Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside - Volume 11 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Saint’s Temptation

The morning of the fifth day arrived.

Rain pelted the walls, and the wind howled past. A violent storm raged outside.

There was no way the boat was coming to get us.

When I got up, I had some water and leftover soup from yesterday.

The latter had gone cold by now, of course, but filling my stomach helped clear my head.

Getting up was enough to rouse Rit and the others, though we took care not to wake Tanta and his family.

With the windows shut, it was totally dark inside the house. The only light came from the occasional flash of lightning that shot through every small opening of the building.

“It seems the house will be fine,” Tisse remarked.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “There’s not much danger it will collapse.” Tisse was right, this house wouldn’t budge, even in this awful weather. “It would be nice if nothing else happened,” I added.

Tisse nodded. “Indeed.”

“How is your magic power holding out, Rit?” I asked.

“I’m fine. I can maintain a spirit gecko for a day and still have some to spare.”

“Yarandrala?”

“It’s difficult to call on the strength of plants during a storm. They’re busy taking care of themselves.”

It was difficult to pick up traces of movement during the chaos of a storm, too.

“It’s kind of fortunate Eremite made her first move two days ago instead of today,” I remarked.

She was already so hard to sense. If she had used the storm as cover, even Ruti might not have noticed her until she got close.

“Even if she had, I wouldn’t lose,” Ruti answered indignantly. She looked pretty annoyed.

I wonder why she hated Eremite so much. I didn’t exactly like her either, but…

“She’s similar,” Ruti stated.

Similar to what?

Ruti didn’t offer any more, instead sitting against the wall and closing her eyes. Despite how it looked, she was searching for unusual presences outside.

There was little else to do for now.

We all sat down and waited for the storm to pass.

The villagers judged time by the movement of the sun, so on stormy days with the windows blocked out, they got up later than usual.

There was nothing to do outside, so most of the locals worked on fishing nets or repaired clothes.

It’s got to be after nine already.

The room was still dark, and most villagers were asleep.

“Red…!” Rit’s sharp gaze all but told me what had happened.

“Something happen with Eremite?”

“Yeah, there was a reaction from the spirit gecko.”

I picked up my sword and fastened it to my waist.

“What do we do?” Rit asked.

“We should head out to check.”

Ruti stood up. “I’m going, too.”

“Are you sure? Eremite can use Appraisal. It’ll be risky if she gets too close.”

“It’s fine as long as she doesn’t touch me, and she won’t be able to.”

If she’s willing to use that much strength, then…

“Got it. Then all three of us will head out.”

We quickly got ready, trying our best not to make any noise.

“Where are you going, Big Bro?”

Unfortunately, it was still enough to wake Tanta.

“We’re going to take a look at things outside for a bit. You can just go back to sleep,” I said.

“Okay… Be careful.”

He was still drowsy and lay down again without much thought. In no time, he was resting peacefully.

My Lightning Speed wasn’t much use in such terrible weather, but it would’ve taken me a while to reach Eremite on my own strength.

“We’ll catch up soon.”

“Be careful, Big Brother.”

“Thanks… Lightning Speed.”

I took off running.

My body was light, and I could barely feel the wind of the storm.

Rit’s Wind Shield protected my body, and Ruti’s Gift of Elk Power gave me the agility to handle bad footing with ease.

It was hardly any time at all before I reached Eremite’s secluded home.

“That’s…?!”

The cabin was wrecked.

It was easy to see what had happened.

“Kiii!!!”

“A wyvern!”

An earsplitting cry pierced the air.

A wyvern had destroyed the cabin. It had come here in the storm to find a perch to rest and attacked the cabin to find food.

“Eremite…there!”

Even with her hands bound and unable to use magic, she evaded the monster’s strikes.

Evidently, the report from the gecko hadn’t been in response to her escaping.

I drew my sword. Honestly, I would’ve preferred not to fight to protect this woman, but there was little choice.

“Hahhhh!!!”

I leaped from the cover of the forest foliage.

Rather than deal with a prey that was constantly evading and running away, the wyvern seemed to prefer the one that jumped at it willingly.

Turning its long neck to face me, it opened its fanged maw and sped through the air like a shot. After evading its deadly bite, I severed the monster’s left wing.

