Milinarize Whitewell.
She is the highest-ranking priestess in the Palais Church, second only to the Pope.
A woman with a mysterious appearance and formidable divine power, earning her the title of Saintess.
Upon hearing the news of her visit, Richard spoke with a flustered expression.
“The Saintess of the Church, visiting such a remote border region? It’s hard to believe. Where did you say she is now?”
“Well, we received word that she just entered the city. She should be arriving at the mansion shortly.”
“There’s no time. I must go immediately…”
Richard glanced at me.
With the Church’s highest-ranking priestess arriving, he needed to greet her promptly, but he seemed concerned about my reaction.
I raised my hand lightly and said,
“Don’t worry too much. I called her here.”
“Ah, I see. So, Your Grace summoned— Wait, what!?”
“She’s someone I know personally. I informed her in advance that there’s a patient here, so she’ll examine your son’s condition as soon as she arrives.”
“Is that so…”
Richard muttered with an incredulous expression.
Though I’ve seen that look on his face often today, this time it was slightly different.
His face seemed brighter.
There was a sense of goodwill in his eyes as he looked at me.
His voice carried a hint of relief, as if the worries that had been tormenting him were about to be resolved.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude… I had no idea Your Grace would care for our family so deeply.”
“Don’t mention it. Aren’t we family now?”
“Family, you say?”
“Yes. And looking after family is only natural, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
Richard glanced between Eileen and me, then nodded.
Earlier in the drawing room, he was grinding his teeth, but now…
Perhaps he realized my genuine intention to help.
He then turned to a servant and said,
“When the High Priestess arrives at the mansion, escort her to the drawing room first. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Understood.”
The servant hurried off at his command.
As her hair fluttered and she gradually disappeared into the distance,
Richard sheathed his sword and said,
“I was foolish not to realize how much Your Grace has been looking out for our family. Let’s call off the duel for now.”
“Are you sure that’s alright?”
“Of course. It would be absurd to judge the character of someone who has shown us such kindness.”
“I see. I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to witnessing another Starlight sword after Eileen’s.”
“Hmm. If you’d like, perhaps we could spar occasionally during your stay at the mansion? I believe I could learn a great deal from crossing swords with a Sword Master.”
“Sounds good.”
I responded positively.
Truthfully, I didn’t have high expectations for Richard’s swordsmanship.
Even if he’s skilled, he wouldn’t be stronger than Eileen or Elda.
Still, the reason I wanted to spar with him was to grow by facing as many strong opponents as possible.
Fortunately, Richard agreed, so I’ll have the chance to spar with him during my stay at the mansion.
Perhaps because it’s a border region, the night sky here is more beautiful than in the capital, making it feel like the perfect place to swing a sword.
As we all left the training grounds,
We headed to the drawing room to meet Milinarize.
* * *
The path from the training grounds to the drawing room wasn’t far.
After all, the mansion wasn’t particularly large.
As we walked through the mansion’s corridors,
I recalled memories of Milinarize.
‘She’s lived quite a tumultuous life.’
Well, most of my subordinates have.
Milinarize, too, had a past that was hard to imagine given her current saintly appearance.
A woman abandoned by her mother at birth.
Milinarize was the child of an unnamed prostitute from Orbite and a client who caught her eye.
From the darkest place, the brightest light was born.
Born as the child of a prostitute, she was abandoned at an orphanage before she was even weaned.
What thoughts crossed her mind when she awakened her radiant divine power?
I don’t know everything about Milinarize,
but one thing I do know is that, like my other subordinates, she harbors deep resentment toward the Empire.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been quite some time since I formed a bond with Milinarize.’
After possessing this body, I’ve been too busy to properly look after her.
A sense of guilt and gratitude washed over me as I thought of her rushing here out of loyalty to me.
Just as I was about to capture the thoughts that arose.
We arrived at the drawing room.
Creak—
The servant waiting ahead opened the door, and a soft friction sound followed.
The scene inside the drawing room came into view.
“…”
There stood a woman with snow-white hair and crimson eyes, dressed in neat priestess robes.
I greeted her warmly.
“You arrived quickly, Milinarize. Thank you for rushing here.”
“Not at all. It’s only natural for a humble servant to move at your command. Please call on me anytime.”
“Alright. By the way, how have things been since the Demon Lord’s defeat? You seemed quite busy after I treated your injuries.”
“Yes… I’ve been caught up in political battles with the old men in the Church, so I haven’t had much time. I apologize for not visiting you more often, Your Grace.”
