Through the broken gate, a holy light poured in like a waterfall. Pure white feathers fluttered like a galaxy.
Amidst the spread of eight wings, she walked in slowly. Her white hair shimmered in the moonlight, and her purple eyes sparkled like jewels. Her uniquely pale skin glowed with divine energy.
However, on her face, which was always pure and gentle, a fury that had never been seen before seeped in.
“Stop!”
Seraphine’s shout echoed through the cathedral.
The royal guard moved first. With the heavy sound of armor, several of them blocked Seraphine’s path.
“Step aside!”
“You are not welcome here!”
But their words did not finish. As Seraphine’s wings swung once, the guards flew through the air like paper dolls.
Boom!
The royal guards groaned as they hit the wall. But soon, holy light began to emanate from their wounds. Broken bones found their place, and bruises disappeared. In fact, their skin seemed to have improved.
“I’m sorry. But this wedding must be stopped.”
Seraphine’s voice was gentle, yet the resolve behind it was as strong as steel.
“My, what rudeness is this?”
Iris twisted her red lips. A cold cynicism lingered in her scarlet eyes.
“To think the Saintess would come in person. What an honor. Ah, may the goddess’ blessings be upon you.”
“Stop this coercive ceremony right now.”
“Coercive, you say? But wasn’t it you who made the hero run away? Wasn’t it from you that he fled, avoiding the women of your coercive party?”
“……”
“I’m just trying to give him one happy day. What’s the problem? At least I didn’t make him run away.”
At Iris’s words, Seraphine’s wings trembled with a slight shiver.
“The hero could never hate me.”
Seraphine’s voice was firm.
“It’s because of the other party members. The dragon’s greed, the elf’s obsession, the beast’s instincts—those are what made the hero run away!”
“Is that so? Well then, why don’t you say that in front of a mirror and see how it sounds?”
Iris smiled, but the sound of her laughter was far from pleasant.
“So the Saintess’ pure faith isn’t dangerous, huh? What about that blind fanaticism? What are you going to do about that?”
“The hero and the saintess must be together. That is a divine revelation!”
“A revelation? Heh…”
Iris laughed coldly.
“Then what’s this situation? Was the result of that revelation what made him run away for a day? If that’s the case, I guess the goddess’s will isn’t as perfect as you think.”
“That…”
“Besides, Saintess, what about that vow of purity? Are you going to break sacred law? Or perhaps…”
A dangerous smile spread across Iris’s lips.
“Do you think it’s fine just because it’s the hero? The desires hidden deep within that pure soul… So, in the end, the Saintess is just another girl.”
“Don’t insult me!”
Seraphine’s face turned red. Her purple eyes trembled violently.
“The hero and I… that’s… I mean…”
Suddenly, Seraphine’s voice faltered.
“It’s been five years. For five years, I’ve prayed for the hero every night. Whenever a miracle of healing was needed, I risked my life to protect him.”
Tears welled up in her purple eyes.
“When they called me the Saintess of Calamity, when everyone feared and distanced themselves from me… only the hero came close to me.”
“So what? Do you think pity is love?”
Iris laughed coldly.
“And besides, I don’t bind him. If he becomes the emperor’s consort, he will be treated like royalty…”
“You don’t bind him?”
Seraphine suddenly laughed. A cold cynicism appeared on her face, one that had never been seen before on the pure Saintess.
“Isn’t this situation itself a kind of bondage? This elegant prison surrounded by knights and mages…”
“At least I’m promising real happiness. I’m not suffocating him with divine laws like you, Saintess.”
“The hero is special to me. The goddess will allow it!”
“Still talking about the goddess? This is the Empire, the Imperial Chronicle! Don’t you see that your faith only suffocates the hero even more?”
“You… you’re the one! Trying to imprison the hero with your cold calculations!”
Seraphine’s voice changed. She lowered her head, speaking softly as she continued.
“I don’t need anything. Power, fame… All I need is the hero. If I can be with him, I would give up my divine power, my position as a saintess. Can you do that? Can you leave the Empire, give up everything… and live only for the hero?”
Iris’s lips trembled slightly. In the face of Seraphine’s pure sincerity, even her cold calculations seemed to pause for a moment.
“I’ve watched the hero sleep during the war. Wounds that couldn’t be healed by my healing magic… I cried all night seeing them. In that moment, I swore. I swore to protect him for the rest of my life. Even if my divine power runs out, even if my life comes to an end… I will stay by his side until the very end.”
Seraphine slowly lifted her head. Something flickered in her eyes.
“I’m different from the princess. This isn’t about calculations or politics.”
Seraphine’s voice trembled.
The rational princess and the pure saintess. Cold calculations and blind faith.
But the root of it all was the same. Obsession with me.
“Heh, well, the precious hero is currently by my side, isn’t he?”
Iris grabbed my arm. There was a dangerous obsession in her grip.
“And we’ll be having the wedding soon. Ah, I’ll let you know how our first night goes later.”
“You…”
Seraphine’s wings trembled violently. A holy energy swirled like a storm.
“How dare you… my hero… my hero…”
In that moment, the air in the cathedral froze. Iris’s scarlet eyes collided with Seraphine’s purple ones.
Cold calculation and pure madness clashed. The Empire’s authority and divine blessing faced off against each other.
The obsession of the two women surrounding me was on the verge of exploding.
