Chapter 123
In a world where the Goddess has vanished, the existence of a Saintess, one who conveys the Goddess's words, is inevitably a falsehood.
...In other words, no matter how saintly Ruen's actions might be, every action she takes is merely her own self-initiated deed. It is not an action intended by the Goddess.
*That's what makes it even more remarkable.*
Even though no one forced Ruen to make sacrifices, and in fact, many tried to dissuade her, Ruen continued to extend a helping hand to those in need of salvation. Every action she took was a proactive one, performed by herself.
*A being more saintly than a Saintess.*
I don't know if that's the right way to put it, but the Ruen I saw was such a being.
*A Saintess who isn't a Saintess, a false Saintess who is more saintly than any true Saintess.*
I respected Ruen for that, and felt a human affection for her, but...
"That's good. Damian is dead now."
Ruen, who was spouting such strange words in front of me, was less endearing and more frightening.
*It feels like she's trying to devour something.*
I couldn't understand why she felt less like a Saintess and more like a predator, but as I awkwardly smiled, thinking something was amiss, Liana, who was beside me, sighed and tried to calm Ruen down.
"There she goes again. Saintess, please calm down."
"I'm not a Saintess anymore."
"Does that matter?"
"...?"
As Ruen looked flustered, Liana gently took her by the shoulder and said,
"Saintess, stop flirting with Lord Damian and go rest inside."
"Fl-flirting?"
"Huh? It wasn't?"
"...?!"
Ruen's mouth fell open in surprise, as if she'd never imagined her actions could be perceived that way. Seeing this, Liana skillfully wrapped Ruen in a blanket and carried her inside.
"..."
As I stood there, feeling bewildered by Ruen's storm-like behavior, Shiren carefully took Daisy from my arms and spoke to me.
"Idiot."
"...?"
With that last word, Shiren, as if in perfect sync with Daisy, turned her head and walked away. I couldn't hide my bewilderment, utterly unable to comprehend the situation.
*****
Dale, no, Desun, took a deep breath as she looked at the countless fallen enemies before her.
She then sank to the ground with a sigh.
"*Damn it... this is really fucking hard*."
She knew adventuring alone would be tough, but she never imagined it would be *this* tough. For a moment, she regretted not just accepting whatever Damian offered and living a life of ease, but then she thought,
*That just doesn't suit my nature.*
Even if it was hard and *fucking* awful, moving on her own was far better.
*Well, things are progressing one way or another.*
Because of Damian, the original plot had deviated significantly, and much of the information she knew was no longer applicable. Yet, perhaps because she was still the Protagonist, things somehow worked out if she poured in enough will and effort.
*...The problem might be that I haven't made any comrades.*
Perhaps it was because she was now a woman instead of a man. Even though those *fucking* annoying advances from men kept happening, the downside was that she couldn't make any true comrades she could call friends.
*Manly Man's Trait: You live life alone anyway.*
As shown in the original story, she would eventually have to bear the burden of solving problems alone. So, she decided to face it by herself and shake off these trivial thoughts, roughly wiping the blood from her *Fake Holy Sword*.
*Come to think of it, the difficulty is much less compared to the original.*
In the original, it felt like she barely won, relying not just on effort and will, but also an immense amount of 'luck'. Now, even without relying on luck, situations arose that she could resolve with her own strength. Of course, this didn't mean it wasn't tough..., but it was certainly a manageable level of problems.
*Ugh, screw it, I don't know. Things will work out somehow.*
Since things were already twisted, she wouldn't know the outcome until she faced it directly. She decided not to overexert herself and to just keep going, scratching her head before moving forward.
"Th-thank you for saving us!"
As she advanced, people who had been hiding in the building quickly emerged, expressing their gratitude. Having received countless thanks already, she found the initial joy had faded. But seeing the sparkle in their eyes, she knew her actions were right, and a sense of satisfaction welled up within her.
"If it weren't for the Hero..."
And ironically, Dale was a *Fake Hero*, a fabricated and false existence, and thus not a Hero. Yet, people called her a Hero and seemed to genuinely believe it. As she watched them, she wondered if Dale becoming a Hero was perhaps destiny, when a loud sob reached her ears from ahead.
"...M-Mom, open your eyes! Please!"
