Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Damn it.”

Ophelia muttered a curse inwardly while maintaining the utmost courtesy and smile.

Etiquette. How do you even do that? Smile. What was that again?

If it were the usual her, she would have thrown the cup she was holding long ago. Diplomacy with the Empire? That was none of Ophelia’s concern. That was the Pope’s job; why should a mere Saintess worry about it?

However, behind Evangelin, there stood a blonde man with crossed arms, watching her.

“…”

Knight Elliot.

He was keeping a hawk-like watch to see if Ophelia would make any mistakes.

If Ophelia were to mess this up, she’d probably end up doing evening training, or rather, early morning training for a month. These days, slaps had stopped, but Elliot had opted to extend the brutal training hours instead.

Just days ago, she vented her frustrations on a servant and was beaten with a wooden sword all through the dawn. It was so distressing that Ophelia ended up wetting her pillow that night.

‘Anything but training…’

That was something she absolutely wanted to avoid.

Thus, she sat down, striving to maintain her smile, and the Empire’s envoy group did the same.

“Um, Saint Lady, it’s been a while. You look… quite different.”

The leader of the envoy group, Administrator Evangelin, spoke with an expression as if she were seeing a ghost.

“Hmm… The Saint Lady I remember had quite the fiery temperament. Have you experienced a change of heart?”

“Oh dear….”

You can’t just say “you cockroach” around here.

Over the past week, Ophelia had personally experienced Elliot’s terrifying presence.

“…There are days like this…”

“Is that so.”

Evangelin wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was just as taken aback by Ophelia’s demeanor as everyone else. The gap between Evangelin’s memories of the Saintess and the Ophelia before her was as vast as that between a God and an Evil God, leading her to entertain the irreverent thought that maybe the Pope had brainwashed her.

The girl beside her, however, was looking at Ophelia with a gaze full of expectation.

Ophelia turned to the girl. Ash-colored hair. Deep blue eyes. Dressed simply, exuding a strong aura of commoner.

Normally, Ophelia would have dismissed her, calling her nothing but an inferior being, but she held back.

‘Who is that girl?’

When she dared to make eye contact, the girl smiled brightly and tilted her head.

‘Is she challenging me?’

There’s no one who offers meaningless goodwill.

That was a rule Ophelia had learned.

As she furrowed her brows in thought, Elliot, who stood behind the girl, squinted one eye.

“…”

An unspoken pressure.

Meeting that gaze, Ophelia lowered her head and trembled her shoulders.

Eventually, she lifted her head again, putting on the most innocent smile she could muster.

The girl seemed pleased that Ophelia had responded to her gaze, grinning widely as she tugged on Evangelin’s sleeve.

“Um….”

Evangelin, unable to endure the awkward situation and the girl’s insistence, stood up.

“I’ll report to the Archbishop and go meet the Pope. Would the Saint Lady care to join?”

“Ugh, no thanks, I don’t want to.”

“…”

“… no.”

If there were two things Ophelia genuinely feared in this Cathedral, it would be the Pope and that Knight behind her.

And if she had to choose one, she would pick Elliot.

“Very well. Then I’ll leave Emily here, and the Saint Lady can have a chat with her, if you don’t mind.”

“…”

“Oh, Emily is this girl’s name. She’s one of the Empire’s Mark Holders.”

Mark Holder.

When it came to Mark Holders in the Empire, aside from the Sword Saint Albrecht, Knight Owen from the Information Bureau, and the sorcerer’s disciple, nothing else came to mind.

And even those barely registered in Ophelia’s disinterested mind, as Elliot and Belwin had been force-feeding her that information. Perhaps that expression was evident on her face, because Emily giggled and said,

“Archmage Eldarian is my master!”

“Oh, I see…”

Without even asking, the little girl before her, Emily, showed off the mark on her wrist.

“Saint Lady is a Mark Holder too, right?!”

“…”

Why is she being so friendly?

Ophelia felt overwhelmed by the unwarranted friendliness.

Do you know me? Why are you acting so chummy with me? These words climbed up her throat.

“The Divine Mark! It’s famous! I threw a tantrum to follow my master here just to see you, Saint Lady. Hehe.”

Emily pressed her index finger against her chest, looking bashful.

In that moment, Elliot stepped forward.

Did I make a mistake? Was what Ophelia thought at that moment.

“It’s a rare meeting of Mark Holders.”

Elliot cleared his throat and said those words.

He winked at Ophelia, then added,

“How about Ophelia escorting Miss Emily?

“W-What?”

“Since Miss Emily might not be familiar with the geography of the Cathedral, Ophelia should guide her well. Miss Emily is destined to become an Archmage. It’s important to build good relations. She’ll surely have good memories, and it’ll also enhance the Church’s prestige.”

“No, that’s…”

Why should a mere Saintess do the job of a mere servant?

She looked at Elliot, her expression saying just that, but he remained resolute. He clasped his hands behind his back and gestured as if to say, “Try to oppose that.”

“I’m all for it! I’m super excited!”