The wyvern threw back its head to roar in agony, and the moment it did, I moved my blade across its neck.

The wyvern’s body slumped. Running up its back, I thrust my sword between its bones and into the monster’s heart.

Once my sword was free, I jumped down on the creature’s left side, where I’d cut its wing. If, by some chance, it had any strength remaining, it wouldn’t be able to attack me on its injured side.

“Kii, giii…”

The wyvern groaned and finally went limp.

“Thank you very much for saving me,” Eremite said.

I sheathed my sword and shrugged.

“Doesn’t look like you needed it. You seem to have plenty of strength left.”

“Not at all. I was desperate, just trying to escape.”

As far as I could see, Eremite had no means to attack, but she didn’t have a scratch on her, either.

“Red!”

“Big Brother!”

Rit and Ruti had arrived. The sight of the wyvern on the ground was enough for them to know what had transpired.

“Looks like it wasn’t anything serious, then.” Rit let out a little sigh. She picked up the gecko and touched her finger to it, giving it some magic power. “You did really well. Thank you.” The lizard’s tail regrew, and then it shook its head as though pleased. “I was sure Eremite had been up to something.”

“How rude. All of my actions are for the sake of good and love.”

Rit’s expression tightened in obvious disdain. Honestly, mine probably looked similar.

“Now then, what do we do about this?” I looked at Eremite’s completely destroyed cabin. We couldn’t just leave her here like that. However, it was dangerous to let her use magic.

“I guess we’ll have to carry her back to the village,” Rit said.

“…I guess there’s nothing else we can do.”

I would have preferred to avoid that.

“It’s fine,” Ruti commented.

Drawing the goblin blade from her back, she put her strength into a swing at the ground. The earth shuddered from the might of the stroke.

“That’s…” Eremite’s mouth was agape, utterly stunned.

Ruti’s blade left a huge gash in the ground, forming a cave deep enough for a person.

“She can wait out the storm there,” Ruti said.

“I’m grateful for your consideration. I cannot simply go to the village, for that would break my isolation. Thank you.”

“Sure.” Ruti’s response was flat and disinterested. She took the end of the chain around Eremite’s ankle and fastened it to a boulder.

Previously, it had been connected to the cabin’s foundation, but the wyvern had broken it free.

“Let’s go back.” Ruti turned to leave, judging everything done.

Then she saw the sky come alive. A loud boom followed shortly afterward.

“A wyvern!”

A large, winged shadow had appeared, seemingly from the lightning.

“Another one?!” Rit exclaimed.

“And it’s near the village!” I said.

Was it a friend of the one I’d defeated?

The wyvern rode the turbulent storm winds as it plunged for the island settlement.

“It’s okay,” Ruti said. “Tisse and Yarandrala are at the village.”

That’s right. They could take care of a wyvern without anyone getting hurt. Still, there was no reason for us to hang around here.

“Let’s get back quickly,” I said.

Rit and Ruti nodded.

Eremite smiled, then obediently got into the hole that Ruti had made.

Eremite constantly grinned because she’d already fulfilled the role given to her by God.

While Red and the others were still away, Yarandrala sensed the wyvern’s approach and went out to meet it.

Tisse, wary of Eremite’s magic, climbed a roof with a commanding view of the area to watch Yarandrala’s back.

Both of them reacted as best they could to the situation. If anything happened in the village, they’d respond immediately.

At least, that’s what they believed.

“Ahh!”

A scream cut above the roar of the wind, sounding throughout the village. One of the homes began to creak and shake.

“Run!!!” someone shouted, but there wasn’t enough time for the people inside to escape.

A fisherman who managed to get outside was quickly buffeted by the strong wind, which brought him to the ground.

The building collapsed not a moment later. There was a terrible crash, a scream, and then grim silence.

The people inside other homes hurried outside, including Tanta and his family, rushing to help.

Yarandrala’s battle with the wyvern was lost in the storm, so the villagers didn’t notice it.

A couple and their young child were buried alive beneath the wreckage of their home. They were bleeding and unconscious, but breathing for the moment.

