Master 57

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I felt sorry for the participants in the selection tournament, but some time had passed since the sudden deathmatch began.

“Huff, huff….”

“…”

“…”

As the smoke that had filled the arena slowly cleared, the outcome of the battle, which even I couldn’t grasp, finally revealed itself before my eyes.

‘…At least three people are still standing.’

The ones who remained at the end of the chaos were Cecil, Adele, and the doppelgänger, Robin — three in total.

Judging by that, it seemed the minimum requirement for placing in the promising rookie selection had been met.

‘The other students… luckily, they just fainted.’

In the confusion of a battle where not even an inch ahead was visible, all I could do was protect the students with holy magic as best as I could.

‘Well, all that mattered was that they fought, right?’

After practicing on Alfred, who constantly suffered from osteoporosis, I had become quite skilled in healing and protection.

Thankfully, I had more than enough stolen magic from the demon, so although they passed out, no one suffered fatal wounds.

“Saintess, it’s time.”

“……”

“Confirm who your hero is.”

Anyway, it was clumsy, but with only three participants remaining in the selection tournament, I quietly spoke to Hestia, who stood next to me.

“Really… such a barbaric method.”

“…Haha.”

“Did the selection of the hero go as planned?”

Looking at the unconscious students with a hint of concern, Hestia asked me in a worried tone.

“Trust me, Saintess.”

Of course, it was true that the method was overly forceful, so I couldn’t give a definite answer, but I smiled brightly and cheered her on.

“Even if the awakening fails, we’ll fall together.”

“Sigh….”

She let out a deep sigh, then suddenly asked in a quiet voice.

“What if I betray you after awakening?”

“Hmm, then….”

That possibility honestly hadn’t occurred to me, so I looked momentarily flustered.

Deciding to lighten the awkward moment with humor, I lowered my voice and whispered.

“I’ll just kidnap you again and reprogram you until you listen, right?”

“……”

“All the suffering you’ve endured until now will probably feel like child’s play. Hahaha….”

As soon as I said it, I regretted it.

Her expression instantly turned cold.

“Uh, that was just a joke….”

“…Well, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

Just as I was about to make an excuse while glancing at her, Hestia narrowed her eyes and muttered.

“Rather than shriveling under the church’s trials, it might be better to be broken by your hands.”

Wait, what is she saying now?

“So, what kind of punishment do you have in mind?”

“……”

“I’ve endured so much already that no ordinary punishment will do….”

Hestia, who leaned in close with a teasing voice, had a slight blush on her cheeks.

No wonder she’d been saying strange things about demon kings earlier — that timid personality of hers probably led her to secretly drink to calm her nerves.

“Oh. I see you’re not immune to this kind of joke.”

“There’s no time. Go, quickly.”

Thanks to my experience with drunken family members in a past life, I knew dealing with a drunkard was a waste of time.

So, I sighed and pushed her forward.

“He… he tamed a demon.”

“But that person is clearly a white mage…”

Honestly, I wanted to witness the saint’s awakening with my own eyes, but I didn’t have the luxury of time.

“More than that, the rules of the Holy Nation come first.”

“Then… is she the enemy?”

As Azrael’s spell lifted and the paladins began to move again, they started watching me with suspicious eyes from behind.

‘This is bad.’

If they intervened before Hestia’s awakening was complete, everything might fall apart.

But I couldn’t involve the other executives just to stop them.

If Hestia’s awakening failed, I might be able to take the fall alone, but I couldn’t let the others be judged by the Holy Nation.

“Ha, everyone. Please, listen to me for a moment—”

“It’s useless.”

Just as I stepped forward to somehow persuade the paladins—

“They never listen before charging into things.”

Meredia, who had been silently glaring at me from the side, suddenly stepped in front of me.

“Lady Meredia?”

“Don’t speak to me. I might just kill you.”

I had been watching her carefully, trying to gauge her mood, but when I opened my mouth, her threatening response surprised me.

“I’m sorr—”

“…Why would you do something like that without telling me?”

I had no excuse, so I hurried to apologize, but her voice was slightly trembling.

“You scared me… you bastard.”

Only then did I properly notice the pale, terrified expression on her face.

‘This isn’t the time for it, but why does she look so cute right now?’

I immediately shook my head, clearing the inappropriate thought, and spoke.

“Lade Meredia, if you stay near me now, it’ll cause prob—”

“The problems started piling up when I got engaged to you.”

But she cut me off and quietly stepped beside me.

“I’ll stand trial with you. If I give up most of my rights, I can at least save your life.”

“That won’t be nec—”

“…You really don’t understand, do you, Whitney Lingard?”

Then, amazingly, she calmly took my hand and declared in a cold voice—

“You’re part of my property now. That was the contract, wasn’t it?”

“……”

“You don’t have a choice. Got it?”

I didn’t know whether to be touched or terrified.

“If you didn’t want this, you shouldn’t have sold your rights to me.”

“Haha….”

“…If you understand, go deal with that demon who’s throwing a fit over there.”

Of course, this wasn’t the time to argue, so I followed Meredia’s words and approached Azrael, who was still writhing on the floor.

“You’re a good one, right? Want to shrink down and hide in my clothes for a bit?”

“Gaaaah!!!”

“Hmm, not very obedient, huh….”

