“Hmm...”
Hestia, who had been firing off increasingly dangerous questions, finally gave up in a sulky huff when I exercised my right to remain silent and stord out of the room. An awkward tension began to settle over the conference hall.
‘...Well, I should probably honor that request.’
Even if she’d one-sidedly asked to keep the Holy Kingdom’s people occupied, I actually did have a few things I needed to ask them.
“Excuse , mbers of the Holy Kingdom?”
“Eek!”
“Wh-What is it?”
As expected, when I stepped toward the delegation—who were already eyeing warily while preparing to leave—their reactions were full of suspicion and dread.
“Haha, you’d think you were looking at a Demon King, not a Hero.”
“......”
“...You know I’m joking, right?”
Honestly, I still wasn’t used to all this, but I was officially a Hero now, wasn’t I?
This kind of response was a bit hurtful.
“So, um... what’s going to happen to the demon I... I an, the one I neutralized?”
“...O-Of course, the Holy Kingdom will be taking it into custody and disposing of it.”
I let go of my petty feelings and asked my question. As expected, the oldest-looking priestess among them stepped forward and responded, taking over from the nervous juniors.
“Hmm, that’s going ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) to be a bit of a problem.”
“Pardon?”
What she said would have been the logical solution from any normal standpoint—but from mine, not so much.
If the Holy Kingdom got their hands on Azrael, the Archdemon, they’d definitely figure out that she had already been bound to soone.
And sure, I’d been officially recognized as the Hero not long ago, but the Holy Kingdom clearly still didn’t trust . If they found that kind of evidence, there’s no telling what kind of interference or accusations they might throw at later.
“A demonic being like that stepping foot into sacred territory? What if sothing happens?”
“There’s no need for concern. The Holy Kingdom is far stronger than you think.”
I tested the waters a bit, and as expected, the priestess gave a firm, unwavering response, her eyes full of suspicion.
“...Is that so?”
I had no intention of denying that the Holy Kingdom possessed one of the world’s most powerful military forces.
“But from what I know... isn’t the Holy Kingdom not exactly in a position to be worrying about demons right now?”
“What are you implying...?”
“...Lend your ear for a mont.”
I leaned in and whispered.
“Your holy power. It’s starting to dry up, isn’t it?”
“......!”
Judging by the priestess’s startled expression, I’d hit the mark.
‘The reason all those black mages who’d been hiding for so long have started to act is because the Goddess’s power is weakening.’
According to the original ga’s plot, the divine force that was supposed to maintain balance in the world had recently started to wane.
Centuries had passed since the second Demon King and the Hero’s tale had ended. The ti for a new Demon King’s ergence had co.
Naturally, the Goddess was aware of this and used her remaining strength to bring forth a new Saintess and Hero.
Of course, in this tiline, things had gone off the rails: the Saintess, Hestia, had “fallen,” and I had beco the Hero. So making an accurate judgnt was difficult.
Still, one thing was certain: the Holy Kingdom’s holy power—drawn from the Goddess—was rapidly depleting.
“Maybe there’s no problem right now. But if, for any reason, the Saintess is absent or her strength diminishes... things could get tricky.”
Having pointed out exactly what they didn’t want to acknowledge, I watched as the priestess visibly faltered.
“What are you... trying to say?”
“...I’ll take responsibility for managing the demon.”
Taking that opening, I flashed the friendliest smile I could and made my offer.
“As it happens, there’s a maid position open at my estate.
Our household is also struggling with staff shortages—just like the Holy Kingdom.”
“...You want to keep the first Demon King’s lieutenant as a maid?”
“I’m the Hero. What can’t I do? Haha.”
Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about having a demon in my house, but compared to the risk of handing her over and losing control, keeping her under my watch was clearly the better option.
“That’s foolish. Demons aren’t sothing to be reford—they must be destroyed.”
“Hmm. I never said anything about reforming her, though.”
“Regardless of your intentions, it’s an unacceptable request. I must ask that you reconsider.”
As expected, the Holy Kingdom wasn’t going to roll over so easily.
Even if this priestess didn’t hold the final authority, the answer would be the sa no matter how high up I went. In the ga, the Holy Kingdom was always a stubborn and rigid bunch.
“I’m sorry, then. I guess this isn’t a request anymore—but a notification.”
“...Excuse ?”
Unfortunately for them, I had zero intention of repeating the frustrating concessions I’d made in the ga.
“I’ll be asking the Saintess herself—not His Holiness.”
“A... ah...”
“You know, the Saintess and I share a deep, aningful bond. I’m sure she’ll happily agree to whatever I ask.”
I hadn’t worked so hard to bring Hestia to my side just to play nice now.
I’d secured the ‘Fallen Saintess’—so regardless of what consequences ca later, I needed to make the most of it while I could.
“How did the Holy Kingdom end up in the hands of soone like him...”
“...No. We mustn’t be shaken.”
“That’s right. Justice always triumphs...”
It seed like the Holy Kingdom’s people were beginning to see as the opposite of a Hero.
But really, what were they going to do about it?
“Maybe it’s ti you all started thinking about switching allegiances.”
Knowing the Pope had lost his chance to control , I decided to give them a helpful little nudge.
“The Pope, chosen by the people.
The Saintess, chosen by the Goddess.
Even if they’re equal in ceremonial rank... isn’t it obvious where real power will start to concentrate?”
