Chapter – 19
The soldiers couldn’t even get angry; their faces twisted in despair. Realizing there was no one left to help her, Dee raised the shoe she was holding high into the air—and hurled it as far as she could.
“Fetch!”
The wild dogs froze. It seemed this was the first time in their lives they’d received such a humiliating command. They stared blankly at Dee as she sprinted off in the opposite direction.
After hesitating, one of the dogs accidentally headed toward the shoe. The rest followed, rushing after it.
Dee ran frantically back toward the soldiers. They were waiting with lassos, ready to capture the monster.
“Ah, I’m saved.”
The soldiers stared at the relieved Dee in shock and disbelief.
That’s not a saintess. She’s a fraud.
Tricking monsters… that’s a con artist.
What they couldn’t bring themselves to say aloud, Bernadoc said for them.
“A person who tells such lies cannot possibly be a saintess!”
“Lies? I didn’t deceive people—just tricked a few dogs!”
“Dogs or not! A saintess lying is unacceptable!”
“Why not? Saintesses can lie sometimes! They eat meat and hot food too!”
With Rita gone, Dee had absolutely no one on her side. At that moment, Kyle—who was fighting the monster with his sword—shouted:
“What are you all standing around for?!”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”
The soldiers hurried forward with their lassos.
Amilla had her bow drawn. Her arrows flew exactly where she intended, but they couldn’t even scratch the monster’s hide. All they did was irritate it.
Dee stared blankly at Kyle.
Normally, he would have easily decapitated a monster like this. Since they were trying to capture it alive, he was struggling by his standards—but to others, that “struggle” looked monstrous in itself.
He was powerful, and fearless. While the soldiers couldn’t even approach, he leapt onto the monster’s back and tried to stab its eye.
But the six-eyed beast had anticipated this. It raised its foreleg to shield its eyes, and Kyle’s sword pierced straight through that leg instead.
Arrows and harpoons couldn’t even scratch it—but Kyle’s blade skewered it cleanly.
The soldiers, stunned by his strength, snapped back to their senses and hurled their lassos. Dozens of them pulled together, slowing the monster’s movements. Then Kyle grabbed a rope and rushed for its legs, wrapping the hind leg tightly. When he returned and pulled with the others, the monster lost its balance and collapsed.
At that moment, Amilla shot an arrow straight into the monster’s open mouth. The inside was weaker than its hide—the arrow drew blood, and the monster let out a scream that shook the earth.
Arrows rained into its mouth one after another. The arrows had been coated with sedatives prepared by Bernadoc beforehand. Soon, the monster stopped moving and slumped to the ground.
Only then did Dee stop shaking.
That was… incredible…
She turned her head—and flinched.
Three wild dogs that had been momentarily distracted by her shoe were now running toward her excitedly.
Dee screamed and ducked behind the soldiers, who had just finished the exhausting fight. Their faces were pale with fatigue.
What a nuisance…
I want to rest…
Someone please deal with that noisy fraud, High Priest…
That’s what they were thinking, but for now they pretended to protect Dee.
Kyle pulled his sword from the monster’s foreleg, pried open its mouth, tore out some flesh, and threw it to the dogs. The dogs happily pounced on it. Kyle mounted his horse.
“Let’s go.”
Relieved that their commander had reduced their workload, the soldiers mounted up as well. Bernadoc grinned smugly.
Anyone could see—this was Amilla’s victory.
Pointing at Dee, Bernadoc said,
“It seems the saintess who will fight the monster in the arena has been decided.”
All eyes—soldiers, Amilla, and Kyle—turned to Dee.
Dee widened her eyes and shook her head frantically, but Kyle answered calmly,
“That seems to be the case.”
He rode ahead, clearly unwilling to discuss it further.
* * *
On the road back to the palace, Bernadoc smiled and whispered to Amilla.
“Soon, it will be proven that you are the true saintess.”
“Yes.”
“And once that’s proven, there is something I’ll do for you first.”
“What is it?”
“Our homeland overlaps with Count Gorse’s territory, doesn’t it? I’ll inform His Majesty that it is a sacred land.”
“…You’re taking the land?”
“Yes. A true saintess needs land to live on.”
Bernadoc spoke kindly, and Amilla nodded.
* * *
As soon as they returned to the palace, Jin—having heard about Dee being forced to fight a monster—grabbed Kyle, furious.
“Kyle!”
Normally, Jin would have fled this wretched palace the moment Kyle returned. But he was still there.
“Does that make any sense? Why is Dee fighting a monster?!”
“There’s no choice. She showed nothing during the hunt.”
“What about the eastern saintess?”
“Her arrows played a key role in capturing it. She fulfilled her duties.”
“That’s not the point—!”
Jin ran his hands through his hair.
Kyle had no obligation to protect Dee. Jin knew that better than anyone.
Still, letting someone be killed by a monster in front of a crowd…
“You can save her.”
