Ch.295The Acknowledged Imperial Princess NPC. (2)

“What is this? A monster?”

“No, I was told it’s a human child…”

“What? How can there be a human with both male and female parts? It must be a new type of monster born from a human host.”

When I first opened my eyes, the humans in white clothes who were looking at me called me a monster.

“This one has quite strong magical power.”

“What should we do? Should I report it and ask if we can use it as a sacrifice?”

“We’ve already confirmed that beastmen, elves, and other races can be used as sacrifices. Even if it was born from a monster, it looks close enough to human that we might be able to use it if we dissect it. Yes, go ahead and report it.”

I don’t know how much time passed, but all I was given was just enough water to keep me from dying.

“A human with both male and female parts? Fascinating. This could have value as a sacrifice…”

“No. That one must not be used as a sacrifice.”

“Ah!! Y-Your Holiness?! What brings you to such a humble place…!!”

I watched, without any particular thoughts, as the white-clothed human who had given me a small cup of water every other day and forced me to pray in gratitude now bowed his head and scrambled nervously before the wrinkled old human.

“I have received a divine revelation. That child should be raised as a saint among the other saint candidates. Surely, it will become a precious apostle of God who will sacrifice itself for the continent in the future.”

“We will follow the will of the Divine and Your Holiness.”

With those words from the old human, my life changed just a little.

“Take up your weapons! Don’t fall! Run!! Magical power grows when you’re pushed to the extreme! Divine power manifests when you truly surrender yourself before the Divine Lord!!! If you feel like collapsing, pray!!!”

Twice a day, food and drink were provided. I received some kind of education. And I was made to sleep among children of similar age who were in a similar situation to mine. Then, after about 5 years had passed…

“Kyaaaah?!!”

“W-What’s happening!!!”

“Pi-Piana is!!! Piana is doing things to the saint apprentice candidates!!!”

When I was young, I didn’t know. That what I had on my body was different from normal girls. And as my chest grew larger and my hips widened, gradually hair began to grow in my groin, and as I continued sleeping in the same room with girls of the same age, the thing in my groin began to respond to the “female” scent they gave off. I didn’t know what would happen if I wielded it, I just moved by instinct.

“Th-This is insane!! Get the priests!! No, bring a high priest!!”

“What is this crazy bitch doing?! Violating the saints, this fucking…!! What are we going to tell His Holiness…!!!”

On the day I violated all five apprentice saints who had shared the room with me, I was beaten nearly to death. I didn’t understand why I was being beaten. Didn’t they enjoy it too? Weren’t they the ones who begged me for more when I was confused about my growing groin? Every day, they had looked at my different body with fascination, sucked it with their mouths, touched it with their hands, rubbed it with their breasts, and enjoyed the white fluid that came from my groin in the communal bath. Why, why on earth was I being beaten?

“Stop, stop. What exactly has happened here?”

“Y-Your Holiness…!! Th-This thing violated the apprentice saints, I-I’m truly sorry! It was due to our negligent supervision…!!!”

As I was beginning to lose consciousness from the beating, the Pope appeared again. The old man stopped the men who were beating me, approached, and cast a recovery holy spell on me.

“…Oh. This is.”

“Y-Your Holiness. I am truly ashamed. I-I will properly educate it again. This time, I’ll remove it from among the saints and provide one-on-one education…”

“…No, no. That’s fine. One-on-one education won’t be necessary. Rather, among the saint candidates you manage, there must be some with low potential for awakening, correct?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. Th-There are, but…?”

“Have this child stay in the same room with those children. And let them do as they please. This is a papal order.”

“Ah? Ah, yes!!”

I don’t know why. But after being beaten that day and recovering in just seconds, my life completely changed.

“Pi-Piana, apprentice saint. Today…”

“Yes. All five desired it, so I embraced them. Over there.”

Different saint candidates kept coming to my room, and within days, all of them would be clinging to the thing in my groin, wanting to be embraced. When I pointed to the female bodies sprawled on the floor, other priests would come in, carry them out like luggage, and other apprentice saint candidates would be assigned to share my room. The harsh training and tasteless meals disappeared, replaced by delicious food and a warm room. And “apprentice saint candidates” continued to fill my room. Thus, several more years passed.

“Piana, apprentice saint. As of today, you are appointed as an official saint. Therefore, I ask you: do you know what your ability is?”

“No, I do not.”

I had heard that normally, a saint’s appointment ceremony is conducted with the blessing of many priests, nuns, and apprentice saints. But I was appointed as a saint in a private audience with the Pope.

