Saint (6)

1.

Hero, Louis.

My one and only disciple.

Nearly twenty years had passed since I last saw him, yet that gigolo-like face of his had barely changed, though time had nibbled at it a little.

He’s gotten bigger, though.

I used to look down at him, but now I have to look up.

His physique has grown so much that I feel small myself.

…Actually, I am small.

No, should I say big?

I lifted my lower chest with my hand.

Soft but heavy.

Among the women here, mine are the most voluptuously swollen.

I often receive envious glances from the other nuns, but… is this something to envy?

There’s nothing good about having big breasts.

They sway with every step, making it uncomfortable.

There were times when I couldn’t pass through narrow spaces because my chest got in the way.

It was almost like having an iron ball chained to a prisoner’s ankle.

Still, if I had to pick one good thing, it would be that the soft texture is soothing, and I can mentally heal myself by absentmindedly fondling them.

Don’t think of it strangely.

It’s my body.

Is there any reason why I can’t touch my own body?

“Hello?”

It was when I was lightly cupping my breast with my right hand.

Louis, who had been troubled by the nuns surrounding him, was now standing in front of me.

“Oh, uh… ahem! Ahem!”

I quickly removed my hand from my chest and cleared my throat.

“Are you Eliani?”

My face flushed.

Surely he didn’t see me?

I didn’t commit a sin, but I feel like I did.

“…Yes.”

I stood demurely and nodded.

I never imagined we would meet again like this.

I wanted to make a grand entrance on the battlefield.

A master fondling her own breasts in front of her disciple.

It’s best to hide my identity forever.

“Who are you?”

I pretended not to know.

One can know of the Hero’s existence without knowing the Hero’s face.

Would there be any chance to encounter the Hero in this rural village?

He occasionally appears in the newspapers, but I acted as if I didn’t know him at all.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.”

Louis laughed, “Haha.”

“I’m Louis. I’m the commander of the Imperial Army Knights, and I’m also the Hero.”

Isn’t it usually the other way around?

He’s the Hero and also serves as the commander of the Knights.

I resisted the urge to say something habitually.

Louis offered a handshake.

“…I’m Elia.”

I accepted the handshake.

At that moment, Louis began to fondle my hand.

“W-wait…! W-what are you doing…!”

I yanked my hand back, repulsed by his perverted touch.

“Amazing.”

“What is?”

“There are no calluses on your palms.”

Calluses, a symbol of training.

They naturally form on both palms from sword training.

But my body would eliminate them whenever they tried to appear.

This body did not tolerate any impurities.

It had been like this since my Divinity began to manifest in earnest.

Even minor wounds would heal just by sleeping and waking up, without the need for Healing Magic.

Perhaps that’s why my body doesn’t feel like a swordsman’s at all.

“Your hands are as soft as a baby’s.”

I looked down at Louis.

Ahem!

I never raised my disciple to be a playboy who hits on nuns.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“No, I was just amazed.”

“I mean, what?”

“I heard from the Holy Knight that you have incredible swordsmanship skills.”

One person immediately came to mind.

The Holy Nation is really persistent.

They sent the Hero because the Holy Knight wasn’t enough?

But maybe it’s better that the Hero came.

“But there’s no sign of training at all?”

Louis’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Heh, he’s still my disciple.

His strong interest in swordsmanship was just like looking at myself.

“……Did you come here to find me?”

I decided to stop the small talk.

I decided to get straight to the point.

I’m glad to see you.

I’m really glad to see you.

But this wasn’t a situation where I could show it.

“That’s right.”

“What for?”

“Let’s go to the Holy Nation together.”

“I refuse.”

Just as I expected.

He should have kept his word after the duel, that Holy Knight.

He’s so persistent, even calling the Hero to take me to the Holy Nation.

So persistent, so persistent.

Should I just go and prove that I’m not the Saintess?

But I was anxious.

What if I really am destined to be the Saintess?

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to join the Imperial Army.”

The nuns who were listening to the conversation began to stir.

Even if they didn’t think I would become the Saintess, they must have thought I would follow the path of a nun.

I had never told them that I was going to join the Imperial Army.

Was there any need to?

“Is that so?”

Louis smiled.

“I’ll refuse this time.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going to refuse your enlistment with the authority of the Knights Commander.”

He spoke politely, but the content was anything but polite.

This ungrateful bastard?

He must have made the wrong friends.

The Louis I know isn’t this cunning.

“Can the Hero even do that?”

Louis smiled and shrugged.

“There’s no reason why not.”

“Do you think anyone will follow you to the Holy Nation just because of that?”

“This is giving you a chance.”

“What chance?”

“A chance to come willingly before the Pope or the Emperor use force.”