“……”
“This isn’t like you.”
Jin stormed out, slamming the door. Outside the window, he mounted his horse and rode off as if sick of everything.
Jin had never been patient.
Kyle muttered, stress pushing him to the brink.
“This is unbearable.”
* * *
On the day of the match, the arena was extravagantly decorated.
Without thinking, Kyle headed toward Dee’s waiting room.
Since gladiators were usually commoners—or lower—the room was shabby. Rita sat curled up, exhausted from crying. Dee was examining the red dress Stephanie had dressed her in.
Priests loyal to Bernadoc stood guard to ensure Dee couldn’t escape.
After a moment, Dee said to Rita,
“You should go now.”
“Saintess…”
“What? You don’t trust me? If I’m really a saintess, I won’t die.”
“I believe you, but still…”
As Rita began crying again, Dee pointed irritably at the door.
“Could you leave? I need to focus and gather divine power.”
“Y-Yes! I won’t disturb you!”
Rita hurried out. Only then did Dee notice Kyle.
“If I survive, I was going to ask Rita to take a filial trip to Whiril Island.”
“Then go.”
“Isn’t it really expensive?”
“It is.”
Kyle looked at Dee’s hands. They were trembling badly.
Dee said,
“If I survive this, will you take me to Whiril Island? I’ve always wanted to ride a ship.”
“…Alright.”
That was a promise he could make to someone prepared to die.
She brightened.
“And tell me I look like a fairy. In front of lots of people.”
“Are you insane?”
“Please! I might die—can’t I hear that once before I do…?”
Seeing her shoulders shaking in fear, Kyle gave in.
“…I’ll do it. And this isn’t a plan where you die.”
For Kyle, those words were almost worse than dying—but he couldn’t refuse.
Soon, the horn signaling preparation sounded.
Kyle asked,
“Are you really confident?”
“Not at all.”
“What?”
“If things go bad, I’ll run. So think about the aftermath.”
Kyle sighed.
The second horn sounded. Dee walked into the arena.
“Fraud!”
Someone planted by Bernadoc shouted. The crowd took it up.
Kyle’s gaze never left her. Her glossy hair and small white face didn’t belong in this arena at all.
The third horn sounded. A massive monster, shackled in chains, was released.
Bernadoc shouted,
“This monster was captured with the help of the eastern saintess!”
He pointed to Amilla. Cheers erupted. Amilla stared blankly at the sky.
“If the western saintess dies today, there will be no reason left to deny the eastern saintess as the saintess of the god Roxand! The god himself watches this judgment!”
Kyle watched Dee. When she trembled, his hand moved toward his sword. He fought the urge to draw it.
He still didn’t know whether to trust her plan.
Nearby, Rita—trembling and unable to look—noticed Kyle’s hand. She clasped her hands and prayed desperately for him to suddenly go mad and leap into the arena.
The fourth horn sounded.
The match began.
The soldiers released the restraints. The crowd roared.
Dee faced the snarling monster.
She couldn’t wield the heavy swords used in Peten, so she held only a small dagger.
As the match began, Dee walked in a wide circle around the monster.
The crowd murmured.
After completing the circle, Dee dusted off her hands, smiled sweetly, and said,
“You can’t cross the line. Got it?”
“…Huh?”
Everyone stared in shock.
The monster grew irritated. It lifted its foot to cross the line—then retreated.
* * *
During the ghost incident, Dee had learned something crucial.
Saintesses possessed divine power.
And astonishingly—she was a real one.
She tested this while everyone was focused on the giant monster. She searched for the smaller ones Amilla had mentioned and approached a wild dog.
It growled and lunged—but when Dee extended both hands as Roxand had taught her, it stopped short.
She was deeply moved.
“I really am a saintess…”
She kept one hand extended and waved her shoe with the other.
“Look. Fetch it.”
She tossed the shoe. The dogs rushed for it—then recoiled, startled by the divine power lingering on it.
Dee reached out.
“Bring it back and I’ll praise you.”
Struggling, the dogs carried the shoe back to her.
That’s when Dee realized she could easily subdue weaker frontier monsters.
And that she could imbue objects with divine power.
* * *
That day, Dee finished her experiments.
Next, she would deceive everyone around her—except Kyle.
While others were overwhelmed by emotion, a true con artist never was.
Proving her power dramatically before a massive crowd—that was her plan.
So the damned High Priest couldn’t escape it.
When Dee looked up at Bernadoc, the old man was trembling in fear. She smiled cruelly, and he clutched his neck, his blood pressure clearly spiking.
The monster crossed the line.
At that instant, Dee raised both hands.
“Sit.”
Her hands became a stop signal. The monster froze—then collapsed to the ground.
Still holding one hand toward the monster, Dee turned to Kyle and said,
“I believe this sufficiently proves my divine power, Your Highness.”
