Ch.29Saintess Eirene (9)

# Saint Eirene (9)

After being discharged from the hospital, having enhanced her physical abilities with the medicinal elixirs Eirene had offered as an apology, Esmeralda requested a private meeting with Eirene.

“Shall we have an honest talk now? Lug, whom you’re so fond of, isn’t here.”

“Hero. Are you finally showing your true nature?”

“You already know, don’t you?”

“Hehe.”

“…Why don’t you stop pretending to be innocent too?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, really?”

Does this woman have no conscience?

Esmeralda clicked her tongue at Eirene’s shameless attitude.

“Fine, keep pretending to be a good person. I wonder how long you can keep it up.”

“Hero, such negative language isn’t good for your emotional health.”

“…..”

Esmeralda barely managed to stop herself from cursing.

Well, since they’d been honest with each other, their relationship had improved compared to before.

At least Eirene wouldn’t backstab her by trying to turn her into a holy relic anymore.

‘Probably.’

Of course, if she died, Eirene could still use her corpse to create some pseudo-holy relic.

But how fortunate that the thought of killing her had disappeared.

Though she was still an unpredictable time bomb.

“Are we friends now, you and I?”

“Of course.”

“…No, let’s just pretend I never asked that question.”

Seeing Eirene affirm without any change in expression, Esmeralda became serious.

This was a lie.

Although Esmeralda could see affirmation in Eirene’s surface thoughts, she had already witnessed Eirene manipulating her own surface thoughts through self-hypnosis.

The only thing she could trust was her intuition and Eirene’s usual behavior.

Considering everything, she concluded that Eirene was still a bitch who lied as easily as breathing.

“Well then… What exactly caused your change of heart?”

Esmeralda had clearly been defeated.

Yet she survived. Why? If she had to guess, it was because Eirene had been hesitant from the beginning.

She had seemed cornered, as if backed against a cliff. That’s why Esmeralda had intended to knock some sense into her, even if by force.

Though she was the one who ended up getting beaten like a dog… there was a good chance Eirene had voluntarily given up.

She had wanted someone to stop her, and had set up multiple conditions for her own defeat, like insisting on a 1:1 fight with Esmeralda when the Celestial Church forces could have easily subdued her.

‘Even though I lost so badly… if I’d had proper support from the beginning, I would have won. Yes, it was just a difference in support.’

She thought this after consuming the elixirs Eirene had given her as an apology.

What Eirene consumed regularly, Esmeralda was trying for the first time.

Thinking that Eirene had been enjoying such good things all by herself made her feel incredibly cheated.

“Why did you spare me?”

“Because I didn’t think the Hero was lying. If I can’t create a holy relic even with the Hero, what would be the point? It would be meaningless.”

“Is that so?”

This was roughly what she had expected.

A girl who, after being cornered repeatedly, was finally forced to deny herself.

Esmeralda had seen many such people. During her journey, many people in such miserable situations had turned against her as enemies.

Most of them, even knowing they were wrong, couldn’t stop themselves until the end, but Eirene was different.

It wasn’t incomprehensible.

After all, no one could match her mental fortitude.

But even so, there were parts that didn’t make sense.

“But you seem quite fine?”

After being so thoroughly cornered and giving up everything, Eirene now seemed too normal.

“Do I? Perhaps it’s because I’ve found the answer to a long-standing concern.”

Eirene looked relieved.

And somehow, that innocent expression that would normally seem like an act felt genuine. Yes, like a girl in love.

If so, who was the object of her affection?

There was no need to ask.

‘Huh?’

The demon spy, Lug.

Esmeralda had always thought Eirene showed affection toward Lug, but this time it was different.

This was ‘real.’

Undeniable.

The appearance of a girl truly in love.

‘No, no, wait. …Huh?’

Eirene’s attitude toward Lug had only been one of affection.

But now it was love.

Her innocent act had become real.

‘But this woman, she knows Lug is a demon, right?’

Esmeralda pondered.

Honestly, considering how she had threatened him with holy power inspection in the hospital room, she clearly knew.

Moreover, given how she had seen through Esmeralda’s act, she could easily see through Lug’s performance.

Yes, she knew Lug was a demon. However, there was one contradiction in this assumption.

‘A person who calls demons vermin is fond of such a demon?’

If she knew Lug’s identity, it didn’t add up.

Of course, there was an explanation for why she had shown affection toward Lug before.

