Chapter 7 – First Party Member

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I carried the child out of the forest, completely drained of holy power. Claire watched me effortlessly lead the way while carrying the child, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

“Eli, you…”

She trailed off and glanced at me. Looking around, a small village came into view. Fortunately, there was a cozy-looking restaurant near the village entrance.

“Let’s go in there first.”

I spoke briefly and headed toward the restaurant. Claire followed silently.

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The restaurant was quieter than expected. Inside, a few customers and some men drinking and chatting were present. I went to a corner table and laid the child down. After ordering some simple food from the owner, I finally caught my breath.

“Alright, let’s talk.” Claire crossed her arms and glared at me.

“What do you want to talk about?” I replied in a tired voice.

“You. Be honest. What’s up with that holy spell? Only the Saintess can use something like that, right?”

“Come on~~ There’s no way I’m the Saintess.” I waved my hand dismissively.

But Claire looked at me with suspicious eyes, as if she had realized something.

“Then why do you always wear your hood so low?”

“That’s…”

As my answer slowed, she chuckled and reached out.

“Hey, don’t hide it.”

“Hey, don’t!”

Before I could stop her, she yanked off my hood. My long silver hair cascaded down, revealing my face. Claire froze the moment she saw it, taking a sharp breath.

“…Wow.”

She couldn’t hide her admiration as she looked me up and down. “This… what is this? Are you even human? No, your face… it’s completely otherworldly beauty.”

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

“No, this isn’t my original appearance.”

“Not your original appearance?” Claire asked with a confused expression.

I pressed my hand to my forehead and said, “I’m a guy. Well, past tense, but…”

Claire stared blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“What? You’re a guy? Not anymore? So you’re a girl now?”

“Yeah… that’s right…” I replied with a bitter smile.

Claire blinked and said, “Man, the gods are really unfair. How do they turn a guy into such a perfect girl? Did the gods decide to give you something special or what?”

“Yeah. They really gave me something.” I replied in an annoyed tone.

“If being turned into the Saintess in this messed-up worldview is a blessing, then sure.”

“Wait, what?” Claire asked again, shocked.

“They turned you into the Saintess? No, you’re the Saintess?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Maybe the gods went senile, but when I woke up, I was the Saintess.”

Claire stared at me, speechless, then burst into loud laughter.

“No way, seriously? You’re the Saintess? So the commotion about the Saintess going missing from the church is about you, right?”

“What?” I narrowed my eyes and asked.

Claire leaned on the table, unable to stop laughing. “I overheard the guys drinking earlier. They said the Saintess went missing from the church, and it’s chaos! The hero’s out looking for her too, huh?”

“Damn…” I sighed, pressing my hand to my forehead.

“But… if you’re the Saintess, doesn’t that mean you’ll end up marrying the hero?” Claire asked with a mischievous grin.

“What?” I glared at her.

“No, that’s how the game’s story goes. The Saintess and the hero fall in love and eventually get married for a happy ending…”

“Stop talking nonsense.” I cut her off firmly.

But Claire didn’t stop her imagination.

“No, but seriously, this is amazing. So there’s a story where you, as a player, get confessed to by the hero and even get married?”

“Shut up.” I gritted my teeth.

“Wait, wait. So you and the hero… hahaha, this is hilarious.” She couldn’t stop laughing as her imagination ran wild.

I sighed and grabbed the glass of water in front of me. My throat felt parched.

“So,” Claire asked, resting her chin on her hand. “What’s the reason the Saintess snuck out of the church? If you’re the Saintess, you could’ve lived comfortably there, right?”

I put down the glass and smiled bitterly. “What would’ve changed if I stayed there? Join the hero’s party, hunt the Demon King, and then what?”

“Get married?” Claire grinned.

“Shut up, seriously.” I scratched my head and said. “That’s the game’s happy ending, sure. The hero and the Saintess join hands, defeat the Demon King, fall in love, and get married. But does that look like a happy ending to me?”

