“…Are you out of your mind?”
“Yes.”
In the Arena where we faced each other.
Only 30 minutes had passed, yet there were people everywhere, having rushed over after hearing rumors.
Not just Holy Knights and attendants; I could even see Cardinal Bonslee waving his hand in the distance.
Clang!!
And on my shoulder, a hammer three times my size was hanging.
“Seriously, you’re a total freak, aren’t you?”
“I kinda like it, though?”
“Can you even swing that thing?”
Mareniya shook her head in denial.
It’s true that my body looks like that of a high school freshman girl.
The Saintess might not be physically impressive, and I was left wondering if I could even lift it, let alone swing it.
‘A typical high school girl is about the level of a tank, right?’
Three high school girls equal one tank.
Of course, that’s the common sense of this world, but this is an isekai.
With the body of a high school girl and the strength of a Saintess, I could unleash power equivalent to a tank. No, even more than that.
Thud.
Vroom!
The massive hammer swung from my hand.
Surprisingly, it didn’t feel that heavy.
─Oh no!
─The hammer…!
─Can you swing that too?
─…Are you crazy? How could you swing something like that? The Commander of Knights would be the one to use it.
The crowd murmurs in disbelief.
It must look like quite a spectacle.
I seemed to be a Saintess specializing in backline support, yet here I was, swinging a hammer out of nowhere.
But I didn’t want to be doing such strange things either.
With the discussions around my ‘qualifications’ already swirling, this wouldn’t help the rumors at all.
If Mareniya hadn’t started trouble, I would’ve just let it slide.
“…Insane.”
“Let’s begin, senior.”
“Alright. I’ll knock that crazy out of you.”
─Alright! Let’s get ready!
Tension filled the Arena, and everyone focused on us.
The Magic Professor, acting as the MC? came alive, casting a loud amplification spell.
─Start!
A brilliant white light burst forth.
Around Mareniya, a white protective barrier formed, and beams of light shot towards me from her fingertips.
She underestimated my level and casually shot those beams.
Thwack!
I stepped back, swiftly dodging the trajectory of the beams.
It was a speed too fast for a hammer to be truly considered in my grasp.
Gasps echoed through the Arena.
“Haah!”
Koooom!!!
The hammer struck the spot where Mareniya had been.
The ground of the Arena caved in, and my strength drained out.
As expected, this was my first time using it, so I wasn’t accustomed to it yet.
Struggling to retrieve the hammer, I instinctively lifted it to block an oncoming attack.
Swoosh… A burning light spread across the surface of the hammer.
The blazing light is spreading out.
I swung the hammer and extinguished the fire.
Then I looked up at the sky.
“Wow.”
Mareniya is flying in the sky.
Next to her, the Arrow of Light twirls around, ready to shoot at any moment.
“Can you stop that?”
“…How do you attack while flying?”
“That’s something you’ll have to handle on your own.”
Pababak!!
The Arrow of Light is fired.
■
The Saintess and the Saintess are clashing.
─This is why it won’t work! You can’t just recklessly use your body!
One is Mareniya, the apostle of the great Goddess who received a revelation.
─Ugh…! If only I didn’t have to fly!
The other is Lilyda, who appeared without a revelation.
Usually, battles between Saintesses can be seen as a duel of magic, but this fight was different.
Kuwung!
“A hammer… and a hammer that’s several times larger than your body.”
The weapon Lily is holding is a hammer.
It’s such a large hammer that it raises questions about how she uses it or where she even got it.
Lily is skillfully wielding a weapon that looks like it would belong to a Grand General of the northern tribes.
Cardinal Bonslee chuckled at the sight he had never seen in decades.
‘Is this also part of the Goddess’s design?’
“What do you think, my friend?”
“…Honestly, I don’t know.”
The Commander of Knights, sitting next to him, shook his head.
“Didn’t you watch? I heard there were quite a few sparring sessions.”
“Lily Saintess is utterly unpredictable.”
“In what way?”
“One moment she seems to excel at swords, then she’s proficient with spears, and next with axes.”
Kwagakang!!!
─Th-This…!
─Come down!
─Don’t block me!
“…Now she’s even good at using a hammer. I never imagined the Saintess had such talent.”
“Do Saintesses typically use weapons well?”
“It’s hard to say that for sure. Other Saintesses didn’t use weapons, but Angela Saintess, who did spar a little, was honestly at a beginner level.”
This means that Lily is the only one displaying such bizarre weapon skills.
“Hmm…”
“Could this be influenced by her not receiving a revelation?”
“Probably.”
Lily is an apostle who hasn’t received a revelation.
She broke the common knowledge that a Saintess must be born through the Goddess’s revelation and grace.
Naturally, there are such differences, but one would think their abilities wouldn’t be vastly different.
“That was a foolish thought.”
Lily was different from a Saintess.
She was not just different; she was ‘special.’
Whew!
Looking at that scene, who could truly declare who a Saintess is?
