Taming the Evil Saintess

---

Demon King.

The final boss of that damn game I reincarnated into, “Sword & Magic Chronicle.”

That fact hasn’t changed even in this world.

The Demon King symbolizes destruction and is an existence that distorts the very laws of the world, instilling fear in all the inhabitants of the continent.

The Demon King is a cyclical being, repeating death and rebirth every few hundred years, desiring to annihilate the world. Each time, a new hero has been chosen, and the hero has defeated the Demon King.

This was the tenth recorded descent of the Demon King in history.

“Is that information reliable?”

“Yes. It’s confirmed, as it was directly conveyed by the Bishop of the Far North.”

The Demon King has been resurrected.

In other words, the main story of the game is about to begin.

Of course, we still have about three years until the main story starts.

“Has the hero been found?”

“Not yet. But within a few years, the goddess’s divine mark will surely be bestowed upon a hero.”

“Divine mark….”

I muttered this and nodded.

In “Sword & Magic Chronicle,” the main story begins with the protagonist hero receiving a divine mark from the goddess.

A divine mark. An enigmatic symbol that appears only to a select few chosen by the gods. The mark itself grants immense power.

In the game, it serves as a criterion that differentiates named characters from extras. Characters with divine marks possess incredible strength. These named characters are collectively referred to as “marked ones” and are essential in the main party.

“When the hero’s divine mark appears is uncertain, but soon the news will spread like wildfire across the continent.”

“Heroes will emerge.”

“That’s right.”

Belwin nodded.

“The Fairy King of the Great Forest, the Emperor of the Empire, and the Tsar of the Ice Palace have also declared a hunt for the Demon King. I believe our Cathedral will soon take a stance as well.”

Naturally.

The overthrow of the Demon King is the reason for the establishment of the Church.

Above all, the Cathedral houses the most renowned “Divine Mark Holder” in the continent.

To be precise, right here in this room.

“….”

Belwin’s gaze turned towards the bed.

I also turned my head to look there.

I made eye contact with Ophelia, who was glancing this way.

Her emerald eyes twisted in frustration.

“What!”

Ophelia shouted angrily and propped herself up.

At the same time, the holy garment she was wearing slipped down, revealing the “mark” inscribed just below her collarbone. The form of the mark was a hexagram. An outline shaped like a star circled by a curved line, intersected by a diagonal cross in the very center.

Aside from the incomparable Hero’s Divine Mark, this was the pinnacle among the other marks— the Divine Mark of the Celestial God, the most sacred mark that can only be inherited by the Church’s nun.

It was the mark that Ophelia possessed.

In other words, the goddess deemed Ophelia destined to slay the Demon King.

“Ophelia….”

Belwin slowly began to speak.

“The Demon King has appeared. Thus, it means the Church’s saint must save the world.”

“….”

“Who else could it be besides you? You understand the story well, don’t you? The Church’s saint, being the owner of the sacred divine mark, assists the hero in slaying the Demon King to bring the light of the gods back to the world….”

“…Hahaha.”

Having silently listened to the conversation, Ophelia got off the bed. The scowl on her face deepened, showcasing visible furrows of irritation.

Ophelia approached Belwin slowly and kicked the table.

The legs broke, and the table collapsed.

Belwin’s eyebrows twitched.

“You want me to take him down? The Demon King?”

“…I know it’s hard to accept. But….”

“Shut it.”

Ophelia retorted coldly.

Belwin was not shocked. Neither was I.

Given Ophelia’s personality, it was expected she wouldn’t accept it.

In the game, Ophelia joins the hero’s party to overthrow the Demon King under the divine revelation. However, Ophelia in this world is somewhat different from the game.

No… she is very different.

She is not the type to just say, “Okay, I understand.”

“Forcing me to sit here and then telling me to dedicate myself to saving the world? Damn it, does the Celestial God lack sight? What do they see me as, a pawn?”

“Ophelia! Refrain from insulting the gods! This is….”

“Do you think I care? If they’re angry, let them pass judgment. Or tell me to take this divine mark away from me. I don’t need it.”

With one shoulder exposed, Ophelia’s eyelids fluttered as she continued.

“There are plenty of people who want to take down the Demon King anyway. Let them sort it out among themselves.”

“I don’t think a single hero will manage….”

“Then go get someone else! Bring that Elliot if you have to!”

Ophelia shouted while pointing at me.

At that moment, our eyes met.

She stared at me intently, trembled, and turned away.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t follow me!”

Bang!

The bedroom door slammed shut violently.

“…Huh.”

