Taming The Evil Saintess – Chapter 7

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“…You’re so mean.”

Ophelia squeezed out those words and left. Left alone, I blinked. Ophelia had been crying.

Not tears of frustration from being slapped, like a few days ago, but genuine tears of sorrow and hardship. That was what surprised me.

In the year and a half I had served her, I had never once seen her cry like that. It meant that the past week had been incredibly difficult for her.

“Serves her right… I guess?”

I muttered, unsure of my own feelings. It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel a sense of satisfaction. When I hit her with the wooden sword or slapped her, I felt a level of catharsis I hadn’t experienced since arriving in this world.

But now, I didn’t feel that way. I thought back on the past week.

“…Did I go too far?”

My intention had been to make her experience the same torment she had inflicted on me, but I seemed to have gotten carried away.

I dragged her out for training day after day, ostracized her within the Holy City, and subjected her to what amounted to bullying.

If this were Earth, I would be behind bars. No, if it weren’t for the Archbishop’s protection, I would be hanging from the gallows in the plaza right now.

Of course, I still believed that Ophelia was reaping what she had sown, but that was from an outsider’s perspective.

Even by my standards back on Earth, and by the standards of Elliot, the knight whose body I now occupied, Ophelia was just a young woman who had barely reached adulthood, a kid, essentially. And there was nothing more foolish than taking revenge on a kid seriously.

So, did that make me a kid too?

“….”

I shouldn’t be having these thoughts. But it was too late.

“…Damn it.”

What kind of escort knight was I? I was more like a daycare worker looking after a brat. I glanced around, making sure no one was watching, and sighed deeply.

“No other choice, then.”

It wouldn’t do for Ophelia to break down like this so early on. Even if she was suffering, she couldn’t lose her motivation.

Ophelia was the Saintess. That meant she had to defeat the Demon King. Therefore, I had to be the kindling that kept her fire burning.

“There you are.”

It didn’t take long to find Ophelia. The Holy City was built with donations from believers across the continent.

As such, it was a city of splendor and opulence. In such a place, finding a disheveled beauty in a dust-covered holy robe wasn’t difficult.

She was sitting alone at the edge of the Holy City’s highest sky garden.

“Go away, you bastard.”

Ophelia responded without turning around. I ignored her and walked over to her, leaning against a nearby wall.

“I said, don’t look…”

Ashamed of her appearance, Ophelia buried her face in her knees. Honestly, even if she smeared herself with dirt, I would still find her beautiful, but she clearly had a different opinion.

I waited patiently beside her, saying nothing. Annoyed by my silence, Ophelia clenched her fists.

“I told you to leave.”
“I’m just worried you might decide to go free-diving from this sky garden.”
“Free… what?”
“It’s a thing.”

Of course, I was joking. I didn’t think Ophelia would commit suicide. Not because she was afraid of death, but because her pride wouldn’t allow it.

That was the Ophelia I knew. I thought for a moment, then spoke.

“Saintess.”
“Don’t talk to me.”
“I’ll inform the servants. They’ll start attending to your needs again. I’ll have them prepare a lavish meal for you, your first proper meal in three days. But don’t take your anger out on them. They were just following orders.”
“….”

Ophelia flinched, then looked up. Her face was stained with tears.

“Suddenly?”

“Well, I was thinking of stopping anyway. I figured this was enough discipline for now. Besides, if this continued for a few more days, your body would be covered in scars.”

I took her hand and examined it. There was a bright red, swollen mark on the back of her hand. A rather nasty burn.

It probably wouldn’t scar, but it must be stinging quite a bit.

“Let go of my hand…!”
“You should have told me.”
“I don’t need your help!”

Ophelia yanked her hand away and turned her back to me. I shrugged.

“I would have prepared your bath if you had asked.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit.”
“It is bullshit. You’ve always been like this. Spouting nonsense, acting all high and mighty. I’m in this state because of you.”
“That’s entirely your fault. Or karma, as they say. It’s even in the scriptures.”
“You insufferable bastard.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“You’re truly a piece of trash.”
“You’re quite the villain yourself, Saintess.”

We exchanged pleasantries. For some reason, Ophelia seemed slightly appeased by our conversation.

She pouted and looked out at the cityscape. At least she wasn’t telling me to leave anymore. I slowly began.

“I don’t understand the worries and emotions you’re grappling with, Saintess…”

“If you don’t know, then don’t talk.”

