Chapter 146 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (24)

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Had I not been a witch, I would have died instantly.

A witch’s death comes only through the curse’s destruction.

Still, the pain was no different from anyone else’s, I winced as agony shot up my nerves from the bisected wound.

When was the last time I’d been hurt this badly?

The most recent was probably when Beryl pierced my stomach, followed immediately by a stab from a Heresy Inquisitor.

If I recalled the time I was diced to pieces while dungeon-diving for Triceratops materials after becoming a witch, being split in half this time was relatively clean.

At least I was alone.

I couldn’t let Edel see me like this.

Just imagining his expression if he saw me in this state was painful.

I was the one injured, yet here I was, worrying about him first.

‘There’s no place for you in my pure love with the Black Knight, you filthy witch.’

Even with my body severed, Vempir’s words echoed relentlessly in my mind.

The image of her shyly holding Edel’s hand flashed before me.

Maybe that was why I’d let her attack land.

Who would’ve thought Vempir of all people would talk about “pure love”?

Edel always drew women’s attention wherever he went, so I figured Vempir must have some level of interest in him—she had been saying “Black Knight-sama~” nonstop back in the dungeon, after all.

The way she froze the moment she sensed his demonic energy made me assume it was just another shallow infatuation…

But pure love?

[Wouldn’t Vempir be fine? She’s a Heavenly King like Edel, and she’ll live a long time. She’s weaker now, but she has plenty of room to grow. She’d pick up cooking in no time. Honestly, isn’t she the best match for Edel out of all the women he’s met?]

The thought came from my left brain.

When my body split, Angel Estelle must have taken refuge there.

She seemed adamant about defending her title as the Witch of Love, refusing to overlook Vempir’s claims.

[Fine? What’s fine about her? Since when does Edel match with someone who reeks like rotten eggs? She doesn’t fit any of his preferences! And did you even consider his feelings? Love goes both ways! How is that pure love? And—we haven’t even finished teaching him yet! You’re just going to hand him over to Vempir like this? He hasn’t even seen the ocean!]

This time, it was my right brain.

Judging by the tone, that was Devil Estelle.

She was right, there was still so much left to teach.

We hadn’t even finished the dating lessons.

And we hadn’t even started preparing the “ocean episode” to add to Edel’s pure love education.

But Devil Estelle… whose side are you on?

[Estelle, what do you want to do?]

Both angel and devil passed the decision to me.

What did I want?

Well, obviously…

Obviously.

The image in my mind continued.

Vempir was holding Edel’s hand, giggling sweetly.

Meanwhile, Edel stared at me with his usual blank expression.

As if asking, “Is this really okay?”

A strange anxiety twisted inside me.

“No. Absolutely not.”

Emotions surged through my severed body, uniting into a single resolve.

The feeling was unfamiliar.

It hurt. It made me sad… and above all, restless.

Then, more intensely than anything I’d ever felt from Edel’s blunt words or actions, an agony that could only be described as heartache seized me.

Besides, the Saintess and Guardian’s pure love wasn’t over yet. I couldn’t just lie here comfortably.

I pulled my bisected halves together with mana, fusing them back into one.

After pouring a high-grade potion over my head, the wound sealed without a trace.

I couldn’t let Edel see me disheveled, so I used mana to restore my clothes as well.

Now, I was in perfect condition.

“Ugh… Kid.”

As I gathered the scattered Triceratops parts to leave, a groan reached my ears.

Not far away, the Guardian lay collapsed, desperately calling for the Saintess.

Tears streamed from his eyes, unbecoming of his massive frame, as despair consumed him.

 

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Placing my hand on the Guardian’s forehead, I channeled energy, and a pink glow shimmered.

As Devil Estelle had said, using Ulti to undo Vempir’s thrall conversion wasn’t difficult.

All I had to do was peel off the crimson slime clinging like gum to the back of his mind.

“You with me now?”

“Kid…”

Even after freeing him from thrall status, the Guardian remained sprawled on the ground, repeating that single word as if he’d lost all will to live.

Waving my hand in front of his face did nothing, he just stared blankly into the distance.

If this continued, he’d either waste away or take his own life.

You think I’ll let that happen when your pure love hasn’t even started yet?

“The Saintess isn’t dead. Don’t we need to get her back from that woman?”

Leaning close, I whispered a spell into his ear.

There was still a chance. It wasn’t over.

That alone should have been enough to move him.

After all, protagonists in Aria Chronicle always snapped out of it after hearing lines like that.

But…

“Kid… Run… Please…”

As if declaring he wasn’t a protagonist, the Guardian kept repeating the same lifeless words.

“Tch—! Snap out of it!”

Should I slap him?

Grabbing his collar, I yanked him up and shook him violently until his dull eyes finally focused on me.

