“A goddess?”
The words came out of my mouth without thinking, but it felt as if I was right. Nia was standing there, bathed in what I could only think of as a holy white light.
“You’re calling me a goddess? How embarrassing,” Nia said, demure.
“But in my eyes, I can’t see you as anything but a goddess.”
Part of me was wondering what the hell I was letting out of my mouth at a time like this. But seriously, that was all I could see her as right now. She just looked so divine, bathed in that white light.
And maybe that was why I didn’t feel even an inkling of fear towards the third princess, Olivia, or whatever monster she was.
“How dare you ignore me to flirt!”
With a gross voice that was a mixture of the third princess’s and something so low it was far more suited to some slithering beast, the thing that should have been the third princess howled. But, huh. I didn’t know why, but it didn’t unsettle me at all.
What’s more, the mist formed into a mass, flying at me in what was clearly supposed to be an attack, but all it felt like to me was a fly flitting my way.
“You’re in the way!”
My fist smashed the mass of darkness to smithereens. All I’d done was a simple punch, but my fist glowed, roared, and broke the mass like it was nothing. There was no mistaking it. This was Nia’s power.
And just as I thought that, I remembered our wedding ceremony. I remembered how the blessed wine had felt when I drank it.
“So you really are a goddess, Nia. Either that, or a Saintess.”
“...Um...”
When I murmured that in earnest, the ever-modest Nia gave me a vague, troubled smile back. Knowing her, she’d never say anything like “Yes! I am indeed a Saintess!” But I could! I could say it loud and proud! Though I wouldn’t, because it would embarrass her!
“How? How are you a Saintess?! I didn’t let you do the ceremony!” the thing that should have been the third princess shrieked.
...I see. So there was a reason she’d abused Nia. In the scenario the third princess had wrecked, there must have been some sort of ceremony where Nia—or rather, Princess Sonia—would’ve been recognized as a Saintess.
But that ceremony had happened elsewhere, in a different form.
“Sorry, but the ceremony is long done now.”
“How?! How did you do the ceremony?!” the thing that should have been the third princess screeched, flustered. Actually, it looked like the mist was thinning out, and she was going back to normal.
Didn’t matter to me, though. Whether it was a mist mass or something in the shape of a woman, I had no mercy for it right now.
“After you threw Nia out, she met me by chance and we fell in love!”
I’d leave it at that. I could feel Laura, who’d been stuck to Nia’s side even in the middle of the miss, give me a very sharp look. Look, Laura, I was just trying to annoy the princess, so cut me some slack here!
“And then a lot happened, and we got married,” I said. “Seems like the wedding ceremony worked in place of that ceremony or whatever you’re talking about.”
“What?! Why? Why would she marry a background character like you?!”
“A background character?” I repeated. “Oh, that’s play-speak, isn’t it? For the minor roles that are even lower than side characters. Sucks for you that a minor character changed that scenario of yours, huh?”
Now that I thought about it, both the Kingdom of Sylvario and the Kingdom of Brigandia worshipped the same god. That’d mean that whatever ceremony she was talking about must not have had to happen within Sylvario’s borders. Which then meant...
“Why, you ask? Let me tell you.”
I took one step, two steps towards her. I could see it: The thing, you could say, was the core of the mist. It was inside the third princess’s forehead. So basically, in her brain. And knowing that, I started running, closing the distance between us in an instant.
“The reason why the ceremony happened, the reason why she and I met. Everything, everything happened because you abused Princess Sonia and threw her out!”
“Ah, eee, huh~?!”
Slowly, after a few seconds, it looked like she understood what I had said. And by then, I was already right in front of her. And with the power I’d gained from Nia—or possibly from our wedding ceremony—my shining right hand grabbed the third princess’s forehead.
“This is the end!”
As I squeezed my hand, the light coming from it strengthened even more. And that light went into the princess’s forehead, and then even farther inside, reaching the thing nesting in her brain. I felt it.
“Nooooooooo!”
“Gwaaaaaahhhhh!”
Both the princess’s scream and something else rang out. The death throes of something else that I couldn’t describe. The black mist dissolved and disappeared.
I wasn’t sure if it was that happening or if she’d lost consciousness from the fear, but I felt the strength leaving the third princess’s body, and I let go of her. I mean, I could’ve kept holding on to her head like that, but that would probably break her neck. She still needed to get investigated and judged, so I couldn’t let her go here.
This wasn’t the end, but...but still.
“It’s over,” murmured Nia, and I nodded back.
We’d reached one stopping point. There was no mistaking that.
And then, feeling like I still hadn’t digested everything, I heaved a big sigh.