episode_0005

“Newbie! What are you up to?”

“Oh, it’s okay. You saved me from falling into the pit.”

“Really? Who in the world dug a pit like this…”

The people who had rushed over breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as the priestess was about to explain with a charming smile,

I stood frozen in place for a while.

“Is it dirty? The smell of commoners?”

Something was off.

Jill Diner tirelessly serves the poor and needy.

Yet here she was, grimacing at the person who saved her, muttering about being dirty?

A serious character collapse.

Something was definitely wrong.

Naturally, that conclusion emerged.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the priestess’s face covered mine, shielding me from the view of others.

“Wow, newbie. Do you have a crisis detection sensor or something?”

“Haha. Thank you for saving me. What’s your name?”

“Eugene.”

“Thank you, Eugene. I almost got hurt. And what just happened… If you tell anyone else, you’ll die.”

“…”

Jill gently grasped my dirty hand, leaned towards my ear, and whispered softly.

Even in doing so, she maintained the image of a compassionate priestess to onlookers.

If I were to accuse Jill of being dirty and threatening her when she looked at me, I’d end up in a mental hospital immediately.

Her image and the dialogue from earlier didn’t match at all.

“This crazy system…”

It’s obvious whose prank this is.

It’s probably a setting created by the system’s correction.

While I’ve had doubts about whether such a perfect being like Jill exists, there have been times when I found her dialogues insincere.

Furthermore, everyone around the priestess, including her attendants and guards who do not discriminate based on status, are all nobles.

Despite the glaring inconsistency, players don’t seem to question it.

However, in the process of transplanting the game into reality, adjustments must align all inconsistencies to satisfy one’s conscience.

The priestess’s seemingly insincere dialogue, smiles, and the fact that only nobles surround her to a suspicious extent all serve to clearly explain that the priestess is actually a hypocrite.

“No, my heroine!!!”

It doesn’t particularly conflict with the existing settings.

As stated in the guidebook, the priestess ‘asserts’ the abolition of the class system.

In reality, she only verbally asserts it, but deep down, she has a mindset that doesn’t care about abolishing the class system.

Yes, Priestess Jill Diner outwardly shows love for commoners to gather their support, but in reality, she despises them.

This is going too far.

Although flawed characters are often more popular than perfect ones, isn’t being a hypocrite a damn flaw that isn’t necessary?

“If that’s the case, then I can’t become a guard, can I?”

If Jill truly detests commoners, the likelihood of me becoming a guard is close to zero.

Even though the protagonist in the game receives criticism for being an adventurer, he is still of noble descent.

In Jill’s eyes, the difference between the game’s protagonist and me would be like that between a cunning human and a monkey dressed in neat clothes.

Gloomy.

I thought conquering her would be a piece of cake since I knew everything about Jill’s personality, preferences, and even her small habits.

But now, it seems like I’m on the verge of being completely blocked from approaching her.

“I’ll take my leave now. Enjoy your meal, everyone.”

“Please take care, Priestess!”

Jill received a 90-degree bow from the laborers and climbed back into the carriage.

If it wasn’t a misconception, just before the door closed, she definitely flashed me a sly smile.

It must have been another warning.

Forget about what happened earlier.

Cross the line, and you’re dead.

The Holy Maiden may seem capable of killing someone due to some power she possesses.

However, considering the influence the Holy Maiden holds, it is not a simple matter for a commoner to socially kill someone.

“Balancing things like this…”

Her teeth grind together.

It seems like targeting Jill Diner will be a long-term project.

There’s a lot to prepare for.

.

.

.

“Ahh…”

A deep sigh fills the arena.

Jill runs her fingers through her tangled hair as she gazes at the stack of resumes on the empty stage.

“It’s all quite disappointing.”

The competition lasted a total of two days.

In reality, calling it a competition was an overstatement; all that happened was receiving resumes in advance, followed by brief interviews and swordsmanship demonstrations.

Even though each evaluation didn’t exceed 10 minutes, it took this long with so few participants.

Around 200 people gathered.

So many people attended the selection competition that there were even participants from other countries.

Yet, among them, there was no one who caught Jill’s interest.

“Just one. There was one person I felt something about.”

There was indeed one.

The man who had submitted his resume first and secured the first interview opportunity.

Jill failed to maintain her composure upon seeing him for the first time.

“Hello, Lady Saint. My name is Eugene.”

“Ah…”

Eugene.

The dirty laborer who dared to grab Jill with filthy hands a few days ago at the construction site, distorting her expression.

She almost didn’t recognize him.

Eugene appeared with a clean face, clad in a chainmail suit covering his entire body.

With a wealthy appearance, relaxed attire, excellent martial arts skills, and outstanding manners.

After a few inquiries, it seemed his educational background was also quite high.

These conditions were rare even among nobles.

There was no need to draw his sword.

What the Holy Maiden needed now was a good-looking escort knight to help with her image-making, not necessarily the most skilled.

If the skill was so lacking that training was required, turning him into a skilled swordsman surpassing knights descended through generations wouldn’t be impossible.

“You’re eliminated…”

However, Jill had to eliminate Eugene.

Once she had revealed her weakness, she couldn’t keep such a man close.

It was unacceptable to socially bury her own escort knight, even if it meant destroying him through defamation.

“Understood. Goodbye, Lady Saint.”

Without questioning why he was being eliminated or protesting, Eugene left the arena without a word.

He didn’t even mention the incident where he could have used her vulnerability to blackmail her.

As if he had no regrets at all.

His departure was a clean surrender, to the point where one might wonder if he had come to barren Hameln four weeks ago for nothing.

