Taming the Evil Saintess

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The woman’s weapon is tears.

Erwin advised that.

“But what good are tears? Don’t they just make things more annoying?”

“Think about it the other way around, kid.”

“The other way?”

“Imagine that Elliot is crying. How would you feel?”

Ophelia briefly pondered Erwin’s words.

Elliot, crying? It was indeed a ludicrous premise, but she somehow was able to stretch her imagination. Seeing that sight of him…

“Eh?”

Her heart twisted a little.

This feeling was one she hadn’t experienced much before.

Seeing Ophelia’s expression, Erwin smirked.

“That’s it. Even a brat with a nasty personality feels that way, so there’s no doubt that a person wouldn’t be stirred if their lover was sad.”

“Yeah, that definitely makes sense!”

Ophelia nodded vigorously. The ear demon in front of her was elevated from a dark old hag to a wise elder.

Erwin puffed up with pride and said, “Just make sure you cry. Then you should be able to manipulate him quite well.”

“…and then?”

“You’ll express what you want. Like, ‘Buy me that.’ or ‘I don’t like that.’”

“That’s a magical spell.”

“Exactly, that’s how it works in relationships.”

“I’ll give it a shot.”

Ophelia made her decision. She would go to the bedroom first and wait for Elliot. Then she would follow Erwin’s advice.

Before leaving the dining room, she picked up an onion that had been lying on the table. Lacking confidence in her tear-invoking abilities, she thought of using a tool.

However, In this process, Ophelia overlooked a few crucial facts.

First, unlike Emily, who had absorbed tons of knowledge from books, Erwin had lived for over a hundred years without any experience with men.
And from Elliot’s perspective, Ophelia would need to have a valid reason to cry.

The blunder that resulted from this oversight was as follows.

“…?”

Sword Saint Albrecht blinked a few times at the collapsed building and pressed his temple hard.

His headache was intense.

No, could this even be considered a headache? It felt as if he had just taken a hit.

“So, it was…”

Despite that, it was Albrecht who came out to manage the mess. He had the responsibility to settle the incident.

In Eastern Port, he was the only one capable of commanding the knight orders.
Though a hero had been present, the fact that Hero Elliot was the instigator of the current uproar diminished his value.

“And so, it’s just a couple’s quarrel?”

“…In a way, yes.”

Elliot timidly answered. No matter how much the hero liked to play the victim, in this situation, he was like a child being scolded. Albrecht sighed heavily as he spoke.

“…Normally, a couple’s quarrel might just result in broken furniture.”

What about the debris that was rising like dust right in front of him?

“Did they even clash swords?”

“I didn’t use a sword. It was already broken from the start.”

“Then…?”

“I used my fists.”

Albrecht’s expression said it all.

“Same difference.”

“…It couldn’t be helped.”

“No society tolerates a couple’s quarrel that leads to broken buildings.”

Albrecht stated the facts.

“I thought it was a demon’s trick.”

“If you’re going to make excuses, could you at least come up with something plausible?”

“…That’s not an excuse…”

Elliot mumbled, but Albrecht didn’t listen.

He didn’t even want to.

On the other hand, Ophelia, squatting beside Elliot in her pajamas, kept on grumbling as she stared at something.

Albrecht followed her gaze.

“…Hmm.”

There stood Archery Master Erwin, looking out towards the distant mountains as if he felt guilty.

Albrecht could surmise the basic situation.

“This is a mess.”

It was a rare curse coming from Albrecht.

“Looks like you really made a big fuss.”

But there was a sense of injustice as well.
Ophelia hardly ever cried.
Aside from the times when she was tormented as an equestrian outcast in the cathedral, when Azar had jokingly said he was going to leave her behind in his territory, and when they had reunited at the Imperial Continent Conference, it was safe to say she had never cried this pitifully.

On the other hand, Eastern Port was overflowing with captured demon prisoners.

It seemed more reasonable to think that something fishy was going on with the demons rather than assuming Ophelia had a reason to cry. The principle itself was right. So he raised his fists, and Ophelia met them with her shield.

Just a single punch.

That was more than enough to destroy a building.

“…What are you, a gangster? Just throwing punches without warning?”

Ophelia retorted incredulously.

“What kind of crazy person attacks their wife? And then says it was a demon’s trick? Are you an idiot?”

“…Ugh.”

It was a rushed judgement. He didn’t even have the luxury of sensing if there was any magic in the surroundings.

