The Protagonists of the Novel Escaped

제블린느 attended every Eucharistic service and prayer meeting to indulge in her whims.

Yikes! A killer schedule!

Having to bear work without a moment of rest?

Usually, one would think a Saintess is a peaceful person who prays and occasionally shows up at public events. But Zebeline completely crushed that stereotype by handling heavy tasks with flair.

“Saintess!”

“Thank you so much for coming…!”

Shabby citizens flocked like clouds to welcome the Saintess.

They were disaster victims who had lost their homes and families.

In this desperate time, they reached out to the Saintess, yearning for even a sliver of hope. Zebeline, wanting to respond to their expectations, clasped her hands together, praying for the Earth Mother’s blessing.

Shazaam!

A brilliant glow scattered around.

It was a simple miracle spell designed to uplift and invigorate.

However, the crowd, witnessing such radiant light, wept with joy, as if they had encountered a divine miracle. Receiving blessings from the noble Saintess gave them hope to wash away their despair.

“The Earth Mother never ignores the pleas of devout believers. And Your Holiness will surely listen to the cries of the citizens who have been swept away by merciless tyranny. I will actively help until every trace of the disaster caused by the demonic horde is healed.”

As Zebeline declared in a graceful voice, the crowd gathered their hands and clutched their rosaries, expressing their holy faith.

Hmm.

It would be nice if this were how she usually acted.

It was so suspicious that this was the same impish girl who loved playful pranks.

Listening carefully to the crowd’s pleas while sharing blessings, Zebeline looked like a specimen of the Saintess known as the incarnation of the Earth Mother. And this is why so many Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom would risk their lives for Zebeline.

‘The playful Saintess is… perhaps I’m the only one who knows that side of her.’

A Saintess must not lose her divinity.

She must always show the aspect of a holy crusader.

There was a sense of indescribable pressure seeing Zebeline remain unruffled while facing countless crowds.

Maybe today I’ll just let her indulge in her whims.

It seems the priests of the Holy Kingdom also wish for the Holy Sword wielder to accompany them.

“It’s so hard, so hard, so hard-!!”

“Well done.”

It was a forced march that didn’t let up until the afternoon.

Once the schedule was over, Zebeline flopped back into her seat in the carriage.

She buried her face in the pillow.

Then, she began to pat the seat with her long legs.

She has returned to the normal Zebeline. So quickly switched from Saintess mode off!

“You really seemed like a Saintess today.”

“What does that mean? Are you saying I look like a cultist usually?”

Hmm.

That’s a tough one to counter.

She probably knows the answer better than anyone else, though.

I offered Zebeline a glass filled with champagne, smiling faintly.

“Can I ask for your company again tomorrow?”

After the silver-haired girl gulped down the champagne, she asked.

Zebeline shook her head, looking troubled.

“I’m sorry, that might be difficult.”

“Why? You don’t seem to have any plans…”

Zebeline, showing confusion, quickly widened her eyes as if she suddenly realized something.

“You intend to fool around with Princess Ludmilla, don’t you?! Just like when you had a naughty rendezvous in another space!”

“…It’s true that I have an appointment with the princess tomorrow.”

As soon as I finished answering, Zebeline glared up like a pouting Pomeranian. With a fierce anger as if she might pounce at any moment, she let out a sigh.

Since that day, Zebeline’s mood has been like a stormy sky.

My recent answer had poked the White Dragon’s reverse scale.

Is it just me?

It sounded like a bolt of lightning was striking.

Today, it truly was a clear sky, as if bright dye was scattered all around. Surely, there wouldn’t be a sudden lightning strike on such a day without some cataclysmic event happening…

“Out of nowhere a bolt of lightning-!”

“The, the Earth Mother is angry! Hurry and take shelter in the church!”

With a crash, the shell-shocking scream erupted along with thunder.

Looking out the window, I witnessed a scene where bright white lightning was rampaging around outside. Eventually, I could hear the panicked screams of the priests in utter disarray as they fled.

“Hmph! A date with an old maid…! You really have unusual preferences!”

“……”

Is it really that infuriating?

We weren’t even meeting with dating in mind.

But can’t you just calm down the rampaging lightning from the sky first?

I broke out in a cold sweat under Zebeline’s fuming glare. Any excuses I made would likely go unheeded.

All my efforts to accompany her in order to soothe her displeasure were instantly in vain.

*

Since that day, Zebeline changed dramatically, and so did Ludmilla.

