Chapter 2

I stared blankly at the light spreading from my fingertips. It felt warm yet strangely overwhelming. As I slowly waved my hand, the light traced a path, making the air ripple like waves.

“Wow… this is seriously amazing…”

I marveled inwardly. Honestly, I never dreamed I’d possess such holy power.

“Damn, if I could’ve used skills like this in games, I’d have been called a pro. No, scratch that—this isn’t pro-level, this is god-tier.”

But when I looked around, the priests were gazing at me with reverent expressions. Among them, Raphael shouted in an emotional voice.

“Saintess… You truly are the one chosen by the gods! To bestow such a powerful blessing…!”

“Ah, that look in their eyes is so overwhelming.”

I forced a smile and carefully lowered my hand. The light gradually faded, but a warm afterglow lingered on my fingertips.

“But… this feels familiar. This sensation…”

Memories flashed through my mind. The story and settings from the game I played started slowly coming back to me.

“Hero… Demon King… Saintess… Right, in this game’s story, there’s a Demon King…”

At that moment, it felt like the pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.

“Countless heroes… and countless Demon Kings.”

The game’s early narration popped into my head. The reason for the endless war in this world. Heroes fight, Demon Kings fall, the world is saved, but then a new Demon King appears—an incomprehensible cycle.

“Back then, I just brushed it off as cliché… but now that I think about it, isn’t this just insane?”

Then, an important game setting came to mind.

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

I suddenly felt a chill.

“Wait, don’t tell me… me too?”

At that moment, a strange echo reverberated in my mind.

“My Saintess…”

“…What? What did you just say?”

No sound reached my ears, but it felt like a voice was whispering directly into my mind.

“You will open my path.”

Goosebumps instantly covered my entire body.

“Hey, what the hell is this? Is this a god? Or… don’t tell me, the Demon King?!”

The game’s setting flashed in my mind. The Demon King wasn’t a being but a force. A paradoxically self-aware destructive energy. The setting where that force, connected to the Saintess, gains self-awareness and harms the world came back to me.

“Don’t tell me I’m really the trigger for the Demon King?”

I clutched my head.

“Why the hell is this world’s lore so messed up?!”

…

…

…

Then, Raphael approached with a worried expression.

“Saintess, is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah, no! Nothing’s wrong! I’m… perfectly fine.”

I forced a smile and pushed Raphael away. At that moment, another memory struck me.

“Wait… this is about the time for that event…”

I broke into a cold sweat as the scene flashed in my mind.

“It’s today.”

The early-game event where the Hero and Saintess first meet. And not just any meeting—it’s the event where the remnants of the Demon King first show signs of awakening.

“Damn, now that I think about it, it starts with a red light pouring out from a nearby village, and demon beasts swarm in.”

And ominously, right at that moment, an alarm sounded.

“Emergency! Reports of a strange light spotted in a nearby village!”

Raphael and the other priests exchanged startled looks.

“Saintess, this is a mission given by the gods. We must head to the scene immediately.”

“…Damn it. I just wanted to live quietly.”

I cursed inwardly but had no choice but to nod.

“Got it. Let’s get ready.”

But my mind was already spinning.

“Is this really that event from the game happening in real life? Then what’s next…”

I put on my most serious expression and thought.

“Alright, first I need to see if I can properly use this power. Saintess or whatever, I need to survive first, right?”

Then, I muttered as I looked at my fingertips.

“…But, wow. This is seriously cool. Is this really my power?”

A strange thrill and excitement surged through me from the power I felt in my body.

“Alright. Even if I end up living as a loser, I’ll survive first.”

I steeled myself for the fate laid out before me.

“But… please, let that thing whispering in my head not be the Demon King. Please.”

…

…

…

According to the report, a red light tore through the sky, rising from the center of the village, and demon beasts poured out from it.

“Ah, damn… so cliché. Can it get any more predictable?”

I sighed deeply as I boarded the carriage. Raphael looked at me with a tense expression.

“Saintess, are you okay? If you’re feeling burdened since it’s your first time on the field, please let us know.”

“No, I’m fine. I just want to get this over with and go home.”

Of course, outwardly I said, “I’ll fulfill my duty,” like a proper Saintess, but inwardly, I just wanted to ignore the village and everything else.

“Red light? Demon beasts? And here comes the Hero, right? Ah, damn… it’s exactly that story.”

…

…

…

When we arrived at the village, it was already chaos. The red light stretched into the sky, and screams echoed from all over. Demon beasts were rampaging, chasing the villagers.

