Taming the Evil Saintess

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Ophelia’s menstruation has stopped.

This could mean a variety of things, but given our night activities, there was only one conclusion to be drawn.

“I’m… pregnant…”

“Don’t say it out loud!”

Ophelia, feeling embarrassed, bit her lip and shouted. The first feeling I experienced was shock. The second was confusion.

“Ophelia… did it really stop?”

“Y-Yeah. If things were normal, it should have started at the Cathedral when we came here…”

“So you’re feeling nauseous or something?”

“I always feel nauseous.”

“…”

Ophelia is a girl with passive hysteria. To put it negatively, her personality is a bit of a mess; to put it positively, it means there’s not much difference between her good days and bad days. And because of that, how would I know when Ophelia’s period is? She wouldn’t say much even when I held her.

The third was silence.

“Um…”

“…”

The atmosphere grew tense.

“… What?”

Ophelia spoke in a trembling voice, and her expression seemed to carry a hint of worry as if she thought I might not take it well.

Of course, that wasn’t the case. If I said I wasn’t happy, that would be a lie. It was just that the news came so suddenly that my head was spinning.

What response do men typically show when a woman reveals she’s pregnant in the media and such?

Apparently, saying nothing and just hugging her might be the best option.

However, my arms are tied, and I’ve got Blackie cradled in my arms.

So all I could say was this.

“… I’ve never experienced this before, so… what should I do? Should I, like… congratulate you or something?”

“Why are you asking me? Do you think I’ve ever been through this?!”

Of course, that reaction was to be expected. Ophelia scrunched her brow and grumbled under her breath.

“Ugh, you clueless idiot. This is why I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Sorry. And congratulations.”

“… Tch.”

It might have been a moodless comment, but it seemed to ease Ophelia’s mind a bit. She looked at me with narrowed eyes before changing her position and hugging a pillow. Rubbing her mouth against the pillow, Ophelia murmured.

“Anyway, since you’re going to be a dad, just keep that in mind.”

“… Shouldn’t you take care of yourself?”

If things go as they seem, Ophelia is now a soon-to-be mother carrying new life inside her.

This battlefield was no place for her.

“Given the circumstances, it would be better for you to rest somewhere safe, like the Cathedral…”

“Are you planning to leave me behind?”

However, when I saw Ophelia’s brows twitch with irritation, I realized my response was completely wrong. I instinctively hunched my body, readying myself for the storm of complaints that was about to come.

“Damn it, do you really see me as a burden now?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“It totally is! To me, that’s exactly what it means!”

Ophelia kicked me in the gut, her teeth gritted. Maybe it was her last act of kindness; her punch was lacking in strength. Given my current state, I couldn’t even withstand Ophelia’s poke.

“I’m going wherever you are, whether it’s the Demon King’s Castle or anywhere else. Hell or heaven. To the very end.”

“…”

Through experience, I learned that I couldn’t break Ophelia’s stubbornness. Understanding my concerns, Ophelia cracked a wry smile and gently pushed her fist against my gut.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of my life. Unlike you.”

“… True.”

Ophelia is sharp. She always looks out for her own well-being. If it ever seems harmful to her, she’ll pull herself out anytime. I’ve seen her do it countless times.

Worrying here might actually be disrespectful to Ophelia.

“So.”

Once the situation calmed down, Ophelia opened her mouth.

“How do you feel about being a dad?”

“…”

In response, I could only give a sheepish smile and say this.

“… I feel happy.”

“Hmm? Really?”

Ophelia’s lips curved slightly as if tracing a delicate line.

“Ophelia, how do you feel?”

“Me? Well…”

Ophelia, uncharacteristically, trailed off, and the rest of her words were taken up by Blackie.

“Meow.”

The little fellow, showing his high intelligence as a dragon, seemed to have a general understanding of our conversation and let out a soft sound.

*

A new task has arisen.

I need to slay the Demon King quickly.

Fortunately, aside from the Hell Duke Derabilice, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, the other two Demon King’s Army executives are stationed at the northernmost Demon King’s Castle on the continent.

As of now, facing them is not impossible. I have become the ruler of the Cathedral and liberated the Eastern Coast. In the process, I gained the trust of the Knight Order.

The power is sufficient. But it’s wise to tread carefully. There were several prerequisites to resolve.

The most urgent issue was my sword.

