Chapter 64

The breathing beyond the rosary is rough. It’s uneven, and the voice is a few tones higher than the Saintess’s usual tone.

I contacted the Saintess around midnight yesterday morning. Since I had to meet Beatrix, Lucifer, and the Archangels yesterday, I thought there wouldn’t be time and so contacted her early in the morning. That prediction was correct, and after finishing the show, I leaned on Aru and fell asleep.

As a result, the Saintess was left alone for about thirty-two hours without hearing from me. Alone in pitch-black darkness where she couldn’t even tell the time, trembling with loneliness and anxiety.

Exactly thirty-two hours, but since the Saintess had no way of telling time, how many hours it felt like to her is unknown. Maybe it felt like days or even weeks.

“Huh… uh… Huh… Thank goodness… Really… Right now, I have nothing to offer Joker-sama… If anything happened to Joker-sama, I’d be powerless to do anything…”

The Saintess is afraid.

Of the unimaginable tragedy if something were to happen to me.

“Saintess-sama, don’t cry. I’m just a bit late because I was tired. Your sense of time being off is only natural.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah, we have a lot to talk about, but first, calm down. You know as well as I do that our communication time isn’t very long.”

“Huh… Uh… Uh…”

Her sobbing begins to subside. She cried worrying about me. Imagining the Saintess crying while hanging onto the cross in the dark where nothing can be seen makes me feel a little strange.

It’s strangely thrilling, exciting, and heart-wrenching all at once—a feeling impossible to define with a single word.

Thinking about it, the Saintess can’t wipe away her tears by herself. She doesn’t have the power to use her hair like a tissue.

I move my fingers to the top part of the rosary I’m holding. Toward the black rod horizontally attached, which looks like a person’s head protruding…

I gently stroke the center of that part. This must be the mouth, this the nose, so the eyes would be here, right?

“Huh…”

“Saintess-sama, does it feel good? Refreshing?”

“Thank you. I’ve acted disgracefully…”

“Disgraceful? It was rather cute if you ask me. I’d welcome such ‘disgrace’ anytime. Is there any place that itches? Tell me quickly, and I’ll scratch it for you.”

“Yes, my side is a bit… Though it feels embarrassing to ask.”

“Just say it. No need to apologize over something like this.”

Swish, swish…

“Uh, ugh…”

Carefully smoothing the cross, wiping away the Saintess’s tears, and scratching the itchy parts of her body for a moment.

When her voice returns somewhat to normal, she remembers the lack of time and immediately asks about what happened the previous day.

I answer step by step. Not dragging it out too much, just neatly summarizing the key points.

“First, the matter with Beatrix Constantino was resolved well. I embraced it as you instructed, and then I grilled her like a knight of my own.”

“Well done. Were you injured anywhere?”

“There’s a slight one, but it’s fine. There’s no need for Saintess-sama to use divine power on me.”

“Even small wounds can lead to bigger problems if they worsen. Bring your finger forward to the rosary.”

“But really, there’s no need to waste your divine power on such minor cuts…”

“I have no other use for my divine power anyway.”

Reluctantly, I extend my burnt finger toward the rosary. As soon as white light seeps out and covers my finger, the blackened skin peels off and new flesh grows. The sensation traveling through my hand feels refreshing.

What a generous woman. I stroke her head by touching the top of the rosary.

“And… To break the contract between Beatrix and Lucifer, I summoned Lucifer and Uriel.”

“You mean the Great Demon Lucifer and Archangel Uriel? Why them… Ah, because of their contract dispute, right?”

“Looks like you’re aware. Exactly, because of that dispute. If Uriel is removed, the bet loses meaning, and Lucifer will dissolve his contract with Beatrix.”

“…Eh? Remove someone? Who?”

“Who else but Uriel. But don’t worry; he wasn’t actually destroyed. His rank was severely demoted, though.”

“!”

Hmm, maybe the news of Uriel’s downfall is too shocking for our Maria, who is a saint. Knowing how devoted her faith is, I feel a bit sorry, but I couldn’t help it! If I hadn’t done it, I would’ve died!

And frankly, I didn’t do much. Uriel brought himself down. Who told him to dig into forbidden areas?

