I Became a Demon Who Can Never Be Headpatted in the Academy?! – Chapter 60

Inside the rattling carriage, Monica fidgeted with her hands.

Her pale hands were drenched in sweat.

The more she clasped them, the more slippery they became.

“It’ll be okay, Saintess.”

Sister Anna held Monica’s hands and gently stroked them.

“Sister Anna…”

Monica was deeply grateful to Sister Anna for holding her hands.

The moment Monica looked at her face, she saw it with her own eyes.

She saw a future so bleak it was hard to even swallow.

“Ah…”

Monica, who had always resigned herself to fate, tightly shut her golden eyes.

She didn’t want to see this future.

The painful future she truly didn’t want to know always weighed heavily on her heart, tormenting her.

A joyful and happy future couldn’t truly be enjoyed because she already knew it in advance.

‘These eyes…’

That’s why Monica always resigned herself to despair.

No matter how much she saw the future, she could do nothing about it.

Because she saw that future, she felt no one could help her.

“Ouch, my butt…”

“Isn’t it too bumpy?”

“You know this is considered a well-maintained road, right?”

“The area around the Papal Court was so much more comfortable!”

Monica couldn’t bring herself to look at the laughing nuns.

“Saintess? Are you scared of going to Count Orion’s Duchy?”

Unlike the chattering sisters, Anna kindly held Monica’s hand and interlocked their fingers.

Feeling the warmth, Monica sensed a fleeting comfort.

“It’s not that.”

“…I’ve also gone to territories plagued by disease or terrifying monsters to help before.”

Monica nodded as she looked at Anna.

“Every time, I was so scared. You know, Saintess, I’m really weak.”

“Sister Anna…”

“Back then, when I was trembling, Cardinal Philomena told me a story.”

Monica nodded, wanting to ease her heavy heart even a little.

“Once upon a time… there was a child who grew flowers that could see the future. The child tended a garden full of these beautiful flowers, always wishing for people’s happiness.”

“…I’m like that too.”

“Hehe, if you had the ability to see the future, everyone would be like that. Anyway, the flowers in that garden foretold the future. Red flowers meant happiness, blue meant misfortune, and black meant death.”

“…Did all the flowers turn black one day?”

At Monica’s cautious question, Anna patted her back.

“Exactly. The child worked hard to tend the garden, but the flowers turned black. The color was so beautiful, it was hard to believe they had withered. The flowers truly foretold death.”

“The child must have been in despair.”

“Correct. The child wished for people not to die. So, thinking it was their mistake, they tended the flowers every day, changing the fertilizer, adjusting the water, looking for bugs, and pulling weeds.”

Monica’s eyes sparkled.

“But… no matter how hard they tried, the color of the flowers didn’t change. They remained black. The child fell into sorrow.”

“So… fate can’t be changed.”

“No~ Saintess. Listen carefully. Just because you can’t change the color of the flowers…”

─ Thud!

“What, what’s that? Ugh…!”

“What’s going on? Did we hit a rock?”

“Is the wheel broken? We’ve stopped!”

The nuns’ commotion made Monica’s face turn even paler.

“What’s happening? If there’s a problem, speak up clearly!”

Paladin Irene half-rose from her seat and shouted at the coachman.

“Ah! Paladin!!! There’s a fallen tree…”

“Hmph… We sisters will handle it. Don’t cause a fuss and wait.”

Irene pointed at the sisters, excluding Anna, and gestured for them to get out of the carriage.

“Ah, wait…!”

“It’s fine, Saintess. Clearing a fallen tree is something we can handle.”

“No big deal~!”

“We’ll clear it quickly!”

Monica’s story was left unfinished as the nuns quickly exited the carriage.

Paladin Irene and the nuns thought they could easily clear the tree blocking the path.

“Boasting about well-maintained roads, but this is nothing…”

As Irene approached the tree, she paused.

‘This tree… it didn’t fall naturally.’

