The girl’s cheeks instantly flushed red, as if a door to a brand new world was slowly opening before her eyes.
But then, a long sigh from her grandfather beside her thundered through the air, snapping Rita back to her senses.
Yet, why did she feel so unwilling to accept this?
Why did she have to meet you at a time like this?
Staring into Irene’s eyes, looking through the curtain of rain, her gaze once again filled with sorrow and longing.
*****
Night fell, and Irene and the others stayed overnight in the village. As for Rita, who had bravely offered herself, she was scolded harshly by Irene. Only after Rita promised not to act so recklessly again did Irene stop lecturing her.
That said, Irene still felt like Rita was hiding something from her.
During the day, Irene thought she saw, when Rita admitted she was a witch, a look of relief—as if she’d finally put down a heavy burden.
But since Rita didn’t bring it up, Irene didn’t ask.
Afterwards, Irene was given a hero’s welcome by the villagers. They were so grateful they were crying their eyes out. If Irene hadn’t stood up for them, most likely the whole village wouldn’t have seen the sunrise tomorrow!
The enthusiasm was a world apart from the mockery and scorn Irene had faced along the way.
“Saintess, please, let our entire village offer you a token of our gratitude. Is there anything we can do for you?”
The village elder, trembling and teary-eyed, all but worshipped Irene as a Saintess!
But this put Irene in a difficult spot. The village was dirt poor—what could she possibly ask for? Besides, she hadn’t helped for any kind of reward!
She twirled a lock of her silver hair, looking to Leila and the others for help. The maid leaned in and whispered a few words in Irene’s ear, and immediately Irene thought of something the villagers could do to help.
She cleared her throat and asked, “Elder, I don’t need you to do anything for me. As a devout follower of the Goddess, I’m simply helping innocent lambs. Those who use the name of the Goddess to slaughter the innocent will be abandoned by Her sooner or later—”
She paused, then continued, “Can you tell me, has the Order of the Church always been like this near the kingdom’s borders lately? What kind of witch are they really hunting?”
“Saintess, we don’t know what kind of witch the Church is after. We only know she’s said to be a girl who brings great calamity. There are rumors—some claim to have seen the witch, though they couldn’t see her face clearly. But she can take others’ pain onto herself. No matter how severe the wound, no matter how incurable the illness, she can heal it in an instant…”
Hearing this, Irene glanced at Leila, who couldn’t help but frown slightly.
How does that sound like a witch at all? Are there really witches who save the dying and heal the wounded?
The old man’s voice continued, “Miss, look to the southeast. Beyond the thick fog lies our homeland, where a tower pierces the clouds—that’s the place where ‘Blasphemers’ and Heretics are imprisoned. But the signal fires rise every day. Who knows how many villages like ours have suffered…”
Irene grew angry as she listened. “Doesn’t the kingdom care at all?”
“With His Majesty’s tacit approval, which local noble would dare say ‘no’ to the Church? Saintess, you are the one who received the Divine Revelation—please, save us who are trapped in this living hell!”
Irene bit her lower lip. The old man looked at her with such hope that she felt guilty. After all, she wasn’t really the Saintess. She didn’t have the power to make the Church stop its madness.
“Ah, I heard recently, the Blasphemers and Heretics actually tried to resurrect the Holy Magic King! If it weren’t for the efforts of the S-rank parties, their plot might have succeeded. They say there are demons supporting the Heretics from behind the scenes. With this news, Heinrich, that damn Chief Inquisitor, has become even more ruthless!”
“Right now, there are three Knight Orders gathered at The Tower of Judgement. The one you scolded earlier was the captain of the Crown of the Goddess Knights…”
Irene was shocked. “She was the captain?!”
Well, she did seem to hear the Church knights calling her captain, but she hadn’t been paying attention at the time.
“How can someone so unimpressive be a captain?”
Leila explained, “The captain of the Crown of the Goddess Knights is different from the other Knight Orders. Usually, the position is given to a daughter of a noble family from the Holy Capital, and the captain must be a girl.”
Irene nodded, thinking this could be troublesome. After humiliating that woman today, it was almost certain she’d be targeted for revenge.
Irene asked, “What about the other two Knight Orders?”
“They’re the Sword of the Goddess Knights and the Shield of the Goddess Knights. The second one’s captain only just took office a few days ago. They say she’s a former S-rank adventurer and the hero who stopped the resurrection of the Holy Magic King. Her name is something like Reigeliv…”
Irene blurted out, “Reigeliv?”
