Chapter 25

I was someone who denied the status of the Saint in the original work, so strictly speaking, I am a different character from the Saint Anna in that original story.

However, at least that being above seems to expect me to play a similar role to that Saint.

Just like the Saint did, I too could utilize Saint Power that was nearly incomparable to others.

And wanting me to play the same role means that I can use that Saint Power according to the role in the original story, right?

I didn’t have a very good impression of that being when I came to this world, but there’s one thing I know for sure.

That being has no intention of abandoning the people.

Even though they put me in this role for some reason, they aren’t just trying to mess with me.

When I asked for help in front of the injured, they allowed me to use the Saint Power.

…Right, since I was reincarnated into another world, isn’t it expected that I should at least follow some clichés from that previous life?

Kneeling in front of the injured, I clasped my hands together.

I raised those hands as if receiving something from the sky.

Carefully, toward the white light falling on my face.

From the bodies of the injured gathered around, wounds were already slowly disappearing. Some of the injured looked at their own hands with bewildered expressions, while a few rose to sit up.

Naturally, there were also gazes directed at me.

Though, I really had no time to care about that.

Every time the Saint Power reflected on my face, I brushed it away with my hands. What appeared to be just light at a glance scattered like smoke when I swept it away.

The meaning was simple. It’s correct to think that Saint Power is not merely a kind of power, but rather a natural phenomenon of sorts.

Light may appear to be a phenomenon, but in reality, it possesses both particle and wave properties, making it bend around strong magnetism.

Air molecules may be too faint to see with the naked eye, but you can feel their presence when you wave your hands around.

If Saint Power exists as a phenomenon in this world, then it can also be accepted as such.

Just as the Saint in the original work was able to do.

My mind became a little dazed. My legs felt weak, as if I had sprinted several kilometers without stopping, and my shoulders ached. The hands I had clasped together trembled.

What had started as light was now flowing over my hands like water.

Just like dry ice freezes the moisture around it to flow like smoke, the Saint Power that overflowed from my hands also became smoke that scattered to the ground.

People were rising.

While many still had bewildered expressions, clearly unable to grasp what was happening, everyone seemed ready to fight again, weapons in hand.

“Anna.”

Ria looked at me with a slightly blank expression and spoke.

“———!”

Thud.

The ground shook. I hadn’t fully exited the Gate yet, but the monkey monster wrapped in a tiger’s skin was screaming as it tried to come out. Blood splattered beyond the Gate. Perhaps the high-ranking Hunters still inside were holding that monster back.

I staggered to my feet, letting my hands down.

On my clasped hands, a brilliant light gathered. Like a small, polished gem.

Saint Power affects ‘all’ living beings equally.

If the opponent is not a creature that moves specifically through Magic Power, attempting to ‘attack’ with Saint Power is meaningless.

I suppose that monster from beyond is similar. It bothers me that it differs so drastically from the creatures of Earth.

So should I just focus on healing the injured from the back?

That might be the case.

But I didn’t want to just do that.

“Anna!”

As I staggered forward, Ria grabbed my arm and steadied me.

“Ria.”

I extended my two hands toward Ria.

On my hands was a small gem-like thing shining.

It was transparent, with an uneven shape that looked like it was melted together in hot fire, but it sparkled even more than any jewel.

Seeing my hand extended toward her, Ria instinctively placed her hand on top of mine.

I gently wrapped my hand around her hand.

Then, I closed my eyes as if in prayer.

I pondered how I could save more people. While Ria was said to rise to the position of a hero in the future, for now, she was still just a candidate.

I couldn’t put her life on the line.

Not because she was a character in a novel or an important figure in the story, but because she was my friend standing in front of me.

Well, even if she weren’t my friend, if she were in front of my eyes, I would have wanted to save and protect her.

I closed my eyes.

I pulled our clasped hands inward.

Slowly, warmth seeped into my hands. The pure crystal of Saint Power that had been on my hand melted and evenly seeped into both our bodies.

Right. If the Saint Power I could use also affected those we were to face, then it would be enough to internalize that power.

“…….”

When I opened my eyes, Ria was staring at me with her mouth agape.

It was the blankest expression I had ever seen on her.

The fatigue I had felt just moments ago was nearly gone. I didn’t know what would happen after I used all the Saint Power in my body.

