Chapter 125: Saint Miranda

How Foolish Must I Be?

I had tried countless times not to forget the sins I had committed. I had sworn over and over that I must not allow myself to be happy…

“They say you fed the saintess deadly poison.”

In the end, it seemed I had been subconsciously seeking happiness. Even in this undeniable situation, my heart pounded wildly.

“Pardon…?”

“Was it not you? The one who poisoned the saint and framed someone else?”

I felt like throwing up.

My vision blurred, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

“Is it true? Why aren’t you answering?”

My feeble heart wanted to make excuses. A desperate urge to flee from this place overwhelmed me.

But what right did I have to justify myself? Everything was my doing.

Even now, all I could think about was running away. What a truly despicable creature I was.

I had come here to atone for my sins. Perhaps this was the heavens giving me a chance to pay for them.

So, I must not run.

“Y-yes… I poisoned the saint.”

Her eyes widened.

She crossed her arms and stared at me with piercing interest.

The noise of the surroundings persisted. It seemed no one had overheard our conversation.

The fact that I found relief in that disgusted me even more.

“You crazy bitch. Do you know Miranda?”

“Th-that’s…”

My voice refused to come out.

My body trembled violently.

I feared the change in her gaze.

I was terrified that I would no longer be able to stay by her side.

“I suppose you don’t.”

Azela smirked and beckoned with a flick of her finger. I swallowed dryly and took a step toward her.

“I’ll keep what I know a secret. But in return, meet me after work today. And, of course, don’t tell anyone.”

She whispered softly, but no matter how I heard it, it didn’t sound like a pleasant request.

She was surely planning to use this as blackmail to demand something from me.

Perhaps she wanted money, or maybe I was about to face merciless violence.

“…Alright.”

But all I could do was bow my head.

A fitting sight for a sinner.

***

“Dinner plans?”

The sky outside the window was tinged with a faint red as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon. The shop was nearing closing time.

“Yes. I made a friend, and we decided to have dinner together.”

“You? The one who does nothing but work? You made a friend?”

“Hehe, I have a lot of customers who like me, you know.”

“Hmph. What a sly little fox.”

At my innocent smile, Grandma Miranda only grumbled without suspicion.

“I’ll just take a short walk and be back soon. Don’t worry and get some rest.”

“Hmph, why not just talk here? There’s nowhere worth walking in this empty town.”

“Oh, I don’t want to do that where I work.”

“Hah. What nonsense.”

In the end, I promised to return within two hours, securing her reluctant approval.

Before long, the sun had set, and the shop’s lights flickered off. The once-bustling restaurant had now sunk into silence.

By tomorrow, it would once again be filled with cheerful laughter. But would I?

“Promise me. If you’re not back in two hours, it won’t just be nagging you’ll get.”

“I know. And I’m an adult, you know? Stop treating me like a child.”

“You couldn’t even wash dishes a few months ago, and now you’ve got quite the attitude.”

“Ugh… W-well, I can do it now!”

Small talk—yet a conversation that warmed my heart. It was a gift too precious for a sinner like me.

“Then go on. But don’t even think about doing anything foolish—I know everyone in this town.”

“I know, I know…!”

After our final farewell, I saw Grandma Miranda off.

Opening the back door of the shop, I stepped outside.

I exchanged brief greetings with the mercenaries I was acquainted with before making my way down the narrow alley of the town.

And there she was.

“You came? I thought you might run away. But at least you know you did wrong, huh? To be precise, they were there.”

“Th-this is…”

“Ah, don’t worry. Only we know about you. Five people, that’s it, right here.”

Five women were looking at me.

They were all familiar faces.

They were just customers at the store, faces I had only thought of as friendly. But now, those same people felt terrifying.

“Personally, I respected the Saintess. So, I can’t just let what you did slide.”

At her words, the other mercenaries nodded in agreement.

I didn’t need to be told. I knew that the sins I had committed were far from trivial.

“What… should I do?”

My voice trembled.

I clenched my fists tightly, trying to steady my shaking body.

Azela smiled. It was a familiar kind of smile.

The kind I had encountered the most in my life, but never wanted to get used to.

She licked her lips once and slowly approached me.

As soon as her hand touched my shoulder, a wave of discomfort ran down my spine.

“Since we’re mercenaries, you know, we’re always tired from all sorts of things. But, you see…”

She paused, twisting the corner of her mouth and whispering.

“We don’t have time to relieve our sexual desires.”

A small laugh came from behind me.

The gazes of the other women grew increasingly dark and sinister. Every time their eyes scanned me up and down, my stomach churned, and my legs felt weak.

My breath grew shallow. Under the weight of their lustful stares, I felt as though I might vomit at any moment.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to relieve our desires?”