After he left, Jill faced numerous other candidates, but she couldn’t erase Eugene from her mind.

There were plenty of skilled swordsmen better than Eugene.

There were also many noble heirs with intact pride.

Normally, she might have chosen one of them as her escort knight.

But when she remembered eliminating Eugene on the first day, in the first round…

“You’re eliminated.”

“Eliminated.”

“Unfortunately, you’re eliminated.”

None of them caught Jill’s eye.

If she were to choose an escort knight, he must be a man with exceptional looks compared to Eugene.

But how could she find such a man in this barren Hameln?

She had missed a valuable opportunity.

All because she couldn’t hide her surprise back then…

“I may dislike commoners, but it’s not that I dislike intelligent and courteous commoners…”

She never expected that the dirty laborer would turn out to be such a respectable person.

He must have left a bad impression on him.

That man will live his life with a firm understanding of the saint.

Because of my momentary mistake.

Jill covered her face with both hands and shivered with embarrassment.

“Saint. The cathedral has been completed. They’re asking for a consecration ceremony.”

“Tell them I’ll be there soon…”

Even if her heart was troubled, she had to do what needed to be done.

Jill calmed herself and stood up.

The knight can save her later.

Ultimately, the knight is just for show.

In Hameln, the guards are enough for protection.

“You’re here already! Please come inside. Everyone is waiting.”

“…?”

As soon as they arrived, a priest rushed over and greeted Jill.

Everyone is waiting.

Usually, the consecration ceremony involved the saint alone sprinkling holy water, infusing mana into the foundation, and ending with a blessing.

But with the completion of the cathedral, it seemed that quite a few people had gathered to witness the ceremony.

It seemed like this ceremony couldn’t be rushed.

Jill walked through the wide corridor following the priest, silently resenting the situation.

“It’s quite dark in here.”

“The lighting hasn’t been installed yet.”

Upon arriving at their destination after passing through the dark corridor, they found themselves in the catacombs of the cathedral.

Hooded figures were gathered, indicating their plan to conduct the ceremony here.

Despite finding the choice of location somewhat odd, Jill prepared for the consecration without suspicion, standing in the center.

However, every time she glanced at the motionless audience, Jill couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.

“Reverend, may I ask your name?”

“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”

“I’m curious about which priest you serve under…”

At that moment, a tall man among the audience suddenly stood up and pointed to a corner.

He then opened a coffin lid on the floor, revealing a space barely big enough for one person to fit inside.

Even witnessing this eerie act, no one gave any strange looks.

Jill wasn’t naive enough not to realize the gravity of the situation even in such circumstances.

“You catch on quickly.”

“…”

Slowly, the audience rose, revealing hidden daggers from their cloaks, exposing their true intentions.

It was indeed an assassination attempt by the anti-saint faction.

They had known of the existence of those who denied the saint’s existence.

But Jill never expected they would go this far to eliminate her.

“If you truly believe in God, you will know this is wrong.”

“…”

Jill recoiled in shock and stepped back, but her escape route was already blocked.

The soldiers she brought as guards were waiting outside.

If she screamed for help, she would die.

If she stayed quiet, she would die.

In this hopeless situation where death was the only outcome…

“Ask yourself deep in your heart if what you’re doing is right.”

“…”

She continued to pose questions with obvious answers, knowing they wouldn’t stop because of her naive persuasion.

She was merely buying time.

Because Jill still hoped that somewhere, a hero would come to rescue her.

“Guh.”

The tall man who had wet the coffin lid strode forward and grabbed Jill’s wrist.

Ah. I’m going to die.

I’m going into that coffin.

As her mind went blank with that thought, for some reason, the rough grip on her wrist felt strangely familiar.

“Saint, we need your cooperation.”

“What…?”

The man pulled back his hood, revealing his face.

The face that appeared from within was very familiar.

Since yesterday, that face had haunted Jill’s thoughts incessantly.

It was Eugene.

“What’s gotten into you? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Listen carefully, Holy Maiden. From now on, you must trust me completely. And you must rely on me. That’s the only way we can survive. Do you understand?”

“Hey! This guy isn’t on our side!”

Thud.

Swiftly sensing danger, the thugs rushed towards Eugene.

Amidst daggers flying in from all directions, Eugene’s gaze remained unwavering and resolute.

Facing those eyes, Jill grasped Eugene’s hand firmly.

In this situation, there was no choice but to trust.

Though Jill’s arms were endlessly feeble and unreliable, she had to depend on him.

At that moment, he was her guardian knight.

Boom!

“W-What?!”

“He suddenly disappeared!”

The thugs’ daggers slashed through thin air.

With his vision abruptly shifting, Jill felt dizzy and grabbed his head.

And then, right after that.

Jill realized Eugene had taken a step back, embracing himself.

It was truly an event that happened in the blink of an eye.

“Eugene…?”

His condition was peculiar.

Despite looking unassuming, someone frail who could barely lift a sword.

He was now lightly supporting Jill with muscles that seemed about to burst.

The aura emanating from Eugene was clearly not his usual self.

At that moment, Eugene also sensed the change in his body and thought:

[Ability ‘Guardian Knight’ activated.]

[Stats]

[Strength: 9(x5) *Effect of Guardian Knight active]

[Stamina: 7(x5) *Effect of Guardian Knight active]

[Mana: 12(x5) *Effect of Guardian Knight active]

[Agility: 18(x5) *Effect of Guardian Knight active]

[Luck: 14(x5) *Effect of Guardian Knight active]

This is like a cheat-level scam ability.