control of the Cathedral at will…”

“Well, I can see how they might feel that way.”

“Hey! Aren’t you angry?”

“I’m not.”

Ophelia shouted in protest, but I merely shrugged.

After all, I was recognized as a reckless hero, which resulted in many knights getting hurt, so I expected to face some backlash when my actions were viewed objectively.

Ophelia bit her lower lip as if she couldn’t understand.

As Johan already mentioned, the reason she stirred up trouble was probably because they were talking bad about me. At least by now, Ophelia had attained some basic sense. She had made a promise with me, after all.

I didn’t dislike that fact, so I added a comment.

“Of course, if you get slandered, I’ll be angry too.”

“… Oof.”

“And if it weren’t for the situation being like this, I could just knock them all out.”

Ophelia pulled her head back.

Her eyes said it all; speaking like that was unfair.

“However, I wouldn’t have caused such a ruckus like you did in a place like this.”

“… I’m sorry, okay?”

In the end, Ophelia’s straightforward apology was rather amusing.

I got down from the table and picked Ophelia up, placing her on my lap.

They say you shouldn’t spoil children too much when raising them, but Ophelia isn’t just a little kid anymore.

Should I think of her as a grown child instead?

“Ophelia, showing the difference in power is not the only solution when resolving situations.”

“… Then what is the solution?”

“Just watch.”

“What am I supposed to look at?”

I didn’t answer and called out to Johan, who was eavesdropping from afar.

“Tell the archbishops to come in.”

As expected, was Johan given the hint? A moment later, bishops entered hesitantly, stealing glances at me.

The reckless hero, who was looking down at them with the Saintess—no, the Pope—sitting on his lap like a pet.

And the words that would come from this reckless hero were as follows.

“We’re getting married, so you have no complaints, right?”

My statement would certainly be more shocking than the Saintess’s earlier declaration.