🍖🍖🍖
THE Eylish army was suffused with excitement. They had just been the first to successfully defeat the famously invincible Farunian army. Although King Mars had gotten in their way in the end, this was still undoubtedly a magnificent achievement. Every one of the soldiers and officers were overjoyed.
“We can do it! We really can! We defeated those demons!”
“Let’s keep pushing, and smash Farune!”
“I knew this was a righteous fight! God is on our side!”
They shouted these and other similar things. Their morale, which had been at a low before the battle, now reached its peak.
“Well done, Count Godwin!” said the king of Eyland, a radiant smile spread across his face. He had stayed back at headquarters for the duration of the fight.
Count Wolf and Count Broome, who had commanded the right and left flanks, respectively, also generously showered Count Godwin with compliments.
“I didn’t think crossbows would be this effective. It’s a wonderful accomplishment!”
“The absence of Frau’s Mages’ Guild worked in our favor, but figuring out a way to counter the Hundred is a historic achievement!”
Count Godwin, his face flushed, insisted that they attack again right away.
“Thank you, my king,” he said. “It is with Your Majesty’s aid that I was able to deal a great blow to the Hundred. However, King Mars is still alive and well. We cannot lose focus. We must wear down the enemy’s fighting strength while they’re still shaken—until King Mars, with his formidable strength, is the last one standing. Once we’ve accomplished that, defeating even that Demon King will be simple.”
After seeing Mars’s strength up close, the count had keenly realized how difficult it was going to be to slay the king of Farune head-on, so he proposed that they first wipe out all of his subordinates, arguing that now was the time to do so, while their army had the momentum.
“Hmph, very well. For now, attack!” the king agreed. “Avoid a fight with King Mars, and kill all his lackeys! Today is the day we defeat the country that has brought disaster to the continent!”
His order made the Eylish army boil over with enthusiasm. They quickly got into formation and prepared to make another assault on Farune. The troops’ high morale made them forget their exhaustion. The crossbow unit, which Mars had definitively routed, learned that they would be able to avoid another fight with the king for the time being. This allowed them to regain their will to fight.
However, just then, a heavenly light was sighted on the battlefield where they were headed.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍖🍖🍖
WHAT a perfect opportunity. This was truly divine providence. If I managed to heal the Hundred here, my reputation would no doubt rise even further.
Apparently, Luida was off with the Black Knights and the Red Knights, but their injuries seemed minor, so I allowed her to take care of them. There wouldn’t be much in it for me if I healed them anyway. But over here, Lord Mars was standing still in a well-positioned spot, watching over me. The stage was perfectly set.
Luckily, everyone in the Hundred had unnecessarily high vitality. They were dying, just a bit, but I knew I could heal them. If I succeeded at raising them from the dead like zombies, my name would go down in history as a saint who had performed a miracle.
Now, I shall make a prayer to God.
If my beautiful voice didn’t reach Him, then no one’s would. There are two types of people: me, and everyone else. As such, it was only natural that I was particularly loved by God.
Ah, I can feel Lord Mars’s warm gaze on me. He was surely expecting a miracle.
Right now, His Majesty had to be thinking this: Show me that you can revive my dying subordinates. If you manage it, I’ll throw Eyland into the bargain.
And it wasn’t just him—everyone in the Farunian army was looking at me. The Eylish army was some distance away, but surely they, too, were transfixed by the sight of me. They had even gotten together in a neat row and begun to come closer.
I understand, I understand completely.
This was my time in the spotlight. As part of the qualifications to become a saint, it was required that one perform a miracle, and this was the perfect time and place for me to do so.
Lord Mars had to have prepared this moment for me. There was no way the insanely strong Hundred would have lost otherwise. What a wise king, to have been able to see this far ahead. It was truly worth it to have slept with him. That man was the only one fit to be my husband. All I must do now is answer his expectations!
