—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Elliot. The man chosen a year and a half ago to be Ophelia’s escort knight.
He was relatively new, but I’d heard he had spent several years as a mercenary, honing his skills.
I’d also heard that the Archbishop, impressed by Elliot’s abilities, had assigned him to Ophelia’s side.
But what did that matter? Ophelia was a saintess possessing divine power exceeding even the Pope’s, while that insignificant knight was a mere commoner without even the backing of a noble family.
That alone was enough.
Elliot couldn’t, shouldn’t, even touch Ophelia’s toes. That’s what she believed, and indeed, it had been true.
For the past eighteen months, Elliot had stoically endured Ophelia’s abuse and harassment without much resistance.
That sight amused her. He seemed to know his place.
How long could he endure? And even if he couldn’t, what harm could he possibly inflict upon her? Ophelia’s tedious days were made bearable by the sheer pleasure she derived from tormenting Elliot.
That’s why…
“Did you… just hit me?”
She steadied her wavering gaze, taking a deep breath to compose herself. Elliot, standing before her, hand still raised from the slap, replied,
“You saw correctly.”
He admitted it. A mere commoner knight had struck the cheek of the church’s cherished saintess.
Under normal circumstances, that was grounds for execution.
Not just beheading, but crucifixion and burning at the stake wouldn’t be out of the question.
“….”
Ophelia trembled. This was impossible. This shouldn’t be happening. Elliot should never have hit her.
That thought, transformed into a surge of rage, erupted from her lips.
“Fuck! You worthless worm!!”
Slap! As she gritted her teeth, her vision flashed. Struck again, this time on her other cheek, Ophelia collapsed onto the flowerbed.
It hurt. She hadn’t been hit by anyone since she was a child. The pain brought tears to her eyes, blurring Elliot’s form.
“Ow, ow…”
“I told you. Insults directed at me will be severely punished with a slap. Are you incapable of learning?”
“You, you…”
Curses welled up in her throat, but Elliot’s gaze was so cold that she swallowed them back down.
If she cursed him now, she’d surely receive another slap. Ophelia closed her mouth.
At the same time, she felt a burning sensation on her back.
The passing knights and servants were whispering amongst themselves, watching the scene unfold.
“You, you! Report this! This crazy knight… he dared to slap me…!”
“No. There’s no need for that.”
Elliot knelt down, meeting Ophelia’s gaze at eye level.
“As of today, I, Knight Elliot, have been appointed as the Saintess’s Disciplinary Officer.”
“What?”
“From sunrise to sunset, I will be by your side, guiding your training. Consider it practice for defeating the Demon King.”
Ophelia blinked. Disciplinary Officer? That was absurd.
Why would a saintess need a Disciplinary Officer? But Elliot’s gaze was unwavering.
Ophelia knew better than anyone that he wasn’t lying.
However, understanding and accepting were two different things. Ophelia shrieked,
“That’s ridiculous! There’s no such thing!”
“There is.”
Ophelia’s outburst was abruptly cut short. Elliot smiled faintly.
Those emotionless eyes she’d disliked from the moment they met… now seemed to hold a strange fervor.
That was what terrified her. But Ophelia denied reality.
“N-no…”
She shook her head, rising to her feet. Pointing at Elliot, she yelled,
“That’s impossible. You must be lying! The scriptures say that those who lie to the Holy Church will have their tongues cut out! Elliot! Do you want your tongue cut out?!”
“I’m not lying. And of course, I don’t want my tongue cut out. See? It’s still firmly attached.”
With that, Elliot stuck out his tongue. He was taunting her.
Snap. The sound of Ophelia’s last shred of reason breaking.
A few minutes later, after receiving two more slaps, Ophelia finally stopped resisting.
Looking at her slumped form, a look of utter defeat on her face, I clenched my fists.
A year and a half of pent-up frustration poured out into those slaps.
Four of them.
I’d been subjected to hundreds of humiliations at Ophelia’s hands. It felt as if all that bottled-up resentment was finally washing away.
Honestly, it was rather cathartic.
“Sob, sob…”
Ophelia sniffled. Her cheeks were swollen, and her makeup was smeared from the tears, leaving dark streaks around her eyes.
