Taming the Evil Saintess

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As soon as we returned from Nua Diel, we began devising a plan to handle Daniel, who had possessed Mereba.

“Is everyone here?”

“Seems so.”

The so-called Daniel Subjugation Team consisted of ten members in total.

Along with me and Ophelia, there were Albrecht, Azar, Emily, and Erwin. Following Erwin were Ranger Wuzmund and two elf warriors who claimed to be great fighters of the Redrick Tribe.

The final member was quite unexpected—it was Beltrom, the chief of the Redrick Tribe.

“Why are you following us?”

“W-well… it’s my duty as the leader of the Redrick Tribe to take responsibility for the Melt Rune incident! As a ruler, it’s only natural to fulfill such obligations.”

“…Hmm.”

In simpler terms, he wanted to stick his spoon into our affairs.

If we, as outsiders, were to deal with the Mined Creature and the Possessor, his position would certainly be jeopardized.

Regardless, since Beltrom had kindly offered his cooperation in defending the Melt Rune, we decided not to impose any further restrictions.

“The essence of the plan is simple. Through Wuzmund and Erwin’s Spirit Tracking, we will pinpoint the location of the Mined Creatures and Daniel.”

Since Erwin had done this before, it should be straightforward.

As long as Daniel was possessed by an elf, he couldn’t shake off our tracking.

“However, Dark Mages tend to prepare for battle. Just like in Nua Diel, he might have conjured monsters through forest beasts or created new Mined Creatures from elves that left no corpses. We must also be wary of traps and arrows manipulated by magic and Spirit Magic.”

Out of all the Dark Mages we’ve faced, Daniel was the trickiest. His innate power was considerable, and he bore no guilt like other Possessors did.

He had no concept of ethics. In his world, law may have been his leash, but in this realm, he was a wild horse with the reins thrown away.

“It could be dangerous, so I’ll take the lead with Azar, Albrecht will be in the middle, and the rear will be Emily and…”

I paused as I explained the plan.

What I saw was so unbelievable that I had to doubt my eyes.

“…By the way, Ophelia.”

Starting with that line, I turned to Ophelia.

“Why on earth are you wearing that armor?”

I asked in disbelief.

Ophelia was donned in full armor, not just any patched leather but a proper set made of real steel.

It looked like she had taken it from a warrior of the Redrick Tribe, making her small frame look as if she had climbed into an Iron Maiden.

“Ughm. In battle, armor is important.”

Ophelia turned slightly and showed me the shield she was wearing on her back.

It wasn’t a simple buckler but a spiky kite shield.

“…What wind blew for you to wear that?”

“Huh? We’re fighting Mined Creatures, right?”

“Then how does wearing armor and a shield relate to fighting Mined Creatures?”

“…Well, if you’ve got armor… isn’t it better for fighting?”

She sounded serious, making my head spin.

“Didn’t I say? I and Azar will be at the front, Albrecht in the middle, and you should focus on cleaning the magic and blocking arrows from the rear with your Holy Magic.”

“I can fight well!”

“We fight even better.”

I sighed and replied.

While Ophelia undoubtedly had some skill in swordsmanship, she was nowhere near the level of Azar, the Empire’s greatest warrior, or Albrecht.

I also prided myself on being a specialist in fighting Mined Creatures, so there was simply no place for someone like Ophelia here.

By the way, why was she so confidently brandishing that shield?

“Do you even know how to use a shield? You might get hurt unnecessarily.”

“N-no, it’s just….”

Ophelia averted her eyes and glanced at Azar behind me.

When their gazes met, she shrugged her shoulders.

It seemed Ophelia had pressured Azar into teaching her.

“Hah…”

There were already enough things to consider.

This little one was dancing a tap dance on an unseen log.

“For now, take it off.”

“Why!”

“Trusting armor against Mined Creatures is foolish. Look at Albrecht and me. We’re in leather armor.”

“But Azar is in heavy armor!”

“Azar is known as the Golden Lion of the South. If you can move nimbly in armor, it doesn’t matter, but you can’t do that, can you?”

“Ugh.”

Ophelia was left speechless, and I pressed on.

“Most importantly, you need to provide support from the rear with your Holy Magic. It’s good to wear armor for unexpected ambushes, but you already have the barrier effect from the Star of Dawn Ring, so it would be meaningless. Moreover, the weight of the armor could slow you down in a crisis and hinder your escape.”

I was stating facts.

So far, no mercenary in the Black Eagle Mercenary Group had donned proper armor for fighting against Mined Creatures. Not only were they in no position to wear armor, there was no reason to either. Shields were treated merely as consumables.