“Yes! That’s her! Maybe she’s eager to make achievements and solidify her position as captain, so she’s been going all out hunting Heretics these days! The other two captains, seeing their colleague work so hard, are afraid of being suspected of lacking devotion to the Goddess, so now… well, just as you saw, Saintess, the Knight Orders and the Church have gone mad…”
“They’re practically competing to see who can burn more people! This isn’t a hunt for witches and Heretics—it’s a killing contest in the name of the Goddess!!”
The old man had left, but his words left Irene deep in thought.
Pretending to be a Saintess who could receive Divine Revelation felt good for a while, but it gave the villagers false hope. All she wanted was to lie low on the border and maybe form a small adventuring party—not get into conflict with the Church.
But remembering the hopeful look in the old man’s eyes, Irene found herself unable to say the words of refusal stuck in her throat—
If the Saintess appeared, she could surely save many people!
Come on, most people in this kingdom hate me. Where’s the comedy in a villainess being crowned Saintess and saving everyone? Don’t expect too much—I can’t do it…
“Miss, I don’t think Miss Reigeliv is the kind of person who would kill the innocent.”
“No, Leila, I know her better than you.” Irene sighed softly. “She’s someone who abandons emotion and only thinks logically—a true believer in profit above all else. If climbing higher means it, Reigeliv will do anything…”
Compared to Reigeliv, what troubled Irene more was whether she should get involved in this mess at all.
After thinking it over, Irene still felt it was better to just live her life. Going against the Church with her current strength would be like throwing eggs at a rock.
Besides, the spread of rumors—the people of the kingdom played a part in it too. Why save those who curse her?
Yes, yes, it’s none of my business! Tomorrow I’ll keep moving, head to the Barony, and laze around! That’s the life I want!
She’s not Serena, striving to stand out and be above all others. She just wants to live the life she wants.
As night deepened, Leila went to rest. Though everything was quiet, Irene couldn’t fall asleep. Just then, someone knocked on the door. When she opened it, she found Rita.
“Irene, I can’t sleep. Can you keep me company for a while?”
Irene couldn’t sleep either, so she nodded and let Rita into the room.
In the shadows outside the door, Helga stared wide-eyed, biting her lip, her expression lost and forlorn.
It was clearly me first, so why?
*****
Meanwhile, deep in the southern mountains of the kingdom.
Serena stood beneath a waterfall, gripping a wooden sword, panting heavily. The rushing water soaked her fiery red hair, plastering it to her fair skin.
“Irene, what should I do?”
Her lips trembled slightly. With a low cry, Serena swung her wooden sword, and the sword’s force struck the waterfall, causing the falling water to pause for a moment—but only for a few seconds.
This was Serena’s current level: cutting the waterfall. She was still a ways from her father, Sword Saint Lainhart’s, technique—the ‘Reverse Flow.’
“If you keep training like this, it’s pointless. If your heart is unsettled, the sword will never answer you.”
A middle-aged man stood in the moonlight, his robes fluttering in the night breeze. “My daughter, you must resolve the grudges of the past if you want to move forward.”
“Father, I…”
“What’s there to hesitate about? Be shameless if you have to! Who doesn’t make mistakes in life?” The man sighed. “If you really care about ‘Miss Irene,’ is your pride so hard to swallow? Even if it wasn’t all your fault, your immaturity let others exploit the rumors, which led to her being hurt like this. It’s normal if she doesn’t want to forgive you.”
Seeing Serena still hesitating, the man stepped forward, his expression turning stern. “If you keep hesitating, you’ll really lose her. Some regrets can’t ever be undone!”
Serena’s crimson eyes trembled. She nodded. “…I’ll go find her.”
After meeting her father, she learned the truth: it was spies from the Empire who exaggerated and spread the rumors, trying to drive a wedge between the Marquis and the royal family. But the harm done to Irene wouldn’t just disappear.
Yes, she had to be shameless! Because Irene was just that important to her!
Only after losing her did Serena realize how precious those days together really were!
Irene, wait for me!
But Serena didn’t know that after she’d disbanded her party and holed up in the deep mountains to train, thanks to old prejudices, the rumors against Irene in the kingdom had only grown wilder.
And as it happened, all the people at the heart of those rumors were now outside the kingdom, making the stories even more outrageous.