In the midst of that intense atmosphere, I could only remain silent.
“Stand down quietly.”
Iris’s cold voice rang out. At her gesture, three figures stepped forward.
The Imperial Captain of the Royal Guard, clad in silver-white armor. A court sorcerer with a black robe billowing behind him. And the head maid, dressed elegantly in a maid’s uniform.
They were the Empire’s strongest forces—the superhumans with S-rank abilities.
Aizen Waldstein, the “Sword of the Empire,” Captain of the Imperial Guard. The Empire’s greatest knight and undefeated general. No enemy could withstand his blade.
Roy Arkel, the “Master of the Elements,” a court sorcerer who could manipulate countless spells at will. If he hadn’t been part of the Hero Party’s Golden Dragon, he would have been the one to rise to the current position.
Eva Schwarz, the “Modest Maid,” also known as the “Noble Assassin.” The head maid of the Princess’s personal guard. Iris’s most loyal servant and a hidden blade. The number of nobles who had disappeared at her fingertips was beyond count.
Calculations raced through my mind. Saintess Seraphim, of course, was a hero with abilities surpassing even theirs. She had SS-tier stats and SSS-tier skills.
But…
In the end, the Saintess is a support role.
Healing, protection, and blessings were her specialties. At the very least, if the opponent were demons, her divine energy might be lethal, but the enemy here was human.
“Saintess, I’m sorry, but please step aside.”
“If you leave now, we won’t pursue you.”
The court sorcerer’s staff shimmered, and the flow of magical power pulsed. With each amplification, the aura of high-level magic was unmistakable.
The head maid said nothing. But beneath her maid’s uniform, the hidden daggers subtly glinted.
Still, this was an act of restraint. They had clearly been ordered to capture her alive, not kill her.
Though, if Seraphine were to get seriously hurt or die… it would complicate things for Iris too.
The relationship between the Empire and the Church would spiral into its worst state. But still, the situation was unfavorable for Seraphine.
Should I help her?
Five years of shared battles and struggles flashed through my mind. Her healing and blessings that had protected us through countless fights. The warm touch that tended to our wounds as we stayed up all night.
Is doing nothing the best choice?
Is it right to simply watch and do nothing?
As I grappled with my thoughts, the three superhumans moved in unison.
Like a predator approaching with its claws hidden, they moved cautiously towards Seraphine.
The Captain of the Imperial Guard’s sword plunged toward Seraphine’s wings. The court sorcerer’s magic exploded, scorching the air. The head maid’s transparent aura scratched at Seraphim’s protective barrier.
“For the hero…”
Seraphine’s pure white wings spread like a storm. Holy light filled the air in all directions.
“This much is nothing!”
Her wings glowed brightly, and streams of divine light burst forth.
But the Captain’s sword cleaved through even that light. The court sorcerer’s ice wall disrupted Seraphine’s movements, and the maid’s daggers, like shadows, dug deep.
“In the name of the goddess!”
Seraphine recited a prayer.
But the three superhumans could not be stopped.
The pure white wings trembled. One by one, the feathers began to fall.
I could no longer watch.
Through the barrage of attacks, I leaped in.
A gray aura surged up my body. The aura exploded outward, vibrating the air around us.
“Stop!”
With a single step, I cut through the space between the three superhumans. The aura exploded with force, pushing their attacks away.
The Captain’s sword stopped. The court sorcerer’s incantation faltered. The maid’s dagger sliced through empty air.
In that moment, all three superhumans froze.
“Hero… Hero?”
I heard Seraphine’s trembling voice. Her purple eyes were filled with unease and… fear.
“Could it… could it be… me…?”
Seraphine’s pure white wings shrank. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
“Did… did you run away because of me? You said it was the goddess’s will… I must have pressured you too much, didn’t I?”
“No.”
I turned my head to look at her. The saintess who had always been by my side for the past five years. Those eyes, once full of pure faith, now wavered with uncertainty.
“It’s not that you did anything wrong. I… I’m the one who ran away like a coward.”
“I always believed.”
Seraphine’s voice trembled.
“You would never betray me. You’ve always done that. Whenever I was in danger… you always came to save me.”
Her words made me bitterly smile. Of course, a healer should be saved when they’re in danger… I wanted to say that, but now wasn’t the time for such jokes.
“Let’s do it like usual.”
With those words, Seraphine’s face lit up. Her pure white wings once again spread powerfully.
“Yes! Hero!”
She turned her back and stood before me. Just like always, just as we had done countless times before.
I raised my right hand.
Holy light gathered in my palm. At first, it was a faint, flickering flame, but it grew stronger and more intense. It felt like a small sun was burning within my hand.
When the light reached its peak, I gripped it tightly. In that instant, the light faded, revealing a single sword.
The holy sword Dawn.
The sword with the meaning of “light that opens the dawn,” a sacred blade imbued with the goddess’s blessing.
“There’s no helping it.”
Iris sighed. Her scarlet eyes grew cold.
“This wasn’t part of my plan…”
She coldly smiled and gave the order.
“Subdue her. The wedding must proceed with the groom bound. Well, that will be a memory, I suppose.”
With Iris’s command, the three superhumans moved again.
I raised the holy sword. Brilliant holy light filled the cathedral.
Behind me, Seraphine’s wings spread wide. No longer trembling, they were strong and unwavering now.