Taming the Evil Saintess

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“So….”

After a while, I wiped my forehead while gazing at Ophelia and the other guest she brought with her.

“Now, you’ve even roped in Azar?”

“You don’t need to flatter me.”

“I wasn’t planning to…?”

I had distanced Ophelia, thinking I’d play along with their little game. I never expected Golden Lion Azar to show such enthusiasm for this topic.

Sure, Azar is a man of few words and remains calm in every situation, but that doesn’t mean he lacks energy. His dull routine in the Imperial Palace must be itching him. It seems Ophelia brought him a fun little distraction, and Azar eagerly bit the bait.

Sending Ophelia to Azar might have been a mistake. I sighed, and as I looked at Emily, she was happily chuckling.

“…”

Well, I suppose as long as Emily is happy, that’s what matters.

“Anyway, what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to become Angels of Love! My mark might actually be the Divine Mark of Love!”

Ophelia winked and struck a pose as if to shoot an arrow. It seemed she was trying to depict Cupid from the Holy War, but considering the speaker, she resembled more of an assassin aiming for her target’s heart.

“Tsk. So do you have any good ideas?”

“Yep! The girls need to make the first move!”

“Is that easy to say? You know Cecilia’s personality—she’s ridiculously shy.”

“We’ll just have to fix that somehow!”

Ophelia said, puffing out her slightly rounded chest. Emily nodded along. Looking at Azar, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Knight Elliot. Like you said, we have an expert on our side.”

“That’s not why I sent Ophelia, you know.”

“And if they get together, wouldn’t it be great for the Cathedral? An engagement between the Knights of the Empire and the Ice Palace would strengthen the order of the continent.”

“Hmm.”

Sword Saint Albrecht and Ice Warrior Cecilia represent the two largest nations on the continent, so if they became closer, it would certainly be politically beneficial. Given they’re part of the hero’s party, Ophelia’s authority in governance would also grow.

But there’s no way Ophelia thought that far ahead. Just look at that expression. She’s adorably tilting her head, as if wondering what the problem is.

“…Why?”

“Never mind. Okay. Let’s say we make a bold approach. Specifically, how do we do it?”

“How about sending a love letter first?”

“A love lett—?”

“Yeah! A really hot love letter! Any man would swoon over it!”

Are you talking about a love letter?

Everyone frowned at Ophelia’s suggestion.

“…Why? Isn’t sending a love letter something everyone does? I’ve seen it a lot in novels…”

Ophelia’s dejected eyes scanned the room. Emily winced, and Azar subtly avoided eye contact. I carefully opened my mouth.

“W-Well, it’s a bit weird to send a random love letter. It’s not like a noble family’s romance; it’s about warriors.”

“Cecilia might actually be good at writing that kind of letter…”

“I don’t think Aria wrote love letters either. She left a will, though.”

Everyone added their thoughts one by one.

“Am I the only one weird here?”

Seeing Ophelia’s eyes turning glassy made me quickly add,

“Of course I would be happy if you wrote such a letter, Ophelia!”

“…No, why would I write that? That’s ridiculously embarrassing.”

“…”

What’s the right rhythm here?

It certainly seems that Ophelia’s view of romance is a bit off from the general crowd.

“Alright. Let’s put the letter on hold for now. How about a gift instead?”

“A gift?”

“Something knights like, you know? Like decorations they can put on their pommels.”

Emily nodded enthusiastically at my suggestion.

“That sounds good! I’ve heard there’s no man who hates gifts!”

“No… how is that different from a love letter?”

Ophelia mumbled.

It seems she’s still thinking about that love letter.

Meanwhile, Azar shook his head as he listened to our conversation.

“Look, while an active approach is good, we need to be careful with Knight Albrecht.”

“What do you mean?”

“Both are knights through and through. They can’t start off with such aggressive actions.”

“W-Who started anything aggressive?!”

Ophelia quickly covered Azar’s mouth, and Emily’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Regardless, Azar continued, pushing Ophelia away.

“Albrecht doesn’t pick up on cues very well. In such a situation, even if Cecilia gave him a gift, he wouldn’t see it as anything more than a knight-to-knight relationship.”

“You’re right. That Albrecht lacks any situational awareness.”