“T-The Holy Kingdom is not swayed by such worldly interests!”
Funny... the Pope sure looked like he was chewing on nails the entire ti he was on the crystal projection.
Well, anyway—he does eventually concede power to the Saintess in the original story. So I’ll just wait and see how that plays out.
“Haha, anyway—if you’ll excuse ...”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
With that, I left the increasingly tense Holy Kingdom representatives behind and stepped out of the conference hall.
“Wait, what...”
Unfortunately, the slight boost in mood I’d gained from getting one over on the Holy Kingdom was instantly shattered the mont I stepped into the corridor.
—Goooooooo...
redia and Hestia were facing each other, radiating a chilling, deadly energy as if they were monts away from a duel.
“...Say that one more ti. Before my patience runs out.”
“I don’t mind, but... are you okay with people watching?”
For a second, I thought I might be hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes.
But no—the image of the two won on the verge of an all-out war only ca into sharper focus.
‘...What the hell is this now?’
I just survived a political disaster.
Why does it suddenly feel like I’m standing in front of the ga’s final boss battle?
***
“Saintess...?”
“Lady redia?”
The chilling standoff in the hallway sent shivers down the spines of the priests and Academy officials who had followed Whitney outside.
“Ahaha... Everyone, hey.”
“......”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but maybe... let’s stop there?”
Whitney, whose face had gone as pale as the others’, finally stepped forward between redia and Hestia and tried to diate.
“There are a lot of eyes watching, just like the Saintess said.”
Of course, no one expected his words to actually calm them down, considering the intensity in the air.
“...Fine.”
But to everyone’s genuine shock, redia, whose eyes had been glowing bright red, backed down and withdrew her murderous intent.
“So be it.”
Hestia also dispelled the gray smoke rising from her body and took a step back.
“It’s about ti we said goodbye.”
Just as people began to look at Whitney with a mix of awe and disbelief for defusing the situation with just a sentence, Hestia, who had stepped back, gave a small gesture to the priests and quietly spoke up.
“Before that, let’s talk. One last ti.”
The priests started toward her in alarm, but she raised her hand to stop them, and they halted in place like soone had slamd on the brakes.
“To be honest, back when I first t you... I really thought everything was over.”
Gone was the naive, clumsy girl. In her place, Hestia now walked toward Whitney with the composed grace of a true Saintess.
“...But it wasn’t the end. It was the beginning.”
redia narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched her, but thankfully no further sparks flew.
“Before I go, I’d like to give you a gift. Though I’m not sure if it counts as a proper farewell.”
“......”
“Just a small one. That’s okay, right?”
Glancing briefly at redia for permission, Hestia then turned her gaze back to Whitney and held out her hand.
“Co on. Give your hand.”
“...Huh?”
“Quickly, now.”
With a light frown, she urged him again. After hesitating for a mont, Whitney finally reached out his hand.
— Whip...!
And in a flash, Hestia snatched his hand and pulled him close, gently wrapping him in a hug.
“See? You look so much better with that expression.”
Everyone—including Whitney—froze at the sudden gesture, their faces stiff with disbelief.
Yet Hestia, the one doing it, simply smiled brightly and spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
“...Or is that a face you make for everyone?”
It was the brightest smile she’d worn not just since eting Whitney—but perhaps in her entire life.
And yet, sohow, there was a faint sorrow behind it.
“I hope this ti... you protect what matters to you.”
Then, as if wiping that sadness away completely, Hestia leaned close to his ear and whispered softly—
“...Regressor Demon King.”
Her voice was so low that not even redia—still glaring daggers just a few steps away—could make out the words.
“...Sorry, what?”
Whitney, still frozen in what may have been the first embrace of his life, could only blink and ask dumbly.
“If I hold on any longer, that woman behind you might actually murder you.”
“...Ah.”
Hestia glanced over Whitney’s shoulder with a sly grin—right at redia, who was once again radiating barely-suppressed killing intent.
“Well then. If you’ll excuse .”
“......”
“I’ll co find you again, when the ti is right.”
She gave a small bow, then slowly turned to walk away with the priests, putting distance between herself and Whitney with each step.
“...My Hero.”
Just before her figure disappeared down the hall, a faint whisper drifted back toward him.
“Ahaha...”
But Whitney didn’t have ti to dwell on it.
“...So, did you enjoy that?”
“Lady redia, I... that’s not—”
“I asked if you enjoyed it?”
Because redia’s adorable yet terrifying fury had now turned entirely toward him.
***
“Haa...”
Leaving behind the sweet and violent ss of Whitney and redia’s bickering, Hestia exited the Academy alongside the priests—her expression visibly lighter.
‘...To think I’d end up as the Saintess of the Demon King instead of the Goddess.’
She let out a small, dry laugh and murmured to herself.
‘Well... I suppose it’s fine.’
She dipped her head ever so slightly, just enough not to be noticed, and curved her lips into a bitter smile.
‘At least I gained a decent surveillance tool...’
— Let go! I must return to my master!
The spider familiar that had once loyally followed Whitney squird furiously as it was stuffed into her robes.
“Now, now. Let’s get along from now on, fellow kin.”
— Kyaaaah! Release ! I said release !!!
“Ufufu...”
And so, with the help of the fallen Saintess who no longer served the Goddess but now belonged to Whitney’s entourage,
the last piece of evidence that could have brought him down... was erased.
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