Ch. 132 🔒 The Saintess and Her Guardian (10)
by Afuhfuihgs
Chapter 132 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (10)
Using teleportation to escape the dungeon, the first thing the Saintess did was search for a hideout where she could treat her Guardian.
Staying inside the dungeon for three days would have been possible, but the lingering stench of Vempir made it stifling to even breathe. Besides, there was no telling if the Holy Kingdom’s forces might come searching.
Not too far away, she found a small, abandoned village. The traces of monsters scattered about made it clear why no one lived there anymore.
A well on one side of the village was stained red, and above the rotting corpses, the blue butterflies blooming from Josie’s body were a frequent sight.
Amid such a ghastly scene, only the church at the center remained relatively intact, making it a suitable place to take shelter.
After all, there was no better place for a Saintess to perform a miracle than a church.
“We’ll stay here for three days.”
“……”
After picking a decent room inside the church and roughly cleaning it with magic, I guided them inside. Without a word, the Saintess staggered in, struggling to carry her Guardian in her arms.
Despite her small frame, she had managed to lift a grown man all by herself, her body drenched in sweat—yet she didn’t utter a single complaint.
After laying the Guardian down on the bed, the Saintess wiped the sweat from her brow before her legs finally gave out, and she collapsed right where she stood.
Even when I tried to help, she stubbornly refused to let me so much as lay a finger on him…
Should I call it ruthless? Or was her love for her Guardian simply that strong?
While I was marveling at the Saintess’s determination, the dust floating in the air tickled my nose.
I had definitely cleaned up a little before we entered, yet the dust was thick enough to make my nose itch.
Just in case, I glanced at the Guardian lying on the bed—only to see ashes scattering around his body.
Ah, right. Sunlight.
“Until you perform a miracle and undo my curse, make sure that man doesn’t touch sunlight.”
During the brief moment we moved to the church, the Guardian had already started turning to ashes upon exposure to sunlight. I quickly covered the windows with magic circles and warned the Saintess.
Since he had become Vempir’s thrall, the Guardian had inherited a vampire’s weaknesses. If he turned to ashes under the sun, things would get troublesome.
“Why sunlight?”
“Well… humans become tasteless when exposed to sunlight. If food tastes bad, wouldn’t you rather throw it away than eat it? So, I cursed him to turn to ashes if sunlight touches him.”
When the Saintess expressed doubt, I scrambled for an excuse.
The lies to deceive her were piling up, but… so what?
If it meant savoring the pure love before me, a few lies were nothing.
Whether she actually believed such an absurd excuse or not, the Saintess obediently looked around the darkened room, checking for any stray beams of light.
Meanwhile, I approached the Guardian and set up a magic circle just in case—prompting the Saintess to panic and raise her voice.
“W-What are you doing!?”
“A binding circle. Who knows? You might fail and try to run off with him.”
“You think I’d abandon him and run? I’m a Saintess! I’ll finish the miracle in a single day and take him with me!”
Though exhaustion had left her half-lidded from carrying the Guardian, the Saintess’s lips remained tense as she fired off bold words.
Whether she ran off with him or not, I planned to litter the church with magic circles anyway—but I kept that to myself.
“I’ll bring you food. Make sure he eats well when he wakes up. And you too.”
“……”
Her silence was the strongest defiance she could muster.
She’ll eat it anyway.
She’ll probably even ask for seconds if she likes it.
Any other Saintess would fast and pray for three days, but the one before me seemed like she’d skip a meal at most.
At best, she was a novice nun.
Judging by her physique and demeanor, she was far from the image of a Saintess. I was almost worried she’d collapse from skipping a meal.
Traditionally, Saintesses were vessels of holy power, though slightly inferior to me, who exuded maternal love and benevolence. But the Saintess before me…
Well, she must have been chosen by the angels for a reason.
When I thought of Saintesses, only Floria came to mind, making it hard not to compare.
“Eat or don’t—it’s up to you. But if you collapse from not eating and fail to manifest the miracle… you know what’ll happen to him, right?”
Three days wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. Since I was investing my time, I wanted the Saintess to present me with a delicious tale of pure love.
“Estelle, if the weaklings don’t eat their food, can I have it instead?”
