Chapter 15: New Goal

The palace of the Holy Kingdom greeted the warm morning sun.

A girl sat quietly by the window.

From the top of her head to the tip of her chin, her delicate features flowed into a slender neck, creating an exquisite beauty.

Her silver hair cascaded down past her shoulders, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.

Even dressed in loose, rumpled pajamas, her appearance lost none of its charm.

Just sitting still, she looked like a living painting.

“Saintess.”

The girl, who had been enjoying the breeze coming in through the window, turned her gaze toward the voice calling her.

Still seated with grace, she turned her body and offered a warm smile as radiant as the sunlight.

She was beautiful—so much so that the title of Saintess suited her perfectly.

“Good morning, Lady Erin.”

“Good morning, Saintess.”

The visitor was a female knight clad in silver armor.

The emblem of light etched on her chest marked her as a Holy Knight of the kingdom.

“I feel ashamed to come to your quarters so early in the morning.”

“It’s fine. You came in person with important news, didn’t you? You can hold your head high.”

“Your mercy is truly as boundless as the heavens, Saintess.”

“Lady Erin, did you come all this way just to flatter me until your tongue fell off? If not, wouldn’t you mind sharing that news with me now?”

“A-Ah, of course.”

The girl’s gentle smile carried a hint of thorns.

It showed that she wasn’t just kind and merciful—she had a sharp side, too.

“There’s been a miracle at Wellton Academy in the Cruschio Empire, where you were planning to enroll.”

“A miracle?”

The girl tilted her head, caught on that single word.

Since the Holy Kingdom worshipped the divine, they didn’t use the word “miracle” lightly.

Even the Hero defeating the Demon King was considered a matter of divine destiny—not a miracle.

In other words, the kingdom held an exceptionally high standard for what qualified as miraculous.

So for a Holy Knight to call something a miracle, it had to be significant.

“Could you explain it in more detail?”

“They say someone purified a human who had been tainted by demonic energy.”

“Is that true?!”

The girl, who had maintained a calm demeanor until now, suddenly stood up in surprise.

Realizing she’d gotten too excited, she quickly sat back down and cleared her throat.

Her attempt to act as if nothing happened was charming in a way that could make anyone smile.

However, Erin, knowing her place, bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“It’s true. The claim came from a devout follower who’s worked at Wellton for over ten years—there’s no reason to doubt it.”

“Who performed a miracle that even past Popes and Saintesses couldn’t achieve?”

“Well…”

Erin scratched her cheek awkwardly, hesitating to answer.

The girl frowned at the sudden silence and tapped her knees.

It was a silent demand to speak quickly.

“They say it was the academy’s gravekeeper.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Lady Erin. Didn’t Selune herself teach us that no job is beneath another? Did you hesitate because you think a gravekeeper isn’t worthy of performing miracles?”

“N-No, you misunderstand! The reason I hesitated was because there are troubling rumors surrounding the gravekeeper.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“Apparently, before performing the miracle… he was protecting a demon.”

No matter what happened, demons must never be protected.

That was the doctrine of her faith, unchanging even after centuries.

Even if someone had a just reason, the Holy Kingdom offered no mercy—it always ended in execution.

“The Church plans to send an inquisitor to Wellton. If the gravekeeper is found guilty, he will be taken to the kingdom for judgment.”

“If they’re sending an inquisitor… that means the Archbishop, that old fossil, already sees him as a criminal.”

“…Yes, but the general opinion is that there’s no one else suited for the job besides the inquisitor.”

“What do you mean there’s no one else? There’s someone right here!”

The girl gave a bright smile and pointed to herself with her thumb.

She declared her intention to go to Wellton and conduct the investigation herself.

“B-But Saintess, don’t you have a pilgrimage scheduled soon?”

“I’ll use my authority to cancel it. Prepare to leave for Wellton immediately!”

“…So you didn’t want to go on that pilgrimage, did you?”

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

The girl feigned innocence and pulled a subspace pouch from under her bed, slinging it over her shoulder.

She had been ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Erin let out a baffled chuckle and shook her head in disbelief.

‘Wellton, huh… I’m already looking forward to it!’

Originally, the girl was meant to complete her pilgrimage before enrolling at Wellton Academy.

But now that a reason had come up to head straight there, the Saintess decided to move up her entrance date.

