Chapter 136 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (14)

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“Estelle, I have a question. What exactly is a miracle?”

Edel, who had just brought breakfast to the Saintess, suddenly asked about miracles. His usual indifferent gaze was gone, replaced by the curious eyes of a child engrossed in learning about pure love—just like when he had first started his lessons.

“Why ask about miracles?”

“Is performing a miracle absolutely necessary for pure love?”

While miracles weren’t strictly required for pure love, in this case, the Saintess had to use her signature miracle to save her Guardian. So in a way, it was necessary…

“Miracles aren’t always needed for pure love, but in this situation, they are, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean? Explain.”

“Right now, the Guardian has been turned into a thrall after being bitten by Vempir. If the Saintess doesn’t perform a miracle to undo his thrall status, their pure love will be over. Because Vempir will take over his body.”

A love story between a Saintess and a vampire wasn’t uncommon in novels or other media outside Aria Chronicle, but since the core of it was Vempir, there was no romance to speak of.

“Can’t you undo the thrall transformation?”

Had delivering a few meals and exchanging some words made Edel grow attached to the Saintess? His suggestion was utterly disappointing.

My trump card was only to be used as a last resort. If the Saintess could resolve this with a miracle, it was best to save it until the very end.

Because pure love was like a flower that bloomed brightest amidst hardship and adversity.

“Edel, pure love is at its most delicious when it blossoms through struggle and trials. If I just undid the thrall transformation myself, where would be the meaning in that? Pure love must be won through one’s own efforts.”

A line from Aria Chronicle Part 3’s awakening quest for Floria came to mind:

‘Truly, truly, I say unto thee: Pray. Without faith, no true fruit shall be borne. Upon faith, love shall blossom. Upon love, devotion shall bear fruit.’

Thanks to the surveillance and eavesdropping spells I had set up, I knew the Saintess already possessed one of the three requirements for performing a miracle—faith, love, or devotion.

The problem was the other two…

“What will you do if she fails to perform the miracle by the promised time?”

“Hmm. Maybe I’ll just gobble her up?”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

I bared my claws and teeth in an exaggerated gesture, like a wild beast, and Edel recoiled in disgust.

It was just a joke, but his cold reaction made me worry if he’d ever manage a proper romance.

If she fails to perform the miracle by the promised time…

For some reason, my gaze drifted back to Edel.

He seemed displeased with my answer, his eyebrows drooping in a straight line as he sulked.

Edel seemed to want the Saintess to succeed in her pure love, and I wasn’t much different.

After all, pure love only truly mattered when it had a happy ending.

“Remember what I told you? Pure love makes you stronger. The Saintess will perform her miracle. So why not trust her and wait? It’s only been a day.”

Besides, this Saintess already possessed the love that Floria had only realized at the very end—as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

‘Yeah. I love him. Even if it’s one-sided, it’s fine. I love him so much it drives me crazy. I will perform the miracle… I won’t let him become witch food!’

Recalling the Saintess’s earnest confession to Edel brought a fresh wave of emotion.

I regretted not hearing it in person and only catching it through the surveillance spell, but even so, the taste of her pure love was irresistibly sweet.

Unrequited pure love, no less!

And with a reverse age gap, at that…!

Haaah… How am I supposed to resist this?

I was glad I hadn’t sealed the Guardian away.

“So? Tasting someone else’s pure love—delicious, isn’t it?”

“…Not bad.”

Edel nodded, seemingly pleased.

His eyes, glazed with emotion like a girl reading her first romance novel, suggested he didn’t just find it “not bad”, he truly loved it.

“If you want more, keep talking to her. I’m sure you’ll get even tastier responses. What’s the point if she just prays all day? I won’t get to see anything fun.”

“Why not talk to her yourself?”

I want to. I really do.

There were so many things I wanted to ask—how they met, when she started liking him, what she found attractive about him, his best qualities, any sweet anecdotes…

But thanks to me being a witch, she’d just drown me in suspicion.

If I carelessly brought it up and she got defensive like a prickly cat, it’d just be exhausting.

Part of me wanted to use my trump card to peek into her heart, but that would ruin the flavor.

“I want to, but she’s especially cold to me. Edel, you’ve already made a good impression by bringing her meals—you’re perfect for this. Get her to open up, will you? This is your chance to savor pure love up close.”

“Hmm… Don’t expect too much. I don’t really understand what a ‘good impression’ is.”

“That’s fine. Just showing your face will make her favorability skyrocket.”

Thinking back to how Emily had acted in Venetia… Ugh. It made my teeth grind, but Edel would undoubtedly stir any woman’s heart just by standing there.

