OMS Chapter 37

The Demon King’s been slain, and Viirant has thinned out the magical beasts, but the purification of this land is still incomplete. I packed as much holy power as I could into the Jewel of Purification, but it’s nowhere near enough to cleanse the entire area. I won’t know how much filth is left until I go back to the site, but based on my experience, it’s likely going to take around two weeks.

Ah, during that time, it’d be good to have Lena think about her future. She’s only twelve, and since I’m around, if she wants to return to the village, that’s an option. If she prefers the temple, we could go there. I’ll have to discuss it with everyone later.

“Zef.”

“What’s up?”

“Are you even aware that you’re recovering?”

“Well, purification should be done as quickly as possible, right?”

If you leave the filth alone, it’ll just keep growing. The larger it gets, the more magical beasts it spawns, and they’ll turn on humans.

That’s why purification needs to be done as soon as possible. The sooner we cleanse it, the less magical beasts will spawn, and the less burden it’ll put on the soldiers.

Everyone’s already exhausted from dealing with the magical beast stampede, so I’d like to make things easier for them.

“If it’s magical beasts, I’ll take care of them all. But for at least another week, please stay in bed.”

“No, wouldn’t it be faster to stop their spawning? The doctor cleared me, so I’m fine.”

“In what world is someone who can only drink soup considered fine?”

“You know I went a whole month without eating, right? Besides, if I’m with Viirant, there’s no danger.”

“But still…”

“You’re going to protect me, aren’t you?”

I pushed the point, and Viirant inhaled sharply, his brow furrowing and his lips pressed into a tight line. He didn’t outright deny it, but his face was clearly showing his displeasure.

Viirant’s overprotective, so I bet he’d love nothing more than to keep me tied to the bed.

…To be honest, if my back hadn’t been wrecked from everything that happened yesterday, I’d already be heading out today. But I’ll keep that to myself.

After a long, long silence, Viirant finally nodded reluctantly. He still wasn’t happy about it, but it seemed like he was prioritizing my wishes this time.

Well, that’s a relief.

“Pff, haha! This is too much!”

“Commander?”

“Oh, sorry, but I didn’t expect the Saintess-sama to be like this…! The great hero doesn’t stand a chance! My whole image of the ‘Saintess-sama’ is going to change.”

…Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?

I mean, a 42-year-old village guy as the Saintess isn’t exactly the best reference. I’ve got no clue how to act like a proper Saintess, and I’m well aware that I’m not exactly standard.

The typical Saintess is probably more delicate and in constant need of protection.

“Not sure I get it, but Commander, it’s better if you just treat me like an ordinary old guy. No need to be so stiff around me.”

It’s uncomfortable being treated with apologies and too much concern, and I was never cut out to be a Saintess in the first place.

When I told them to just forget about my real identity, everyone made strange faces.

…What’s with those exasperated looks?

✢

The forest I stepped into for the first time in about a month felt different from before. The heavy air, thick with corruption, had lightened somewhat, and we hardly encountered any magical beasts, likely because Viirant had taken care of so many.

Even when we did run into one, Viirant quickly dealt with it, and we soon arrived at the core.

――At this rate, we might finish sooner than expected.

The core in front of us was in the shape of a broken sword.

It was rusty, worn, and dull, but I’m pretty sure this used to be a holy sword from long ago. The shape is almost identical to the one in the memories of past Saintesses, and an ordinary sword wouldn’t become a core. It’s likely there was a battle with the Demon King here, and though the sword broke, they somehow managed to win.

I knelt before the sword and planted a branch from the holy tree into the ground.

The sparkling fragments scattered around were probably remnants of the Jewel of Purification. Viirant was gently sweeping the fragments aside to make sure I didn’t hurt myself while kneeling.

He’s really overprotective, I thought with a chuckle, as I gazed at the core before me.

What I need to offer are my holy power and blood.

Normally, I’d save some energy to be able to fight if we were attacked, but that’s no longer necessary. The Demon King is gone, the master of the beasts is gone, and Viirant can handle any random magical beasts that appear.

Worst case, I know Viirant can fly me back, so I’ll just focus on the purification.

I could sense Viirant holding his breath as I drew my dagger. But before he could stop me, I began reciting the sacred incantation in a calm voice.

My words echoed through the quiet forest, stirring both the core and the holy tree.

I closed my eyes and channeled my holy power, slicing my wrist and offering my blood. As usual, I endured the sensation of my blood and holy power being drawn out, and before I knew it, the purification was complete.

That’s one down. Two more to go.

I’m completely exhausted for today, but it seems like we’ll only need a few more trips to the forest to finish this up.

“…You didn’t mention anything about offering your blood.”

“Oh, magical beasts won’t come near the Saintess’s blood, so it’s safe.”

“That’s not the point…! Why do you push yourself so hard!?”

“Come on, it’s not that dramatic… If there’s not enough holy power, I have to use my blood.”

Both holy power and blood replenish over time. Losing a bit temporarily isn’t a big deal.

…At least, that’s what I thought, but apparently I’m the only one who sees it that way.

Viirant, with his brows furrowed, glared at the cut on my wrist as he treated it. He washed the wound with holy water, applied a healing potion… it’s just a small cut, no need to overreact.

I could argue that there are others who need those resources more—but I’d probably just make him angrier.

At this point, “overprotective” is starting to feel like an understatement.

“Please take better care of yourself.”

“I do.”

“…Sigh…”

What’s with that reaction?

Don’t sigh so deeply.

I don’t know what kind of guy I’ve become in Viirant’s mind, but I avoid the things I don’t want to do, you know.

Like when we did the divine protection thing—I only went through with it because it was Viirant. If it had been anyone else, I’d have flat-out refused.

…Actually, I wouldn’t have even let them stick around long enough to ask.

“No matter what happens, I’ll never give divine protection to anyone but you, Viirant.”

It’s not something I like thinking about, but splitting the divine protection into a hundred parts and giving it to a hundred soldiers would definitely help in battle and defense.

If we weren’t up against the Demon King, it’d probably be better to have a hundred moderately strong soldiers than one overwhelmingly powerful individual.

If the status of the Saintess were lower and people knew how to bestow divine protection, I’d probably have been asked to do that.

…The thought of kissing a hundred men makes me shudder.

In the past, now, and in the future, I won’t give divine protection to anyone but Viirant.

I couldn’t imagine doing something so embarrassing and intimate with anyone else.

“…Please stick to that.”

Viirant mumbled in a low voice, his brows still furrowed, but his cheeks were clearly flushed.

He looked so adorably sulky that I couldn’t resist roughly ruffling his hair.

Even the way he closed his eyes and leaned into my touch was so endearing, it made my heart ache with affection.