The Romance Fantasy Novel MC is Only Into Me

Lancel wrote a short letter.
[Lancel Dante, deceased by the Pilgrimage faction. Please make him a martyr.]

This would likely be the last thing he needed in this cycle. Conveniently, the one meant to understand this had come to him on their own.
It was a time when his name was heard everywhere in the capital, Roadness. His death would cause quite a shock. The timing couldn’t be better.
Lancel opened the second page of the will. This time, the recipient was different.

‘Meri.’
“Pretty! So pretty, Meri!”
“How is your skin so...?”
Merigold scratched her cheek slightly at the maids’ voices around her.

She had been seated for over an hour now, having her hair and makeup done.
The trigger was simple. Merigold had just been thinking about Lancel, who was likely bedridden, and muttered to herself:
—He said to go on an outing, but I wonder when he’ll recover...

Sharp-eared maids couldn’t miss that.
They immediately grabbed Merigold, insisting they needed to prepare her “outing look” in advance, causing a commotion.
Of course, it was just an excuse.

The maids were eager to dress Merigold up anytime legally, their hands itching to do so.
“If Lord Lancel suggested going, that means he has feelings too, Miss Meri.”
“Uh, um.”
“That’s right! Otherwise, why would he say that? Be confident. Let’s just make it happen!”
“Make what...?”
“Well...”
At a maid’s sly whisper, Merigold flinched and covered her face with her hands.

“I’m a bit worried if the trip he suggested is... for that reason...”
“Lord is a man. Don’t you think he might? It might be all he’s thinking about.”
“W-what?”
“Men are like that.”
Merigold gently smoothed her dress.
—After the tournament, let’s go somewhere. Far away. Like a trip.

Lancel’s voice played clearly in her mind. She’d decided not to expect much from what it meant. She didn’t want to be disappointed if it was a misunderstanding.
Still, just the idea of traveling together made her excited.
“Miss Meri. You know, it’s a done deal.”
“...!”
Merigold’s heart pounded, and she nervously fixed her hair.

Going on an outing. A smile naturally spread across her face. She felt she couldn’t hold back the relaxation in her expression.
‘A trip to the sea. Just the two of us.’
Then—

Thump!
“Me-Meri! Meri!”
Hesti burst in, breathless.

Normally, she would insist on knocking first, no matter who it was, but this time she said nothing.
His words that followed shocked everyone present.
“Lancel...!”

Merigold’s face froze cold.
At the Saint’s Church in the territory, a sudden scuffle broke out.
As news spread that Saint’s Churches were collapsing across the land, believers began to build a human barrier to protect this place.

They struggled desperately to hold the entrance against the forceful advance of the Pilgrimage faction.
“Do you know where this is? Who dares to talk about breaking our church at will!”
“This is the royal order! Move immediately or be considered a traitor!”
Murmurs spread.

The royal command carried terrifying weight for them. And treason was the greatest crime conceivable in the empire.
“Clear the way! Don’t block the path!”
They were gradually pushed back.

Even they lacked the nerve to openly defy the royal decree.
Their only option was to obstruct physically as much as possible, but it was futile. With a thud, one by one they were swept aside.
Just before the path into the Saint’s Church was completely opened—

“Pilgrimage faction, halt!”
“What—who?!”
The impatient expressions of the Pilgrimage knights suddenly stiffened.
“P-Prince?”

Before them appeared the imperial court knights clad in splendid armor.
In the center sat Fourth Prince Cerild on horseback.
“The decision to revoke the approval of the Martyr Church has been overturned. This is the royal decree. From now on, all acts harming the Saint’s Church will be treated as rebellion.”
“...!”

The announcement that the situation had reversed spread quickly, causing a stir.
“And,”
The Fourth Prince’s gaze turned cold.

“From this moment, all clerics of any order shall prepare a martyrdom ritual for the Saint’s Church’s /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ holy knight, Lancel Dante.”
 
Fourth Prince Cerild stood before the curtain.
The emperor’s silhouette cast a shadow.

“Is he dead?”
A woman’s voice drifted.
“Still alive.”
“So it was nearly death.”
“I heard he wouldn’t survive the night.”
“Is that so?”

The Fourth Prince glanced askance beyond the curtain.
“You’ve been pushing the Pilgrimage faction hard. Well done, sister. Didn’t I tell you? Meri’s power is real.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I never doubted you. In fact, believing that was why I fought so hard to stop it until now.”
“Then why not make the Saint’s Church ours outright?”
“That would be enabling the birth of an idol. The Pilgrimage faction, clumsy and foolish, with only fakes, is easier to control.”
The Fourth Prince snorted.