Tisse remained where she was, judging that the three weren’t in danger of dying just yet. There would be plenty of time for Yarandrala to heal them after felling the wyvern. Instead, she prioritized investigating whether Eremite’s magic had anything to do with the house’s collapse.

There was a possibility that this was meant to distract her. Tisse didn’t detect Eremite’s involvement, but her choice to remain vigilant against the woman was the right one.

However, she couldn’t have known what would follow.

“What do we do?!”

Tanta. There were people in front of him who were hurt—good folks who’d been kind to him.

“Big Bro Red!” he called. Unfortunately, Red, who was always ready with medicine on hand, had yet to return.

“Mido! Help me move this!”

Gonz and Mido were moving the rubble.

The reliable adults lacked the power to heal the injured.

A younger Tanta would have gone searching for Red and the others. If he had, he likely would’ve found Yarandrala and told her to help the villagers.

That should have been the end of it.

However, Tanta had the power to save these people himself now.

Connect to my blessing… Okay, that’s it.

Tanta put all of his skill points into clerical arts.

Feeling a bit dizzy and giddy from the odd feeling of magical knowledge suddenly appearing in his mind, Tanta immediately used a healing spell.

“High Cure!”

Light enveloped the injured child.

The glow was excessive and wasted magic power, but on a dark, stormy day, the radiance of clerical magic left a powerful impression on the villagers.

The child’s wounds closed instantly, and when the light disappeared, their pained face looked at ease.

“T-Tanta…?”

The boy didn’t notice Gonz’s astonishment, moving next to treat the injured couple.

It was his first time using magic, and his first experience of magic power running out.

The instant he confirmed that all of the injured people were well, a powerful lethargy struck him, and he collapsed.

“Tanta!!!”

“It’s okay… He’s just exhausted.”

Tisse watched as Tanta and the people he’d helped were carried into the village chief’s home.

There was no trace of any magic…but was that really a coincidence? No…

She hurried to see Tanta.

If Eremite was waiting for this moment…

Tisse was an assassin. She had trained herself to act efficiently.

To her, it seemed impossible that Eremite could’ve been waiting for something like this. There were too many variables beyond control.

But that’s just from a human perspective.

From the point of view of a being who existed beyond humans, this was all easily arranged.

Mister Crawly Wawly touched Tisse’s finger.

“…Thank you, Mister Crawly Wawly.”

Tisse hadn’t realized she was clutching her fist so tightly. She released it slowly and exhaled. It was too soon to be so nervous.

About fifteen minutes had passed since Ruti, Rit, and I finished things at Eremite’s cabin when we made it back to the village.

Tisse and Yarandrala were quick to fill us in on what had happened.

I went to check on the unconscious Tanta, taking a seat next to him.

“Red… Is Tanta going to be okay?”

I smiled to put Gonz at ease.

“It’s just exhaustion from using up his magic power. It isn’t serious. He cast spells without any practice, and his body wasn’t prepared for the act of actually using magic. That’s all.”

I gently brushed the boy’s golden hair.

“He’ll be good to stand in around ten minutes. Still, he’s bound to be tired, so it’s best if we let him rest.”

“Really? In that case, just let him sleep.” Gonz looked relieved. His tense shoulders relaxed somewhat. “How are the injured?” he asked.

“Tanta’s magic completely restored them. There won’t even be any scars.”

“Ain’t that something. To think Tanta could do something like that…”

“Yeah. Tanta is a kind kid. And he’ll be able to do more and more going forward, but…”

I examined at Gonz’s expression. Although subtle, I noticed he felt a bit inferior to Tanta for already using such powerful magic. The Craftsman blessing was perfect for a carpenter, but Tanta already had a power that a Craftsman would never possess.

I put my hand on Gonz’s shoulder.

“To Tanta, we’re the reliable adults. Let’s do our best to make sure that remains true.”

“Yeah.” Gonz nodded.

It looked like he understood what I was getting at.

“Right, there was something I wanted you and Mido to look at,” I said.

“Huh? You want our help?”

“It means walking in the storm, but something about the house that collapsed caught my attention, and I want the eyes of two skilled carpenters to check it for me.”

“…Got it. Give us a minute to get ready.”

Gonz, Mido, Rit, and I stepped outside wearing coats.

