Episode 51
"...F-fine. If those are the conditions, I'm satisfied."
"Good, the negotiation is complete."
After lengthy discussions with the wicked and evil Frey, I was able to establish a ceasefire agreement with him.
A so-called ceasefire agreement, that is.
For reference, since a ceasefire was the second thing I wanted after peace in the previous round, I strongly insisted on calling it an agreement.
"...But why exactly did you do that earlier?"
"Pardon?"
As we finished negotiating and were about to leave the dark storage room, Frey suddenly asked me a question.
"You were coming toward me, then suddenly narrowed your eyes and looked around. Why did you do that?"
So that's what it was about—he was asking about what happened earlier.
I wondered whether I should share information with Frey, a member of the wicked Demon King's army, but since we're currently in a ceasefire state, I decided to specially share the information with him.
"For a fleeting moment, I sensed a sinister energy."
"Sinister energy?"
"Yes, and it felt thoroughly concealed at that."
When Frey made the female employee cry earlier, a terrifying energy I had definitely experienced somewhere before had definitely washed over me.
That's why I thought Frey was using dark arts and urgently dragged him away to send sacred power into him.
However, for some reason, no reaction occurred in Frey. It was quite suspicious, but Frey was not the culprit who had emitted that sinister energy.
If so, then who exactly emitted that sinister energy?
Could a subordinate of the Demon King have infiltrated this orphanage? Or was it an illusion caused by my recently heightened sensitivity to sacred power?
I'm not sure.
But if I don't know, I just need to find out. So I'll need to track that sinister energy while staying at this orphanage.
"Sinister energy... sinister energy, indeed..."
I glanced sideways at Frey, who was muttering something, with a displeased expression, and left the storage room first.
"...Miss Perlrotche?"
"Ah, yes! Hello!"
As soon as I left the storage room, someone standing in front spoke to me. They seem different from the person who came to greet me earlier—who could this be?
"Nice to meet you. I'm Anna, the current person in charge and staff member here."
"I see! Hello!"
It was Miss Anna, the person in charge here! She seems quite kind-hearted!
"It's an honor to meet the Saintess whose fame is widely known."
"Oh no! Please don't kneel! You shouldn't do that!"
When Miss Anna tried to kneel and greet me, I urgently stopped her!
"Um, I... I'm sorry?"
Miss Anna then looked puzzled and apologized to me. Oh my, that wasn't what I intended to receive an apology for.
"I'm merely God's proxy...! So you don't need to kneel before someone like me!"
When I urgently explained this, Miss Anna smiled warmly and said,
"Sure enough, the Saintess is quite kind, just as the rumors say."
"Th-thank you..."
"...You'll get along well with Ruby."
Then Miss Anna pointed at the employee who had been crying earlier, took my hand, and started leading me somewhere.
"That child you see over there is called Ruby, and she's been doing free volunteer work here for a full three months."
"Really?"
Three months of free volunteer work—she must be a truly remarkable person. Thanks to that, I became quite interested, and when I headed to where Anna was leading, a young lady was looking at me!
"Ruby, did you greet her? This is the Saintess of the Sun God Church."
"Ah, ah... hello!"
When Anna introduced me, Miss Ruby made an expression full of fear and bowed deeply to me.
That appearance was somehow like seeing a frightened puppy, and I don't know why but my heart softened.
"The orphanage's little Saintess must be nervous meeting the Empire's Saintess."
"P-please don't call me that nickname!"
When Anna said this with a mischievous expression, Miss Ruby's face turned red and she bowed her head deeply.
"Wow! You're really being hypocritical!"
"H-huh!?"
I said this with a smile to Miss Ruby, and seeing her noticeably flustered, I started tilting my head in confusion.
Perhaps the compliment was too burdensome for her?
"Um... Saintess? That thing you just said..."
"Ah, excuse me!"
As expected, Miss Ruby must be someone who finds receiving compliments quite burdensome, just like me.
"I'll refrain from using the word 'hypocritical' from now on! I'm sorry!"
