Chapter 19

Elder Marxen was a huge existence in the Vios Empire. He was here to “heal” me, but he went around making a mess of things.

“Saintess, it seems like you’re still not used to dealing with divine power.”

“…”

“Now, follow after me. You need to softly touch your power as if you’re holding a child.”

He was making me use my power as soon as I recovered.

“Now, Luciana. That’s not how you do it. Are you really taking proper care of the saintess?”

“…”

He started nagging Luciana for no reason.

“You’re a paladin or something? What do you do?”

“I’m Callian, the captain of His Majesty’s guard.”

“Oh. You look young, but you’re quite high up. I had no idea.”

“Haha, I see.”

He also started nagging Callian, who had come to look at my condition because of my dad’s urging. However, that wasn’t all.

“This place is quite dreary. It’s inappropriate for recuperating.” He badmouthed the estate we were at. “Saintess, how do you feel about going back to Vios to recuperate?”

He even tried to get me to go back to Vios, even though I had barely escaped from there. After saying inappropriate things, he made a mess here as if this were his room!

My never-ending patience was slowly depleting. I asked Luciana with a lifeless smile, “When will the elder get lost?”

“Saintess… your vocabulary… And I heard he’ll be departing soon.”

He was leaving soon! Which meant he hadn’t left yet! “Tell him to get lost faster. If this goes on, I’ll have to bury his body.”

“Please be patient…” Luciana also didn’t know what to do, but I couldn’t deal with him any longer.

“Are all elders from Vios like this?”

“Not everyone, but the majority…”

“Ah…” I suddenly felt reality hit me. “I want to disband the Senate.”

There was no hope or future for Vios if there were eleven other people like him in the Senate. “This is why they’re failing.”

I was relishing in my newfound knowledge when a knock at the door interrupted me. Luciana came back after checking who it was. “Saintess, Sir Ludwig is here.”

“Ludwig!”

Ludwig walked in and got down on one knee as soon as he saw me. “I greet the first light of the world.”

“Welcome.” I was a lot healthier so I could meet with people again.

Ludwig finished his greeting and raised his head with a worried expression. “Saintess, are you okay?”

“As you can see, I’m healthy!”

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

Ludwig choked out his words as if he were about to cry. I didn’t know if it was because of the dream, but he felt a bit unfamiliar. Ludwig was definitely more reliable and outstanding in Priscilla’s memories… However, right now, he looked more like a huge dog.

“It has been a while, Ludwig. Have you been well?”

“I was worried about you.”

“Thank you.”

“Without you… I don’t…” Ludwig choked back his tears and looked down.

“…?”

“I’ll work on my divine training so that something like this never happens again.”

“Huh? Why would a paladin do divine training?” Only priests did prayer training. It helped them increase their divine power by cleansing the mind and body. ‘It’s not something paladins can do?’

Ludwig didn’t see how confused I was as he clenched his fist. “I’ll do my best to become useful to you.”

“You already are!”

“…”

I felt like I was raising a fanatic. ‘Well, whatever.’ “Ludwig, did you find it?”

“Yes.” Ludwig took out a battered object. “Here it is.”

“Oh!” He placed the object that was about the size of my fist on my hand. I asked, “Nobody saw you?”

Ludwig solemnly nodded.

“It’s really light.” This was the crazy magician’s core that was buried in the lab. It was the source of mana that had fueled the research. It was important, so I had Ludwig take it away. ‘I might be able to use it later.’

As I looked at the core, Ludwig asked me, “I looked for this object because you told me I had to, but what is it?”

“This? It’s a relic.”

“…”

He didn’t believe me. Ludwig made a face as if he had heard something he wasn’t supposed to.

I raised my shoulders. It was a bit old, but it was genuine. ‘Duke Ravenhook even robbed Thales’s grave to get this.’ I was excited to make all that hard work go to waste. “Hohoho. If I have this…”

Ludwig seemed to have felt something, but his hand was on his sword. He didn’t recognize what the object was, but he instinctively felt that it had immense power. “Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Why would it be dangerous if it’s a relic?” It was only dangerous if the person using it was dangerous.

Ludwig looked at the brightly shining relic and opened his mouth, “How did you know this was there?”

