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The Fierce Saintess

EPISODE 1

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

The Kingdom of Lestwick was facing the greatest crisis since its founding. Due to an abnormal outbreak of magic beasts lasting for two full years, vast amounts of manpower and funds had been expended, severely draining the nation's strength. On top of that, their request for aid from the neighboring Rowey Kingdom—who was supposed to be their ally—had been rejected.

Furthermore, because the fields had been ravaged by monsters, a state where no decent harvest could be expected had already continued for over a year.

Believing there were no further measures to be taken, King James IV decided to summon a Saintess using ancient summoning magic passed down through generations.

"Saintess Summoning." According to historical records, roughly three hundred years ago, when the land fell into a similar crisis due to an abnormal outbreak of magic beasts, James I—who ruled this land at the time—had summoned a Saintess from another world and restored stability to the kingdom through her holy power.

Then, the summoned Saintess, Jeanne, and the prince who protected her and worked by her side, Grayson, were wed, establishing the new Kingdom of Lestwick upon this land—such was the history of the nation's founding.

Gathering skilled mages at the castle, First Prince William was placed in charge. And so, with the king himself present as a witness, the summoning ritual was finally to be carried out.

Drawn upon the floor of a room deep within the castle was a specialized magic square for the summoning that had taken weeks to prepare, and now the king and his ministers stood surrounding it, watching intently. The mages chanted their incantations, pouring in their magic power. And then...

「It's a success!」

「Oh, what a divine appearance...」

「Could this be... a princess from another world?」

「With this, our country is saved as well!」

「Saintess!」

Appearing within the glowing white magic square of the Saintess Summoning was a young woman with sharp, almond-shaped eyes, her long, glossy black hair tied back at the middle of her spine.

Though her attire was of a style never seen before, it was vividly colored and clearly made from the finest silk, in itself hinting at her high social standing.

「Where... am I?」

Stepping forward before the girl who had fallen silent within the magic square after murmuring those words, Prince William knelt so as not to put her on guard before speaking.

「Welcome, O Saintess. I am a prince of this Kingdom of Lestwick, William by name. And over there is my father, King James IV. This must be a sudden shock to you, but this place is a world different from the one in which you previously resided. As our kingdom is currently in a dire predicament, we wished for the Saintess to aid us and performed the ritual of Saintess Summoning, whereupon you arrived from another world.」

「You summoned me from an otherworldly realm? Not a foreign land? Then does that mean if I do not help you, I cannot return to my original place?」

Wrinkles formed between the beautiful brows of the girl, who spoke in a somewhat archaic fashion. Interpreting this as anxiety, William continued speaking, even as a touch of regret welled in his blue eyes.

「Ah... no, I am afraid you likely cannot return to the world you were in before...」

「Cannot return? And yet, you ask me to help you?」

The prince noticed that the girl's voice held not just confusion, but a hint of rising anger. Believing that too was within expectations, he pressed on.

「Furthermore, at the moment you were summoned here, it is likely that in your original world, your existence was erased as if you never were. Therefore, even if you could hypothetically return... So going forward, we ask that you consider this world as the world where you reside. Naturally, as the person responsible for this summoning, I will take full responsibility for providing for your life here, so please rest assured. I promise you a life lacking for nothing. Therefore, I beg of you, Saintess. Please save this country, save us—」

「I refuse!」

「...Huh?」

Though wearing an apologetic expression, the prince had been delivering his pre-prepared words to reassure the girl summoned as a Saintess and convey the country's dire plight. Only when she rejected him without missing a beat did he finally realize she was furious.

「What self-serving nonsense have you been babbling since earlier?! Why should I have to save any of you?! If you ask me, this is kidnapping, and every single one of you is a criminal!! I have neither moral obligation nor reason to save people like you!!」

「However, O Saintess! You are a personage sent by God to save this nation—」

William tried to grab the arm of the girl, who had stood up and was about to walk away, but—

「Do not touch me, you impudent fool!」

*Slap!*

Immediately after she brushed the prince's hand aside—

*Rumble... BOOM!!*

A tremendous wave of magic power swirled through the room, sweeping away everyone present, including the prince. At the center of the vortex stood the girl, her glossy black hair billowing in the magical surge, looking completely enraged.

