Taming The Evil Saintess – Chapter 13

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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A year and a half had passed. Autumn had arrived, the leaves turning vibrant hues before falling one by one. The political landscape of the continent had shifted dramatically during this time.

The Empire had declared the formation of the Continental Alliance.

However, the Chieftain of the Great Forest, the Tsar of the Ice Palace, and the Pope of the Holy City had all raised objections. For Political reasons, of course.

The leader of the Alliance would be credited with the victory over the Demon King. Naturally, everyone was vying for the position.

After countless debates and meetings, a dramatic compromise had been reached just a few weeks ago: the nation that found the hero would lead the Alliance.

It was unfair to the smaller Holy City, but since the other nations had agreed, they had no choice but to accept.

Thwack!
Clack!

Of course, the political landscape wasn’t the only thing that had changed in the past year. Ophelia’s skills had also improved remarkably.

“Haha! Are you starting to feel intimidated?”

Ophelia managed to parry my attack, albeit with some difficulty.

In just a year and a half, she had become skilled enough to hold her own against an average squire.

“Truly impressive. To reach this level in less than two years… you’re a genius.”
“Of course. If I wanted to, I could take down a mediocre knight like you in an instant.”
“Well, not yet.”
“Soon, you bastard.”

Ophelia grinned, swinging her wooden sword. Despite my efforts over the past year and a half, her foul mouth hadn’t changed.

Still, it was a relief that she had stopped taking her anger out on the servants so frequently.

Judging by the constant smile on Belwin’s face these days, he was quite pleased with Ophelia’s improvement.

“Let’s stop here for today. You have divine magic lessons this afternoon, don’t you?”
“…Ugh, I hate those.”

Ophelia stuck out her tongue. In addition to her swordsmanship training with me, Ophelia had been learning divine magic from the priests of the Papal Office for the past year.

Her progress in that area was even more dramatic than her swordsmanship. The Mark of the Heavenly God on her shoulder amplified her divine magic, giving her an S-rank aptitude, or even higher.

Ever since she started learning divine magic, she had stopped going to the infirmary for healing.

In fact, the injured in the Holy City were now lining up to receive healing from Ophelia. She, of course, complained about being treated like a free holy water dispenser.

“Whether I do well or not, they just keep praising me.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“No, it’s not. Would you be happy if a bug praised you?”
“Please stop referring to people as bugs.”
“Fine, you little bug.”
“Sigh.”

I sighed softly. Ophelia chuckled. Well, at least she seemed to be doing much better than before.

She had a healthy glow, and while her mouth was still foul, she had stopped tormenting others. Except for me, that is.

“Anyway…”

I cleared my throat. Now that Ophelia seemed to have adjusted to her current life, it was time for me to attend to my own business.

“I’ll be suspending your swordsmanship training for a while.”
“What?”

Ophelia frowned.

“Why? Is something wrong?”
“You seem disappointed.”
“…When did I? I’m fine.”
“Just now. You had a look on your face.”
“What nonsense. I’d be happy if you just disappeared from my sight.”

I shrugged.

“Is that so? Then it’s a good thing.”
“What is?”
“I’m leaving the Holy City.”
“….”

Ophelia didn’t respond. She just stood there, mouth agape.

“…Why?”
“I’m going to look for the hero.”

There were about a year and a half left until the main story began, but the hero hadn’t appeared yet.

According to the game’s storyline, the hero’s Mark should have appeared on a boy in a rural village by now. But there had been no news.

Perhaps the hero’s Mark hadn’t appeared yet. Or maybe it had, but the Empire hadn’t found him. Either way, the sooner the hero appeared, the better. So, I decided to look for him myself.

“What do you mean you’re going to look for him? Why you?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Not really, but…”

Ophelia trailed off.

“You said you’d be happy if you didn’t have to see a bastard like me. Isn’t this a good thing for you?”
“….”

Ophelia silently lowered her head, a disgruntled look on her face.

