Chapter 14: Mind and Body: The Limits of Healing

The sensation of losing reason and screaming.

The feeling of blood not circulating and my body not feeling like my own.

Pain, which I thought I wouldn’t feel with this strong body, is piercingly felt.

Why do I feel powerless in this body?

I’m disgusted with myself to the point of absurdity.

‘I hate this power…’

Who are you?

What am I doing?

Ah, I almost forgot. I promised to go see a movie with Mr. Lenas.

My memory seems to be fading these days. Even divine power can’t fix this.

“Saintess, let’s go.”

Normally, people would unconsciously ask what I was thinking, but Mr. Lenas, who is considerate of me, who can’t speak, is such a kind person.

Lately, he’s been so considerate of me, who can’t even heal with my right hand…

It might be my imagination, but whenever I try to infuse divine power with my right hand, my body instinctively rejects it. What should I do…?

Beep-

Mr. Lenas’s magic communicator is ringing.

It’s probably an urgent request or order to subjugate magical beasts.

Mr. Lenas said with a troubled expression,

“…Saintess, I’m sorry.”

He added that it wouldn’t take long, and then quickly ran off.

Mr. Lenas is one of the most talked-about candidates for the next Sword Saint.

But I heard that someone from the East recently subjugated the Demon King’s closest aide, so it seems like his promotion will be difficult again this time.

I just smiled and saw Mr. Lenas off.

And the atmosphere in the street, now without Mr. Lenas, immediately became more violent.

It’s probably because of the aura that leaked out even though Mr. Lenas was controlling it. If I weren’t used to it like him, a person with a weak body would have been really intimidated.

As Mr. Lenas’s aura dissipated, someone who looked like a delinquent approached me as if waiting.

“I’ll make you feel good~”

Saying that, a person with tanned skin reached out to grab my right hand.

…It was instantaneous.

As soon as he touched my hand, blood started pouring out of every hole in his body, his skin rotted, and then he turned black and died.

Ah,

I killed someone.

I took this person’s time to live.

I can’t atone for this. I’m sorry, Creator God.

…I hate myself.

From that day on, lines started appearing on my wrist, one by one.

After that,

The 1st Demon King Army.

An army that deals with plagues, diseases, and all sorts of unclean things.

If I die to them, wouldn’t that be atonement?

So I used my unique magic, ‘King of the Jews’.

It’s a magic with a simple effect, despite being EX rank.

The target of the spell has a dramatic increase in magic power and strength.

And they don’t get injured or sick.

However, all wounds and illnesses are transferred to the caster, and when the casting time is over, the caster dies.

A fitting magic for atonement.

When I used the magic, I heard a voice like when I was appointed as a Saintess.

‘I will carry your sins to death, so do not fear.’

I was just a lamb walking the path of atonement, not dying for such a noble purpose, but hearing those words made me feel inexplicably solemn, and I cast the spell on the students.

And I quietly knelt down and recited the Apostle’s Creed.

“I believe in God, the Father almighty…”

Drip…

My left eye was cut, and blood flowed.

But unfortunately for death, which was waiting for me, I couldn’t die yet.

Arthur is the hero, Cynthia is destined to become an archmage, and Erica will become the emperor.

Mr. Lenas also had to achieve his dream of becoming a Sword Saint someday.

“Creator of heaven and earth.”

This world, which gives even someone like me attention and shines its light, is so beautiful.

I can’t help but believe that someone created it with love.

I was about to say the next verse, but I noticed something.

I was speaking.

It’s funny that I’m only noticing this now, but to find out just before death…

As I was chuckling to myself, my shoulder was deeply cut after a while.

“That hurts…”

The clothes I received, so as not to defile the name of Saintess, were already so stained with blood that I could believe they were originally red.

At this rate, wouldn’t I die before even leaving a will?

My reflection in the mirror had an ominous appearance that anyone would think would bring death.

…I knelt on the floor of the infirmary and thought.

“Am I a crow or a Saintess?”

What nonsense…

If you bring death, are you a crow…?

You’ve ruined the consistency…

Even after the trauma flashback was over, the blood continued to rampage inside me.

Like a fish in water, it was piercing through my body and dancing.

Arthur didn’t know what to do.

If he stabbed me with the Holy Sword, more blood would come out, and to cut the blood, it wasn’t harming anyone else, so he must have been troubled and confused.

At that moment, unfamiliar blonde hair fluttered.

Even if you spread the finest gold leaf, it wouldn’t be that color.

I barely managed to lift my head and saw eyes bluer than the ocean staring at me.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, and then she spoke.

