In the game, the Cruel False Saint Astesia was the second-ranked member of the Twelve Apostles of Hades and a powerful enemy who could wield both the powers of Zeus and Hades.
She showed no mercy to soldiers who begged for their lives, but at the same time, she was kind to her friends and allies, especially children. It was that difference in how she treated certain people that made her such an attractive, cool beauty.
The two biggest talking points among her fans were the lightning she could fire from her chest, which fans had lovingly dubbed her “Booby Thunder,” and the event in the game where you found out (only after defeating her) that she was secretly taking care of the children who’d been orphaned in the war against the Hades Church. The kids were waiting patiently for her return, and when you visited her room at the orphanage, you found her diary that was filled with her tragic backstory.
With those memories floating through my mind, I whispered to myself:
“Right… I wanted to save her, too.”
If Weiss was my fave male character, then Astesia was my fave female character. If I tried, maybe I could save her like I had Weiss and Aigis.
Angela knit her brows at me after seeing my reaction, clearly puzzled. “Wait, do you know Astesia?”
Ah, right. She was confused why I knew about a member of the clergy from another territory. It made sense that Angela was suspicious. How was I going to explain my way out of this?
Well, that’s what you might think if you were reincarnated without having studied this world like me!
“If I recall correctly, a few years ago, a girl with a powerful blessing from Zeus appeared in the capital, right?” I replied to Angela in as much detail as I could muster. “Wasn’t Astesia her name? I believe people called her a saint. However, I ultimately heard rumors that she was actually a fake and was chased out of the capital.”
Much like I knew everything about Weiss, I also knew everything there was to know about Astesia! Her past was laid out with a decent amount of lore in the fanbooks and everything! She was much more popular than Weiss, so there was a lot more information on her readily available.
“Huh, but that was when you were a kid. I’m surprised you know so much.” Angela nodded, impressed by my knowledge, before she continued with a mournful expression, “She’s no fake. She really does have tremendous powers, but that caused others to ostracize her.”
Her face contorted like she was recalling a painful memory.
“There’s something else,” she continued. “For some reason, when people look at her, they feel…disgust.”
“Do you think the evil god has put some kind of curse on her?” I prompted. “Since I have a blessing from a Divine Beast, I might be able to negate another god’s power. Is that why you want me to save her?”
Angela’s theory was right on the money. Because of how powerful Astesia was, the Twelve Apostles of Hades put a curse on her in order to keep her under their thumb. That curse was tremendously strong, and it was entirely possible that even Astesia was unaware of its presence as she lived her days under the harsh eyes of those around her.
After she finally fell into true despair, the Hades Church would swoop in to save her… Well, she would believe that she was saved.
But we hadn’t caught up to the game’s timeline yet, so there was still a chance to really save her!
“I think I understand, but I have a question,” I said, still curious. “Why are you so worried about her? You said she’s like a little sister to you, which means you’re not actually family, yeah?”
“You see, we both lived in the same school dorm and were raised like sisters. Despite that, I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t resist the curse, so I—”
“Angela became an adventurer in order to find a way to help Astesia.” Rosalia answered for Angela as she returned to the room and came over to sit beside me. She must have finished checking on the kids. “Unfortunately, even the expensive holy water she bought and sent to her had no effect.”
Angela nodded meekly.
I had no idea Angela was linked to Astesia like this. It seemed a little unnatural that such a key character was here in my territory, but given that this place would eventually become the hero’s base of operations, it actually made sense. Maybe the devs were going to add Angela in a future update so the hero could learn about Astesia or something.
“Wait,” I said, “if you sent her holy water, you must know where she lives, right?”
“Yeah. She works at a church in House Inclay’s territory, the one neighboring us,” Angela explained. “Though it sounds like she isn’t being treated very well…”
Astesia had probably never dragged herself here because Angela was not exempt from the powerful effects of the curse. Astesia had been avoiding seeing Angela in person again all this time.
It stung to see how much Angela struggled with not being able to save Astesia; she wore her anguish on her face.
“House Hamilton and House Inclay aren’t on great terms, so if we are going to see her, it would be best if you went disguised as a commoner rather than a lord,” Rosalia warned. “Should you be discovered, you will be in danger. What will you do?”
It was rare for Rosalia to have so little emotion on her face. Angela was her old comrade in arms, but her desire to help her old friend and her desire to protect me were at odds now.
No worries. I made my decision ages ago. The whole reason I reincarnated into this world is so that I can save my faves from their tragic ends.
“Angela, I, Weiss Hamilton, vow to save Astesia. In return,” I told her, “I would like you to manage the Divine Spring.”
“Are you sure?” Angela asked. “You’ll be putting yourself in harm’s way…”
“That’s not true. You forget I have a very talented maid. Right, Rosalia?” I asked jokingly, prompting Rosalia to smile her usual smile.
“Correct! I will protect Lord Weiss.”
“Not quite,” I corrected her. “We’re gonna protect each other. Between the two of us, there’s nothing we can’t do. Let’s get ready to leave.”
That was how the two of us ended up on the road to meet Astesia.