episode_0029

The sky is dark.

Rain falls from the dirty black clouds.

Looking back, she was just an ordinary country girl.

A potential magic user, something you might find in any small village.

Thinking back, she couldn’t imagine facing her current self with its sense of futility and disgust.

She was going against the solemn vow she had made in the past, a vow she had sworn never to break.

The priest who had taken her in, the days of simple happiness.

But then, on one of those days, the devil appeared.

It was a criminal fleeing the gaze of the Tower of Magic. Of all places, it had to be there.

Out of all the rural areas, it had to happen right beneath where she lived, thanks to the madman conducting experiments. Unfortunately,

her mother was murdered in front of her by the approaching devil, and her father went missing, only to barely survive three years later in such hell. Well, he rose to the rank of a knight commander and died in battle, so she barely saw his face in the coffin.

How she was chosen by the gods, favored.

Fortunately, she survived with two younger siblings.

That’s it.

It took 14 days on foot to escape from the ruined village and reach somewhere else.

At that time, she had to protect her younger brother and sister, so they scrounged for food and set out on the road.

Of course, they were just ordinary peasants who knew nothing about handling magic, and the endless road was a series of grueling trials.

There was never a day when she prayed so desperately and fervently.

But then,

“Need help?”

It was a eerie voice.

Just listening to it brought primal fear.

One question.

An answer from the heavens.

However, it wasn’t the voice of the god she had longed for. It was the voice of a demon.

“No.”

“Die. Please,”

At first, she vehemently rejected the demon, pushing it away.

But she can’t forget. His smirk and mockery.

“Do you think my god will listen to your voice?”

– Shut up.

“Hehehe, alright. Swear to my god. You’ll regret this choice.”

Quietly, three days passed after the disappearance of the demon.

Time slowed, frequent nights spent outdoors and many days of hunger. The place where they were attacked seemed desolate, with nothing passing by.

The carriage they thought was coming from the viscount turned out to be that of bandits. And just like that, they lost their beloved siblings.

In a senseless manner, right in front of their eyes, their heads and bodies disintegrated. They were about to be sold into slavery simply because of their decent looks.

“Kekeke, huhuhuhuhu… Kya, as expected, the gods never disappoint me. How about it? Do you regret it?”

“I’m different from others, I can help you.”

They denied it. No, that line should not be crossed.

“You want to save someone else, don’t you?”

At that moment, they tightly sealed their lips. Looking back now, it was just repulsive hypocrisy.

Before them, the one who had caused all this trouble looked at them with a dangerous glint in their eye, saliva dripping down in anticipation. They were now in a situation where they had to give everything to someone they didn’t even want to look at.

Beside them, the stench of their once lively siblings’ decaying blood lingered.

Yes, to ensure such a thing would never happen again. That’s why they were justified.

Isabella, who made a contract with the devil, truly became a just saint. In theory, she was a perfect strategist and a rational saint. To protect the city, she allowed a mere village to be ravaged by bandits without intervening.

Hundreds were driven to death, subjected to all kinds of atrocities. She captured all the bandits who committed such deeds, preventing further harm.

All the politicians around her gathered and said this:

She won by sacrificing just one village against bandits who could have targeted an entire city.

Yes, civilian sacrifices meant nothing. Sacrifice of the few for the greater good. It’s a natural order.

Eliminating those who were hiding. A method to erase any future retaliation.

Being a saint doesn’t mean knowing the future. If it were up to her, she’d want to save the village currently under attack. She tried to make that happen. But it was all in vain.

The demon described it all too vividly.

So it’s going to be like this, even if we were to kill the ringleader, it wouldn’t be a small loss, would it? If we don’t clean up all the thieves here, they’ll soon expand their influence and attack another village. Instead, those who have gathered here are just pressuring us to catch themselves. Think about the smaller villages that will suffer more from being missed through futile surprise attacks than the civilians sacrificed by that lure.

I want to refute something, but I’ve never spoken properly to the devil on this subject even once. I just smile and observe my own face. The saint, standing still with her hand raised against the window-blocked wall, quietly gazed at her reflection in the raindrops. A gray world. Her fall from grace as the revered saint of the Holy Kingdom. Life trapped in a chilling silence where the clamor of children’s voices has been cut off. And forcibly losing the maidenhood she had guarded throughout her life. The other party is the wastrel of the Breitner family, a dragon hunter she’s meeting for the first time. Just by looking, one can tell the diminishing support and the poor environment of the village. Clearly, sacrificing herself now for political reasons. With each passing day, sighs escaped continuously. This wasn’t the path she chose for this. She only sacrificed herself to make those around her happy and create a world where children laugh. But in the end, she herself became someone who takes advantage of others, and the reality hit her too hard. Violet Isabella, known as the saint of justice. As usual, she took out a pill from a vial filled with an unknown drug and swallowed it with water. “Ugh.” Outwardly fine, but weakened like any other woman. The weight of duty and responsibility on her shoulders, heavier than usual, was already overwhelming. There was no one to honestly confide in, no trustworthy person in the political arena. Her parents were killed or died in an accident. Even her siblings, who genuinely believed in and supported her, couldn’t protect her. At this point, anything was okay. She just had to face reality. “Where are you headed?”