“…Serenade Nacht, Inquisitor and Cardinal of the Holy Lamo Empire.”

Clang!

Serenade instantly drew a sword flowing with yellow divine power.

Why is she suddenly pointing a sword at me…? Ah, perhaps?

As I barely managed to control the blood and tried to speak, she interrupted.

“You are judged a heretic of the Pale Horse Rider level. I will execute you.”

“Are you… Selina’s sister?”

Arthur said with a surprised expression.

Erica stood indifferently as if she didn’t know her.

Selina… Oh… seeing.

I finally remembered the original setting I had forgotten due to the pain.

A priest heroine named Selina Nacht.

She had blonde hair and red eyes, dead red eyes that didn’t quite suit a priest.

She had a sister with blue eyes.

It was said that blue eyes are a manifestation of overflowing divine power since ancient times.

And the strongest person in the Holy Lamo Empire… her sister.

Am I screwed?

No, it seems like she’s the one who’s screwed.

If it can pierce my body to this extent… isn’t this blood incredibly strong?

“I… hope you dodge.”

Swish!

The blood I had lost control of due to the pain flew fiercely.

Serenade held the sword with both hands, raised it slightly above her face, and then struck down, saying,

“Holy Kingdom Swordsmanship 1st Form, The Bell Tolls.”

Crack.

The blood bent and fell off the sword.

It wasn’t the sound that blood should make…

Watching the battle, Arthur and Erica realized that they shouldn’t interfere and sat quietly.

Good, kids, stay put if you don’t want to die.

There was a large scratch on the sword that Serenade was using, which looked quite good.

Huh, how did that happen?

For a scratch big enough for the sword to slightly dig in to appear from just one clash…

Serenade, her eyes slightly widened, looked at the scratch on the sword and said,

“…This might be Red Dragon level.”

That’s probably the highest grade.

Ah, as I was distracted, the blood flew towards Serenade again.

This time, not to cut, but to pierce.

The blood, resembling red, thin spears, gathered and extended in several directions.

Serenade calmly grabbed the sword, rotated it in a circle, and said,

“Holy Kingdom Swordsmanship – 3rd Form, Repentance of Original Sin.”

A yellow circle emitted a dense light, as if to illuminate all directions.

The blood spears stopped moving as soon as they touched the circle and fell to the floor.

Is she floating in the air and continuously rotating to create a shield with slashes?

…Could I lose in terms of skill?

However, after the rotation in the air ended, one spear that she couldn’t block grazed Serenade’s arm.

“…Ugh.”

She frowned slightly and brushed off the blood on the sword, looking like a skilled assassin.

She seemed much closer to an assassin + paladin than a cleric.

Well, it’s quite savage of me to say this after I injured her…

As if realizing that I still had reason, Serenade lowered her guard a little and said,

“…You seem to have reason, why are you doing this?”

“It’s because the blood is out of control.”

I added, “Unfortunately,” and Serenade dropped her suspicion…

…No, she didn’t. It seems to have grown a little bigger.

Serenade repositioned her grip on the sword and said,

“Are you bad at lying?”

Whoosh.

Yellow light flickered from the sword and swirled around.

It would be a bit of a strain to pour out divine power like that.

Whether she knew my thoughts or not,

Serenade raised her sword high and shouted,

“Holy Kingdom Swordsmanship – 12th Form, Apostle’s…”

Unable to watch any longer, I threw my gloves with magic power and healed myself.

Even if my left hand can’t heal mental shock, it’s all okay for physical injuries as long as it hasn’t been too long since death.

I didn’t think of this.

“…! You…!!”

As Serenade put more strength into swinging her sword down, I used a mind-altering magic to stop her movements.

“…What are you doing?”

After dodging the simple sword energy of Serenade, who stopped moving with a dazed expression,

I teleported and struck the back of Serenade’s neck, who was already in a swordsmanship stance.

The situation, which had been a standoff for several minutes, ended in an instant.

To faint right after being hit in the back of the neck?

Is she the type who strengthens herself with magic and divine power, even though her body is weak…?

As I admired the face of the unconscious Serenade in my arms, she was so beautiful that I couldn’t believe she was an inquisitor.

Drooping yet sharp eyes and long eyelashes.

Her fine hair seemed like it would make a rustling sound if I picked it up and dropped it.

In the ‘past’, she would have been my ideal type, but unfortunately, she’s the same s*x now.

Wait, my left hand can’t heal mental shock…

My eyes are closing, Arthur is running towards me…