The storm was getting worse.

“It’s liable to peak soon, so it should pass by tomorrow.” Rit’s gaze was focused up on the sky spirits.

I couldn’t see them, but if Rit said as much, then it was a sure thing.

“Does that mean our ride will be here tomorrow?” Gonz asked.

“It’ll probably be the day after. Even if the weather clears up, the sea’s bound to be choppy. I figure the Zoltan crew will wait a day.”

“Guess we’ll get to lie about the island a bit more tomorrow.”

Undoubtedly, Gonz and Mido had work waiting for them back home, but laughing it off was the Zoltan way.

We continued toward the collapsed building.

“Be careful not to get hit by flying debris,” Rit cautioned

“I wouldn’t even dream of trying to get close without your magic,” Gonz replied.

We were all being shielded by Rit’s spell. Any small debris that hit us would bounce off.

“There.” I pointed to the broken support.

Gonz and Mido both leaned in close and touched it with their fingers.

“This is…”

“In your expert opinions, does that look natural?” I questioned.

“No. The way it’s rotted out isn’t typical at all… It wouldn’t normally end up like that,” said Gonz.

“I agree. You wouldn’t see such a narrow range of damage unless this specific section was submerged in water for a long time,” Mido added.

Gonz scratched his chin. “It’s like time moved faster for this one section of wood.”

I see. So that really is what happened.

“Thank you, that makes it clear.”

That woman! What happened to her solitude?! She snuck into the village and messed with the support of this house!

Fortunately, no one had died from it, but it was entirely possible someone could have.

I really was starting to hate her.

“Hey, Red, that means someone did this on purpose, right?” Gonz said.

“Yeah… I don’t have any proof…but watch out for Eremite.”

“That ascetic lady?!”

When had she had the opportunity?

The forecast hadn’t predicted a storm, and Yarandrala hadn’t sensed one coming until the fourth day of our trip. Eremite had been tied up on our third day here, so the timing didn’t make sense unless she knew about the storm before it appeared.

“Red, what’s going on?” Rit looked grim. She’d undoubtedly noticed the same problem I had.

We all waited out the storm inside.

Tanta woke up an hour later, and the villagers thanked him profusely.

That their savior wasn’t a hero like me or Yarandrala, but Tanta, the boy who’d helped with their fishing boat, moved them all the more.

Having the village chief, someone older than his father, take Tanta by the hand and give such profound gratitude was something Tanta had never experienced before.

His face turned red from surprise and bashfulness.

Around noon, the villagers started to make lunch. The storm continued to rage, so no one was out and walking around, but bad weather didn’t keep people from getting hungry.

Today, we ate fish fillets and coconut soup. Recipes on the island used fish oil, giving the meal a bit of aftertaste, but Tanta and his family seemed to enjoy it well enough.

“Big Brother Tanta.”

“What is it, Dennis?”

A boy named Dennis sat next to Tanta. He had to be roughly three years younger than Tanta.

“Is your blessing Priest?”

“Eh? Um, no, that’s…”

He struggled to respond. I listened in, ready to cover for him if he tried to reveal his actual blessing.

“Really… The truth is, I’m a Priest,” Dennis said.

Tanta looked surprised. “You’ve connected with your blessing already?”

“No, I can just feel it is all. It’s been a year and a half now.”

Apparently, Dennis had come to Tanta to talk about his blessing. He couldn’t have known that Tanta had actually skipped right past that stage and connected with his blessing only a few days ago.

A Priest blessing wouldn’t have access to High Cure until level 4 at the minimum. To Dennis, Tanta must have seemed like a strong adult wielding the full power of his blessing.

“Hey, Big Bro Tanta, are you part of the Zoltan church? Can you take me with you?”

“What?! I’m not a member of the church!”

“But you have an even more special blessing than Priest, don’t you?”

“That’s… Why do you want to leave this island, Dennis?”

“Because I’m a Priest.”

Becoming a priest because you were given the Priest blessing was standard thinking for this world.

“Is there anything you want to do?”

“I don’t know…but I want to be like you! So I want to study in Zoltan’s church and become a good priest!”

The boy had a carefree smile. Tanta looked unsure how to respond.