The strength of Mined Creatures could tear armor like paper, and the crushing power of their minions literally pulverized the steel on shields.

In that sense, Ophelia was just being foolish.

“Just take it off.”

I strode toward Ophelia to untie the fastener on her armor, but she recoiled in horror.

“I told you, armor is useless!”

However, it seemed Ophelia was frightened for another reason.

“W-well…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m… only wearing a thin outfit underneath….”

Ophelia whispered that softly.

“Besides, I’m all sweaty right now, it’s probably gonna be see-through….”

I let out a heavy sigh.

“…Do you happen to hear that people say you’re not the brightest?”

“Shut up!”

I quickly picked up a flustered Ophelia and set her down in a secluded corner of an alley.

Then I took off my coat-cum-cloak and handed it to Ophelia.

“Just wear this.”

“U-ughh….”

“By the way, what on earth made you put on armor?”

Of course, while Ophelia’s swordsmanship aptitude was B+ and she had the courage not to fear hand-to-hand combat, I had no intentions of turning her into a frontline fighter.

After all, the “entertainment build” was still an entertainment build.

Most importantly, when facing a Dark Mage and Mined Creatures like this, it was far more efficient for a Cleric to support from a safe distance using Holy Magic.

“…But.”

Ophelia looked at me with an aggrieved expression.

“Erwin that old hag was taken along, but I wasn’t…”

“…You mean the scouting mission? Erwin can feel spirits, right?”

“Even in Nua Diel.”

“That was because it was a matter related to Erwin.”

“When we were in the Cathedral too! She just went off on her own!”

“…”

“Am I just a hindrance?”

Did she really think that way?

“I’m doing this for your sake…”

“For my sake, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Ophelia didn’t seem convinced.

She continued to pout, looking up at me with the eyes of a abandoned kitten.

It was true that I had a protective instinct.

“…Are you saying I should not fight? Am I just a burdensome burden?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Who do you think I am, a portable potion or something?”

That struck a nerve, but I composed my expression and knelt to meet Ophelia’s gaze.

“Ophelia.”

Her eyes wavered when our gazes met.

“The reason I don’t take you into dangerous places is… for your sake.”

I noticed her eyes glistening with tears, so I wiped them away with my thumb.

“Ophelia is a trustworthy support. The only one I can trust to watch my back here is you.”

“…What? What?”

“It’s true. If someone like you were to get hurt, I would lose the most reliable ally I have. That absolutely cannot happen.”

I wasn’t lying; it was genuine.

Even as a mercenary and now as a hero, I placed great importance on having someone I could rely on watching my back.

Of course, it wasn’t to disparage Sword Saints or Golden Lions, but after returning to this world, the connection I had with Ophelia was the longest.

“Most importantly, due to my nature, I can’t bear to see you get injured.”

“…”

“…That’s how it is.”

Since I felt like I was rambling toward the end, Ophelia stepped back and covered her cheeks.

Her face was surely flushed.

“W-well, you see.”

“Yes?”

“That means… I’m important to you?”

I hadn’t thought that far, but seeing her reaction, it seemed better to affirm it.

I nodded while watching Ophelia rubbing the ring on her ring finger.

“Yes. I value you, Ophelia, and I hope you don’t get hurt.”

“U-uhm.”

Ophelia kept shaking her head and gazing off into the distance repeatedly.

Eventually, she hugged the cloak I had given her and raised her chin. A triumphant smile appeared between her flushed cheeks.

“If that’s how you think! Then I’ll just understand!”

“…Is that so?”

“Shouldn’t I say thank you here?”

“….”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I ruffled Ophelia’s hair and stood up.

“Thank you, Ophelia. For following my words.”

“Now you’re the one groveling.”

“I think it’s more me who’s groveling.”

I said it rather bluntly, but it was as if Ophelia had forgotten she was angry and was smiling widely.

I looked at her with fondness.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just… happy.”

Though often said to have a bad personality, from my experience with Ophelia, that wasn’t the case at all.

She might be naïve, clumsy, and stubborn, but there was no barrier in our communication.

She felt almost like a lively younger sister, making any moments spent with her quite enjoyable.

In this hellish fantasy journey, she truly was a source of vitality for me.

Just as Ophelia depended on me, I too gained something from her.

In the midst of these thoughts—

“So…”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take off the armor. Are you going to stay here? Were you lurking with a lecherous gaze the whole time…?”

“….”

“Are you a pervert?”

As Ophelia looked at me with narrowed eyes, I hurriedly moved away.