Chapter 23: Something that can never be compromised (6)

Two days after the fortress was captured, the mornings remained bright despite the chaotic times.

Stretching deeply, I woke up in my assigned room. The air was so dry it scratched my throat, and the dull, gray walls greeted me once again.

It made me think, How am I even managing to live in this kind of world? But nothing was going to change.

Maybe I should sprinkle some water on the floor tomorrow, I thought while brushing my tangled hair.

My disheveled hair and rumpled pajamas—this was the usual appearance of the in-game heroine, “Saintess Sera.”

“What did the mages say? Can they reverse it?”

“Well, they say it’s difficult since it’s a shamanic seal.”

“Ugh, those cursed bastards… They really went all out.”

“Hey! If you’ve got time to chat, you’ve got time to move those rocks!”

Judging by the commotion outside, it seemed I’d slept in longer than usual today.

But I had little choice. With everything that had been going on, the last proper rest I got was when I fainted in the capital.

Feeling guilty about sleeping in, I decided to make up for it with action.

Tidying up my previously chaotic bed, I changed into the neatly folded nun’s habit.

It was the kind you’d see in a fantasy game—a modest outfit with just enough exposure of calves and hair.

Not that I was entirely comfortable with it, but considering the standards of fantasy game attire, this was pretty tame.

“Good morning, Saintess! It was quite chilly last night. Were you okay?”

“Of course. Thank you for your concern.”

As I stepped out of my dim room into the corridor, sunlight immediately blinded me.

Covering my eyes with my hand, I greeted adventurers who struck up a conversation.

Oddly enough, despite offering no help in capturing the fortress, their gazes weren’t filled with disdain.

“Are you heading to check on the injured again today?”

“Yes, unfortunately, it’s the only thing I can do right now.”

“Don’t say that! You and your companions are such a blessing to us all.”

I responded to their words with a quiet smile. Honestly, there wasn’t much to talk about with people I’d just met.

Luckily, the female adventurer quickly resumed her work, carrying a massive boulder.

A woman with seemingly no muscles effortlessly carrying such a heavy stone—it was surreal.

But then again, even the hero had strength that far surpassed most bodybuilders.

It was probably due to stats rather than physical reality. In my head, the only “status window” I had was the single quest to defeat the Demon King.

In this game world, stats seemed to outweigh any physical traits.

That made me curious—what were my companions’ stats? Until now, I’d only thought, Their cheat abilities must be so convenient.

But now I wanted to know the precise numbers.

And what about the Demon King’s stats? Just how powerful was he? In the game, the hero worked hard to prevent the Demon King’s advent, but that turned out to be fake.

Behind the scenes, the hero absorbed all the demon crystals and gained power over dark magic, contrary to the title of “hero.”

With the help of the corrupted saintess, he summoned a powerless, empty shell of a Demon King to enslave as his servant.

How the second hero defeated the Demon King, I had no way of knowing.

The game’s bad ending only mentioned being discovered in the Holy Nation after failing to corrupt the saintess.

After that, all it said was, “The world summoned a new hero, and the Demon King was defeated.”

“By the will of the gods, I’ve been waiting for you, Saintess.”

“By the will of the gods, it’s good to see you, Sister.”

Lost in my thoughts, I found myself arriving at the makeshift infirmary for the injured.

Priests greeted me with bright smiles as they moved wet cloths.

Their faces, weathered with wrinkles and signs of hardship, were evidence of their difficult lives as war priests or nuns, and sometimes adventurers.

Most priests and nuns prefer not to be on the frontlines.

They usually live in churches funded by donations spread across nations or the Holy Nation.

These here, however, were rare—dedicated to enduring hardship for their faith. I found them the most challenging type to deal with.

“It’s a relief. We lacked the faith to tend to all the wounded.”

“No… I don’t think you should blame yourselves for that.”

“Indeed, one who hasn’t found their path cannot understand the way the gods guide us. How humbling.”

Because it’s burdensome, honestly… To be frank, the Holy Nation is… complicated.

Of the five countries on the continent, it’s the weakest, with scarce resources.

Its influence relies solely on the saintess. While all five nations have the right to summon heroes, only girls from the Holy Nation can become saintesses.

Without the threat of the Demon King, the Holy Nation’s voice in political matters weakens.

