===================
Now it was time to discuss the treatment of the Saintess Party.
Saintess Party.
Legendary heroes who documented countless adventure tales.
However, unfortunately, public opinion regarding the Saintess Party was divided, running in parallel between support and opposition. The party had yet to show up despite the continuous disasters caused by cultist forces invading.
– They ran away to enjoy their romantic affairs.
– A disgrace to humanity for betraying the world and faith.
– Cheap harlots, succumbing to carnal desires.
Because of a moment’s romantic drama, they turned their backs on humanity.
A beauty of unparalleled grace.
Men loving the same woman.
It was only natural for the public, who hated the Saintess Party, to suspect their romantic affairs. Edanant, too, didn’t hesitate to suspect romantic drama the moment he heard that the heroes, including the Saintess and the Hero, had mysteriously vanished.
What a bitter outcome.
How could the Saintess Party, who defeated the Demon King and saved the world, fall to such condemnation?
If the return of the Saintess Party was announced carelessly, they would be swept away by a horrific backlash. Countless crowds filled with hatred might gather and hurl stones at the Marquisate of Hohenberg. Therefore, the news had to be delayed as much as possible, consulting with the Holy Kingdom first.
“I’m sorry, because of me.”
“Shut up.”
The Saintess, relying on her wheelchair, let out a sorrowful voice.
Then the man pushing her wheelchair from behind responded firmly.
“I can only vaguely remember, but… Edan saved me, right? I feel like I kept hearing that voice.”
“Then you should’ve opened your eyes. You were getting walloped.”
It’s not an exaggeration.
As proof, Edanant was wrapped in bandages all over.
It was a miracle he wasn’t dead.
That was what the priests who treated Edanant said in unison.
“Ah, ugh…! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Because of me, Edan got beaten up badly.”
“It wasn’t entirely one-sided!”
The number of hits taken was probably two or three times more than given.
A victory with just wounds, perhaps.
They managed to win because they got whaled on soundly before pulling off a cross-counter.
The outcome was damaging to Edanant’s pride.
Normally, they should have secured an overwhelming victory with immense firepower.
Edanant, whose pride was hurt by Beatrice’s innocent apology, shouted in an agitated voice.
“I keep being a burden to Edan every time. This time I wanted to save him…!”
“Yeah, you were a burden.”
It wasn’t supposed to be a burden,
-But he couldn’t say that casually.
If he had failed, the Saintess Party would have become a specter that could never escape the Demon King’s Castle. They would have spent eons merely existing to prevent the end of the world.
“I wished Edan wouldn’t have to sacrifice himself. I didn’t want to put him in danger any longer. I wanted Edan, who always chose to sacrifice himself, to be happy above anyone else, without a single worry.”
“…….”
Humm.
Should he just shove the wheelchair into a pile of leaves?
Wanted him to be happy.
At that moment, a surge of frustration blared from the irresponsibility of the Saintess’s words.
“Gyaaak!”
So, he immediately sprang into action.
Beatrice, who had been leaning on the wheelchair, tumbled onto the pile of leaves, rolling around like an armadillo. After a few rolls, the Saintess was covered in leaves.
“Cough cough! Puhah!”
She inhaled the dust.
Even stuffing her mouth full of leaves.
Suddenly put in a predicament, Beatrice flailed her hands, trying to get up.
“Sorry. My hands moved without thinking while I was rambling nonsense.”
“P-Please warn me next time before you throw things….”
He lifted Beatrice up and placed her back in the wheelchair.
The Saintess then pouted her plump lips, brushing the leaves off herself.
“Did you really think I would be genuinely happy for the peace obtained through your filthy sacrifices?”
“…No.”
They must have defeated the grayness of the end.
This world, on the brink of destruction, would now enjoy peace once more.
However,
Did the people who knew the whole truth really rejoice in it?
It was too grand and precious a memory built together over time to accept the harsh reality. Thus, when Beatrice shook her head at Edanant’s resolute question, she opened her mouth.
“I must have been very sad while thinking of you all. I probably just cried because of my disgusting self-disgust.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Edan….”
“No, not me.”
“…Huh?”
Edanant raised a hand and pointed to the side.
Beatrice’s gaze, originally directed forward, shifted.
“B-Bea–!”
A girl with green hair dashed toward her. Seeing the cheeky Luinong, tears welled up in Beatrice’s sky-blue eyes.