“You possess a new ability bestowed by God. You are a new talent who will lead this continent, a chosen being among humanity. And the name of this new ability bestowed by God is [Skill] [One Who Is Perfect Alone].”

I learned about my power from the Pope. So, had I been beaten and tormented all this time by beings inferior to me? Why on earth?

“The current old humanity is lacking in many ways to accept new humanity like you. However, that too is a divine trial bestowed upon you. You must become a new pioneer and lead them. What say you? Will you live as an official saint, working to save those who do not believe in divinity? Or…”

Will you become the [Savior] who changes everything and stands above weak humans?

To the Pope’s question, I naturally chose the latter. And then.

[Ah, are you the Pope? But what’s this? I responded to your summons on the orders of Pride (Superbia), but the sacrifice seems a bit inadequate… Oh. What is that woman? Huh? Huh?! H-Hermaphrodite?! Wait!! A woman but also a man?! I-I’m so jealous!!! How can such a being exist…!!!]

I embraced it. I suppressed the demon of the Seven Deadly Sins with a male body with my power, violated it, and stole its power too. Yes, the power of my ability, my [Skill], was:

[One Who Is Perfect Alone: By embracing the opposite sex and becoming one, you steal the abilities of your partner and gradually become a perfect being. (Current number of stolen abilities: 192.)]

It was an ability bestowed by God that allows me to steal everything from those I embrace with this body, whatever they may be.

“Aha, hah. Hahahah!! I see, I…”

I was a special being (monster) chosen by God.

*

-Bang bang! Boom!!!

“Phew, is that it? How many people are injured or dead?”

“Huff! Huff… Would it be alright if I collect reports from each unit and submit them all at once?”

“…Yes, do that.”

It’s not a number I can immediately grasp by looking around. While I was dealing with the saint, my subordinate units also suffered significant casualties from the church priests. After holstering my gun, I told Dolph, who was struggling to catch his breath, that he could rest a bit before reporting. I also pushed away Mac, who was immediately trying to approach me.

“Y-Your Highness. L-Let me escort…”

“Who’s escorting whom after what we just saw? Forget it, you rest too.”

Though better off than Dolph, Mac is covered in blood with cuts all over his body, suggesting he too fought a fierce battle. Looking behind him, only two of his unit members are standing. The rest are either catching their breath on the ground or possibly dead. I sit on the stone wall near the marquis’s castle, which was filled with revolutionaries and citizens just minutes ago, and observe the completely transformed landscape.

“…Haha. Did I do that?”

The most drastically changed view is undoubtedly the marquis’s castle. No, it can’t even be called a castle anymore—just a pile of stones.

The castle, penetrated by the beam of light-like magic fired from my gun, has literally collapsed with a massive hole through it. The scenery behind it, even the sky, is clearly visible now. Haha, so today was a full moon?

“…If I say I don’t like being called a monster after doing this, would that be too shameless?”

My plan to become a fake hero to the people, to disrupt the empire from within and interfere with the church’s unclear activities, seems to have completely fallen apart. A royal who wields a sword and modern weapons to cut down enemies might be romantically packaged with good rhetoric, but a royal who emits an eerie blue light from an unknown weapon, collapses castles, and erases enemies without a trace? That’s just a frightening monster, difficult to accept as the next ruler. Plus, having killed a high priest and former saint like this, the church definitely won’t leave me alone.

“…Still, it’s better than before.”

Watching the unit members supporting each other and recovering bodies, I think of the gray-haired man, the gray golem, the golden-haired woman, and the red-haired girl. Three years ago, no, is it four now?

The precious people I met when I ran away from home would surely accept me even if I’ve become such a monster, albeit with surprise and bewilderment. Somehow I’m certain of this. So even if I become alone again here, I am not truly alone.

“I need to think of another strategy.”

Mac, Dolph, and the black ops unit I personally coerced might understand, but the citizens and revolutionaries probably can’t accept someone like me. Trying to explain [Skills] now would only confuse them and be incomprehensible. Well, I wasn’t feeling particularly good about using and manipulating the citizens anyway, so I’ll consider this a failure at stage three. It would be much more constructive to formulate a strategy based on the new abilities I’ve just discovered…

“Your Highness!! Haaah!!!”

“Huh?”

I involuntarily frown at the sight of Dolph suddenly running toward me and shouting. He draws his sword from his waist, looking as if he’s about to throw it at me. Huh? What’s he doing? Betrayal? A situation like “kill the monster here”? But why draw attention by calling me “Your Highness” or “Zuen” if he’s betraying me?

“Get down!!!”

“…What?”

“The only special one is me.”

The voice of the saint, whom I thought had disappeared without a trace, comes from behind me, drawing a thick line of blood across the night sky.