Chapter 14

Aria became a saint.

When she realized that she had been hit by an arrow while facing the ogre, she unconsciously turned to look at Aria’s direction and almost died from a severe attack by the ogre, which was how he knew.

The healing given by the nun consumes stamina, and using it excessively could even lead to death.

In the first place, it was not common to see a novice nun in the commission, so he could only know that she could provide healing.

In that situation, having witnessed the nun sacrifice herself to save him, he could not help but understand the cost of healing.

Thus, Dannes had doubts about the situation before his eyes.

For a moment, a light flashed, and a warm energy enveloped the room; then Aria spat out blood.

The priest had clearly told him moments earlier that Aria’s health had been restored.

So why was she suddenly vomiting blood again?

Of course, it wasn’t that Aria hadn’t done anything.

Just by seeing the divine power gathering in Aria’s hands, he could roughly guess what was happening.

However, it was entirely different from the cost he was aware of.

When healing himself, it felt less like receiving injuries and more like handing over his very life force.

The more divine power escaped, the more haggard she looked, as if Aria’s life was fading.

So it was understandable that even if he didn’t fully comprehend the situation, he could recognize that it couldn’t be left as it was.

But Aria’s current healing was different.

That…

“It looked like she was directly injuring herself…”

He could tell that Mirna’s body had been healed.

From the genuine shock on Mirna’s face as her skin tone returned to its original hue, it was impossible not to know.

And…

For just a moment, he noticed Aria’s complexion pale as she vomited blood.

It was a sudden occurrence and happened in an instant when a brief light appeared, and most people couldn’t perceive it because Aria hid the blood she had vomited, but Dannes was aware.

He had been watching as the divine power emerged, so there was no way he wouldn’t notice.

This… was something strange.

Dannes turned to look at Aria.

She had just been in such poor condition that she was vomiting blood, yet she was calmly smiling and conversing with a peaceful expression.

He couldn’t understand why her condition, which seemed to have worsened, appeared to have improved; Dannes cast a skeptical glance towards the door.

Then he turned to look at his companions.

“Phew…”

Dannes sighed and stood up.

His judgment didn’t take long.

*

After leaving Aria behind, Dannes sought out the pope, who had already exited the room.

The pope wasn’t far away.

“Your Holiness.”

At Dannes’s call, the pope and the priest beside him turned to face him.

Was his name Antonio, the priest who said there was no danger to Aria’s life upon seeing her condition brought to the church?

“You are the adventurer who saved the saint. What brings you here?”

“I want to ask directly.”

His tone seemed to disregard manners, causing Antonio’s brows to twitch, but the pope, noticing the subtle change, gestured to hold back any anger.

“… I already expected what question you would ask.”

He could tell because he had sensed the anomaly that had occurred just moments ago.

Dannes was sweating coldly.

He had felt wrong for a while.

To say the saint held such a high position comparable to the pope in the Holy Kingdom of Valkran was an understatement.

If there were no compelling reason, there was no way Aria would wear such a sad expression upon declaring her desire to become a saint.

However, the pope had spoken with his own mouth.

He said there would be many thorny paths ahead, it would be incredibly painful, and at times, she would want to give up.

One couldn’t imagine the pope would express such sorrowful feelings if being a saint was merely a high-ranking position.

After all, a saint must be chosen by the goddess; in other words, it meant a saint wouldn’t appear unless there was a reason to.

It had been a century since the last saint had appeared in history.

And then there was the moment he witnessed Aria’s body deteriorating during Mirna’s treatment.

Dannes felt certain.

“Is the Demon King… born?”

The Demon King had appeared.

“Indeed… you’ve noticed.”

The pope said this with a sympathetic expression as he closed his eyes.

Then he turned his body.

“Let’s go.”

“…”

“It seems our conversation will be lengthy.”

Dannes nodded, filled with a strong will to uncover everything.

.

.

.

Upon arriving at the reception room inside the cathedral, they talked for a long time.

It was mostly the pope who spoke.

He revealed that the goddess had given a prophecy that the Demon King would invade the world, and the Sacred Sword would choose a hero for this purpose, and so would the saint.

They had already determined the hero who had been chosen by the Sacred Sword, while the saint had yet to be selected.

While searching for candidates for the saint, they happened to discover Aria and helped bring her to the church for a brief assessment.

Then one day, Aria had asked to undertake asceticism as if inspired by a revelation, and he permitted it.

Dannes realized that was how he and Aria had met.

And…

“By saving you, she became the saint through sacrifice.”

She was chosen by the goddess to become a saint while simultaneously being revived.

Dannes listened to everything.

“… So, that thorny path means…”

“The birth of the saint signifies the coming of chaotic times. It is foretold that the Demon King will invade to annihilate the world.”

“Phew…”

Aria being chosen as a saint meant she was destined to confront the Demon King attempting to destroy the world.

“Then, the momentary deterioration of her health while healing Mirna earlier…”

“That was… the power granted by the goddess to fight against the Demon King.”

The saint is granted a sort of authority to fight against the Demon King.

They can heal any wound in an instant.

With the power conferred upon her to protect the world, the saint’s divine power is virtually infinite, capable of healing grievous injuries and even resurrecting the recently deceased.

However, because of that.

The power of the divine, too strong for a mere mortal to wield, would come with side effects.

That is…

“Does it mean that for every wound she heals, she incurs one herself…?”

“Yes.”

The saint’s body always maintains its optimal state.

A body already bestowed with divine authority is essentially at the level of a demigod and would not die from simple injuries or side effects of healing as long as they were not eroded by the Demon King’s magic.

But the mind is different.

Even with a body akin to a demigod, the mind is still that of an ordinary person.

“The saint must feel the pain of the wounds her patients experience every time she heals.”

Even if temporarily, or briefly, she must endure the same pain, so she experiences the agony equivalent to that wound every time she heals.

She will bear all the suffering that countless people will feel in the war against the Demon race.

“Ha.”

Dannes could not respond to the pope’s shocking revelation at all.

Aria… was shouldering a fate far too heavy for a girl who seemed incapable of managing her own affairs.

However, the pope could not dissuade her.

The girl’s resolve was so unwavering, and in the end, she was the saint chosen directly by her deity.

As a servant of the divine, it was impossible for him to discourage her.

“…”

Dannes sat in silence for a long time.

After about ten minutes had passed.

With his hands covering his face, he quietly asked the pope.

“Though I asked, it seems this is not a tale meant for an outsider… Why have you chosen to tell me this?”

Dannes questioned with a voice full of pent-up frustration.

He wanted to know.

But at the same time, it was something he did not want to know.

That chaos would soon descend upon the world; that the entire world would cry out in anguish.

And… that all that suffering would fall upon that poor girl.

It was an incredibly cruel tale.

“… Isn’t the reason well known to you, my brother?”

“…”

That was true.

When had he noticed?

Perhaps it was from the moment he realized he was staring with the momentum to dash out at any moment.

No… the certainty was there.

Really…

‘He had been playing him from the beginning.’

Like the pope had said, Dannes’s judgment had not taken long.

From the moment the girl saved his life, he had long since changed his mind.

“Please take good care of the saint, Brother Dannes.”

Instead of replying, Dannes closed his eyes and bowed his head.