“Really? That’s great,” I said, stepping in. “But first you need to connect with your blessing. It’s best for you to live with your family until then.”

“But I can’t connect with it…”

“There’s no need to rush. Tanta’s older than you and only recently connected with his blessing.”

“Really?!”

“Y-yeah, when I came to the island.”

“Here?!” Dennis exclaimed with such surprise that Tanta looked embarrassed.

“You should stay with your family as a child for now, just like Tanta with his family. Once you connect with your blessing and go into the church, you won’t be able to play with your friends as much as you want anymore.”

“I don’t want that!”

“Heh. Then for now, enjoy your time with your friends. That’s the sort of thing you’ll only be able to do now. And I think you’ll find those experiences useful once you become a priest.”

“Ohhh…okay!” Dennis thanked me and then turned to Tanta. “Thank you, too, Big Brother!”

“Y-yeah.” He looked troubled. Tanta’s frantic effort to help the wounded people had ended up inspiring another boy. And the responsibility of that clearly made him uncomfortable.

“I know what you’re going through,” I said while patting Tanta on the head.

“Have you always had this sort of feeling, Big Bro?”

“You really are growing up, Tanta.”

“Me? A grown-up?”

I sat down next to Tanta. We were silent for a little while. There were some things best shared without words.

We had thick fish steaks for lunch.

They were made from toned grouper with very little fat and had an elegant flavor. However, the fish oil made the final taste a little rougher. It wasn’t the best meal ever, but it was a nice change of pace.

“Praise, huh,” I muttered while sitting outside the circle everyone else had formed to eat.

Tanta had used the power of his blessing and been praised for it.

“When you act in accordance with your blessing and are adulated for it, your blessing fills you with a powerful sense of rapture,” Ruti said, a plate of food in her hand. She was sitting beside me. There was no table, so we were on the floor. “Eremite was trying to get that to happen to Tanta.”

“It can’t be.” I shook my head. “Using a high-level Saint just to put Tanta in a position where he’d be nudged toward obeying his Divine Blessing?”

It seemed absurd.

Risking the life of an adult with one of the most powerful blessings in the world for the chance at maybe influencing a single boy to follow the path God had chosen for him?

“That was definitely God’s plan.” Ruti paused to look at her hand. “There is meaning in a Saint guiding a fledgling Cardinal. Getting people to follow the role dictated by their Divine Blessings is crucial. All the lives Eremite could have saved on the island if she weren’t isolated meant nothing by comparison. That’s how God sees it.”

“Ruti…”

“I understand because of the Hero. God doesn’t care if the Hero saves people. That was just a necessary part of the plan. For the Hero, people are merely sacrifices to recreate the first hero’s soul.”

There was anger in her expression and powerful determination in her red eyes.

“That’s why I can’t lose to Eremite. I won’t let Tanta have the right to live his life stolen.”

Ruti’s voice was soft, but unshakable.

The storm would pass soon.

“This gets settled tomorrow,” Ruti declared.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

When I awoke the next morning, I found the sky was bright and blue, without a cloud to be seen.

Villagers were busy clearing the debris from the storm and the collapsed house. The fishers were already out at sea. The water was rough, but apparently, that meant big catches, so everyone was excited.

“Let’s head back to the beach where we were before. We’ll just get in the way here,” I suggested.

“Good idea,” Rit said, nodding.

We gave our thanks to the village chief and returned to where our camp had been on the beach. We also made sure to return the half-built fishing boat to the beach. The blueprints drawn in the sand were gone, but the real outline remained in the builders’ heads, so it would be fine.

“It feels weird setting everything up again!” Tanta was getting excited as he helped Gonz put up the tent.

Our trip was supposed to have ended, yet had run over into extra time. The sea was too choppy for swimming, but we could still play on the beach.

“Rit, hold that for me.”

“Got it.”

We were putting up a tent, too.

Birds that had fled the storm were back, soaring in the air and chirping happily. A seagull slowly turned to eye our camp.

The awful weather was finally behind us.

“Big Bro!” Tanta shouted.

Looking over, I saw him holding a rusty chain.

“What’s this?”

“It looks like it washed ashore in the storm.”

