The hero and his companions who defeated the Demon King lived happily ever after.
It was the kind of ending you often see in legends or fairy tales.
I’m not an optimistic person, so I didn’t expect “eternal joy and happiness,” but I at least thought a peaceful life would unfold.
After all, they were heroes who saved the world; that should be expected, right?
A tranquil life befitting the accomplishments of the hero party who vanquished the Demon King, who had long threatened peace and stability across the continent.
That was all I wanted.
But.
Reality was much darker than I had imagined. Even though Valrair was dead, it was so dark that I couldn’t see an inch ahead.
“Sis…”
The first news we heard upon arriving in Crowen, the capital of the empire, after defeating the Demon King was a tragic report.
Erin’s sister and my friend, the violet Mage Tower Master, Riela, had died.
I heard she had lost her sanity and rushed at the Four Heavenly King Hag, who was the sworn enemy of her mother, and was killed. And it had happened two months ago.
They must have controlled the information to keep our morale unbroken, right?
I understood, but it was frustrating and gloomy.
Bitterness toward myself for dallying with Liam while my friend was dying bubbled up inside me.
So, at Erin’s sister’s funeral, I could do nothing but bite my lip while she was sobbing uncontrollably.
That was all I could do.
*
A few days later.
While we were resting in the imperial royal medical center, another depressing piece of news arrived.
“…I see.”
The twin brother of the Great Warrior Ivar, who had lost contact long ago, had been imprisoned. And he had turned into a vampire.
I heard he had vanished one day while serving as a knight of the empire. Who would have thought he would have become a wretched creature of the night?
Even though he was the family of a hero, he had defied the emperor’s orders and turned into a vampire, so he would not escape execution.
Is that why?
Ivar, who was already not very talkative, had become even quieter.
Again, all I could do was watch from a distance, feeling sorry for him.
“Clitia, you don’t need to feel troubled.”
The Guardian Logan approached me as I was feeling down because of Erin and Ivar, gently patting my back.
A warm and considerate comfort that I couldn’t expect from Liam.
Logan, the mental leader of the hero party, was someone we would have fallen apart without. He was that much of a reliable companion.
However, even Logan couldn’t maintain his gentle demeanor in the face of despair.
“What did you just say?”
“That is…”
The knight dispatched to assist us cautiously began to speak, glancing at Logan.
“The Remelite family, when the city was annihilated by a massive monster of the Demon King’s army, lost all its members.”
“…….”
While our hero party was vigorously fighting the war, all the members of Logan’s family lost their lives. His parents, sister, and younger siblings. Even the hired hands were all gone.
I didn’t get a good impression when I met them once, but hearing that everyone had died left me feeling uneasy.
And as I watched Logan, who was in shock and gazing vacantly for a whole day, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
I wondered.
What happened to our hometown?
‘It must be safe…?’
Being a remote countryside village, it likely hadn’t been attacked by the Demon King’s army.
Still, I couldn’t shake the rising unease. My mind was filled with worries.
A warning from my sharp instincts honed while acting as a saint.
I couldn’t just sit idle.
I had to go see it as soon as possible.
“Liam, can you use space travel?”
“Sure.”
Liam, who had already healed from all injuries, readily agreed.
After I provided him with approximate coordinates, Liam immediately leaped through space and brought me home.
And.
The hometown I hadn’t visited in a long time had an entirely different atmosphere.
“…….”
A gloomy silence.
No sounds of conversation could be heard anywhere. The laughter that usually bloomed everywhere was absent.
The lively and warm-hearted villagers were hardly visible.
Only a desolate stillness clung heavily to the houses and streets.
The reason for such a state could be learned from an elder who had secluded himself at home.
“Clitia. Marinea has died.”
Marinea.
Erin’s younger sister, who I had left behind in the village.
The only child that connected my current life and previous life had died.
As soon as I heard the news, my heart sank, and my hands and feet trembled, so it was a while before I could ask why.
“…Why, why did she die?”
“After you left for the convent, some vampire came and turned Marinea into a servant, tormenting her terribly. We only realized it after her breath had ceased…”
Even as I struggled to hold onto my fading consciousness, I listened and found out that not only Marinea but several elders had passed away.
The cause was excessive bleeding.
Everyone had been sacrificed as prey and playthings for the vampires.
While I was diligently working as a saint, our village had become a playground for those who dared to oppose the sun. Even still.
“…Liam.”
Holding back the tears that threatened to pour, I looked at Liam.
The silver warrior, once a hopeless rascal, had already drawn his sword before I could speak.
“I’ll be right back.”
Saying that, Liam returned about fifteen minutes later, with the heads of numerous vampires floating in the air by magic.
The warrior, not a drop of blood on him, handed me the head of one of them.
“This one was the vampire who killed your sister.”
“…….”
I was about to explode it with Sacred Power but stopped. It was anger too late.
“Burn them all.”
“Understood.”
From that day onwards, the vampires who had made our village their feeding ground were all exterminated.
But what did that mean? Even so, it wouldn’t bring back my dead sister and the villagers.
I asked the elder for the location and visited Marinea’s grave, which was established a bit outside the village.
[Marinea Eluke lies here]
I sank down in front of the shabby gravestone, which bore only a single line of text, and lowered my head weakly.
“Liam, what wrongs did we commit to have to endure this? Shouldn’t we receive the rewards for our hardships?”
“…….”
The future of the hero and his companions who killed the Demon King was neither peaceful nor bright.
The vast honors and praises showered upon us wherever we went.
That was all the reward we received.
Naturally, there were no beloved companions left.