Because of this, some factions secretly hope for the Demon King’s return, and corruption runs rampant.

That’s why those here are genuinely saints of this era—people who endure hardships and serve others selflessly.

Seeing their gazes of reverence toward me, how could I sit idly by?

“Ah, have you seen Laura or Natalia?”

“Your companions are inspecting the sealed underground. Why do you ask?”

“No, no! Don’t worry about it!”

An endless cycle of self-reflection. If I kept discussing faith and the clergy here, I’d lose my mind, so I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Alright, let’s focus on treating the patients.”

Before me was already a pile of injured people.

The basics of first aid had been covered, but it’s impossible to tend to those teetering between life and death.

Even though my specialty was burning demons, as a saintess, I could at least reattach severed arms and legs.

“Do not abandon us who wander in darkness, grant us the light of hope, and allow us to receive new grace. Heal the sick by taking their hands, and show the will of heaven to those whose faith falters.”

To be honest, when it comes to faith, the inquisitors in the Holy Nation are unmatched.

These are the ones who wouldn’t hesitate to set themselves on holy fire, believing, “If I’m innocent, the fire won’t burn me. If it does, I am a sinner too.”

In particular, the High Inquisitor Malleus seemed to take a special liking to me.

According to him, inquisitors may kindle holy flames, but they cannot produce holy water or recite prayers for healing.

To be precise, nothing happens when they try.

Instead, their holy flames are said to burn not just magic but also anyone guilty of sin.

What’s crucial is that, contrary to popular belief, faith and divine power don’t completely correlate.

Before meeting the hero, I didn’t believe in the “gods” at all.

Yet I still had to memorize every prayer—from creating holy water, kindling holy flames, to healing, protecting, and blessing.

I can confidently say I’m above average in all these skills.

“…Saintess?”

In other words, cheat abilities are the best.

I may not like being the saintess, but under specific conditions, I can unleash powerful holy flames on demons or monsters. I also have an unbreakable shield, healing powers, and blessings that work on all but the strongest enemies.

One of the blessings of the saintess is the Light’s Grace, a divine protection that has carried me through countless adventures without ever fearing for my life.

Honestly, when I flooded the capital’s waterways with holy water and burned everything, I never once thought I might die.

I mean, as a saintess with the Light’s Grace, could I really die just from burning a bit of my life force? Of course not.

The saintess is a cheat character, if not quite as much as the hero.

“…Saintess, the hero has arrived.”

“Haha, cheat character supre—wait, the hero?”

In the real world, I had no skills and spent all my time playing games.

But in this world, I’m a cherished figure wherever I go. While indulging in this thought, a nearby nun quietly called out to me.

When I turned around, there he was, smiling and saying, “Hey.” Ugh, that guy.

Why couldn’t he just mind his own business instead of showing up to cause trouble here too?

“Thanks to the Saintess, this place is in order. Feel free to talk at ease.”

“Ah, yes… Thank you for your consideration.”

The older nun gave me a warm smile as she guided me to the hero.

To be honest, I didn’t want to get involved with him.

Who knows when he might hypnotize me again? I hadn’t had headaches recently, but the unpleasant feeling still lingered.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting when you’re busy.”

“No, it’s fine… But what brings you here, hero?”

“Oh, I just saw you while passing by. That’s all.”

“Passing by?”

“Yeah, I wanted to talk to the captured Red Tail Tribe.”

The fortress’s underground is divided into three sections: a prison for captives, an oil storage, and a special zone containing the source of mana.

The captives, including the Red Tail Tribe’s warriors and their chieftain, Thunder in Motion, were held in the prison.

To break the unyielding rock, the hero needed to form a bond with Thunder in Motion.

Only then would he unlock the path to the one heroine with an NTR scene.

“I-I’ll come with you!”

After considering it, I realized that leaving the hero to face a bad ending could lead to the Demon King’s full advent.

Since defeating the Demon King was my only way back to the original world, his advent was necessary.

The real question was whether the second hero could defeat the Demon King.

Surely the divine blessings on us, including the saintess and surviving heroines, served a purpose.

I didn’t know how the second hero would save the world, but the more uncorrupted heroines there were, the better.

Laura and Natalia were probably a lost cause, but here… let’s at least rescue the unyielding rock!