Tanta ran over to me and Rit with the chain in hand.

“It feels really light!”

“Hm?”

I took the chain from Tanta.

It felt of a perfectly normal weight to me.

“Oh, this is a staff for clerical arts!” I said, unable to hide my surprise.

“A staff? This chain?”

Tanta cocked his head, understandably so. He’d actually found a type of magic item called a cleric’s staff.

Rit took the chain from me. “This is a priest version of a mage’s staff,” she explained. “If you use clerical arts while holding this, it will help by making you less likely to mess up the cast, and it decreases the magic power required, too. It’s a great tool for someone learning clerical spells.”

“Really?!”

“For people who can use clerical arts, the chain is half as heavy as normal and is as strong as one five times as thick. Also, if you keep it with you for a full day, you’ll be able to call it back to your hand with a command word at any time,” I added.

Chains and ropes were considered to carry a divine aspect because they could bind demons. That’s why they were considered a type of staff for cleric-type blessings.

“Amazing!” Tanta said. “But why was it on the beach?”

“I’d guess it fell into the sea a long time ago, and the storm dragged it up. There are a lot of things down at the bottom of the ocean,” I replied.

A gift from Demis for a fledgling Cardinal, huh?

“Is it okay for me to keep it?! It looks like it would be really useful for construction!”

“Yeah, it’s sturdy, and you’ll be able to make it unwind and return to you with a word. I bet it’ll make for a really handy tool.”

God’s gift would be used to advance Tanta’s dream.

That’s fine with you, right, Demis?

He’d chosen the gift, but it was up to Tanta how to use it.

“Big Brother.”

“Red.”

Ruti and Tisse were both staring into the woods.

“She’s here, then?” I asked.

Ruti nodded. “Mhm, it’s Eremite.”

Rit and I stood up.

There was a jangling sound as the woman approached. Eremite was dragging a chain behind her.

“She pulled her binds free of the rock Ruti attached them to without magic,” Rit said.

“It saves us the effort of going to get her,” I replied.

Ruti stood at the head of our group, with Rit and me behind her. Yarandrala brought up the back. Tisse was hiding somewhere unseen.

“You came,” Ruti said.

When Eremite appeared from the foliage, I saw that her hands were still bound.

“Good morning. I’ve come see Tanta.”

My sister didn’t bat an eye. “Tanta is going back to Zoltan tomorrow. We won’t let you take him away.”

Eremite’s lips spread slightly into a narrow smile.

“Tanta has come to know God’s love. He is different from you. He is like me, one chosen by God.”

“One chosen by God, huh?” I said.

“In a sense, you are as well, Red.”

Eremite had used Appraisal to see my blessing. Guide existed to protect the Hero at the start of their journey. That was the entire reason it existed.

“No,” I responded. “My life is entirely the result of my choices. Demis’s will had nothing to do with it.”

I fought to protect Ruti, but not out of obedience to the impulses of my Divine Blessing. Were I the weak sort who obeyed every whim of the Guide, I would’ve died long ago.

The Guide started out very strong. That’s why it was able to protect the Hero. Had I followed my blessing, I would’ve fought with nothing but that simple, raw strength until I was eventually outmatched. I would’ve never defeated any truly powerful enemies.

“I suppose those who are given weak Divine Blessings simply cannot comprehend,” Eremite said dismissively.

“My blessing must look pretty pathetic through Appraisal.”

Ares had thought the same of me. When he’d used the skill on me, my blessing had seemed worthless to him.

“We won’t let Tanta go with you… What are you going to do?” Ruti leveled her sword at Eremite.

The two were separated by only a hundred paces.

“As a Saint, I am capable of fighting to some degree, but with my magic sealed, I cannot rescue the boy.”

“Rescue,” huh? Sounds like she really believes that.

“Then do you intend to negotiate?” I questioned.

“No, I am meant to guide Tanta, not to treat with the misguided.”

“Hah. You never stop smiling, but I guess being tied up for a few days has gotten on your nerves,” I needled. “Everything you’ve done has been according to your Prophecy skill, right? It’s all proceeded as expected, which is why you’ve gone along with it despite growing increasingly frustrated.”