“Hm?” I smiled at him. ‘Hehe!’ “I saw it in a dream.”

“Of course…!”

The title of a saintess was amazing. I mercifully looked at Ludwig’s fanatical blue eyes, then at his holy sword. “Ludwig, can you leave the holy sword here for a bit? I want to look at it with the amulet.”

“This was originally yours. Of course, you can take it.”

“I’ll give it back to you when I’m done.”

“Yes.” Ludwig put down the holy sword, and I sent him away with the excuse of being tired. It was time to talk to the sword, “Ahem. Sophia.”

Right when I was going to ask the sword a question, the door suddenly opened and Luciana walked in. “Saintess, you need to come outside.”

“Huh? Why? Is it important?”

“Yes.”

I had something to talk to Sophia about. I looked at the core and took it with me. ‘What’s going on?’

Luciana took me to a hallway not far from my room.

“…?”

Elder Marxen was with Ludwig, who had his head down. An unusual atmosphere had settled in the surroundings, and Ludwig had a miserable expression on his face.

“I have nothing to say.”

Elder Marxen got spirited. “Of course, you don’t have anything to say! You’ll be subject to disciplinary action. You were chosen by the saintess, but you couldn’t even look after her. What is this? Tsk.”

“…?” ‘What is that oldie saying?’ “What’s going on?” I looked at the two of them and walked forward. Elder Marxen bowed his head. He and Ludwig greeted me at the same time.

“I greet the first light of the world.”

“So, what’s going on?” ‘I’m impatient!’

Elder Marxen dragged out his words. “Ah, I was scolding Sir Ludwig.”

“Why are you scolding him, Elder?”

“Hoh! Because he couldn’t do what he was supposed to do.”

The elder was talking sh*t. I purposefully smiled and asked the elder a question. “What did Ludwig not do?”

“He couldn’t protect you properly, and now, your body’s in this condition! This is all his fault!” Elder Marxen kept going on. “I can’t allow this useless person to stay at your side. He should’ve protected you with his life! Tsk! When we go back to Vios, he will deal with the consequences.”

Elder Marxen looked at me with a bright smile as if he were waiting for me to applaud him. He didn’t even do anything well. I pressed down on my anger and smiled. “Ludwig did his best for me.”

“If he really did his best, he would’ve protected you.”

“But I didn’t die.”

“But you’re injured! It’s a sin punishable by death!”

“So you wanted Ludwig to die to protect me?”

“Yes! That’s exactly it!”

‘How funny! Is it that simple?’ He was saying such things so easily. I held back my fist that was itching to punch him.

‘Ludwig.’ The reason I was upset at Elder Marxen, who was in high spirits, was the sight of Ludwig. He did nothing wrong, yet he was being scolded. I was so frustrated that I wanted to die. ‘Should I just go crazy?’ “Are you going to discipline him even though I said I’m fine?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. When I go back, I’ll send an even better paladin.”

I realized something while looking into Elder Marxen’s eyes. ‘Ah-ha!’ He was going to place someone to watch over me and report back everything I would do. That was why he was making sure nothing would happen.

I was thinking about how to respond when Elder Marxen got excited and continued, “I know you’re going to agree. I’ll send the perfect person. Haha.”

He was writing his own show, and I interrupted him.”I like Ludwig.”

“Excuse me?”

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If he thought I would accept that easily, he was in for a surprise. I glared at him and talked immaturely, “And even if you bring someone, they’re not going to be as cool as Ludwig!”

Elder Marxen got upset as I had thought. “What do you mean? There are many paladins like Ludwig!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Please believe me. I will definitely bring someone amazing.” He’s saying there are paladins like Ludwig scattered around.

“Grandpa, can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Yes, of course.” He took the bait.

“Then swear on the name of God.”

Elder Marxen flinched for a bit at my innocent words, but he solemnly nodded in the end. Priests with divine power who swore on the Lord’s name had to fulfill it, no matter what. If they went against it, they would lose all of their divine power.

“I, Elder Marxen, swear on the Lord’s name to bring a paladin even greater than Ludwig.”

When he finished swearing, I smirked at the divine power resting in his body.

“Great. Now let’s see…” I placed the holy sword in Ludwig’s hand. “Bring over a paladin who’s better than the one with the holy sword.”

“…!”