It was practically blasphemy.
To openly deny and insult an imperial-recognized order.
“Ha, what a tedious, annoying world. Nothing goes right. What is that Lancel anyway?”
“Son of the Duke of the Dante family. Empire’s strongest swordsman. Tournament champion. Saint Meri’s holy knight. And... a poor saint martyred by the rude, immoral Pilgrimage faction.”

The Fourth Prince spoke again.
“Tomorrow, the rumor will spread throughout the empire. What will you do?”
A faint laugh was heard beyond the curtain.

Whether wished or not, the conclusion was set. The person beyond the curtain wasn’t foolish enough to deny it.
“Declare the Saint’s Church as an imperial-recognized order and hold the martyrdom ritual for the holy knight Lancel Dante.”
A smile appeared on the Fourth Prince’s lips.

“The palace extending a hand to the order first... The empire’s future looks dark.”
“Indeed. Thanks to whom.”
The figure beyond the curtain paused briefly.
Seeming to remember something, they looked back at the Fourth Prince.

“Duke Mayril Dun has made a grave mistake this time. Incompetence is a graver sin than immorality. It’s time he packed up and left the capital.”
“...The 8 great dukes of Roadness fall.”
“A star under the rising sun must also set.”
The figure spoke in verse, signaling the order to leave quickly due to discomfort.
The Fourth Prince fiddled quietly with a letter in his pocket.

What he had promised as help was returned with a will.
—Lancel Dante, deceased by the Pilgrimage faction. Please make him a martyr.
A short phrase, but with clear meaning.

Lancel Dante was found collapsed, stabbed in a back alley.
The Fourth Prince briefly took out the Saint’s Church rosary hanging from Lancel’s neck and gazed at it.
“Lancel Dante. A man I wished to know better.”

Far away, lanterns lit up one by one, decorating the night sky.
It was the moment when all clerics from every order stopped their work and gathered at the Saint’s Church.
A crowd was about to form to honor the dying holy knight Lancel Dante.

A martyrdom ritual grander than most royal deaths stirred the capital of the territory.
Until the moment Lancel Dante finally martyred, this festival would not end.
 
Persistent.

Lancel felt his breath was persistent. Still alive. Though he seemed close to death, his life was stubbornly tenacious.
‘I don’t mind dying, but I don’t like the process.’
Lancel Dante’s breath slowly faded.

Countless believers gazed at him lying on the church’s platform.
“Miss, Miss Meri, be careful or you’ll fall.”
Soon, a figure staggered onto the platform.

Despite the sudden appearance, no one stopped her.
Instead, those nearby helped so she wouldn’t fall despite not seeing well.
“Lancel...”

Merigold.
“Lancel!”
She called out in a cracked voice, rushing into the dying Lancel’s arms.

As if she could feel his presence through air, skin, and senses, Merigold embraced the lying Lancel instantly with both arms.
===========
—Reputation event: All dismantled churches of Merigold have been fully restored.
※The current number of churches is 180 original plus 19 new, totaling 199.
“Lancel, Lancel...”

Merigold’s shoulders trembled feeling Lancel’s cooling body. He was dying in her arms.
Lancel wrapped an arm around Merigold’s back one last time.
Though already on the edge between life and death, this action required all his remaining strength.

“I won’t act spoiled anymore. Don’t leave me, Lancel...”
Amid her suppressed sobs, her body began to emit light.
Swoooosh!

“Th-that...”
All clerics waiting for the martyrdom ritual were stunned.
Radiance spread from Merigold’s center.

At first, it was a soft firelight glow, then turned into a brilliant pure white, enveloping all around.
The dark church was lit as brightly as day.
It wasn’t just any light.

People touched by the radiating light felt tingling all over. Their large and small wounds instantly healed.
From minor scratches to old scars, everything was perfectly erased.
All who witnessed the miracle were filled with awe.

“...Saint.”
The reincarnated saint.
Merigold.
An existing idol.
A real entity beyond doctrine and order.

Clerics knelt one by one, bowing their heads before her. Meri was real. The incarnation of the saint, divinity descended in this era. No one could deny it anymore.
===========
—Reputation event: The 200th church has been established!
※Merigold’s karma decreases by 1 point. Karma is now zero. The fog that shrouded Merigold’s world lifts, and she finally faces the light!
Merigold’s once murky silver eyes regained their color.