“To think you would know of Prophecy… It is described only in the church’s most secret apocrypha. Did you perhaps have a Saint friend?”

During my time as vice-captain of the Bahamut Knights, I’d used my authority to gain access to the archive of Avalonia’s Grand Cathedral. I’d been looking for a way to free Ruti from her blessing, but it also allowed me to read about Saint skills.

Simply reading about Prophecy wasn’t enough to understand its full effects, so my comment was a half-bluff.

“Prophecy. To hear the words of Almighty Demis and know what you should do. Omniscient, omnipotent Demis guides me, so I need only follow the holy path, and I shall succeed. Only a Saint may acquire this ultimate skill.”

“So that’s why you put up with all this? The Divine Blessing of the Saint sounds rough.”

Eremite’s cheek spasmed at my provocation.

“Feeling a little angry? Has so much time in solitude dulled your tactics?”

“I have no intention of resorting to such frivolities.”

Sure. We’ve had so many difficult opponents lately that it’s almost refreshing to face one who responds to such a cheap taunt.

“So, you can’t use your magic and sly tricks aren’t exactly your forte. How are you going to fight then?” I said.

“In accordance with my Prophecy, of course.” Eremite pulled a pure red orb from her cloak. “Allow me to demonstrate how mighty the Saint blessing is, even without magic.”

“That’s…!”

I had seen a member of the church using one of those spheres before, during a battle with the demon lord’s army. Only a person with a high level, high-tier cleric-type blessing could use one.

“Shape of Nagaraja!” Eremite called.

“Look out! It’s a demon beast transformation jewel!” I shouted.

Eremite transformed into a giant serpent with seven heads. Animal polymorphing magic wasn’t too uncommon. The Gift of Elk Power enchantment Ruti had cast on me during the storm was a type of transformation spell that granted me an elk’s abilities.

Power-type transformations altered physical abilities without changing appearance, while Shape-types, as the name implied, completely transformed the user.

“It’s my first time seeing a demon beast transformation,” Rit whispered, astonished.

“Unlike animal transformation, demon beast transformation magic was lost during the era of the last demon lord. Now it survives only in the form of spells sealed in jewels created decades ago. To think she’d use something so rare!”

I had to work so hard just to convince them to consider using one during that battle with the demon lord’s army!

Remembering how difficult it had been to get permission back then left me feeling more than a little bitter.

“With this, magic is irrelevant! If you won’t hand Tanta over, then I’ll just eat you!”

Eremite opened her crimson mouths, baring her sharp fangs.

“Go ahead and try.” No sooner did Ruti say the words, than one of Eremite’s heads lanced forward for where my sister had been standing.

“Too slow!” Yarandrala shouted.

Eremite, a woman with a powerful blessing, had transformed into a great beast capable of destroying a country.

Her power was enormous. If I was fighting alone, I would have tried to draw out the battle until the transformation reverted.

However, Ruti stood at our vanguard, with her sword drawn against Eremite. And this was Ruti fighting of her own volition to protect Tanta.

“Gyaaaaah!!!”

Three of the seven heads were lopped off in a flash.

Saint was certainly a mighty Divine Blessing, but the Hero was unmatched.

Eremite writhed, trying to understand what was happening, but it was too late.

“Grahhhh?!”

Another three heads fell.

It was overwhelming. Ruti had to fight without letting Eremite touch her, but it hardly held her back. Eremite could scarcely understand her rapidly approaching defeat.

Now only one head remained. Once it was severed, the mighty nagaraja would fall.

“Why?! I did just as the prophecy directed!!!”

Eremite’s composure was gone. She’d managed to remain calm all this time because she’d trusted in the future she had glimpsed. Now it was crumbling before her.

This failure undoubtedly shook her faith in her Saint blessing and Demis.

“God isn’t omnipotent,” Ruti declared as she looked down at Eremite.

“Blasphemy!”

“It’s the truth. God can see the entire world and understand what natural phenomena will happen. He knows how people will act because people have Divine Blessings. Prophecies are just predictions that take those factors into consideration. But not even God can manipulate people’s will.”

Ruti and I had concluded as much when discussing Demis. He possessed power beyond our realm, but could not interfere directly or alter the wills of living beings. Those independent thoughts were most likely the origins of the souls that Demis desired.

