“Huh? You mean to say the Evil God Cult has appeared in the Helra Ducal Territory!?”
“Your voice is too loud, Priest Johann.”
“A-Ah, sorry, Saintess.”
After hearing the saint’s words, Johann, startled, clamped his hand over his mouth and cautiously glanced around. Fortunately, there was no one nearby except for church personnel.
Only after confirming that no one had overheard did Johann heave a deep sigh, push up his glasses, and ask again.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Is that so? Hmm. It must be because the situation is urgent, and we didn’t inform you.”
That couldn’t be right. The saint eyed Johann suspiciously. This seemingly clumsy man was the sole overseer of the Helra Ducal Territory’s Church.
Which meant the Holy Kingdom likely would have informed him of the situation in advance and sought his cooperation. Conducting missions in that area without local assistance was extremely difficult.
Yet this man before her claimed he hadn’t received any such communication…
‘Did the Holy Kingdom mess up the communication? But that can’t be.’
No matter how urgent the matter, they wouldn’t make such a basic mistake. An organization capable of surviving for nearly thousands of years wouldn’t falter on something so simple.
As the saint’s gaze turned increasingly suspicious, wondering if he might be a turncoat— a loud voice boomed from outside.
—Why are you here!?
A shrill voice. Hearing it, the saint quickly rose and stepped outside the church to see what was going on.
There stood Kail, laughing heartily as if delighted, and Izuna Hela, pointing an accusing finger at him.
“My Lady.”
“…Saintess?”
Izuna, who belatedly noticed the saint, looked back and forth between Kail and the saint with a look of disbelief. Then her expression darkened.
The Sword Saint of the Academy, and the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom.
She realized what it meant for two forces akin to Masters to appear in her territory.
“Shall we go inside to talk?”
The saint, bringing along the now pale-faced duchess, entered the church.
After hearing the story from the saint, Izuna Hela, the Duchess of the Helra Ducal Territory, let out a hollow laugh as if she’d misheard.
“Can you say that again?”
“The oracle has spoken. The Evil God Cult will move within this city.”
“Haha, Ahahaha-. Why our city, of all places?”
“That’s what we need to figure out.”
Upon hearing the saint’s words, Izuna clutched her head in frustration and collapsed onto the desk. And understandably so.
The Evil God Cult. Whenever they appeared, entire villages disappeared regularly, and even cities weren’t safe from their destruction.
For an oracle to proclaim that these beings, whose purpose seemed to be destroying the world by inflicting suffering upon people, would cause trouble in her city— it meant big problems were coming to this city.
To the duchy where the duchess resided.
“Aaah, this is so annoying… Why our city… Aren’t there plenty of other places around…?”
“My Lady, as much as you’re upset, forgive me, but saying that could be interpreted as acknowledging the Evil God Cult’s activities.”
“You know that’s not what I meant…”
“Even metaphorically, I must ask you to refrain from such statements.”
Exasperated by the saint’s strictness, the duchess apologized and corrected herself.
Then, letting out a deep sigh, she sat up.
“So, what should I do?”
“You, My Lady?”
“Yes. If the two of you are here, doesn’t that mean you intend to stop the Evil God Cult from running rampant in my city?”
“That’s correct, My Lady. However, you don’t need to do anything.”
“Why not? I have a duty to protect my city—”
“Before you can do anything, we plan to wipe those damn cultists out completely.”
Hearing the saint’s decisive words, the duchess relaxed, reassured.
But someone of her standing couldn’t just sit idly by. Izuna promised to assist them as much as possible.
Seizing the opportunity, the saint presented her request.
“Then— can you grant us investigative authority to act freely in this city without interference?”
“That much? Of course.”
“And we’d prefer if as few people as possible knew about it.”
“That might be difficult. Ultimately, the ruler of this city is my father, Duke Hela. Even if I try to hide it, the information will reach him sooner or later.”
“We’d prefer if as few people knew as possible.”
“I’ll try, but… I can’t keep it hidden for long.”
“That’s sufficient.”
The saint knew the second condition couldn’t fully be met. But they didn’t need to hide for long. They just needed enough time for the Evil God Cult to realize they were here without acting prematurely or fleeing.
Soon, the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom would arrive in the city, and once they did, they’d comb through every corner to root out the cult’s influence.
