Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Hey, big brother. Long time no see! Are you doing well? Hmm, you don’t look too good yet.”

The possessor Oksana, like other demon kind in Eastern Port, was locked up in the underground prison. As I approached her cell, she recognized me and narrowed her eyes playfully.

“Brother, has it really been six months?”

“The last time we met was in the northern erosion zone, so yeah, it’s about that long.”

“Time really flies.”

Before I knew it, Oksana had started calling me “big brother.” Well, since we were both possessors, it wasn’t strange for some inner intimacy to develop. It was like how Possessor Ruin had started calling me “hyung” (older brother) for some time now.

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger while I wasn’t looking. Killing that Elgore in a one-on-one fight? Back then, you couldn’t even land a hit on me!”

Sticking her tongue out and grinning mischievously, Oksana seemed to be viewing her situation rather optimistically.

One of the knights set up a chair in front of the bars, and I sat down, arms crossed.

Cecilia was nowhere to be seen. According to Ophelia, she seemed to be with Oksana almost every day.

“Where’s Cecilia?”

“The Ice Knight? She just finished an all-night interrogation and went to sleep. I was about to catch some sleep myself when you showed up.”

“Did the interrogation go well?”

“That lady has quite the curiosity! Asking about the Tsar, if I remember her, and whether I have any memories from the Ice Palace. But for real, I don’t remember a single thing. By the time I came to, I was already in the Demon King’s Castle.”

“Huh.”

So, when she came to, she was already in the Demon King’s Castle.

Some folks came to as mercenary slaves.

Maybe it was the shared predicament that made me chuckle. Oksana also grinned at my face.

“So, what are you gonna do? Just keep me locked up like some tragic heroine while you enjoy a leash on me? I’ve got no experience with guys in this world, but I’ll do my best!”

“…Don’t make that joke in front of Ophelia.”

She might actually try to kill me.

“For now, I’ll let you go.”

“Yay!”

With a sigh, I said that, and Oksana clenched her fist in delight.

After that, everything went smoothly. I explained the detailed situation to Oksana. We had taken over the Cathedral of the Saint and found a way to break free from the mark’s domination during that process. I even started a secret society to protect the possessors.

“Protecting the possessors?”

“I’m planning to kill the Demon King and return the souls of the possessors to their original world.”

“Does that include me?”

“Sort of.”

“That’s funny. A hero and a possessor thinking of that?”

“…For now, that’s the plan.”

She said it teasingly, but Oksana’s expression was filled with interest. After hearing my whole story, she nodded.

“Not bad. The plan looks pretty solid. Luna would have loved it. She sings about wanting to return to the original world every day.”

“What about you?”

“Haha. Is it my turn now?”

She was quite the quick-witted one.

Taking out a card from my pocket, I showed it to her. It was the same artifact I had given to Possessor Ruin and Luna.

“With this, you can break free from the mark’s control. It’s only a temporary measure, but it should buy you enough time to operate outside the Cathedral. The possessors’ locations… they should be in the list Ian had.”

Oksana silently accepted the card.

“A secret society? It feels a bit like child’s play.”

“Actually, it’s quite similar. We’re in a child’s play kind of game, aren’t we? Even if they’re enemies, we’ve got to stick together as compatriots.”

When I brought up the reality of it all, the corners of Oksana’s mouth turned up.

“But can you really trust me? I’m a possessor, you know? Until recently, I was loyal to the Demon King’s Army.”

“Then you can just go to the Demon King’s Castle. I won’t stop you. But you’ll just end up becoming a chimera among those filthy monsters.”

“…Heh. I’d rather not end up like that Ian guy.”

She meant she would join the society.

Having briefly teamed up with the Plague Lord at the fortress before, I knew Oksana was exceptionally strong among the possessors I had met. Similar in caliber to the dark mage Daniel.

If Oksana joined, we’d surely see progress in capturing the possessors on the continent.

“However, I want to tell you something, big brother.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a kind of warning.”

Oksana’s expression, which had been full of smiles, turned serious. She checked to see if anyone was listening before speaking.

“I think you should be careful about your surroundings.”

“My surroundings?”

“Yeah, whoever they may be.”

Oksana’s expression was grave, so I paid close attention to her words.

“Originally, I was sent here to investigate the whereabouts of the Hell Duke. But I couldn’t find anything, so I temporarily teamed up with the Blackwater Pirates. In that situation, you barged in.”

“So, you don’t know where the Hell Duke has gone?”

“I don’t. And not knowing makes it even more ambiguous.”

Oksana let out a deep sigh.

“If that slippery Hell Duke were alive, he would have taken action by now. But he’s as quiet as a mouse.”

“Do you think he’s dead?”

“Can you imagine the Hell Duke dying on some street corner?”

“No.”

“Me neither. Neither can the Demon King’s Army.”

The whereabouts of the Hell Duke are a mystery.

Even Albrecht couldn’t achieve anything significant despite trailing him.

Is he working with someone?

If so, who could it be?

Anyone in the continent who would reach out to the Demon King’s Army would be…

“Um…”

Someone came to mind, but bringing it up in front of Oksana, who I wasn’t sure I could fully trust, was a risky move. Noticing my silence, Oksana shrugged and continued.

