Chapter 3

I flopped down on my bed as soon as I returned to the Vatican.

“Ha… today was insane.”

The echoes of the explosion in the village and the roars of the demon beasts still lingered in my ears. On top of that, the afterimage of the blinding light seemed to remain in my vision.

“…I’m really something, huh.”

I muttered to myself without realizing it. Honestly, I didn’t expect the “Area Blessing Technique” to go off so smoothly.

**”Dies Lucis.”**

Even as I activated the skill, I was worried, “What if it doesn’t work?” But the result? The entire village was bathed in holy light and perfectly cleansed.

“Wow… this is my power? God really made me a top-tier cheat character.”

Honestly, the moment I wielded that power was thrilling. The surge of immense energy and holy force radiating from my body…

“Yeah, it’s like clearing a boss mob in one shot in a game, right?”

But the good vibes didn’t last long. I hung my head again.

“…But, damn. Why did it have to be the Hero?”

That guy, the Hero, reached out to me, and his words still echoed in my head.

“Saintess, won’t you join me?”

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.

.

“Join you? What am I supposed to join you for? Do I look crazy enough to form a party with you?”

I muttered to myself and waved my hand in the air.

“No! Hell no! I can’t stand that cliché!”

The typical RPG story where the Hero and the Saintess team up to defeat the Demon King.

“If I follow you around, what’s next? Some pink romance with the Hero?!”

I let out a deep sigh.

“When I was a man, I had no idea. I didn’t know being a Saintess would be such a pain in the ass.”

That Hero guy kept looking at me with those typical, overly friendly eyes, but who knows what nonsense he was spouting.

“Won’t you join me?”

“…What is that? A confession? A party invite? The way you say it so seriously is the problem!”

I shivered and hugged a pillow.

“And the most annoying part is…”

The game’s setting flashed through my mind again.

“The origin of the Demon King is the Saintess.”

If you think about it, the more I hang out with that Hero guy, the higher the chance I become the Demon King, right?

“This world’s setting is seriously messed up.”

If I stick with that Hero, I’ll end up with the ending where I get defeated. From what I know of the game’s story, the final act involves the Hero and the Saintess clashing over the Demon King’s power.

“…Ha, damn. That can’t happen.”

I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

“I need to find a way to live quietly. If I get involved with the Hero, my life is over!”

Of course, there was still the question of whether I could handle the Demon King’s power alone…

“But I’ll think about that later.”

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.

.

As I desperately tried to sort out the situation while muttering to myself…

“Saintess?”

“…Who is it now?”

Raphael’s voice came from outside the door.

“Saintess, the Hero has come to see you again.”

“…What?!”

I threw a pillow at my face and shouted.

“No! Tell him I don’t want to meet him!”

“But Saintess, the Hero is very insistent…”

“I said no!!!”

My shout echoed through the room.

“That Hero guy, is he some kind of leech?”

I wrapped myself in a blanket and muttered.

“…Please, just leave me alone. Please.”

But even I knew this fight wasn’t over.

“Ha, damn it. I want to escape this messed-up world.”

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.

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“Saintess, are you really going to avoid me like this?”

I sat at the table, sipping tea, glaring at the Hero sitting across from me. Well, pretending to politely serve tea while swallowing my anger.

‘Hey, you. Why are you so obsessed with me? If I join your party, it’s a bad ending, you know?!’

The Hero kept looking at me with those serious, passionate eyes and said,

“The power you showed in the village, that wasn’t just a simple blessing. You… are the only hope to fight the Demon King.”

‘Ah, damn. Hope this, hope that… I don’t want to become the Demon King!’

I screamed internally while carefully setting down my tea. On the outside, I smiled as gracefully as possible.

“Thank you for saying that, but I’m still reflecting on my role. I’m not sure if I’m worthy to join you, Hero.”

The Hero confidently rebutted.

“Unworthy? No. You are stronger than anyone. Didn’t you see that light? The way you wiped out the demon beasts in an instant. I was certain after seeing that.”

‘Hey, that was just a lucky shot with an AoE skill! I just swung it around!’

The Hero leaned forward slightly, studying my reaction. His serious expression was suffocating, but the snacks Raphael prepared on the table caught my eye.

‘The snacks are good… I want to order more of these.’

I picked up a madeleine and chewed it as elegantly as I could. The Hero sighed and continued.

“If you stay like this, Saintess… the world will fall into the Demon King’s hands. And the only ones who can stop it are you and me.”

‘Oh, wow. This guy’s lines are spicy. But I’m the one in danger because of the Demon King, you know?’

I shook my head and spoke.

“Hero, that’s an overestimation. Even with the blessings of the gods… I’m still lacking. It’s too much for me to handle that power alone.”

The Hero sighed and looked straight at me.

“Saintess, you don’t have to handle it alone. If we’re together, surely…”

“No.”

When I drew the line firmly, surprise flickered across the Hero’s face. But he quickly asked seriously again.

“May I ask why?”

‘Why? Oh, like you’d understand even if I told you.’

I clicked my tongue internally but outwardly tried to sound as saintly as possible.

“Joining you, Hero… might not be the will of the gods.”

“Not the will of the gods?”

“You believe in me, but… what if I walk the wrong path? Can I bear that burden and responsibility?”

The Hero’s eyes wavered. He opened his mouth as if he couldn’t understand.

“How could the path you walk ever be wrong?”

‘Sigh… that’s exactly what scares me. It’s not about the wrong path… it’s about me becoming the Demon King!’

