Chapter 39
“……”
I lost consciousness.
Or at least, that’s what it felt like—just for a brief moment. My entire body burned as though I had been set on fire. Every inch of me screamed in pain from the direct hit of demonic energy. Compared to this, all the pain I had felt during the tournament was nothing.
“You should have heeded the warning.”
Through blurred vision, I saw Andras floating in the air, his massive black wings spread wide.
“I’ll admit, I was surprised when you overwhelmed me for a moment. But in the end, you’re only human. The hierarchy between species is something decided from birth—it can’t be helped.”
His triumphant expression, all the more grotesque because of his demonic transformation, made it look as if victory were already his.
“Still, this is the first time I’ve seen someone survive after taking a hit like that.”
Andras began to drift toward me.
“You look like you can barely stand. No—just the fact that you’re standing at all is surprising.”
Every word he spoke made my eardrums ring. This time, I had no choice but to admit he was right. Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to collapse where I stood.
I burned through too much divine power purifying the Holy Sword.
My skull throbbed as if it might crack open.
Still, it wasn’t all bad news. I had overused my power, yes, but not completely drained it. And in the process, I had unlocked a hidden condition of the quest—earning a new active skill.
“Yeah, right.”
I spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with dust.
“Hey.”
I raised my right arm, marked with the stigmata, toward the sky. My body was screaming for rest, but despite the agony, I couldn’t stop the smirk twitching at my lips.
Since the moment I had possessed Maria Estelle, I hadn’t once faced a situation that could be called a true crisis. Every enemy so far had been trivial.
But now—for the first time—I stood at the edge of a real one. My heart pounded in my chest. It had been a long, long time since I’d felt this rush.
“Try dodging this.”
Light surged from the stigmata, illuminating the dark night sky.
【Hidden Active】
Spear of Heaven
Calls down divine judgment on a designated target.
The power scales with the user’s divine energy.
Deals double damage against demonic beings.
I had obtained this skill a few times back when this was still just a game. My body remembered how to wield it even without reading the details.
From the thick clouds above, a colossal golden spear slowly emerged, piercing through the heavens.
“Wha… why is something like that…?”
Andras looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief, muttering as if he’d forgotten I was even there.
“No way. No, no, no! Don’t tell me—you’re the Saintess of this era—?!”
Even if he realized it now, it was far too late. Not that knowing would have changed anything in the first place.
“Spear of Heaven.”
I stretched my hand toward the sky, moving only my lips.
“Why? Why is the Saintess here of all places—?!”
Andras flared his black wings wide and tried to flee upward.
I didn’t even bother to chase. It didn’t matter if he ran to the other side of the world—the spear would never miss him.
“No! This is impossible! I cannot die here! I still have a grand destiny to fulfill!”
He screamed in desperation.
“Blah, blah.”
The divine spear impaled Andras in a single strike.
“This… this makes no sense… Why would the Saintess be in a place like this…?!”
Pinned to the ground by the Spear of Heaven, Andras collapsed into ruin.
“Ah…”
I felt all strength drain from my body. My vision clouded as though fog had settled in, and my legs trembled uncontrollably. It was the side effect of exhausting nearly all my divine power.
Doesn’t matter. I’ll finish what I need to and collapse after.
Barely keeping myself upright, I forced my mind to focus. From my inventory, I drew Solomon’s Mirror and staggered toward Andras.
“That… that accursed Solomon’s…?!”
Even impaled, Andras thrashed wildly when he saw it. But with the divine spear pinning him down, his struggles were meaningless.
“W-wait, Saintess! I can make you an offer! I’ll tell you everything I know about the Demon King! So just—”
“Not interested.”
I was too exhausted to waste even a second on useless chatter. And besides, when it came to the Demon King, I knew far more than Andras ever could. After all, I had slain him hundreds of times.
Without hesitation, I pressed the mirror against him.
【Andras’s soul has been bound to Solomon’s Mirror.】
【Souls collected so far: 2】
I tucked the mirror away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw professors running toward me in a panic.
How am I even supposed to explain this?
I didn’t know. And honestly, I didn’t want to think about it right now.
Later. I’ll deal with it later.
All I wanted at the moment was rest—anywhere would do.
I collapsed to the ground and shut my eyes.
“Open it!”
I stirred, my consciousness slowly returning.
“Open this door!”
The noise around me was unbearable. Someone was shouting their lungs out, and now they were pounding furiously on a door.
What the hell now?
All I wanted was to rest a little longer. The place I was in was strangely warm, cozy—like sitting by a hearth. Too comfortable to leave.
“Open this door, now!”
But the racket shattered that comfort completely.
“……”
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. First thing’s first—deal with whoever was making this noise, then go back to sleep.
“You’re awake.”
A firm yet gentle voice greeted me.
“…Evan?”
“Yes.”
When I sat up, I saw Evan seated in a chair beside my bed.
“…Why are you here?”
It was the obvious question.
“Why do you think?”
As Captain of the Silver Knights, Evan was usually buried in duties with hardly a moment to breathe. If it hadn’t been for his work, he probably would have followed me to the Aslan Empire as well. But this wasn’t exactly a time when he should be free.
Am I dreaming?
That’s what I thought—until I saw Evan’s expression harden.
“Lady Estelle.”
His face was serious—too serious.
“I’ve heard everything about what happened.”
He looked at me like a parent scolding their child. His expression was a mix of anger and disappointment, as though barely restraining himself from exploding.
“…I see.”
What shocked me most was that Evan was actually showing emotion at all. The Evan I knew never wore his heart on his sleeve.
“I told you before. If you ever needed me, just call. No matter where you were, I would come.”
Come to think of it, he had said that. I nodded slowly.
“And I meant every word.”
His emotions unsettled me.
What’s with him? Why’s he acting like this?
At first, I thought he would just scold me. But instead, his expression wavered more and more—until he looked as though he might actually cry.
Honestly, I’d prefer him being angry…
Seeing Evan like this left me completely at a loss.
This feels wrong.
For some reason, his gaze pricked at my conscience. I felt like I needed to apologize, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Of course, I never doubted you. I know full well that you are far stronger than someone like me.”
“You’re plenty strong yourself, Evan—”
“That’s not the point. I just couldn’t stop worrying that perhaps you didn’t trust me enough to call on me. That thought alone was unbearable.”
His hands trembled where they rested on his knees, his head bowed low.
That wasn’t it at all…
I had simply forgotten. Even if I had remembered, I probably wouldn’t have called him—it hadn’t seemed necessary at the time. But one thing was certain: I didn’t want to see him looking so defeated again.
“Evan.”
“……”
“Evan?”
“……”
No matter how many times I called, he refused to lift his head.
Really now?
It reminded me of Allen, sulking in silence when he was upset.
Of course, Evan wasn’t pouting for the same reason. If he were, my entire image of him would shatter.
“…Haa.”
I let out a small sigh. Patience had never been my strong suit, and waiting around in situations like this wasn’t in my nature. So, I reached out and lifted his face by force.
“Evan.”
“…Lady Estelle?”
His eyes widened in shock, though he didn’t say it aloud.
Naturally, it was because I was the Saintess. That was why he was always so careful around me—why he overprotected me. To Evan, that was reason enough.
But I didn’t like it.
My gaze shifted. His right arm, still rotting away from demonic corruption, caught my eye. His divine power barely held the infection at bay.
He was killing himself just to suppress it. And yet he still thought he could protect me.
Sure, even like this, he was stronger than most knights. But I wasn’t weak enough to need protection from someone who couldn’t even fight at his full strength.