A Saintess specialized in healing, caring for numerous people, and using magic to save the world.
‘Is it really possible for her to swing a hammer like a demon?’
Once this fight ends, the already peculiar rumors about Lily would undoubtedly spread even more strangely.
It was sure to spread weirdly.
The duel continues.
While Mareniya does take good care of her hands, Lily is also fighting quite well, considering she’s now picking up skills one by one.
Those watching right now might not believe it, but Lily had put in a tremendous effort even to take down street thugs.
In just one month, she’s become strong enough to face a bona fide Saintess.
“But that ends here.”
Lily has grown stronger, but that’s all there is to it.
Mareniya is strong enough to take down an ogre all by herself.
If she were to use her full strength, Lily wouldn’t stand a chance.
Whoooosh!
“…!”
A strong beam of light pierced through Lily’s shoulder.
■
It hurts. It feels like my body is burning.
Screams erupt in my head and my body instinctively leans back.
I’m scared. I’m terrified.
I want to escape right now.
“Ugh…”
But I won’t let go.
“Why don’t you just give up already? You don’t want to die, do you?”
“…….”
Craaaack…!
I grip the hammer tightly.
I recall the sensation I felt earlier.
The feeling I had when Mareniya referred to me as ‘mongrel.’
The sensation of something unknown bursting out from within me.
The clue to the ‘Manifestation Method’ I have been watching endlessly for a month is just barely starting to reveal itself.
It gets shot out.
Like a bullet, it fires.
I channel something within my body into the hammer…
“Uh…?”
And just like that, I swung the hammer at Mareniya.
Kaboooom!!!
The shield wrapping around her shattered, and Mareniya was sent flying far away.
“Oh?”
─?
─??
─What!
G-Grab Mareniya!
The Holy Knights rushed out of the arena.
Kboom! Having set down the hammer, I collapsed right there.
…My head hurts.
─Saintess!
■
“…Where am I?”
“Welcome back to consciousness.”
“…Cardinal Bonslee.”
I opened my eyes.
Sitting in front of me was the Cardinal, with Miya beside him.
And the handmaidens stood in a row.
How long was I knocked out?
“How long was I out?”
“You’ve been lying down for three days.”
“Three… days?”
So long?
I felt like I had expended a lot, but I had no idea I’d slept this long.
Dazed, I nodded and then suddenly asked in surprise.
“Wait… did you guard my spot for three days?”
“That’s right. …Though saying so might sound touching, we came because we saw signs of you waking up. Miya had quite a tough time.”
“Oh.”
I see.
I scratched my head, feeling a bit awkward.
It definitely seems like I may have overdone it a little.
Thinking of picking a fight with my senior just because he was being a nuisance is quite the absurdity.
Even thinking about it now feels a bit crazy.
I guess this is a bit crazy.
“Uh… Saintess Mareniya…”
“She is safe. She has already fully recovered, so there’s no need to worry.”
“That’s a relief.”
I’ve had experience attacking during sparring and have suppressed someone before, but I’ve never had the experience of whacking someone with a hammer.
At that moment, my eyes went blank, and I swung without thinking, but now that I think about it, my hands were shaking uncontrollably.
“…Could everyone leave? I have something to discuss with the Saintess alone.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
The maids and handmaidens all exit.
Just the cardinal and I remain in the room.
The cardinal maintains silence for a moment before finally speaking.
“I apologize. I should have taken preventative measures beforehand.”
“It’s fine.”
“It may feel a bit unpleasant, but Saintess Mareniya has strong faith in the Goddess. She’s taken a negative stance towards Saintess Lily, who hasn’t received a revelation.”
“…Am I the problem?”
Am I just a jagged stone making a mess of things here?
My heart feels heavy.
“Not at all. It’s just a time for adaptation.”
Adaptation that we all have to endure.
“The world is slowly stirring, and the era of peace may soon fade. When that time comes, even the smallest hands will be missed.”
The cardinal stands and kneels on one knee.
I gasp in surprise and wave my hands, but he maintains his posture.
“Saintess Lily is different from the other saintesses. But being different means you have greater strengths as well.”
“……”
“I believe this is also the Goddess’s arrangement. It must be that there’s a reason you were born without a revelation and specialized in non-magical weapon skills.”
The cardinal’s earnest faith.
There are still people who doubt and reject me, but there are also those who believe in me.
Even in this short month, Miya, the magic professor, the commander of knights, and Angela have all believed in me.
Above all, this kind of reaction is familiar.
“…I will repay your faith.”
Because I was the outsider.
.
.
.
.
“So that’s why you caused that commotion? You really are something else.”
“…I was kind of angry. It’s not like I wanted to become this way.”
“Right. We didn’t choose to be this way either, so it’s a bit much to blame us.”
“…Anyway. They say this is how you do healing magic, is that right?”
“That’s correct.”
“But why can’t I seem to do that?”
This is the story five years after I reincarnated.
“This is completely insane.”
That’s the story of when I just became a saintess.
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