Ch. 123 The Saintess and Her Guardian (1)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 123 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (1)
Somewhere along a forest path, further east of the Holy Capital, Florencia.
A group of holy knights, the pride of the sacred order, marched forward, their white armor emblazoned with lion insignias gleaming under the sunlight.
“Hey, Sir Knight. How much farther do we have to go?”
Among them, a man walking ahead of the formation—completely disregarding their disciplined ranks—grumbled at the knights following behind.
His shabby armor and chipped greatsword slung over his shoulder clashed with the pristine holy knights, and his unkempt beard only added to his disheveled appearance. Yet, none of the knights dared to reprimand him.
“Guardian, we’ll arrive soon. Perhaps you should rest at the rear for a while?”
One of the leading knights spoke with excessive formality.
“Tch. ‘Guardian’ this, ‘Guardian’ that. Just call me Gray or ‘old man’, would ya? And drop the honorifics.”
“How could we dare be so disrespectful to the Guardian of Saintess Cecilia? Please consider our position.”
Gray wasn’t used to this kind of treatment.
True, he was officially recognized as Cecilia’s sole guardian, but… unlike other guardians, he wasn’t particularly devout, nor did he hold any noble title. He was just an ordinary man who happened to stumble into an extraordinary role.
All he did was pick up a pickpocket girl struggling to survive day by day.
He had only intended to raise her properly, but when the holy mark manifested on her forehead, he somehow ended up raising a saintess instead.
And since a saintess needed a grand-sounding guardian, he naturally became one. He wasn’t someone who deserved this much respect from holy knights.
Had Cecilia not stubbornly insisted that she wouldn’t accept any guardian but Gray, he’d still be scraping by as a mercenary who knew a thing or two about divine energy.
“Ah, whatever. I’m better off at the front. A musclehead like me’s gotta make himself useful somehow. You knights should save your strength. Who knows what’s waiting for us ahead.”
“…We appreciate your consideration.”
Ever since the day the green stars fell, monsters had grown increasingly ferocious.
Even the Holy Kingdom wasn’t spared—monsters tainted with demonic stones frequently attacked the sacred capital.
Thus, the Holy Kingdom dispatched an investigation team.
The first team, which included some fairly renowned figures, had gone silent, so everyone in the procession knew this mission was far from ordinary.
Though things were peaceful now, they had already been ambushed by monsters over five times, and the attacks only worsened after nightfall. The fact that no one had died yet was solely thanks to Gray leading from the front.
Gray often laughed and called himself a plain, unremarkable old man, but no one here actually believed that.
If anything, most saw him as the only person capable of controlling the infamous Saintess Cecilia—a feat in itself.
“Guardian… no, Sir Gray, why did you join this investigation team? Shouldn’t you be guarding the Saintess?”
A knight who had been listening in cautiously probed for an answer. After traveling with Gray for two weeks, some had grown comfortable enough to speak casually with him.
“Well… you could say this is part of my guardian duties too.”
Ever since becoming a saintess, Cecilia had whined endlessly about wanting to leave the capital.
So, Gray struck a deal with a certain Carté—if he successfully completed this investigation mission, Cecilia would be allowed outside.
Of course, he kept it a secret from her. If she found out, she’d throw a tantrum and insist on coming along.
‘She must’ve noticed I’m gone by now. I just hope she doesn’t wreck the place trying to follow me.’
Gray could only pray Cecilia would behave like a proper saintess in his absence.
Because out of the four saintesses of the Holy Kingdom, Cecilia had the worst reputation.
She had gone from a pickpocket barely scraping by to a saintess representing the Holy Kingdom… but if she got herself exiled, Gray would be stuck supporting her for the rest of his life—likely never marrying in the process.
“So, Saintess Cecilia ordered you to come?”
“Nah, nah. The old man came ’cause he wanted to. Has nothing to do with the brat.”
He added that to clear up any misunderstandings, but from the knights’ expressions, they clearly didn’t believe him.
Gray sighed.
Just how bad is Cecilia’s reputation?
“Still, we’re fortunate that Sir Gray is Saintess Cecilia’s guardian. She behaves so much more… properly when you’re around.”
Another knight chimed in with something rather telling.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When you’re present, she acts with grace, but when you’re not… well, let’s just say she says and does things we’d never expect from a saintess. Did you… not know?”
Oh, he knew.
Gray had scolded her countless times, telling her to act like a proper saintess now that she was one. In return, she’d visit his room every night, demanding praise for her efforts.
‘And now she betrays me like this?’
He couldn’t even imagine what kind of chaos Cecilia was causing in his absence.
“That brat might talk tough, but she’s soft-hearted. At least she’s not two-faced—that’s a good thing, right? I’ve met all the saintesses, and none of ’em are like our Cecilia.”
Still, as her guardian, he couldn’t just let her reputation sink further.
“There’s a rumor going around the capital… that Saintess Cecilia visits your bedroom every night. The way she becomes so docile around you, the way her gaze gets all… clingy… Ahem. My apologies.”
Another knight cut in to stop the inappropriate topic, but the damage was already done.
“Sir Knight, you’d best not believe baseless rumors. Lucky for you, I’m not the type to take offense. Say that to another guardian, and you might lose your head for insulting a saintess.”
“M-my apologies!”
Gray waved off the apology and fell into thought.
Rumors like that are spreading?
He wasn’t blind to the way Cecilia looked at him. With each passing year, her gaze resembled that of a lovestruck girl more and more.
But Gray was twice her age, and unlike her—a saintess—he was just some unremarkable old man.
The capital was filled with handsome, accomplished men who could guarantee Cecilia a happy future, so he had always assumed she’d eventually give up on him.
But if these blasphemous rumors spread, her future would be ruined… and Gray would be stuck supporting her forever.
‘Once we’re back, the first thing I’ll do is forbid her from visiting my room at night.’
“Nonsense. I prefer women with a little more… curves, if you catch my drift.”
“So even Sir Gray is a man, after all.”
“Damn right. A man’s man. Breasts are justice.”
“Ah, so that’s why there’s a rumor that Saintess Cecilia stuffs wool in her chest.”
“…….”
What kind of nonsense is that?
Now that he thought about it, Cecilia’s chest had been growing unnaturally fast.
Wait, was it really wool?
Everything Cecilia did seemed designed to make Gray’s life harder.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she spread these rumors herself.
“What else? Any other rumors about our brat? Might as well hear ’em all now.”
“Ahem. Well… some are rather indecent. Are you sure?”
The knight who had slipped up earlier asked cautiously. Gray nodded.
At this point, there was no rumor he couldn’t handle.
“They say… when she’s alone in the prayer room, she calls out your name and lets out… rather passionate moans. It’s not just a rumor—quite a few nuns claim to have heard it.”
“…….”
‘There it is. Worse than I imagined.’
Other knights murmured in agreement, having heard similar stories.
“Sigh…”
Gray exhaled deeply.
“No way our brat would do that. I’m thirty-four, and she’s seventeen. I like older women, got it?”
Regardless of Cecilia’s reputation, as her guardian, Gray had no choice but to deny everything.
“Seriously… what’s there to like about an old man like me? All nonsense.”
He scratched his cheek dismissively, but no one bought it.
As the second investigation team exchanged rumors and truths about Saintess Cecilia, they gradually drew closer to where the green stars had fallen.
Lucent
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