“Saintess, you must head to the altar! We need to seal the red light with the power of the gods!”

Raphael shouted urgently.

“Got it.”

I nodded, trying to stay calm.

Trying to stay calm, I walked towards the altar. But then…

**Boom!**

Suddenly, a huge monster jumped out right in the middle of the road. The demon beast landed so heavily that the ground shook, baring its sharp teeth as it glared at us.

“Whoa… Is this a boss mob? Why is something like this showing up in a village event?!”

Raphael, with a terrified face, said, “Saintess, step back! I’ll buy us some time!”

He held a magic staff in one hand and created a shield with the other. But the monster leaped forward and shattered the shield in an instant.

“Ha, damn it. Guess I have to step up after all.”

I took a deep breath and raised my hand. Light began to emanate from my fingertips.

“Alright… Since it’s come to this, let’s give it a proper shot.”

I focused the light at my fingertips and ran a simulation in my head. Recalling the skill effects I’d seen in games, I drew out the power within me.

“Take this, you crazy bastard!”

**”Fenestra Luminis!”**

A spear of light formed in my hand and shot towards the massive monster.

**Boom!**

The spear pierced right through the monster’s heart, and it let out a scream before collapsing.

“Whoa… Is this really my power? This is insane!”

But my amazement was short-lived as the sound of more monsters rushing in echoed around.

“Ah, damn it… You take down one, and more show up? I’m so sick of this cliché.”

Then, a voice called out from somewhere.

“Saintess! Step back!”

I turned my head to see who it was and froze for a moment.

“…What the hell is that insane visual?”

There stood a man in white armor, wielding a massive sword—someone who could only be called a hero. Light flowed from his sword as he cut down the monsters.

“Ah, damn it… He really showed up. The hero entrance event.”

He reached out his hand towards me.

“Saintess, it’s dangerous. Come over here!”

“Hey, what’s with that look? Why are you staring at me like that?”

I brushed off his hand and said, “I’ll handle it myself. You worry about your own job.”

The hero looked at me, flustered.

“Saintess, what do you mean… We need to cooperate right now…”

“Hey, damn it. You think you can tell me what to do right now? Can’t you see the monsters?!”

The hero shut his mouth, startled. Raphael muttered with a bewildered face.

“Saintess… Did you just say ‘damn it’…?”

“Ah, damn it, I slipped up again.”

I swallowed my irritation and brushed it off.

“It’s an enthusiastic expression of prayer! This isn’t the time to nitpick!”

Then, gathering light at my fingertips again, I muttered under my breath.

“Seriously, this hero guy is so annoying… Let’s just finish this quickly.”

.

.

.

I steeled myself to wipe out all the monsters around me. I didn’t have the luxury to waste any more time. The light emanating from my fingertips grew stronger and spread into the sky.

“Alright, I’ll clear them all with an AoE skill. What was the name again…? That holy AoE skill from the game…”

Recalling the name of the holy AoE skill I’d seen in the game, I raised my hand.

**”Dies Lucis!”**

As I shouted, a massive spear of light appeared in the sky. The tip of the spear slowly descended towards the monsters and exploded with a blinding light.

**Boom!**

The screams of the monsters echoed throughout the village.

The red monsters all collapsed with shrieks. A beast-like monster with long claws tried to resist, but its body was torn apart by the explosion of light.

“Whoa, damn it… That’s intense.”

The bird-like monsters flying in the sky quickly dove towards me, but the fragments of light from the spear pierced their wings. Some staggered and fell, while others turned to ash and disappeared.

“Nice. This is what a Saintess should be capable of.”

I held back a laugh as I watched the scene. The thrill I felt when using skills in the game was perfectly replicated here.

The remaining monsters charged at me, baring their sharp teeth and claws in a last-ditch effort. But the power of light was already overwhelming them. One of them struggled to leap forward but was engulfed by the explosion of light and shattered.

“Phew…”

After all the monsters were dealt with, the village fell silent again. I lowered my hand, sighed, and looked around.

“Ah, finally over.”

At that moment, I heard clapping from behind.

“Amazing, Saintess.”

That guy, the hero, was approaching me, adjusting his gleaming armor. Even the way he sheathed his sword looked like a scene from a play.

“With power like this, you’ll play a huge role in the fight against the Demon King. Saintess, won’t you join me?”

“Why is this guy’s dialogue so forward?”

I turned my head sharply and replied.

“No.”