“Is that a threat?”

Louis didn’t deny it, only shrugged.

“Sigh…….”

I sighed and swept my hair back.

Really.

Both this guy and that guy.

They won’t leave me alone.

No, I’m not trying to go into the underworld, I’m trying to become a knight to defeat the Demon Lord Army. Is this something that needs to be interfered with so much?

Then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

…Did something happen to the Saintess?

I recalled the Saintess I had last seen in the sickroom.

The Saintess, who was twenty years old at the time.

She would be forty by now, still in her prime.

Unless the Saintess’s position is vacant.

I don’t understand why the Holy Nation is so obsessed with finding a Saintess Candidate.

Wait a minute… vacant?

Come to think of it, they said a Divine Revelation had been given, right?

If something happened to the Saintess and her position was vacant, then the Divine Revelation makes sense, and it also explains why the Holy Nation is so obsessed with me.

Nothing has been officially announced yet.

I would have known if the Saintess had died.

But I haven’t heard anything related to that.

“You have a look on your face like you’ve realized something?”

I glared at him.

“Maybe… that’s right.”

Louis made a bitter expression.

That confirmed it.

Something happened to the Saintess.

She either died or suffered something close to death.

“Shall we talk over there for a moment?”

“Sure.”

We headed to the convent’s backyard.

“Take this.”

As soon as we arrived in the backyard, Louis threw a sword at me.

Two swords were hanging at his waist.

One was the Hero’s Holy sword.

The other was an ordinary iron sword.

The one he handed me was the Holy sword.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

I was about to ask about the Saintess.

“A duel. We decided on a duel last time, didn’t we?”

Louis drew his sword.

A well-polished iron sword.

It was my sword that I gave to Louis before I died.

Reflecting the sky and shining blue, I could tell how well he had been taking care of it.

“If I win, you’ll grant my wish. If you win, I’ll grant your wish.”

Heh.

He’s become bolder.

He used to be a coward who couldn’t even utter the word “duel.”

“…Okay.”

There was no reason to refuse.

This is easier for me too.

It’s better to clash swords once than to say a hundred words that hurt my mouth.

And I also wanted to see how much this guy has grown after a long time.

“Before that, let’s switch swords.”

“Why?”

“I like that one better.”

“A true swordsman shouldn’t blame his sword.”

“I’m not trying to blame the sword, I just want to use that sword.”

“Sorry, this is a precious sword, so I’m a little hesitant to lend it to others carelessly.”

You little…….

I felt a lump in my chest.

I was a little touched.

“What about the Holy sword?”

I drew the sword from its scabbard.

A faint golden sheen flowed from the iron sword.

It looked ordinary, but it was a sacred sword that revealed its true form in the hands of the Hero.

“How did you know that was the Holy sword?”

Oops.

People who don’t know can’t distinguish the Holy sword.

Usually, in this situation, it’s right to think that the sword the Hero called precious is the Holy sword. But I confidently said that the one in my hand was the Holy sword.

“Uh… um… uh…….”

Louis stared at me with round eyes.

“Ah! This mark! I knew it because there was a mark on the scabbard.”

I held up the scabbard.

Louis’s name was crookedly engraved on one side of the white scabbard.

I had carved it with a dagger for Louis, who often lost his sword.

At that time, I was scolded by the cardinals for damaging the Holy sword.

Hehehe.

“…….”

Louis’s eyes widened even more.

Oops.

I made a mistake.

It’s not like it’s the Holy sword just because his name is written on it.

And the name engraved on the scabbard was almost worn out after so many years.

It’s hard to distinguish.

It just looks like a scratch.

“Let’s stop talking and fight.”

I raised my sword.

“Uh……?”

“Whoever cuts the other even a little wins.”

Let’s finish this quickly.

I’m going to get my identity exposed at this rate.

Ssssh.

I took a stance and inhaled through my teeth.

“————?!”

It’s been a while.

To think the day would come when I would face this guy with a sword again.

I smiled.

I immediately launched a preemptive strike.

There was no special consideration.

I pulled the sword towards my chest and thrust it forward.

-Swish!

I cut Louis’s side.

“……Huh?”

I stood in place and blinked.

The duel was over.

I won because I cut him first.

This isn’t right……?

This bastard couldn’t even react to that?

His skills have deteriorated instead of improving.

I looked up at Louis.

Louis was looking down at me with a surprised expression.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

I need to give him a good scolding.

That’s when it happened.

A tear rolled down Louis’s cheek.

“Huh? A-are you crying?”

No.

Is he crying because it hurts from being cut on the side?

Hoo, this crazy disciple.

How much training did he neglect while I was gone?

But the reaction Louis showed was beyond my imagination.

“……Master?”