Only then did Belwin let out a deep sigh.

It was a conclusion he must have anticipated.

“What shall we do…”

“Well, we still have some time left.”

Considering the game’s main story, the hero will show up in about three years.

Until then, Ophelia needs to become the saint.

“No matter how much time we have, it doesn’t seem like she’ll ever accept it. This must be the bishop’s fault for being useless.”

“Tsk.”

I could agree with Belwin’s words.

During the year and a half I had been with Ophelia, I had wished she would reform and become nice, like in the game. But now, I understand that is impossible.

No matter how hard I try, there is no chance for Ophelia to change.

I reached a conclusion long ago.

Ophelia Meredein is inherently a malicious person.

“….”

Could the hero party take down the Demon King without Ophelia?

It’s not impossible. In fact, Ophelia is a character that joins the main story in the game, but whether to recruit her is entirely up to the player’s choice.

However, the difficulty of the game would vastly differ depending on whether she is present or not. Ophelia is the one and only healer in the game. Her value far exceeds that of any other companions. There’s no reason to believe the reality would be any different.

As Ophelia mentioned, there is a way for me to directly join the hero party.

But as a Possessor, I doubt I can defeat the Demon King.

Without any abilities called the Possessor Privileges, and without even a divine mark, defeating the Demon King would be an impossible feat, akin to cracking a rock with an egg.

That’s why I could only hope the hero party would defeat the Demon King.

To do that, Ophelia must join the hero party.

“….Archbishop.”

I began to speak.

“I will try to persuade the saint.”

“You?”

Belwin’s eyes widened in surprise.

After all, he probably never imagined I’d take this step after dealing with Ophelia’s antics every day.

But I was desperate.

Ophelia has to join the hero party and defeat the Demon King, one way or another.

If the world is at peace, I can live in luxury, can’t I?

“Archbishop, before I persuade the saint, I need a few permissions from you.”

“…What is it?”

“It might be a bit extreme.”

“…Extreme, you say?”

Belwin looked shocked and asked again, but instead of answering, I merely smiled wryly.

Now is not the time to be picky about how I do things.

*

“Shit.”

In the back courtyard of the cathedral, lying on a blooming flowerbed, Ophelia Meredein muttered curses.

She didn’t even know how many times she had cursed already.

But what could she do about being angry?

“Who told them to dictate to me? They don’t give a damn about my opinions.”

Ophelia is self-centered. And she has a strong sense of pride.

Hunting the Demon King? She didn’t even want to think about it. It could be dangerous. It was bothersome. Above all, what made her angrier was that it wasn’t something she could choose.

How many times in her life had she truly been able to choose for herself?

She didn’t even want to think about it.

Just remembering it made the divine mark on her shoulder ache.

“Damn it.”

With that, she rose to her feet.

She wanted to vent this overflowing anger somewhere.

Typically, she would grab a passerby to unleash her frustration.

Ophelia looked around, trying to find someone to take her ire out on. The maid would cry immediately and would be noisy. The paladins would simply follow her orders without a word, which made them dull. Ideally, she preferred knights, especially those of low birth who would pose no threat.

Ophelia’s eye caught a blonde-haired knight.

“Haha.”

Elliot.

A guard knight from commoner stock, without any noble title, was walking toward her.

Ophelia smiled slyly to herself.

He came from a low background, had a taciturn demeanor, and didn’t even think of rebelling no matter how much she tormented him.

He was the perfect plaything.

“Good.”

Ophelia stood up from the flower bed. Then, she dashed towards Elliot.

Although Elliot noticed Ophelia approaching, he looked down at her with no change in expression. The height difference only added to her irritation.

“Hey.”

Silence.

His lack of response felt even worse.

Ophelia scrunched up her face and yelled.

“Answer me, you bug!”

In that moment.

――Crack.

The world spun.

It was just in an instant.

Ophelia quickly realized that her neck had been twisted.

But why?

As that thought struck her, a searing heat spread across her cheek. It was pain. As she touched her face, it was hot and stung.

“…Huh?”

This moment didn’t make sense.

Did someone slap her?

By whom?

By this knight standing before her?

A commoner of all people?

Ophelia looked up at Elliot with dazed eyes.

With his hand raised, Elliot stood there.

He looked unchanged, with half-open eyes staring down at Ophelia.

“From now on, to be precise, from this moment onward, insults against me will earn you a slap. Understood?”

For some reason, Ophelia strangely perceived that Elliot’s smile looked twisted.

Almost as if he was mocking her.

Gulp.

Ophelia swallowed hard.