“Witch…? What do we do? The love you wanted… isn’t here anymore. The kid’s been bitten by a demon. I can’t perform a miracle.”

“So? You’re giving up? The Saintess risked everything to make that miracle happen. And you, her Guardian, won’t even try?”

He must have been traumatized from sensing the moment Vempir bit the Saintess, but that wasn’t an excuse to quit.

“I promised the kid… At the very least, I swore to stay by her side until she grew up. Whether I liked it or not, I pushed my feelings aside. Because I’m her one and only Guardian.”

My pure love sensor didn’t lie.

When I’d eavesdropped on him that night, I’d caught glimpses of genuine devotion beneath his words.

“If you’re her Guardian, then go save her. She’s probably waiting for you right now.”

So I wished he’d stop whining like a coward, unbecoming of his size.

“If you give up now, you’ll never see her again. Is that okay? You’re fine with her being devoured by Vempir? This is your last chance.”

I wanted him to act like the Saintess’s chosen Guardian—worthy of that title.

“You made a promise, didn’t you? I don’t know what it was, but a man should keep his word.”

“A promise…”

Though he didn’t understand the word, life flickered back into his eyes.

“I have to save the kid. But how…?”

Honestly, this guy was exhausting.

What on earth did the Saintess see in him?

Still, my pure love sensor buzzed insistently.

Come to think of it, when Vempir had mentioned “pure love”, my sensor hadn’t reacted the same way it did the Saintess and Guardian.

…Well, I’d just have to see for myself.

Whether Vempir’s proud claims were true or false.

“Let’s go. We have pure love to save, don’t we?”

“Wai—!?”

Still gripping his collar, I summoned mana and took to the skies.

 

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“Why is a sanctuary here…?”

The Guardian gaped at the sight before us.

A spherical barrier at least 10 meters in diameter loomed ahead. It made sense he’d be shocked—this was something you’d only see in the Holy Capital, not the middle of nowhere.

A temporary sanctuary.

Ever since gaining her second pair of wings, Vempir could create these—areas that halved the abilities of beings like me and Edel.

Normally, you could peer inside a sanctuary or even enter, but this one was completely isolated, as if cut off from space itself.

Vempir must have added extra measures.

“Is the kid inside?”

“Most likely. You still have the cross I gave you?”

No doubt Vempir and Edel were in there.

The Guardian swallowed dryly, tightening his grip on the silver cross I’d handed him earlier.

The Cross of Purification.

A consumable item needed to defeat Vempir in Aria Chronicle.

Using it on Vempir or her thralls immobilized them for one turn.

I’d picked it up during my travels long ago—I just hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

The plan was simple: stab Vempir with the cross, immobilize her, then use Ulti in that opening.

Since things had gotten this messy, a dramatic rescue would look better anyway, and it’d make for good reference material for Edel.

“I’ll give the signal. Hide until then, then stab her. You only get one shot. If you want to save the Saintess… you’d better succeed, even if it kills you.”

Close enough.

The plan to perform a miracle and save the old man had failed, but the Guardian’s chance to save his Saintess remained.

Just as I channeled mana into Triceratops to break the sanctuary—

“Wait.”

The Guardian stopped me urgently.

“Why are you helping us this much? Is it really just because you want to see our pure love?”

“Obviously. I’m the Witch of Love. If your pure love doesn’t get a happy ending, it’s bad for me.”

Edel’s first taste of pure love from others had to end happily.

The Saintess and Guardian needed to prove that pure love was strong, beautiful, and joyful.

…And, well, maybe I had some personal stakes too.

I wanted to see him dramatically rescue the Saintess and show off a delicious pure love moment.

“Oh, I’ve been wondering—what was that ‘promise’ you made with the Saintess?”

At the word, the Guardian flinched and averted his eyes.

Now I’m even more curious.

My pure love sensor had been going wild every time he mentioned it, it was about time I found out.

Blocking his escape with my gaze, I forced him to relent.

“Sigh… The kid asked me to marry her when she grew up. You know how kids are—they say things like that, then forget. No way she actually meant it with someone like me.”

Unconscious pure love?!

No wonder the Saintess lost her mind over him.

Edel should’ve been here to hear this.

Savoring the Guardian’s deliciously pure words, I aimed Triceratops at the sanctuary again.

“Hehe. In that case, I’ll make sure you keep that promise. A witch never breaks her word. So focus on saving your Saintess!”

The air trembled as my pink hair whipped wildly.

As Triceratops absorbed mana, three vicious horns sprouted, growing until they dwarfed the sanctuary itself.

The same Triceratops that had shattered the boundary to Beryl’s Dream World now unleashed its might once more.

With a roar like a dragon’s, its crimson horns tore through the atmosphere and slammed into the sanctuary.