Unperturbed by Ophelia’s turmoil, the annoyingly cheerful little girl took her hand and beamed at her.

*

There were eighteen characters with Marks in the game.

And among those, three of them existed in the Empire.

One was Sword Saint Albrecht.

Another was Knight Owen of the Empire’s Information Bureau.

The last was none other than the disciple of the Archmage, Emily Barried.

“Um…”

And I was feeling quite flustered.

I had known I would meet Emily but seeing her in person was… quite different, no, it was vastly different from the game.

‘Her personality was terrible, for sure.’

She was the typical nuisance character who constantly argued against the hero’s words and orders. Her pride was through the roof, refusing to follow commands, always at odds with the female characters in the party, and due to her unique trait of insomnia, she was a hindrance in long battles as her recovery of health and mana was incredibly slow.

Nonetheless, despite these massive flaws, her performance was outstanding. Though she was fragile, she had spectacular burst damage capability, often labeled as a glass cannon. With Emily around, even bosses that were normally unbeatable could be defeated.

A double-edged sword, one you couldn’t not use, but when you did, it just dragged the party down.

That was how Emily Barried was portrayed in the game.

But now, Emily was so nice that her mind seemed to be a flower garden.

That left Ophelia perplexed about why she had brought her along in the first place.

Could it be that she was just hiding her true self? Perhaps if they were alone, her true nature would reveal itself.

‘Or could it simply be that the characters in this world have reversed personalities?’

Both Ophelia and Emily opposite to their original game settings were a stark contrast.

In which case, could it be that the entire world I had inhabited had flipped?

I shook my head.

No need for wild conjectures.

There was still three years until the main story kicked off.

Whatever the case, it was a troublesome matter.

I brushed my hair back, feeling a throbbing headache coming on.

All I could do was observe the situation for now.

“You.”

Then, the voice came.

Administrator Evangelin was looking at me with filled with suspicion.

She had said she was heading to the Pope, but remained in the reception room even after Ophelia and Emily had left.

“What’s your name?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would it be?”

Administrator Evangelin.

She was an individual that had never appeared in the game.

After all, there hadn’t been enough budget to develop even a single extra character in an indie game.

“Elliot.”

“What’s your position?”

“I’m a Knight.”

“That’s it?”

“Pardon?”

“Is that all? Not a Cathedral Knight or an Inquisition Officer or anything like that?”

What do you mean, is that all? Is there anything else left to explain?

Evangelin scrutinized me.

It was strange for a high-ranking administrator to be so interested in a mere Knight.

“Well… If you want to hear about my past, I used to eat my plate as a mercenary before joining the Church. It’s been just over two years since I was appointed as a Cathedral Knight. Other than that, I’m an entirely normal Knight.”

“Is that so? Is that really all there is?”

“Yes.”

Evangelin sighed softly, resting her chin on her hand, examining me from every angle as she let out a small breath.

“Sorry if I seemed rude. It’s just a habit of mine.”

“It’s fine. No worries.”

Evangelin seemed somewhat reluctant, glancing between my face and the spot Ophelia had occupied, before sighing again.

“The Saint Lady I know had a somewhat different image. I’m curious about how that came to be.”

“Well, there could be a few reasons for that, right?”

She looked at me expectantly, prompting a mere shrug from me.

“Like puberty, for instance.”

*

“Puberty? Nonsense.”

As we walked through the Cathedral Square, Evangelin murmured just that.

What kind of gaze was that of a woman supposedly past puberty?
A gaze filled with fear.

Evangelin, before being an administrator, had a background in the Empire’s Information Bureau. Thus, she could discern where the Saintess’s gaze rested.

“That knight definitely has something.”

Evangelin’s gaze was on the knight behind her.

But that woman wouldn’t fear a mere knight, would she?

Therefore, her fears likely lay not with the knight himself, but rather with the organization he belonged to or the backing he had.

What was his name? Knight Elliot, I believe.

He could very well be a Cathedral Knight affiliated with the Holy See, or perhaps an Inquisition Officer disguised as a knight. Either way, the possibilities were there.

If not, then…

“Could it be the Shadow of God?”

He might be part of the Pope’s direct elite force, the Shadow of God. Naturally, given how shrouded in mystery they were, discussions about their existence were rampant.

Regardless, with the uprising of the Demon King’s army, there was plenty of reason for them to be active.

Whatever it was, it was bound to be a troubling aspect in the upcoming formation of the continent’s alliance.

Evangelin was a perfectionist, and she definitely didn’t want to permit any variables.

“Should I request him for help…?”

She sighed softly.

Since the time she had been in the Information Bureau until now, there was one person who specialized in handling tough tasks.

Knight Owen, one of the Empire’s three Mark Holders.

Someone who was ordinarily beyond my interest and who I didn’t particularly want to involve myself with, but given his connection to the Saintess, I might have to swallow my pride.

“It seems I’ll be quite busy moving forward.”

Evangelin muttered to herself, hastening her steps toward the Holy See.

She had not even considered the possibility that my suspicions might be nothing more than mere delusions.