「I am Kana, daughter of Tsuchimikado Yasutomi—the Chief of the Onmyou Bureau and head of the Onmyoudou Grand Master Lineage! If you thought I would quietly listen to your demands after being kidnapped and told my very existence was erased, you are gravely mistaken!!」

*CRASH! BANG! THUD! CRUNCH!*

The magic power clad in her fierce rage grew even more violent, ravaging the room. On top of that, two white foxes had appeared before anyone realized it, snarling at the surroundings as if guarding her.

(Could those be... sacred beasts?)

The prince and everyone else い居合わせた° could not hide their shock at the two foxes that had suddenly materialized, but within the raging room, not a single person could speak—let alone breathe properly.

The mages, who might have been their only reliance, were collapsed in the corners of the room and unable to move, having exhausted their strength during the summoning ritual.

「Suou! Kaou!」

「「At your command, Princess Aina° [Kana]!」」

The moment the two white foxes answered the girl who called herself Kana, a new surge of magic power joined her own. In the next instant—

*BOOM, CRASH!! RRRRUMBLE...*

A section of the wall shattered, sending rubble clattering inside and outside the room.

(A princess?! So the Saintess really was a princess. No, more importantly, the foxes just spoke! There's no doubt about it, they are sacred beasts. And two of them with exceptionally high magic power at that... At this rate, not only everyone here, but the entire castle might be crushed by magic power?!)

Realizing the possibility that the entire castle could be reduced to rubble by the magic unleashed by the Saintess and her beasts, William desperately searched for words and spoke out.

「S-Saintess—no, Princess Kana! If there is anything you desire, we will grant whatever it may be! So please, calm your anger first! I beg of you!」

「...Oh? You say "whatever it may be"?...」

Sensing that the swirling magic power wavered slightly and its pressure lessened, the prince continued speaking.

「Y-Yes! Whatever you say, we will grant it. So please...」

「Then atone with your death.」

「...What?」

Just as the prince gasped in shock, his body was wrapped multiple times in ribbon-like tendrils and dragged right in front of the girl. However, the swirling magic that filled the room seemed to have subsided for the time being.

「Did you not hear me? I said "atone with your death." You mentioned you were the one responsible, did you not? Then answer me: do you have any siblings?」

「O-One younger brother...」

「Then I shall forgive you in exchange for your head and your brother's—the two of you. I am generous, after all.」

「Why two? Would one not—」

To the question trembling from the prince's lips as he finally seemed to understand his dire situation, Princess Kana raised her fingers one by one as she explained.

「In my country, it is said that a person dies twice. The first is the death of the physical body. And the second is the death of being forgotten—death from memory. Hence, two heads. Am I mistaken? Since my very existence was erased, it seems I have been forgotten even by my father and mother!」

「However, they are princes of this kingdom—」

The one who cut in was the king, who was crouching as if hiding behind the overturned throne.

「Oh? Considering what you said earlier, it sounded as though you intended to force me to accomplish what you could not achieve yourselves. Am I wrong? Are you saying my life is inferior to the lives of these fools?」

Along with Princess Kana's irritated words, the subsided magical pressure flared up slightly once more.

「N-No, it is merely that we planned for the Saintess to eventually become the bride of our First Prince—」

「Huh?! Why must I wed the ringleader of criminals?! There is a limit to your impudence!」

*CRACK!*

The throne rolling before her was crushed to pieces by the pressure of her fury.

Having the marriage with the prince—intended as a reward for the Saintess—dismissed as mere impudence, the king backed away while using the man beside him as a shield. He desperately tried to devise a breakthrough, but due to his terror, his mind refused to function properly.

「T-Then, how about placing them in prison for now and presenting them with a poison cup at a later date—」

「Do not utter such foolishness! Criminals are to be beheaded—that is final. I shall accept nothing else. More importantly, bring that fool's younger brother here at once!」

「Y-Yes, right away! Hey, you guard!」

Judging that there was no room to set up a body double for the already bound First Prince, the king resolved to somehow save at least the Second Prince's life. When commanding a nearby guard to bring the Second Prince, he decided to whisper a certain instruction.

However, that action did not escape Princess Kana's sharp gaze.

(Trying to play clever tricks... Probe them!)

*Flick!*

Breathing quickly onto a bird-shaped paper talisman (*shikigami*), the princess flicked it with her finger.

The paper construct instantly turned into a small bird and followed behind the guard. Just as that guard exited the room, a hand slowly raising into the air caught the princess's eye.