That’s why Demis created Divine Blessings—to enforce a way of living without harming free choice.

“There is nothing Almighty Demis cannot do!”

“There is,” Ruti fired back immediately. She was so adamant that Eremite was left speechless.

“Tisse,” my sister called.

“Yes.” Tisse emerged from her hiding place with Tanta.

“Tanta!” Eremite shouted.

The monster’s remaining head wobbled as it rose, its golden eyes taking in the boy.

“So this is what you look like. You seem clever. Your face befits a holy man.”

“Ms. Eremite…” Tanta recoiled fearfully. Honestly, it was impressive he didn’t try to run outright.

“Eremite.” Ruti raised her sword to keep Eremite from moving. “I’ve given a lot of thought to how we’d defeat you.”

She looked straight at Eremite, but the transformed woman ignored her, speaking to Tanta instead.

“Tanta, when you saved those villagers, you felt God’s love, didn’t you? That joy is the reason why we live, our one and only euphoria. It’s a gift that can only be felt by those chosen by the divine to possess special Divine Blessings.”

“I…”

“Please, say it! If you tell me that you wish to accept God’s love, I will give my life to protect you! Please! Just say the words!”

Tanta looked scared. He glanced at Ruti, who smiled and nodded.

“Tell her what you think. How did you feel when you helped those people during the storm?” she said.

“Okay, I…” Tanta looked at Eremite. He didn’t look as though he were trying to challenge her. Rather, he had the clear eyes of someone trying to convey his honest thoughts.

“I want to make a house here someday that won’t collapse during a storm.”

“Huh?”

“Knowing a home was responsible for people getting hurt made me upset. Once I become a carpenter, I’ll make one that keeps people safe and happy.”

“Impossible… That can’t…” Eremite froze, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Her Prophecy had foretold that she would lead Tanta to the path his blessing desired of him. She had labored to construct the perfect scenario to make that future a reality.

Yet Tanta wouldn’t yield to the Cardinal.

“Tanta! They’re just making you say that, right?! You’ve been chosen! You are beloved by God!”

Eremite knew that the church taught that God’s love was given freely to all, but in her anguish, she voiced a very different sort of opinion. That’s likely how she really felt.

She was special, someone with the Divine Blessing of the Saint. Perhaps that’s why she strove to be saintly.

Now I get it. She’s like Ares. That’s why Ruti and Yarandrala were so wary.

“No.” Tanta shook his head. “I’ve always wanted to be a carpenter like Uncle Gonz and my dad. Even before I met Big Bro Red.”

“But you’ve connected with your blessing!”

“I don’t care!”

The blunt rejection left no room for argument. Eremite’s prophecy had failed.

“God can’t manipulate people’s wills…,” Ruti said. “Do you understand now?”

Ruti had known that Eremite intended for Tanta to follow his blessing the moment we’d caught her, and she’d elected to let it happen.

“No matter what happened on this island, it can’t undo all the time Tanta has spent with Gonz and Mido. I was worried you might get desperate and abduct Tanta, but I knew he’d never lose to Demis.”

“It shouldn’t be possible for a child to overturn God’s machinations…” Eremite’s voice was ragged from her labored breaths.

“Tanta is a special child. Not because of his blessing, but because he has a powerful determination to fulfill his dream,” Ruti explained.

He wasn’t exceptional because his blessing forced him to be. It was because he had a goal to aspire to, the kind of potential everyone had in them.

Following a blessing granted a feeling of joy, but that wasn’t how dreams worked. The joy and the misfortune all came from your own heart. People were meant to make their own paths, not march along those set by Demis.

“Eremite…the joy and pain handed down by God can’t bind those who are truly strong,” Ruti said.

“God’s love can’t possibly lose to the likes of mortal will…”

“Tanta’s life is his own. You’ve blinded yourself, but you saw it just as clearly as anyone else.”

Eremite’s body returned to normal. She lay on the ground with her hands covering her sightless eyes.

“O, Lord!” Eremite writhed and turned away, as though to flee from the world.

Tanta’s determination had defeated her.

Ruti sheathed her sword, looking satisfied.