“And there’s one more thing.”

“There’s more?”

“This is just a question.”

Oksana raised her index finger.

“How much do you know about the Demon King?”

The Demon King.

The very enemy that the original hero, and I, who have replaced him, must defeat.

In the game, the presence of the Demon King wasn’t particularly outstanding. All we heard were statements like “He’s powerful” or “He’s formidable,” but when it was time to face Geldmier and enter the Demon King’s throne, it was just a long dialogue script followed by the ending credits.

“I don’t know anything.”

At most, he was just an orchestrated boss.

That was the extent of my image of him, so I couldn’t gauge how strong he really was.

“Right. I thought I knew nothing too. But you know, being assigned a significant position among the possessors has made me realize something weird.”

“Weird?”

“The Demon King’s cohesion arises solely from him, right?”

“That’s true.”

Just looking at how Derabilice and Geldmier had a poor relationship made that clear.

“But since I became a possessor, I haven’t seen the Demon King give any orders. More accurately, I’ve never even seen his face.”

“Maybe he only associates with close followers?”

“Even the One-Eyed Knight Geldmier too.”

“Um…”

“What I speculate is that perhaps the Demon King is already dead? The executives are desperately hiding that fact.”

Oksana presented a convincing argument, but I could only shake my head.

“No, that can’t be it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Just a hunch.”

Of course, it wasn’t just a hunch.

The Demon King is alive. According to Ophelia, the Demon King had personally spoken to her within Possessor Daniel’s territory. He referred to Ophelia as the Apostle of the Divine Spirit. I don’t really understand what that means, but it was clear that the Demon King is watching us, or more accurately, Ophelia’s movements.

He can’t be that thoughtless. Even if he doesn’t give orders to his subordinates, it’s still strange.

If the real Demon King were dead and the executives were hiding it, they would have pretended to receive orders at the very least.

“Anyway, thanks for the information.”

As I thanked Oksana and stood up, she added with a bright smile.

“Big brother, can I ask you one favor?”

“What is it?”

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

Then she lifted her foot to indicate the handcuffs.

“Or are you gonna wipe for me? It might be embarrassing, but I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

“…Haa.”

Yeah, I definitely shouldn’t let this girl meet Ophelia.

*

“What did you two talk about?”

As soon as I stepped outside, Cecilia was leaning against the wall. Before I could even greet her, she spoke first.

“Oh, nothing much.”

“I noticed you seemed quite close with that possessor.”

She had already heard everything.

With thin walls that had no soundproofing, it was probable that Cecilia, with her keen senses, had heard everything.

“I heard. Oksana decided to join the possessor society. And I also learned some tales about the Demon King’s Castle.”

“I didn’t hear a peep from her while I interrogated her all night.”

“…”

Only then did I notice Cecilia’s expression looked somewhat sour.

Is she envious that I was able to gather most of the information in less than an hour?

I had to acknowledge her competitive spirit.

“I heard from Yurede that carrots and sticks are important during interrogations.”

“What does that mean?”

“That it’s better to make one’s body comfortable rather than have a staring contest through prison bars.”

“…”

Of course, it was because Oksana took a liking to me.

After all, I was a possessor too, so in that sense, we were in a similar position.

The essential issue was the difference in our shared experience.

On the other hand, Cecilia…

“Are you… really close with that Oksana girl?”

“…”

Cecilia pressed her lips tightly together.

But after glancing at me, she let out a deep sigh and confessed.

“It was my fault.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was inexperienced back then, and I was blind to strengthening the fractured bonds of the Imperial Guards due to the rebellion. I prioritized authority over what was truly important.”

“That…”

“It’s entirely my responsibility that Miss Oksana was captured by the Demon King’s Army.”

“…”

Only then did I grasp the reason behind Cecilia’s obsession with that Oksana character.

It was guilt, or perhaps an Achilles’ heel.

There wasn’t much I could say to console Cecilia. I could only pat her shoulder and repeat the words I had said to Erwin.

“If we kill the Demon King…”

“…”

“If we kill the Demon King and free the souls, Oksana will also return. You can seek atonement then.”

“…That does make sense.”

Cecilia nodded.

Fortunately, her expression was softer than before.

“However, that’s that, and this is this.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No matter how much she joins the society, her current status is that of a criminal, correct?”

“Um…”

“Since she’s a criminal, for now, we’ll have to keep her in a cage.”

With that, she strode towards the door.

Inside, I heard a scream from Oksana as she was still handling her business, but I pretended not to hear.

Cecilia Ethelgarand. Known for her stubbornness and rigidity—truly unmatched on the continent.

*

“I’m back.”

After wrapping up the immediate affairs and returning to the residence, I found Ophelia waiting for me.

I intended to share the stories I heard from Oksana and discuss countermeasures, but it seemed Ophelia was focused elsewhere.

“Hey, Elliot.”

“What is it?”

Ophelia looked annoyed as she spoke, a sour expression on her face.

“I suddenly got a craving for raspberry pie.”

“But we’re in a port city.”

“I don’t care. I want to eat it.”

“…”

Darn it, maybe I should have left that in the Cathedral.