“It won’t take long.”
“How long?”
“About six months.”
“What?! No way! Six months is too long!”
“Why are you getting upset? I’m the one going.”
“W-well…”

Ophelia looked flustered, threw her wooden sword on the ground, and turned her head away. I could sense her true feelings.

“Don’t tell me, Ophelia, you’re worried that you won’t have anyone to talk to in the Holy City if I’m gone?”
“…I’m not.”

Despite her words, her expression betrayed her.

“Who else is there?”
“Plenty of people. Tons.”
“Name them.”
“That old geezer, Belwin…”
“The Archbishop?”
“And…”
“And?”
“….”

Ophelia narrowed her eyes, then, seemingly giving up, she stamped her foot.

“Damn it! Why do you care?! Just get lost!”
“Alright. I’m really going, then?”
“….”
“….”

Our eyes met. Ophelia had the look of a puppy abandoned at a shelter. With her personality, she would never admit it. I also wanted to prevent her from coming along.

A paladin leaving the Holy City wasn’t a big deal, but the Saintess leaving would be considered a diplomatic move. Getting approval from the Papal Office would take at least a month.

Moreover, if anything happened to Ophelia, I would be held responsible. Traveling with a ticking time bomb like Ophelia wouldn’t be easy.

“….”

But I couldn’t bring myself to abandon her, with that forlorn expression on her face. I sighed deeply.

“Just in case… would you… like to come along?”
“Yes!”

Ophelia nodded eagerly. Then, as if realizing her enthusiasm, she quickly shook her head and crossed her arms.

“I-I’m just going to make sure you don’t cause any trouble. Yeah, that’s it.”
“You might want to control that twitching at the corner of your mouth.”
“….”

Fortunately, or unfortunately, approval from the Papal Office came surprisingly easily, just a week later.

Saying that I was going to look for the hero seemed to have been the key. The Holy City was quite anxious about the condition set by the Continental Alliance: whoever found the hero would lead it.

They had already dispatched several priests and paladins on pilgrimages to search for the hero’s Mark.

Having the Saintess join the search was a bonus. There were rumors that Mark bearers could sense each other’s presence.

Thanks to this, we even received a substantial travel allowance.

‘Please, just make sure Ophelia doesn’t cause any trouble.’

A few days later, Ophelia and I left the Holy City in a carriage, along with Belwin’s heartfelt plea.

The devotees of the Holy City gathered to bless the Saintess’s pilgrimage.

Ophelia, still basking in the afterglow of the send-off, looked incredibly smug.

“See? I’m the queen of the Holy City.”

Jingle, jingle. Ophelia shook her pouch, overflowing with gold coins and jewels, with a triumphant smile. She seemed quite pleased to be escaping the monotony of the Holy City.

“How about calling me ‘big sis’? I can spare you a few gold coins. How much does a paladin make anyway? Can you even afford to live on that measly salary? Big sis will take care of you.”
“That’s embezzlement.”
“Bullshit. It’s all going to be mine eventually anyway.”

Ophelia lay back on the carriage’s plush cushions, her stomach exposed. She showed no signs of embarrassment.

“So, Elliot.”
“Yes.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the Empire.”

The Empire shared a border with the Holy City, and the village where the hero was supposed to appear was located in the southern part of the Empire.

It would probably take a month or two by carriage. Quite the journey.

“Just so you know, we’re not in the Holy City anymore.”
“Do you think I’m an idiot? I know that.”
“I’m saying, don’t do anything reckless. I can’t protect you here like I can in the Holy City. Even the Saintess can be punished under Imperial law. Of course, they’ll be careful not to offend the Church, but…”
“Do you really think I’m incapable of understanding that?”
“….”
“Why aren’t you answering?!”

Ophelia yelled, and the horses pulling the carriage flinched. Fortunately, the coachman was experienced. He quickly pulled on the reins to calm them down.

“…Sigh.”

This was going to be a long and tiring journey.

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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.