Thanks to the elixir gifted by Knight Commander Austin, or perhaps due to the attentive care from Ophelia and Blackie, I managed to get out of bed in less than ten days. The moment I could walk, I headed to the armory in Eastern Port.

“Elliot, bad news: it seems your sword might be unusable.”

It appeared Albrecht had taken care of my sword separately.

The existing sword had been completely destroyed by Elgore’s punch. There was a substitute that belonged to the previous hero, but I still wanted to keep using the holy sword. It was purely a matter of sentiment. The horrific words inscribed on the display case where the sword was kept and the fact that the previous hero’s hand-me-down was in the possession of Princess Adelheit didn’t help either.

“The blacksmith of the Knight Order said that it might be better to completely forge a new one rather than just sharpening it.”

“Then why not just sharpen the blade?”

“Your question caused me to frown.”

“It’s not achievable with normal metallurgy.”

“Right.”

The holy sword is the masterpiece of the blacksmith Olmen. There’s no way an ordinary blacksmith lacking the God of Blacksmith’s mark could replicate it. While I pondered, I proposed a solution.

“Could we not call Olmen to the Empire? The facilities in this forge seem ample.”

“Unfortunately, he’s currently in the Auriga Desert, which poses practical issues…”

As Albrecht spoke, his face scrunched up. Coincidentally, both he and I thought of one person currently in the Great Desert.

“Then let’s contact Gersen.”

Mercenary King Gersen.

It was the plan to use him as a messenger. Afterward, everything progressed smoothly. I contacted Mercenary King Gersen through a communication device via Owen, and although he seemed reluctant about the request to bring Olmen, he accepted the job out of the condition that he would owe a debt to the hero.

Fortunately, since Eastern Port is a harbor city, the time taken for Olmen’s arrival was significantly reduced from the expected two months.

Anyway, it looks like I’ll be stuck in Eastern Port for almost a month. Nevertheless, the situation wasn’t too bad. The supplies here were plentiful, and the spaciousness of a major city was nice.

Most importantly, there were heaps of treasures that Black Water Elgore had gathered through piracy. Albrecht handed one of them to me.

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know much about it, but it’s an artifact that was used by the Dark Mage who was a Possessor. You should be able to recognize it since you are a Possessor too.”

As I took the small bracelet-like magic tool and examined it closely, my eyes widened.

“This is…”

“Is it good?”

“Damn right.”

Why is this here?

As I pondered this question, I quickly changed my mind.

Since it belonged to a Possessor, it must have been in their possession.

This artifact is one of the accessory items frequently used in games.

The Celestial Bracelet.

This fantastical name is renowned for its remarkable performance. The effect is simple. It increases resource consumption of skills but also boosts their power, a technique called Overcasting.

Typically, it was used in tandem with Ophelia’s Star of Dawn Ring.

“Perfect. I’ve got a gift for her now.”

Upon hearing me murmur while putting the bracelet into my pocket, Albrecht nodded with a satisfied smile. Then he suddenly recalled something.

“By the way, I’ve heard that the Saintess has been acting strangely lately.”

“Ophelia, you mean?”

“Well… she hasn’t been smiling or getting angry much even when she’s sitting still. She even rejected her favorite fish dishes. And she says she feels sick after drinking too much… although that sounds like her usual self. Anyway, the junior knights are having a hard time with her.”

“…”

Ophelia rejecting fish dishes?

The girl who loved fish more than a cat?

It was the moment my suspicion turned into certainty.

“Do you have any guesses?”

“… No, none at all.”

However, I decided to keep the news about Ophelia to myself from my companions.

Having gotten pregnant within less than three months of dating, the shame of a speeding ticket and premarital pregnancy were certainly among the reasons, but I was also greatly influenced by the worry that revealing the truth might lead to unnecessary favoritism from my comrades.

Emily’s fuss would be quite scary, too.

If a situation arises where I can no longer hide it, I’ll have to reveal everything then.

“So, what are you planning to do now?”

“First, I should meet the Possessor.”

There are two in total.

One is the Dark Mage.

Given Albrecht’s description of her ordinary personality, if I can charm her like Possessor Luna, we might be able to bring her to our side.

The problem is the other one.

“She’s supposed to be the Tsar’s daughter.”

“Right.”

Possessor Oksana.

“I already know her quite well.”