Upon that comment, Ophelia looked at me with a shivering gaze. I suspect she has something to say.

“Why?”

“Are you in a position to talk about someone lacking situational awareness?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“…”

Ophelia clamped her mouth shut.

And that ended the conversation.

Clearing my throat, I looked at Azar.

“So, we need to make Albrecht see Cecilia as more than just a fellow knight, right?”

“That’s right.”

“How?”

“We need to increase the time they spend together alone. They’re already close enough, but it’s better to be out and about than cooped up in an office. Plus, it will give Albrecht some much-needed breaks.”

Golden Lion Azar clearly has the experience in this regard.

He seems to have already thought of a solution.

“Fortunately, it’s summer now.”

“True.”

Before winter arrived, we had defeated Plague Lord Vermina in the Ice Palace and saved the Cathedral and Eastern Port in spring. It was now nearing the heat of summer.

“There’s a festival held in the Empire during summer, isn’t there?”

That thought brought back memories of last summer flashing through my mind.

Specifically, the memory of the fireworks I spent with Ophelia.

“Ah.”

Ophelia seemed to have the same thought. She made a small sound and glanced at me, her face turning slightly red as she bowed her head.

“It seems the two of us know better than anyone.”

“…Well, yeah.”

“In a few days, it’s the Fireworks Festival. Given the commotion in the Imperial Court, they’ll definitely push through with the festival to showcase the nation’s stability.”

“Great! That’s the perfect place!”

I smiled at Ophelia.

That evening, Evangelin was summoned.

“…Now you want to borrow the church spire again?”

“Do you have a problem with that? We are the pillar of the Empire, after all. And as a mere administrator, should you even be holding your head high in front of His Holiness?”

Evangelin, the administrator, was certainly not in a position to reject Ophelia’s unreasonable request.

So, with a smooth agreement, we managed to secure the best viewing spot for the fireworks…

During this process, Cecilia’s own opinions were entirely disregarded.

*

And so, the next morning, Ophelia approached Albrecht and Cecilia, who were busy with paperwork, and said this out of the blue.

“Hey.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Take a break.”

Cecilia tilted her head in confusion.

“Rest? There’s still a lot of work left.”

“Azar can handle that. You’ve both been working late for a week now. You need some time to breathe.”

Ophelia casually pulled aside the curtain to reveal the church spire outside the window.

“The festival is coming up soon.”

“The festival?”

Seemingly surprised, Cecilia frowned, but Albrecht chuckled and nodded.

“At this time, the Empire holds a fireworks festival. The mages from Shadowhold also participate, making the magical fireworks paint the night sky in a spectacular display.”

“Is that so?”

“Anyway, you both should go out and see it. I’ve reserved good seats for you. See that spire over there? It’s an excellent VIP spot.”

Upon hearing Ophelia’s words, Cecilia subtly glanced at Albrecht. He set down his papers and nodded.

“Well, since you say so, we might as well go.”

Seeing Cecilia’s ears slightly redden, Ophelia wore a sly smile.

However, when she heard what Albrecht added next, her expression turned bewildered.

“Let’s all go together. Knight Elliot, the Saint Lady, Sir Azar, Lady Emily, and Sir Erwin too.”

“…Huh?”

“Isn’t the festival more enjoyable when shared together?”

“Ah, no….”

This isn’t how it should be.

As Azar mentioned, someone who knows only about swords would spit things out even when fed.

Cecilia also appeared taken aback by Albrecht’s sudden call.

“Why do you ask?”

“Ah, no…. I’d also be happy if we all went together…”

“…Ugh.”

If this goes on, that scoundrel Elliot will surely poke fun at me all day long.

Ophelia desperately thought of alternatives, squeezing her eyes shut before speaking.

“…I’m sorry, but Elliot and I have plans that day.”

“…Plans?”

“Um, well… we’re going to have a very hot night…”

The embarrassment was palpable among everyone.

Albrecht, momentarily at a loss for words, stammered.

“…O-Oh, I see. My apologies. Cecilia, …the two of us should still go.”

“Y-Yeah.”

And just like that, a few days later.

Returning from the Fireworks Festival, Albrecht and Cecilia were holding hands.