Surely the duchess could buy them that short amount of time.
“Then… Ruby.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Stay with these two as their guide.”
“Understood.”
With that, Izuna assigned her guard to them. Seeing the familiar face of the guard stepping forward, Kail grinned knowingly.
The president of the Academy’s Swordsman Club, who always talked about serving the Helra Duchy, had somehow succeeded in becoming the duchess’s guard.
Glancing at the duchess, it seemed she had deliberately assigned Ruby, knowing she was acquainted with Kail.
“The investigative authority you requested will be resolved with Ruby’s presence. I leave it in your hands, Saintess. And Kail.”
“We’ll protect your city, Senpai.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you… Well, you seem reliable enough for a place like this.”
Kail tilted his head, unsure what Izuna meant by her comment.
But to her, something quite different was visible.
[Ca er]Ma Ling
Oh Ha
A status window, as if sliced cleanly by a sword.
‘It was still visible the last time I checked.’
If she doubted him despite seeing this, people would say Izuna Hela’s eyes were blind as knot holes.
“I’ll leave it to you, Hero.”
“No, please don’t call me by that embarrassing nickname…”
Villains.
Secret organizations.
When people hear those two words, they immediately think of underground spaces. Places where sinister plots are hatched away from prying eyes.
But reality isn’t like that. Being a villain means not caring about laws, morals, or ethics— it means having no restrictions whatsoever.
Those who move without constraints are bound to succeed more than others, aren’t they?
“Sunny places are just the best, aren’t they?”
Lucía, Apostle of Lust from the Evil God Cult, basked in the morning sunlight streaming through the window, absorbing its yang energy.
It felt as though simply breathing made her healthier. With her body and mind refreshed, Lucía slowly headed toward the office within the mansion.
Living in the light required a plausible occupation, and Lucía’s job was that of a merchant. Specifically, an investor. She shorted doomed ventures and front-loaded promising ones.
A loan shark who fed on money. A moneylender despised by all.
“Where shall I invest today~?”
For someone from the Evil God Cult, making money was incredibly easy.
Using the divine powers bestowed by their god, she hypnotized people and extracted information. When necessary, she requested reinforcements from headquarters to physically crush obstacles.
A merchant willing to use every tool at their disposal was formidable. The wealth she amassed only made her stronger.
And all of it made corrupting the world easier.
—Knock, knock.
“Master Merchant?”
“What is it?”
“A guest from the Church has arrived.”
At her secretary’s words from beyond the door, Lucía smirked and personally went to greet the visitor. The person hesitating outside brightened instantly upon seeing her and rushed in.
“Lucía, my lord…!”
“Oh, our priest.”
“I’ve brought you the gift you desired…!”
Hearing the priest’s words, Lucía led him straight to the sofa as if she’d been expecting this. The priest eagerly began speaking, his lips trembling with urgency.
Curious about what information could make him so frantic, Lucía’s expression hardened when she finally heard his words.
“The Saintess has come to this city!”
“…The Saintess?”
“Yes! An oracle has foretold that the Evil God Cult will destroy this city!”
“We’re screwed.”
“Eh? What do you mean…?”
Lucía waved off the confused priest’s question casually.
The brainwashed priest failed to sense anything amiss, even after Lucía openly hinted at her ties to the Evil God Cult.
Clicking her lighter to ignite a cigarette, Lucía exhaled a long sigh—and a plume of smoke—into the air.
“Wanna have sex?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Ah, never mind. I don’t feel like it anymore.”
In the moment Lust lost her lust, the deflated priest bowed his head low. Lucía approached him, gently ruffling his hair.
“Do you want to?”
“Yes, yes…”
“Then can you do me a favor?”
The priest nodded vigorously, ready to do anything. Seeing this, Lucía handed him a dagger.
“Go kill your Saintess.”
Even under orders to commit apostasy, the pleasure-addled priest nodded without hesitation.
*
“Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
Kail, being guided by Ruby through the city, suddenly felt a chill he hadn’t experienced in a long time and rubbed his arms while glancing around.
“It’s nothing, just feels like there’s some creep nearby…”
“Creep?”
“Yeah, that kind of vibe.”
It was a sensation he often felt during sparring sessions with Sir Leon in his youth. Dismissing it as a false alarm, Kail shook his head and followed Ruby.