And just like that, a new chapter was about to begin at Wellton.

***

After the commotion died down, the academy returned to normal.

Ayla was taken to the infirmary for a thorough examination, and I was placed under disciplinary probation in my dorm.

Despite accomplishing something unprecedented, I lost my freedom just for protecting a demon.

The same went for the people who helped me.

Even Erin received disciplinary action.

Even though she was humanity’s next hope—the next Hero—she still had to follow the rules.

‘When I see Erin later, I need to apologize.’

I had dragged the name of the Muthertz family through the mud.

Even under normal circumstances, a Hero is a position that has to care about public opinion and the will of the people.

I was worried that he might’ve been dragged into ruin because of me.

Recalling the goals of the Demon Tribe mentioned in the story, I knew that I absolutely had to prevent the downfall of the Mutherz family.

‘He’ll get a reduced sentence, right? If not, we’re screwed…’

In the end, there was nothing I could do until I met with the inquisitor dispatched by the Holy Nation.

I desperately hoped that it would be someone honest, not someone steeped in corruption.

This whole incident wasn’t in the original novel, so I had no way of knowing who would show up.

‘Even the act of purifying a mana core directly didn’t appear until much later in the story.’

Originally, that method wouldn’t have been discovered for another two years, but I ended up revealing it much earlier.

I was curious to see what kind of changes would come from this.

For now, the most noticeable change was that some people had started calling me a Saint.

I strongly denied it, saying I wasn’t, but they wouldn’t believe me.

At this rate, the Holy Nation might accuse me of blasphemy, claiming I was impersonating a Saint.

***

“Hey, Itshin! Do that thing again!”

“You want me to do it again?”

“Stop being such a wimp! Just one more time!”

Ahem! “From now on, anyone who crosses this line or casts magic beyond this point will be considered an enemy!”

“Puhahaha!”

While I was drowning in my own worries, my ridiculous teachers were mimicking me for laughs.

The fact that it was something I’d actually said made it even more painful.

Even if I was caught up in the heat of the moment, I still couldn’t believe I’d said something so cringe-worthy.

“Seriously? I’m already stressed enough, and now you’re mocking me?”

“We’re not mocking you! We’re proud of you!”

“We only copied you because it was actually cool.”

“You pulled off something even we thought was impossible. You should be proud of yourself.”

“If I weren’t already dead, I’d call in all the animals to throw a big celebration for you.”

I felt embarrassed for no reason.

They’d never praised me this openly before.

When I showed off my martial skills at the entrance ceremony, they said it in a joking tone—but this time, it felt like genuine recognition.

Even by their strict standards, I had done really well.

“To think the same kid who was so scrawny three years ago has come this far! This is what makes raising a disciple worth it!”

“Wasn’t it just a little while ago that you said you didn’t even want to be noticed, much less become a hero? What made you pull off something that bold?”

“There’s been a change in my mindset.”

“So… have you finally decided to become a hero?”

“No, nothing that grand.”

“Then what’s your new goal?”

“For the next three years, I just want to live my life as best as I can!”

‘This world was different from the one I knew.’

‘And because of my involvement, the predetermined future had completely shifted.’

‘I could no longer rely on the novel’s original storyline—I’d never know what happened after the point I deviated from.’

So I made a decision.

Since I could no longer avoid it, I’d embrace it.

I would take the lead and rewrite the novel’s plot myself.

I’d solve all the events, defeat powerful enemies, and finally defeat the final boss I’d never seen.

Then I’d enjoy the happy ending meant for the protagonist.

Of course, the path ahead would be difficult.

Countless unexpected events were bound to occur.

But that was okay—because I had heroes by my side, people I could proudly call my teachers.

Not a bad goal at all.

“That means I can start going all-out on you now, right?”

“Have you lost your mind? And don’t forget—you’re still under disciplinary restriction!”

“Who says you can’t train while grounded?”

“I can’t even go outside.”

“Then just do it here. And don’t forget—the red lizard brat challenged you. If you so much as show signs of losing, I’ll fold your spine in half.”

“Can I at least take today off? I’ll train hard starting tomorrow.”

“Why not take the rest of your life off while you’re at it?”

“…I’ll train.”

‘One day, I will make sure all these lunatics finally pass on to the next life.’