Chapter 147

“The situation is urgent, so I quickly came up with a few theories.”

First.

Question: Unlike last time, I wasn’t able to repel the Demon Race all at once. Why?

I was pouring out Saint Power while bleeding from my hands.

My Saintess outfit… no, my white nun’s dress was filthy in several places. It seemed I hadn’t been directly attacked yet, but that was due to the black rain made of magic power pouring down from above.

The sky was dark. It appeared that there was a barrier made of magic power wrapping around the top.

Answer: The Demon Race knows that they are vulnerable to Saint Power. So it’s only natural that they would have thought of countermeasures to block it.

It wasn’t the first time they saw me. I couldn’t tell if they were of the same kind as the one I faced last time, but even if they weren’t the same entity, they would have exchanged words among themselves.

Second.

Question: Then how was Ria able to emerge from that situation using only her own strength?

Answer: Ria was holding a sword stained with my blood.

That was a somewhat questionable answer.

Even if Ria’s sword contained power, it couldn’t possibly be stronger than the power flowing from my body. The amount of blood on that little stone would be far less than what was flowing from me.

Was it because Ria was good at fighting? Was she able to win against the apparition inside?

I wasn’t sure.

Perhaps I couldn’t pay much attention to Ria while focusing on the Demon Race. It might be a result of underestimating her. While I didn’t know if Ria could use the same level of Saint Power as me, she was a being that could directly touch it.

…Unless.

Saint Power comes from belief. Whether or not the being above truly is a god is a secondary issue, but the stronger the conviction is deep within, the more powerful the Saint Power can be. This is a fundamental aspect of theology and a fact that is proven through me.

However, Ria doesn’t believe in that being.

She believes in me.

“……”

No, let’s not reach a conclusion right now. Let’s take a little more time to think properly.

“Anna.”

Ria called out to me.

Her gaze was directed at the bleeding wound on my hand.

My hand feels like it’s on fire. Having never been burned before, I could only imagine that this is what it would feel like if a hot iron touched my skin.

The light emanating from the wound on my hand looked like there was a stake driven right into it.

Blood was flowing beneath that white stake.

My body is slowly breaking apart. I was aware of that.

“No.”

I blocked Ria from grabbing my hand.

“Right now, I have something I need to do.”

“……”

Ria looked at me.

Her eyes seemed a mix of anger and sadness. It felt like she thought she had to stop me right away, but at the same time believed that what I was saying was correct.

“Don’t worry.”

I have no intention of dying.

I made a promise like that. Of course, I cannot betray that promise.

…Well, I wonder. The issue of whether I believe in God or not can be flipped any way depending on the problem in front of me. What about this promise?

This is a kind of bondage. One that I have directly placed on Ria.

If I risk my life, then Ria must also risk hers.

“……”

For the first time, I thought I didn’t want to. If I die, Ria would die too, and I don’t want that. Even if there are many people in front of me. Even if this world is in danger.

Even if it means turning my back on my convictions.

How ridiculous.

It’s not like I’m a teenager going through some rebellious phase, yet here I am with such romantic thoughts.

“There’s no need to die here.”

I said.

Of course.

There are still things to be done. First—

I reached out towards the sky.

And then, I closed my eyes.

—I’m sorry.

What am I apologizing for?

Am I saying I regret coming into this world? If that’s the case, it’s fine. I have met Ria here.

Is it because I have been entrusted with such things? Well, that could be a bit annoying. But it’s not like I hate it that much. If it’s for Ria.

Ah, right.

I can’t deny it any longer.

It’s not just a passing concern. I can’t give up on Ria being by my side.

If that’s the case, then why would I have bothered to bind her in the first place? Like a true Saintess, I should have just set aside my feelings and sent Ria in the direction she needed.

So.

“I hope you’ll cooperate.”

So that neither of us dies.

If that being is truly something, it wouldn’t change the hearts of people. Even if it had the power to do so. Well, even I think that’s a bit far-fetched.

Whether I accept it, or refuse it, it’s because of Ria that I feel this way. So it’s fine, even if I’m rejected, because Ria remains the same.

As long as I have the opportunity.

Someone grasped my left hand gently, instead of the right one reaching upward.