Thanks to that, I made a slightly embarrassed expression, apologized to Miss Ruby, and started heading toward where Frey was in the distance.
From now on, I need to monitor him, after all!
.
"Hah... hah..."
"........."
I'm not feeling at ease right now.
Because Frey right in front of me is breathing quite roughly while cleaning.
Of course, he's irredeemable trash who deserves such suffering...
Still, somehow a corner of my heart isn't comfortable.
Should I send just a tiny bit of sacred power...
"Mr. Frey, shall I help you?"
"...What?"
While I was agonizing alone, suddenly Miss Ruby stepped up beside Frey and picked up a broom.
"You look like you're having too much trouble..."
"Get lost."
"P-please don't... let me help a little..."
"I said get lost!"
When Frey shouted like that and snatched the broom, Miss Ruby lost her balance and fell spectacularly.
Oh dear, thanks to that, Miss Ruby's knee is scraped and bleeding.
"A-are you okay?"
"...Ah, y-yes! No problem!"
So I urgently ran over to heal her knee with sacred power, but Miss Ruby quickly got up from her spot and bowed.
"Mr. Frey. I'm sorry for interfering."
"...Whatever, just get lost."
After saying that, Miss Ruby disappeared without even receiving my treatment.
"You, what kind of behavior is this! Using violence while receiving volunteer work as punishment...!"
Thanks to that, I was quite angry and tried to scold Frey, but...
"Hah... hah..."
"...Frey?"
For some reason, Frey wasn't losing his temper as usual, but was breathing roughly while looking at me.
"What's wrong? Is there some problem..."
"...It's nothing."
Having said that, Mr. Frey suddenly started heading somewhere in a hurry!
- Click.
Soon after entering the storage room, Mr. Frey locked the door and didn't come out for a while.
Quietly watching that scene, I made a serious resolution, got up from my spot, and started walking stealthily.
"Miss Ruby."
"Y-yes!?"
When I approached Miss Ruby, who was showing a play to the children at the orphanage, I started whispering to her!
"Could you give me the key to the storage room?"
"W-why do you need that?"
When Miss Ruby tilted her head and asked, I answered with the most splendid expression I could muster.
"It's part of the plan to catch the Demon King."
".....!"
Then Miss Ruby's eyes went round as she started looking at me. That appearance looks just like a surprised puppy—how cute!
"...H-here you are."
After looking at me for a long while, Miss Ruby carefully took out a key bundle from her bosom and handed it to me.
"Thank you, Miss Ruby..."
To her, I whispered in her ear once more in gratitude.
"...You really are hypocritical."
Then Miss Ruby bowed her head deeply, seemingly embarrassed! It seems like we'll become good friends!
"...Ahem."
Having received the key from Miss Ruby, I opened the firmly locked storage room door!
This time for sure, I'll catch Frey using dark arts in the act...!
"...Cough! Cough!"
"F-Frey?"
However, the situation unfolding inside the storage room was very different from what I had expected.
Instead of Frey making an evil expression and threatening the orphanage with dark arts, there was Frey collapsed against the wall, coughing up blood.
"...Get out."
Frey, having discovered me, spoke to me with a cold expression.
"Cough!!"
But right after that, he coughed up blood again and started trembling.
".......Ugh."
At first, I tried to ignore him and leave the storage room.
He is evil to the point of nausea, obscene enough to try to attack me given the chance, and a villain who will ruin the Empire.
But... somehow, seeing him collapsed like that reminds me of when I first met him.
Back then, I was the one collapsed and he was standing.
"Cough! Cough!!"
"...Sigh."
While having such thoughts, he coughed once more and squeezed his eyes shut.
In the end, unable to bear watching, I started approaching him where he sat collapsed.
Of course, I won't give any sacred power—I'll only diagnose.
Not for treatment, but to gauge the enemy's condition.
It's absolutely not out of pity or worry for him. Just for information gathering...
".....!"
As I placed my hand on his body with such thoughts, I was shocked.
"W-what happened to you...?"
"...What are you talking about."
"This is... just how..."