「Pardon my intrusion, but if I may speak...」

The man who had been used as a shield by the king—yet had crouched to protect him nonetheless—slowly stood up and addressed Princess Kana. Dark brown hair flecked with white, he was a tall, middle-aged man whose solid build immediately marked him as a warrior.

「What is it? Speak.」

「If it pleases you, I pray that my head might take the place of the prince's, if it would serve to quell Lady Kana's fury...」

「And who are you?」

「I am Beaton, Commander of this nation's Knights.」

「The chief of warriors, then. Are you claiming that your head possesses value equal to this man's?」

「No, however...」

「Then are you telling me to make do with a substitute of inferior rank?」

「That is not what I—」

「Then hold your tongue!」

*Slap!*

The throne that had been crushed earlier was now reduced to fine dust.

「...My deepest apologies.」

The man lowered his head in frustration, his hands clenched so tightly that Princess Kana could see his fingernails digging into his palms.

(If there is a man willing to offer his own life to prove his loyalty, then perhaps these people are not entirely evil...)

Though she thought this, Princess Kana could not afford to yield here. Even if she were to cooperate with them in the future, unless she made them pay in full for taking the liberty of kidnapping her to a place like this, she would never be satisfied.

After a short while, a young man with auburn hair clad in flamboyant attire was dragged into the room by the guard from earlier. However, Princess Kana did not miss the plain-clothed man wearing a hat pulled low over his face, stealthily sneaking into the room behind them as if trying to stay hidden.

The paper bird that had left the guard returned to her side and whispered the sequence of events into her ear. Hearing this, Princess Kana let out a sharp, irritated sigh.

「Just how far do you intend to mock me before you are satisfied?! Suou! Kaou!」

「「Understood!」」

In the next instant, the fox named Kaou leaped, pouncing on top of the plain-clothed man standing in the corner of the room.

「Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me!!」

At the same time, the king became a prisoner just like William, dragged down in front of Princess Kana. The man who had been bitten and dragged over by Kaou found himself in the exact same state before he realized it.

「I have nothing to do with this! The Second Prince is right over there!」

「What is the meaning of this?! Why me as well?!」

「Silence! I have no mercy to spare for a scoundrel who comes smirking to a place where his brother's life and his own body double's life are about to be taken. Nor for those who attempted to deceive me!」

As the pressure of her magic surged, the two newly bound captives stood speechless before her cold words...

A short while earlier...

「Prince Alton, terrible news!」

Loudly clattering his boots, a guard rushed into Second Prince Alton's room.

「What's the matter? So noisy. Did Brother get rejected by the Saintess or something?」

The prince asked without even sitting up from where he leaned against the sofa. Aside from his auburn hair, his face closely resembled his older brother William's, though perhaps due to his demeanor, he gave off a somewhat slovenly impression.

「N-No, far worse than that! He incurred the Saintess's wrath... and, well, she demanded the heads of both Prince William and Prince Alton...」

「Huh?! What kind of blunder could he possibly have made to cause something like that?! Besides, why my head too and not just Brother's?! In the first place, what are the knights doing against a single woman? Pathetic!!」

「For now, I shall convey His Majesty's orders. A body double is being arranged post-haste, so Prince Alton is to wait quietly in his room.」

Right then, a young man with hair color very similar to the prince's was brought in by two mages.

「Save me! I don't want to die yet!」

「Mages, silence him at once! Hey, lend a hand. We need to change his clothes quickly.」

Stripping the body double and forcing him into the prince's attire, the guard prepared to drag him out, but—

「Hey, hold on a second. I'm coming along too.」

Prince Alton spoke up, holding the servant uniform the young man had been wearing until a moment ago.

「However, His Majesty's orders were...」

「What's the harm? There's no way I'm missing a spectacle this entertaining, right? Don't worry, once Brother is gone, I'll win the Saintess over myself. Still, for all his usual high-and-mighty talk, Brother really is disgraceful. Well, in due time, I'll show the Saintess what a real man is like.」

Saying so, he quickly threw on the uniform, donned the cap, and followed behind the guard.

(I don't know what Brother said to make the Saintess mad, but this works out great. With this, the next king will be me.)

That was what he had been thinking until just a moment ago. Yet now, he was bound tightly in multiple layers of thin, ribbon-like tendrils, rolling on the floor alongside his brother and father. And infuriatingly, no one was making any move to rescue them.

(Damn it, why did it turn out like this?! If I knew this would happen, I should have just stayed in my room drinking wine and waiting for the good news...)

*****

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