That’s why revenge is called self-destruction. Because people trying to get revenge end up becoming exactly like the ones they seek vengeance against, leading to feelings of self-loathing and despair.

And apparently, even Archangel Uriel wasn’t immune to this timeless truth.

“Just talked some trash, and he lost his wings automatically.”

“Hmm… Now that you mention it, that does sound like Uriel…”

“Oh, so you understand?”

“Well, Western sects don’t even recognize him as an angel. While our sect counts Uriel among the four great archangels, I did meet him in a past life. Despite being known as the destroyer of evil, he was more worrisome than dependable.”

“There was nothing else I could do. I couldn’t possibly defeat Uriel with brute force; I’d turn into instant barbecue. Anyway, after suppressing Uriel… Three archangels came down, right? You know, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.”

“Those three? What did you do?”

“What could I do? If I just stood there, they might have judged me as a threat and eliminated me. So I talked some trash again. Since Uriel, having lost his wings, couldn’t return to Heaven like them, I told them to decide whether to leave him with me or Lucifer. And I warned them that if they killed me, Uriel would die too.”

The Saintess’s voice trembles faintly. I chuckle quietly where she can’t see.

“To the three archangels? Aren’t you scared, Joker-sama? You barely have any strength…”

“It’s fine. I’m confident I can survive. Anyway, I naturally expected them to choose Lucifer. The atmosphere was leaning that way too. You know, there’s still lingering sentiment between Lucifer and the angels. I intended to exploit that.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But then… Suddenly, baby angel wings sprouted from Uriel’s back? They were tiny but very clear. Then Uriel declared he wanted to ascend back to his position as an archangel and reach the truth… They started discussing amongst themselves, and suddenly they said they’d entrust Uriel to me?”

“What…?”

“They’re going to entrust Uriel to me. They said I’m the only one who could bring enlightenment to Uriel.”

“That… Does that mean Archangel Uriel will be accompanying Joker-sama from now on? Am I understanding correctly?”

“Ah, spot on. Very perceptive. You’re truly wise, Saintess-sama.”

Replied smoothly, leaving the Saintess speechless. The sound of her nervous gulp reaches my ears.

“Is Archangel Uriel… female?”

“Yeah, Uriel is female. She’s sleeping next to Beatrix right now.”

“While angels are free to choose their gender… Could you perhaps request Uriel to appear as male?”

“Why bother?”

“Ahhh! W-Well… Isn’t it embarrassing?! If a male Joker-sama and a female Uriel keep spending time together, who knows what awkward situations might arise…”

“Arū and Beatrix are both women too, so what’s the big deal now?”

“Hmm…”

“Besides, it won’t work anyway. Most of Uriel’s powers have vanished like a baby angel’s. She probably can’t choose her gender anymore.”

“I see… Haa…”

The Saintess’s fading voice. I understand why she’s reacting this way.

“Heheh, Are you jealous? Upset that there are more women around me?”

“…I cannot deny it. I feel uneasy due to envy.”

“Don’t worry. Except for you, Saintess-sama, I have no interest in the opposite sex. Even during my 500-year-long past life, I loved no one but you.”

“I know that, but still… I can’t easily relax. Human hearts aren’t always under our control, are they?”

“That’s true. Good point.”

But I really have no feelings for Uriel. Sure, I’ve had plenty of mating experiences with females, but those were strategic moves to seduce women.

Incidentally, this life’s me is celibate. And I intend to remain so until I meet the Saintess. If I’ve decided to love, I should dedicate my purity to her.

“Saintess-sama, when we meet again, what do you want to do first?”

“At Eden Academy?”

“Yeah, it’s far in the future, but imagination is free, right? Let’s indulge in some sweet fantasies like regular lovers.”

Seems like I should instill a sense of relief in our poor Saintess. While her strong affection is good, if it turns into obsession, it could become quite troublesome.

Imagining the once-orphaned Saintess transformed by lust into an obsessive figure makes my mouth water a little, but that’s something I shouldn’t do.

“Hmm… If we meet again… At that time…”

“Mm-hmm, go on. I’ll grant reasonable requests.”

Coaxed by me, the Saintess shyly speaks, her voice still moist from earlier tears.