The level of bodily damage is beyond imagination.
The mana circuits are improperly joined, causing overload to the body whenever mana flows, the internal organs are all twisted, and the life force felt inside is at rock bottom.
The only time I've experienced this kind of physical condition was when treating critically ill patients at the hospital run by the Church.
If so... then right now Frey is...
"Exactly how many years do you have left?"
"Cough!! Cough... what kind of nonsense is that?"
It seems he doesn't know his own physical condition.
Well, filled with arrogance and vanity as he is, if he knew he's a terminal patient with only a few years to live, he'd throw a tantrum, so it can't be helped.
If left like this, he probably won't even last a few years and will die.
That means Frey, who will shatter the Empire in the future and, secretly siding with the Demon King, burn everything, will disappear.
That's good. Very good. Without us having to lift a finger, he'll die on his own—truly well done.
It's clearly very well, but...
Today of all days, I keep remembering when I first met him.
"...What are you doing now?"
"A very small amount of sacred power."
In the end, I decided to infuse a very small amount of sacred power into him.
It's absolutely not because he reminds me of his past self. It's just that having Frey continue like this is troublesome, so I intended to give only enough sacred power for him to resume cleaning.
"...Huh?"
But something is strange. I definitely infused life force, but the life force is still at rock bottom. How did this happen?
Actually, I infused enough sacred power to let him spend one day comfortably, but still...
- Whoosh...
"...I asked what you're doing."
"Just wait."
In the end, I started infusing a bit more sacred power. However, his life force remained completely empty.
Enough for three days, enough for a week, enough for a month...
No matter how much sacred power I continued to infuse, his physical condition didn't improve at all.
"Hah... hah..."
In the end, pulling away from him while breathing roughly, I forced my lips upward and started muttering inwardly.
'This is actually better. If sacred power can't fix it... then nothing can fix him.'
Seeing that sacred power doesn't work, it seems even the Sun God has abandoned him. Otherwise, there's no way he wouldn't be healed.
Yes, it's really good. That vicious Frey receiving a death sentence—truly a good thing.
Isn't this what I've always wanted? Until just months ago, I sincerely wanted to kill him.
Frey is a villain who deserves not an ounce of pity. So his death is truly something to celebrate.
Please, why is this happening? Just moments ago I felt murderous intent toward him, yet now that his death is certain, why on earth...
'...Why on earth does my heart feel like it's tearing apart?'
Frey's silver eyes and my white eyes cross.
Soon, recalling Frey's innocent face as he held out a potion with silver eyes shining, my head started throbbing with pain.
"Ugh...!"
"What, what is it?"
My white hair that made people call me the Pure White Saintess fluttered and mingled with Frey's silver hair.
Wondering why, I realized it happened because I approached Frey too closely.
Seeing the pool of blood gathered in front of Frey who was frowning deeply at that, I continued thinking and thinking again with a dazed look in my eyes.
Frey is the Empire's greatest villain. I must hate him. I must loathe him. I must kill him. He tried to attack me. He will burn the Empire in the future.
I am foolish. I've been an idiot since childhood. I can't write well. My memory is terrible. The only thing I'm good at is being kind.
So the current situation makes sense. Nothing is wrong. Everything is as it should be...
"No."
"What?"
It's definitely a problem that Frey's life force doesn't increase even when I pour sacred power into his body. That goes against the laws.
Sacred power is not a miracle but a law and a phenomenon. Miracles are something else. Anything that violates absolute immutable laws is definitely strange.
Even excluding the simple fact that life force isn't filling, the fact that internal wounds aren't healing is a problem. So the current situation is strange.
"Perlrotche?"
And Frey is strange too. Saying he'll attack me, yet dragging things out with various excuses.
No, all the behavior he's showing is strange from the beginning.
Not only that, but I'm strange too.
What's going on? Why am I here? When did I start being like this?
Frey is in danger. If this continues, he won't even last a few years. Then what should I do? Should I save him? Should I kill him?