But clearly, controlling a demon I had forcibly tamed without preparation was too much for me.

“For now, just making sure she doesn’t attack anyone is probably the best I can do….”

“Sigh.”

Hearing my timid response, Meredia ran a hand through her hair and sighed before opening her mouth as if resigned.

“I’ll take care of the witnesses.”

“What?”

“I’ll take responsibility. You just take her and hide—”

Just as cold sweat trickled down my forehead at her terrifying but simple solution—

“No.”

From right behind me, Hestia’s refreshing voice rang out.

“There’s no need for that.”

“What do you mean?”

Thanks to that, Meredia, who frowned and turned her gaze away, asked Hestia with a hint of anxiety.

“……Huh?”

“I know the optimal solution.”

But as I also turned my gaze to her, I couldn’t help but open my mouth with a dazed expression.

‘Her body… it looks like it’s glowing a little…’

Because of the overwhelming dark energy in the surroundings, I couldn’t be sure.

But if what I was seeing was real, it could only mean one thing.

‘Has the Hero finally been born?’

In the original game, Hestia always emitted a glow from her body when she awakened as the Saint after coming into contact with the Hero.

In other words, if her body was glowing now, it meant the desperate deathmatch strategy had succeeded.

“Saintess, which of the three is the Hero… huh?”

So I hurriedly tried to ask Hestia, but for some reason, she passed by me without a word and stopped in front of Meredia.

“Anyway. Lady Meredia.”

“You…”

“I’d like to ask for your understanding on one matter.”

Hestia, exuding a mysterious aura that didn’t match her previously humiliating demeanor, spoke in a low voice.

“……What?”

Meredia’s gem-like eyes suddenly widened.

“Are you out of your mind, Saintess?”

Then, with her eyes turning a deep red, Meredia began to emit killing intent toward Hestia without even trying to hide it.

‘…What the? What did she say?’

What on earth could she have said to provoke such a reaction from Lady Meredia, who had remained calm even in this outrageous situation?

“Come, follow me.”

“…Uh-huh.”

But before I could dwell on it, Hestia suddenly grabbed my arm and started dragging me forward toward the paladins.

“Saintess, what are you trying to do…?”

“…Just leave it to me from here on.”

Maybe it was just my imagination, but somehow, the words coming from Hestia as she held my arm felt oddly familiar.

“This time, I’ll be the one to save you.”

Wait—wasn’t that line supposed to be from Chapter 1, where the Saint says it to the Hero?

***

“Paladins, hold your positions!”

“!?”

“?!”

“Your Saintess is here before you!”

The paladins of the Holy Nation, who had surrounded Whitney in combat stance, widened their eyes and froze at the sudden appearance of Hestia.

“S-Saintess…?”

“Is this… a demonic illusion?”

“No, impossible. There’s no illusion that can replicate that level of divinity….”

Though she looked quite different from before due to Bergen’s disguise, the radiant glow around her and the divine power that began spreading throughout the arena unmistakably proved her identity.

“Sh-shouldn’t we contact the capital first?”

“Yeah, let’s verify this.”

“…If she really is the Saintess, this is a huge event.”

Still, because of how sudden her appearance was, the paladins hesitated and remained on guard.

– RUUUMBLE…!

At that very moment, with an earth-shattering roar, the sky split open and a blinding light poured down onto the arena.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

Simultaneously, Azrael — bound to the mortal realm by Whitney’s command — began to burn.

Not only the paladins but everyone in the arena could now do nothing but accept that her words were true.

“This is… a miracle.”

“The Goddess’s blessing has reached the heavens….”

As the paladins all laid down their weapons and knelt before her, Hestia — with a briefly tense expression — composed herself and began to speak.

“Brothers and sisters, I have spent a long journey hiding from the grip of evil, and through the blessings and revelations of the Goddess, I have returned here once more.”

After saying that much, Hestia flinched, glancing at Whitney nervously, then looked up at the sky just in case.

Thankfully, the Goddess didn’t strike her with lightning for lying.

“And through the arrangements of our great Goddess, I was finally able to find the Hero to whom I could entrust my destiny and be reborn as the true Saintess!”

With newfound confidence, Hestia raised her voice, and her words echoed through every silent corner of the arena.

“And now, I shall introduce to you… my Hero.”

At that moment, all eyes in the arena focused solely on Hestia.

“…What are you doing? Hurry up and step forward.”

“…Huh?”

While keeping her calm through deep breaths, she suddenly elbowed Whitney in the ribs and whispered with an awkward smile.

“This is the optimal solution I came up with.”

“Wait, hold on….”

“You dared to kidnap and train a Saintess, so now you have to take responsibility.”

Only then did Whitney realize Hestia’s plan, and he began stepping back in a panic — but it was far too late.

“The one who will save the world with me—my Hero.”

By then, Hestia had already linked arms with him, forcing a smile on her face.

“Now, quickly declare it before everyone.”

“…Wait, what?”

“I’ll keep your identity as the Demon King a secret between just the two of us….”

Staring blankly at the faintly sinful smile rising on her lips, Whitney’s mind began to ring with alarm bells.

‘…Wait, is this the “Corrupted Saintess” route?’

Because at that very moment, he realized—

The glow radiating from Hestia’s body wasn’t brilliant white.

It was a deep, dark gray.

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