“At that time, the kiss we couldn’t finish in Tartarus… I’d like to properly redo it.”

A smile creeps onto my face. A modest yet beautiful wish. Teasing her seems fun.

“How about sex instead of just kissing?”

“Uwah, that’s obscene! Priests serving God should remain chaste.”

“You’re not saying no or that you dislike it, right? Should I take that as consent?”

“This isn’t something to discuss lightly here. Let’s talk about it when we meet.”

“Kekkek, talking with Saintess-sama is always the most fun.”

Ah, right. I almost forgot about asking Saintess about Uriel’s treatment while teasing her.

“What should we do with Uriel? Due to the archangels’ threats, I guess I’ll have to bring her along for now, but honestly, I’m unsure.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that Archangel Michael entrusted Uriel to you?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Then it’s probably fine to just bring her along. Don’t pay it any special mind. Just keep her nearby and act as you normally would. Archangel Michael must have had his reasons.”

“True, it’s none of my business whether Uriel finds the truth and becomes an archangel again or not.”

Uriel doesn’t have any particular good feelings towards me either.

Hmm… Or does she? Uriel is still an archangel after all. Maybe scoring points with Uriel could be beneficial later on. Unexpected gains could come from it.

“Our time is almost up.”

“Already?”

“Yeah, I should cut the communication here. I’ll contact you again at this time tomorrow.”

“Wait a moment!”

“Why? Is there something else to say… Ah.”

Almost forgot something important.

“Saintess-sama, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Almost missed something crucial.

***

After cutting the communication with the Saintess, Beatrice woke up from the sleep magic not long after. Aru, noticing her awakening, began barking loudly.

“Bark! Bark! Young demon! The human woman is awake!”

“Ugh, my head…”

Turning my head, I see Beatrice sitting up, pressing her forehead. It’s similar to yesterday’s situation. She must be remembering that I’m Lucifer’s descendant.

While I could erase her memories with magic, tampering with the memories of someone as strong as Beatrice is risky. Since it’s a situation we need to confront eventually, I’ll tackle it head-on.

“Beatrice-dono, are you feeling better?”

“Oscar… My Lord… Huh!”

Suddenly gasping and clutching her forehead, Beatrice groans. Likely recalling that I’m Lucifer’s descendant.

Do you remember everything that happened yesterday?”

“Kuh…”

“If you don’t, I’ll explain. The contract between you and Demon Lucifer has been dissolved. Now it’s time for you to form a contract with me. You remember that I’m not human but a demon, right?”

“Ahh…”

“Of course, you still have the option to withdraw. I am, after all, the descendant of Lucifer whom you despise so much. It must be unpleasant to remain connected to him even after the contract is broken.”

“…”

Beatrice gazes at the floor with a melancholy expression, deep in thought.

“But I can assure you this: you will surely experience the excitement, pleasure, and thrill you felt yesterday. Think carefully. Of course, my actions may not always align with your preferences. I’m no saint, closer to a villain, in fact. Still, if you desire to contract with me, take my hand.”

Whispering softly, I extend my hand.

Beatrice continues to ponder with her head bowed.

Let’s wait. I’ve awakened her desires and given her the opportunity. The bait is cast, the line is thrown; all that remains is patient waiting.

After a few minutes…

Beatrice raises her head, her face a blank slate devoid of emotion.

“…A knight.”

“Have you made your decision?”

“How can a knight so easily change the lord she vowed to serve?”

“Oooh.”

“Even if my lord harbors secrets unknown to me, a knight must stand by her words and actions. That is what it means to be a knight.”

She raises her hand. Beatrice’s pale hand rests atop mine.

“Good choice, Beatrice-dono. You won’t regret it.”

“I do not regret. In the past four years, I’ve experienced enough regret to last a lifetime.”

“Then that’s even better.”

I am a magician. A director filming a movie, an actor starring in my own film, and a jester creating miracles.

Also, someone’s love, someone’s savior, someone’s enemy, and someone’s leader.

And the lord of a wandering knight searching for purpose.

Beatrice kneels before me, bows her head, raises one hand above it, and solemnly declares:

“Beatrix Constantino, as your sword, formally greets her lord.”

---