The Saintess’s Will

Luo You lowered her eyes, instantly understanding what Litia meant.

After all, not a single expedition team sent into the depths of the Sea of Realms had ever returned.

And now, standing before her was a weakened but intelligent dimensional beast—its experiences in the Sea of Realms held unimaginable value.

“You want me to bring it to the Magical Alliance, don’t you?”

“If that’s your final wish, I can do that.”

She agreed.

Maybe it was because she was living as a woman now, but when it came to making decisions, her thinking had become a bit more emotional.

She decided to help Litia this once.

After all, they had shared a night together.

And Litia had been particularly cooperative that night—enough for Luo You to consider returning the favor fully.

However—

“No, I’m not asking you to bring it to the Magical Alliance.”

“I want to entrust it to you.”

“…Can I take that as your farewell gift to me?” Luo You tilted her head.

“It’s not!”

“I already said it’s ‘entrusting’, not ‘giving’. That doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want with it!” Litia snapped with a sharp pop of sound.

Now that it had come to this, Luo You found Litia’s intentions somewhat troublesome.

This magical girl was actually planning something that defied all convention.

If word got out, it would cause a massive uproar.

If the public knew, the image of the “Compassionate Saintess” would crumble under a flood of doubt.

“And your reason?”

Luo You lightly raised her arms and asked calmly.

“I may not care personally, but you’re a magical girl—you should understand this is a gamble with all of humanity’s safety.”

“That day, when the Magical Alliance cast the Zero-Rank Spell, I managed to dive into its memories by sheer luck.

What I saw in there—that’s why I’m saying this.”

Litia didn’t hesitate in the slightest, her voice gentle.

“If properly guided, it won’t be a danger. On the contrary, it might be our only hope of understanding the Sea of Realms in the coming decades.”

“That’s… a bold statement. You know in movies, that kind of line is usually a death flag.”

“Movies don’t always reflect reality.

And besides, I verified what I saw.”

“What if its nature is fundamentally evil?”

“Compared to it, the darkness most people are born with is far worse.”

There was no confusion in Litia’s eyes.

No special pretenses, no wavering.

Her tone remained calm and steady, without even a ripple.

She didn’t sound like an impassioned orator, nor a sly debater.

If she were giving a speech, she’d definitely get zero points.

And yet—

Her words carried a strange conviction, one that made people want to believe her.

“So, you’re entrusting it to me?”

Luo You at least had some self-awareness.

Did she want her to raise this thing into a dimensional beast that could dominate every magical girl under the sun?

That wouldn’t do.

There could only be one magical girl hunter in this world.

“I believe I can trust you with it.”

“…Just from one night together, you think you know what kind of person I am?”

Litia placed her hand gently over her chest.

A trace of warmth surfaced in her expression.

“I have a power that touches the soul.

When people entangle each other… naked and raw… they show their truest selves.

After that night with you, your soul etched itself into me.”

“Yes, you’ve harmed many magical girls.

But not everything you’ve done can be blindly labeled as ‘evil.’

Evil, by definition, cannot create anything of positive value.

You’re different. I believe, just as you became important to me after that night, the things you’ve done must have brought some kind of positive change to others as well.”

Stop. Just stop.

If she kept talking like that, Luo You might actually start believing she was doing the right thing.

Her emotions were a tangled mess.

Who would’ve thought that her career of hunting magical girls would one day be validated?

Suddenly she felt a surge of motivation—

Just kidding!

Are you encouraging me right now?

That’s not allowed, you know?

If more magical girls get hurt in the future, I’m blaming you!

“You’ve said this much. Even if I wanted to refuse, I couldn’t.”

“If this is your dying wish, I’ll help you carry it out.”

“Thank you.”

Why didn’t Litia entrust it to the Magical Alliance?

Luo You didn’t even need to ask.

The answer was obvious.

Because Litia alone couldn’t control the Alliance’s decisions.

There was a good chance they’d handle the creature in a way that went against her will.

“I can’t promise I’ll take good care of it.

Its appearance…”

Luo You glanced at the little snowman.

That furry face… it screamed risk.

“This current form was evolved under my guidance,” Litia explained.

“But the transformation wasn’t complete.

You can help it finish the change with Divinity Particles. It can look fully human after that.”

“You mean I can assist it with Divinity Particles? How?”

“Just give it your blood.

One drop is enough.”

Skeptical, Luo You cut open her arm.

But due to the Divinity Particles in her body, her blood wouldn’t flow naturally.