When I looked back, Ria was watching me.

She still had a somewhat annoyed, angry, and sad expression, but it seemed she had no intention of leaving me. She continued to stay by my side as my knight.

Even though I knew it was wrong, a smile unwittingly crept onto my face.

I looked back up at the sky.

“So, please help me.”

I said.

The voice that came back was—

—Willingly.

There was a hint of sadness in it.

I could hear a slightly shattering sound. Tears of pain flowed. But I kept raising my hand.

My vision was filled with white.

There were sounds of rustling around me.

*

The pillar wasn’t very thick.

It was about the thickness of a thin girl’s arm, at best.

But the light connecting to the sky was enough to burn away the black object flying just below it, piercing through the black curtain.

“—————!”

A ripping scream echoed. A sound so distorted and painful that it hurt just to hear.

Within that white light, the wings of the flying being ignited. Losing all its black feathers, it slowly fell beneath the sky.

That light didn’t stop even after burning away the wings of the Demon Race.

The light that reached the Saintess, who was reaching her arms toward the sky, exploded and spread outward.

The knights that had been stopping in the black rain, as if coming to their senses, were startled and raised their swords.

And they were drawn in by that white light.

There was not a single trace of magic power left on the clothes that had once been stained. All that remained visible to the saintess reaching her hands toward the sky was only white and red.

A stream of red blood flowed down her hand. That blood was slowly staining the Saintess’s dress.

“Hah.”

The Saintess’s hand dropped down.

The knight beside her wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her.

And he gently lowered her, as if to lay her down on the ground.

“Rest here. I’ll take care of it.”

“……No.”

But the Saintess didn’t allow the knight.

Instead, with both bloodied hands, she wrapped around the knight’s waist.

“……Because that promise was sincere.”

The Saintess said.

“If Ria is where I’m going, then I must be where Ria is.”

The knight seemed momentarily lost for words.

“……I see.”

He murmured softly, tightening the grip of his right hand around the Saintess’s waist.

The Saintess nestled closer to the knight. It was a beautiful sight, but nobody would harbor lewd thoughts watching it.

A beautiful saintess who received a divine revelation.

And the knight who risked his life to protect her.

It was a scene straight out of a masterpiece in the church.

“Let’s go.”

The knight said and took off, leaping into the air, the Saintess cradled in his arm.

*

Even now, the black rain was pouring down from the sky. The downpour had lessened somewhat, but it was still far from negligible.

However, there was no magic power touching our bodies. The Saint Power flowing through me was protecting Ria.

The holy sword Ria held was shining brighter than before.

With every step she took, as her feet touched the sand, the once-black-stained sand was turning white again.

Though pain throbbed in my hand, and blood continued to flow, I had somehow forgotten about the pain.

I endlessly gazed up at Ria’s face.

Such a perfectly lovely face.

A resolute gaze looking only toward one path.

Truly, she must be the type of knight you’d hear about in fairy tales.

“You lot!!”

Someone shouted at Ria, no, at us.

The stuttering black figure had wings that had been completely burned away.

A semblance of a female figure still remained within it.

Behind its head were traces of blackness—if that’s how one could describe it—a hint of darkness, and above that shone yellow eyes.

The face was shadowy.

But it was clear who that silhouette belonged to.

So it is.

“Ria!”

“Got it!”

We sprinted.

“Not yet, not yet!”

The Demon shouted, swinging its arms.

There was a sound like metal clashing.

Ria’s sword was deflected backward, but the Demon screamed out. Its sharp claws flew away.

“……Seriously, this is too much.”

I muttered.

No matter how I thought about it, the princess’s true love must have been her maid. They were probably in a loving relationship since childhood.

Filled with anger, I gripped my Saint Power tightly.

A clump of Saint Power I had used a few times before.

And I released that hand from around Ria’s waist and raised it up.

That’s it.

That’s how it is.

There’s nothing more distasteful than an intruder coming between childhood friends who are flirting with one another.

“That voice, it clearly belongs to a man.”

Or perhaps a male creature.

It doesn’t matter.

In a situation like this, it’s all the same.

Yuri,

Isn’t a guy crashing the party a serious crime?

That sin runs deep.

You must die here today.