She looked a mess, a far cry from the image of a saintess. In a tearful, raspy voice, she said,
“You… you… I’ll tell the old geezer! I’ll tell him everything! Just you wait!”
Was she still trying to defy me? I shrugged. My nonchalance made Ophelia grind her teeth and point at the ground.
“K-kneel and apologize! Now!”
“Apologize?”
“Yes! If you kneel right now, bow your head to the ground, and beg for forgiveness, I’ll spare your life!”
“Huh.”
I let out a small sigh and tapped my index finger against my temple.
“Saintess, do you, by any chance, lack a brain?”
“What?”
“You must have one. You’re quite good at scheming. Then use that cunning mind of yours and think carefully. From whom do you think I received this appointment as Disciplinary Officer?”
Ophelia hiccuped.
“C-could it be…”
Before she could finish, a raspy voice interrupted, “It was me.”
From a corner of the garden, an elderly man leaning on a cane, Belwin, emerged.
“I appointed Sir Elliot as the Disciplinary Officer.”
“….”
Ophelia’s eyes wavered. I shrugged and added,
“The ‘could it be’ you’re thinking of is correct. The Archbishop here gave his permission.”
I hadn’t explicitly mentioned resorting to violence, but permission was permission, wasn’t it? Belwin must have anticipated this to some extent.
The fact that he’d agreed despite that must have meant he felt a sense of urgency due to the imminent threat of the Demon King’s army.
“If you’re dissatisfied with the Archbishop’s decision, you can file a complaint directly with the Papal Office. Of course, going through all the necessary procedures will take at least a year. Ah, considering the current situation with the Demon King’s army, it might take twice as long.”
Ophelia’s hand, which had been pointing accusingly, dropped. A look of utter despair and betrayal washed over her face.
She clearly hadn’t dreamt that Belwin would agree.
“Belwin? Really?”
“The Demon King has appeared. This is a necessary measure.”
“My, my, what is the world coming to… It’s almost comical.”
“Indeed. For the Saintess to be…”
Whispers reached my ears. Ophelia must have heard them too. The mocking voices of the very servants she usually scorned and abused.
“…This can’t be happening.”
However, Ophelia’s pride wouldn’t allow her to accept it.
“Old geezer! What are you thinking?! If the Pope finds out about this, do you know what will happen?! You… you’re going to be in big trouble!”
She yelled, but no one responded. Ophelia trembled. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile.
This was purely the joy of an educator. No personal feelings involved. Probably.
“Saintess. If you continue to be uncooperative, I’ll have no choice but to employ more… drastic methods to fulfill my duties. It won’t end with just slaps then. I’m sure you don’t want that.”
I continued calmly.
“So, what shall we do? There are many eyes watching. For the sake of your reputation, shall we move inside?”
I smiled sweetly. Ophelia shuddered. But instead of directing her anger at me, she turned on Belwin.
“You old geezer! You bastard!”
Slap! Without hesitation, I slapped Ophelia again.
Perhaps she was getting used to it, or perhaps her pride wouldn’t allow her to show pain, but she immediately glared at me.
“What was that for?!”
“Respecting one’s elders is a fundamental virtue of a proper human being. This is discipline for that.”
“….”
“I don’t want to see you ostracized in the hero’s party. Therefore, for the next three years, I intend to make you into a proper human being. And I will spare no… effort, in that endeavor.”
As Ophelia remained speechless, Belwin walked over to my side. He observed her appearance and groaned.
“Sir Elliot, even so, hitting her face… isn’t that a bit excessive? She has to appear before the devotees next Sabbath. Leaving her face like this…”
“It’s fine.”
I shook my head. This world was different from Earth.
“We have divine magic, don’t we?”
“….”
“And this is the Holy City, the center of divine magic. By tomorrow, there won’t be a trace left.”
I smiled. This time, Belwin’s eyes wavered. However, instead of arguing further, he quietly turned away. Tacit agreement.
“Oh, oh…”
Betrayed even by Belwin, the person she’d trusted, Ophelia looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Well, that’s how it is.”
I raised my hand to scratch my head. As soon as my hand went up, Ophelia flinched, covering her face.
She was already developing a conditioned reflex.
“Effective, indeed.”
As expected, beasts only listen after a beating.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m still new to translating as this is my second novel to pick up, so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
Thanks for the chapter!