A bright emerald hue slowly filled her pupils.
‘Yes. That was the color.’
Lancel saw her brightened eyes in his fading consciousness.

Maybe because it had been a while, her distinct green eyes felt especially welcome today.
“Ah...”
Merigold stared at Lancel with wide-open eyes, surely feeling reborn.

‘I told you, I’d open your eyes.’
Lancel murmured faintly as if barely conscious, a satisfied smile forming.
‘Ah, I’m dying.’

Is this the end?
No matter how far Merigold’s healing magic had advanced, it was insufficient to heal such severe wounds.
The wounds were caused by Pilgrimage faction knights.
Of course, Lancel was the one who first started the fight.
And now no one remained who knew that.

‘I left a letter, so hopefully no bad ending again.’
Lancel felt his consciousness fading. Merigold’s tear-streaked face was his last memory.
‘Merigold.’

From the day her eyes went blind, through three lives.
Twenty-three years.
The eight-thousandth night.

Lancel finally opened her eyes.
Ten years passed.
.
.
.

[Playtime 10 years 0 days]
—Merigold has turned 25 years old.
—No marriage partner.
—Achievements recorded.
▶Healing Magic Awakened +30 points.
▷Dark Magic Awakened +20 points.
▶Reincarnated Saint title +50 points.
▷Evil God title +50 points.

—Total Score: 150 points. (Remaining points to memory inheritance 500/1500)
[Bad Ending 9. Evil God Merigold’s Skeleton Soldier]
—Ending recorded in ‘Memory Album.’
—Opening album.

.
.
.
—We will meet again.
Reading the last sentence in Lancel Dante’s will, hope and happiness surged inside Merigold.

She finally believed all her actions were right.
‘Yes, we will meet again.’
Merigold walked down to the church basement.

Passing through a cave, she stood before a dark altar.
‘Today’s the day!’
Clatter.

Clatter.
The 200 cherished bones on the altar vibrated and then merged into one. It stood tall on two legs.
Congratulations! Merigold has finally mastered beginner Dark Magic!

Merigold sensed a familiar scent from the skeleton soldier.
‘Lancel.’
The person who was everything to her.

‘Let’s go on an outing together now, Lancel.’
The one who opened her eyes.
‘The day when the roof, walls, pillars, floors, and foundation of this empire—who caused your death—will all turn to ashes and disappear.’

Holding the 200 pieces of bone walking without muscle or skin, Merigold embraced them tightly.
Old memories arose—the cozy afternoon in fallow fields riding horses.
She felt happiness overflowing inside.

‘Together... let’s go on an outing.’
[Bad Ending Evil God Merigold’s Skeleton Soldier — fin]
—Would you like to restart the game?

.
.
.
“Terrifying.”
Lancel was shocked by the unexpected ending.

‘Why... did it turn out this way?’
He had naturally expected to be praised as the Reincarnated Saint and live comfortably for the rest of his time. That seemed the fitting ending.
But this strange guy went and did something odd again.

“More importantly, why did you turn me into undead?”
Suddenly a skeleton soldier, Lancel wiped cold sweat. This was just posthumous humiliation.
He was a guy who baffled in many ways.

‘Merigold, when on earth will you be happy?’
What should he do?
What on earth should he do?
“Hmm.”

After thinking it through, Lancel reached a conclusion.
“Can I take some time off?”
Yeah.

This cycle, he’d just take a break and recuperate.
‘Honestly, I’ve been through too much.’
Even someone like Lancel wanted a break sometimes.

And now was that time.
‘Decided. This time, I’ll enjoy seafood and live a life of indulgence. Spend a restful sabbatical in a place with good water and air! Goodbye, Merigold. See you later, Merigold.’
With that, Lancel boarded the train.

“Everyone, pay attention! That Meri’s gambling game is back again today!”
On a street in a town where the train stopped, Lancel perked up hearing a familiar name.
‘...No way. Must be my imagination.’

Probably. Or someone with the same name. Meri wasn’t that uncommon.
“You bitch! Are you scamming me?”
“What? No scam! I did scam, though!”
“Hah! I just saw you hiding the dice and now you’re denying it?”
Lancel glanced over and immediately regretted it.

“You’re making excuses because you lost money! Tch, tch!”
“Y-You...!”
Merigold.
She was running a con game.
‘What is she doing?’

[Saint Merigold — End]
[Next — Rich Merigold]