I bent down to pick up a shield.

“Let’s go.”

When I said that, Ria blinked her eyes. She seemed to regain her senses then.

I turned my gaze. Over there, people were still lying on the ground, moaning. The monster hadn’t come out of the Gate, but it was reaching toward those people.

Clearly, it looked at them as food.

While the Hunters were doing their best to pull them back, it seemed too precarious. A wrong move could result in another victim.

But if I carelessly sprinkle Saint Power near the monster, those wounds I had just healed might be undone.

I didn’t think we had the ability to solve something like that before the main story had even started.

If we leave that to the Hunters, and Ria and I focus on support, couldn’t we manage to save at least one person—

That’s what I was thinking.

*

In this world, there are almost no people who deny the existence of gods.

When Gates began to emerge one after another, and beings appeared that couldn’t be killed with bullets or bombs, if the gods hadn’t revealed their existence, everything would have been over.

Maybe someday we could find a countermeasure, but no one knows how many lives would be lost by then.

That’s why nearly everyone in this world believes in that god. Acknowledging its existence and believing in it allows one to accomplish many things with the power of the gods.

But then, what does that light mean?

“……Ah.”

Someone muttered that.

There are people who saw the light coming from the sky. There are those who witnessed the light bringing back those on the verge of death. But none of them saw the crystal of that light.

Not the Hunters, of course, nor any Priest.

Not even the Saint Candidate.

There might have been those who thought they ought to pray in their hearts.

There must have been those who thought they should immediately kneel and bow their heads toward that light.

But that light seeped into the bodies of the two people.

One being a very famous Saint Candidate in various meanings, and the other her escorting Knight.

The light quickly dissipated. The bright light, which seemed bright enough to be imprinted on the retina even in the full daylight, vanished in an instant. For a brief moment, it flowed down like smoke, and even the residue of the Saint Power left on the ground disappeared.

But the trace of that light remained.

“Let’s go.”

The one who picked up the shield—she said.

As for her, people didn’t know what to call her.

Only after the two of them began to run did those who finally understood the situation start to follow them.

“———!”

Seeing the two running, the monster screamed.

Thud.

Eventually, outside the Gate, the monster’s arm burst through. Someone darted from behind again, but that huge monkey already had one hand raised high above its head.

“Don’t!”

Someone shouted that.

The upper half of the monster’s body burst out of the Gate, and its reach became even longer.

That hand dropped precisely over the heads of the two who were reaching for those fallen on the ground.

The sound of the ground trembling rang out. Someone groaned at the sight. No one thought anyone could survive being crushed under that. Even if they did survive, they surely wouldn’t be unscathed; everyone believed that.

But then—

Instantly, blood sprayed from that arm. A sharp wound appeared, and blood gushed forth. The monster recoiled in shock.

Beneath it stood a single nun, holding her shield high above her head.

The shield couldn’t withstand the impact and was crushed, but it clearly protected those beneath her.

And stepping forward in front of her was a Knight. He moved his sword to shake off the blood stained on the blade.

Healing those on the verge of death, the nun rose again with her shield, but the people still didn’t know how to express what they were witnessing.

If they were to express it somehow, that word would surely be one.

Even though the listener would surely hate it.

*

Saint Power is fundamentally a healing force. It also has the function to expel beings with forces contrary to that healing power.

So, can it really only be used for ‘healing’?

No, the Saint in the original work used that power for other purposes as well.

If the ability to infinitely heal could be transferred to another, it would be a form of physical enhancement.

Furthermore, the ability to recover from fatigue could be used to alleviate pain, and such powers would allow the receiving individual to maintain their condition at its peak.

“……You went too far ahead.”

Ria said with a terrified expression.

“Well, no one got hurt.”

I said as I stood there with the shield.

The person who had been on the ground was staring up at us blankly, still failing to grasp the situation.

“————!”

The sound of screams of pain rang out. It was the monster’s roar as Ria’s sword sliced through its flesh.

“……From now on, stay behind me. Don’t step in front of the one protecting you.”

“Understood.”

Well, what can you do?

It’s troublesome if I interfere with her duties as a Knight. And, you know.

I thought while looking at the completely crumpled shield.

…No matter how high the healing power may be, if it’s crushed, there won’t be any time to heal.

Let’s be careful, alright?