With prayer and with dance, I gradually felt a rise of mana and the presence of God. But it still wasn’t enough. There was no way I would be able to heal the fatally wounded members of the Hundred with this. And failure would not be tolerated.
I would, yes, I would burn through my life!
Hear my prayer, feel my dance, listen to my thoughts. I will become a saint, a pope, a queen, and stand above all mankind! Everyone will sear my divine form into their sight!
✦ ✦ ✦
🍖🍖🍖
MARIA was dancing on the battlefield where many of the Hundred had fallen. She was both beautiful and divine, and it was enough to make even me feel like a miracle was occurring.
What do I do? I thought. Her prayers might actually reach God. At this rate, everyone dying is going to be revived. In reality, it won’t be a holy miracle; it’ll be more like necromancy or something. I’m begging you, stay out of this! Once these guys learn that even if they die, they can just be revived, they’ll never stop fighting! Personally, I don’t want to go to war if I don’t have to. But there are some people who, if they don’t spill blood and feel pain, will never learn the importance of life!
Indifferent to my desire for peace, a hemisphere of light expanded around Maria, engulfing the bodies of the Hundred. It was a mystery why such a wicked woman could produce such a holy light. Her praying voice resounded throughout the area, and her dance steadily increased in fervor. The ritual was reaching its climax. Then, the light flashed especially brightly, and the arrows sticking out of the Hundred’s bodies began to disappear.
Huh? God’s miracles even have physical effects? Isn’t that a bit too convenient? Hey, God, I don’t think those guys are really all that religious, so giving them such a blessing is meaningless. Shouldn’t you be using your power on more devout believers?
As my faith in God rapidly declined, one of the healed members of the Hundred twitched a finger. Then, he slowly rose to his feet, regaining his strength. This continued in groups of one and two, until eventually all of the fallen got up. It was an eerie sight, as if the dead had come to life. The Farunian army had approached at some point, and they started cheering.
“It’s a miracle! Way to go, King Mars! Way to go, Saint Maria!”
I didn’t have anything to do with this. That scheming saint just acted as she pleased.
“The saint is praying for the Hundred?!”
“No way! Is God siding with Farune?!”
Meanwhile, shouts of despair came from a spot some distance away. It was the Eylish army. It looked like they had also come closer.
I understood their feelings of desperation very well. Please, mind your own business, God.
The risen Hundred noticed that I was nearby, and they all simultaneously kneeled.
“Your Majesty! My apologies for exhibiting such a failure!” one of them cried out.
A failure? I mean, you were basically dead, I thought. But what do I do now? If they get right back to fighting, they’ll just be taken out again by the crossbows. Should I order a retreat, to make them cherish their rescued lives? The Eylish army looks surprised by their miraculous resurrection, so they’ll probably let us withdraw easily. Maybe they’ll decide they don’t want to fight such a creepy, terrifying country again. That would be a relief. Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll go with that.
“Listen to me! You lost! You died! Why is that?!” My voice made everyone around me fall completely silent. “It was pride! You were arrogant! Your conceited belief that you were strong led to this defeat! The warriors of the Hundred, of all people, succumbed to such weak weapons! Do you have any right to battle after this? Ask yourselves that!”
All the idiotic meatheads surrounding me had confused looks on their faces. They probably didn’t know how to respond.
Why don’t I admonish them a bit more harshly?
“Let me be clear! You’re not good at anything except fighting, and you lost at the one thing that gives your lives meaning! You’re all worthless now. Trash! Scum! Lower than dogs! Tuck your tails between your legs and get off this battlefield! And never leave Farune again!”
All right, now that I’ve said this much, even they will surely get the hint. Now, if I just physically threaten them a bit on top of it, they’ll definitely feel like going back to Farune.
“What are you doing, scum?! Go home, now!” I charged my black sword with mana and struck the ground with it, producing a shallow fissure. I was giving my all to appearing really angry. It was probably pretty convincing.