A warmonger.
A member of the Saintess Party.
An apostle serving the Disaster God of War.

After discovering her identity, she became obsessed with the tales of the Saintess Party. More precisely, it was about the “warmonger” who briefly operated as a member of the Saintess Party.

It was only natural that she was obsessed.

The warmonger remained an enigmatic figure with only fragmented clues known.

Ludmilla was sipping delicate Darjeeling tea in her office while listening to tales of the warmonger. Most of the stories were trivial chit-chat unfit for heroics, but…

“Hehe, I never would have guessed that the warmonger I was searching for was right next to me…”

“……”

Fearing that her newly revealed identity might disrupt their prior dynamic, Ludmilla surprisingly showed a positive reaction, dismissing her anxiety completely.

It’s a bizarre feeling.

To treat me like usual even knowing I’m an apostle of the Disaster God.

Her courage is so extraordinary that even the term strong-willed falls short. She truly is the strongest protector of the Valtarian Empire.

“By the way, I’m curious about something. What exactly are the Endless Calamities? Of course, I’m not interrogating you…”

“Hmm.”

Endless Calamities.

I had anticipated that Ludmilla would ask.

War. Tyranny. Famine. Death.

These calamities that threatened humanity’s existence have always loomed as terrifying specters.

Where should I even start explaining?

After hesitating for a moment, I finally spoke up.

“Ludmilla, do you know about the Demon King?”

“The Demon King? I don’t know much… other than that he’s a half-human, half-demon who ascended to the throne of the demon realm through the summons of the Great Demons.”

It wasn’t merely Ludmilla’s ignorance that she didn’t know about the eternal threat to humanity. Asking anyone else would yield the same answer.

The Demon King.

The ruler of the demon realm, uniting the demons who have repeated the history of struggles.

Even after being ultimately slain by the Saintess Party, his identity remained shrouded in mystery. Only that he was of mixed heritage between humans and demons was known.

“The Demon King was an apostle serving the Disaster God of Death. To be precise… he was a demigod merged with the Disaster God of Death.”

“Is, is that true?!”

It’s a truth known only to the Saintess Party that eliminated their arch-nemesis.

That’s why it hasn’t been made public.

They subdued the Disaster God of Death.

After Beatrice used the Scepter of White Night to grant him immortality, Maximilian pierced the Demon King’s heart with the Holy Sword, bestowing eternal rest upon the Endless Calamity.

That was all I could divulge to her.

“Then what about the other calamities…?”

Ludmilla, who had been intensely listening with a rigid demeanor, finally spoke up.

Realizing the truth that the Disaster God of Death had been subjugated by the Saintess Party, she must have grown curious about the Disaster God of Famine and Disaster God of Tyranny, as they would likely be interconnected with the Endless Calamities in a roundabout way.

When I attempted to explain that, suddenly, the door of the office swung open without a knock.

“Thank you for inviting me to tea time, Princess Ludmilla.”

The Saintess, dressed in pure white vestments, entered with a big smile. Behind her, the retainers guarding Ludmilla’s office looked utterly bewildered.

From their reaction, it seems they didn’t receive an invitation.

And there’s no way Ludmilla would invite Zebeline for private reasons.

“I didn’t invite the Saintess.”

“I also like Darjeeling.”

The Red Dragon and White Dragon faced each other.

The atmosphere heated up in an instant, like fierce flames clashing with sharp lightning.

“I have matters I wish to privately discuss with the Lord Edan.”

“What a coincidence. I feel the same. If it’s alright with you, Princess Ludmilla, may I join?”

“It’s a confidential matter I can’t reveal to the Saintess.”

“What? You’re talking about Edan being the warmonger who was part of the Saintess Party?”

Wha… What did she just say…?

Did I hear that wrong?

I must have imagined it.

Ludmilla and I stared at the Saintess as if we were rusty wind-up dolls clanking around.

Then Zebeline scoffed, showing a haughty demeanor. It seemed she was quite displeased that we were whispering about something without her.

“I’ve known for a long time…! I’ve known for a long time!”

She knew my identity.

And she also knew that I had been discovered by Ludmilla.

How?

No, how could that be?

Aside from Ludmilla, no one had ever known. I could assure that much.

Could Beatrice have secretly revealed it?

If she had known beforehand, why remain silent?

With a crimson face, I could only stare at her in stunned disbelief. Ever since I met Zebeline yesterday, I had felt a vague sense of discomfort lingering around…

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