Was what I did earlier really a compliment? What's the meaning of the word 'hypocritical'? Was that really a compliment? Did I really not know the meaning of that word?
If what I believed wasn't a miracle, then what is a real 'miracle'? Didn't I know earlier? Then what are laws and phenomena? What is the Sun God? What do I believe in?
It's hypocritical. Everything is hypocritical. I must expose it. I must expose the truth to someone. I don't really understand, but anyway, I need to make some sound right now.
"...Has she finally lost her mind?"
Hypocrisy and false virtue, light and darkness. The sun and moon and stars. And...
.
"De, De..."
"Cough, cough! What on earth are you doing..."
"De..."
It had been one minute since Perlrotche touched Frey's body and started spacing out.
Thanks to that, Frey, who was quite annoyed, thought she was doing something foolish again and tried to get up from his spot...
"...Demon God."
".....?"
When Perlrotche suddenly struggled to speak, he tilted his head and asked back.
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
"The Demon God... is..."
As Frey looked at her with a puzzled expression, and she tried to say something, he started listening carefully, but...
- Creak...
"What are you two doing here?"
When Ruby opened the dark storage room and entered, Perlrotche stopped speaking and started shaking her head.
"...Eek! Are you okay?"
Meanwhile, as the brilliant sunlight coming through the opened door wrapped around Frey and Perlrotche while illumininating the pool of blood in front of Frey, Ruby, witnessing that, started screaming with a startled expression.
"...We're fine, so get lost."
"Yes, y-yes... If by any chance you need help, please tell me anytime."
Then Frey drove her out of the storage room with a cold voice, and started looking at Perlrotche in front of him.
"S-so you ended up like this because... well, what was it..."
"...You reap what you sow?"
"Yes! You reap what you sow! This is an expression from the Eastern Continent that Miss Clana told me about..."
"Shut up and get off my body."
Soon after, when Perlrotche started spouting nonsense with a blank expression as she always did, Frey sighed, pushed her aside, and muttered.
"...Let's end it here for today, shall we?"
"Hmm... considering your physical condition... today specially..."
"Then let's go to the Sun God Church's cathedral."
"Huh? B-but recently, only authorized people can enter the cathedral..."
"...I need to offer prayers with you after finishing volunteer work."
"...Ah."
After leaving the storage room, the two greeted Anna, who was looking at their blood-covered selves with horrified expressions, and trudged out of the orphanage.
"You! How did your body end up in such a state? Were you tortured by the Demon King's army? If you tell me about that, I can specially report to the Church..."
"...Why are there so many Church people around the orphanage? Do you know anything?"
Soon after, the two boarded a carriage while asking different questions and slowly moved away from the orphanage.
And warm sunlight was shining on them.
.
Upon arriving at the cathedral, Frey, after explaining the advantages of surprise attack for 10 minutes to Perlrotche who strongly insisted on praying first, headed to where she guided him.
"...So you're saying you feel the sinister energy here?"
There, a crude iron door existed.
"Yes! Your people are definitely doing something here... mmph!"
"...Shh."
Having covered the mouth of Perlrotche who was speaking in a bell-like voice, Frey continued holding her mouth shut as he opened the iron door and stepped inside.
"Phew, how did you evade surveillance? I got caught every time I tried..."
"...I don't know why, but there are too few people in the cathedral. No surveillance personnel either. Something is strange."
Having arrived several hours earlier than the scheduled arrival time on purpose, and having made Perlrotche wear a plain nun's habit instead of the conspicuous Saintess attire, Frey quietly sighed as his efforts went to waste and looked around the room while muttering.
"...Well then, something should happen about now."
- Rumble rumble rumble rumble!!!
And at that moment, the space inside the room flipped over and a complex maze started to appear.
"I knew it."
Looking at that scene with an enlightened expression, Frey put the Saintess who was gaping with her mouth open in front and slowly started entering the maze.
"What are you trying to do this time?"
And at that point,
"...Shall we follow?"
Irina, dressed in a nun's habit like Perlrotche and watching them from afar, quietly looked around and started heading toward the basement.