Thinking my presence might interfere with the miracle, I stepped out of the room—only for Edel, who had been quietly observing, to slyly speak up.
Edel, who could never resist food, seized the opportunity without hesitation.
“No. Edel, I’ll make plenty for you. So don’t even think about stealing theirs.”
“…I see. A shame. I wanted to eat as much of your cooking as possible.”
Ugh. When will he finally wake up and start pursuing pure love?
At this rate, if some random woman offers him food, he might just follow her.
Though I was deeply worried about Edel, my lips twitched into a smile unconsciously.
A different kind of happiness welled up inside me—unlike when Josie praised my cooking.
My cooking is good, right?
Well, he knows it’s delicious, at least.
No helping it. I’d just have to keep Edel well-fed so he wouldn’t act on instinct.
Making sure he didn’t even glance at others’ food was the best way to keep him from straying.
“Estelle. I have a question.”
As I was mentally sorting through the ingredients in my inventory, wondering what to cook, Edel voiced his curiosity.
“Hm? What is it? About dinner?”
“No. Why go through all this trouble? If you seal or kill them, wouldn’t that be the end of it?”
I thought it’d be about food, but Edel posed a rather fundamental question.
“Well…”
As Edel said, sealing or killing them would be simpler. But for the Witch of Love to ignore pure love right before her eyes? Unthinkable.
Just as the demon Estelle had said, this was why I became a witch.
To become a witch and savor the pure love in Aria Chronicle.
Not just the protagonist’s—but as many as possible.
“Because it’s pure love.”
And so, my answer to Edel was already decided. The only thing that moved my heart could only be expressed in those words, even if it wasn’t logical.
“Pure love? That weakling is capable of pure love…?”
Edel looked back at the room where the Saintess and Guardian were, unable to hide his shock.
From his perspective, he was still learning about pure love—so for some random weakling to suddenly display it must have been surprising.
But it was true.
My pure love sensor was buzzing—I was a hundred percent certain.
I’d need more time to figure out the nature of their relationship, but…
To do that, I planned to cover the entire church in magic circles, secretly observing and eavesdropping on their conversations and actions.
I’m a witch, I have no reason to hold back!
It wasn’t like there was a law here against spying.
Besides, I needed to be ready in case Vempir showed up.
“Remember what I told you at the beginning? Anyone can experience pure love.”
“You specifically said even fools could.”
Why did Edel have to remember that part? My face flushed for no reason.
“W-Well, anyway! Pure love takes many forms. Aren’t you curious? What kind of pure love those two will share? How will it taste? For me… savoring others’ pure love is the greatest joy in the world!”
How long had it been since I spoke so openly? Maybe this was the first time.
Even with Dorothy, I’d pretended to just enjoy beautiful love stories… Maybe teaching Edel about pure love had brought us closer.
I didn’t know if Edel understood or related to my words, but for some reason, I wanted to share what’s in my heart.
“I see. So you love pure love.”
“Yes! More than love—I adore it! Edel, once you taste pure love, you’ll understand exactly what I mean. Take this chance to observe. Seeing different kinds will help when it’s your turn.”
In Edel’s pupils, I could see my own excited reflection.
Lost in my childlike enthusiasm, I was about to continue when Edel grabbed my shoulders and carefully distanced himself.
Was I too excited…?
In my fervor to preach about pure love, I must have gotten too close—his face was tinged with red.
“Sorry. Did I get carried away?”
“No need to apologize. It was good to see you so lively. So you love pure love… I’ve decided.”
Edel bent down to meet my eye level, his crimson gaze locking onto mine.
“Estelle, I promise you this. My pure love will be a flavor you’ve never experienced before. To borrow your words—it will be the most delicious in the world.”
“Uh… Yeah. I’ll look forward to it…”
Since Edel was learning pure love from me, his would naturally be special. It was an obvious thing to say, but he delivered it with such sincerity that…
For some reason, I found myself avoiding his gaze.
I was burning up so much I might have been sweating—was there any odor? I discreetly checked Edel’s reaction.
Sweet fruit scent… It’s still there, right?
Not being able to smell myself was frustrating.
Lucent
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