I picked up another madeleine and chewed it slowly.

“That’s still unknown.”

And I thought to myself.

‘In the game, the bad ending is me becoming the Demon King, and the happy ending is marrying you. Both are…’

“It’s the worst, isn’t it?”

I smiled gracefully once again and said,

“So, Hero. I still want to find my own path. My own way.”

The Hero clenched his mouth shut and looked at me. He seemed like he wanted to say something more, but eventually, he let out a sigh.

“…I understand. But someday, Saintess, you will need my help. When that time comes, please come find me.”

‘That day will never come. I’ll survive here without getting tangled up as much as possible.’

I nodded politely and replied,

“I’ll do that, Hero.”

The Hero didn’t say anything more and stood up from his seat.

“Then, I’ll take my leave for today. Please… consider my proposal.”

I took another sip of tea and smiled.

“Yes, I’ll think about it.”

As soon as he left the room, I quietly muttered into the air,

“I’d rather die, you jerk.”

Then, picking up another madeleine, I mumbled to myself,

“…Whether it’s the marriage ending or the Demon King ending, I’ll stop it all myself.”

Raphael looked at me with an awkward smile.

“Saintess, the Hero seemed really sincere…”

I cut him off sharply.

“Raphael, do we have more snacks?”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t change the subject. Can you bring more madeleines and tea? These are seriously so good.”

‘This damn world is making my life hard… At least I should eat well.’

I made a vow with an endless supply of snacks.

‘I’ll somehow avoid both those cursed endings. Just you wait.’

—

“Saintess, someone else is really here to see you this time.”

Raphael’s voice knocked on my door again.

I sighed, pulling the pillow over my face.

“Who is it this time? Not the Hero again, is it?”

“No. This time… it’s a friend of yours.”

“…What?”

I took the pillow off my face and stared blankly at Raphael.

“A friend? A friend? Since when do I have friends here?”

Raphael smiled slightly and said,

“They said they lived with you at the church. As soon as I approved the visit, they came right over…”

At that moment, the door swung open.

“Hey, Elysio! So you’re really living here as the Saintess, huh?”

A familiar voice. My body instinctively froze at the sound.

‘…This voice, no way?’

Standing at the door was none other than the friend who had introduced me to this game. He was also wearing church attire, but his usual mocking grin was plastered on his face.

“Huh? Elysio, right? Oh yeah, I should call you Saintess Elysia now, huh?”

He chuckled as he approached me.

“Hey, you jerk… What are you doing here?”

I stood up, dumbfounded. The friend kept scanning my face and body, snickering.

“Wow… You really turned into a girl? Back at the church, you were just a pretty boy. Becoming the Saintess really made you glamorous, huh?”

“You little…”

I felt my face burning as I gritted my teeth.

“Are you mocking me right now? You’re the one who dragged me into this game!”

“Hey, when did I mock you? I’m just amazed. Wow… So it’s true? You’re really a girl now? So… you don’t have *that* anymore?”

“You son of a… If you say that one more time, I’ll blast you with an Area Blessing Technique.”

When I let a faint light glow from my fingertips, the friend pretended to be scared and waved his hands, stopping his laughter.

“Whoa, scary. You really are the Saintess. But you’re more like a Saintess who makes people curse than bless, huh?”

“You’re the one who made me like this!”

“Haha, what did I do? You’re the one who said the game was fun and started playing. I didn’t know this kind of story would unfold in our lives.”

I glared at him, suppressing my anger.

“Hey, so what are you doing now?”

“Me? I’m just living an ordinary life, helping out at the church as a priest.”

“…If you’re in this world too, what’s up? You didn’t become a Saintess or something?”

The friend snorted and waved his hand.

“Nah, I just applied to be a Saintess candidate and got rejected immediately. Lucky for me, I dodged that bullet.”

“…Thanks a lot, you jerk.”

I sighed and glared at him. The friend, still unable to hold back his laughter, picked up a snack from the table.

“But seriously, Ellie, you’re amazing. A Saintess who can cast Area Blessing Techniques and save villages? You’re practically the main character, aren’t you?”

“F*ck, I don’t need that kind of main character ability.”

“And you’re tangled up with the Hero too, right? Are you following the official story now?”

“Don’t bring that up. I don’t want the Demon King ending or the marriage ending. I just want to live quietly.”

The friend smirked and chuckled at my words.

“Hey, if you’re scared of those endings, just avoid them. Or team up with the Hero and clear it properly.”

“Why should I? I don’t need that, so just leave me alone.”

“Aw, that’s harsh. You missed me, didn’t you?”

“…Not even a little.”

The friend, still grinning, plopped down across from me.

“Still, it’s nice to see you. We’re both stuck in this hellish game, so we should support each other. Saintess, won’t you help me out a bit?”

“Rejected. You’re on your own.”

I sipped my tea and slammed the table.

“You’ll live smoothly like a character in this game anyway, right? That’s fine. I’ll handle things on my own.”

“Hey, you’re really mean.”

The friend raised his hand and grumbled.

“Well, at least I’ll get some entertainment out of watching you. I’ll come back later. Stay alive until then. Don’t become the Demon King or anything.”

“…Get lost, you jerk.”

He burst out laughing and walked out the door. I glared at his retreating figure and muttered to myself.

“Really… when I think about how that guy dragged me into this world…”

I pulled the blanket over my head and sighed again.

“…I’ll really blast him with light one day. Just you wait.”