Taming the Evil Saintess

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Despite the grim situation at the frontline, we were provided with a relatively luxurious tent. Especially in the tent where Ophelia and I stayed, there was a massive bed and even a small shower booth. It seemed to be the tent once used by the Knight Order that had been decimated last time.

Ophelia appeared to be quite fond of the luxurious tent’s interior, as she had already finished showering, treating it like home.

With her pure white, damp hair being dried by a towel, Ophelia was sitting in her underwear, examining her face in a hand mirror. A moment later, as I began to undress to shower, she suddenly spoke up.

“Hey.”

At a glance, she seemed to be fixing her makeup with the hand mirror, but her gaze was fixed on me.

The moment I saw the chill in Ophelia’s expression, I realized she was angry.

“Why… do you look like that?”

Naturally, I stood straight.

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“….”

Explain why I’m angry.

A conversation with a lover that often came up on modern Earth flashed back in my mind.

Fortunately, Ophelia wasn’t that hostile. She let out a dramatic sigh and said,

“It’s about that strategy you mentioned earlier.”

“What about it? Are you talking about Elgore?”

“Yeah. You said you would duel that guy Elgore.”

“That’s the cleanest way to end the war.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I’ll try to make it as safe as possible.”

“That means it’s dangerous.”

“….”

Ophelia’s words hit the mark.

The power of Black Water Elgore truly stood out; no doubt he could rival the strongest on the continent. Engaging in a one-on-one battle with him would be nothing short of a death wish by conventional standards.

However, I believed I wasn’t operating by those standards. From my battle against Hell Duke, I felt that with the Blood Magic, the Mark, and the Artifacts I wielded, I was certainly not weaker than Elgore.

“I can win if we fight.”

“If you fought ten times, how many times would you win?”

“…Hmm.”

That question made it tricky.

After some thought, I answered.

“One… time?”

“What the hell! That means you’d die three times out of ten!”

“…You didn’t need to say it like that.”

“That’s what you said!”

With a huff of frustration, Ophelia raised an arm. I quickly prepared to catch whatever she seemed ready to throw—likely the hand mirror.

“Don’t catch it! Don’t predict it ahead of time!”

Though I was only escalating Ophelia’s anger, it seemed she didn’t like my reckless gamble with my life, pointing at me and shouting.

“You idiot, what am I supposed to do if you die? Our bodies are linked through Gears. If you die, I die too.”

“…That’s true, but it’s not like death is guaranteed.”

“I don’t like that kind of mindset! In reality! Even without Gears, you and I are one body!”

“….”

“Aren’t we married? You just talked about engagement, and now you want to do your own thing? Am I just your trophy?”

They say that a couple’s quarrel is like cutting water with a knife.

But Ophelia’s swordsmanship was on the level where it could slice through a flowing waterfall with ease.

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized sincerely.

It wasn’t all that surprising for Ophelia to be upset.

“I only said that because it was the only way I could think of. I didn’t mean to disregard you, Ophelia.”

“….”

Ophelia gave me a frowning look and shook her head.

“I understand. I know you’ve been living in an idiot environment where you offer your life like a fly. I heard all about it from those bastards.”

Here, the bastards referred to the Black Eagle Mercenary Group.

Apparently, during the journey from the Cathedral to the Eastern Coast, Ophelia had shared a lot about me with the mercenaries. I imagined she was curious about how I had survived.

“It makes sense to have that kind of mindset when you put your life on the line every day and carry the lives of other mercenary members. I can understand how you ended up thinking that way, even if cutting your own throat again is horrifying.”

Ophelia spoke as if she understood everything.

“But…”

“….”

“Think about me a little too.”

Ophelia’s last words trailed off into a mumble.

Realizing she had just said something embarrassing, Ophelia puffed out her cheeks and lowered her head. Though she was always a bit spoiled, her frequency of showing it had only increased since we confirmed our feelings for each other.

It would be a lie to say it wasn’t cute. At the same time, guilt washed over me.

I slowly walked over to Ophelia and hugged her.

“Oof!”

“I’m sorry. In the future, I’ll act while also considering you. It’s not that I’m disregarding you or that you aren’t important.”