From a young age, the knight who had served her blocked her way. For a moment, tension filled the air.

“…I’m just here to touch your head for a moment. Do you fear me now? I… I might go crazy and kill everyone…?”

“…”

It was a lamenting question mixed with sorrow. The knight remained silent. Perhaps it was an overreaction to raise a hand to the hilt of the sword.

The saint, already feeling powerless, turned her head away from the knight’s gaze. They were now so distant.

As she reached a place where she could be alone, the saint gathered her hands and spoke.

“Die.”

Please.

Just die on your own now.

“Help me…”

Contrary to her desperate plea, something within her heart, as if refusing to allow it, bent a steel dagger. With a mere finger snap and a few words, she had killed thousands of civilians. In doing so, she saved hundreds of others and ascended to be hailed as a saint. Those around her praised her without reservation.

“Is this… Is this the appearance I so desired?”

At this point, she thought she would be glad if that fool killed her.

…

[ ?????Your connection with the final boss (Yuria) has deepened! ]

[ Amazing achievement! ]

[ Affection grade reward will be given. ]

[ Special Ability: Dominion (S+) will be granted. ]

Affection level with Yuria is currently at its highest.

The beings I can control are limited to wolf-shaped Robel and intermediate demons. Even Yuria said she couldn’t properly handle a corrupted dragon with power beyond that of a top-tier demon.

‘…I’m sure she said I have to surpass the top tier to handle that.’

In other words, an outsider who has surpassed level 9 and reached level 10. Thinking about reaching there, by Chapter 6, Yuria alone could chew up all the stats.

Adding pathetic abilities, talents, and potential will make me stronger. Weaknesses will diminish.

It’s a laughable story.

It took three days even to reach the location of the saint that the royal kingdom had revealed.

“We’ll arrive soon.”

The voice of the attendant was heard.

Yuria finally released her soft lips from mine, wiping her mouth as if it were a matter of course. Since that night, she hasn’t shown any signs of jealousy after squeezing out a week’s worth in one go. What should I say? The composure of the possessors? As if she naturally took the lead, Yuria demanded a kiss when we were alone and drew blood.

“Yuria, how did the investigation I requested go? What do you think of this system?”

“The town where the saint stayed is in chaos. From my observation, it’s certain that demons will attack soon. The soldiers are lazy, with low combat skills, and capable knights are few and far between. The risk of the town being attacked is increasing daily, while supplies and support from the Holy Kingdom are not arriving on time. In other words, it seems the Holy Kingdom has abandoned the saint.”

“…Hm, so you called me here to throw out one last thing?”

“It seems that way.”

Yuria’s expression was slightly dark. It seems she’s not feeling too good about being mistreated. I tried to comfort her by patting her head.

“Your information gathering abilities have improved a lot.”

“…To become the best, there’s still a long way to go… Mm, M-master. Please pat me a little more. No, please…”

Yuria’s ability to gather information through her connections had also become outstanding. Where on earth did she see and learn such things every day, demanding strange favors from me…

As I pondered this, we arrived at the entrance of the town. A woman dressed in a white robe that clearly marked her as a saint called out to us.

“Guests of the Brittna family, am I right?”

The woman’s eyes were filled with hostility.

Her silver hair and lifeless golden eyes shone brightly. Looking at her appearance… it feels like I’ve seen her in an original illustration before.

Isabella.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this guy attached to Dylan in the latter part?

At least judging from her tone just now, her impression of me doesn’t seem favorable.

I glanced up and down at the woman. As befitting someone referred to as a J-cup saint, her chest immediately captured my gaze.

Yuria had slightly brighter silver hair than me, eyes with a decadent golden hue, and an immodestly voluptuous chest exuding an unsettling aura, contrasting with her very slender waist. Yet, she managed to steal attention away from me and onto the Yuria behind her.

My maid, with crimson eyes blinking, silently observed her without revealing any sign of displeasure. Then, a tense silence hung in the air, like pouring cold water.

“……….This human is insane.”

Before I could even attempt to justify myself, a string of curses escaped her lips. It was a faint sound, but one that a human with well-honed senses for magic couldn’t help but hear. Clearly directed at us.

Did she expose us as vampires? The thought crossed my mind, but Yuria doesn’t make such fundamental mistakes.

Then, it hit me. Lip marks. They were still visible on my neck. Fortunately, they looked like faded bruises, but I had forgotten to cover up the warm traces of that night.

“…”

But another problem arose here. One of our maids, someone who absolutely couldn’t have heard that, was suppressing a gasp.

[ ?????Isabella – Affection Level -100 ]

Oh, please. Let’s just get along… The final boss will kill you…

No wonder I’m feeling shivers down my spine already.