It was essentially bullying.

If she had known Lug’s identity early on, she would have also known that her actions were pushing him to the brink of death.

How severely she had tortured him with holy power.

Yes, it had been merely the level of affection one might show a pet or a rare animal.

‘But love? Loooove?’

That would be a perversion.

For anyone else it might be understandable, but from Eirene’s perspective, it couldn’t be.

“Um, Eirene?”

“Yes!”

“That… I’m just asking, but you do know what Lug’s true identity is, right?”

“Hehe, of course. Would I not know the identity of the person I love?”

“I… guess? Well, just to make sure we’re on the same page, what is Lug’s identity?”

Eirene declared with a bright smile, as if stating the obvious.

“Lug is a Celestial God. Yes. Right now, he’s just confused because of the filthy demon blood…”

“…..”

Seeing Eirene answer with somehow empty eyes, Esmeralda couldn’t hide her dismay.

She knew Eirene had been cornered in many ways, but to think she was this broken…

Even though she had no conscience, a black heart, and was a bitch!

“I see…”

Esmeralda pitied her.

She couldn’t have imagined she was this broken.

“If that’s what you think, then… there’s nothing I can do.”

It was too much right now.

Esmeralda couldn’t yet heal Eirene’s madness.

Her pain and wounds were deeper than the abyss; merely revealing their true feelings to each other wasn’t enough.

Yes, this was her second goal.

A journey as difficult as defeating the Demon Lord.

“Eirene.”

“Yes.”

“I promise I’ll save you.”

“What?”

“Just remember that.”

“Oh, um… alright.”

Esmeralda strengthened her resolve.

Eirene was now her friend.

Not just any friend, but one with whom she could speak openly.

For Esmeralda, who had only had someone like Tina to call a friend, it was a moving experience.

Of course, Eirene was still no different from a time bomb.

“Then may I ask something too? You intend to defeat the Demon Lord, right? And until then, you see Lug as a means to coordinate us.”

“Well… that’s right.”

Esmeralda wasn’t particularly surprised that Eirene knew her intentions. Given that she had anticipated Eirene could read surface thoughts, it was natural she would understand why Esmeralda kept Lug around.

“Then after everything is over, could you give Lug to me?”

“…Lug?”

“Yes, once you defeat the Demon Lord, the hero’s party will disband anyway. If you’re keeping him to control Millia, there would be no need for that anymore.”

Eirene whispered as she gracefully walked around Esmeralda.

Her movements resembled a cat stalking a mouse, making Esmeralda feel uncomfortable.

[Note: I think the Hero has voyeuristic tendencies, peeking into people’s thoughts without permission.]

‘Now she’s openly manipulating it.’

She believes it’s not sincere.

There were already parts she couldn’t interpret from surface thoughts alone, and now even that was impossible.

Having revealed to Esmeralda that the brainwashing effect applied to herself as well, she was now doing as she pleased.

“Hero, let’s be honest. After defeating the Demon Lord, you were planning to dispose of Lug, weren’t you?”

“What do you take me for? I was thinking of leaving him alone out of sentiment, as long as he didn’t resist.”

“And if he did resist?”

“Then there would be no reason to spare a spy who goes that far, would there?”

The reason Esmeralda had kept Lug alive was simply because he hadn’t crossed the line.

It was vexing that he had charmed Eirene and Millia to extract information from each group, but she had allowed it.

Considering Eirene’s current state, most of that information was likely fabricated anyway.

Things related to the Celestial Church had been going suspiciously well.

“So. If that’s the case, just give him to me.”

“If I give him to you? What will you do?”

“Why are you interested in what’s mine?”

“No, you crazy woman, seriously…”

Eirene spoke as if she had already claimed Lug.

Seeing this, Esmeralda couldn’t hide her shock.

When a smart woman goes mad, she becomes truly terrifying and unmanageable.

Wouldn’t handing Lug over to Eirene be too cruel to him?

Still, they had built a relationship…

But Esmeralda trusted Eirene.

Of course, thoughts of opening his head, extracting all his blood to separate the demon blood, or brainwashing him to become more of a ‘Celestial God’ than Eirene imagined did flash through her mind for a moment.

But in the end, Lug would be happy.

He might become different from the Lug she knew, but if he could be happy, wasn’t that what mattered?

“…I’ll think about it.”

That’s why Esmeralda chose an ambiguous deferral instead of a clear refusal.