And since the Saintess was a woman too, she wouldn’t be much different.

Then a dark thought crossed my mind—

What if… the Saintess loses interest in her Guardian and falls for Edel instead?

Even I had to admit Edel was handsome.

He had a track record of making women, from engaged girls to married women, lose their heads over him…

And since Edel was an idiot, if I didn’t spell things out clearly, he might end up accidentally seducing the Saintess instead.

“But don’t get too close, okay? NTR is punishable by death!”

“NTR? What’s that? Judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem related to pure love.”

“It’s a thing. Anyway, don’t get too friendly with the Saintess. Just gently coax her into talking about why she likes her Guardian. Got it?”

While Aria Chronicle wasn’t completely free of NTR, if my first experience with it involved Edel…

Forget pure love, I wouldn’t just bury him underground again. I’d kill him.

“This is difficult.”

“Don’t overthink it. She’s just a girl with a crush—poke at her a few times, and she’ll spill everything on her own.”

Earlier, when Edel had casually asked if they were in love, she had served up a delicious helping of pure love all by herself.

If he gently stoked her emotions a bit more, I couldn’t even imagine how tasty her pure love would become.

“You’re curious about their pure love too, aren’t you? Edel, this is where your skills are needed. Who knows? Stirring her emotions might even help her perform the miracle.”

In Aria Chronicle Part 3, Floria had realized her love and used a miracle to save Agnes. So I wasn’t exactly wrong.

In a way, it was a good thing the Saintess hadn’t heard me.

Faith wasn’t something I could force, but devotion? With a little push in the right direction, I could make it happen.

“Ehehe. So, Edel—I’m counting on you for lunch later.”

If I played my cards right, every mealtime could be a feast of delicious pure love.

“Now, let’s check on our dear Saintess. If she’s asleep again, go wake her up.”

I peered through the surveillance spell to see how she was doing—

“Huh?”

The Saintess was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the Guardian had woken up and was blinking dumbly, left all alone.

Where did she go?

She wouldn’t have run off and left him behind.

Before I could adjust the spell’s view, the Saintess’s voice rang out from afar—

“I!!! PERFORMED!!! A MIRACLE!! Witch, where are you~!!!!!!”

Already performed a miracle…?

But according to the spells on the Guardian, traces of Vempir’s influence were still there…

BANG!

The door flew open, and the Saintess stormed in, full of energy.

The girl who had trembled before Edel last night now carried herself with bold confidence.

“Hah…! I—I performed a miracle…!”

She must have run all the way here to tell me, her breath ragged, before puffing up with pride.

Sure enough, whereas she had only had one pair of wings before talking to Edel, now two pairs adorned her back.

Gaining a second pair would have granted her new powers, authority, and abilities—enough that her calling it a “miracle” wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

What do I even say to this…?

It’d be boring if the pure love ended right after I got my first taste.

“I said I’d perform a miracle in one day, right? It hasn’t even been 24 hours yet, so I did it!”

She was keeping track?

I’d thought she was just bluffing when she slept soundly from the very first night, but it seemed she’d been serious.

“Congratulations. Your wings have doubled.”

“Eh…? Oh, right. Anyway, I performed the miracle, so let him go now.”

She didn’t even notice her own wings changed?

At this point, she probably just assumed she’d performed a miracle because the Guardian woke up…

“Are you sure you performed a miracle? My curse is still intact.”

“He woke up! If that’s not a miracle, what is? And what would a witch know about miracles? If I say it’s a miracle, then it is!”

I barely held back my irritation and forced myself to stay calm.

This annoying brat—!

Haaah… Stay composed. This is all for the sake of pure love.

“You can ask your angel if you want. I know you don’t trust me, but you’ll believe it, won’t you?”

“…Angel, is the witch telling the truth? You said something about me ‘awakening’ earlier. Doesn’t that mean I can perform miracles now?”

The halo above her head pulsed, and just from her unfocused gaze, I could tell the angel was responding.

“Eeek—! What does the angel know?!”

The Saintess suddenly grabbed her halo with both hands and shrieked.

Are you even a Saintess…? I could understand her distrust of me, but yelling at her angel?

If not for the halo and Holy Mark, she’d be no different from a demon.

At this point, the fact that her wings had doubled felt more like the real miracle.

I even started to suspect that the Guardian had deliberately gotten bitten by Vempir in the dungeon just to get away from her.

If she acted like this in front of a witch, how much worse was she back in the Holy Capital?

It was painfully obvious.

I wasn’t sure anymore—was letting her perform a miracle the right choice? Or would sealing the Guardian away be the kinder option?

Was my pure love sensor malfunctioning?

…I needed to confirm.