Milinarize, accompanied by paladins on either side, openly criticized the Church’s leadership.
As she bowed deeply, her snow-white hair cascaded down.
Unconsciously, my gaze drifted toward her ample bosom.
‘Truly, her breasts are as impressive as ever.’
Her chest seemed to spill toward the ground as she leaned forward.
I marveled at the massive mounds of flesh, rivaling even Endless’s, but today her attire seemed unusually modest.
‘Hmm. What’s going on?’
She usually wore revealing clothes with deep cleavage in front of me, but today she was dressed conservatively.
It was quite unexpected.
Does she sometimes wear clothes like this?
But then.
‘?’
I noticed two distinct points protruding through the tight priestess robes on her chest.
Huh? What’s that?
Wait.
Is she not wearing a bra?
This isn’t a Saintess (聖女); this is a Saintess (性女)!
First her, then Raphaella.
It’s hard to believe Beherit hasn’t embraced them yet, given how forward they are.
Thankfully, Eileen didn’t seem to notice.
When I looked up, Milinarize was giving me a sly, knowing look.
‘…’
While I was still in shock, Richard approached me.
“Wh-what is going on, Your Grace?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“How is it that the Church’s highest-ranking priestess is showing such deference to you?”
“As I mentioned earlier, Milinarize and I are well acquainted. I’ve received much help from her.”
“Well acquainted? This… this seems almost like a master-servant relationship.”
Richard stammered, clearly bewildered.
Oops.
I acted too casually, thinking he had already joined my side.
It seems I’ve shocked him a bit.
Eileen is used to it, but it seems I’ve gone a bit too far with Richard.
I decided to change the subject.
“Well, you’ll get used to it in time. By the way, where’s Luke? I haven’t seen him all day.”
“Well… Today was supposed to be a full day of treatment with the priest from the Church, but the priest suddenly left, saying he had urgent business.”
“The priest left?”
“Yes. So, while he’s still a bit unsteady, he can walk with some assistance. I’ll have him brought here.”
“Hmm. If that’s the case, there’s no need to push him. We can see him later.”
“No, with the servants’ help, it won’t be a problem. Please wait a moment.”
Richard turned away from me and called out to someone outside.
“Are you there?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Bring Luke to the drawing room now. And don’t forget to inform him that we have esteemed guests.”
“Understood.”
A servant’s voice came from outside the door, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Finally, I’ll get to see the real Luke.
As a fan of the original work, I couldn’t help but feel curious.
What does Eileen’s older brother look like?
After a short while,
The door opened, and a person entered the drawing room.
Richard brightened upon seeing him.
“Ah, there you are. Let me introduce you. This is the eldest son of our family, Luke.”
“Luke Starlight. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace.”
A young man with light brown hair and calm hazel eyes, supported by servants, spoke.
‘Is this the real Luke?’
It felt strange.
Though he shared the name of the original protagonist, his impression was entirely different.
First, I couldn’t sense any blessing of the stars from him.
His mana level was only slightly higher than that of other knights his age.
Who would think this was the original protagonist?
From his appearance, it was clear he was Eileen’s older brother.
But he didn’t give off the impression of being a special existence.
As I stared intently at Luke’s face, he spoke.
“I’m trembling at the chance to meet the renowned Sword Master in person. I apologize for not greeting you sooner.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re not in the best condition, so there’s no need to strain yourself.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“By the way, I heard the senior priest overseeing your treatment left in a hurry. Do you know why?”
I asked Luke.
A senior priest was dispatched to this remote border region as a reward for pledging loyalty to the 1st Prince, yet he suddenly left.
It didn’t make sense.
But Richard answered instead.
“Luke probably doesn’t know either. That priest wasn’t much of a talker.”
“Is that true, Luke?”
“Yes. The other priests who visited our family weren’t particularly talkative, but the one who came recently was especially reserved.”
“Do you remember the priest’s name?”
I frowned as I asked Luke.
The more I heard, the more suspicious this priest seemed.
Not only was he usually tight-lipped.
But today he suddenly left due to an urgent matter?
But it seemed I wasn’t the only one who found it odd.
When I glanced to the side, Eileen also had a serious expression.
Milinarize, meanwhile, was staring into space with a grave look.
Did she have some idea of what was going on?
But a moment later.
As everyone in the drawing room focused on Luke’s next words,
He revealed the name of the priest who had returned to the Church.
“Senior Priest Hene.”