Claire tilted her head and asked, “What’s the problem? Isn’t marrying the hero romantic?”

“F*ck romance. Think about the fact that I used to be a guy.” I said firmly. “You’re telling me, a guy in real life, should marry the hero now? Isn’t that insane?”

Claire stared blankly for a moment, then nodded. “Ah, right. That’s a bit…”

“And even if that weren’t the case, the real problem is the ending itself.” I continued seriously. “The hero and the Saintess defeat the Demon King, and that’s it? No, you know that’s not the end, right?”

Claire frowned and asked, “What do you mean, not the end?”

“This game’s story is a loop.” I said in a low voice. “When the Demon King is defeated, another one appears, and the cause is always tied to the Saintess. The Demon King’s power, which opposes the Saintess’s holy power, disappears, only to create another disaster.”

“What? Is that true?” Claire asked, looking shocked.

I nodded. “Anyway, to me, even the happy ending is a bad ending. Whether I end up with the hero or become the Demon King, the result is the same. The disaster just repeats.”

“Damn.” Claire leaned back in her chair and muttered. “That’s really messed up. So that’s why you left the church? You didn’t want to repeat this boring ending?”

“Exactly.” I said firmly.

“I want to break free from this damn story. My goal is to survive somehow and live a quiet, ordinary life.”

“But,” Claire narrowed her eyes and looked at me. “How are you going to do that alone? If it’s revealed that you’re here, the church or the hero won’t just leave you alone, right?”

“That’s why I need you.” I looked straight at her and said.

“What?” She looked puzzled.

“You’re a player too. If we want to survive in this world, we need to work together. Let’s form a party.”

Claire was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Form a party? Well, that doesn’t sound bad.”

“Good. Then let’s set our conditions first.” I straightened up and said. “I absolutely don’t want my identity as the Saintess to be revealed. Help me make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Okay.” Claire flicked her finger and replied. “But you have to agree to my conditions too.”

“What are they?” I asked.

“First, show me your face whenever I want to see it.” She said in a joking tone.

I sighed and shook my head. “Ha… if you keep saying stuff like that, I’ll blast you with an AoE holy spell.”

“Just kidding, just kidding.” Claire laughed and said. “Well, let’s work well together, Eli. Or should I say, Saintess?”

I glared at her and said, “That’s also forbidden.”

“Got it, got it.” She giggled and waved her hand.

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After the conversation with Claire, a brief silence fell. The child was still quietly asleep, and I looked down at their face. Their small body was still trembling.

“By the way,” I muttered as something occurred to me. “What was this child’s name again?”

Claire tilted her head and said, “No idea. Didn’t you ask?”

“I didn’t have time. The situation was too urgent.” I replied in a tired voice. “Well, I’ll ask when they wake up.”

I placed my hand on the child’s forehead and checked their condition again. Fortunately, thanks to the holy power I infused, they seemed stable. But the mark on their neck was still faintly visible.

“Eli,” Claire said quietly. “About that mark… if the child doesn’t want to turn into a demon, they can’t leave your side, right?”

I nodded. “Right. The holy power I infused is holding onto their sense of self. If they get too far, it’ll worsen again.”

“So you’ll have to keep this child with you from now on.” Claire said with a serious expression.

“Damn, why did this become my problem…” I sighed. “But there’s no other choice. I can’t just abandon this child.”

Claire grinned and said, “Still, it’s pretty cool. You’re the Saintess, after all~”

“Stop saying that.” I replied irritably.

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When we finished our meal and stepped outside, we heard the sound of people murmuring in the village square. Without thinking, Claire and I both listened in.

“Did you hear? The Saintess has gone missing.”

“Oh, that? I heard the hero is personally searching for her.”

“That’s not all. There’s also a rumor that whoever finds the Saintess can become her fiancé.”

As soon as I heard that, I stopped in my tracks. Claire looked at my face and snickered. “Hey, why’s your face like that? LOL.”

“Crazy…” I gritted my teeth and said. “Those church bastards have really lost their minds!”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
The Saintess of all time!

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