The cleanly cut part, as if by an axe, made Irene feel a chill.

─ Whizz!

“Gasp…!”

In that brief moment, a sharp arrow flew from the forest and struck the coachman’s right arm.

─ Neigh!!

The coachman writhed in pain, pulling the reins, causing the horse to rear.

Irene and the nuns were startled, trying to calm the horse, but to no avail.

─ Whizz! Thud!

“What, what’s that?!”

More arrows flew from the forest, piercing the horse’s head.

By this point, Irene quickly drew her sword.

“Sisters! A sinister presence approaches! Prepare for battle!”

She shouted bravely, and the sisters, unafraid, created ‘holy weapons’ with their divine power.

They formed glowing maces and daggers, staring into the darkness at the approaching enemy.

“Ke, kekeke…”

“Ugh, hehe…”

The attackers were monsters.

Creatures with moss-colored skin, known for their ferocity.

“O, orcs, three of them…”

“Goblins too, a, a lot of them? More than ten.”

The monsters exuded a sinister aura as they approached the carriage.

Their intentions were clear.

“Everyone! Don’t be afraid! They’re just monsters! Mindless and unblessed vermin!”

Paladin Irene shouted, swinging her blessed sword.

“Kieeek…!”

A goblin wielding a black-poisoned spear was instantly cut down by Irene’s attack.

The sisters smiled, using their left hands to shoot holy flames at the monsters.

“Kehehehe…!”

From the forest, more goblins emerged than initially seen.

An orc, watching the situation, raised a heavy axe and roared, swinging it at Irene.

─ Clang!

Irene blocked the axe with her holy flame-emitting sword. With precise swordsmanship, she deflected the axe and quickly counterattacked, wounding the orc’s side.

“May the gods bless us!!”

Irene was confident in her skills.

So were the other sisters.

─ Thud!

“…Huh?”

Irene, brimming with confidence, stepped back at the sound of the ground shaking.

“Why, such a monster…?”

The monster before Irene was massive. It was as tall as two orcs stacked, with a grotesque, rocky, and muscular body.

It had only one eye, and its back was adorned with a purple-glowing ‘magic stone’ chained to it.

“…A demon.”

Irene felt instinctive fear but gripped her blessed sword with both hands.

“I’ll handle that monster…! Sisters! Protect the Saintess at all costs!”

Irene shouted, stepping forward.

Her heart was true in wanting to protect the Saintess.

Though her form was flawed, her direction was true.

“Sinister being! The one you seek to harm is beyond your reach!”

Irene swung her flame-emitting sword at the monster.

─ Crash!

“You, hehe, ■die.”

With a strange laugh, the one-eyed monster swung the massive cleaver in its right hand.

The cleaver, used for slaughtering beasts, cleanly severed Irene’s right arm.

“Ah…?”

The holy flame-emitting sword was instantly split in two. The cleaver wasn’t deflected, and Irene’s arm wasn’t saved.

“Hi, hiiik…!”

“Irene… Paladin Irene!”

“Sister!”

The sisters screamed.

The one-eyed monster twitched its grotesque mouth as if enjoying their fear.

“■Here. Kuhehe.”

Black drool dripped from the monster’s mouth.

Its eye glowed with a sinister light, and its muscles writhed like worms.

“■Die, kuhuhu.”

Its twisted mouth, unnatural speech, and laughter showed it wasn’t just a monster.

“Everyone, stay… Gahk!”

An orc’s heavy spear pierced Irene’s chest.

One sister, paralyzed with fear, clutched her head.

“Sa, save me, sa, save me. I, I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

Suzanna cried, stepping back.

“Go, gods. Great gods… I, I, gahk…?!”

A sister, wielding a holy weapon till the end, lost her hand to an orc’s blade.

“Almighty gods, goddess, please descend and protect us…”

Annette, tears streaming, began to pray.

“Sa, save me! Saintess! Save me!”