“I know that… You’re the one who brought me out from the Cathedral.”

“Exactly.”

“What’s with that tone? It sounds like you’re talking to a kid.”

“…No?”

“….”

That was indeed the truth, so Ophelia let out a chuckle.

“That’s true. I’m a kid too, but you’re also acting like a kid playing hero. We’re both totally children.”

“We met each other by chance.”

“Hmph.”

Ophelia scoffed and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“So, are you going to duel Elgore?”

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

“That’s fine. When have I ever said I didn’t want you to? If you’re confident, go for it. I’ll cheer you on.”

Ophelia reluctantly added.

“But if it seems like you’re going to lose, I’ll jump in right away.”

“You’ll intervene? In a sacred duel?”

“What does sacred even mean, you idiot? The loser dies just like that. If you die, there’s nothing left. The saintess and pope that I am is telling you that the afterlife nonsense is all bullshit. Rules and all that, I’ll act as I please. What’s the big deal?”

Well, I’ve never met a woman as fierce as Ophelia in my life.

I smirked and nodded.

“Alright. If it looks like I’m going to lose, you’ll save me, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll immediately take the kids and swarm them.”

“That’s quite reassuring.”

After we exchanged smiles and gazes, Ophelia continued.

“So.”

“Yeah?”

“When am I going to be let down?”

“…Hmm.”

I thought for a moment and chose not to lay her down.

*

The next morning, as I stepped out of the tent, leaving a worn-out Ophelia behind, I saw a rather posh knight arguing with his lieutenant.

“Please analyze the situation calmly!”

“Shut up! I have to go in!”

A briskly dressed knight was in a heated discussion with his subordinate. Surrounding them were knights with dark expressions.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?”

I asked Yurede, who happened to approach my side. He wore an awkward smile as he explained the situation.

“That’s the Knight Commander who lost his knights to Elgore last time.”

“Why is he acting like that?”

“It seems he intends to go rescue the captured knights, no matter what.”

“By himself?”

“Even if he is by himself.”

That foolish sense of justice and chivalry—that’s what it meant. I sighed.

I could understand the Knight Commander’s feelings. He probably wanted to make up for the loss of his subordinates due to his mistake. However, amidst such bleak circumstances at the frontline, who would stop a knight going off to commit suicide willingly?

Seemingly, the Knight Commander held considerable authority. Here, unless you were a figure as significant as Albrecht, no one could defy his will.

There was only one other figure of that caliber here.

“Did you say you’re the Knight Commander?”

That would be me.

“You are… no, you are.”

The Knight Commander immediately recognized my identity.

After all, there was only one blonde man stepping out of the most luxurious tent.

“I think it’s okay to go rescue your subordinates, but you need to value your own life. You should have enough sense to understand that being in that position means you have to act rationally.”

“Hero, that is not for you to concern yourself with.”

Of course, my words didn’t seem to impact him at all.

He slapped the insignia on his shoulder and vented his frustrations.

“I can’t just ignore knights I’ve eaten from the same pot for ten years! I can’t just pretend they don’t exist! I’d rather die than that! I will die with them!”

“….”

So this is how Ophelia sees me.

It felt like being subjected to a mirror treatment.

I sighed. Since he didn’t seem to understand good words, I switched to a somewhat colder tone.

“It seems you can’t understand what I’m saying. I am telling you to stop talking nonsense and stay in your tent.”

“…What?!”

“What’s so great about you when you’re just a defeated soldier? Responsibilities mean nothing if you don’t have the ability to uphold them.”

“Y-you!”

The Knight Commander’s face went red, and the expressions of the surrounding knights turned to shock.

“Sir Knight Elliot, while mediation is good, isn’t that just declaring a fight?”

Even Yurede tried to advise, but it was all ignored. He was a zealot with no sense to listen.

“No matter how much of a hero you are, you’ll have to pay for the insult dealt to me with blood!”

In the end, the first to explode was the Knight Commander. He placed his hand on his sword.

I’ve come to realize one immutable law since coming into this world.

“Look, everyone saw it, right? You were the one who started this fight.”

“Ha….”

Yurede sighed, while I couldn’t stop grinning.

As expected, a disobedient dog requires a stick.