"Aaaargh! Please wake up!"
She fought desperately, eliminating enemies as quickly as possible. But she wasn't a *Monster* like Damian, so sweeping away such a horde with a mere flick of her finger was impossible, and such sacrifices were unavoidable.
The moment she realized this, the fleeting satisfaction vanished, replaced only by bitterness. She sighed, unsure what expression to make.
*If only I were stronger.*
Just as she wondered if she could have saved a few more, she felt an *Alien Sensation* emanating from ahead.
*...?*
It was a rather peculiar sensation, so she silently looked in that direction. A woman with a face that seemed to have seen everything in the world was staring intently at her.
*What was it... I've seen her somewhere.*
She couldn't recall exactly, but she remembered her as an incredibly important character.
*Right... that.*
Just as the name was about to surface, the woman in front of her suddenly approached and spoke.
"You possess quite an interesting disposition."
"...?"
"And your soul is male, but your body is female. What peculiar tastes you have."
"...Ah, no, that's not it!"
"Huhu, there's no need to deny it. Having lived for a long time, I've seen those with even more unique preferences than yours. This is rather cute, I'd say."
"I said it's not!"
"Your denial is quite amusing."
She chuckled, then looked down at Desun and continued.
"Oh, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Ferviana Celeste, the one who has observed the ages."
The moment she heard the name Celeste, she remembered who the person in front of her was.
*Dale's master, an ancient dragon who has lived for countless ages...*
In other words, she was someone who could help her grow stronger. Hearing that, she fell into thought, looking at the fallen people nearby.
*Perhaps... through this opportunity, I can become as strong as Damian.*
If so, she wouldn't feel this hollow and powerless. She decided to grasp this lifeline, a stroke of heavenly luck, as quickly as possible, and looked forward.
*****
"Myamyang~ Myang~ Myayaang."
I stroked Daisy, who was singing in my arms, and smiled. She seemed quite happy about absorbing the *Black Orb* that came out of Illeon.
Overjoyed, she was singing constantly.
*I should give her something more often.*
I poked Daisy's cheek and thought it wouldn't be bad to give her all the orbs until she reached *Highest-grade Expert*. Shiren, who had been watching us intently, suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke to me in a rather triumphant voice.
"Damian, *Brother*."
"..."
I was so startled that I coughed. What on earth did I just hear?
I looked at Shiren, silently asking what she meant. Shiren once more called me Damian, *Brother*, and said,
"Do you like it?"
"Well, that..."
"If you like it, I'll keep calling you that."
"..."
To be honest, I did like it... but several issues were mixed in, making it awkward to agree easily.
*First, there's no telling what kind of fuss Ruen and Liana would make if they heard this.*
Furthermore, hearing Shiren repeatedly call me *Brother* gave me a strange feeling, making it quite awkward to listen to for long. So, I looked at Shiren with a bewildered expression. Shiren looked up at me and continued,
"You don't like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it..."
"Then you do like it, right?"
It was a bit of *Black-and-White Thinking*, but I didn't know what else to say, so I nodded and sighed.
"Do as you wish."
"Okay. But calling you *Brother* is embarrassing, so I'll just call you Damian."
"..."
Then why did she say she'd call me *Brother*? I couldn't understand it at all, and as I looked at Shiren, she gave me a victorious look, then waved her hand and walked away.
*Could it be because of Ruen?*
Considering that Shiren usually regarded Ruen as a rival, I suspected she might be acting this way out of jealousy after seeing Ruen's behavior. Of course, it was just my guess, but it felt plausible, so I shrugged.
*Anyway, enough with the teasing.*
I decided to move on to the next objective and plan accordingly.
*Now that Illeon is dead, the Dark Mage Faction will surely cause a ruckus with the Order.*
Even for me, capturing a *Paladin* or the *Leader of the Dark Mages* is no easy feat. So, I decided to turn my attention elsewhere until they calmed down.
*The Imperial Family.*
The *Imperial Family* was also a formidable force, but I thought the situation there might be better than with the other two, so I decided to proceed with that plan.
*I wonder what Pria is doing.*
The fact that she had been under immense pressure came to mind, sparking my curiosity. I nodded, deciding to ask her how she was doing if I saw her when I went to the *Imperial Family*.