Chapter 11: The Swordsmanship Prodigy Saintess

Saintess (2)

1.

I was surrounded by nine presences.

Where the heck did they suddenly pop out from?

Strange.

At this distance, there's no way I wouldn’t have noticed them.

Were they hiding?

Either they used magic or a magical tools to conceal their presence…

Or they’ve received professional assassination training that allows them to completely erase their presence.

Was this man the bait?

I looked down at the man lying at my feet.

The healing was finished, but he was still unconscious.

Really now…

Maybe I’ve become too soaked in peace.

To think I fell for such a sloppy trap.

Whatever.

Actually, this is good.

It’s not every day I get to take on nine opponents at once.

It must be a reward from the god for praying so faithfully.

Surely this is a gift for my devout heart.

I’ll gladly enjoy it.

With a simple reinforcement spell, I enhanced my body with mana.

Sharpening my senses, I focused on observing their movements—

Then one man stepped forward confidently.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be the leader of the group.

“Who are you?”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

A decent-looking young man.

Tall, with a nicely built frame.

He didn’t look like the type to do such dirty work…

The man looked earnest.

He reminded me a little of myself in my younger days.

He didn’t seem to be an adventure.

But from his stance, he was clearly well-trained.

He might be a mercenary or a private soldier from some noble family.

“You there.”

He pointed his sword at the man lying at my feet.

“Leave him and walk away quietly.”

He showed no hostility toward me.

The others were the same.

Though I could feel a faintly stinging, lustful gaze poking at me here and there,

None of them seemed intent on kidnapping or harming me.

Wow. That’s kind of disappointing.

Telling me to just walk away from such a golden opportunity?

No way I’m letting that happen.

I stepped forward and blocked the man’s path, spreading both arms.

“No.”

I looked up at him.

“If you want to take this man… then defeat me first.”

I meant every word.

*

2.

Leode looked down at the nun who had stepped in his way.

A girl, staring up at him with fierce eyes.

It was like a little dog baring its teeth at a larger one, completely unaware of the difference in strength.

What exactly did she think she could do on her own?

She probably knew it herself.

That taking on nine armed men by herself was impossible.

And yet here she was—barehanded, without a single weapon.

He’d even given her a chance to run.

But she had kicked that chance away.

She didn’t even know the man lying there.

Didn’t know his name, or his identity.

Just someone she happened to stumble upon while walking by.

And yet she was standing there, trying to protect him.

This girl…

Leode, a Holy Knight, recalled the mission he had been assigned.

To verify the woman of the prophecy.

It had been about a week ago.

On a snowy winter day when snowflakes fell like feathers,

A divine revelation descended upon the Papal State.

It proclaimed: A woman bearing the soul of a Saintess has appeared in the southern Empire.

The Papal State immediately dispatched its five Holy Knights to the region.

They split up and began gathering intel, personally checking out anyone who might be connected to the revelation.

‘Hey, you know Edel Convent, on the hill where the gentle breeze rests?’

That was a conversation Leode overheard at an inn, where adventurers were chatting over mugs of ale.

‘Have you heard about the saintess who lives there?’

Leode listened closely.

What he heard was an exaggerated tale, of a girl living at Edel Convent could perform healing magic that was practically miraculous.

Still, it was worth verifying.

Leode asked the head of Edel Convent to send their most promising sister into the forest, in order to run a few tests.

The one who showed up was this girl.

And she passed the tests.

It wasn’t a definitive conclusion yet, but Leode judged that this girl had more than enough qualities to become a Saintess.

A strong heart.

To put it nicely, bravery.

To put it badly, recklessness.

In the face of danger, she made herself a shield to protect someone else.

Leode looked into the girl's eyes.

Her crimson eyes stared straight back at him.

He could feel a strong will within them.

The will to protect the fallen man.

Next was the matter of divine power.

Leode had been watching the girl use healing magic.

To sum it up in one phrase:

It was the divine power of a Saintess.

He still needed to observe more closely, but even with a mere touch to the wound, a warm surge of divine energy completely healed it.

This wasn’t ordinary.

It was extraordinary.

It was surely a gift from the heavens at birth.

A power entrusted by the god.

A power to save the world.

“Forgive me.”

“…Pardon?”

Leode knelt on one knee before the girl.