“What were you doing crying then? Trying to be the queen of the ladies?”

“…”

At his words, Ophelia fell silent. Seeing her reaction made him realize he was serious.

“Emily had bad advice, right?”

“…No, it wasn’t her.”

“Then who?”

“Erwin.”

“How in the world did you trust that old maid?”

“There was… no other choice!”

Ophelia said, brushing off her flushed cheeks.

“Anyway, I don’t know any suitable women…”

“What about Cecilia?”

“I don’t like that girl.”

“What about Yudiel?”

“She’d just say something obvious.”

“True.”

Though Emily was the only girl near their age, talking to her about concerns would lead to all kinds of humiliation.
Ophelia didn’t have many options when it came to a same-gender confidante.

“By the way, you’ve improved. I didn’t think you’d shed crocodile tears.”

“Hey! That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

“Then how about calling it Blackie’s tears?”

Ophelia fell silent at his sharp remark. True to her character, her expression was filled with dissatisfaction.

“So, why on earth did you do something you had never done before?”

“…”

Ophelia gazed at him intently before suddenly turning her head away.

“I don’t wanna say.”

“Alright then, don’t.”

“…”

At those words, Ophelia looked back at him. Her expression was one of a woman who felt betrayed.

“Ask me! Just once more!”

“You said you wouldn’t tell me. I’m just respecting that.”

“That was pointless respect!”

What on earth was he supposed to do now?
He sighed and asked.

“…So, Ophelia, why did you do it?”

“Well…what should I say…. Ugh…?”

After fidgeting for a while, Ophelia reluctantly said.

“I was worried you might hate me…”

“Hate you? Why would I?”

“Well, you’ve been acting hysterical lately, and doing strange things, and… it seems like you have morning sickness… I thought maybe, surrounded by all those other girls, you might look elsewhere.”

“Girls?”

“Like that Cecilia girl you mentioned, or Yudiel…”

“…”

Is this what they call jealousy?
Well, it was true that Ophelia has the image of being the embodiment of jealousy.
Above all, she was pregnant, so it wouldn’t be strange if her nerves were on edge.

“…Hmm.”

What should he say here?
He thought maybe he should warmly embrace her since they were engaged.
But then he shook his head.
No, the relationship between Ophelia and him wasn’t ordinary.
After a brief thought, he said.

“I’m sorry, Ophelia. I actually hate you more than a handful of other people.”

“…Huh?”

Ophelia’s eyes trembled.

“But I like you even more than that hate.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying I like you. There’s no one who can replace you.”

On one hand, hating her, on the other, loving her.
He figured that he felt more love than hate.
If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have carried this precious girl around for six years.

“…You should’ve said that from the start. You’re making me misunderstand…”

“You didn’t ask.”

“Wouldn’t it have been possible to know by asking?”

Ophelia prattled on as she leaned against his shoulder.

Without the armor and shield, her weight felt light. Thinking about how this light weight would carry the weight of new life felt profound.

“So…”

After being like that for a while, Ophelia spoke.

“When will we be released?”

They were currently in the prison.
Albrecht’s decision.

*

“…?”

One-Eyed Knight Geldmier stood before the firmly shut door.
As he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, the magical sword Sangwyn let out a soft cry.
Not long ago, the resonance of Sangwyn had ceased.
It meant that the sibling blade had broken. He felt regret but felt a little relieved when he heard that the hero hadn’t been killed in the duel with Elgore.
However, one of the demon king’s powerful forces, Black Water Elgore, had died. Before that, Plague Lord Vermina had also perished. Hell Duke Derabilice was missing after his defeat.
With other factions on the continent now wiped out, all of the empire’s strength would be focused toward the Demon King’s Castle.
What remained at the Demon King’s Castle were hundreds of demons, Idmien, and only Geldmier.

It was a clear disadvantage.
Yet, Geldmier had not received a ‘revelation.’

“Demon King.”

Geldmier spoke in front of the firmly shut door.
Since he had become a mid-ranking member of the Demon King’s Army, this door had only opened once.
His order was to collect souls from another world. Since then, the Demon King had maintained his silence. Even when Geldmier knocked on the door or when Hell Duke prepared all sorts of offerings, the Demon King never reacted.

It was no different now.
He reported the death of Elgore outside the door.
The Demon King did not answer.
It was uncertain whether he was even listening.

“What is your blade supposed to do? Please give me a revelation.”

The firmly shut door did not open.