She had to forcibly extract a drop using Three Lives, Ten Directions.

“Haah!?”

The little snowman, nearly conscious, convulsed.

Its eyes cleared in an instant, and the sight of that drop of blood filled it with primal fear.

Luo You didn’t coddle it.

With a flick of her finger, the blood shot straight into its mouth.

“Ugh—!”

The snowman’s body began to ripple, like a balloon on the verge of bursting.

It collapsed, writhing on the ground in agony.

Its howls chilled the air.

“Hey hey, this looks like it’s dying!” Luo You glanced at Litia, who remained calm.

“Wake up!” Litia barked.

“Do what I told you before!”

Her voice worked.

The snowman curled up, its whole body emitting sizzling smoke—

Like it had just been fished out of a pool of acid.

It coughed violently.

That drop of blood was spat back out.

Luo You hesitated, then retrieved it.

“I… I…”

The snowman looked up.

Its form had changed drastically.

The alien features—its limbs, its face—had all begun to look… human.

“You look a bit… no, you look exactly like her!”

Luo You turned to Litia.

“That’s because I told it to use me as a template.”

“Just smaller in size, huh.

But it’s not impossible to—”

“…???”

“Nothing. Instinctive reaction,” Luo You corrected herself.

Why did Divinity Particles even work on it?

She wanted to ask, but clearly Litia wouldn’t know the answer either.

Still, it hinted at something—

That dimensional beasts were connected to Divinity Particles.

Or perhaps even the entire Ancient Relic system.

Also, based on the transformation just now, Luo You noticed something.

Divinity Particles didn’t assist the snowman’s evolution.

They destroyed its original structure—forcing it to rebuild itself in a new form.

“I saw it in its memories,” Litia suddenly said.

“Hmm?”

“When the Magical Alliance cast the Zero-Rank Spell, I entered its memories.

I saw the tides rise and fall deep within the Sea of Realms.

And for a fleeting moment, there was a radiance—nine colors, dreamlike and ephemeral, vanishing in an instant.”

She smiled softly.

“What do you think it was?”

“…Maybe I’ll have to see it for myself someday.”

Luo You looked up.

The blizzard had mostly stopped.

Chances were, it had been tied to the snowman or Litia.

“Want me to pass a message to your friends?”

“Mm… then I’ll trouble you…”

As Litia spoke, Luo You took out her phone to jot it down.

The little snowman sat quietly behind Litia, not moving an inch.

Ding dong. Ding dong.

Three hot topic alerts popped up on Luo You’s screen.

She was about to swipe them away, but the titles caught her eye.

The Sea of Realms Gate has been breached?

She tapped in.

The article confirmed the headline.

She scrolled straight to the comments.

—

“Oh my god! A humanoid creature from the Sea of Realms just broke through the gate!”

“Why’s that strange? Don’t dimensional beasts come through all the time?”

“This isn’t the same!

This was a direct assault! Got it?

The Magical Alliance sent in their elites and still couldn’t stop it!”

“I was there! I saw it!

It roared—gray smoke soared to the heavens—and an entire battalion was gone in a flash!”

“Yeah, sure. If you were there, why aren’t you gone too? Still alive and tapping away online?”

“Maybe something exploded?”

“Nope. I live nearby.

That was definitely a roar. Shattered all the windows in my house!

I live ten kilometers away, dammit!”

—

The comment section was chaos.

Luo You couldn’t tell truth from fiction.

But the main story seemed accurate:

The Sea of Realms Gate had been breached head-on.

“Troubled times ahead.”

It was time to leave.

“How long will you remain here?”

“As long as there’s substance from the Sea of Realms around, I’ll exist.”

“Then… I guess this isn’t really goodbye.”

“You. Come with me.”

She waved at the snowman.

It hesitated, clearly afraid, but she grabbed its hand and dragged it along like a reluctant parent hauling a stubborn child.

“Wait!” Litia called out before they left.

She took a deep breath.

“Could you… say something I want to hear?”

“If I say it too easily, wouldn’t you lose respect for me?”

“I won’t. I’m a compassionate saintess, remember?”

“Still no~”

Luo You smiled lightly, blooming like a green lotus.

“An excellent woman like me doesn’t belong to anyone.

But I can say this—every magical girl I’ve slept with is mine.

That includes you!”

“Ugh! Trash woman! Get lost!”

And so, the Compassionate Saintess… was no longer so compassionate.