He was now certain.

This girl is the one foretold by the divine revelation.

“I am Leode, Holy Knight of the Papal State,” he said, bowing his head respectfully.

“I greet the Saintess.”

Following Leode’s lead, the other knights surrounding the girl also knelt down in reverence.

“Huh? What are you suddenly…?”

The girl blinked in confusion.

“I was sent by order of the Pope to find the woman of the prophecy.”

“The woman of the prophecy?”

“A week ago, a divine revelation descended upon the Papal State. There is a woman bearing the soul of the Saintess resides in the southern Empire. And that woman… is you.”

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

“No, I don’t.”

“I’m telling you, you’re mistaken.”

“No, I don’t.”

Elia was completely dumbfounded by the situation.

What the hell is all this?

Holy Knight?

Saintess?

It all felt like something from a world completely unrelated to her.

“You used yourself as a shield to protect the wounded. You possess innate divine power. These are all qualities of a Saintess.”

They were greatly mistaken.

Elia just wanted to fight.

She hadn’t been trying to protect anyone, she just wanted to move her body.

“You must be flustered.”

“You think so?”

“But I assure you, this is real. Please, come with us to the Papal State.”

“I refuse.”

It didn’t seem like they were joking.

The man kneeling before her was serious.

He was genuinely trying to take Elia to the Papal State.

She had known that, eventually, something like this might happen, but still…

She knew from the moment divine power first manifested in her body.

That she would catch the eye of the Papal State.

But she didn’t expect to get involved this soon.

She was living quietly at the convent.

A divine revelation?

This has to be punishment from the god.

They must’ve been watching her pretending to pray prettily during services while actually napping.

‘I’m sorry.

I’ll take prayer seriously from now on.

So please, cancel that revelation.’

“Fine. Let’s say I am the woman chosen by the god.”

“You are the chosen one of the prophecy.”

“I said let’s say—hypothetically.”

Elia pressed her fingers to her forehead.

Unbelievable. This guy was so stubborn.

Leode had no intention of changing his mind in the slightest.

This girl is undoubtedly the Saintess.

He was certain, and he remained certain.

“Even if I have the qualities of a Saintess, I have no intention of becoming one.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m going to join the Imperial Army. I want to head to the front lines, defeat monsters and demons, eventually beat up Demon King and bring an end to this long war. That’s my goal.”

She hadn’t expected to tell anyone this story first.

But it wasn’t a big deal.

“As I thought…!”

Leode’s conviction deepened.

“You’re definitely the one who possesses the soul of the Saintess.”

“What? How are you getting that from this?”

“Your willingness to sacrifice yourself to protect soldiers on the battlefield.”

“No, that’s not it—!”

“Your commitment to peace, your resolve to make difficult decisions. Everything proves that you’re meant to be the Saintess.”

This guy was driving her crazy.

He was interpreting everything however he pleased.

There was no getting through to him.

Elia decided to flee.

“That’s enough talk. I have a patient to see back in village.”

Elia walked past Leode.

He followed behind her.

As she quickened her pace, he matched it.

“Stop following me.”

She glared back at him.

Leode simply bowed his head politely.

But when Elia resumed walking, he resumed following.

Elia broke into a run.

Her breasts bounced up and down violently.

Apparently, a bra alone wasn’t enough to keep them steady.

Like when she trained at night, she really should’ve wrapped them tightly with cloth.

“You’ll get hurt if you trip.”

Leode’s voice came from behind.

He was keeping up effortlessly with light steps.

Elia had enhanced her body with mana and was running quite fast, yet he was right behind her, without even using enhancement.

No helping it.

Elia extended her hand behind her.

A flash of divine light exploded behind her.

Golden waves rippled through the forest, blinding Leode’s eyes.

She used that moment to activate magic.

She kicked off the ground hard.

Her body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

“…She’s definitely no ordinary girl.”

Leode silently stared at the spot where Elia had vanished.

“I don’t understand.”

Why would she refuse?

Isn't this something to be happy about?

She was being offered the chance to become the Saintess.

He never imagined she’d reject it outright.

Still, that didn’t mean he would give up.

No matter how many times she refused, he had to take her to the Papal State.

They needed the girl.

They had to fill the vacant seat of the Saintess as soon as possible.

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