I continued, undeterred.

“But I believe they are not more important than the Demon King, or the peace of the world.”

“So, you want me to defeat the Demon King?”

“You don’t have to do it alone. You just need to assist the hero on their journey.”

“Because I’m the Saintess?”

“Yes.”

It was a cliché she had heard countless times. I knew that. Ophelia bit her lip hard.

“I never wanted this position.”

“But there are many who desire it. It’s your blessing that you, out of all of them, became the bearer of the Mark…”

“Blessing?”

Ophelia frowned, looking at me.

“Did you just call it a blessing?”
“….”

Ophelia suddenly burst out,

“That damn Mark! Fuck! It’s been shackling me since I was born!”

I quickly looked around. Fortunately, it was sunset, and there weren’t many people around.

“No one cares! They just say it’s an honor! Those bastards…!”
“….”
“Those damn bastards… I never wanted it…”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Ophelia clamped her mouth shut and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Was it Belwin who said it? Ophelia came from a humble background in the Holy City. But she had received the Mark at a young age and was raised in the Saintess’s educational institution.

Moreover, she possessed the Mark of the Heavenly God, said to be the only one in the Holy City, or even the world. A position unattainable by ordinary people.

That must have been the case for her peers at the institution as well. It must have been the worst possible environment for Ophelia to develop social skills.

A comfortable life, but not a comfortable mind. I could understand what Belwin meant. There were many influential families in the Holy City, all hoping for their daughters to receive the Mark of the Heavenly God.

But the Mark had chosen Ophelia. She must have endured their envious glares.

Of course, this was just my speculation. Ophelia wouldn’t answer even if I asked. I realized anew how little I knew about her.

“Saintess.”
“…What.”
“So, you don’t like your current position?”
“Would you?”

Ophelia glared at me. I chuckled and sat down beside her. There was a saying about carrots and sticks.

I had been using the stick; it was time for the carrot.

“Then how about making a promise with me?”
“A promise?”
“Yes. A promise.”

She looked at me as if I was spouting nonsense again, so I continued.

“If you defeat the Demon King…”
“If I defeat him?”
“I swear on my honor as a knight that I will set you free.”
“…What?”

Ophelia’s eyes widened. Set her free? It wasn’t a position that required liberation, nor was it a position that could be liberated from.

The position of Saintess was inherently honorable, sacred, and universally respected.

What did he mean by “set free”? Ophelia furrowed her brows.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Set free?”
“Don’t you want to escape?”
“…Well, yes.”
“Then isn’t it appropriate to call it liberation? Regardless of how others perceive it, if you dislike it, then it’s nothing more than a gilded cage.”

That was true, by Earth’s standards. But in this world, calling the position of Saintess a cage was blasphemy. It wasn’t something a mere paladin should say. Ophelia looked around nervously, making sure no one was within earshot.

“Are you crazy? What if someone hears you?! Do you have a death wish?”

“I value my life. Very much so. But my life depends on you defeating the Demon King. So, it’s a worthwhile gamble.”

I spoke with the most serious expression I could muster.

“Do you promise? If you defeat the Demon King, I will save you.”

“Don’t be dramatic. You’re just a lowly commoner knight.”

“You are correct. And that’s why I can do it. As you can see, I have nothing to lose but my life.”

Ophelia looked bewildered, so I stood up.

“You don’t believe me? I never lie.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Then I’ll make you believe me.”

I drew my sword. Shing. The sound of steel made Ophelia flinch.

“W-what are you doing, you crazy bastard?! Why are you drawing your sword in broad daylight?!”

Ophelia’s shouting stopped abruptly. I had raised my sword towards the sky.

“I swear to the Heavenly God.”

While invoking God’s name was commonplace on Earth, in this world, swearing to God held a much greater significance.

It was a way to ‘record’ one’s vow to the world, using God as a witness. Of course, ordinary people couldn’t do this.

It was only possible for those who had received a proper blessing as ordained clergy.

In other words, I, as an official paladin, could do it.

“I swear that I will liberate the Saintess who defeats the Demon King from the Holy City, from the will of the Heavenly God.”

Of course, it wasn’t free. This was a contract. And a contract required a condition, or collateral. In this case, the collateral was usually…

“If I fail, I offer my life.”

Whoosh. As I spoke, a brilliant golden light descended from the heavens.

Ophelia, stunned by my actions, could only gape, unable to utter a word.

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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.