It was a clear statement that they intended to use me as a tool for their sexual gratification. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as shocking as I had expected. Perhaps it was due to Mardian’s influence, but it was something I had anticipated.

“Well? Your answer?”

“…I… understand.”

I nodded weakly, without any strength to resist.

I didn’t even think of protesting.

No, I didn’t have the right to do so.

Yes, this was the final destination for a sinner like me.

Grandma Miranda’s shop was no place for someone like me. It was too warm, too clean, too good for someone like me.

“I’ll do as you say.”

The thought of refusing never crossed my mind.

Instead, I convinced myself that this was the way to atone for the sins I had committed.

“You bitch. You were looking forward to this, weren’t you?”

Azela and the other four women slowly closed in around me.

In this cramped, inescapable space, I knelt on the ground without resistance.

Their shadows gradually enveloped me. Their glinting desires bore down on me.

“Sigh… We can be a bit rough. You’ll understand, won’t you?”

One by one, they began to remove their heavy armor.

The dull clang of metal echoed through the dark alley.

Beneath the armor, their toned muscles and deep, long scars were revealed. These marks seemed to speak of a violent history, making their presence even more menacing.

My gaze fell to their feet.

Only the faintest sound of breathing could be heard, and my knees remained weakly pressed against the cold ground.

“Damn, you look so pathetic, you bitch. I’ll crush you until you’re begging.”

One of the women thrust her lower body in front of my face.

“Take it off with your hands.”

She licked her lips and commanded me.

“…Yes.”

I nodded silently.

Strangely, my body no longer trembled. Perhaps I was finally ready to accept the punishment for my sins.

Quietly, I placed my hands on her pants. Slowly, I began to undo her belt, one buckle at a time.

“…I’ll take them off.”

“Hurry up, you bitch.”

Her cold words struck my face like a slap, but I felt nothing. I closed my eyes tightly, letting go of the last remnants of resistance.

Just as I was about to pull down her pants—

“I told you to stop seducing people all over the place, didn’t I?”

A foreign voice pierced through the darkness of the alley.

“W-What?!”

Tension tangled up in an instant.

All eyes—Azela’s, the women’s, and mine—snapped toward the direction of the voice. I, too, lifted my head blankly and stared at the owner of the voice.

“M-Miranda… Grandma?”

Even from afar, her massive frame was unmistakable.

But today, something was different.

Clutched in her burly arms was a cross I had never seen before.

And it was no ordinary cross.

It was massive, a size that did not pale in comparison to Miranda Grandma’s overwhelming physique. It wasn’t just a cross—it looked more like a blunt weapon shaped in its form.

“B-But I definitely saw her leave!”

The female mercenaries drew their swords in unison. The woman who had been exposing her lower half in front of me hurriedly fastened her buckle.

“How strange. At the very least, I thought no one in this town would stoop to such lowly acts. Especially you, Azela.”

Miranda Grandma trudged forward, the enormous cross scraping against the ground, producing an eerie noise.

“That just means you’re that much of a vixen. Damn fox.”

A playful smile curled on Miranda Grandma’s lips. I could do nothing but stare at that smile in a daze.

“Listen, old hag. We know you’re strong, but there are five of us. Why don’t you just enjoy your quiet retirement?”

One of the female mercenaries pointed her sword at Miranda Grandma.

The fact that they showed not a hint of fear before her towering presence meant they were formidable in their own right.

And as they said, they were five. Meanwhile, Miranda Grandma stood alone.

“G-Grandma! I’m fine. You don’t have to do this!”

If she got hurt because of me, the guilt would be unbearable.

Besides, this was my burden to bear. I couldn’t let Miranda Grandma get dragged into my mess.

“I was wrong.”

But she only stared at me with chilling eyes, completely ignoring my words.

“An adult, my ass. You’re still just a kid. Starting tomorrow, I’m training you even harder. So brace yourself.”

“Huh…?”

A shiver ran down my spine, one I hadn’t even felt when being used as their plaything.

“Tsk. What a shame. The old hag’s cooking was the best, but I guess this is the end of that.”

The mercenaries took their stances one by one.

“Don’t worry. You won’t have to worry about food anymore anyway.”

A wide grin spread across Miranda Grandma’s face as she gripped the massive cross with both hands and closed her eyes.

The sight was reminiscent of a priest offering a prayer.

“Saint Miranda, once again, I repay a fraction of the Goddess’s grace today.”

When her short prayer ended, Miranda Grandma’s eyes slowly opened.

“Alright, all five of you—get ready to go up.”

It was much later that I learned the truth.

Miranda Grandma’s homeland was on the other side of the Empire, in the Northern Continent.

There, she was called a saint.

Because she had returned more people to the Goddess’s embrace than anyone else.