I had no holy power left to purify anything, but I asked Viirant to take me to the spot where we fought the Demon King.
It was a small clearing in the dark, dense forest. The scars of battle were still fresh, but there were no remains of the Demon King or the master beasts.
The corpses of the magical beasts, whose lives had been twisted, return to the earth much faster than ordinary animals. Even if not, my purification would make them vanish like fleeting dust.
After all, the source of the corruption was created by humans.
The beasts, twisted by that corruption, were victims, not perpetrators.
We have to slay them to survive, but at the very least, I want to offer them a prayer.
――The Tuner, huh?
The words the Demon King spoke still echoed clearly in my mind.
The Tuner. Fate. The balance of the world.
He cursed his own existence while speaking those words. Even while inviting me to join him, he had a cursed arrow hidden behind his back.
Looking back now, even calmly, I don’t think he had any chance of winning.
Even if he had sent all the magical beasts at me at once, I could have held them off with my holy power.
While I was holding off the weaker beasts, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to take down the two master beasts, and Viirant could easily handle the Demon King alone. In fact, by the time I went to assist him, Viirant had nearly killed him.
The difference in our abilities was undeniable. The Demon King was on the path to ruin.
Yet, he had crafted that arrow, intent on taking at least one of us with him.
…No, perhaps he was specifically targeting me from the beginning.
If he had investigated my relationship with Viirant beforehand, he might have predicted that I would shield him.
“What happened after I collapsed?”
“…He had the most infuriating smile on his face, and then he crumbled away like sand.”
“I see.”
Whether he had set the arrow to fire at the moment of his death or used his last strength to shoot it, I’ll never know. But I’m sure he was pleased, believing he’d taken me with him.
If he found satisfaction in his final moments, then maybe that’s a small mercy.
…But is that too arrogant of me to think?
I knelt, clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and prayed for his peace.
As I prayed for a long time, I could feel Viirant’s gaze fixed on my face the entire time.
✢
After purifying the last two locations, the appearance of magical beasts dropped sharply.
However, they didn’t disappear completely, only reducing to the levels recorded during the least active periods.
Thus, our long journey of over six months came to an end for now.
On the way back from the fortress, our group had grown a little.
It was now the usual four of us, including me, plus Lena, who had decided to come to the temple. And a few knights, including Jildo, who had ridden furiously upon hearing that I had been shot by the Demon King’s arrow.
I was stunned, thinking, Why Jildo? What about Emillia? Apparently, Emillia had been in tears, insisting that she come too, causing quite the commotion.
Although I had collapsed, Emillia was the public face of the Saintess. Her presence was a vital reassurance for the people, so she couldn’t be allowed to leave the safety of the temple. Jildo had managed to calm her down by promising to confirm my safety and had made the long journey here.
What a hassle.
Seeing Jildo and Lena meet for the first time was pretty amusing.
Lena hid behind Kahim, intimidated by Jildo’s much fiercer appearance compared to Kahim and the others.
Jildo, unfamiliar with Lena, frowned and cast suspicious glances at her.
“Saintess-sama, who is this girl?”
“Oh, she’s Lena. The next Saintess.”
Jildo’s stunned silence and the reproachful look he gave the three who were assigned to me were understandable.
We had brought Lena to the fortress without reporting anything to Jildo or the others.
And yet, they couldn’t scold us too harshly, since it was because of Lena that I had been saved.
Considering Jildo’s situation, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
As I sat in the carriage with Lena, who had dozed off, and Viirant, who was acting as a guard, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory. Viirant turned his gaze toward me.
Lena was nodding off beside me, and the only sound inside the carriage was the quiet rattle of the wheels.
“What’s up?” I asked with just a glance, and Viirant leaned closer, lowering his voice.
“When did you realize that Lena was the next Saintess?”
“Ah… I didn’t feel like I was meeting her for the first time when I saw her in the village, but I was sure after I passed on the power of the Saintess.”
Before she inherited the Saintess’s power and knowledge, Lena was probably in an unawakened state. She unconsciously used the power but didn’t understand it, and her knowledge of the Saintess was no different from that of an ordinary person.
So when we met in that state, it was like feeling an odd sense of familiarity.
It’s like meeting someone who speaks your native language in a foreign country… not that I’ve ever had that experience.
But once you inherit the Saintess’s knowledge, you understand, Ah, she’s the next Saintess.
It’s as simple as that.
“If Viirant had gone to that village first, you might not have met me.”
Considering the age difference between Lena and the previous Saintess, it was clear there should be another Saintess, but no one would go out of their way to search for someone who might not even be alive.
The kingdom is in danger without a Saintess, but as long as there’s one, that’s enough.
The duty of the knights is to protect that one Saintess.
In that case, I might still be back in the village, farming the fields.
I’d probably be fussing over the state of the wheat, relieved when the golden stalks shone in the sun, living out my days like that.
It was just ordinary life until a year and a half ago, but now it’s hard to imagine myself going back to it.
I must’ve gotten used to this life more than I realised.
“Zef…”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t say things like that. You’re the only Saintess for me.”
“Huh?”
Where did that come from? I turned to Viirant in surprise, only to meet his sorrowful gaze.
His well-shaped brows were knitted together, his face slightly pale, and he was looking at me with those dark grape-colored eyes filled with sadness. My chest tightened.
――Don’t make that face.
I was just talking about a hypothetical situation.
I’m here now, as the Saintess, and that’s not going to change.
I sometimes look back fondly on my past life, but I don’t have any intention of returning to that village.
I’ll do what I can, and if possible, I’d be happy if Viirant stays by my side.
I made sure the curtains on the carriage window were tightly closed and glanced at Lena, who was still peacefully asleep. Her gentle breathing filled the quiet space, and it seemed she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.
After confirming that, I leaned toward Viirant.
Even though the carriage was made a little larger than usual, it was still small enough that I could easily reach Viirant’s chest if I just stretched out a hand.
I grabbed his collar and roughly pulled him toward me, brushing my lips against his.
“…I know. You’re the only hero for me.”
I whispered those cheesy words and quickly pulled away, turning my head in embarrassment.
I’ll never say something that embarrassing again.
I opened the curtain again, not wanting Viirant to retaliate. With eyes from the outside watching, I figured we wouldn’t end up in any awkward situations.
As I fanned my slightly heated cheeks, I turned my gaze to the scenery outside.
Under the clear sky, villagers were hard at work in the fields.