Had she dashed here without stopping until the forest path?
Panting heavily, she didn’t stop her little footsteps.
Hug!
Luinong jumped into the Saintess’s embrace.
Burying her tear-streaked, snot-covered face into Beatrice’s chest. Beatrice, like Rue, began shedding tears of reunion, embracing her small, delicate shoulders.
“Bea, Bea! You’re back, right? Truly, truly back?!”
“Yeah, sorry for making you wait.”
“Hrrk! Huhhh! Waaahhh!!”
“I’m sorry, truly sorry… Rue.”
She wiped the tears and snot off Luinong’s slender face with her sleeve.
At that, Luinong giggled through her tears.
“Welcome back, Bea!”
“I’m back.”
I won’t leave anywhere anymore.
In response to Beatrice’s promise, Luinong nodded her head repeatedly in acceptance.
“I knew it! I knew you would return! I knew Bea, Maximilian, Madu, Regnas, and Pels would all come back!”
“Even though you cried every night.”
“Hiiik! No, no! I never doubted Bea!”
“Yeah, let’s leave it at that.”
Seeing Edanant and Luinong bickering, Beatrice smiled brightly.
She believed.
That she would become close friends with adorable Luinong.
Because they were so similar.
That was why right before setting off to the Demon King’s Castle, she entrusted Rue to Edanant.
“Bea, are you very hurt?! I’ll ask God to heal you!”
“Please do.”
A bright radiance erupted from little Luinong’s body.
It must have been the Power of Mystery she used.
Having been healed by the Earth Mother, who possessed her physical being, Beatrice had fully recovered her strength. She was merely temporarily inconvenient in movement.
But she decided to accept the cute gesture.
Because she wanted to hold those tiny hands that radiated mystery.
“You must pay the price for making our little one sad for so long. Don’t even think about brushing it aside.”
“Gyaaak!!”
She pushed the wheelchair with all her might.
The pure white Saintess began rolling around the leaf pile again, as if reenacting the violence she had just received. Perhaps adding more force than before, she rolled more violently.
Puh-!
She crashed headfirst into a protruding tree stump.
Seeing Beatrice faint after hitting her head, Edanant and Luinong screamed and rushed to the scene.
*
When they returned to the villa,
Edanant, with the fainted Beatrice on his back, witnessed a scene worthy of a morning drama.
“You bastard!”
Slap!
A white hand struck his cheek.
The man with black hair accepted the punishment with remarkable composure.
“Anyway, you were never my type! I never even liked you to begin with! So don’t get it twisted!”
“…….”
The rage of a divorcee, who had experienced an unilaterally broken engagement, exploded at her fiancé.
The fiancé’s companions, watching the situation, nodded, thinking, ‘You brought this on yourself.’
It was indeed excessive.
She had declared an annulment of engagement to the Princess directly, after all.
Finally achieving her revenge, Elizaveta turned on her heel, huffing angrily as she walked away. With that slap fueled by her frustration, she demonstrated that she had completely given up on the crush she had held for over a decade.
“Just like the youngest daughter of the Mustache Emperor. Such a boisterous personality, just like her.”
“I heard the Third Imperial Princess is in a romantic relationship with Edan. I look forward to what happens next.”
The Mercenary King and the Sword Saint whispered to each other.
It seemed they planned to sit around at the Hohenberg Family estate to watch the upcoming romantic drama unfold.
“Bea!”
After the whirlwind caused by the Third Imperial Princess passed,
The reverse harem boys’ gazes shifted towards Edanant and the fainted Beatrice on his back.
What had happened?
They were engulfed in astonishment as they spotted Beatrice’s head swollen from a bump.
“While you two were away, a scoundrel, harboring ill will toward the Second Saintess, knocked her out with a stick and ran away.”
“Is that true?!”
“You said a lot happened while you were away. So, there must be many who’s holding a grudge against the Saintess Party. We’ll have to ensure the Saintess’s escort is foolproof from now on.”
“W-What…!”
The lie flowed as smoothly as a stream.
Regnas was astonished and nodded vigorously at the unimpeded storytelling.
“It could be remnants of the cultists.”
“Hmmm… All we can do is hope it’s not an assault from the Demon King’s army.”
Felix and Maximilian, who had been listening to the conversation, conjectured the identity of the pursuers behind the attack on the Second Saintess.
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