For a while, a melancholic silence lingered between us, until each of us returned to our daily lives.
Thus, the last hero party disbanded in a gloomy atmosphere.
It was too bitter to call it a happy ending, yet too benign to be a bad ending. A conclusion so ambiguous it was vexing.
*
Putting our respective sorrows behind us, we returned to our daily lives and took our places that befitted the achievement of saving the continent. Except for Liam, who lived as a libertine.
The Wise Erin succeeded her sister and became the youngest tower master of the violet Mage Tower.
Guardian Logan was appointed as the president of the Spirit Association.
And Great Warrior Ivar began to operate as the leader of a pioneering team clearing the north, which was under the control of the Demon King’s army.
On the other hand, I attained a position I couldn’t even imagine during my time as a nun.
The Pope.
The closest bishop to the sun within our order.
It was a position typically held by an experienced priest, yet I, not even thirty years old, was elected this time.
Thanks to countless achievements and contributions I built as the saint of the hero party. Especially the fact that I had defeated both the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings played a significant role.
‘Me, the Pope…?’
I was glad my efforts were recognized, but frankly, it was burdensome.
Is it alright for someone as undignified as me to become Pope? What if I embarrass myself in an official setting later on?
Worries took precedence, but it felt awkward to refuse. The other candidates had accomplished feats beyond comparison.
Moreover, since the Goddess had hoped for me to lead the order, I could not possibly decline.
“I swear by the Sun that I will fulfill my duty to shine a gentle light upon the entire continent.”
With a heavy heart, right after the papal inauguration ceremony, the Archbishop, Kelaout, who was to assist me, fixed his one good eye on me and spoke.
“If you have any difficulties, please speak to me at any time. This goes for matters that are too overwhelming to handle alone as well. If you try to solve everything by yourself, the situation could worsen, so please share any issues with me.”
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s move to the office.”
Starting work on the first day?
How cruel. I thought we could at least have a light orientation about the tasks.
Maybe my dissatisfaction was evident on my face because Kelaout showed a strict expression.
“Pope. While the Demon King is gone, there are still dangerous entities left in the world. Monsters like the Vampire Lord and the Spirit of Ashes are still operating, aren’t they? We cannot claim true peace until they are all eliminated, and the senseless deaths of innocent people will continue. Therefore, as followers of the sun, we have a duty to provide comfort and peace to everyone. Especially the Pope must be at the forefront, shedding the warm sunlight to ease the minds and bodies of the weary. Do you understand?”
The heavy voice of the Archbishop continued endlessly until the moment it ended, I instinctively realized.
‘…This is going to be tough.’
The duties of a Pope seemed far more exhausting than I thought.
And in reality, they were.
“Pope, please do not speak crudely. Should the face of the order say such things?”
Unceasing reproaches.
“Don’t let your hair down just because it’s uncomfortable. Don’t loosen the ribbon of your ceremonial robe either; you must look nobler than anyone. If you reveal a disheveled appearance, that would be troublesome.”
Incessant lessons.
“I see you’ve been careless about your doctrine book again because you’re too annoyed. There are bishops who look down on you because of your youth, so how can you neglect your duties? Moreover, I heard you’ve been sneaking out of the Sunlight Sanctuary at night lately. Are you on a date with the hero? Please refrain from that.”
Sermons that made my head spin.
Kelaout constantly pressured me with proper and rigorous words.
How could he be so strict and meticulous? It was a bit frustrating, but then again, I had no choice but to obediently reflect since I had indeed made mistakes.
Yet, since he was so passionately supportive, I quickly improved.
I reached a level of competence where I could solve all problems without Kelaout’s advice.
Now I had developed a certain grace and poise that were considerably more beautiful and elegant.
Furthermore, with the unintentional ‘language auto-correction’ I acquired, in just a few months, I transformed into a refined Pope that anyone could see.
“Though there are still many aspects in which you lack, you have nonetheless reached a remarkably credible state outwardly. You’re doing very well. Please continue like this.”
“…Understood.”
As I spent time receiving the zealous assistance of the talkative Archbishop, three years flew by in an instant.
Perhaps due to the endless efforts put forth during this time.
Our order, and indeed the entire world, enjoyed unparalleled peace.
Although there were still uncertain elements lurking, day by day it was far more tranquil than the time when the Demon King’s army roamed freely.
How nice would it be if such days could continue forever?
The fact that it wasn’t far from a world where no one suffered sweetened the hardships of daily life. My body was a bit worn out, but I had never enjoyed my time more than now.
Until the day before that.
-Help me….
-Aaaah!!
-Uuuaaaaah!
One day, after an ordinary day.
I had a strange dream of slaughtering people as a monster.
My claws split the chest of an old man trying to flee, and a man frozen in fear burst open under my kick.
A mother protecting her child had her neck ripped off completely, and a dog bravely charged for its master was crushed beyond recognition.
Blood and screams.
Death and pain.
And the ecstasy and thrill of slaughter. My whole body burned with bliss.
Having turned into a monster, I happily smiled while butchering innocent villagers. I chased down and killed even those who had fled far away.
In an instant, one entire city had turned into a stinking grave of flesh.
Despite that.
I could not be satisfied and moved on to another area, bursting into ecstatic laughter.
“Pope!”
It was then that the highest-ranking Holy Knight, who had been near my chamber, rushed in to wake me.
“Are you okay? I smelled blood and rushed over…”
“…….”
Only after hearing that could I smell it. The horrendous odor of blood flowing from my eyes.
‘…What is this?’
That was too unusual a nightmare to brush off.
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