Suzanna, stepping back, pounded on the carriage door.

“Come inside…”

Monica wanted to change fate.

From Anna’s embrace, she reached out and opened the carriage door.

─ Thud!!

The one-eyed monster, as if waiting, swung its cleaver at the carriage.

The ground split, and the carriage was torn in half. Suzanna screamed, rolling on the ground.

“Ugh, kuhuk…!”

From the wreckage, Anna held Monica tightly.

“I’ll… somehow… protect you, Saintess.”

Anna smiled, embracing Monica.

“I… I…”

Monica had seen this future.

She wouldn’t die.

Sister Anna would ‘give her life’ to protect her.

The white barrier Anna was creating with her divine power had that strength.

“Ke, hehe…”

“Kihehehehek!”

“■Weak, kuhehe, ■die, easy.”

The monsters began to laugh strangely.

Screams and painful groans came from outside the carriage.

Goblins clung to the carriage, cheering.

They moved their small hands wildly, eager to grab anything shiny.

“Do you… know? Saintess?”

Sister Anna, sweating, spoke.

Three orcs, breathing heavily, approached the carriage and swung their fists violently.

The ground shook, and the carriage’s remains were shattered, but Monica was safe.

The barrier Anna created was sturdy.

“The child who tended the flowers… cried.”

“Sister Anna! You don’t need to tell me the story!”

The Saintess knew.

This ‘noble miracle’ Anna created would protect her.

So noble that Monica could stay here, trembling for three days and nights, and still be safe.

Even with crows flying and wolves howling, this barrier would protect her.

“No matter how hard they tried, the flowers’ color didn’t change. But one day…”

“It’s okay! Really, it’s okay! I, I want to talk about something else! I want to remember Sister Anna more…!!!”

“The black flowers… turned red.”

Goblins clinging to the carriage cheered strangely.

They had finally found the cargo in the back.

Three orcs, breathing heavily, began to lift heavy crates.

“The child who tended the garden was really surprised. They hadn’t done anything for days. They had given up. But one morning, another flower had turned red.”

“Sister… Anna?”

“That red flower was so beautiful… even though there were only a few, they wanted to turn the other black flowers red too. So, even without sleeping, they tried to see the moment the black flowers turned red.”

Monica cried.

She didn’t know how this story related to their current situation.

She had never seen such a story with her own eyes.

“Why… did the flowers turn red?”

As Monica spoke, the orcs brought the heaviest, shiniest crate to the one-eyed monster.

“Suddenly… there was another child who didn’t like the black flowers in the garden.”

Sister Anna smiled.

“That child sneaked into the garden at night and painted the flowers red. So, every morning, a new red flower bloomed.”

“That… that’s not a real red flower.”

“But Saintess… the red flowers painted by that child were truly beautiful.”

Anna smiled, looking outside the carriage.

“■Here, hehe, smell? ■Weak, die.”

The one-eyed monster drooled as it opened the heavy crate.

─ Clang… Crash!

As the crate opened, spirits poured out.

Bouncy water spirits, like transparent jelly, shot water droplets at the enemies.

Winged wind spirits flapped their wings, creating a fierce gust.

Chocolate-like earth spirits rolled like little hedgehogs, creating solid barriers wherever they went.

Fire spirits sparkled like stars, ensuring the sinister beings could no longer harm anyone!

“Monica!”

A child jumped out of the crate with the spirits.

Clenching her fists and raising her arms, the demon with crimson horns shouted!

“Murmur is here to save you!”

The wave of spirits safely embraced the wounded Irene and sisters, guiding them to the carriage.

Monica, amazed by the sight she had never seen before, shed a tear.

“See, Saintess. Even if painted red, the red flowers are still beautiful, right?”

The Saintess who could see the future.

Monica nodded, her golden eyes filled with anticipation, looking at Murmur.

“Yes! The hero who came to save me… is visible to these eyes!”